Series Talk: Leafs vs Bruins - 'ah shit here we go again' edition -- Full schedule post #933

[mydnyte]

what are the Odds that a Leafs player gets 5, and a game, then suspended in the first 10mins of game 1?

...and the player that he hit, after playing dead is back for the PP

 

[BertCorbeau]

Other issues aside at least this years version of the Leafs have more physicality and pushback

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Seeing this match up and being a Leafs fan, I couldn't help but think of this clip lol.

Other issues aside at least this years version of the Leafs have more physicality and pushback

Can't argue with that. Win or lose, I hope we at least give Marchand and their other stars some significant battle scars

 

[MSZ]

Damn... How did we finish with 102 points being this bad?

2nd in GF and 21st in GA

 

[Stephen]

what are the Odds that a Leafs player gets 5, and a game, then suspended in the first 10mins of game 1?

...and the player that he hit, after playing dead is back for the PP

I know they’ll also draw an extra penalty on at least 3 scrums.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Mitch has not recovered from his high ankle sprain .. folks he needs to focus on defense to be of value against Bruins .. i just hope he JT and McMann can hold serve .. Keefer key is to make sure this line does not get tilted against us otherwise you must break it up .. please consider moving JT to LW for game 2 on 3rd line .. everyone is going to be shocked on here when they see what is very likely to occur to JT in game 1 .. i only hope Mitch and McMann can do enough to support JT but i fear it won't be enough

 

[Evilhomer]

Mitch has not recovered from his high ankle sprain .. folks he needs to focus on defense to be of value against Bruins .. i just hope he JT and McMann can hold serve .. Keefer key is to make sure this line does not get tilted against us otherwise you must break it up .. please consider moving JT to LW for game 2 on 3rd line .. everyone is going to be shocked on here when they see what is very likely to occur to JT in game 1 .. i only hope Mitch and McMann can do enough to support JT but i fear it won't be enough

What is going to happen to him?

 

[Jojalu]

Other issues aside at least this years version of the Leafs have more physicality and pushback

Agreed.

Depending on the status of Domi and McMann, I also believe they have better secondary scoring.

Especially for getting into the paint and scoring some greasy goals.

 

[Mess]

The last Leafs Stanley Cup 1967.

The last time the Leafs beat the Bruins in a playoff series 1959.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

The last Leafs Stanley Cup 1967.

The last time the Leafs beat the Bruins in a playoff series 1959.

At the rate we’re going, we might land a man on Mars before we see a Stanley cup parade

 

[Nineteen67]

Boston won't be "heavy" favourites over Toronto. They will get a slight betting edge because of home ice, but that's about it. The Leafs will win game 1 and the line will flip to favouring Toronto.

I think internally they would consider themselves favourites over the Leafs, but not the Florida teams.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

What is going to happen to him?

It will be obvious on shift 1 that he can't keep up to playoff pace which is 10% faster than regular season pace .. Mitch is gonna struggle too .. this is line which we are at greatest risk of being scored against

 

[Evilhomer]

It will be obvious on shift 1 that he can't keep up to playoff pace which is 10% faster than regular season pace .. Mitch is gonna struggle too .. this is line which we are at greatest risk of being scored against

I don't think Tavares is going to have much trouble keeping up with Boston's pace given that Boston is not a fast team. My guess is that Tavares is a monster on the power play in this series.

 

[leafsfan5]

2nd in GF and 21st in GA

The Leafs defensively have been a story of 2 halves this season:

From Oct 1 - Jan 1:
2.77 xGA/60 - The 7th worst in the league (25th)
12.32 high danger chances against/60 - The 7th worst in the league (25th)

They were horrendous to start and it looked that way

From Jan 1 - Today:
2.48 xGA/60 - 13th in the league
10.52 high danger chances against/60 - 13th in the league

They are now a middling team defensively, not as good as they were last year but they have also hit another level offensively to counter that. It may not look pretty, and it isn't close to perfect, but they turned it around.

