LEAFS GDT Atlantic Division - Race to the 1st

[MCR74]

Also, Unlike Tampa (Hedman), Boston(Chara), Montreal (Weber ), Florida (Ekblad) and Washington (Orlov or Niskanen) Ottawa doesn’t have that big and elite physical shutdown pairing who can match up well against Matthews. In the Boston series, Everytime Matthews or Kessel were on the ice you also saw Chara and Bergeron line playing against them. It was systematic.

Ottawa defense plays well as a whole but they Donny have that dominant and definite shutdown pairing that can cause trouble and give guts to our top line of knies/matthews/marner.

I dunno... According to the thread on the playoffs board, Ottawa has the best D and goaltending of both teams. If they want to consider Chabot and Sanderson great defensemen, that's on them.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

both ottawa and leafs fans should know quite well regular season doesn't matter considering how badly the 2000s leafs played against the sens in regular season but how invisible ottawa became in the playoffs

with that said, ottawa is a big threat imo. leafs do not do well against speedy teams in general.

generally lines 1/2 should be fine but the D is gonna be rough because we have no mobility

oh contrare ,, da issue against speedy teams, especially Sens, is actually line 1 and line 2 .. bottom line Matty and JT are not fast enough to keep up to game pace .. when Domi plays 3C it is only line which mounts a force because he can break da forecheck with speed .. bottom line da C in Berube's system needs to be able to drive da breakout and they flat out have had big time issues against Ottawa .. it is painfully obvious when you watch live like I do at Scotia .. maybe that we turn to Willy against Ottawa to drive da breakout on line 2 .. on line 1 we will continue to have issues .. my suggestion is to have da D go high and hard up a glass and wear down da Sens forecheckers for later in game .. who cares about icings as we are much better on da draw

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Is there any worry that OEL or more importantly McCabe may not be ready to go by Saturday?

Idk if this was answered or not but before the weekend Berube said he thought McCabe would get into games before the playoffs. Not sure on OEL. I would assume he will be in and ready to go.

 

[MiscBrah]

oh contrare ,, da issue against speedy teams, especially Sens, is actually line 1 and line 2 .. bottom line Matty and JT are not fast enough to keep up to game pace .. when Domi plays 3C it is only line which mounts a force because he can break da forecheck with speed .. bottom line da C in Berube's system needs to be able to drive da breakout and they flat out have had big time issues against Ottawa .. it is painfully obvious when you watch live like I do at Scotia .. maybe that we turn to Willy against Ottawa to drive da breakout on line 2 .. on line 1 we will continue to have issues .. my suggestion is to have da D go high and hard up a glass and wear down da Sens forecheckers for later in game .. who cares about icings as we are much better on da draw

Hey guys looking forward to a good series. Just wanted to note that both Ottawa and Toronto are top 5 in the league in FO%. Toronto has a slight edge (53.7% vs 53%).

 

[dangomon]

Also, Unlike Tampa (Hedman), Boston(Chara), Montreal (Weber ), Florida (Ekblad) and Washington (Orlov or Niskanen) Ottawa doesn’t have that big and elite physical shutdown pairing who can match up well against Matthews. In the Boston series, Everytime Matthews or Kessel were on the ice you also saw Chara and Bergeron line playing against them. It was systematic.

Ottawa defense is solid as a whole but they don’t have that dominant and definite shutdown pairing that can cause trouble and give fits to our top line of knies/matthews/marner.

He's not in that group, nor is he a physical shutdown type, but Sanderson is really really good and will likely get the bulk of that matchup. Ottawa's Dcore isn't without flaw, but definitely isn't a weakness beyond inexperience.

 

[ACC1224]

Do we have any indication yet when Game 1 will be?

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

NHL schedule makers must love Tampa. “Here Lightning, in your last four games of the year, three of them will be against a team on a back to back with travel.”

I actually undersold how bogus the schedule is and just how much of an advantage Tampa has to close out the season.

In 4 of their final 5 games to close out the season, every team they play is on the 2nd half of a back to back while they're rested sitting at home.

