Why is this team incapable of holding leads/closing out games?

[TonsofPuppies*]

I don't think it's any secret that the Leafs are easily the worst team at closing out a game in the NHL, but the question is why? Oddly enough, it doesn't seem to matter who the coaching staff consists of, or which players we have on the team, or which goalie is in net. You can almost guarantee, that if this team has a 1 goal lead in the last 10 minutes of the third period, they'll blow it. They've done just that 3 times in the last 2 games alone. It's beyond embarrassing. The Boston debacle wouldn't have happened to any other of the 29 teams in the NHL.

In my opinion, this is a mentally weak team. I honestly thought after what happened in Boston in game 7 last year, that it would be a good lesson for this team, to teach them to always play hard for 60 minutes. After watching them blow probably 15+ one goal leads in the 3rd this year, it's clear to me that they've learned nothing and are likely incapable of exorcising their demons. It doesn't help that we probably have the most mentally weak goaltending tandem in the NHL, either.

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[MrLegend28*]

do you have stats to back this up?

 

[Virtanen18]

do you have stats to back this up?

Think I read on Twitter they've blown 19 third period leads, most in the NHL.

 

[TonsofPuppies*]

do you have stats to back this up?

https://twitter.com/LeafsStatsGuy/status/439953662765309952

 

[The Legend]

The Leafs are pretty horrible defensively overall. It happens to catch up to them at the end of games, but it's not like they play any worse with a lead than they do without one...

 

[ThrillinPhil]

Glad there is facts backing this up, I thought of this as well. Just very very weak when it comes down defending a 1 goal lead in the 3rd with under 10 mins minutes to go.

 

[Disgruntled Observer*]

Well... we're talking about a team that's thoroughly outplayed, out-shot, and out-chanced on a regular basis, with poor possession.

I know that there are some members of this board that have invested a large part of their ego on the argument that being outworked and outplayed in every capacity won't catch up with the team...
but the truth is...
it probably will.

I still think, like I said numerous times in September, that this team will sneak into the playoffs.

But we're nowhere near being a legitimate contender.
You get that?
Richest team in the league misses the playoffs a league leading 8 times in a row, rebuilding (/"retooling") over 5 of those seasons, and STILL aren't anywhere near legitimate contenders.

If it were any other hockey city, people would be rioting in the streets at this point.
But leaf fans are much more complacent. Lame rationalizations and excuses are made every step of the way.

 

[hfman]

garbage teams can make it into the playoffs, but-

the playoffs are judgement day.

the playoffs expose everything that sucks about a team, and exposes those teams who maybe shouldn't have been there to begin with. A harsh reality for those teams that just slipped through the cracks and really aren't worthy of being there.

if a team makes it into the playoffs and sucks defensively, then it's
judgement day and they are eliminated probably because of their crap defensive play.

if a team made it into the playoffs with a garbage goaltender, then the playoffs are judgement day and they get booted from the post-season, probably because their goalie isn't up to par


same will be with the leafs.

make it into the playoffs, fine - but they suck defensivley, so they'll be eliminated because they can't defend

 

[Ace88*]

honestly, i'm much more comfortable going into the 3rd with a 1 or 2 goal deficit than a 1 or 2 goal lead.


They are young and not finished growing together/developing as a team. Will they ever get there? Maybe, maybe not. But i think that they can and will.

 

[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

Leafs aren't good defensively. Our GA is bottom 5 in the league

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

Low hockey IQ in general but especially at the back end.

 

[The Beyonder]

There is something about this team when they get a lead, they seem to play with far less intensity and stop playing like the way that got them the lead. It's as if something in them says "Ok, we got a lead, now that's stop skating and just defend it for the rest of the period". They have go to cease this habit of no longer playing when they have the lead; that's why they lost game 7 and it's still creeping on this team in 3rd periods when they have leads.

 

[Ratboy]

honestly, i'm much more comfortable going into the 3rd with a 1 or 2 goal deficit than a 1 or 2 goal lead.


They are young and not finished growing together/developing as a team. Will they ever get there? Maybe, maybe not. But i think that they can and will.

me too, cause they seem to score in bunches in the third. its just, the other team does too.

 

[blueberrie]

The Leafs are a bad defensive team. SA, GA, PK and corsi all seem to point to that. Bad defensive teams have trouble not getting scored on/holding leads.

