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

[hoglund]

last night was more of a come back than failure to hold a lead. Although the whole game was pretty evenly played, for the most part the Leafs were losing and Montreal failed to hold the lead with 9 minutes left in the 3rd. It's true the Leafs did finally get a lead, but took penalties at bad times, the tying goal was due to a bad call (Gleason's interference) and Kessel's and Bernier's delay of game penalties forced them to play the last 2 minutes and 1/2 the ot short handed, did you really think they could kill the last 6 minutes of the game while short handed? that's why they couldn't hold the lead. I'm sure if the Leafs were even strengthed this likely was a Leaf win.

 

[thewave]

The forwards are defensively inept as a whole. If you ranked their forwards for defensive acumen it would probably be in the bottom 25%

 

[Bardown warrior]

I won't chalk up last night as being a lead where we blew... That call on Gleason was terrible, so there's that. But i do agree with the point that were absolutely terrible closing out games.

There seems to be a disconnect with Randy and our players.

 

[nuck]

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

The low hockey IQ is behind the bench. This is Carlyle rope a dope where they win games based on potent offense and strong goaltending. They lose to Florida, have to go to the shootout to beat Buffalo, and get feasted on by a hard working Columbus team. The players go where he tells them to, set up how he tells them to, and defend how he tells them to (mostly) and the result is they have to outskill the other clubs because they are usualy getting outplayed.

Because they win most of the time they get away with it, but he is not imposing a system on them that makes the Leafs a tough club to play against every night. Reimer has a 3.25 GAA with a .911 sv%. Niemi is .911% and 2.41 GAA. Raanta in Chicago has 2.40 GAA on a .904%. Too many shots allowed means they are screwing their goalies out of the chance to win on many nights.

It's true they have too many puck movers but they could bring in a young Chris Pronger and he is only going to affect the shot count for the 25 minutes he is on the ice. If players aren't doing what he tells them they need to sit, get traded, or be demoted and he should play the guys who listen. If they are listening (and thats why they're all still getting ice time) then he needs to change his message. The worst clubs in the league are allowing far fewer shots than the Leafs. Maybe he needs to watch some video of Florida or Calgary to figure out how to get things done.

 

[JackJ]

because we insist on playing slugs like Franson on D.

 

[Bomber0104]

Because outside of maybe like 4 players, we suck at playing defence.

 

[hotpaws]

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.

The forwards are defensively inept as a whole. If you ranked their forwards for defensive acumen it would probably be in the bottom 25%

These two posts summarize our team and season accurately .

 

[Puckstuff]

they out score the opposition into the 3rd period then they try and sit back and hold the lead and they get dominated. Its boring but to win games putting a trap in place will work... Your telling me Latvia and the Swiss can do it but the leafs cant? Im not saying use it when were tied but if we trying to hold a team of by 1 or 2 goals I don't see a problem in doing it. Carlyle should call Dave Tippet.

 

[Puckstuff]

last night was more of a come back than failure to hold a lead. Although the whole game was pretty evenly played, for the most part the Leafs were losing and Montreal failed to hold the lead with 9 minutes left in the 3rd. It's true the Leafs did finally get a lead, but took penalties at bad times, the tying goal was due to a bad call (Gleason's interference) and Kessel's and Bernier's delay of game penalties forced them to play the last 2 minutes and 1/2 the ot short handed, did you really think they could kill the last 6 minutes of the game while short handed? that's why they couldn't hold the lead. I'm sure if the Leafs were even strengthed this likely was a Leaf win.

stop trying to make excuses we lost the lead

 

[SeenSchenn2]

Because we're a lost cause defensively.

Also, reality check: We ARE playing another NHL team... you know, so it's not going to be a given every night.

 

[deleteme24]

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.

How dare you blame Bernier for that???

 

[Stephen]

I hated seeing Lupul out there pressing the offense in the 3rd and OT periods. I knew he'd go charging up the ice, try to force the shot for himself and when the play went the other way, just kind of coast back at half speed all casually. Not blaming him for the loss, but that was some blatant favoring of the offense.

