Post-Game Talk: Well poop: Sabres win 2-1

[King Mapes]

wow what an ending. great game ending.

****in pucks just didn't go in.

with any other goalie than scrivens we would have won. I told you before it even started. You can't start home seasons at home with these rookie goalies. Get them out of town. Trade for a goalie and WIN these low scoring carlyle games.
It was a close one and scrivens was not the guy we needed to play. Get him out and we scored and almost won immediately.

We also won almost every faceoff in the game. Nice.

You realize we didn't score until the final 2 minutes right? He gave up 2 goals, solid game

 

[questhockey]

I'm a huge Kulemin fan, but he has looked shaky since returnig from KHL. It seems his "in tight" timing is off. Kinda seems rattled when along the boards. Watching him in KHL was great. Lots more ice/time for him to make decisions. I hope he adjusts quickly, as he is usually Leafs best 2 way player. Right now he is a liabilty.
Coming up against a hot Miller didn't help either.
Really impressed with Kadri, Orr, Bozak, Kessel

 

[Badger Mayhew*]

Scrivens has a 1.53 GAA and .929 PCT. But yep, he was terrible, bring on James "The Real Deal" Reimer

 

[Bleed Blue and White]

You realize we didn't score until the final 2 minutes right? He gave up 2 goals, solid game

This. Scrivens gave us a chance to win the game and that's all you can ask of your goalie. I believe we would have won if Miller didn't decide to go into Patrick Roy mode last night. These types of games happen, but I firmly believe if we can play like that every night we are going to win far more than we lose.

 

[Leaf Rocket]

Just want to say again - Dion was outstanding.

wonderful when a defensive coach can help him eh? lol

 

[Penalty Kill Icing*]

Gardiner can't come back soon enough. He should really help on our PP.

Btw, nothing against marlies pairing last night, but Franson and Komi would've provided better chances. (Also, Dion wouldn't have to play these many minutes. Remember, Dion is very good but once you start overloading his minutes, his play starts to deteriorate).

 

[Al14]

If we trade for Luongo we'll lose more than a season.

You got that right!!!

A trade for Luongo will set the Leafs back more than it will help IMHO.

 

[iArts]

Gardiner can't come back soon enough. He should really help on our PP.

Btw, nothing against marlies pairing last night, but Franson and Komi would've provided better chances. (Also, Dion wouldn't have to play these many minutes. Remember, Dion is very good but once you start overloading his minutes, his play starts to deteriorate).

I agree. Bring Komi and Franson back, until Gardiner comes back. Then get rid of one of them.

 

[Leafsman]

Not really all that bold when you consider the effects of a shortened season with little time between games and without the benefit of a real training campfor the Leafs to learn a brand-new system. Not to mention, teams who play defensive systems tend to score less because they're concentrating more on defence than offence.

The 3rd line of JvR/Kadri/Komarov is actually more like a checking line than it is a scoring line; none of the 3 are noted scorers in the NHL at this point in time, and neither JvR not Komarov have shown as of yet any real scoring touch. That may change as the season progresses, but I don't believe it will be significant enough to help the team win.

There really hasn't been a significant enough in the Leafs' roster from last season to this season to make me believe that they will finish any better than they did last season. Sure, a few faces have changed, but the overall talent level has not changed.

We're already seeing this team struggle to score as they continue to learn Carlyle's defensive system. In a shortened season where losing streaks can quickly kill a team's chances of earning a play-off spot, teams that play a defensive-style game have to capitize on the few good scoring chances they get every game if they want to win, and on a team like the Leafs where there is minimal offensive capability, missing such opportunities can easily cost the team a win.

Thus my "bold" opinion.

We're already seeing???? Two games bro!!! Two games in a season with no exhibition games your going to see alot of teams come out sluggish. While they haven't lit up the scoreboard, they have had a reasonable number of scoring chances and when the rust is shaken off those chances will translate to goals.

Buy the sounds of you, we've lost both games! They're 1-1 which is not what I hoped but not far off from what I expected.

Let's talk about scoring troubles, losing streaks, too much defense-first play when it actually happens. As of right now there are a few negatives but from what I have seen there are more positives.

