Series Talk: PREVIEW - First Round matchup vs T.O. - "Centre of the Universe"

[Alberta_OReilly_Fan]

this thread could become a gong show... but we all know leaf fans have their fun at our expense. let them say what they want in their own threads. I for one love the playoff format. I love that leaf fans are obnoxious. I get more enjoyment beating them than any team not in montreal or Vancouver {sorry leaf fans you are at best the 3rd most obnoxious fans ive ever met}

I invite other bruin fans to go ahead and have some fun here... but try to keep it fun. no need to get personal. hockey should be fun. I know there are more leaf fans then any other team in the world... so theres more good leaf fans then any other team in the world. Obnoxious fans are always louder for any team than good fans. im being obnoxious this very moment and look how loud I am.

this thread might die a quick death or be unwanted. if so, so be it. I hope it has legs and is fun and lasts the next few weeks until we are safely in the second round.

to get things started... lets talk about the leafs advantage in depth up front... all their secondary scoring.

William nylander 0 goals in last 13 games
Nazem kadri… no goals in 12 games
connor brown he has 1 goal in 24 games
kasperi kapanen the breakout kid this year has 1 goal in 16 games
and andreas johnsson… 1 goal in 13 games

is this the type of scoring depth they are braging about?

lets look at a player vrs player matchup and see how much edge Toronto has

anyone picking Matthews over Bergeron?
is marner the better player than marchand?
I know I dont take nylander over pastrnak lol

how about taveres over krejci... I guess thats where the leafs hand their hat when they say they are deeper... I dont see it much else

is marleau going to be better than johnasson… really?
is hyman your pick over debrusk?
I am a fan of kadri… but hes a lose canyon... and is he that much better than coyle
im not sold on kapanen being better than Heinen either

are we already at 9th place on the depth chart and without establishing any leafs advantage?

johnsson or wagner… we will see who comes through
brown or backes…
if kuraly is around healthy I take him over the goat

where is this huge advantage Toronto is hanging their hats on?

they better hope to hell their goalie stands on his head or this will be another season with Toronto fans screaming and crying at the big screen in their park.

is it the playoff format that is responsible? or just needing to focus on building a team that is better suited for playoff hockey? im actually a closet Toronto fan... they are my second favorite team. so I hope I dont come across too ignorant. but you guys deserve better after 50 years of misery. hold your team accountable. dont drink the poison coolaid. this model you re trying to use for success might allow a hot streak for 20 games in the regular season but its doomed for disappointment in finals.

if mods want to merge my thread into some other thread or delete it altogether so be it.

I like to answer the myths being spread around though. maybe next time I will share the leafs record against top 10 defensive rated teams. its like in the nfl some teams cant stop the run. leafs turn out to lose in overwhelming fashion against anyone that knows how to play defense.

oh... guess who is 3rd in team defense?

im glad Toronto considered it a moral victory when Nashville only beat them 3-0
maybe it wont feel too bad when we do the same thing

Click to read more...

 

[Tmac37]

Leafs cant touch our defense especially with Carlo in the lineup.

 

[smithformeragent]

This is why I love divisional playoffs.

 

[Alberta_OReilly_Fan]

as I listen to tonights nhl broadcast I wonder how they can stay with a straight face that theres some question who gets homeice…

if Toronto wins out they end up with 107 points

boston would have to struggle miserably to finish with 107 points or fewer

its ridiculous for anyone to say theres still a race going on

sorry leafs you collapsed spectacularly last year down the second half of the season... you did it this year too. you arent built for competitive playoff hockey

funny thing is winter solider started a main board post in novermber… said we were finally healthy... said we could chase down buffalo and Toronto

the leaf universe told us we were delusional... it was doubtful we could catch buffalo they said. and catching Toronto was evidence we were clueless

im going to enjoy tasting their tears of frustration and disappointment when we eat their lunch and steal their homework again this year. sorry if we are bullies from boston… but sometimes you bring it on yourselves with your parade planning

and yes... on leafs lunch back in October or early November the girly host of that show was worried who bettman would be passing the cup to because the team had no captain. she spent several mins explaining that it shouldnt be marleau because it would mean more If reilly or Matthews handed him the cup with a nice little comment about how he deserved it after all these years

so dont tell me leaf fans dont plan parades everytime you have a 10 game hot streak... you actually discuss the order of the cup handoff before the quarter mark of the season has been played

 

[AM Bruin]

This would be as good a place as any to have some respectful banter between the two fan bases. I wonder how long it lasts before the wheels fall off ...

