Who wins the best of 5 between the Blue Jackets and the Leafs?

[Steven Toast]

Leafs are the favs. But who knows, Elvis may get 3 straight SO.

 

[LeafsNation75]

If I had to guess, it's probably Merzlikins in net for CBJ.

Since Korpisalo played more games this season wasn't he considered to be their #1 Goalie?

 

[VoluntaryDom]

voted leafs but it could go either way. depends a lot on cbj's health and which team gets better goaltending in the series. i think freddy can ball out against cbj tho.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Contrast of styles. All defense vs. no defense. I think the Leafs win because I think getting free goals becomes important in the playoffs when there's less time and space. You need to have players who can create plays out of nothing.

 

[The Moose is Loose]

I think it will 100% come down to Andersen's preformance

 

[majormajor]

Coin flip imo. The are close as the standings show. The one edge I feel that favours the Jackets is coaching. Torts is a master at getting the most out of his players and getting his teams ready. Until he wears out his welcome after a few years.

Torts obviously botched things in Vancouver but even with that included he's got over 1300 games coached across 4 clubs, that's more than four years on average per team, which I think is more than the average coaching tenure. Seven years in Tampa, five in New York, one in Vancouver, and five plus in Columbus, I'm guessing that's the longest tenure in both Lightning and Jackets history.

 

[majormajor]

Finally Columbus finished with the most overtime/shootout loses at 15. So all those games that got them 1 point in the standings is a main reason why they are in the play in round and not out completely all together.

That can run the other way too. Winning a 3v3 with half AHL players is really hard, if they were decently healthy and won half their OT games they'd be well ahead of the Leafs in the standings.

 

[Kamiccolo]

That can run the other way too. Winning a 3v3 with half AHL players is really hard, if they were decently healthy and won half their OT games they'd be well ahead of the Leafs in the standings.

I like how people are pretending the Leafs were healthy all year. They lost their top 2 D (Rielly and Muzzin) most of the year, JT, Marner,Johnsson, Soup, Andersen, Hyman, Dermott, etc all missed time. Leafs never once iced their fully healthy roster.

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

This poll should be an overwhelming win for the Blue Jackets considering both teams had the same amount of points and HF hates the Leafs so much.

Preemptive strike ?

 

[LeafsNation75]

I like how people are pretending the Leafs were healthy all year. They lost their top 2 D (Rielly and Muzzin) most of the year, JT, Marner,Johnsson, Soup, Andersen, Hyman, Dermott, etc all missed time. Leafs never once iced their fully healthy roster.

Excellent point and it's funny how people always brought up how the Leafs were lucky to make the playoffs in 2017 with so little injuries.

 

[82Ninety42011]

Leafs have the talent edge for sure as not many can match the fire power. However Jackets play a heavy game and are going to pummel the Leafs. The Leafs even if they win are going to be hurting after this series and Jackets have the ability to win it as well. Will definitely be one of the series to watch for me. My prediction Leafs in 5.

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

Was going to say this.

Brother, can you spare a dime ?

 

[majormajor]

I like how people are pretending the Leafs were healthy all year. They lost their top 2 D (Rielly and Muzzin) most of the year, JT, Marner,Johnsson, Soup, Andersen, Hyman, Dermott, etc all missed time. Leafs never once iced their fully healthy roster.

No one is pretending that.

The Leafs had a dozen key players miss time here or there, the Jackets had a dozen key players injured at a time. You didn't have AHLers on every forward line, and out there in 3v3.

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

I like how people are pretending the Leafs were healthy all year. They lost their top 2 D (Rielly and Muzzin) most of the year, JT, Marner,Johnsson, Soup, Andersen, Hyman, Dermott, etc all missed time. Leafs never once iced their fully healthy roster.

Playing 47 and 53 games out of 70 is missing most of the year ?

Strange...

 

[GoldenSeal]

I'll say this much given their ability to choke in the final minutes of a given series: The Leafs are underdogs.

 

[Addison Rae]

Leafs are winning the cup

 

[LeafsNation75]

Playing 47 and 53 games out of 70 is missing most of the year ?

Strange...

Rielly and Muzzin were still the Leafs top 2 defenseman and missed significant time, so that wasn't a positive for them.

 

[Varan]

Leafs fans. If your team lost to CBJ, would this be worse than losing to Boston again (or any of the previous losses to them)? Due to the hype, players, expectations, and consistently getting bounced in the first round?

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Close series but goaltending battle will push it towards Columbus.
plus their defense is also better what Toronto's.

Obviously offense hugely favors Toronto but,
goaltending nor defense is not up there to them to advance.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Leafs are winning the cup

What kind of cup?

these look pretty sweet

 

[Addison Rae]

What kind of cup?

these look pretty sweet
View attachment 347911

hockey fans attempting humour <<

 

[Pyrophorus]

Coin flip imo. The are close as the standings show. The one edge I feel that favours the Jackets is coaching. Torts is a master at getting the most out of his players and getting his teams ready. Until he wears out his welcome after a few years.

The truth, you don't know Keefe as an NHL coach in the playoffs.
The unknown does not automatically, make it bad.

 

[Pyrophorus]

The Leafs will beat the Jackets and then get bodied by the Bruins as usual

Which didn't happen at least last year.
Will Boston be the #1 seed?

 

[WetcoastOrca]

The truth, you don't know Keefe as an NHL coach in the playoffs.
The unknown does not automatically, make it bad.

Agreed. But I’ll still take Torts because he’s proven and I just don’t see Keefe as being at his level as a coach.
Same reason I’ll give the Leafs the edge in goal tending even though the truth is we don’t know how Columbus goaltending will do.

 

[PG Canuck]

Leafs are winning the cup

Disappointed in you for this cold take