Our Toronto Maple Leafs - An Offensive Juggernaut

[BiggestLeafsFanEVER*]

With tonight's hattrick heroics from Phil 'The Thrill" Kessel, our very own Leafs now sit atop the Eastern Conference in total number of goals scored. When looked at as a per game average, we are barely behind the Penguins (3.33 to 3.30). If Clarkson can play as well as he has in the past, that will just help our offense even more.

I know it's early, but if we can find some way to sustain our performance I think it is POSSIBLE that we lead our conference in goals. This is especially the case if Crosby gets injured at some point like he does every year.

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[HellasLEAF]

Oh I like this thread!

Juggernaut. I like the sound of that.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

The Leafs have had no issue scoring for years. Always near the top. That hasn't been the issue. And I hate to admit it but Clarkson really doesn't add that much firepower up front. You give most players enough minutes and they'll pop in 20 goals.

 

[Leafidelity]

Most teams have a main line they feel most comfortable sending out to score a goal. We have two. It's our biggest strength in my opinion.

 

[HockeyThoughts]

The Leafs have had no issue scoring for years. Always near the top. That hasn't been the issue. And I hate to admit it but Clarkson really doesn't add that much firepower up front. You give most players enough minutes and they'll pop in 20 goals.

The man has scored at a ~30G pace (or flat out scored 30G) the past two seasons and he doesn't add much firepower..

 

[BiggestLeafsFanEVER*]

The Leafs have had no issue scoring for years. Always near the top. That hasn't been the issue. And I hate to admit it but Clarkson really doesn't add that much firepower up front. You give most players enough minutes and they'll pop in 20 goals.

Yeah I know but we're doing even better. Having the most goals overall and being almost a tie with Pittsburgh for most goals per game is something to be especially happy about.

 

[FlareKnight]

We have some nice firepower. I hope adding Clarkson helps to stabalize the second line which has fluctuated a bit with Kadri moving up and down and Lupul the only real set guy on the line.

Still we definitely have some nice weapons up front and when they are on their game they are a dangerous group.

 

[Ari91]

Leafs have finished in the league's top 10 in goal scoring for the past two years. They are currently second in the league. If anyone is surprised that the team can score goals, then they haven't been paying attention.

 

[zeke]

We really are a stacked offensive team.

Probably the weakest part of the advanced stats crowd analysis of the leafs is that whether they realize it or not, they are claiming that the Leafs are a poor offensive team due to taking few shots....but with the production history of the players on this roster, this team is going to score a lot of goals, no matter how many or how few shots they take.

 

[EtoDemerzel]

 

[zeke]

 

[happyaccident]

The man has scored at a ~30G pace (or flat out scored 30G) the past two seasons and he doesn't add much firepower..

It's because after the big splurge in 2011/12 and the first dozen games last season, he fell off a cliff. So you look at his numbers before 2011/12 and he's basically a 15-goal scorer.
He's a 30-goal scorer the same way Kulemin is a 30-goal scorer.

 

[HockeyThoughts]

It's because after the big splurge in 2011/12 and the first dozen games last season, he fell off a cliff. So you look at his numbers before 2011/12 and he's basically a 15-goal scorer.
He's a 30-goal scorer the same way Kulemin is a 30-goal scorer.

Except that Nikolai Kulemin was a 30G scorer 3 seasons ago.. David Clarkson was on a ~30G pace just last season.

Last time I checked goals are all recorded equally whether they are scored in bunches, on the PP or at ES, early in the year, late in the year..etc ..etc The only goals worth more to me happen in May and beyond..

 

[happyaccident]

Except that Nikolai Kulemin was a 30G scorer 3 seasons ago.. David Clarkson was on a ~30G pace just last season.

Last time I checked goals are all recorded equally whether they are scored in bunches, on the PP or at ES, early in the year, late in the year..etc ..etc The only goals worth more to me happen in May and beyond..

The point is that he went on a goal-scoring splurge all in one segment. He didn't do it before and he didn't do it after. Calling him a 30-goal scorer is like calling Jason Blake a 40-goal scorer.

 

[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

Clarkson is going to be a big addition in improving our board play and getting the puck on net.