I too enjoy listening to Toronto radio especially Overdrive. There's usually some Bruin talk everyday and the concern over the Bruins is very real. Otherwise it's generally an enjoyable listen. The show is easily better than what Felger & Mazz bring.

 

[roflstomper]

Honestly there's not much to trash talk. We're probably winning the series 56 percent of the time.

 

[GordonHowe]

Honestly there's not much to trash talk. We're probably winning the series 56 percent of the time.

Perhaps.

Hubris. Nemesis.

 

[aguineapig]

Say and do nothing. Already in their heads bigly. Let it fester in there and drive them totally mad, Sweet, sweet mental revenge.

 

[Kate08]

This thread has come back to bite you in the ass written all over it, and a subject designed to illicit a riled up response from Toronto fans.

Dislike. But knock yourselves out.

 

[Krupp]

I used to not even hate or dislike them. They were just the team I enjoyed watching play Montreal; watching those two teams go at it was amusing for me. I thought it was an interesting rivalry. But I still hated Vancouver (still do) Philly and Montreal as well as Pittsburgh way more

Now? I dunno. Every year it seems like their fans give me more reason to dislike them. I love watching Steve Dangle's videos now, and those are entertaining whether that team wins or loses, but I really just want to see Boston beat them again this year. Kinda to just emphasize, you know, "Getting Tavares makes you cuter, but you're still nowhere near where you need to be to be on our level"

 

[Fenway]

This thread has come back to bite you in the ass written all over it, and a subject designed to illicit a riled up response from Toronto fans.

Dislike. But knock yourselves out.

Changed it from trash talk to series preview

 

[The don godfather]

Bruins in 5. Their D is miserable and defense wins championships .

 

[easton117]

This would be as good a place as any to have some respectful banter between the two fan bases. I wonder how long it lasts before the wheels fall off ...

I too enjoy listening to Toronto radio especially Overdrive. There's usually some Bruin talk everyday and the concern over the Bruins is very real. Otherwise it's generally an enjoyable listen. The show is easily better than what Felger & Mazz bring.

The 5pm hour if Ferarro is on is usually fantastic. Gerry’s percentages is sometimes good for a chuckle or two as well.

Think it helped them when the Leafs were ass for several years there. They basically had to talk about something else and the show got better for it.

As for the series I’m banking on 6 games. Anderson will steal at least one, he’s a capable goaltender though they seem to be complaining there that they’ve ran the wheels off of him again.

Think TO’s forwards win them one as well.

Think Boston’s depth eventually wins out. Especially at home where they’ve been a buzzsaw this year.

Guess you never know. But Boston should be confident (not cocky) with the matchup.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

defense is the difference.

forwards you can debate and line match all day, but in the end its basically even between the teams.

their defense is not close to as good as the Bruins and that is what will let them down. Bruins can get on the forecheck and dominate possession against that D

 

[chizzler]

Funny how Toronto is called cocky but then there is this thread on the Bruins forum.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Funny how Toronto is called cocky but then there is this thread on the Bruins forum.

huh?

why wouldn't there be a series talk thread considering the match up is essentially set in stone at this point?

 

[Blowfish]

This thread gives me a bad vibe...sorry AOF.

I prefer reading the Leaf thread - how to beat the bruins.

 

[Chief Nine]

Changed it from trash talk to series preview

This thread has come back to bite you in the ass written all over it, and a subject designed to illicit a riled up response from Toronto fans.

Dislike. But knock yourselves out.

Thanks @Fenway I had a real uneasy feeling about the original title. It was begging for trouble which as we know, there aren't any shortages of posters who will oblige

 

[Fenway]

From Sean McIndoe (Down Goes Brown)

Down Goes Brown: Ranking the ten best first-round matchups...

