Bruins vs Isles

[Legion34]

Islanders don't have multiple guys making 11 million but they have a team that plays together and they play hard. Our guys can't even spell intensity. Our guys blow 3-1 leads. Our guys give up 2-0 breaks in OT. It's night and day comparing these 2 teams.

ummmm didn’t lou try to pay multiple guys 11 million?

 

[egd27]

If coaching is so important, why didn’t Dubas even interview candidates before hiring his friend?

 

[sparxx87]

Center isn't an issue here though. The Leafs are/were very deep at center. You could argue that a 3rd line center may have been a need, but far from the biggest need. Dubas tried to address depth. It just didnt work out.

Couldn’t disagree more. The Leafs have 2 very good ones, but Kerfoot isn’t a very good centreman, and Engvall is a minor leaguer.

Islanders have a #1, 2 #2’s and 2 #3’s.

Every team in the playoffs has as least 3 very good centres.

How many more participation ribbons do you have for him? (For the first round, of course)

 

[All Mod Cons]

Damn good question. I think part of the problem was that he let Babs go after the season already started - tough to do a coaching search at that point, teams will often just go with what they have, and we had Keefe.

I think he wanted Keefe the second he managed to get Lou ousted. I don't think interviewing anyone else for the role crossed his mind for one second.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

Couldn’t disagree more. The Leafs have 2 very good ones, but Kerfoot isn’t a very good centreman, and Engvall is a minor leaguer.

Islanders have a 1, 2 2’s and 2 3’s.

Every team in the playoffs has as least 3 very good centres.

The Leafs had Matthews/Tavares/Kerfoot/Spezza. Sure, I'll agree that Kerfoot isnt ideal but was the 3rd line center spot the reason they haven't gotten through the first round over the years? The problem seems, to me anyways, the lack of depth scoring, particularly on the wings. Mikheyev and Engvall or whomever else was on that 3rd line just wasn't producing. I'm not saying I wouldn't mind that prototypical 3rd line center, I just dont think its priority #1.

 

[All Mod Cons]

Keefe was part of their plan long before Babs was fired. Leafs wanted to follow Tempas strategy. Bring a coach thst already knows a lot of their players

This puck possession game is so overrated

100%

 

[egd27]

I think he wanted Keefe the second he managed to get Lou ousted. I don't think interviewing anyone else for the role crossed his mind for one second.

Going to hire the only coach he's ever hired. Another example of inexperience.

 

[Mess]

I watched the NYI and Boston game and I witnessed that "Killer instinct" Leafs management was mentioning, during those exit interviews.

What a clinic they put on in a series clinching game on how to close out a series.

 

[Captain14]

Wow...watching these games really makes me realize how far from a playoff contender we are.
It’s a travesty.

 

[egd27]

I watched the NYI and Boston game and I witnessed that "Killer instinct" Leafs management was mentioning, during those exit interviews.

What a clinic they put on in a series clinching game on how to close out a series.

I didn't understand something though. Why was the puck hemmed up in the Bruins end during the last couple of minutes even though they were losing?

Shouldn't the Islanders have been chasing the B's around their own end and praying their goalie can make a save?

 

[rumman]

Going to hire the only coach he's ever hired. Another example of inexperience.

And yet another former Greyhound, guys a one trick pony......

 

[sparxx87]

The Leafs had Matthews/Tavares/Kerfoot/Spezza. Sure, I'll agree that Kerfoot isnt ideal but was the 3rd line center spot the reason they haven't gotten through the first round over the years? The problem seems, to me anyways, the lack of depth scoring, particularly on the wings. Mikheyev and Engvall or whomever else was on that 3rd line just wasn't producing. I'm not saying I wouldn't mind that prototypical 3rd line center, I just dont think its priority #1.

Fair enough. I guess I look at the Leafs collection of two good ones as pretty much it. While I like Spezza, he isn’t the 4C you want in a playoff matchup. He can take draws, but he’s a winger for me at this point. I’m talking about depth chart in different situations.

I guess I look at all the teams that win, they have 3-4 guys that collectively trump Matthews and Tavares.

I think they need 8-9 very good forwards, and they have 4. The other 4-5 need to be skilled top 9 players, but with more tenacity and physicality, play physical in traffic and fight for the front of the net. Screen/deflect/rebound.

