Pre-Game Talk: Leafs vs Lightning. Game 5

[DarkKnight]

Lyubushkin. Is. Trash.

Agree we need to be even softer. Go back and watch the first period when the TB player stopped when saw 46. You might learn something. He ain’t Coffey, but he has a role.

 

[stickty111]

At this point, they are gaslighting and grasping at straws to blame Holl for everything. Silence about the countless mistakes Lyubushkin makes because "we need his toughness".

You would think that after 5 years of playoff failures, Leafs fans would realize that "toughness" and "physicality" are not the reasons we lost, and having major liabilities like Lyubushkin in the lineup are.

Lyb is basically in a useless specialist role. Coaching staff has finally realized he is unplayable in the O zone. He doesn't PK. Defensively he's fine at taking out traffic but if you can't break the puck out, it makes your physicality worthless.

 

[IPS]

Lyb is basically in a useless specialist role. Coaching staff has finally realized he is unplayable in the O zone. He doesn't PK. Defensively he's fine at taking out traffic but if you can't break the puck out, it makes your physicality worthless.

But you were literally bashing Holl and not Boosh in the GDT. And the guy you're quoting barely even posted in the GDT and said nothing about Boosh during the actual game.

 

[ACC1224]

Keefe isn't wrong.

Holl wasn't the problem in game 4.

Not directing this at you, but name me a single person on the Leafs in game 4 that didn't make a couple bad plays?

The only players on our team that had better +/- than Holl in the game were Kase, Kampf, Brodie and Muzzin. Not that I think +/- is some hugely telling stat, but being just a minus 1 in a 7-3 game is far from horrendous.

Beyond that, he's a big part of the reason the PK was successful 7 for 8, including an extended 5 on 3.

The Rielly/Lyubushkin pairing was the pairing that struggled.

He set the tone on the first shift and it was uphill from there.
The whole team needed to be better but he certainly didn't help.

 

[Sypher04]

He set the tone on the first shift and it was uphill from there.
The whole team needed to be better but he certainly didn't help.

On a list of problems in game 4, Justin Holl doesn’t even make the top 10

 

[ACC1224]

On a list of problems in game 4, Justin Holl doesn’t even make the top 10

I'm sure one or two will agree with that.

 

[Maplebeasts]

Agree we need to be even softer. Go back and watch the first period when the TB player stopped when saw 46. You might learn something. He ain’t Coffey, but he has a role.

We lead the playoffs in PIMS. We're hardly playing "soft" in this series. He's giving up goals at a rate no one else is on the team and scoring chances. You need your tough guys to not get caved for them to be any helpful

But you were literally bashing Holl and not Boosh in the GDT. And the guy you're quoting barely even posted in the GDT and said nothing about Boosh during the actual game.

Who cares who posted what and when? It doesn't change the fact that Lyubushkin is a liability.

 

[Clark4Ever]

There was zero chance Keefe was going to sit Holl tonight after being called out by Steve Simmons of all people.

Ego comes in the way.

I hope we win but I can’t see it without Matthews and Marner playing godly and putting us up 3+ goals early.

It would be a shame if his ego costs him his job.

 

[McSnypsky]

View attachment 543874

Don't know if I'm reading this right but these guys give a slight advantage to the away team?

 

[All Mod Cons]

Wonder if Holl starts?

Maybe Keefe starts him out of spite?

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Sportsnet is a joke, 590 hockey show at noon, they wait 20 minutes to even mentione Leaf’s and then it’s a 4 minute convo. Farcical.

What the f*** else were they talking about? The rest of the league and other series? I mean that’s fine, but a Toronto based radio station should spend the majority of its time talking about the hometown team. Guaranteed Calgary and Edmonton radio aren’t giving much air time to the Leafs series.

 

[DarkKnight]

What the f*** else were they talking about? The rest of the league and other series? I mean that’s fine, but a Toronto based radio station should spend the majority of its time talking about the hometown team. Guaranteed Calgary and Edmonton radio aren’t giving much air time to the Leafs series.

It’s like they go out of their way to not focus on the “Center of the universe”. Trotz again today over the Leafs is farcical.

Maybe Keefe starts him out of spite?

Will be interesting to see!

 

[OVO16]

We lead the playoffs in PIMS. We're hardly playing "soft" in this series. He's giving up goals at a rate no one else is on the team and scoring chances. You need your tough guys to not get caved for them to be any helpful


Who cares who posted what and when? It doesn't change the fact that Lyubushkin is a liability.

Lmao the bulk of the PIMS came from the Brawl in game 1 involving Simmonds. Ever since then, the majority have been all stick infractions.

We are 100% playing soft because all we do is Poke-Check and Stick-Check to death, which is causing Tripping/Hooking/Slashing/Holding penalties.

God forbid this team learn to actually implement Body Checking and physicality to our game to move players instead of constant Poke Checks

 

[Mess]

Matthews and Marner away from Cirelli and Point checking and shutdown ability to open the door for a potential big night for the Leafs top line,

Both Leafs star players were ghosts in TB, but I expect big things tonight.

 

[Mr_Fun]

Keefe isn't wrong.

Holl wasn't the problem in game 4.

Not directing this at you, but name me a single person on the Leafs in game 4 that didn't make a couple bad plays?

