Pre-Game Talk: Leafs vs Jets

[Keato]

Whatever happens tomorrow, I think we can all agree this will determine who the best player and team is.

 

[Jeffsrig]

The Laine line isn't that good defensively IMO. It's faster, so I expect Kadri's line to match-up against that line and Moore against the Schiefele line. My point wasn't that they wouldn't try it either. My point was that we're that much deeper that they're forced to match (with the Schief line IMO being the best defensively) their best centre line to ours which lets Marner's line for instance, run against weaker match-ups.

Coming in peace If I was a betting man.....

Likely what you will see is Scheifele or Lowry line matched up against your top 2 (depending on the zone start) Mo tends to like to give Lowry the d-zone starts and Scheifele the O-zone starts against the other teams top lines.

The Little line is likely the one they are going to try to match up against your third or fourth line.

This is the first season the the team has had a competent third pairing that will likely be Myers and Kulikov for a combined overpaid cap hit of around 9m .

But matchups all depend on the flow of the game and how Babs is rolling the lines so I am not guaranteeing any of the above and Maurice is famous for changing line combos 3 or 4 times a game if they are chasing it.

Fun fact, I remember Babs very well from his tenure in Moose Jaw, my step father was the local reporter and radio color commentator for the team so by default I pretty much grew up with the team from the Theoren Fleury days to the Kevin/Ryan Smyth days. My best memory of him was after a loss and my father went into his office for a comment and he said something to the effect. "Just make something up and make it sound good I'm really not in the mood". Pretty sure he got drunk at our house a couple of times too. I was 11 or 12 at the time. Would love to have him behind the Winnipeg bench, you guys are lucky to have him, arguably the best coach in the world.

 

[Nithoniniel]

I find the (Finnish) reverence interesting. We Swedes barely liked Willie, for example, until the WCH. Lesser talent, but the best we’ve had. Even Karlsson doesn’t even come close. We love him, but there’s not a fan base devoted to just him.

I wonder to which degree cultural differences come into play.

 

[Drytoast]

Ah yes, the one timer with which he scored an entirety of 4 goals last year. Or was it 5?

Sorry maybe one timer was a bit too specific, it's more where he is alone after a pass and has time to shoot without being bothered. Of which that's the majority of his goals.

(As far as one timers I counted at least ten before I got to the half way mark of this video.)



Laine is an exemptional shooter. I think he's earned the respect of the league to have the passing lane to him constantly shut down. I think there is a possibility he doesn't find it as easy this year to get that shot off in the amount of time shown in most of these goals.

I could be totally wrong and he instead goes super syian.

Everyone is entitled to have an opinion.

 

[al secord]

I guess this is their Stanley Cup tonight. I wish we could start the season against a division rival, making opening night more significant for us.

 

[al secord]

Gotta stay out of the box.

 

[Pi]

Don’t care who scores how many goals on either sides as long as the Leafs have one more goal than the Jets.

 

[ShaneFalco]

So I'm in Ottawa at a conference for work - will I have a problem getting the Leaf game here? Someone said I won't be able to get it on TV

 

[SprDaVE]

I'm amazed how many people care so much about this player vs player debate. It always never ceases to amaze me how some go to much length to pump their chest like it matters, one way or another, from either side of the coin.

Talking about the game ahead of us, the Jets are always a tough matchup for us. I expect this to be a tough start to the season. Should be a good one hopefully.

 

[DarkKnight]

I don't think there is a GM in the league, including in Winnipeg if they're being honest, that would even consider trading a Matthews for Laine. I don't get this media fueled rivalry, nor do I care if Jets fans are delusional. Come on.

 

[Damisoph]

Are we doing the prediction thing this year?

 

[thewave]

I find the (Finnish) reverence interesting. We Swedes barely liked Willie, for example, until the WCH. Lesser talent, but the best we’ve had. Even Karlsson doesn’t even come close. We love him, but there’s not a fan base devoted to just him.

I wonder to which degree cultural differences come into play.

