TSN: Power Rankings...Leafs 19th. December 17, 2014

[BertCorbeau]

Power rankings are just filler for sports websites to give writers something to do

Results are all that matter, and the Leafs winning in the last month have made sat them in a playoff spot - which is the only thing I care about

When the Leafs play well, they're as dominant as any team at the top of the standings .. The issue is consistency, and getting them to do that for a full game .. I've seen great improvement in the team since September, builds some hope that they'll be a dangerous playoff team if they keep it up

 

[Mess]

It's simple. He has said play the kids, we have, kids all over this lineup including goal and have played well and that is not good enough. There is always more negative than positive.

Why are you angry with me over TSN power rankings, as I have nothing to do with them?.

If their premise is based on winning a playoff series then things like ROW matter and SO wins are excluded as they don't exist. Leafs are a wild card team even with a league leading 9 SO wins included and so they have teams in playoff spots ranked higher than the Leafs.

It appears their rankings are based on a compilation of individual player performance and team performance and not just win loss record.

 

[mashedpotato]

This is what happens when there's no hockey to talk about. We've lost control and are no targeting the moderators.

 

[Hounsy]

So the Leafs do not fair well in rankings that incorporate advance stats?

shocker.

 

[Blufreezy]

Once again, results are meaningless, and tracking the stats is king.

Sigh.

What has happened to SPORT?

They're trying to change the way people look at it, god knows why

 

[Duffman955]

Who cares the NHL's 2nd leading goal scorer is only good enough for 43rd in the league. Suffice to say they know jack squat.

They predicted the sens 2nd in the division and the islanders to make the playoffs.

 

[RASHBEEP]

It's probably because the Leafs constantly have slow starts and often win by being horribly outplayed. Until those two things change long term, we're still probably going to be viewed as lucky or pretenders.

Oh well, it really doesn't matter.

Exactly this. Honestly guys most of us have seen every game this year.. Can you actually say this team plays like a top 10 team?

 

[Frelimo]

So Einstein added more BS to his theory of relativity since apparently this is a "Snapshot" in his mind.....apparently for Einstein this is his "Frame of Reference"...for anyone that got beyond 2nd year physics.

Right on, I actually laughed out loud reading this and I like it.

 

[ConnorTO]

Toronto is one of the best teams in the League atm

well 5-10th for sure

 

[Stephen]

The national media tends to equate underrating the Leafs with objectivity, normally this strategy has been pretty fool proof, but it also means the Leafs don't get a lot of respect.

 

[Paradoc]

TSN power rankings is a joke. Never paid that much attention to it.

 

[FlareKnight]

I wouldn't worry about it. Cullen is just obsessed with advanced stats. The Leafs have to play this well just to force him to bring up up this far.

You know rather than the other stats likes goals for/against, wins, goaltender save %.

I just enjoy laughing at them because it's clear how painful it is for him to put the Leafs up there with their terrible advanced stats .

 

[shakes]

I don't think the ranking is a joke. There is relavence in the reasoning of the ranking...."...underlying numbers that wouldn't typically put the Leafs in the playoff picture...."

Can't argue it - it's fact. We're lucky to be in a wildcard slot.

And if my dog had balls she'd be a boy. She doesn't and isn't. Same with these "underlying numbers". Leafs are where they are and no "underlying numbers" can change that. It's like saying that player x isn't as good as player y even though he outpoints him year over year because player y has "intangibles". It's BS and yes you can argue it considering they are in the wildcard spot. They are gathering points outlined in the rules and are rightly placed firmly in a playoff spot

 

[Mess]

And if my dog had balls she'd be a boy. She doesn't and isn't. Same with these "underlying numbers". Leafs are where they are and no "underlying numbers" can change that. It's like saying that player x isn't as good as player y even though he outpoints him year over year because player y has "intangibles". It's BS and yes you can argue it considering they are in the wildcard spot. They are gathering points outlined in the rules and are rightly placed firmly in a playoff spot

Well considering the power rankings are based on this object.

The premise, then, of my NHL Power Rankings is to determine the team that would be favoured to win a seven-game playoff series on neutral ice. The theoretical premise is based on neutral ice because home-ice advantage is a circumstance of play, not a measure of a team's actual quality.

So with Leafs holding a wildcard spot by 9 SO wins (individual skills competition) and being among the lowest playoff teams in ROW (team play). Since SO are not a part of playoff play then the Leafs will be hurt in the rankings when they are not being considered or factored into playoff series results.