Then you have 2 defensemen in Phaneuf and Franson who are so slow they have no ability to skate out of trouble as even an option. You have two kids who can, but their first instinct seems to be to go Bobby Orr on every play. I guess it's all growing pains, but man is it ever disgusting.

 

[hoglund]

stop trying to make excuses we lost the lead

I'm not denying they lost the lead, I'm saying last night's game is a poor example of failure to hold or close a game because that game was a comeback game and the loss of the lead was the fault of penalties that they had no control of.

 

[Covenant]

Coaching is the issue, there is no way that so many players could be so bad defensively. We've always been told defence can be taught but skill is a God given gift. When Roger Neilson and Pat Burns coached the Leafs, they were strong defensively. However under the rest they have been weak to average.

 

[My Sweet Shadow]

We're a team that's prone to making mental errors when pressured...and teams exert the most pressure when they're trailing late in the 3rd period. Hence, more mistakes and more quality chances for them to score.

 

[Leafs Life Hockey*]

Our forwards can't play the game defensively. 3 of our D-men can't play defensively. No wonder we never have the puck.

When you look at all this combined, either Nonis has assembled the dumbest group of 18 skaters possible, or coach's system is flawed or he is asking to implement a system that is impossible.

Having watched hockey long enough, I think it is the latter. I mean, even a stray dog would know by now that if you cycle the puck long enough along the boards against Leafs, they'll get pinned in own zone, get tired and surrender a goal because coach instructs them not to engage on the boards but just swarm the front of the net.

 

[MorriPage]

I wonder what/how long it would take to build this team exactly in the same mold as the St. Louis Blues. I've been saying this for ages. The St. Louis Blues are my model of what a franchise that hopes to be sucessful, and maintain that success, needs to look like.

 

[janesy12]

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.

I agree with this.
Phaneuf is also being worked too much. He's more comfortable in the 23-25 minute range it seems. Not many players can play upwards of over 25 minutes night after night.

 

[p.l.f.]

This team is practically uncoachable
Adding seasoned veterans could be a tonic

If you ask this team to play defense they'll sit back and give up 50 shots
Puck possession, keep your feet moving, puck pursuit - they can potentially do this at least

 

[thewave]

This team is practically uncoachable
Adding seasoned veterans could be a tonic

If you ask this team to play defense they'll sit back and give up 50 shots
Puck possession, keep your feet moving, puck pursuit - they can potentially do this at least

I think I would go AHL bottom 6 where we can if this year doesn't pan out. I Want to see what we actually have and give them at least a shot next season or post deadline.

Holland D Ash Dev etc. they are at that age now where you need to trial them.

I think if we got some of these kids playing we could pump their tires and maybe get a surprise or two and also get trade value out of some rather than letting them walk for nothing

 

[Diatomic]

This team is practically uncoachable
Adding seasoned veterans could be a tonic

If you ask this team to play defense they'll sit back and give up 50 shots
Puck possession, keep your feet moving, puck pursuit - they can potentially do this at least

The only thing I can say this team does well is capatilize on their opportunities. They can get out shot 10-1 but that 1 shot they took its a goal

 

[thewave]

The only thing I can say this team does well is capatilize on their opportunities. They can get out shot 10-1 but that 1 shot they took its a goal

For that reason I would not change the top 6 save for put Kules on the other wing.

The bottom 6 you can play around with as we have a lot of 3rd line type players and one who should be ejected hard

 

[-DeMo-]

it's the lack of forwards who are committed to even playing defense. a lot of our forwards don't care about defense, and don't put in the effort at that end of the ice. and until they start doing it this team might make the playoffs but there not going anywhere.

 

[Diatomic]

So proud if this team, tight defensive system executed perfectly.

 

[blue82]

leafs cant achieve any kind of stability on the back end with gardiner giving the puck away all the time, you might think well its only 3-4 brutal give aways a game but hey it also tampers with the psychology of a team and gives the other team momemtum (refer to the islander game as a great example) one of the reasons why i dont think subban played for team canada, one of his patented giveaways could have been game over for us