GDT: Around the League - 2021/22 - Playoffs edition

[Gallagbi]

Really interested to see how this Avs/TB final shakes out.

First time Tampa is clearly behind in talent IMO (assuming Point is out), but Colorado makes a lot of mistakes and who knows how their goaltending will look.

Tampas had separate 6 game and 4 game win streaks this playoffs, kinds crazy

 

[garce]

The cream always rises to the top and Tampa Bay is such a strong and well built team.

First final I’m looking forward in a very long time, two very good teams, playing entertaining hockey. Hopefully the refereeing doesn’t get stupid and try to manage games and situations.

 

[stealth1]

Watching how Tampa came out in this game and the way they played in the 3rd period a lot of teams should save a tape of that. A lot teams could learn from it including the Leafs. Tampa has that killer instinct.

 

[Mess]

First final I’m looking forward in a very long time, two very good teams, playing entertaining hockey. Hopefully the refereeing doesn’t get stupid and try to manage games and situations.

After starting slow Vasilevskiy has found his Conn Smythe form and Avs don't have the goaltending to contend IMO

Only the NYR with their Vezina and Hart finalist goalie had a long shot chance if he outdueled Vas which he couldn't either.,

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Did I miss something? What 1st round pick did they trade?

Who the Rangers? Their second got upgraded to a first after making the Conference Finals.

Florida blew through a bevy of firsts this TDL too, only for the inevitable to happen.

 

[Vaive50]

Leafs beat these guys 3 times.

Just didn't have a Stamkos to step up in the deciding game.

Well we did, we had a JT who scored an excellent goal but they didn't want it to count so even if it was Stamkos, the refs still would have found a way to screw the Leafs.

 

[kb]

Who the Rangers? Their second got upgraded to a first after making the Conference Finals.

View attachment 558176

Florida blew through a bevy of firsts this TDL too, only for the inevitable to happen.

Whoops! My bad, I was thinking Leafs. lol

 

[WhoozYerrDaddy]

Nope my very own Jake who is snoring 6 feet away as I type

Jake from State Farm ??

 

[klmdg]

If you remove the nasty from Trouba, he's basically an 8m per Justin Holl

Big body, mediocre skater, limited offense, and prone to boneheaded pinches

He also mindlessly runs around a lot behind his own net and sucks at zone exits, prolonging pressure

It's a good thing he's spent his entire career playing in front of 2 Vezina level goalies

 

[Gabriel426]

i guess we should be proud that we are the only team in the East that can beat TB 3 times in the playoffs.
If only we can play the worst record team in the playoffs, Leafs would have advanced like they did last season against the Habs, oh wait, we lost that series after leading 3-1.

I really hope the boys don’t take comfort of almost beating TB and being the only team to play a Game 7 against TB instead of being piss that if only they finished off TB, they would be playing in the Cup Finals now.

 

[Stephen]

i guess we should be proud that we are the only team in the East that can beat TB 3 times in the playoffs.
If only we can play the worst record team in the playoffs, Leafs would have advanced like they did last season against the Habs, oh wait, we lost that series after leading 3-1.

I really hope the boys don’t take comfort of almost beating TB and being the only team to play a Game 7 against TB instead of being piss that if only they finished off TB, they would be playing in the Cup Finals now.

I wonder how that series impacts Jack Campbell's value...

 

[Gabriel426]

I wonder how that series impacts Jack Campbell's value...

For the Leafs, not much bc the Leafs already made up their mind about Campbell’s contract when they signed Petr last summer. Doubt Leafs will offer anything way over what they did with Petr.
For the rest of the League, think his value might gone up a little bit as he showed he didn’t crack under pressure but he didn’t steal any games either.

 

[Leaf Rocket]

Also, I hope no one is surprised about the bolts beating the rags....so far there hasn't really been an upset this playoff IMO.

 

[TorMapleJays]

I wonder how that series impacts Jack Campbell's value...

That he lost to a goalie who had a save percentage under .900?

 

[Nineteen67]

First final I’m looking forward in a very long time, two very good teams, playing entertaining hockey. Hopefully the refereeing doesn’t get stupid and try to manage games and situations.

StL and Boston lived up to its hype and was a cracker.

 

[BertCorbeau]

Also, I hope no one is surprised about the bolts beating the rags....so far there hasn't really been an upset this playoff IMO.

That is pretty classy

 

[Mess]

i guess we should be proud that we are the only team in the East that can beat TB 3 times in the playoffs.
If only we can play the worst record team in the playoffs, Leafs would have advanced like they did last season against the Habs, oh wait, we lost that series after leading 3-1.

I really hope the boys don’t take comfort of almost beating TB and being the only team to play a Game 7 against TB instead of being piss that if only they finished off TB, they would be playing in the Cup Finals now.