 

[Al14]

I'm a huge Kulemin fan, but he has looked shaky since returnig from KHL. It seems his "in tight" timing is off. Kinda seems rattled when along the boards. Watching him in KHL was great. Lots more ice/time for him to make decisions. I hope he adjusts quickly, as he is usually Leafs best 2 way player. Right now he is a liabilty.
Coming up against a hot Miller didn't help either.
Really impressed with Kadri, Orr, Bozak, Kessel

Kulemin is playing like he does not want to be a Leaf. Maybe he should just ask Nonis for a trade to Pittsburgh to play with his best bud Malkin!

 

[4evaBlue]

Quota?

Refs have the tendency to try to keep the number of penalties for both teams in the same ballpark. After the Sabres got 4 legit penalties called on them, the refs let them get away with running Scrivens over at the end of the 1st (which was a lot more blatant than Kessel's "incidental contact" with Miller outside his paint), and an interference call on Gunnar that led to the 2nd goal. Not long after, Gunnar gets nailed on an extremely soft interference call. Talk about irony.

I'm not blaming the loss on the refs or anything, we had our chances to win the game, I just wish they call stuff both ways, regardless of how many penalties the team has taken prior to the call.

 

[EucaLEAFtys]

1. The bolded is the most pointless statement I have seen on these boards. That's the frigging point of hockey. They are not winning any games if they don't score more than their opponent.

2. We do not run a 6/6 system. That is obvious to almost everyone. We run a 9/3 system, and it's evident by the share of ice time last night:

1st Line Avg TOI: ~21
2nd Line Avg TOI: ~16
3rd Line Avg TOI: ~15
4th Line Avg TOI: ~4.5 (If you exclude McClemments PK time)

Pretty clear that's a top 9/bottom 3 system

3. The goaltending has been fine for the past 2 games. Scrivens has let in only 3 goals, and on all 3 occasions, he could barely do anything. One was a breakaway, one took a huge deflection, and one was off a scrum in the paint. A top notch goalie could have stole one of those away, meaning thsoe were ridiculously dificult situations to make saves. The point of a strong defensive system is to limit the number of good scoring chances for the opposition, and the Leafs has been able to do that so far. Look at what a strong system did in PHX for a mediocre goalie in Smith. He is doing just fine.

4. I agree with you on this point - we need to better utilize our scoring chances. We've wasted some good chances against Montreal, and Buffalo. But, it was against 2 of the top goalies in the league in Price and Miller. If this continues against lesser goalies, than I would be worried about it. I do think the team did a poor job of screening Miller tonight. He saw almost every shot all the way through. On those nights, these kinds of goalies are almost impossible to score against.

Bottom line is we need some more time to assess the team. Afterall, the only way you know something is an issue is if it pops up game after game, and it has only been 2 games.

Whether it's a 6/6 or 9/3 set-up, the 3rd line looks more like a checking line than a scoring line. As such, I don't expect it to be a significant contributor on the score-sheet on a regular basis this season.

The only reason why the Leafs beat the Habs on Saturday was because the Habs' offence was virtually non-existent. That will not be the case most night this season. If the Leafs expect to win, they will have to tighten up their defensive game and their goaltending will have to be somewhat better. The offence will also have to be better.

As previously stated, I just don't see it happening this season for the Leafs.

 

[shakes]

What's funny is that you say Scrivens gave the Leafs a chance to win but are going on and on about Miller being so good. You know why the Sabres won? THEIR GOALIE WAS GREAT. Am I suggesting that Scrivens should be as good as Miller? No but that's what people mean when they say that a better goalie would have given the Leafs a better chance to win. He gave up 2 goals on 7 shots. Doesn't matter if he saves 50 after that, the damage is done.

 

[Badger Mayhew*]

Whether it's a 6/6 or 9/3 set-up, the 3rd line looks more like a checking line than a scoring line. As such, I don't expect it to be a significant contributor on the score-sheet on a regular basis this season.

Have you watched the 3rd line? They've been the most dangerous at generating chances in the offensive zone thanks to Kadri.

 

[shakes]

You got that right!!!

A trade for Luongo will set the Leafs back more than it will help IMHO.

Without even knowing what they would give up you say this? Absolutely ridiculous. I guarantee you the Leafs aren't playing for the magical #1 overall pick. Getting an elite goalie never sets a hockey team back unless you are giving up too much on the return. You should build a team from the net out.

