ECSF: Toronto Maple Leafs (A2) vs. Florida Panthers (WC2) ( Florida Leads 3-1 )

[pb1300]

Scheduling is so stupid. Regardless of the Heat and Panthers playing in different cities, and the F1 race as well, we are talking about a 45 minute drive. I used to go to plenty of Heat-Panthers afternoon-evening games, even if I was late for a few minutes to one or the other.

I think this series, along with the Oilers/Knights series, are the marquee series of the second round, and should have been on full display Saturday night.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Must win for the Leafs in game 2 otherwise I think it's over. I can't see them winning 4 out of 5 against Florida. They need to find a way to contain the Tkachuk line and they need to find a way to handle Floridas speed. I'd consider having grandpa Giordano as the 7th dman and only have him on the PP. Otherwise 5 on 5, he struggled to keep up with the game last night.

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

5v5 CF% 58 Florida 42 Toronto

Happy to help.

50% xGF%, 50% HDCF, etc etc. Game was very close 5v5.

Must win for the Leafs in game 2 otherwise I think it's over. I can't see them winning 4 out of 5 against Florida. They need to find a way to contain the Tkachuk line and they need to find a way to handle Floridas speed. I'd consider having grandpa Giordano as the 7th dman and only have him on the PP. Otherwise 5 on 5, he struggled to keep up with the game last night.

Why would it be over if they went down 2-0?

Series aint over until that 4th game is won. We should have all learned that by now.

The Panthers forecheck is brutal and unrelenting and its going to make the Leafs life miserable all series long. On the other hand, the penalty kill is shit, and that is the key to Toronto winning. They looked lethal in the first three power plays of game 1 and when they had an empty net, Vezina Bob is the only reason that didn't end in disaster for Florida. If the Panthers can stay off the penalty box, they will win, but if they are giving Toronto 3-4 power plays per game its going to get real ugly real fast. And its precisely Florida's aggressive checking that makes them susceptible to committing penalties, so they need to be very disciplined.

Scheduling is so stupid. Regardless of the Heat and Panthers playing in different cities, and the F1 race as well, we are talking about a 45 minute drive. I used to go to plenty of Heat-Panthers afternoon-evening games, even if I was late for a few minutes to one or the other.

I think this series, along with the Oilers/Knights series, are the marquee series of the second round, and should have been on full display Saturday night.

Strongly agree with both these takes.

 

[Icarium]

Verhaeghe has 6 game-winning goals in the Panthers' last 9 playoff wins. This includes 3 OT goals, two of which were series winners. Insane statistic.

 

[Ratsreign]

How can you say you watched the game if you didn’t see him?

He’s taking about every key Dzone faceoff and playing the heavy defensive minutes, while set up linemates few times well.

He hasn’t been lights out offensively but atleast he’s doing his part on defense

70% on face offs &
2 assists last night.

As much talk as the Leaf’s making it out of the first round got, because it was a 20 year drought, I’ll raise you. Last night’s win was the Panther’s first 2nd round win since 1996. Just puts into perspective how long we’ve sucked and when you think you’ve had it worse…..as sad as this sounds and even if we haven’t won jack, just feels good man.

Also, last night was first time FL won a game 1 since 1997....
a record of futility spanning a whopping total of 8 playoff series

8 playoff series.....since 1997

now minus the 4 played over the past two seasons and Bs this year
ay yi yi

 

[Prettyisland]

Florida showing they earned the last series win just as much as Boston choked it away. If BOB can be 85% of his peak, Leafs might be in trouble

 

[Mike C]

Must win for the Leafs in game 2 otherwise I think it's over. I can't see them winning 4 out of 5 against Florida. They need to find a way to contain the Tkachuk line and they need to find a way to handle Floridas speed. I'd consider having grandpa Giordano as the 7th dman and only have him on the PP. Otherwise 5 on 5, he struggled to keep up with the game last night.

Florida does a great job of getting shots through, especially from the point. Tkachuk might just be the most impactful player left in east.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Florida does a great job of getting shots through, especially from the point. Tkachuk might just be the most impactful player left in east.

Agreed tkachuk is going to be tough to handle for anyone in the east….. Toronto got a couple big hits on him but didn’t seem to phase him

 

[Nico Hischier]

Yes, but here's the thing: the Miami Heat wanted to play on Saturday. NBA takes precedence over NHL in the US. Pro basketball pulls in over double the revenue of pro hockey.

I honestly wonder why that is. They both play the same number of games and play in the same arena that seats the same amount of fans (if it’s sold out). Why does a playoff basketball game bring in double the revenue of a playoff hockey game?

 

[Mike C]

Agreed tkachuk is going to be tough to handle for anyone in the east….. Toronto got a couple big hits on him but didn’t seem to phase him

He seems to thrive on physical chippy play (said in a positive admiration type of way) He is great at reading what is needed and providing it for his team

I was wrong about him. I thought he was made better by Gaudreau. Turns out it was the reverse!

 

[TotalHomer]

50% xGF%, 50% HDCF, etc etc. Game was very close 5v5.

If you mean by close that Florida completely dominated the puck posession (CF% 58 - that's what it is, domination) and that Toronto was very opportunistic then yes, it was close.