The only players on our team that had better +/- than Holl in the game were Kase, Kampf, Brodie and Muzzin. Not that I think +/- is some hugely telling stat, but being just a minus 1 in a 7-3 game is far from horrendous.

Beyond that, he's a big part of the reason the PK was successful 7 for 8, including an extended 5 on 3.

The Rielly/Lyubushkin pairing was the pairing that struggled.

It was always going to be Holls mistake that killed us. He goofs up on the first goal and it's "Holl made us start poorly and lose"; if he goofs up in the 3rd goal its "Holl killed our momentum and that's why we lost". I have no problem with Holl critiques but the scapegoating is just way over the top.

 

[Stephen]

What do you expect Keefe to do after Simmons question?
Holl just needs to play better and so is everyone else on the Leafs.
Just win the series.

I get that Simmonds brings an element that isn’t the rest of the team’s primary strong suit but if our captain is going to let himself get punched in the head a la Sedin and the big boys can’t play chippy and protect themselves and initiate rough stuff or manage momentum shifts then there’s no real chance anyway. Put up or it’s curtain call on the season.

 

[Stephen]

Matthews and Marner away from Cirelli and Point checking and shutdown ability to open the door for a potential big night for the Leafs top line,

Both Leafs star players were ghosts in TB, but I expect big things tonight.

They need to go through Cirelli and Point even if they can’t get away. Why are we even talking about Hart Trophies if you can’t get through a matchup checking line?

 

[CanHeDoIt99]

Lmao the bulk of the PIMS came from the Brawl in game 1 involving Simmonds. Ever since then, the majority have been all stick infractions.

We are 100% playing soft because all we do is Poke-Check and Stick-Check to death, which is causing Tripping/Hooking/Holding penalties.

God forbid this team learn to actually implement Body Checking and physicality to our game to move players instead of constant Poke Checks

Game 1 hits (Clifford and Simmonds)
56-36 Tampa (-20)

Game 2 hits (Simmonds)
39-36 Tampa (-3)

Game 3 hits (Spezza)
41-36 Tampa (-5)

Game 4 hits (Spezza)
40-32 Leafs (+8)

So in the two games without both of Clifford + Simmonds in the lineup the leafs have a greater body checking/hitting impact.

 

[MarnerElite]

So same d as last game? lol. Talk about stubborn...I'm passing on this game(that guy who said 'no you won't'...I do what i say 99% of the time so yes i'm really not watching. I hate these lines i just saw and i also believe this team should at least pass 1 round...that's when they'll deserve it at least...Their chances based on most of these games(aside from game 1) don't look good. But anyways...

 

[OVO16]

I get that Simmonds brings an element that isn’t the rest of the team’s primary strong suit but if our captain is going to let himself get punched in the head a la Sedin and the big boys can’t play chippy and protect themselves and initiate rough stuff or manage momentum shifts then there’s no real chance anyway. Put up or it’s curtain call on the season.

Blame Coaching. Any other coach would have told our main guys to get chippy and play playoff-style hockey.

But our mentality is still to poke check the other team into submission

 

[DarkKnight]

It was always going to be Holls mistake that killed us. He goofs up on the first goal and it's "Holl made us start poorly and lose"; if he goofs up in the 3rd goal its "Holl killed our momentum and that's why we lost". I have no problem with Holl critiques but the scapegoating is just way over the top.

It’s more Keefe starting him that bothered me. If Kase does his job on the wall and doesn’t blow the zone that goal doesn’t happen.

 

[Rob Brown]

So same d as last game? lol. Talk about stubborn...I'm passing on this game(that guy who said 'no you won't'...I do what i say 99% of the time so yes i'm really not watching. I hate these lines i just saw and i also believe this team should at least pass 1 round...that's when they'll deserve it at least...Their chances based on most of these games(aside from game 1) don't look good. But anyways...

 

[Not My Tempo]

Boosh is kinda like Zaitsev in that the only times I'm comfortable with him is when he's defending in the zone without the puck. Anything else, whether it's play in transition, or breaking out or in the offensive zone, he's pretty bad.

All that being said, I also see his value with his physicality. I think it says something though that this fanbase is so starved for some kind of physicality they're willing to put up with a pylon lol. His defensive coverage on the 4th Tampa goal last game is mind boggling.

 

[DarkKnight]

They need to go through Cirelli and Point even if they can’t get away. Why are we even talking about Hart Trophies if you can’t get through a matchup checking line?

Yep, every cup winner top line has faced a checking line, you either show some moxy or cower, that’s why some are champions and others pretenders. Matthews in particular has to hold onto the puck and blow their doors off.

 

[MarnerElite]

Blame Coaching. Any other coach would have told our main guys to get chippy and play playoff-style hockey.

But our guy mentality is still to poke check the other team into submission

I was told by someone yesterday that this has 0 to do with coaching. I wonder what it has to do with...Is Tampa just too good for us? Bad roster ? Because i'm usually fairly negative of Dubas but i do believe this team has enough pieces to beat Tampa(i think there is enough balance and offensive firepower)....But if a coach believes in something entirely different(like hanging back and defending even though Tampa isn't really great defensively themselves...in terms of chances allowed)...well then...But yea 'it's not coaching'...