 

[wulfio*]

people are surprised... cuz corsi!

 

[HockeyThoughts]

The point is that he went on a goal-scoring splurge all in one segment. He didn't do it before and he didn't do it after. Calling him a 30-goal scorer is like calling Jason Blake a 40-goal scorer.

The last time I checked David Clarkson scored a total of 45G over the course of 128 games spread over his 2 most recent seasons. That equates to .35GPG or a pace of 29G per 82GP season. Making him a ~30G scorer over his past 128GP.

 

[happyaccident]

The last time I checked David Clarkson scored a total of 45G over the course of 128 games spread over his 2 most recent seasons. That equates to .35GPG or a pace of 29G per 82GP season. Making him a ~30G scorer over his past 128GP.

And he had 9 pts. in his last 36 games (can't remember how many of those points were goals).

That segment equates to a 20.5 point season.
And you could go back before 2011/12 and find similar numbers.

Which segment do you want to believe?

 

[HockeyThoughts]

And he had 9 pts. in his last 36 games (can't remember how many of those points were goals).

That segment equates to a 20.5 point season.
And you could go back before 2011/12 and find similar numbers.

Which segment do you want to believe?

Let me ask you:

Which is a bigger sample size.. 36 games or 128 games?

 

[7even]

We really are a stacked offensive team.

Probably the weakest part of the advanced stats crowd analysis of the leafs is that whether they realize it or not, they are claiming that the Leafs are a poor offensive team due to taking few shots....but with the production history of the players on this roster, this team is going to score a lot of goals, no matter how many or how few shots they take.

No. Remember the first period where we had two shots? Remember the rest of the game when we started shooting?

Bowen said it best: "if the Leafs had scored on every shot they took that period, they'd be up 2-1." We were on pace for 4 shots halfway through the 2nd. You can't win like that, even with a team of Sidney Crosbys. Shots are important Zeke. Deal with it.

 

[HockeyThoughts]

No. Remember the first period where we had two shots? Remember the rest of the game when we started shooting?

Bowen said it best: "if the Leafs had scored on every shot they took that period, they'd be up 2-1." We were on pace for 4 shots halfway through the 2nd. You can't win like that, even with a team of Sidney Crosbys. Shots are important Zeke. Deal with it.

Now consider that one of those shots was a feeler shot in the first 40 seconds of the period from Mason Raymond that had practically no chance of going in.

That means we took 1 shot the rest of the period (Which came ~17mins later from Paul Ranger).

 

[zeke]

The point is that he went on a goal-scoring splurge all in one segment. He didn't do it before and he didn't do it after. Calling him a 30-goal scorer is like calling Jason Blake a 40-goal scorer.

He's scored at a 20+gl pace in three of his last four seasons.

 

[zeke]

No. Remember the first period where we had two shots? Remember the rest of the game when we started shooting?

Bowen said it best: "if the Leafs had scored on every shot they took that period, they'd be up 2-1." We were on pace for 4 shots halfway through the 2nd. You can't win like that, even with a team of Sidney Crosbys. Shots are important Zeke. Deal with it.

This team is going to score lots and lots of goals this year.

Deal with it.

 

[happyaccident]

Let me ask you:

Which is a bigger sample size.. 36 games or 128 games?

A guy has played 426 NHL games and you want to call him a 30-goal scorer based on his highest 128 game segment and forget the rest.

All inclusive, that makes him a 19-goal scorer, trending down.

 

[Kingstonian84*]

This team is going to score lots and lots of goals this year.

Deal with it.

The Leafs are a very odd team, were a team that takes very little shots yet we're always amongst the top teams in scoring, the lesson to take here is we have an unreal shooting %. Zeke you can argue all you want this team will score lots of goals and if they keep up their shooting % then yes you're right, however as a whole the Leafs have been terrible this year for the most part, don't let their 7-3-0 record fool you because its very deceiving out of those 10 games I'd say we've been equal to dominant 4 of those ten games ( Montreal, Edmonton, Nashville, Anahiem ) the rest we have been embarassed in, only real reason we are where we are is because goaltending has been elite, if we were to even get average goaltending we'd be fighting it out with the flyers for last place in the conference.