Leafs biggest need is players who can contribute on both sides of the puck equally. Too many one-dimensional players whether it be offence (mostly this) or defence.

 

[tooncesmeow]

The Leafs suck balls at possession. Its hard to get quality shots and maintain leads when you barely have the puck. Even worse when your teammates all hate the advanced stat community and think possession isnt important.

 

[Mansfield]

I've been thinking a lot about this. To me, this is the most damning flaw which is the cause of the coaching staff. This team has gotten better on paper since Carlyle has gotten here, but our possession game has gotten worse and worse. Anaheim's possession game was similarly bad when carlyle was there.

If you spend such a long time in your own zone, you're going to get scored on. I actually think our defensive zone coverage has improved under carlyle from wilson; except we spend so much time in the d zone that it nullifies whatever improvements there were.

Usually I'm not very hard on the coaches - I think the players are much more at fault for the team's failures. But this is the first thing I can think of where I've strongly felt that the coaching staff is responsible, not the players.

 

[Atomos2]

Part of that is on Bernier. Doesn't deal well with pressure. HNIC had stats awhile back showing that the third period was by far Berniers weakest period in terms of sv%. He just isnt great under pressure. Also doesnt help with the constant giveaways by our defence. Rielly I can forgive. Gardiner pisses me off at times. But Fransons is just unacceptable.

 

[achtungbaby]

Long answer short? We're not very good at playing defense. We have enough guys who's first instinct is to skate up the ice and wait for a breakaway pass and not enough guys who will skate back to help the defense just as hard. And this blueline needs all the help they can get.

 

[number72]

That first line and particular Kessel is just awful at defence.

 

[Deebo]

They are 22-1-2 when leading after 2 periods.

 

[mulefarm]

Because Carlye is stubborn! Same system, same players, same results every game at trying to hold a lead. You would think an NHL coach could figure out what he is doing is not working? Same with the penalty kill!

 

[Mess]

Leafs aren't good defensively. Our GA is bottom 5 in the league

Other teams down where the Leafs are defensively Buffalo, NYI, Florida are jockeying for lottery picks 1-5.

If you can't play defense, its going to be tested most when the other team is applying pressure to tie or win the game late in the 3rd.

 

[paulhiggins]

Because Carlye is stubborn! Same system, same players, same results every game at trying to hold a lead. You would think an NHL coach could figure out what he is doing is not working? Same with the penalty kill!

True but other than Gleason he hasn't had the manpower to make changes. Also he may have lost the room and players aren't listening or improving. Nonis has to either give Carlyle what he needs or adios.

 

[Daisy Jane]

They are 22-1-2 when leading after 2 periods.

thank you

but then people will argue, ooh, wait, but shootouts don't... whatever

the question shouldn't be how many third period leads have they blown, the question should be "how many games have they lost because of it?" if it's like over 50 or something - that's one thing. if it's more of "the leafs can't hold the lead, but can win," then.... yeah we need to work on it, but it's not that bad. (yet)


I don't think that's fair saying that the Boston Game 7 wouldn't have happened to any other team, you don't know that. And flip side, could you say that a team can blow a chance to GET to game seven in seventeen seconds like Boston did? Okay then, moving on.


it it as obvious that the entire team needs to remember what defensive play is like. top to bottom. it would help from the back end, but again when your oldest defender is 30 years old, and after your top pairing (who is only what ? 29-28) is a 19 year old rookie, a 23 year old sophmore and Cody Franson, it's going to get ugly. It does not help that the forwards do not help more, or seem like they are incapable of doing so - but I personally feel that we have to decide once and for all what we want:

do we want the Leafs to continue to grow their babies and let them make mistakes [ie: this means that games will get wild and crazy, and blown leads and all of that, and learn how to defend aggressively. we defend too passively, and I'm sick and tired of people thinking this is Randy's idea. It's NOT Randy's idea, he's freaking commented on this enough times]. or do we want them to get players who can make a huge improvement, but it will cost them Gardiner, Rielly, Kadri etc to get them.

because that's the choice. (again, I personally would trade something for Boyle and then sign him for 2 years that's what he wants).

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Problem is we are a 1 line team right now, that's it. No need to overanalyze it. If our #1 line and Bernier don't play lights out, we have difficulty winning.