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

[Gjman2019]

Wouldn't put too much stock into the Panthers recent slump....They'll show up in the playoffs......Not gonna be enough though........Leafs are just too loaded.......They're gonna be a real headache to try and eliminate as a road underdog......

 

[RealisticLeaf55]

Florida in 6 or 7. Can't decide on the games. Unless our secondary scoring and defense/goaltending tighten up. We are getting beaten and bullied.

 

[The Management]

The Panthers are the favourites, and the expectation will be that they win. Last year they rode the narrative of being the underdog, the team everyone had written off that barely made it into the post-season. This year however they're on everyone's radar, and they'll need to show they can live up to the billing of being a Stanley Cup favourite. I think they can do it, and even get all the way to the end, but I also think the pressure and the expectations will be somewhat different.

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

Soft, weak, fragile and heartless, especially in the playoffs.

Won 1 second round game since 2004.

 

[Strangle]

You’re the clown here. Guy demolishes Tavares during the playoffs, and your soft ass players just watch. You think Bertuzzi, Domi, and Reaves are going to make a difference, when your top players are scared, playoff duds? Good luck with that.

I do think that

 

[Shark Finn]

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

Pretty much how these polls go it's pointless

Boohoo.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

Bennet is probably the biggest p***y in the entire lesgue

Mitchy already thinking about his summer schedule to do more shows.

 

[Bedards Dad]

So what you're basically saying is that Leafs fans can't look things objectively unlike others?

Panthers in 5. They swept Leafs last year didn't they?

This should be the Panthers until proven otherwise (I voted Panthers in 7), but the posters point is it doesn't matter what the poll is, a not so small portion of this place doesn't like having real conversations about the Leafs, they just vote against them regardless of objective facts.

I also have an issue with posters saying things like "they have one once in 17 years". That is 100% irrelevant. Once in the Matthews era, sure that's valid. But what happened in 2007 isn't relevant to today, unless we think players should own failures from when they were in diapers.

 

[Strangle]

This should be the Panthers until proven otherwise (I voted Panthers in 7), but the posters point is it doesn't matter what the poll is, a not so small portion of this place doesn't like having real conversations about the Leafs, they just vote against them regardless of objective facts.

I also have an issue with posters saying things like "they have one once in 17 years". That is 100% irrelevant. Once in the Matthews era, sure that's valid. But what happened in 2007 isn't relevant to today, unless we think players should own failures from when they were in diapers.

The more this poll goes against the leafs, the more likely that it’s wrong

I can’t think of any hfpolls concerning the leafs that actually turned out to be correct.

Marner v polls

Would you rather….? Matthews polls

Every one I’ve read at least has been wildly off.

Now betting against the leafs in the playoffs has been a relatively safe bet, but for those betting their winnings against the leafs every year, they got cleaned out of the $300k they’d been flipping last year when the leafs stomped out the lightning.

So those dudes be broke af now

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Panthers are definitely the favs in this series. Don't think it will be nearly as one sided as last years series was for a number of reasons. Most likely it goes to a 7th game.

 

[Mez]

Id take Leafs in 6, I dont think Bob will be as godly as last year and the Leafs offensive depth has improved more than their goaltending has gotten worse...imo.

 

[Bedards Dad]

Id take Leafs in 6, I dont think Bob will be as godly as last year and the Leafs offensive depth has improved more than their goaltending has gotten worse...imo.

Samsanov has been more than fine since returning, his stats look mush worse because of the hole he dug himself in Oct/Nov/Dec.

Woll is a question mark right now. He doesn't look as good as he was pre-injury.

Our D got meaner. Not sure that means better, but team toughness is up a lot from previous years.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Florida in 3

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

View attachment 847580

Mitchy already thinking about his summer schedule to do more shows.

View attachment 847581

Those costumes look inspired by this classic Leaf attire.

 

[All Mod Cons]

The most absolute, guaranteed, put your house on it prediction is Edmundson gets suspended for cross checking. 2 games.

 

[WhataKnight]

No horse in this race, other than liking the idea of a Canadian team getting a Cup.

I’m opening myself up to ridicule here, but I think this Leafs team looks and plays a little different.

Who knows, if getting a series win last year whetted their appetite enough, it isn’t as if they aren’t a little bigger and meaner than previous years. If someone on Florida were to piss them off enough, it looks like it could be a 7-game series, which can come down to a single goal.

Could be closer than many would assume.

Conditional non-poll vote: if Tronna can’t do the thing in 6 games, they lose game 7 to the Cats.

 

[McVespa99]

Who wins?

Does Florida have 2 or 3 key injuries? No? Then you have your answer

 

[Maplebeasts]

I mean Panthers are the favourites but it isn't by much. Despite the wins and losses last year the series was quite evenly played.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Panthers won last year pretty handily and I think they’re better this year. Think they take it in 6 games again.

 

[Jetcetera]

Went leafs in 7

Hard fought series; think the leafs win this as panthers wont get the same bobrosvky they had last year and leafs are a tougher team to play against on defense.

Could go panthers in 7 as well tbh

Feel it will be a 7 game series

Yea that's not happening

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

Panthers won last year pretty handily and I think they’re better this year. Think they take it in 6 games again.

Florida took a 3-0 game lead last season and won the series in a gentleman's sweep.

 

[ijuka]

Only regulation results really carry over to the playoffs in terms of predictive ability, and Panthers are 40-24-15 in regulation, while Leafs are 33-23-22. So even though the difference between the two teams is only 3 points and even though Leafs might even land ahead of Panthers, Panthers have quite a bit stronger regulation record.

 

[TheDoldrums]

Only regulation results really carry over to the playoffs in terms of predictive ability, and Panthers are 40-24-15 in regulation, while Leafs are 33-23-22. So even though the difference between the two teams is only 3 points and even though Leafs might even land ahead of Panthers, Panthers have quite a bit stronger regulation record.

I don’t think results from November and December are very predictive of of the playoffs. That was a long time ago and a lot has changed. Leafs seem to be more in form now which probably shouldn’t be ignored.

 

[authentic]

The Panthers are the favourites, and the expectation will be that they win. Last year they rode the narrative of being the underdog, the team everyone had written off that barely made it into the post-season. This year however they're on everyone's radar, and they'll need to show they can live up to the billing of being a Stanley Cup favourite. I think they can do it, and even get all the way to the end, but I also think the pressure and the expectations will be somewhat different.

Also does Bob go into god mode again? If he does then they probably win. If he plays just average or slightly above then I like Toronto's chances

 

[The Management]

Also does Bob go into god mode again? If he does then they probably win. If he plays just average or slightly above then I like Toronto's chances

Yeah, and I'm actually fine with Toronto being the widely perceived underdog in this series, and taking that narrative away from the Panthers.

I think a lot of playoff hockey is mental, and "@&*% all the doubters" is a pretty effective rallying cry. Tkachuk was basically repeating that message in every media scrum he gave last year, and you could tell the whole Florida squad really gelled around it. Nobody thought we could beat Boston, nobody thought we could be Carolina, etc. etc. They played with a chip on their shoulder and feasted on knocking off one 'better team' after another.

That's what I want to see from the Leafs this year, when everybody expects they'll get caved. Lean into being the "underdog" and play spoiler for a change.