 

[rumman]

I watched the NYI and Boston game and I witnessed that "Killer instinct" Leafs management was mentioning, during those exit interviews.

What a clinic they put on in a series clinching game on how to close out a series.

I wonder what’s in the water out there on Long Island for the eye of the tiger to happen soooo organically?

 

[Dough72]

starting to think Dubas and Shanahan are the worst management in Leafs history. All the talent they were giftwrapped and 5 years later still can't find a winning formula.

 

[rumman]

Wow...watching these games really makes me realize how far from a playoff contender we are.
It’s a travesty.

I think that every spring, other team elevate their game when it matters most. Leafs, not so much........

 

[rumman]

starting to think Dubas and Shanahan are the worst management in Leafs history. All the talent they were giftwrapped and 5 years later still can't find a winning formula.

When you consider what they had to work with, your right, they might be the worse management team?

 

[fahad203]

Wow...watching these games really makes me realize how far from a playoff contender we are.
It’s a travesty.

We have good players but we are not a good team. As someone said Lou had 30 years and Trotz has 20 years and they took out a very good team

I can understand if back to back years you lose to powerhouses with top high end players

But Montreal and Columbus ?

 

[sparxx87]

Lamoriello has done an amazing job identifying specific team needs, then finding the right players to fit. 12 forwards that star in their roles.

Pageau is a gem. Palmieri and Zajac have fit masterfully.

 

[Smif]

You guys look at NYI tonight like they're the best team ever and exactly what we need to become but we're built more like a Tampa, Vegas, Colorado, high tempo, high octane offense. Get over the Islanders, they're built completely different than us.

 

[Trapper]

We have good players but we are not a good team. As someone said Lou had 30 years and Trotz has 20 years and they took out a very good team

I can understand if back to back years you lose to powerhouses with top high end players

But Montreal and Columbus ?

It’s the sum of the parts. Just putting skilled players together and paying them large sums of cash doesn’t make a great core.

You keep searching until you find it. Then you can run it for years (like Boston) putting pieces around.

But we are currently going to try #6 of the same thing.

 

[Donnie740]

This puck possession game is so overrated

It’s worse than overrated - - it’s completely asinine and a proven failure.

Apparently skating circles with the puck in the neutral zone rates higher on the analytics spreadsheet than a one timer in the slot.

 

[killer1980]

You guys look at NYI tonight like they're the best team ever and exactly what we need to become but we're built more like a Tampa, Vegas, Colorado, high tempo, high octane offense. Get over the Islanders, they're built completely different than us.

You're right they're in the semis. That's very different from us.

 

[Mess]

I didn't understand something though. Why was the puck hemmed up in the Bruins end during the last couple of minutes even though they were losing?

Shouldn't the Islanders have been chasing the B's around their own end and praying their goalie can make a save?

That was a thing of beauty that 3 minute cycle in the last 5 minutes as Bruins are tying to pull their goalie.

Boston managed just 5 shots on net in the 3rd period with the 3rd coming about 12 minutes in on a dump in from centre on net. Bruins needed 5 goals and mustered 5 shots.

 

[GQS]

starting to think Dubas and Shanahan are the worst management in Leafs history. All the talent they were giftwrapped and 5 years later still can't find a winning formula.

People REALLY have a short term memory if they truly believe that Dubas and Shanny are the worst management team in Leafs history. Either that or many of these people weren't around during the Ballard years and beyond when bad decisions killed the Leafs and their prospect pool.

If you want to say that you believe that Dubas hasn't done a good job that's fine, but to say he's the worst? NOT EVEN CLOSE and you'd have to be nuts to think otherwise. I don't know about you, but I'm gonna rank the guy who signed both Clarkson and Phaneuf to big long term contracts as being WAY WORSE than anything Dubas has done to date.

 

[Bomber0104]

Islanders have a heavy, smothering forecheck and an absolutely tireless pursuit of the puck across all lines and pairings.

Tonight was another game where their forecheck was so strong, the Bruins couldn't even attempt to pull Rask in the final minutes.

That's impressive stuff against a team like Boston and only happens with a total buy-in from the players on the defensive side of the game, something blatantly missing from the Leafs' game.