Post-Game Talk: Leafs win again, 6-3 over Detroit

[Le Cobra]

personally I think it's fun to be hated

Agreed.

 

[leafsfuture]

Yeah that’s a good point. This team isn’t missing Polak. Elements of his game such as his physical presence were things I enjoyed - but I always felt like his on ice impact was more negative than positive.

Potentially disagree - Rosen should be with the Marlies, and last year Polak > Marincin. We do need a 7th defenceman.

If Polak can accept a Marlie ATO and show that he can skate like he did before and kill penalties, id be open to a contract. Again.... he would be the clear 7

 

[Polaris1010]

Polak would have stopped that first Detroit goal where everyone stood there watching it, watching a puck go into a wide open net. Polak would have jump head first into that play.

 

[4evaBlue]

Polak would have stopped that first Detroit goal where everyone stood there watching it, watching a puck go into a wide open net. Polak would have jump head first into that play.

Maybe. The question is, how many other goals would he have caused by tossing grenades around in the back. We have enough of those going around on the best of nights, don't need to call in the shock troops, IMO.

 

[zeke]

i wish people would realize that getting rid of hunlak is a huge reason why the team looks so much better this year.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

i wish people would realize that getting rid of hunlak is a huge reason why the team looks so much better this year.

Marincin as well


I wonder how goalies are going to deal with that sneaky shot Matthews likes doing off the rush from the bad angle. He did it to Price, Anderson, and now Howard. I suspect eventually Nylander and Hyman are going to get absolutely ridiculous looks (even more than they do already) as the fear for Matthews' shot from goalies and defenseman opens them up completely

 

[Iapyi]

Polak would have stopped that first Detroit goal where everyone stood there watching it, watching a puck go into a wide open net. Polak would have jump head first into that play.

freaky!!!! as i read this post i experienced deja vu. i know it has nothing to do with the poster but i figured i'd share the experience.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

after reading some posts on here i decided to check out the wings board about this game.

there are some rational posters and there are some real sucks. sometimes one can feel the hatred seeping out of these people towards us. oh well, that's their problem to live with.

A lot of it seems just straight up childish. My dad can beat up your dad kinda crap.

 

[firstemperor]

Great team win, thought we did a pretty good job parking the bus in the 3rd....but maybe we should rev the engine up a bit and attack a bit more. Just don't think playing defense hockey in your own zone is a recipie for success at this level anymore.

Some thoughts (which I probably said in the GDT)- I usually bring up qualms but that shouldn't take away how many positives we had tonight:

-JVR's speed is declining annually. What happened to his transition game? It didn't feel too long ago when he had the skill and speed to hang with Kessel in third gear. Now he's just lumbering around in comparison.

-Komarov- Still think he's useful defensively but giving him a stretch pass in the neutral zone is like a free giveaway everytime. I'm not sure if he's getting a crappy pass or just can't handle the puck well, but he's usually the culprit of the poor stretch pass.

-Brown- I need to refrain from not being overly optimistic with him. The guy proves us wrong every year. 30 goals with opportunity and more favorable usage is not out of the question IMO.

 

[Le Cobra]

A lot of us forget that this was a back to back...they played very well all things considered! They opened the game very quickly and pulled out the win.

 

[ToMaLe]

With the win, Leafs are first in the eastern conference and overall, with the habs loss, they are last in the eastern conference, GOD i love it!

 

[Man Bear Pig]

With the win, Leafs are first in the eastern conference and overall, with the habs loss, they are last in the eastern conference, GOD i love it!

But...but I thought the Habs were a good team? We were told all summer that people sleep on them every year. Seriously though, that lineup is god awful. You know things are bad when you're experimenting at the #1 center spot.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Anyone else really like Hyman? I liked Hyman last year on the PK and his work ethic but felt we could do better on that line. Didn’t think Hyman could improve his offensive game more than he showed last year but I was wrong.

Hyman looks fantastic, still gives 110% every shift, he’s never the second hardest working player on the team, and he’s actively looking for Matthews, Nylander instead of having blinders on + his shooting percentage was never going to be as bad as last year.

For a guy that plays strictly ES and PK, his 30-40 points are very valuable.

I think he got (and gets) crapped on because he's not sexy like the others. Last season i really liked what he brought, but I felt he hit the rookie hard wall and those two things + Babs obvious love for the kid soured some people.

Right now, Hyman - like you said looks fantastic.
Ironically enough. Hyman is like three seasons too late. any other Leafs team, we would have been in love with this guy simply because he does what we always want - come in and work hard. not taking it easy etc. he just happened to come up when we get this massive infusion of talent and skill, and we have such high expectations. Before, I said Hyman's and Brown's can be replaced and they aren't long for the team, but i stand corrected on both.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Great team win, thought we did a pretty good job parking the bus in the 3rd....but maybe we should rev the engine up a bit and attack a bit more. Just don't think playing defense hockey in your own zone is a recipie for success at this level anymore.