They may make the playoffs based on SO points but if your evaluating playoff strength power rankings potential then Leafs should be ranked behind teams that are strong 5v5 play. If you factor in 30th in shots against, 30th in shot differential, in 28th pk% and show poorly in time of possession numbers then you will be ranked below teams that show much better.

 

[Intact]

I won't be worrying about passing the Habs or the Lightning in the power rankings when we beat one or both of them in the Playoffs.

 

[Mess]

I won't be worrying about passing the Habs or the Lightning in the power rankings when we beat one or both of them in the Playoffs.

If the Leafs end up in the wild card spot, where they current reside the they will be ranked #7 or #8 entering the playoffs.

Which will mean facing Pens or Bruins the two powerhouse teams of the East ranked #1 or #2.

 

[Warden of the North]

My prediction for next weeks power rankings

"The Leafs failed to log a victory over the past week. Meanwhile no other team in the league logged a loss. Therefor the Toronto Maple Leafs have fallen to 30th overall in our rankings".

 

[EscapeGoat]

Who cares?

 

[34]

15th, that is great. I would expect them to have us at 30th.

 

[Espher]

Cullen has routinely refined the criteria for the Power Rankings, so that's not new. It's when he has two groups of teams in extremely similar situations that have disparate movement that I scratch my head and wonder where he's drawing conclusions from. A moderately hot team rises several places, while a hotter team in the same or even a tougher division barely moves; a slumping team sees no movement from a high ranking, while a slumping team in the basement dips from 25-30 because they had one fewer win than the other five sad sacks around them.

I think there was one particular example that stood out to me either last year or the year before. It was like two teams with similar records/advanced stats/special team rankings/injured player lists, same division, identical W/L records. No particularly hot/cold players. Didn't have any upset wins or anything else that would merit a difference based on the 'snapshot'. One team climbs three slots, one team dips five slots -- yet the descriptive blurb is similar.

I'd prefer it if he gave specific weighting so I'd have an idea what he's valuing most and least, even if he's assigning completely arbitrary values to some of the factors. There's nothing I can identify as a trend other than "advanced stats matter a lot, except when they don't" and "streaks and injuries matter a lot, except when I don't think they do". I feel less like he's got a spreadsheet he's plugging data into and more like he's simulating a draft lottery and picking rankings in reverse order.

 

[The_Puck_Hog]

I don't think the ranking is a joke. There is relavence in the reasoning of the ranking...."...underlying numbers that wouldn't typically put the Leafs in the playoff picture...."

Can't argue it - it's fact. We're lucky to be in a wildcard slot.

Quite simply... The only underlying numbers that matters is, POINTS and that typically, or shall I say factually puts them there. People are over analyzing stats and failing to realize the only stat that matters....

 

[Erdinger]

Perhaps the people doing the rankings only saw the game against the Panthers

 

[Stephen]

If the Leafs end up in the wild card spot, where they current reside the they will be ranked #7 or #8 entering the playoffs.

Which will mean facing Pens or Bruins the two powerhouse teams of the East ranked #1 or #2.

The Leafs seem to handle Boston and Pittsburgh fairly well these days.

 

[The_Puck_Hog]

I simply posted it from the fact of how out of whack these guys really are.

I don't care about advanced stats...team is 11-2 over the last while. Advance stat that! At the end of the day we win.

You could make an argument for Montreal being slotted ahead but it would be splitting hairs right now. This is weekly power rankings and when a team runs 11-2 you think you would have them ranked higher than they are. Just shows how *** backwards TSN really is. They beat Tampa twice in consecutive weeks, in each others barn. I won't even get into NYR, Col, beat Phx on the road. Leaf's on this list should be 8 or 9-no lower!

Hit the nail on the head !

The Leafs don't need 50 shots to score a goal or two, they can win a game in 5 minutes because of their ability to score on far fewer chances....How's that stat ? Anyone defending corsi stats makes me laugh....the only thing that matters is wins and losses, which equals points and that's the bottom line cause Stone Cold says so.

 

[My Sweet Shadow]

Phoenix: 14th to 13th

"6-5-1 in the past dozen games, the Coyotes have been treading water..."

Toronto: 17th to 15th

"Hit the break with an 11-2-1 record in the past 14 games..."

That's about all you need to know before you stop taking the TSN rankings seriously anymore.