Potential TOR vs FLA playoff matchup: Who do you take?

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Leafs fan voting Florida in 4, zero faith in this group.

No true Leaf fan would vote for a Florida sweep, especially the way Florida has been playing

Leafs in 6 Florida is in a major slump.

 

[WatchfulElm]

I do that in regular season pools, I'm too close and it blinds me....


But the playoffs... come on man, we are due right?

But would you bet on a historical trend being reversed? I wouldn't !

 

[The90]

I participate in a playoffs pool every year and part of my strategy is to never bet on any Leafs player.

I ended up making money in 4 of the past 5 years. It's usually a good strategy.

You also jacked this line from PaulD. It’s one of his favourites.

 

[The90]

But would you bet on a historical trend being reversed? I wouldn't !

Big statistics guy huh?

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Should be a fun series…. Florida is a pretty annoying team come playoff time. Didn’t panthers only make the playoffs last year cause penguins lost to Chicago late in season lol


They went 12 - 4 against the eastern conference power houses last year who had a combined 359 combined regular season points between the 3.

 

[klefbombs shoulder]

I like Toronto for this matchup.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

Should be a fun series…. Florida is a pretty annoying team come playoff time. Didn’t panthers only make the playoffs last year cause penguins lost to Chicago late in season lol


They went 12 - 4 against the eastern conference power houses last year who had a combined 359 combined regular season points between the 3.

IIRC they automatically made it when the Pens lost, but even if the Pens had won FLA still would have qualified as long as they won their final game.

 

[Boreal01]

Panthers in 7 after nearly blowing a 3-1 series lead

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

Toronto in 6

 

[Arthur Morgan]

FLA in 5. really dont think this team cares about playoffs. no money and the longer your in it, the less summer you have.

 

[Commander Clueless]

I'm an optimistic Leafs fan.

Panthers in six.

 

[pb1300]

Go look at Samsonovs stats since being recalled

And? Until the Leafs core 4 plays like they give a shit about the playoffs, they wont win multiple rounds, let alone one against the Panthers. No matter what Samsonov does.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

The Leaf’s goaltending and D

idk about the physical part.

This is the most physical leaf's team i've seen in the Matthews era.

anyway leafs in 6

The problem is not the depth it’s the core players. Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares and Rielly simply can’t match the physical play of Tkachuk, Barkov, Bennett, Ekblad, Verhaege etc.
Until the Leafs core who play 25 minutes a night commit to playing a more physical style they will be at a disadvantage in the playoffs when the games get tighter and more physical. We’ve seen this every year so far.
The other edge I’d give Florida is in net and on D.
I’d take Florida in 6.

 

[The90]

And? Until the Leafs core 4 plays like they give a shit about the playoffs, they wont win multiple rounds, let alone one against the Panthers. No matter what Samsonov does.

Let’s not pretend like it wasn’t 80% Bob ‘giving a shit’ last year. Once he cooled off, your panthers were toast.

Barkov really have a shit though. Played 2 more rounds than the leafs and an additional game in the first round and ended up with (drumroll please)……






5 more points. So impressive!

 

[The Grim Reaper]

I love how this thread could be Leafs vs Yotes and you just know that Yotes in 6 would win lol.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

I love how this thread could be Leafs vs Yotes and you just know that Yotes in 6 would win lol.

Well we have the history of the Leafs vs Habs and Leafs vs Columbus in previous years. Lol.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Leafs are a pretty bad defensive/goaltending team and they don't really have a track record or pedigree amongst their roster to suggest it'll all come together in the postseason, I guess just outside of blind "anything can happen" fashion.

 

[pb1300]

Let’s not pretend like it wasn’t 80% Bob ‘giving a shit’ last year. Once he cooled off, your panthers were toast.

Barkov really have a shit though. Played 2 more rounds than the leafs and an additional game in the first round and ended up with (drumroll please)……






5 more points. So impressive!

Please, your core 4 was NON existent, and have been since joining the league (in the playoffs). The only one who remotely looked like he gave a shit was Nylander. Matthews was trash. Marner was trash. JT was trash. Your great superstars dont have the balls to do what it takes to win in the playoffs. JT was ran over last playoffs, and none of your great superstars had the balls to do anything. Until that changes, they will always be questioned. Oh wait, Reeves, Bertuzzi, and Domi are to the rescue lmao.

