A game next Saturday would be nice, but the main thing for me is I just want this thing to get started so HUGE preference for a Sunday start. I also took Monday off, so I can pretend it's Saturday.
How many playoff wins we end up getting doesn't change anything. It's not going to be a result of the inherent superiority of a playstyle. All playstyles have success.
Goaltending has been a bright spot, and goaltending is indeed a massive factor in playoff success. If our goalies can maintain this, and we don't run into the kind of goaltending that we have at times in the past, we have a good chance to pick up wins.
Of course any style can win, but there is a style that gives you a higher probability of winning the Stanley Cup. All the latest Cup winners, Florida Vegas Tampa St. Louis Colorado, had their team and top players buying in to playing the style the Leafs are employing now...heavy, north-south, low event hockey. Of course it helps if you have great goaltending but it's not necessary (after all, Kuemper won a cup). I don't think you'll find many analysts agree with your point that soft, east-west hockey with smallish players gives you the best chance of succeeding.
No there isn't.
Lol, what? No they didn't. I'm not sure where you got the idea that those teams all play the same style. Some are complete opposites.
It's not a necessity to win, but teams with underlying play like ours require it more.
That's not what I said, and that's never what we've had. I don't care about bad media narratives. I care about the truth.
Are you suggesting the Leafs aren't playing a style that is focussed on defensive responsibility that traditionally has lead to more success in the playoffs? Our defence has a true shutdown pair in Tanev and McCabe. Carlo is a huge defenceman that has added size and experience to the defence. OEL and Rielly have playoff experience, and even Benoit has been solid. To suggest this defence isn't better and more prepared for the playoffs is wrong. The team isn't playing the high-risk, high flying hockey that was easily shut down in the past. That style, without the defensive awareness, doesn't often lead to success.
Yeah, let's ignore all the former players and managers who say the Leafs are playing a better and different style and listen to YOUR truth because........you say so?
There is truth to what you say but not one of those teams you mention, got caved as badly as we do 5 on 5.
There is no style that "traditionally has lead to more success in the playoffs". We're playing a lower event style, but we've neutered our good events more than we've prevented bad events, and our PK is so bad that our overall defensive results have still dropped off.
We've had shutdown pairings before. We've had big defensemen and experience before. There isn't any reason to think that this defense is better and more prepared for the playoffs. We have some good defensemen, and hopefully Carlo can help shift people into better roles and situations, but players like Benoit have really struggled this year, our forward depth has taken steps back defensively, and the combination of defensemen and/or how they're being coached and utilized leaves us with defensive concerns.
We've never played "high risk, high flying hockey" in the playoffs. You need to stop listening to bad narratives. Ironically, a lot of our offensive struggles have come while shifting more towards the style we're playing now.
None of my numbers are cherry picked or pulled incorrectly, and I only care about facts, not narratives. We used the same source, and ironically, the reason you have different numbers is because you cherry picked 5v5, while I was discussing our overall defensive results. Maybe read the discussion next time, before falsely accusing people.
I know it's not me. I have no angst and don't want Marner(anyone for that matter) making 14m.
Absolute clown behaviour. The standard is 5v5, as that is where the vast majority of the game is played, and is used as the basis of comparison across multiple hockey / stats blogs.
We are playing a low event, safer style of hockey that focusses on reducing mistakes and being more physical. We have dramatically improved defensively lowering our GAA from 3.18 to 2.85 putting us at 12th in the league. This defensive improvement has made us harder to beat and more difficult to play against. Of course the goaltending improvement plays a part in that, but so does the improvement on the defence, both the type of players and their ability. Is Tanev better than anyone else on last year's playoff roster? Is Carlo better than Lybushkin? Is OEL better than Edmundson? I have seen a big improvement from our defence on being tough around the net, boxing out, battling for pucks, and blocking shots. Our forward depth is more than adequate compared to last year's. I had more defensive concerns last playoffs than I will these playoffs.