 

[Pilky01]

I dont care what the record says, I never expect Toronto to win at home against Buffalo. I always expect the games to go exactly like last night. The Leafs outshoot the Sabres like crazy, Ryan Miller stands on his head, and the Leafs lose.

 

[Stephen]

I dont care what the record says, I never expect Toronto to win at home against Buffalo. I always expect the games to go exactly like last night. The Leafs outshoot the Sabres like crazy, Ryan Miller stands on his head, and the Leafs lose.

Some things never change. Back in the day it was Hasek and Roloson.

 

[bunjay]

Why are people worried about Grabovski? Personally, I'm worried about Kulemin. His 30 goal season now feels like it might have been one of those super realistic dreams. Did it really happen?

Also, Grabovski has MORE trade value now than he did before we re-signed him. Rentals don't get you much, even much better ones than Grabo. The current contract is no obstacle.

 

[bunjay]

Without even knowing what they would give up you say this? Absolutely ridiculous. I guarantee you the Leafs aren't playing for the magical #1 overall pick. Getting an elite goalie never sets a hockey team back unless you are giving up too much on the return. You should build a team from the net out.

Luongo is 33 with 10 years left on the contract. Do the math. Are the Leafs going to be contenders while Luongo is still elite? If the answer is no (it is), what the hell do the Leafs need him for?

 

[EucaLEAFtys]

We're already seeing???? Two games bro!!! Two games in a season with no exhibition games your going to see alot of teams come out sluggish. While they haven't lit up the scoreboard, they have had a reasonable number of scoring chances and when the rust is shaken off those chances will translate to goals.

Buy the sounds of you, we've lost both games! They're 1-1 which is not what I hoped but not far off from what I expected.

Let's talk about scoring troubles, losing streaks, too much defense-first play when it actually happens. As of right now there are a few negatives but from what I have seen there are more positives.

I'm fully aware that it's only been two games and without the benefit of a proper training camp. I'm merely pointing out that in this situation a team, regardless of who they are, simply cannot afford to get off to a sluggish start if they have any designs on earning a play-off spot. The fact that the Leafs are 1-1 thus far is really a stroke of luck because the Habs were even worse offensively than the Leafs during that game.

Had the Leafs faced pretty much any other team that night, I'm pretty sure that they would have lost and their record would be 0-2 instead of 1-1.

I also base my opinion on what the team has done in the past and how much change has occurred to the roster from year to year. This team has a history of starting slow and going through long losing streaks, things that will quickly kill their chances of earning a play-off spot this season. Also, this team has yet to show any consistency from one game to the next, which doesn't help their case either.

Whether they can show any good consistent play this season with little time to rest and practice, remanis to be seen, but I believe that all of this will be too much for them to handle.

 

[NaiveLeafsFan]

I want to see pairings like this:
Gunnarsson-Phaneuf
Gardiner-Kostka
Liles-Franson
Holzer/Komi

 

[bobermay]

Without even knowing what they would give up you say this? Absolutely ridiculous. I guarantee you the Leafs aren't playing for the magical #1 overall pick. Getting an elite goalie never sets a hockey team back unless you are giving up too much on the return. You should build a team from the net out.

This, this, this!!!

I don't care what stats he's got. Scrivens really hasn't impressed me much at all. The leafs have done a pretty good job limiting both Buffalo's and Montreal's scoring chances... this alone will reflect better goal tending stats.

 

[TheOneArmedMan]

Kadri needs to play with Lupul and Kessel.

I can't believe the amount of missed chanced, ****!

Yeah... Kadri>>>> Bozak. Not that I don't like Bozak he just can't seem to shoot or score.... he always dishes it off to lupul or kessel.

 

[Penalty Kill Icing*]

^ And who wins the puck on the faceoff dot for Kessel and Lupul? Or are we keeping those 3 together so they can try to retrieve puck for most of the time when they are on ice?

 

[DaveT83*]

Perimeter team - Perimeter Chances.

This is not a broken record - The Leafs put up 30+ shots and 1or2 real scoring chances. The next day "OPPOSITION GOALIE STANDS ON HIS HEAD" Really? No. This top6 is simply tooo small and weak to play against. Its so easy to box them out - so easy to rub them off the puck.