Pre-Game Talk: Wild @ Leafs, Oct 15th - 7pm (TSN4) and Leafs @ Caps, Oct 16th - 7 pm (SN1)

[DarkKnight]

Mikheyev reminds me of Swiss Army knife player, some similarity to a Kulemin. He is already emerging into a key PKer, he’s got speed, decent hands and he’s tenacious on the puck. He looks like he can play up and down the lineup, really useful in a myriad of ways, much like Kulemin in his prime here.

 

[Leafs at Knight]

Leaf fan in me is annoyed
Fantasy team will enjoy it, Holtby is better than Hutch, right?? Lol

Holtby has been bad this year which means he'll shut us out.

 

[PromisedLand]

would be nice if we run systems and have mental attitude:

play to win; do not play "not" to lose

IMHO we were right there with the bolts before we got embarrassed; it was the mind set play not to lose that lost us the game IMO; we backed off and let the stamkos line keep gaining the zone

we gotta start playing to win

 

[MJ65]

would be nice if we run systems and have mental attitude:

play to win; do not play "not" to lose

IMHO we were right there with the bolts before we got embarrassed; it was the mind set play not to lose that lost us the game IMO; we backed off and let the stamkos line keep gaining the zone

we gotta start playing to win

So what do you feel about this game - I think we should win this one, I mean they just got their 1st "W" this afternoon and have scored 12 goals so far this season. We need to take advantage of these match ups without any excuses and it's going to be a back to back for them

 

[Burnie97]

Leaf fan in me is annoyed
Fantasy team will enjoy it, Holtby is better than Hutch, right?? Lol

Lol... yup... I'd say so

 

[PromisedLand]

So what do you feel about this game - I think we should win this one, I mean they just got their 1st "W" this afternoon and have scored 12 goals so far this season. We need to take advantage of these match ups without any excuses and it's going to be a back to back for them

obviously 4 out of 4 possible points is gravy, 3 out of 4 is still pretty good, but getting at least 2 points is a must. No excuses why Leafs can't get at least 2 points.

caps are losing at the moment so i expect them to come out hard in their own barn when we go there

 

[Gabriel426]

Got in Toronto and is planning to watch the game tomorrow. Beside Stubhub, any other place to get tickets?

 

[MoreMogilny]

Our rivals are all having great seasons so far.

I know it’s early but I hate that we have this team that has been built for several years now and should be dominant at this time of the year because they should know what it takes to be successful, yet we look so unprepared.

When you look at Boston - they’re so consistently great and you never question them. Buffalo is absolutely killing it. Montreal looks solid so far. Tampa just demolished us.

We have this team loaded with apparent star talent, but we haven’t done a single thing to separate ourselves from the pack yet. 6 games into the season isn’t the end of the world, but my expectations for our young players have been so high and I’m definitely concerned about our approach to every game.

Hopefully we take advantage of what should be a tired and struggling team and absolutely rip the Wild apart - but I really don’t know if we have the mental abilities and desire to do that to any team right now.

 

[wc17]

Got in Toronto and is planning to watch the game tomorrow. Beside Stubhub, any other place to get tickets?

Ticketmaster. They release tickets on game day and so far, at much below what they’d been selling previously. Don’t think it should be hard to find tickets, depending on how many and where in the building I suppose.

 

[Phion Keneuf]

Mikheyev reminds me of Swiss Army knife player, some similarity to a Kulemin. He is already emerging into a key PKer, he’s got speed, decent hands and he’s tenacious on the puck. He looks like he can play up and down the lineup, really useful in a myriad of ways, much like Kulemin in his prime here.

Agreed, he reminds me a lot of Kulemin.

Back when Kule was a beast

 

[Coachcorner]

They just confirmed Andersen starting the minnesota wild game mayne. Mayne that gon be hard points for us mayne. Invest everythang you got. This game is already over. Babcock wanted his points and got em!

Hutchinson will have a hard night comin up against the ovehckins and cocacola kuznetsovs. We still might win like 6-5, or like 8-7. Theres always that chance baby.

Lance Hornby was the source for this andersen thang.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Our rivals are all having great seasons so far.

I know it’s early but I hate that we have this team that has been built for several years now and should be dominant at this time of the year because they should know what it takes to be successful, yet we look so unprepared.

When you look at Boston - they’re so consistently great and you never question them. Buffalo is absolutely killing it. Montreal looks solid so far. Tampa just demolished us.

We have this team loaded with apparent star talent, but we haven’t done a single thing to separate ourselves from the pack yet. 6 games into the season isn’t the end of the world, but my expectations for our young players have been so high and I’m definitely concerned about our approach to every game.