- Leafs played Florida on Tuesday, went into Tampa Wednesday.
- Detroit played Florida on Thursday, played Tampa Friday.
- Buffalo played Florida on Saturday, Tampa Sunday.
- Florida will play the Rangers tonight, before making the trip to Tampa tomorrow.

Then finally in game 82 Tampa has to leave the comfort of their home to go to New York to play the Rangers. With rest though, wouldn't want those poor boys to have to strain themselves too much.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Hey guys looking forward to a good series. Just wanted to note that both Ottawa and Toronto are top 5 in the league in FO%. Toronto has a slight edge (53.7% vs 53%).

maybe we need a different strategy then .. you guys have one of best forechecks in league due to your speed up front .. classic series upcoming .. Sens SPEED vs Leafs SKILL .. who wins???????? .. team with better overall G and D .. or maybe who gives up more goals against Chabot or Rielly .. or which coach best manages those 2 loose cannons

 

[IPS]

I dunno... According to the thread on the playoffs board, Ottawa has the best D and goaltending of both teams. If they want to consider Chabot and Sanderson great defensemen, that's on them.

Patently false. Truth be told the two wildcards in the east are just weak ass teams. In an ideal world the boys make light work of Ottawa in 6 or less games.

 

[MCR74]

Patently false. Truth be told the two wildcards in the east are just weak ass teams. In an ideal world the boys make light work of Ottawa in 6 or less games.

If somehow the Leafs lead the series against this great juggernaut team in the making, I reckon Stutzle's dives will be off the charts.

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

I actually undersold how bogus the schedule is and just how much of an advantage Tampa has to close out the season.

In 4 of their final 5 games to close out the season, every team they play is on the 2nd half of a back to back while they're rested sitting at home.

- Leafs played Florida on Tuesday, went into Tampa Wednesday.
- Detroit played Florida on Thursday, played Tampa Friday.
- Buffalo played Florida on Saturday, Tampa Sunday.
- Florida will play the Rangers tonight, before making the trip to Tampa tomorrow.

Then finally in game 82 Tampa has to leave the comfort of their home to go to New York to play the Rangers. With rest though, wouldn't want those poor boys to have to strain themselves too much.

I've been saying it for weeks now. Leafs have the most B2Bs in the league (I think tied with Carolina) but giving us 3 B2Bs right at the end is utter BS. Tampa has has a nice easy ride at the end.

 

[Tony Romo]

Do we have any indication yet when Game 1 will be?

Pretty sure I saw Saturday, sometime last week.

 

[ACC1224]

Pretty sure I saw Saturday, sometime last week.

That's what I thought but then read that the league wants to give Teams that play Thursday some extra time off before Game 1.

Ideally, they go Monday/Wednesday here, Saturday/Monday on the road.

 

[torontoblood]

He's not in that group, nor is he a physical shutdown type, but Sanderson is really really good and will likely get the bulk of that matchup. Ottawa's Dcore isn't without flaw, but definitely isn't a weakness beyond inexperience.

Yeah Sanderson is not particularly mean or physical, he’s actually good defensively because of his hockey sense, stick handling and positioning. But he’s not in the same category of elite D as Chara, Weber, Hedman,etc.

 

[CabanaBoy5]

both ottawa and leafs fans should know quite well regular season doesn't matter considering how badly the 2000s leafs played against the sens in regular season but how invisible ottawa became in the playoffs

with that said, ottawa is a big threat imo. leafs do not do well against speedy teams in general.

generally lines 1/2 should be fine but the D is gonna be rough because we have no mobility

I don't think the defence is going to be rough. The team has allowed 14 goals in the last 9 games (1.56 GAA) and our improved play from our defencemen is mainly responsible for that. Carlo has been a massive addition, I can't say enough about how he has solidified our defence. The defence has dedicated themselves to blocking shots and defending the front of the net. Notice how teams don't get too many second chance opportunities. Tanev is our best defenceman since Muzzin's early years and McCabe is solid. Benoit hits everything in sight, and OEL can move the puck as can Rielly. Our defence and goaltending isn't going to be a problem. Ottawa hasn't played us since we've acquired Carlo, they're going to have trouble scoring on us.

