Post-Game Talk: Leafs win 5-3

[Battle Lin]

our D really struggled this game and made it a lot more dangerous with so many giveaways and mistakes

the right side with zaitsev, hainsey, and igor was actually pretty solid

but rielly made some mistakes, jake made a few big ones and was terrible, and rosen coulda been the worst

 

[LeafShark]

The Number One PP unit feels too stacked. Sure, it's one game and they were productive, but there really doesn't feel like there's enough puck to go around. You could almost see it working better as two distributed units...

Just wait unil Bettman institutes the multi-puck for PPs to increase scoring. #Shannyplan

 

[Stephen]

huh? that unit looked extremely good, especially since it was the first time they played together

I think they dominated via skill, and obviously they'll find a rhythm as a unit if they keep it together, just doesn't seem like there's enough puck to go around to optimally use everyone's abilities though.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

I think Kapanen and Brown should switch places. Kadri needs another guy who can carry the puck up the ice, and Kapanen should be higher up in the lineup anyway

 

[Battle Lin]

i hate how babs didnt experiment a bit with preseason, put leivo with tavares and marner to see if he capable of working offensive magic...have johnsson and kapanen up with kadri one game, or try one on the matthews line one game

 

[GodEmperor]

I think Kapanen and Brown should switch places. Kadri needs another guy who can carry the puck up the ice, and Kapanen should be higher up in the lineup anyway

We can't switch out a grinding good ol torona boy for some primadonna finn, no way, Babs won't have any of that.

Brown invisible all preseason=MEH

Kapanen and Johnsson have 2-3 bad games=Get your shit together guys, it's PATHETIC

 

[djdev]

I think they dominated via skill, and obviously they'll find a rhythm as a unit if they keep it together, just doesn't seem like there's enough puck to go around to optimally use everyone's abilities though.

im pretty sure the other 4 teams in the top 5 pp last year used 1 stacked unit

 

[Kiwi]

Last season only 4 teams allowed less than 30 shots per game on average

NHL.com - Stats

Washing won the cup allowed 32 shots on average
Shots taken per game on average 29

Vegass SCF appearance allowed on average 31 shots
Shots taken per game on average 33

Leafs allowed on average 34 shots
Shots taken per game on average 32


The spread isn't too big to fret over.

• Hainsey is old and in his last year of the contract. Welcome to cap world
• Breakouts would become relatively speaking better; no reason to fret about it right now
• Your analysis is based on "one" game regarding the 5 am fire alarm. Was every pre-season game leafs defensive structure garbage?
• I hate Gardiner stretch passes too

We're way to loose, last season we ran Andersen into the ground, I blame Babs on that one but he does get to much work in game

Hainsey isn't because of the cap, we haven't developed our defensive prospects very well over time so we struggle to fill holes on the backend (that may have changed though)

Our Breakouts have sucked since the tank year, we've increased the talent but the Breakouts are significantly worse somehow

We can't stop teams cycling, we were God awful in our own zone last season as well, once the pressure goes on our guys lose any semblance of cohesion

Gardiner is going to Gardiner, he is what he is

Rosen was the worst defender on either team, Gards had his issues (one of which you highlighted) and Rielly was a possession black hole tonight.

The right side outplayed the left by a significant margin tonight. Hainsey was OK, Zaitsev was a rock and Oz was up and down but looked like Pronger next to Rosen out there.

I do agree the forwards blowing the zone created more than a few problems for all pairings though.

Hainsey feel off a cliff last season so we can't rely on him past 40 games imo

Good to see Zaitsev play alright, that would help a lot if he plays like that all season

Ozhiganov's decent and he can make an outlet pass so that's a bonus

I'd persevere with Rosen for a few more games yet, if he can deal with the speed he's got tools that mesh well with the team makeup

 

[frizzer1]

i hate how babs didnt experiment a bit with preseason, put leivo with tavares and marner to see if he capable of working offensive magic...have johnsson and kapanen up with kadri one game, or try one on the matthews line one game

History shows that Babcock doesn't experiment...he sets his lines before they have ever played together and sticks to them..

 

[Yamazaki]

Easy win. We didn’t even try and Montreal played like they were playing for the cup lmao.

Besides the obvious I felt kapanen and oz had strong games.

Man Montreal is a terrible run organization, I swear they get excited over mediocre prospects like I did with Matt stajan lmao.