Hopefully we take advantage of what should be a tired and struggling team and absolutely rip the Wild apart - but I really don’t know if we have the mental abilities and desire to do that to any team right now.

I completely agree with you! All my thoughts exactly. It really seems that we lack passion. For example if we look at Babcock's charts of 6 points in 5 games. We started with two wins and I wonder if the team just decided that they will be able to get 2 more in 3 games (which didn't happen), so they just didn't try hard. It is true that we have a hell of a schedule to start the year, but somehow our mentality is wrong. For example Boston has Chara to look up to (willing to die on the ice just to win), maybe we don't have someone on the team to motivate the boys. I guess JT should be our guy at the moment, but he is too politically correct /robotic, not the passionate type of person. In reality it would have been amazing if our young core had been with a Stanley cup veteran from who they could learn. For example if Marleau had actually won the Stanley cup that could have been better. He supposedly taught them how to be "Babcock pro's", but in reality nobody has shown them what it takes to be a winner. And it is a whole different discussion if you can even be taught how to be a winner or you are born with a winning mentality. A bit long and sincere thanks to anybody who read what I wrote, but it is something I think about.

 

[ZEBROA]

When Marner and Tavares gets going everything will be allright. No worries.

 

[DarkKnight]

Interesting to hear that a main reason for always going with Andersen first in back to back is because he prefers it. There is no morning skate for the second game, he likes the same routine.

 

[1specter]

Mikheyev reminds me of Swiss Army knife player, some similarity to a Kulemin. He is already emerging into a key PKer, he’s got speed, decent hands and he’s tenacious on the puck. He looks like he can play up and down the lineup, really useful in a myriad of ways, much like Kulemin in his prime here.

He's different than Kulemin though in the sense that he's more aggressive on the puck and around the net. Kulemin was a beast but he wouldn't assert himself nearly enough.

 

[DarkKnight]

He's different than Kulemin though in the sense that he's more aggressive on the puck and around the net. Kulemin was a beast but he wouldn't assert himself nearly enough.

Sure, they’re different players. I meant it more in the utility type of contribution, a bit of everything. I would note though, when Kulemin was in his prime here, he was a dog on the puck.

 

[Koolboss]

I see a big night from JT and Marner, they will both have 3 points each and all will be normal. Too bad Minnesota is the worst team in the league.

 

[18leafsfan18]

I see a big night from JT and Marner, they will both have 3 points each and all will be normal. Too bad Minnesota is the worst team in the league.

Agree. They need a big game to show teams that those first 2 line can both be completely dominant.

Key to this team winning this year is opposing teams not being able to shut down the 2 big lines (focus on 1 and get destroyed by the other).

 

[Nineteen67]

I don’t believe Minny is able to defend well enough to win this game.

 

[Mitch Matthews]

I'd like to be optimistic, but with Holl and Marincin, this team is not going anywhere. And that's just for starters. Not a chance they will take both games of the back to back

 

[Mitch Matthews]

I don’t believe Minny is able to defend well enough to win this game.

Neither can the Leafs defend, so it's a toss up imo

 

[al secord]

may be Leafs change their strategy and start Hutch against Wild and Freddy against the caps

Good one, Randy.

 

[Nineteen67]

Neither can the Leafs defend, so it's a toss up imo

We all know that. But if the other team plays decent enough D the Leafs likely lose.

 

[KuleminFan41]

Need to win this game. The Bruins and Sabres looking elite so far, the bolts are the best team in the NHL on paper. We may end up a clear 4th if the Sabres continue their play for 15-20 games and we dont pick up ours for the same time frame. The habs are also pretty annoying and can challange for a wild card.

I want this team contending for the president trophy and then a dominant run to a cup. Expectations are high, we are playing our 7th game. The time for system issues to be corrected is now. Need our stars playing like stars and our goalie not being a sieve.

Leafs should not lose to this wild team. Start hutch as it's a wealth team and give Andy the caps game. Please Babcock and the players come out on time and play with a level of urgency.

They Sabres looked elite at the start of last season too being the best team after 10 games, things didn't exactly turn out well for them by seasons end. Tampa has hardly lit things up this season too being 2nd last in the Atlantic division . The landscape of the NHL isn't set in stone after 10 games. Also, you shouldn't care about presidents trophies, they're completely meaningless and most teams who win, don't win the cup. I'd rather finish 5th in the conference and win a cup than to get the presidents trophy and get bounced out in the first round.

 

[hizzoner]

Leafs should easily defeat a poor and demoralized Wild team. So why play Andersen? Then they play Washington and play Hutchinson? Heck maybe it will work-reverse psychology type of thing-but from my armchair I would have saved my number one goalie for what projects to be the tougher game.