 

[Jojalu]

I don't think the defence is going to be rough. The team has allowed 14 goals in the last 9 games (1.56 GAA) and our improved play from our defencemen is mainly responsible for that. Carlo has been a massive addition, I can't say enough about how he has solidified our defence. The defence has dedicated themselves to blocking shots and defending the front of the net. Notice how teams don't get too many second chance opportunities. Tanev is our best defenceman since Muzzin's early years and McCabe is solid. Benoit hits everything in sight, and OEL can move the puck as can Rielly. Our defence and goaltending isn't going to be a problem. Ottawa hasn't played us since we've acquired Carlo, they're going to have trouble scoring on us.

Agreed 100%.

I am more concerned about the Leafs breaking through and being able to score enough.

It would be nice if the PP could actually stay hot and take some of the pressure off 5v5 scoring.

 

[weems]

Our PP has easily been the single biggest letdown in the playoffs.
They way we're built, we cannot win a cup unless our powerplay is hitting at a decent clip.
Our PP has only been converting at a 16% clip the last 25 playoff games.

 

[Jojalu]

Our PP has easily been the single biggest letdown in the playoffs.
They way we're built, we cannot win a cup unless our powerplay is hitting at a decent clip.
Our PP has only been converting at a 16% clip the last 25 playoff games.

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I would bet that if the Leafs were even at 25% that they would have won 3 more series by now. Minimum.

 

[QJo]

Playoffs are different. Ottawa is on a nice little run and will play hard but overall they’re not a great team and they are inexperienced.

Leafs should own them and Matthews and Marner should have zero issues racking up points for once.

If we lose, it would be right up there will that Montreal series but we are a much better team this time around in my opinion.

Matthews and Marner being hot or even having easy success in round 1 could be exactly what this team needs to erase the past and touch the cup. Not the only path to the cup of course but I see it as the most promising.

 

[AvroArrow]

I dunno... According to the thread on the playoffs board, Ottawa has the best D and goaltending of both teams. If they want to consider Chabot and Sanderson great defensemen, that's on them.

Sanderson is pretty damn good, not a huge fan of Chabot though. He's a glorified Rielly.

 

[MCR74]

Sanderson is pretty damn good, not a huge fan of Chabot though. He's a glorified Rielly.

Chabot should be a lot better given his salary. The guy's a total pylon.

 

[AvroArrow]

Chabot should be a lot better given his salary. The guy's a total pylon.

He should, but he is what he is

 

[Madap]

Matthews and Marner being hot or even having easy success in round 1 could be exactly what this team needs to erase the past and touch the cup. Not the only path to the cup of course but I see it as the most promising.

This could be true. I’ve always thought it was a pressure/confidence thing with them so maybe a really solid start against a bad team will flip a switch. There’s no way we stand any shot without them both playing at an elite level.

With that said, I also thought finally getting over the hump and winning a round would do the same, but we got demolished by the panthers a few years ago.

 

[IPS]

Matthews and Marner being hot or even having easy success in round 1 could be exactly what this team needs to erase the past and touch the cup. Not the only path to the cup of course but I see it as the most promising.

Ottawa's a perfect team for the boys to put up some numbers against. We still don't have a player who's a PPG in the playoffs overall during their career, that's gotta change.

 

[1specter]

This could be true. I’ve always thought it was a pressure/confidence thing with them so maybe a really solid start against a bad team will flip a switch. There’s no way we stand any shot without them both playing at an elite level.

With that said, I also thought finally getting over the hump and winning a round would do the same, but we got demolished by the panthers a few years ago.

I pretty much gave up on this team learning 'lessons' a long time ago. My attitude with the playoffs at this point is basically 'Que sera, sera'. In reality a big shakeup should've happened to the core, but Shanahan doubled down and we have no choice but to root for the same guys so it is what it is.