You like to puff your chest and come at me with the same crap. The Panthers got deeper, better on the blueline, and better defensively overall. Lets see what the crying will be again come these playoffs.

And its funny your bring up the "drumroll" scoring difference between Barkov and Matthews. Isnt Matthews job to score goals? Or is it to have 2 points in 5 games, going against the premier defensive center in the league?

 

[2for1PizzaPastuh]

Toronto will go as far as Matthews/Marner take them, and they haven't shown that they can play playoff hockey yet. Florida in 6

 

[Caps8112]

Go look at Samsonovs stats since being recalled

I dont need too. The guy has been a disappointment whenever he is clearly given the number 1 role. Sure he shows flashes of brilliance and even had some good regular season numbers but he will be the reason leafs fans are disappointed again in the playoffs. Even if you believe he has turned the corner who would you rather have in a pretty evenly matched series, Bob or Sammy? and that was my point in the post. When Sammy and Vanny signed with their new teams I said both teams made a mistake and they would be the reasons those teams failed. neither has disappointed. It reminds me of the caps trying to do any damage in the playoffs all the years before they got Holtby. It was all make believe goalies and hoping they could pull miracles. Huet, Theodore, Varlamov, Neuvirth. Think they even tried to go with Halak at what point. It wasnt till they got Holtby that they started making progress in the playoffs. They still lost to Pitt and NY a few times before winning but the goaltending was not the issue in those losses. When Toronto gets a real starter, look out, that team will be scary.

 

[The90]

Please, your core 4 was NON existent, and have been since joining the league (in the playoffs). The only one who remotely looked like he gave a shit was Nylander. Matthews was trash. Marner was trash. JT was trash. Your great superstars dont have the balls to do what it takes to win in the playoffs. JT was ran over last playoffs, and none of your great superstars had the balls to do anything. Until that changes, they will always be questioned. Oh wait, Reeves, Bertuzzi, and Domi are to the rescue lmao.

You like to puff your chest and come at me with the same crap. The Panthers got deeper, better on the blueline, and better defensively overall. Lets see what the crying will be again come these playoffs.

And its funny your bring up the "drumroll" scoring difference between Barkov and Matthews. Isnt Matthews job to score goals? Or is it to have 2 points in 5 games, going against the premier defensive center in the league?

Uh oh. I hit a nerve. Truth hurts bud. I literally posted solely facts and got 3 novels back lol

You got carried by a goalie and capitalized on your chances. That’s it.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Uh oh. I hit a nerve. Truth hurts bud. I literally posted solely facts and got 3 novels back lol

You got carried by a goalie and capitalized on your chances. That’s it.

And were the better team.
Doesn’t mean the results will be the same this year but the better team won last year.
And last time I checked the goalie was part of the team as well and capitalizing on chances and stopping the other guys is the whole objective of the game.

 

[Voodoo Child]

Leafs fans vote for leafs, everyone else votes for Florida.

Pretty much how these polls go it's pointless

Uh, I voted FLA in six.


Big, physical (dirty, if you will), can hang skill wise and Bob.

Prognosis not good.

 

[The90]

And were the better team.
Doesn’t mean the results will be the same this year but the better team won last year.
And last time I checked the goalie was part of the team as well and capitalizing on chances and stopping the other guys is the whole objective of the game.

Thanks for your input. I value it greatly.

But I was responding to a highbrow comment about how the leafs core 4 need to ‘give a shit’, when the reality is the core of Florida were carried by a goaltender.

Inability to recognize when teams play well / lose or play shitty and win is insecurity. I don’t think they deserved to win either series last year. Tampa included. But the ‘durr the leafs stats have been terrible’ is greatly overplayed.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Thanks for your input. I value it greatly.

But I was responding to a highbrow comment about how the leafs core 4 need to ‘give a shit’, when the reality is the core of Florida were carried by a goaltender.

Inability to recognize when teams play well / lose or play shitty and win is insecurity. I don’t think they deserved to win either series last year. Tampa included. But the ‘durr the leafs stats have been terrible’ is greatly overplayed.

You’re welcome. Appreciate the kind words.