Some thoughts (which I probably said in the GDT)- I usually bring up qualms but that shouldn't take away how many positives we had tonight:

-JVR's speed is declining annually. What happened to his transition game? It didn't feel too long ago when he had the skill and speed to hang with Kessel in third gear. Now he's just lumbering around in comparison.

-Komarov- Still think he's useful defensively but giving him a stretch pass in the neutral zone is like a free giveaway everytime. I'm not sure if he's getting a crappy pass or just can't handle the puck well, but he's usually the culprit of the poor stretch pass.

-Brown- I need to refrain from not being overly optimistic with him. The guy proves us wrong every year. 30 goals with opportunity and more favorable usage is not out of the question IMO.

Maybe it's the broken foot? edges etc isn't as awesome?

 

[Pyrophorus]

really? the guy is a tool who is in love with his own voice and opinions....

come on man you can do better than that

11th year though...

 

[Daisy Jane]

What I am noticing - is that while we're not as "sharp" right now - we're finding ways to win. All the little things that bothered us last year (blowing leads, not winning in overtime, etc), we're just checking those boxes off. I don't think we can say "we're outscoring our problems" - last year we were blowing teams out of the water - but we'd just quickly give everyone the lead back, then lose.

Baby Steps (imo) - despite the higher expectations - this is the highwire act we have to have with this team. Let's remember this time last year - we only had 2 wins total in October (and should have had a LOT more) - consider this the "lot more" this year.


People may disagree with me - I don't have an issue that Detroit got 3. (it wouldn't have bothered me had it been 3 with Andy either). I honestly feel a lot of people expect the leafs to run up the score, and the other team will go away. (sometimes this will flat out happen) especially when we get older and really tighten down. but most times - there is always some sort of a comeback

Great teams though - will always put in that final goal early enough and shut it down, and I think that's where the Leafs are headed.

Regarding the goaltending - Honestly, I think the question needs to be asked.
What is more important - high numbers - or the ability to make the ONE save and win the game - If you had to have 1. Like Don't get me wrong - McBackup was completely confused and lost in regards to Zetterberg's goal. the other two weren't that hot - but for a backup playing his what? first start in 100+ days - that's pretty good? And. he stopped the pucks he needed to stop. The Leafs on a back to back, looked a touch sloppy, but managed to get enough of the Lead and the backup won out the game. that's ALL we needed. and I'd argue the same with Andersen. his numbers might not be sexy - but I believe that Andy will stop that puck and give us a chance to win. even if that means his numbers are bloated.

Rather that than a sexy save percentage but when it's clutch time, Andy's not capable of making the stop to save a game.

 

[Walshy7]

I just won $12,000 if you're talking about the fake Sportsbook $$.

Yeah fake money = fake round.

 

[1specter]

I cut them slack even though it looked like they were dominated for long stretches. They played a rested team on a b2b and just came off a playoff-like game against Washington where they skated their tails off. That would tire anyone out. Even still there were some good stretches of play.

 

[BodaciousBeefBazooka]

personally I think it's fun to be hated

If you don't have haters you are doing something wrong

 

[Cappuccino]

In the first 7 games, I have noticed Hyman using his body much better than last year and yes I don't think I have seen his patented wraparound once this season

Haha maybe he sold the rights of that to Zetterberg...

 

[GrizzLeaf]

A win is a win. I'll take it.

Second of a back to back with the backup goalie and the Leafs get the 2 pts.

This is looking good for the season. They just have to keep building on it and work on their defensive play a little more.

 

[thewave]

What I am noticing - is that while we're not as "sharp" right now - we're finding ways to win. All the little things that bothered us last year (blowing leads, not winning in overtime, etc), we're just checking those boxes off. I don't think we can say "we're outscoring our problems" - last year we were blowing teams out of the water - but we'd just quickly give everyone the lead back, then lose.

Baby Steps (imo) - despite the higher expectations - this is the highwire act we have to have with this team. Let's remember this time last year - we only had 2 wins total in October (and should have had a LOT more) - consider this the "lot more" this year.


People may disagree with me - I don't have an issue that Detroit got 3. (it wouldn't have bothered me had it been 3 with Andy either). I honestly feel a lot of people expect the leafs to run up the score, and the other team will go away. (sometimes this will flat out happen) especially when we get older and really tighten down. but most times - there is always some sort of a comeback

Great teams though - will always put in that final goal early enough and shut it down, and I think that's where the Leafs are headed.

Regarding the goaltending - Honestly, I think the question needs to be asked.
What is more important - high numbers - or the ability to make the ONE save and win the game - If you had to have 1. Like Don't get me wrong - McBackup was completely confused and lost in regards to Zetterberg's goal. the other two weren't that hot - but for a backup playing his what? first start in 100+ days - that's pretty good? And. he stopped the pucks he needed to stop. The Leafs on a back to back, looked a touch sloppy, but managed to get enough of the Lead and the backup won out the game. that's ALL we needed. and I'd argue the same with Andersen. his numbers might not be sexy - but I believe that Andy will stop that puck and give us a chance to win. even if that means his numbers are bloated.

