Pre-Game Talk: Game 5: Tampa @ Toronto - April 27th, 2023

[QJo]

I don't think many contenders are still trying to get the lines right in game 5. Juggling every game is crazy but I think Keefe has been forced to get it right by process of elimination. I'd trust these lines to go up against anyone in the league.
(I'd swap Tavares and O'Reilly and Holl and Liljegren, but these are close enough that I'd say they're right)

 

[notDatsyuk]

Awesome so you are guaranteeing he wont take a stupid penalty or the refs wont unfairly call a PIM on him?

I will guarantee both for tomorrow's game (unless Keefe changes his mind).

 

[glue]

Jarnkrok-Matthews-Nylander
Knies-Tavares-Marner
Kerfoot-O’Reilly-Acciari
AstonReese-Kampf-Lafferty

Extra: Bunting, Simmonds​

McCabe-Brodie
Giordano-Holl
Rielly-Schenn

Gustafsson-Liljegren
Mete-Timmins​

Samsonov
Woll

Kallgren

​

The Nylander with Matthews people will be happy.

​

The Nylander and Matthews combo is preferred by some mainly because JT- Nylander combo over lengthy periods of time has not worked well 5 on 5. Above lineup I think creates way more challenges for Tampa.

 

[notDatsyuk]

I was ten when Jesus Christ had his moment of doubt and pain.

I was 10 the last time the Leafs were in the middle of winning three Cups in a row.

 

[Trapper]

I expect us to dominate for 60 minutes and feel nothing but eternal positivity for all our players on every play. As well, I will marvel at the strategic brilliance and in game tactical mastery of our superior coach.

I thought we’d just win.

 

[Warden of the North]

Win this game. I dont care how. I want this series done and over with.

 

[al secord]

Like the Flyers vs the Red Army in '76, I see the Leafs beating the Lightning into submission. John Cooper waves the troops off the ice and they piss off back to Clearwater.

"They're goin' home! Ya! They're goin' home" - Bob Cole

 

[KPower]

Jarnkrok-Matthews-Nylander
Knies-Tavares-Marner
Kerfoot-O’Reilly-Acciari
AstonReese-Kampf-Lafferty

Extra: Bunting, Simmonds​

McCabe-Brodie
Giordano-Holl
Rielly-Schenn

Gustafsson-Liljegren
Mete-Timmins​

Samsonov
Woll

Kallgren

​

The Nylander with Matthews people will be happy.

​

I like it.

Marner will help JT in 5 on 5 play.

Matty and Nylander play good together.

Kerfoot should have some confidence and playing with ROR will help.

 

[JadedLeaf]

If I become a supporter, do these ads that converge to the center of my screen disappear on my phone? Seriously, this is da woist.

Awful ads. And they pop up every time I scroll down one post. Scroll, wait 5 seconds to be able to read the post, scroll down one more post, wait 5 more seconds...

 

[Jacquestrapless]

So O'Reilly gets no help, eh? Hopefully, Kerfoot's offense regresses to his average.

 

[justashadowof]

Disingenuous spirit? LOL, is that double speak for facts that don't support your opinion? I gave the freaking link to support my math , how can that in any world be deemed disingenuous? Massage the message, word spin it anyway you want, he is a penalty magnet and many refs look for opportunities to call PIMs against him. His coach even said as much.

I showed that in the last 8 games of the regular season he had a minuscule total of 2 minor penalties that resulted opposition power plays.

And you're right that he's a penalty magnet. A penalty magnet for the opposition. He lead the NHL in penalties drawn with 42. Assuming mostly power plays from those, that's about 10 PP goals for with a PP % at about 25%.

Mob wisdom is dumber than a bag of rocks.

 

[as Pure as Evil]

McCabe just seems like a awesome teemate another guy im happy we have for a couple more years

 

[HolyCrap]

If I become a supporter, do these ads that converge to the center of my screen disappear on my phone? Seriously, this is da woist.

Save the money and just use brave browser. I got the app for phone and zero adds. Took less than a minute to fix.

