Post-Game Talk: Well We Win! Devils 2, Leafs 3

[Stephen]

The biggest knock on Rielly when we drafted him is that he needs a stronger shot .. I have faith that will come with time

He's been a bit snake bitten too I've found on those opportunities .. Some tough rookie luck

The guy is very young but he has no finish at all relative to the rest of his offensive skillset. If he had a pro shot he'd be Pavel Bure on the back end.

 

[LeafsMonster]

Just proves that they shouldnt be in the league.

Last year I was thinking we might just not be mediocre in these coming years. Nope. Looking like last year is the outlier.

Nothing I haven't been used to already. Leafs sucking again, the sky is blue, grass is green.

I would assume that in the east atleast Boston, Tampa, Montreal, Detroit, Pittsburgh to make it. Probably Caps too.

Then maybe Philly, Nyr, Ottawa, us? The remaining spots are upfir grabs and something tells me we won't take them.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Jake Gardiner was our weakest defenceman last night, his decision making when you see a game live is atrocious.

1 - He has men open and he refuses to move the puck up quickly
2 - He shoots the puck up the boards to waiting Devils players
3 - He loses every puck battle out of the corners
4 - He never shoots the puck even in good scoring position

All the things that some keep saying be patient with him for 2 years now. I wonder if this is just Jake, but people who say Gardiner was good last night were not correct.

Actually, I think Bozak may have been our weakest player last night. Despite his goal, he was pretty awful.

 

[Commander Clueless]

Jake Gardiner was our weakest defenceman last night, his decision making when you see a game live is atrocious.

1 - He has men open and he refuses to move the puck up quickly
2 - He shoots the puck up the boards to waiting Devils players
3 - He loses every puck battle out of the corners
4 - He never shoots the puck even in good scoring position

All the things that some keep saying be patient with him for 2 years now. I wonder if this is just Jake, but people who say Gardiner was good last night were not correct.

Well, in my defense I never said he played great. I just said it was fun watching him and Rielly play together.

That said, I don't think he was even close to that bad. He wasn't great, but he wasn't that bad.

It seems to me that whenever I watch the Leafs lately, the top word that comes to mind is confused. It just seems like all the players aren't quite sure what to do, and Jake personified that well last night.

 

[Nithoniniel]

Actually, I think Bozak may have been our weakest player last night. Despite his goal, he was pretty awful.

What?

I was thinking pretty much the complete opposite. 2 goals, key FO wins, smart play allround.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Gardiner needs to get stronger around the boards just like several of our defensemen, that's perhaps the biggest weakness on our team. But that's relatively easy to fix. His decision making concerns me much more.

Weakest d man last night, lost puck battles along boards, gave the puck away without being pressured. I don't know what people are watching but I was there, I saw him have a tonne of options up ice but he hangs onto the puck too long without moving it. The guy has serious hockey IQ questions. He should take note how Rielly processes a game once in awhile. As for the Bozak comment, not worth responding to such nonsense, he was one of our best players last night. If he didn't get jobbed a goal, he may have been first star. The star pickers love their stats. My post game review is right on.

 

[Leafidelity]

The guy is very young but he has no finish at all relative to the rest of his offensive skillset. If he had a pro shot he'd be Pavel Bure on the back end.

He has a very weak shot. I would say that's his main weakness. However it's something that can be worked on. Gardiner has come a long way with his shooting.

 

[Nithoniniel]

Weakest d man last night, lost puck battles along boards, gave the puck away without being pressured. I don't know what people are watching but I was there, I saw him have a tonne of options up ice but he hangs onto the puck too long without moving it. The guy has serious hockey IQ questions. He should take note how Rielly processes a game once in awhile. As for the Bozak comment, not worth responding to such nonsense, he was one of our best players last night. If he didn't get jobbed a goal, he may have been first star. The star pickers love their stats. My post game review is right on.

It was incredibly annoying to see that pairing get time and space in their own zone and still being completely unable to start any offense. Watching on TV you can't really see the opportunities they have though, so I'll take your word for it that they were there. Forwards have a tendency to rush too much and getting caught up at the blue sometimes though.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

What?

I was thinking pretty much the complete opposite. 2 goals, key FO wins, smart play allround.

Just being sarcastic.

We all know a certain someone likes to rag on certain players for any reason while showering praise on others.

 

[lLeafer]

Not ROW that's for sure.

Have the Leafs ever missed the playoffs due to a tie break? How many times has it happened total in the NHL? I'm just curious because everyone is harping on this ROW thing. It seems a little premature to be worried about tie break stats. We had an awesome ROW last year (tied for 3rd best in the whole league) and we still had to play Boston first round.

 

[Purity*]

Just being sarcastic.

We all know a certain someone likes to rag on certain players for any reason while showering praise on others.

I kind of thought it was sarcasm Bozak was everywhere last night. As bad as it's been (maybe), he's been our best player since he came back from injury. Once Kessel/JVR fully heat back up, I hope Bozak can maintain this level of play and our first line will finally be looking legitimately dangerous.

 

[Gallagbi]

It was incredibly annoying to see that pairing get time and space in their own zone and still being completely unable to start any offense. Watching on TV you can't really see the opportunities they have though, so I'll take your word for it that they were there. Forwards have a tendency to rush too much and getting caught up at the blue sometimes though.

The forwards were often standing still and they relied on Gardiner to carry the puck up ice. Gardiner wasn't even the worse d-man on his pairing last night, let alone the whole d-core.

Too much separation between the D and the forwards, the forwards would drop it to the d-man and wait for them to make a play instead of making themselves options