We will see what defense we get in the playoffs, if they can just be alright we can win

 

[JT AM da real deal]

I don't think Tavares is going to have much trouble keeping up with Boston's pace given that Boston is not a fast team. My guess is that Tavares is a monster on the power play in this series.

I hope so .. but you could see his struggles in garbage time games with Florida and Tampa .. maybe Bruins are a slower team and he has a chance

 

[MilkofthePoppy]

If you compare the rosters side by side there is no reason why the Leafs shouldn't be able to beat the Bruins in 5 games. The reality is that our high priced players will most likely be dominated by the likes of Trent Frederick, JVR, and Kevin Shattenkirk.

 

[Evilhomer]

I hope so .. but you could see his struggles in garbage time games with Florida and Tampa .. maybe Bruins are a slower team and he has a chance

Every game is going to be 2-1 or 3-2, and Tavares' face-off ability is going to create a lot of chances for the leafs, especially in the overtime games (of which I expect virtually every game in this series to be). Against a team like Florida he may struggle more, but worry about that in the second round, assuming Florida gets there.

 

[Rob Brown]

If you compare the rosters side by side there is no reason why the Leafs shouldn't be able to beat the Bruins in 5 games. The reality is that our high priced players will most likely be dominated by the likes of Trent Frederick, JVR, and Kevin Shattenkirk.

Frederic is solid. Shattenkirk I don't think is going to shut anyone down.

 

[Gary Nylund]

If you compare the rosters side by side there is no reason why the Leafs shouldn't be able to beat the Bruins in 5 games. The reality is that our high priced players will most likely be dominated by the likes of Trent Frederick, JVR, and Kevin Shattenkirk.

Except for the fact that in the playoffs, goaltending is everything.

 

[Evilhomer]

Except for the fact that in the playoffs, goaltending is everything.

I think that used to be true, but when you see guys like Hill, Kuemper, Binnginton, etc. winning Cups, I'm not so sure that goaltending is the most critical position anymore. Unless the Rangers win the Cup on the back of Shesterkin posting a .940 during the playoffs, or Demko or Helle putting up an even crazier number, the odds are very high that a pretty average goalie, whether from the East or the West, is going to win the Cup this season.

 

[Gallagbi]

Other issues aside at least this years version of the Leafs have more physicality and pushback

We're much more aggressive but last year's group felt very comfortable with their physical play. Guys like ROR, Accari, Lafferty and Schenn gave us a bit of change in that area.

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

what are the Odds that a Leafs player gets 5, and a game, then suspended in the first 10mins of game 1?

...and the player that he hit, after playing dead is back for the PP

Boston, Florida, Tampa have a ton of practice towing the line. A lot of what they do is slightly illegal. A vast array of near penalties, roughing, and shots that are aggravating.

When the Leafs snap, we tend to clearly cross the line.

If we're going to get into the muck it has to be measured and not an overreaction where we get a big punishment

 

[BraveCanadian]

Holy shit Keefe.. the complacency

Nylander disappeared after signing his new contract, picked it up again in Feb after his vacation, and then took remainder of the season off. He deserves a ton of criticism not this ho hum baloney by Keefe. JFC.

Sums up the Leafs problems pretty well and shows just how deep the entitlement has sunk into the organization.

 

[ACC1224]

Nylander disappeared after signing his new contract, picked it up again in Feb after his vacation, and then took the season off. He deserves a ton of criticism not this ho hum baloney by Keefe. JFC.

Sums up the Leafs problems pretty well and shows just how deep the entitlement has sunk into the organization.

What he says in public and what he says in private may be two different things.

 

[Gallagbi]

Boston, Florida, Tampa have a ton of practice towing the line. A lot of what they do is slightly illegal. A vast array of near penalties, roughing, and shots that are aggravating.

When the Leafs snap, we tend to clearly cross the line.

If we're going to get into the muck it has to be measured and not an overreaction where we get a big punishment

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. The Clifford suspension was pretty comparable to Maroons antics. Edmunson's cross check on Simmonds in the fanless playoffs was an easy suspension that went undetected.

We can't have Kadri level antics, but we will need better officiating than we've seen in some key moments.