Sportsnet Luke Fox - Can the Maple Leafs survive playoff nastiness? (Boston)

[Fenway]

We won't know anything for at least 24 hours and maybe not until Sunday. The Whalercanes have to beat Tampa for the Bruins to have a shot at A1.

The only thing certain is Toronto can rest as they are locked into A3

If Philly gets one point against the Rangers Saturday afternoon they are in and Florida is out but a Rangers regulation win opens the door for Florida.

Quick Shifts: Can the Maple Leafs survive playoff nastiness? - Sportsnet.ca

There are three major reasons why we believe the Toronto Maple Leafs should be secretly rooting for the Boston Bruins to outperform the Tampa Bay Lightning this weekend. Both of the Leafs’ potential Round 1 hosts have 110 points and two games left; Tampa wins the tiebreaker.

To a man, the Leafs say it doesn’t matter which Cup contender they draw next week, but we’re not buying it.

For one, Andrei Vasilevskiy has admitted to being tired and has had a worse second half than Tuukka Rask. For two, the Lightning carry higher expectations than any other club in the East — because they’ve been at the top of the standings since October, because they pushed all-in at the deadline, and because their core has already come within two wins of lifting the silver thing. One spring ago, Leafs coach Mike Babcock called it “the pucker factor,” and it has had sour effects on some wonderful regular-season Washington Capitals squads.

But the third, and most intriguing reason, is that Boston is nasty (and we’re not just talking about Brad Marchand’s Twitter feed).

The Leafs, much like Tampa, are built to win one way: speed and skill and pray their gigantic goalie is dialed in. That identity flies smoother in the East than the West.

Click to read more...

 

[duffy]

The Leafs are licking their lips with the chance to play the Bruins!
With the Bruins defensive system allowing teams to stroll into their end before doing anything defensive is a buffet for teams like the Leafs!
If fans thought the Bruins looked bad against a quick and talented Florida team , wait until the quicker and twice as talented Leafs team with Babcock as coach flies into the B's end.
My prediction with Leafs talent, speed, and referee bias - Leafs in 5.
We have no one to blame but ourselves - the coach puts 2 defenceman in the top of the rotation after not playing for weeks when the other D we're getting wins while Chara / MacAvoy were out.
Also with the Leafs fast pressure on our slow / unable to clear the zone defence and two goalies who when handling the puck are a great scoring opportunity the the other team doesn't bode well for the team I've cheered for since 1963.
I really hope I am wrong but we will see.

 

[4ORRBRUIN]

The Leafs are licking their lips with the chance to play the Bruins!
With the Bruins defensive system allowing teams to stroll into their end before doing anything defensive is a buffet for teams like the Leafs!
If fans thought the Bruins looked bad against a quick and talented Florida team , wait until the quicker and twice as talented Leafs team with Babcock as coach flies into the B's end.
My prediction with Leafs talent, speed, and referee bias - Leafs in 5.
We have no one to blame but ourselves - the coach puts 2 defenceman in the top of the rotation after not playing for weeks when the other D we're getting wins while Chara / MacAvoy were out.
Also with the Leafs fast pressure on our slow / unable to clear the zone defence and two goalies who when handling the puck are a great scoring opportunity the the other team doesn't bode well for the team I've cheered for since 1963.
I really hope I am wrong but we will see.

Is this 2018? Good because I though I was dreaming about our 2017-18 Bruins

 

[GloryDaze4877]

The Leafs are licking their lips with the chance to play the Bruins!
With the Bruins defensive system allowing teams to stroll into their end before doing anything defensive is a buffet for teams like the Leafs!
If fans thought the Bruins looked bad against a quick and talented Florida team , wait until the quicker and twice as talented Leafs team with Babcock as coach flies into the B's end.
My prediction with Leafs talent, speed, and referee bias - Leafs in 5.
We have no one to blame but ourselves - the coach puts 2 defenceman in the top of the rotation after not playing for weeks when the other D we're getting wins while Chara / MacAvoy were out.
Also with the Leafs fast pressure on our slow / unable to clear the zone defence and two goalies who when handling the puck are a great scoring opportunity the the other team doesn't bode well for the team I've cheered for since 1963.
I really hope I am wrong but we will see.

Well...that’s one way of looking at it.

