Playoffs of Laine/Matthews

[Jee]

It's like he's not willing to commit. He was not that selfish last year. Hopefully for Leafs fans, he gets his **** together and start playing again. He's better than that.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

It's been two games let's cool this kind of talk. Hockey is a team game.
All the Leafs are struggling. Not just Matthews. The Jets are playing well and Laine is benefitting in part from that.
Let's also not forget that Matthews is also playing against the best defensive player of the past decade and maybe the best two way line in the league. Lots of top players have struggled to produce against Bergeron.

 

[White Out 902]

This constant bickering over Laine and Matthews and their fans is insane. I'm a Jets fans and I have no problem agreeing that Matthews was the deserving first overall. Centres of his skill are too valuable.

That being said Laine may turn into a generational scorer. That's also pretty special. Let's just be happy the lottery balls gave us these players and save the debates when we have a decent sample size. Right now we don't. Jury hasn't even heard the evidence yet, nevermind being still out.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

yeah, this deep into the playoffs we've seen everything we need to know about these players.

Laine has singlehandedly DeMoLiSHed the powerhouse Wild , meanwhile Matthews and the stanley cup favorite Leafs have totally CHOKED against the shitty Bruins.

Great thread.

 

[llwyd]

Could we have a separate Laine/Matthews subforum where all this craziness could go?

 

[Saitama]

Why can't we be happy if both turn out to be great playoff performers? Why does it have to be one or the other? I'm not a Leafs fan but I'd love it if Matthews started putting up some points, makes the game more exciting when skilled players are making plays.

 

[Divine]

A big difference between the 2 is physical play, Laine enjoys that style of play.

We have too small of a sample size to say anything else really.

It's cause #1C's usually cannot risk making hits because it puts them out of possession. They need to dictate the play, be defensively responsible and be aware of the developing play. Hitting mostly puts people out of possession. That's why you rarely see #1C's hitting and wingers are always hitting, because they don't have the same responsibility.

Off the top of your head, what active #1C is physical?

 

[Divine]

Forget the points. Laine engages in the games. He finishes every check and returns every slash and crosscheck. Has matthews had 1 hit in 2 years.

Laine finishes every check? You realize Laine has 3 hits in 2 games... Matthews has 4.

 

[Saitama]

Laine finishes every check? You realize Laine has 3 hits in 2 games... Matthews has 4.

It's really weird, I know the stats say this, but it seems like he hits a lot more than that. He also hits well, not just half-heartedly.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Laine is made for playoffs.

 

[NyQuil]

I'm impressed with the sample size used to draw these conclusions.

 

[Kaako Kappo]

Eye roll

 

[Jeti]

Matthews struggling against Bergeron says very little about if Laine is better. It's a very real reason to pump the brakes on proclaiming Matthews a top-5 center though.

People are quick to label Matthews and Laine as superstars when Matthews can't matchup against the league's elite and Laine isn't the best player on his team.

All the arguments on where they rank are premature: with both players the hype should be about their potential.

 

[Saekk]

No need to kick them while they're down, lol.

These kinds of threads just incite even more Pejorative Slured responses from the other side.

 

[Royale With Cheese]

Matthews isn’t ready for the NHL yet.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Matthews struggling against Bergeron says very little about if Laine is better. It's a very real reason to pump the brakes on proclaiming Matthews a top-5 center though.

People are quick to label Matthews and Laine as superstars when Matthews can't matchup against the league's elite and Laine isn't the best player on his team.

All the arguments on where they rank are premature: with both players the hype should be about their potential.

Crosby getting shut down by Bergeron = not a top-5 center either then yes?

 

[Spazkat]

It's cause #1C's usually cannot risk making hits because it puts them out of possession. They need to dictate the play, be defensively responsible and be aware of the developing play. Hitting mostly puts people out of possession. That's why you rarely see #1C's hitting and wingers are always hitting, because they don't have the same responsibility.

Off the top of your head, what active #1C is physical?

Getzlaf probably one of the most physical 1C's out there

 

[3rdLiner]

Getzlaf probably one of the most physical 1C's out there

Getz, Kopitar, Malkin, Eric Staal (vintage Staal), Mikko Koivu.

All big guys while not "lindros" physical use there size as a weapon. Matthews is a big kid, I was expecting him to look like it in this series. He hasn't.

 

[Plural]

It's cause #1C's usually cannot risk making hits because it puts them out of possession. They need to dictate the play, be defensively responsible and be aware of the developing play. Hitting mostly puts people out of possession. That's why you rarely see #1C's hitting and wingers are always hitting, because they don't have the same responsibility.

Off the top of your head, what active #1C is physical?

Getzlaf is pretty physical I think. Not sure how much he hits actually but he always seems to engage physically.

 

[kelsier]

Matthews struggling against Bergeron says very little about if Laine is better. It's a very real reason to pump the brakes on proclaiming Matthews a top-5 center though.

People are quick to label Matthews and Laine as superstars when Matthews can't matchup against the league's elite and Laine isn't the best player on his team.

All the arguments on where they rank are premature: with both players the hype should be about their potential.

As for Laine I don't recall anyone ranking him anywhere. Also when you score 36 goals in your first year in the NHL (on a pace for 40/41), then follow it up by scoring 44, that's when the talk isn't about potential anymore. It's about what one CAN do. He's brought a lot of points of the Jets already in the regular season and now plays a key role for the team in the playoffs. Sure, there's potential for even more greatness, but one page at a time.

 

[ffh]

Laine finishes every check? You realize Laine has 3 hits in 2 games... Matthews has 4.

ok sure but the boards at least move when laine hits. its not just me but a lot of leaf fans seem to think the same about matthews.

 

[teravaineSAROS]

Laine's always been a better big game performer so far with WHC MVP award, Liiga Playoffs MVP award, key piece of the WJC Gold Medal etc but Matthews is young he's got plenty of time to figure out the psychological aspects of performing when it matters.

It was an issue in NLA as well where Matthews didn't perform well in the playoffs.

Again Matthews is 20 he's not doomed to be someone who chokes under pressure.. plenty of athletes (like Georges St Pierre) have fixed these kind of issues through Sports Psychologists and such.

 

[Subbanned]

Pathetic HFB thread gets predictably pathetic bickering

 

[Daximus]

Laine finishes every check? You realize Laine has 3 hits in 2 games... Matthews has 4.

Hit tracking is weird. With all the hits last game I bet they missed a fair portion of them. That 2nd game against the Wild was probably the most physical game of the entire playoffs so far.

 

[M2Beezy]

Will these playoffs change the unanimous belief held by everybody outside of Jets fans that Matthews is better than Laine if these two players continue on their trajectories?

To me, and im sure everybody else, Matthews has been invisible and the Jets are scorching hot with Laine leading the charge. In this up and down fluctuation of determining who is the better player, has Laine surpassed Matthews for the time being?

Has definitely changed my point of view. I was hardcore Matthews until these playoffs but that has been FLIPPED