Maple Leafs vs. Bruins

Contender status: Higher than any other series except maybe Vegas/San Jose. While the Leafs have stumbled lately, they still woke up today holding down fourth place overall. And the Bruins might be the best team in the entire league that isn’t Tampa. If you’re the sort of fan who likes to complain about the playoff format forcing marquee matchups too early, here’s your Exhibit A for this year.

Rivalry factor: Very strong. It’s two Original Six teams, which we know the league loves. But more importantly, there’s the recent history of a pair of seven-game series, with Toronto’s epic collapse in 2013 followed by last year’s sequel. There’s even a geographic component, given that the Bruins have been living rent-free in the Leafs’ heads all season long.

Potential storylines: On the Maple Leafs side, it will be redemption, both as a team and for several of the biggest names. Auston Matthews and William Nylander had disappointing numbers against the Bruins last year, Frederik Andersen has struggled in the postseason and Nazem Kadri had that boneheaded suspension. Even the previously unassailable Mike Babcock is feeling some heat these days and could use the boost that would come from what would be his first series win in six years.

As for the Bruins, they already know they can beat the Leafs. Instead, this series would be about surviving what could be a difficult challenge while reinforcing their status as the most likely team to take down Tampa. They won’t just want to win, but to do it quickly and with as little collateral damage as possible so that they can go into the second round with plenty of gas left in the tank – something they didn’t do in the same situation last year. The fact that a quick win (and Brad Marchand’s trolling) could also inflict serious psychological damage on a rival is just a bonus.

And sure, there’s one reason you could push back on this series being my top pick: You’re not a Leafs fan and you’re sick of them always hogging the spotlight. Well, I have good news for you too: If the Leafs lose to the Bruins this year, Toronto is going to implode and all those feel-good stories about their successful rebuild will be replaced by a nation-wide meltdown over how they’ve screwed it all up. If you hate the Leafs, this has to be your ideal scenario.

 

[Dr Hook]

I don't like any form of pre-gloating. Nothing good comes of it, and while I hate despise the Leafs (up there with my Habs hate) it will likely be a tough series. They have a high-powered offense. Yes, their D is lacking, but it can be if you outscore your opponent. I like the Bruins chances and think they are a better team, but the Leafs can't be taken lightly and it would not be the all-time upset of the universe if they won the series.

 

[DaStinger]

This is an ideal matchup imo. It's playoffs and you never know, but if I were betting my money would be on us for sure.

 

[The Garden]

I hate the divisional playoff format but I love this matchup. This will be a great series.

 

[bruins repeat time]

Honestly there's not much to trash talk. We're probably winning the series 56 percent of the time.

This is probably right on or pretty close . One thing I know is the basic bruin fan on here is far too confident . The regular season means very little . Last year leafs beat us all regular season and exposed us with their speed . Playoffs we won after trailing in game 7 after two periods when in my eyes andersson let in two very very soft goals in the third. This year with out a doubt the bruins are a better team than last yrs bruins. The leafs should be a lot better team than last yr leafs . The youth all got a yr older and J.T. In the regular season they haven't showed it through the whole yr but at times they have . I get the talk about leafs defense but go look at some of the six guys pitt was putting out there last cup. No letang , lots of other guys out .

The leafs can be one of the very best teams with tbay,bos, vegas, sharks, preds jets , caps along with a couple more up for debate . To assume you will easily beat the leafs or someone like the preds who haven't totally jelled yet is silly . These teams are all very close and I totally love the make up and character of these bruins 2019 but you take this opponent as a warm up for tbay you are far far off.

 

[danpantz]

Funny how Toronto is called cocky but then there is this thread on the Bruins forum.

Toronto had this thread posted over a month ago.

They’re already on their second version of it.

Is this matchup even set yet?

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

Sorry but the Leafs are a tough match up any way you look at it. The team the Bruins barely managed to beat last season is in much better shape going into this post-season.

Their defence isn't as bad as many make it out to be and their offense has really underacheived in the last third of the year. They have a ton of talent and are well- coached.

You can look the records right now and say that the smart money is on the Bruins. My smart money stays in my pocket. It could easily go either way.