 

[Battle Lin]

brown was also the lone forward on the 4 on 3, hes that guy though, and when he doesnt show up one game, he can the next and look better...its the players who go through stretches of not too noticeable games on offense, but dont provide the other stuff, they usually sit in the press box and wait for injuries

 

[glue]

Connor Brown looks kinda like Stiffler from the American Pie movies

 

[Mr Hockey]

Maybe Babcock prefers players to win "new" spots on the team during the season against NHL players instead of 3 or 4 preseason games?

 

[Battle Lin]

tavares and marner are working magic out there, cant wait to see matthews nylander again...they dont really need any more help...i would seriously think about giving kadri better offensive wingers

 

[notDatsyuk]

Pissed at TSN. Set the game to record, and when I got home about 9, it wasn't. Not the first time, and only seems to be TSN.

But I got to watch the whole third period, which certainly started with a bang (or three)!

Yes, sloppy, but my big concern, covering all the preseason, is how badly the team is being beaten physically. Not just hits, but battles for the puck. In the third period tonight I saw one hit by a leaf (Johnsson), although there were apparently two others, according to the stats sheet.

They lost the three players who, between them, accounted for more than 1/3 of all the hits, and they don't seem to have replaced that aspect. As a result, they are not looking good. They can outscore this in the preseason and for most of the regular season, but I have real concerns about them being manhandled in the playoffs again.

 

[Ratboy]

Gardiner est un Pejorative Slur

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Pissed at TSN. Set the game to record, and when I got home about 9, it wasn't. Not the first time, and only seems to be TSN.

But I got to watch the whole third period, which certainly started with a bang (or three)!

Yes, sloppy, but my big concern, covering all the preseason, is how badly the team is being beaten physically. Not just hits, but battles for the puck. In the third period tonight I saw one hit by a leaf (Johnsson), although there were apparently two others, according to the stats sheet.

They lost the three players who, between them, accounted for more than 1/3 of all the hits, and they don't seem to have replaced that aspect. As a result, they are not looking good. They can outscore this in the preseason and for most of the regular season, but I have real concerns about them being manhandled in the playoffs again.

again? they handled the physicality of the playoffs fine the last two years. complaining about not throwing enough hits in a preseason games is one of the weirdest things to be concerned about anyway

 

[diceman934]

No he was not the best player on the team last year. I love the guy but everyone needs to calm down a bit on the hype.

What from Jan onwards as well into the playoffs he was a mile our best player. That is not hype it was a fact he was our best player from Jan onwards.

 

[diceman934]

Who do you think is in the 5/6 over Oz?

No one is. He is starting the year as our RHD on the 3 rd pairing he also looks like he has a lot of upside.

 

[Zybalto]

No one is. He is starting the year as our RHD on the 3 rd pairing he also looks like he has a lot of upside.

I love his stick and seems to have decent IQ but he looks like he may have some footspeed issues.

Hope its not a problem going forward.

 

[Superstar]

Price is still looking for the puck from Matthews' shot...

 

[diceman934]

If Babcock does what he he usually does, the lines will stay as they were drawn up by babcock ,for the entire season.
( when Nylander and Hyman get back,of course).
The only changes he will make will occasionally be the right wingers, as he did last season....
So we can expect the kadri line to stay the same as well.

I hope I'm wrong, but babcock has always been stubborn and unless something is different this year,that's what I expect.

Levio will not be a Leaf regular, Babcock is given him a fair chance as Likely asked by our GM but when it comes down to it he will be moved off of that line and again watching from the out side looking in and Dubas will have to trade him and fast. He is simply to slow and not good enough defensively to play on that line.

 

[Kiwi]

No one is. He is starting the year as our RHD on the 3 rd pairing he also looks like he has a lot of upside.

What do you think of his skating?
It doesn't look great to me I'm wondering what your seeing?

 

[diceman934]

I love his stick and seems to have decent IQ but he looks like he may have some footspeed issues.

Hope its not a problem going forward.

He has absolutely no skating issues at all.

 

[diceman934]

What do you think of his skating?
It doesn't look great to me I'm wondering what your seeing?

His skating looks fine, a better skater then I hoped for. What people are seeing is him being a little hesitant. Babcock referred to him when he said one player was a better skater then he thought in one of his first preseason interviews.