I have a different view. One of the things I like about this B’s team is their ability to play different styles. Carlo is a loss, but the B’s can beat any team in the East and they can play with the big boys in the West as well.

As it always does, it’s going to come down to your best players being your best players, one/two secondary players stepping up, and goaltending.

 

[Spirit of 67]

I'm tired of hearing how we don't stand a chance against the top 2 teams in the Atlantic.

I want to play both of them. I don't care which order.
Let's find out for sure if we can or can't compete with them. Bring on both.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

I'm tired of hearing how we don't stand a chance against the top 2 teams in the Atlantic.

I want to play both of them. I don't care which order.
Let's find out for sure if we can or can't compete with them. Bring on both.

Thanks for sharing.

The majority of Bruin’s fans want to avoid Toronto and hope they and TB face one another in the first round. We hope they beat the hell out of one another.

So, the sentiment you are describing is not prevalent here and I don’t think it’s accurate anywhere. I have read a bunch of stuff that gives TOR as good a chance as anybody.

 

[BMC]

If the Bruins truly want to avoid Toronto then IMO they've already lost.

During the playoffs everyone steps up their game both physically & mentally (well with the possible exception of the officials). If you enter a series with any kind of tentativeness or lack of confidence you might as well have not expended the effort & energy to make it in the first place.

 

[Spirit of 67]

Thanks for sharing.

The majority of Bruin’s fans want to avoid Toronto and hope they and TB face one another in the first round. We hope they beat the hell out of one another.

So, the sentiment you are describing is not prevalent here and I don’t think it’s accurate anywhere. I have read a bunch of stuff that gives TOR as good a chance as anybody.

The sentiment isn't as loud right now but around the TDL there were constant calls to trade JVR (and the rest of the UFA's to be) because we're going out in the first round. Some are still pissed they didn't dump them. Even when you point out to them that 6 OA teams do not sell.
I've lurked on B's threads where the Leafs have been dismisssed as merely a speed bump.
It's possible with the playoffs upon us, the bravado some fans have has been replaced by reality.

Anyway, at the end of the day, it's great to be talking about a tough playoff series as opposed to

 

[GloryDaze4877]

The sentiment isn't as loud right now but around the TDL there were constant calls to trade JVR (and the rest of the UFA's to be) because we're going out in the first round. Some are still pissed they didn't dump them. Even when you point out to them that 6 OA teams do not sell.
I've lurked on B's threads where the Leafs have been dismisssed as merely a speed bump.
It's possible with the playoffs upon us, the bravado some fans have has been replaced by reality.

Anyway, at the end of the day, it's great to be talking about a tough playoff series as opposed to

There are always fans who have “different” opinions. I don’t consider this minority representative of the fan base as a whole.

Most B’s fans know TOR has a good team and will be a tough out. The “nobody respects us” card cannot be played here

 

[GloryDaze4877]

If the Bruins truly want to avoid Toronto then IMO they've already lost.

During the playoffs everyone steps up their game both physically & mentally (well with the possible exception of the officials). If you enter a series with any kind of tentativeness or lack of confidence you might as well have not expended the effort & energy to make it in the first place.

They will have to play TOR eventually so I suppose it doesn’t matter. However, the B’s are still down players. Personally, if the Bruins could play a “lesser” team than TOR in the first round, I would be in favor of it.

 

[08SeaBass08]

I want the Bruins to beat Toronto decisively, though I know it's unlikely. Crushing Pittsburgh was so much more satisfying than eking out a seven game victory against Toronto in 2013 (the game 7 comeback, notwithstanding). But the majority of Laffs fans on these boards are the dopiest 12-year-old fanboys on earth outside of soccer, and I would enjoy the schadenfreude of a sweep and their inability to explain it almost as much as I love fried clams.

 

[ODAAT]

We won't know anything for at least 24 hours and maybe not until Sunday. The Whalercanes have to beat Tampa for the Bruins to have a shot at A1.

The only thing certain is Toronto can rest as they are locked into A3

If Philly gets one point against the Rangers Saturday afternoon they are in and Florida is out but a Rangers regulation win opens the door for Florida.



View attachment 110845


Quick Shifts: Can the Maple Leafs survive playoff nastiness? - Sportsnet.ca

There are three major reasons why we believe the Toronto Maple Leafs should be secretly rooting for the Boston Bruins to outperform the Tampa Bay Lightning this weekend. Both of the Leafs’ potential Round 1 hosts have 110 points and two games left; Tampa wins the tiebreaker.

