will we win round 1 do you guys think

TakeTheBody

Registered User
Jan 10, 2018
2,106
1,486
I'll respond after the deadline. The team right now isn't the team we go to the playoffs with. IF the Leafs lose in the first round I hope Babcock is under the microscope. No more were are too young excuses.....
 

moon111

Registered User
Oct 18, 2014
2,890
1,283
For all we know, half of the Leafs losses can be chalked up to them staying up too late playing Fortnite.
 
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ITM

As Long As It Takes
Jan 26, 2012
4,536
2,509
I take the same position now as last year. A better chance to advance to the second round is to face Tampa. We're a better fit given the style of our club. And I think a win in the first round against Tampa would give the club the extra dose of confidence Toronto needs to face Boston in the playoffs.

Something that unnerves me is the way Pastrnak, for example, seems to have learned to play against Toronto the way Boston led by Chara and Bergeron always have. That's indicative of a culture being maintained. That's unnerving for continued meetings down the road.

Sure, we have to face every club in every round to win the Cup. But I think strategy where it can be had and utilized is important. And if our club is to build upon it's regular season improvement over the last couple of seasons in similar fashion in the playoffs , a few breaks in terms of order of opponent(s) will go a long way to creating a culture of confidence to match organizations like Boston and Pittsburgh.
 

Suntouchable13

Registered User
Dec 20, 2003
43,027
18,036
Toronto, ON
We have to win at least a round this season. If not, are we going to have 3 guys making 10+ on the cap with no playoff series wins? Not good.
 

Dale Gribble

Registered User
Feb 9, 2019
351
294
Lightning, Bruins, Habs, Penguins, and Islanders all concern me. Lightning are better in every way, and the others can grind out wins.
 

mitchthemitch

Registered User
Jan 10, 2019
403
210
Toronto
I think the leafs losses in the first round the last two years have been blown up far too much. People forget that we were the underdogs in both series and had finished below our opponent both times. This year, if everything works out, we should be ahead of the team we face, we won't be underdogs, and we will have home ice advantage. We've also added Tavares and Muzzin to the roster. And this year hopefully we won't have to play with Plekanec as our 1C and Hainsey on the top pairing.
Past the first round is a different monster. I think we have the potential to beat the TBL. We dominated at times in the games against them so far, and we looked solid defensively for the most part. It's going to really come down to how well our team plays together. If the chemistry is there by then, I think we have a fair shot at beating them.
 

Le Cobra

Rent A Goalie
Nov 11, 2015
3,101
1,386
Toronto The Good
Year 1- Washington 7 games
Year 2- Boston 7 games
Year 3- THIRD TIMES A CHARM WE WILL MAKE IT TO THE SECOND ROUND

Marner has become a Beast. Kapanen too. Johnson has risen to new heights. Matthews is Matthews. Nylander is getting back into his stride. Kadri is consistently good and a threat.
Freddie is way more confident and sharper than ever. It is imperative that he get enough rest at least 1-2 weeks before playoffs start. We now have Tavares and Muzzin. I say we beat any team in the first round not named Tampa
 

notDatsyuk

Registered User
Jul 20, 2018
9,648
7,521
I take the same position now as last year. A better chance to advance to the second round is to face Tampa. We're a better fit given the style of our club. And I think a win in the first round against Tampa would give the club the extra dose of confidence Toronto needs to face Boston in the playoffs.

Something that unnerves me is the way Pastrnak, for example, seems to have learned to play against Toronto the way Boston led by Chara and Bergeron always have. That's indicative of a culture being maintained. That's unnerving for continued meetings down the road.

Sure, we have to face every club in every round to win the Cup. But I think strategy where it can be had and utilized is important. And if our club is to build upon it's regular season improvement over the last couple of seasons in similar fashion in the playoffs , a few breaks in terms of order of opponent(s) will go a long way to creating a culture of confidence to match organizations like Boston and Pittsburgh.
To face Tampa in the first round, either we have to drop to the second wild card spot, or they have to drop to the second wild card spot and we win the conference, or Boston or Montreal has to pass us both, to take top spot.

Which do you think is likely?

There are other scenarios. For example, if the Isles (or Pittsburgh or Washington) ended up first in the conference, then Leafs and Tampa would play if they were second and third in the division, or first in the division and the first wild card.

Considering how Tampa is playing and the lead they have, the most likely is if we drop to the second wild card, which I don't want to think about.
 
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rosscow

Registered User
Apr 5, 2015
714
223
They are better than Boston and Montreal. If they lose in the 1st round Babcock should be fired the next day. They might lose to tampa in round 2 but no way in round 1.
 

NCoRe

Registered User
Dec 30, 2007
564
203
Seinäjoki
Year 1- Washington 7 games
Year 2- Boston 7 games
Year 3- THIRD TIMES A CHARM WE WILL MAKE IT TO THE SECOND ROUND

Marner has become a Beast. Kapanen too. Johnson has risen to new heights. Matthews is Matthews. Nylander is getting back into his stride. Kadri is consistently good and a threat.
Freddie is way more confident and sharper than ever. It is imperative that he get enough rest at least 1-2 weeks before playoffs start. We now have Tavares and Muzzin. I say we beat any team in the first round not named Tampa

Preach my dear brutha Preach !!!

I think we posses a great chance to win against anyone. We are more well rounded than last year and If we can spark some flame under our young stars we could be unstoppable. Muzzin and Tavares are way more important than a lot of folks understands. They're aswell as playwise our backbone, but also through mental leadership in the playoffs.
 
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FraumBallard

Registered User
Dec 9, 2018
980
407
win until we meet Tampa, I think Tampa wins the Cup this season.
I think we win the Cup.
I say that every year.
And I believe it every year.
Shanahan has to get Dubas to
acquire some sandpaper.
If he does.
We have tons of talent.
Great goaltending.
Way short on stones.
 

Trapper

Registered User
Nov 21, 2013
23,736
11,002
It depends on who we face.
I don’t always like the way this team plays.
The other teams attack us way to much.
We win in the regular season because of offensive skill and elite goaltending.
But in the playoffs we need to stop teams from taking it too us so much.
 

2022 Stanley Cup

Registered User
Aug 15, 2015
1,113
400
Mississauga
I think our team vs habs we smash them in about 5 games barring goalies changing that. Boston seems to always have our number so that's always concerning but we have stronger defense and deeper forwards this year so maybe that will finally change. Home advantage would be helpful there too. If we finish in the 1st wildcard that would currently be the Islanders that we face. I'm concerned because they look good but I'd take us in a series. If we played TBL then it's heavily favoured for them but we always seem to keep games really competitive against them. I hope it'd be like the 2016 Capitals series where there were 6 close games and 5 overtime games.
 

zeke

The Dube Abides
Mar 14, 2005
66,937
36,957
For the first time, we'll be the legit favorites in round 1, and should win.

At the same time, unfortunately despite likely having the 2nd best record in the league at the end of the year, we'll still end up facing a borderline top-5 team in the first round, so it'll be close.
 

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