 

[Altair]

Crowd needs to be the true 6th man here

I expect nothing less then a standing ovation throughout the entire first period

Totally agree! Crowd needs to be full of energy. Show them we LOVE this team

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Gotta be honest, keeping one of your best offensive players out of the lineup because they made a miraculous 3 goal comeback is insane to me. That isn't a recipe for success, they aren't going to do that again. Seems like a big unforced error

 

[TorMapleJays]

If I become a supporter, do these ads that converge to the center of my screen disappear on my phone? Seriously, this is da woist.

I received some advice to use the Opera browser and it is much more tolerable.

Totally agree! Crowd needs to be full of energy. Show them we LOVE this team

Hope it’s not the game 1 crowd. Play offs fans need to be proactive with noise not reactive. Too often Toronto throughout the season doesn’t get off their hands until the Leafs show them something.

The crowd has serious impact for energy transfer during the play offs.

Get fired up!

 

[PromisedLand]

This series is the exact opposite of the usual Leafs series. Normally the Leafs outplay the other team and end up losing, this year they are clearly the worst team most of the time.

And yet, they keep winning. Feels like they just want it more and win when it counts. I don't think they'll blow it this time.

did you see matthews' presser? he was all business. he wants that 4th win. he ain't messing around

 

[BertCorbeau]

Gotta be honest, keeping one of your best offensive players out of the lineup because they made a miraculous 3 goal comeback is insane to me. That isn't a recipe for success, they aren't going to do that again. Seems like a big unforced error

Definitely a risk.. Though I don't think it's just because of the comeback, they've won't all 3 games in a row and there isn't a clear body to sit that makes sense right now. This in addition to Bunting's antics in the first game and through the season. You need the Leafs to suck the life out of Tampa in this game, Bunting can rile up those Tampa goons if he's not being his effective self.

Not sure what'd I'd do but there's good arguments on both sides.

 

[BayStBullies]

Gotta be honest, keeping one of your best offensive players out of the lineup because they made a miraculous 3 goal comeback is insane to me. That isn't a recipe for success, they aren't going to do that again. Seems like a big unforced error

I hard disagree. You stick with the players that won 3 in a row. If they blow this game, you have the spark of plugging Bunting back in.

 

[PromisedLand]

Early line rushes so far.

I just want to get it out of my system so... WTF Keefe... You are once again dressing Holl? WTF

 

[PromisedLand]

as long as holl is dressed opposition will always have that belief

Glad Keefe isn't panicking.

don't need the bunting clownshow tomorrow. we got a game to win. i want our boys focused on the game.

 

[PromisedLand]

they finally let him do media huh? interesting!

 

[PromisedLand]

I just want to add I hate how this guy who has done nothing but bleed blue and white has turned into a whipping boy. He yaps too much, sure, people liked it until this narrative of the refs hating him started. The Cernak hit was a fluke, he was trying to protect himself and messed up. Yes he deserved a suspension for it but people act like he was out head hunting.

he was told by the coach to STFU and he didn't. His mouth costs 2 mins of PK where our offensive guys are not on ice trying to get us a goal; instead we are down a man trying to not go down a goal

his defensive game leave a lot to be desried

AND

if refs are not going to call anything on him if he gets hooked/wrestled/crosschecked down and held behind while tampa has odd man rush we get screwed there too b/c refs wouldn't call a penalty because they don't like bunting. We can't risk this, especially in gm 5.

its a one for all and all for one mindset.

nobody is saying keep him out forever; just gm 5 and then re-evaluate. bunting isn't matthews, marner, nylander, ror. Leafs won 3 games without bunting in the line up.

leafs are not having issues scoring goals; their issue has been keeping them out of their net. bunting doesnt help keeping puck out of the net. when leafs have scoring issues then you can put bunting in

 

[Confucius]

I hard disagree. You stick with the players that won 3 in a row. If they blow this game, you have the spark of plugging Bunting back in.

Well we won but the last 2 games showed we could improve. I certainly wouldn’t be too confident playing the same way again.

 

[Maple Leaf]

they need to get it done once and for all can they w e will see