To a man, the Leafs say it doesn’t matter which Cup contender they draw next week, but we’re not buying it.

For one, Andrei Vasilevskiy has admitted to being tired and has had a worse second half than Tuukka Rask. For two, the Lightning carry higher expectations than any other club in the East — because they’ve been at the top of the standings since October, because they pushed all-in at the deadline, and because their core has already come within two wins of lifting the silver thing. One spring ago, Leafs coach Mike Babcock called it “the pucker factor,” and it has had sour effects on some wonderful regular-season Washington Capitals squads.

But the third, and most intriguing reason, is that Boston is nasty (and we’re not just talking about Brad Marchand’s Twitter feed).

The Leafs, much like Tampa, are built to win one way: speed and skill and pray their gigantic goalie is dialed in. That identity flies smoother in the East than the West.

In the West there`s nastiness, in the East? Um, yeah they can survive

 

[Oates2Neely]

Leafs are fast skilled and hungry. I’m guessing it’ll be a 7 game series. I’d welcome a 1st round matchup with them. That rabbid fan base, the Matthews Marner electricity. Entertainment period.

Their blue line is inexperienced but they’ve held up all season. Hopefully McAvoy back up to speed soon and ready to play 25+ against the Leafs young forwards. Kevan Miller will need to continue his strong play. Bang bodies at every opportunity.

 

[DKH]

The Bruins would destroy the Leafs with neutral refs likely 4-1

With the inevitable lop sided calls Bruins 4-3

The November 10, 2017 Bruins - Leafs HOF game was one of the most blatant one sided games since Art Skov had the fix in for the Flyers in 1974 against the Bruins

 

[LouJersey]

I'm tired of hearing how we don't stand a chance against the top 2 teams in the Atlantic.

I want to play both of them. I don't care which order.
Let's find out for sure if we can or can't compete with them. Bring on both.

You can beat both. I think Toronto is a very bad matchup for both teams.

I see Boston Toronto as a 2-2 game heading into the third period of game 7.

 

[KrejciMVP]

I'm tired of hearing how we don't stand a chance against the top 2 teams in the Atlantic.

I want to play both of them. I don't care which order.
Let's find out for sure if we can or can't compete with them. Bring on both.

be honest, you want nothing to do with Boston

 

[Spirit of 67]

be honest, you want nothing to do with Boston

I mentioned the other day, whenever the day comes that we win the Cup again for the first time, I want to play the 4 toughest teams we could possibly play.
You know the haters out there will we all whiney about not having a tough enough path to get there.

I guess I could add that as an adult player I always enjoyed playing the harder teams more. It was always better to play in a great game than to kick another team in the teeth.

So no, I want to play Boston.

 

[KrejciMVP]

I mentioned the other day, whenever the day comes that we win the Cup again for the first time, I want to play the 4 toughest teams we could possibly play.
You know the haters out there will we all whiney about not having a tough enough path to get there.

I guess I could add that as an adult player I always enjoyed playing the harder teams more. It was always better to play in a great game than to kick another team in the teeth.

So no, I want to play Boston.

valiant, but I'll take any way to the finals I can get.

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

Sure the Leafs can survive nastiness. Actually all 16 teams that are in the playoffs can. What teams can't survive though is poor refereeing. You know the calls that aren't called, charging, cross checking, , but they will call the "stick in the hands"

 

[774EVER]

Let's not kid ourselves, listening to the media and Babcock's comments the last few weeks, the Leafs don't want any part of the Bruins. The media in particular was rooting for TB to drop down to 2nd.

For them it is equivalent to playing Montreal in terms of the rivalry. Not so much the deep rootedness, but the hatred. The comeback has stung them so badly, they wouldn't be able to handle another disappointment of that magnitude. They would rather avoid this type of emotional series if they could.

That being said, a BOS/TOR series itself would be a tough, close one. Not sure exactly how the chips would fall - I guess the team that gets the bounces, breaks and avoids injury.

Also @ Spirit of 67, take it from Bruins fans who have seen good to great teams over the years, fail to do anything in the playoffs - it is an accomplishment to get to the finals period. Regardless of the teams that stand in your way to get there.