I think he gets thumbed because he was Canadian born. He just isn't authentic. Now he is so good that every nationality would claim him. He is a good Canadian boy in reality

 

[Eat The Rich]

Hooray! My life has purpose again!

 

[Commander Clueless]

I'm predicting Laine will score 100 goals and break the scoreboard.

30 of these goals will actually be Matthews own goals.


Go Leafs Go!

 

[Pyrophorus]

Jets will win easily this match. 6-1, Laine with a hat trick.

Welcome to our board, hater! I thought you said 6-2

 

[bluumax]

Sorry maybe one timer was a bit too specific, it's more where he is alone after a pass and has time to shoot without being bothered. Of which that's the majority of his goals.

(As far as one timers I counted at least ten before I got to the half way mark of this video.)



Laine is an exemptional shooter. I think he's earned the respect of the league to have the passing lane to him constantly shut down. I think there is a possibility he doesn't find it as easy this year to get that shot off in the amount of time shown in most of these goals.

I could be totally wrong and he instead goes super syian.

Everyone is entitled to have an opinion.

Highlights don't give a full picture of what a player is, but i will say this; 50% of those goals were absolute rockets that could only come from a top of the pile elite goalscorer, 20% supplied, 10% EN.

The other 20% though, just some god damn awful defensive play- the guy is 6'4, how the f*** do they lose him so easily? the guy probably has one of the highest shot vs pass percentages in the league (with one of the best shots to boot)- so why don't they play the odds and make more aggressive plays on him when he's in a shooting position?

Obviously there's a reason im no NHLer, but still, you gotta question the hockey sense of some of the players who let one of the best snipers in the game stand un-checked in prime scoring locations.

I might be a homer, but Matthews was definitely played much tighter than it seems Laine was.

 

[Pyrophorus]

I find the (Finnish) reverence interesting. We Swedes barely liked Willie, for example, until the WCH. Lesser talent, but the best we’ve had. Even Karlsson doesn’t even come close. We love him, but there’s not a fan base devoted to just him.

I wonder to which degree cultural differences come into play.

Lets be honest, at #15, not a great amount was expected from EK.
You could pick at 15, 100x, and not get an EK.

#8 is just a little bit better, but again you weren't sure.

 

[thewave]

Lets be honest, at #15, not a great amount was expected from EK.
You could pick at 15, 100x, and not get an EK.

#8 is just a little bit better, but again you weren't sure.

I know I was sure, called him top 3. Same with Forsberg the year or two prior. We did get Rielly though, but Forsberg would have been nice at the time as well.

 

[Diamond Joe Quimby]

Not really.

Went thru both teams pregame threads for tomorrow's game ( ya I need a life)

Jets pregame day thread:
280 post with one post bashing leaf fans, and not one proclaiming Laine the better player (which he is imo ).
Zero post talking about a rivalry other than a twitter quote from Babcock dismissing the rivalry, which was agreed with by another poster.
Mostly positive analysis of both young dynamic rosters and game matchups.

Leafs pregame thread:
124 posts, 11 of which are talking about this rivalry, proclaiming Mathews far superior over Laine or how annoying jets fans are.
There are some good posts though

So more than double the posts by Jets fans, but a fifth less than Leaf fans, that show this rivalry as a big deal.

How many of them are a) made by Jets fans in a Leafs thread, or b) in response to posts made by Jets fans in a Leaf thread.

 

[Thread The Needle]

I can finally feed my addiction again!

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Just win. I don't care by how much.

 

[Budsfan]

Game Day: Maple Leafs at Jets

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS at WINNIPEG JETS
Wednesday, 7 p.m., Bell MTS Place
TV: Sportsnet, Radio: 1050 AM

 

[ACC1224]

Game Day: Maple Leafs at Jets

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS at WINNIPEG JETS
Wednesday, 7 p.m., Bell MTS Place
TV: Sportsnet, Radio: 1050 AM

Sportsnet eh? Someone hurry and bump that Romanuk thread!

 

[Budsfan]

 

[StevenB]

Damn I work 4:30-9 :’( guess I have to pvr and turn off theScore notifications. Here’s to another 4 goal game from Matthews