 

[PhysicalGraffiti]

Classroom? I'm 42. It's just common sense. The panther is a tropical animal. Florida is the only subtropical state in the U.S. Florida should be the only Panthers. It's not our fault that other teams have ridiculous names. A lion for Penn State is the most ridiculous one of all.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I honestly wonder why that is. They both play the same number of games and play in the same arena that seats the same amount of fans (if it’s sold out). Why does a playoff basketball game bring in double the revenue of a playoff hockey game?

I'd guess TV revenue. More people tune in to watch, hence more advertising revenue, hence double the overall revenue.

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

If you mean by close that Florida completely dominated the puck posession (CF% 58 - that's what it is, domination) and that Toronto was very opportunistic then yes, it was close.

I don't think you understand these stats. Best of luck to ya.

 

[pb1300]

I honestly wonder why that is. They both play the same number of games and play in the same arena that seats the same amount of fans (if it’s sold out). Why does a playoff basketball game bring in double the revenue of a playoff hockey game?

2 different arenas, 2 different cities.

 

[AvroArrow]

5v5 CF% 58 Florida 42 Toronto

Happy to help.

Florida won fair and square, Leafs just need to be better. Brodie/McCabe sucked, Marner/Nylander need to be better. While the Leafs didn't play horrible, they weren't good enough. Too many small mistakes, lots of puck battles lost, Florida made Toronto pay.

There was lots of positives as well, the PP looked dangerous, Matthews had countless chances and I doubt McCabe plays that bad again. Just regroup and get the next one here. Can't lose both home games.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

I honestly wonder why that is. They both play the same number of games and play in the same arena that seats the same amount of fans (if it’s sold out). Why does a playoff basketball game bring in double the revenue of a playoff hockey game?

1. They do not play in the same arena.

2. The NBA brings in $10b in revenue annually. The NHL brings in $5b in revenue.

3. Thank you for your concern.

 

[PostBradMalone]

Hilarious that this keeps getting repeated when the double minor happened with 20 seconds left in a 4-2 game - get over it!

So the sheer number of penalties doesn’t mean anything now when adjudging the quality of officials? Which is it, Leafs fans?

 

[The Management]

Also, last night was first time FL won a game 1 since 1997....
a record of futility spanning a whopping total of 8 playoff series

8 playoff series.....since 1997

now minus the 4 played over the past two seasons and Bs this year
ay yi yi

For sure, both of these teams have had some embarrassing histories and deserve to see some success.

I'm obviously rooting against the Panthers in this series, but if they did move on, well... they'd be a fun club to pull for. I say that, having not quite had my fill yet of Bennett and Tkachuk.

That could change, lol.

 

[Ratsreign]

The reason is that the Panthers don't want to go head to head vs the Heat, and really the Heat run that arena so they get first dibs on scheduling. Sucks for us hockey fans but hard to argue with the Heat being a bigger fish than the Panthers. We will survive

They don’t share arenas. The NHL in general doesn’t like to go up against the NBA. Let’s just go with the owner’s horse in the Derby thing, instead. Many people go to watch both teams play, (and yes, b-ball is more popular in the US, not just south Florida).
Lets just enjoy the fun hockey these games are going to be.

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

They don’t share arenas. The NHL in general doesn’t like to go up against the NBA. Let’s just go with the owner’s horse in the Derby thing, instead. Many people go to watch both teams play, (and yes, b-ball is more popular in the US, not just south Florida).
Lets just enjoy the fun hockey these games are going to be.

Won't be fun if the Panthers continue to have "complete domination" over the Leafs, as your fellow fan keeps stating in this thread Going to be a quick sweep it sounds like!

 

[TotalHomer]

I don't think you understand these stats. Best of luck to ya.

Just to help you a little more

CF% stands for Corsi For Percentage. It is a statistical metric used in ice hockey to evaluate a team's or player's puck possession and shot attempt differential during even-strength situations.

Also, if you have only one specific game to evaluate the data, CF% provides a more immediate assessment of which team controlled the game compared to xGF.

 

[joestevens29]

Just to help you a little more

CF% stands for Corsi For Percentage. It is a statistical metric used in ice hockey to evaluate a team's or player's puck possession and shot attempt differential during even-strength situations.

Also, if you have only one specific game to evaluate the data, CF% provides a more immediate assessment of which team controlled the game compared to xGF.

I remember winning the Corsi battles when Eakins was coaching in Edmonton

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

They don’t share arenas. The NHL in general doesn’t like to go up against the NBA. Let’s just go with the owner’s horse in the Derby thing, instead. Many people go to watch both teams play, (and yes, b-ball is more popular in the US, not just south Florida).
Lets just enjoy the fun hockey these games are going to be.

Yeah, this. If people want to get snooty about it, well, we're used to that. But the NBA is wildly more popular than the NHL in the United States, by a margin of over two to one if you use money as a measurement. Now, I personally think that basketball is about as interesting as watching paint dry, but there is no accounting for taste.

 

[Enga Olly]

So the sheer number of penalties doesn’t mean anything now when adjudging the quality of officials? Which is it, Leafs fans?

Quality of officials? Getting high-sticked and drawing blood is not 4 minutes? And a double minor with :37 left in the game and not scoring is not the same as getting the full 4 minute chance obviously. Haters being obtuse - what a rarity