4 of the last 5yrs Toronto lost to a team who made it to the Stanley Cup Finals

[QJo]

I get why people are so negative in this thread. The odd fact that we lose to teams that go deep could seem like making excuses, or trying to give the team credit they don't deserve.

But people don't need to jump on it this hard. Every team talks about the quality of competition in the playoffs. Florida just punched their ticket to the Final, and there's a thread on the main board talking about how they've had the hardest path to the Cup. They're obviously not making excuses. It's just an expected topic for any team.

It's just a fact that getting out of the Atlantic is a tough gig. Lighten up people.

This thread is a good illustration of who would and wouldn't be fun to watch a game with. I imagine any comment that deviates from, 'let's not have fun, we didn't win the cup last year' would be met with 'stop having fun, we didn't win the cup last year' for some fans. It'd be exhausting to sit next to.

 

[57 Years No Cup]

This thread is a good illustration of who would and wouldn't be fun to watch a game with. I imagine any comment that deviates from, 'let's not have fun, we didn't win the cup last year' would be met with 'stop having fun, we didn't win the cup last year' for some fans. It'd be exhausting to sit next to.

Fan/=cheerleader.

 

[FerrisRox]

Yup. If it was once or twice, then you could say it is just happenstance or coincidence (to paraphrase the famed novelist Ian Fleming).

But four times? Either the Leafs are the unluckiest team on the planet (which may be true, tbh) or there is something that we are doing that is making it too easy on these goalies (Bourne has speculated that we aren't getting to the net nearly as well as we do in the regular season).

They then use momentum from beating us to take their teams on deep runs.

Or maybe the simple fact that three of those four goalies are elite netminders with a ton of Vezina trophies between them is the big factor.

Those teams prioritized goaltending and allocated cap space to ensure they had high end netminding. Dubas spent his money elsewhere and found his goaltenders in the bargain bin.

The results are not surprising, but the Leafs didn't "make" those goaltenders elite, they already were, they just did what they were paid to do.

 

[leafs in five]

I have not been watching live but it is fairly tilting to watch canes-cats higlights and see both teams on the PP late in the 3rd period or in OT. it seems fairly obvious that Leafs-panthers will be the least penalised series in the playoffs, esp if you discount the stuff at the end of game 4, which is pretty wild when you recall even a fraction of the stuff that went down.

Lol, is it just me or is this 4 out 5 years thing like, extremely irrelevant? So what? Is this supposed to be some sort of accomplishment or something? Who cares?

maybe it is relevant insofar as it's something to write about the leafs on this toronto maple leafs message board where people write thousands of words a day about the leafs

 

[Arzak]

Losing to best losers.

This way we can start losing to Cup winners and call it progress (or not, since we are in post-Dubas era).

 

[leafs in five]

This stat does not erase TOR's playoff futility...or change this image.

you're right it definitely does not change that image

 

[QJo]

Fan/=cheerleader.

Enjoying entertainment /= cheerleading

 

[57 Years No Cup]

Enjoying entertainment /= cheerleading

Exactly. Glad you agree.

 

[MK78]

The sad part is that two of those teams, Montreal and this year's Florida, were last qualified teams for the playoffs.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Or maybe the simple fact that three of those four goalies are elite netminders with a ton of Vezina trophies between them is the big factor.

Those teams prioritized goaltending and allocated cap space to ensure they had high end netminding. Dubas spent his money elsewhere and found his goaltenders in the bargain bin.

The results are not surprising, but the Leafs didn't "make" those goaltenders elite, they already were, they just did what they were paid to do.

I thought the Leafs made the CLB goalies look elite myself, JMHO.

I've never felt the least bit mollified by the fact that the teams that beat us go to the finals. For some strange reason though, this year is different. The fact that FLA beat Boston and now swept Carolina does actually make me feel a bit better. Maybe it's because we got by TB first, not sure. Anyhow, just saying how I feel, not looking to start an argument or tell anyone else how they should feel.

That game 3 against FLA though, woof. That game was so horrible and nothing FLA does going forward will erase the memory of that stinker. We played pretty well in the other games, still can't understand how a team can be good most nights, and then out of the blue produce such a putrid performance in the most important game of the year.

 

[Budz]

At least he can give us free pizza.

It’s something I guess. Momentum gaining…

 

[notDatsyuk]

We should warn the other teams that if they beat us, they will lose the finals. Maybe then they won't try as hard against us?

Glad to see it's an important stat, unlike when the Islanders lost in the Eastern finals to the Cup winner two years in a row and it meant nothing.

 

[Wendel17]

we're the best losers.
I hops this type of culture leaves with Dubas.

Ya, we get respect in the handshake line.

 

[Hoglund4MvP]

All I see is DNQ to the jackets of all teams. Good riddance gm is gone

 

[ShaneFalco]

This is cringe thread

 

[Hellcat]

Ok , I'm really starting to believe there is a hockey god that we pissed off somewhere down the line.

If Chicago didn't beat Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh in the final week, the Panthers would have never made the playoffs, Chicago would have not finished 3rd last and would not have won the 1st overall pick. If Florida does not make the playoffs, we face off against a very very beat up Boston team, pre playoff injuries, not Fla. Sooooooooo ..suck it evil hockey gods.....

 

[TheGreatOne11]

The sad part is that two of those teams, Montreal and this year's Florida, were last qualified teams for the playoffs.

Just further proving how much the regular season does not matter.

I'm watching game one next year and a handful of others, but my passions and time will be spent on other things. I'll always love my Leafs, but I'm just almost indifferent on them after so many failures?

Good for you all who can truly engage with 100% every single year, honestly, I'm jealous. But after 20+ years of watching the same B.S I've just reached a place of caring less, still love them but I'm going to fill my time up with more rewarding hobbies.

You can only watch us kick ass in the regular season and fail spectacularly in the playoffs so many times lol. Maybe we should be a 6-8 seed and beat expectations for once?

 

[CincoHolio]

Is this a respect in the handshake line kinda thread because the title sure comes off as one?

The Leafs should've been a team in the finals at least one of those years, end of story.

Seriously, who cares what each team did after beating us? Any way you slice it, the Leafs failed and were not good enough or smart enough to get it done. Pathetic

 

[leafs in five]

vs Florida the canes had 6 more mins in PP time than the Leafs did in 5. even by close-game-in-the-2nd-round standards the officiating in the Panthers series was absolutely wild

 

[ShaneFalco]

Run it back!

 

[notDatsyuk]

vs Florida the canes had 6 more mins in PP time than the Leafs did in 5. even by close-game-in-the-2nd-round standards the officiating in the Panthers series was absolutely wild

Another way of looking at it is that Florida took 3.59 penalties per 60 minutes against Toronto, but only 3.36 penalties per 60 against Carolina.

Despite our playing 5 games to Carolina's 4, they actually played more hockey.

 

[leafs in five]

Another way of looking at it is that Florida took 3.59 penalties per 60 minutes against Toronto, but only 3.36 penalties per 60 against Carolina.

Despite our playing 5 games to Carolina's 4, they actually played more hockey.

right, good point. don't expect PPs in OT I guess though ofc they happened in the Carolina series.

 

[Vukotal Recall]

Yep

All this means is the team has never been good enough

Who are you and what have you done with dubey

 

[WillyC]

If one thing… it has prevented us from winning rounds early and advancing.

 

[Funk21]

This is the best we can come up with to pat ourselves on the back…….things need to change.