Perspective:

Tampa Bay never showed up for game #1 in the Leafs series and lost 5-0. Its that game that is giving a minority of Leaf Nation fans some false sense of hope, as a silver lining that we did something no other team did this playoff season against them, to soften what was another playoff round #1 loss.

After that slow start Tampa and Vasilevskiy started heating up, and TB won 3 of the last 4 games against Leafs, then they only allowed 3 goals in 4 games against Florida in a sweep, and then after losing 2 on the road in NY they won 4 straight with Vasilevskiy back in his Conn Smythe form again.

Tampa has won 11 of their last 14 playoff games this year on their path to their 3rd straight Cup, and in stark comparison our Leafs have only won 8 playoff games total over the course of the last 3 playoff years vs CBJ, MON and TB with this same Leaf core and 3 playoff round #1 losses.

Hopefully the team and its players realize these are polar opposite playoff trajectories, and being competitive in 1 series does not equate to similar expectations throughout.

 

[Al14]

Watching how Tampa came out in this game and the way they played in the 3rd period a lot of teams should save a tape of that. A lot teams could learn from it including the Leafs. Tampa has that killer instinct.

Our Leafs won't learn SQUAT! There is NOT any killer instinct in any of the fab4, just GREED IMHO!

 

[MSZ]

Our Leafs won't learn SQUAT! There is NOT any killer instinct in any of the fab4, just GREED IMHO!

I doubt anyone on the Leafs actually watched the game last night.

 

[ToneDog]

Our Leafs won't learn SQUAT! There is NOT any killer instinct in any of the fab4, just GREED IMHO!

Sadly they have not proven you wrong.

 

[Mess]

Our Leafs won't learn SQUAT! There is NOT any killer instinct in any of the fab4, just GREED IMHO!

I posted something on this similar recently when comparing Toronto to Tampa Bay team building success and its player GREED that now plays a large part coming down to contracts of 2 comparable players Marner vs Point.

2017-18 Player stats (to determine post ELC contract)
===================================================
Marner - Toronto Maple Leafs .. NHL ..... 82 games 26 goals 68 assists 94 points
Point -- Tampa Bay Lightning .. NHL ....... 79 games 41 goals 51 assists 92 points

Since Brayden Point took a 3 year bridge deal @ $6,750,000 AAV & 8.28 CH%, because he was a team player and as a result Tampa Bay won 2 Stanley Cups and are on their way to a 3rd, due largely in part to his contract $$$/AAV and his contribution of 14 goals in 2020 and 2021 leading the playoffs in goals both years.

Now after hoisting 2 and maybe soon 3 Stanley Cups his new 8 year deal kicks in 2023 at $9,500,000 mil AAV and 11.66 CH%. Even winning Championships and leading the playoffs in goals he didn't get the current Marner deal, which was based on not winning a single playoff series.

Marner who signed his contract FIRST demanded 6 years @ $10.93 mil AAV @ 13.38 C.H.% (to be paid like Matthews and both AM and MM wanting to get paid like JT), and now combined with his bloated contract and others Leafs can't even ice a competitive team capable of getting out of round #1. Had Marner put team first as opposed to personal greed $$ first, Leafs might have had so much more to show for the last 3 playoffs results, but have shown that having 3 X $11 players doesn't even allow you to beat CBJ nor Montreal nevermind Tampa Bay.

But why should Leafs players care when they're getting paid based on regular season stats and performance and not being rewarded for winning championship?

 

[ULF_55]

Rangers were a fraud though.

Without Shestirkin they probably don't make the playoffs.

 

[stealth1]

Our Leafs won't learn SQUAT! There is NOT any killer instinct in any of the fab4, just GREED IMHO!

Fans get upset with what happened in games 6 and 7. Completely forgetting that in game 4 if they had any killer instinct could have put Tampa on the brink. We all know what happened.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Vasilevskiy is the favourite for his 2nd Conn Smythe ..
"Defense wins Championships"

Vasilevsky is a goalie, not a defenseman.

 

[PromisedLand]

The cream always rises to the top and Tampa Bay is such a strong and well built team.

Cap allocation on that team is brilliant. There isn't one contract where it is "overpaid" or does not have decent term. There is no "boat anchor" contract on that team.

Point received an increment of just 2.75 million per year for 8 year term for a total of 9.5 AAV cap hit.

Tampa will remain competitive in the foreseeable future IMO at least for 3 to 4 years.

The core has full buy in. Any new guys that show up in Tampa are not asked to do anything that the core isn't doing. i.e.

• full commitment to defense
• playing physical
• playing boards hard
• going into the corners to get the puck
• backchecking
• blocking shots
• hard forecheck
• taking hits to make plays

More importantly, Cooper adjusts and his core responds. Also their GM is not a freakin MORON drinking his own koolaid thinking he is a genius better than Einstein.