Rather that than a sexy save percentage but when it's clutch time, Andy's not capable of making the stop to save a game.

We are the team Ron Wilson imagined they would give him. We can play any game and win just based on talent. The teams loaded and fast.

 

[Daisy Jane]

We are the team Ron Wilson imagined they would give him. We can play any game and win just based on talent. The teams loaded and fast.

that's the best way to say it.
Ideally for me, I'd like to get one more defenseman (maybe if it's even the name, I'll admit it) to push everyone down "one" OR everyone collectively play better defensively (which we did from Middle of January on) i'll be happy.

 

[Gary Nylund]

One glance at some of the comments on the Wings board (from fans of a team with very little legitimate talent on the roster) is all I need to see to re-affirm what I’ve been saying for years. I really couldn’t care less about the attitude many seem to share: camaraderie/civility/whatever you want to call it between fans and fan bases. I’m a Leafs fan and a Leafs fan only. To hell with everyone else. That’s all there is to it. It honestly annoys me to no end when I’ll be perusing another team’s board and I’ll inevitably see the standard “*insert team here* fan coming in peace.” Everyone hates the Leafs so to hell with civility and respect. Let’s start giving it back. Jesus, it’s been a long time coming.

I've never been a fan of incorrectly stamping the same label on everyone so I'll say this:
1 - There's nothing wrong with being civil
2 - Being annoyed at others being civil is a waste of energy
3 - Everyone does not hate the Leafs

Lol karma? What’s the worst that could happen, other fan bases pile on us non-stop? The attitude towards Leaf Nation will always be the same, whether Toronto wins anything or not. I just can’t rationalize being civil and respectful towards fans and fan bases that harbour nothing but contempt for us as a group. How about they stick to their board, we’ll stick to ours, and if anyone wants to go to the main boards, then they should expect it to go both ways.

That's pretty funny considering you obviously went to the DET board.

I've made thousands of posts here and I'd guess less than 5 of those have been made on other teams boards myself, that's just now how I spend my time. I have no problem with others doing so though and I don't see why anyone else would either.

I think he got (and gets) crapped on because he's not sexy like the others. Last season i really liked what he brought, but I felt he hit the rookie hard wall and those two things + Babs obvious love for the kid soured some people.

Right now, Hyman - like you said looks fantastic.
Ironically enough. Hyman is like three seasons too late. any other Leafs team, we would have been in love with this guy simply because he does what we always want - come in and work hard. not taking it easy etc. he just happened to come up when we get this massive infusion of talent and skill, and we have such high expectations. Before, I said Hyman's and Brown's can be replaced and they aren't long for the team, but i stand corrected on both.

What I am noticing - is that while we're not as "sharp" right now - we're finding ways to win. All the little things that bothered us last year (blowing leads, not winning in overtime, etc), we're just checking those boxes off. I don't think we can say "we're outscoring our problems" - last year we were blowing teams out of the water - but we'd just quickly give everyone the lead back, then lose.

Baby Steps (imo) - despite the higher expectations - this is the highwire act we have to have with this team. Let's remember this time last year - we only had 2 wins total in October (and should have had a LOT more) - consider this the "lot more" this year.


People may disagree with me - I don't have an issue that Detroit got 3. (it wouldn't have bothered me had it been 3 with Andy either). I honestly feel a lot of people expect the leafs to run up the score, and the other team will go away. (sometimes this will flat out happen) especially when we get older and really tighten down. but most times - there is always some sort of a comeback

Great teams though - will always put in that final goal early enough and shut it down, and I think that's where the Leafs are headed.

Regarding the goaltending - Honestly, I think the question needs to be asked.
What is more important - high numbers - or the ability to make the ONE save and win the game - If you had to have 1. Like Don't get me wrong - McBackup was completely confused and lost in regards to Zetterberg's goal. the other two weren't that hot - but for a backup playing his what? first start in 100+ days - that's pretty good? And. he stopped the pucks he needed to stop. The Leafs on a back to back, looked a touch sloppy, but managed to get enough of the Lead and the backup won out the game. that's ALL we needed. and I'd argue the same with Andersen. his numbers might not be sexy - but I believe that Andy will stop that puck and give us a chance to win. even if that means his numbers are bloated.

Rather that than a sexy save percentage but when it's clutch time, Andy's not capable of making the stop to save a game.

Yup! I've been one of those sticking up for Hyman asking why does everyone assume he can't possibly improve on his rookie season? So far so good, man he's been great, doesn't look like he's holding back his linemates either!

I think the lesson here is that Babcok isn't perfect but he's gonna be right most of the time.

PS I think you may want to edit the last sentence in this post.

 

[thewave]

that's the best way to say it.
Ideally for me, I'd like to get one more defenseman (maybe if it's even the name, I'll admit it) to push everyone down "one" OR everyone collectively play better defensively (which we did from Middle of January on) i'll be happy.

Sure if you want a D right now, just hold up and do some watching into the season to see if its really needed. Sometimes 6-1-0 records are because you hit the chemistry jackpot and you just want to not touch it.

Sometimes making small changes hurts the team.