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

[MAB1]

I was at both Game 1 & 2 and it definitely matters IMO.

If they pull a game 4 Tampa nobody will be happy. How they finish matters far more than how they start.

 

[D00bis]

Bunting is an odd situation on one had he adds some skill and forechecking to the top6 and might distract tampa by running around trying to “get him” but on the other hand he takes stupid penalties and the refs seem to have it out for him which could be a distraction.

 

[Leafsforever89]

View attachment 696596

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Drake doesn't even watch Leaf games.

 

[Hellcat]

Either him or his wife are probably too embarrassed and won't let him go again.

If your woman controls who you are or where you go, he's already lost. #yellowhoodie

 

[Hellcat]

Bunting's way more likely to draw penalties and get Lightning players out of position than do something harmful to the Leafs. Plus he could score or provide a screen for a goal.

Is he? Since April 1st he has averaged 3 minutes of PIM's a game and a 3 game suspension

Michael Bunting Stats, Profile, Bio, Analysis and More | Pittsburgh Penguins | The Sports Forecaster

All the latest news, stats and analysis on Michael Bunting, LW for the Pittsburgh Penguins on SportsForecaster.com.

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[AuraSphere]

Bunting isn’t defensively responsible enough to take ZAR or Lafferty’s role. Knies isn’t coming out, nor are Kerfoot or Jarnkrok. As such he will sit

Your logic assumes lines can't be shuffled.

Jarnkrok or Kerfoot will move down to play defensive shutdown with Kampf. One of Lafferty/ZAR will sit.

 

[Atomos2]

Leafs need to get to Vasilevsky early. His confidence has been rock bottom in this series. Can’t afford him gaining any.

 

[Jojalu]

No need to make such a big deal out of it. If we win, it's only one series and not really deserving of a big celebration.

20 years of futility deserves a celebration if they break it. It's not parade time but it's not nothing.

Celebration was massive when the Bills broke their 20 year playoff drought. It wears on a city

 

[Squiffy]

20 years of futility deserves a celebration if they break it. It's not parade time but it's not nothing.

Celebration was massive when the Bills broke their 20 year playoff drought. It wears on a city

It's not even unique, it's not like the city was all calm and cool when the team was winning 1st rounds all the time, heading to conference finals late 90's early naughts. It's a big city. Bars are going to be jammed, the square too, the arena, and if they win, downtown is going to erupt for a bit, why wouldn't it? I expect the same in any Canadian city, we're just the biggest one.

Everyone can have their laugh about it and make the plan the parade jokes for a day or two, let them.

 

[Twine Tickler]

TB is not going to go away without a fight. But I do think the crowd will be a huge factor in this game. SBA is going to be absolutely vibrating to start the game, and I fully expect our boys to feed off of it. If we can get off to a hot start and pot a couple in that first frame, I am hoping it will be enough to take any will to fight out of TB.

A hot start will be absolutely paramount in getting this thing wrapped up in 5. If we can do that, I can see somewhat of a repeat of Game-7 Leafs vs Sens 2004. ie. putting it away early, and never really leaving the outcome in doubt. It would be an incredibly fitting way to end our 1st round drought in the same fashion that we last won in a 1st round.



Side bar, I really miss that Bob Cole/Harry Neale commentating combo. Those 2 always remind me of that era of Leafs, which has always the highlight of my Leaf fandom. Hopefully this current team can take that torch away from the early 2000's teams. There are some eerily similar qualities from that 2004 squad and the one we have now.

JT is our Joe Nieuwendyk. The hometown hero, great on draws. Mr. fundamentals
Auston is our Mats. Big, strong, skill
Mitch is our Mogilny. Most talented player on the roster
McCabe is McCabe. Duh
Mo is our Kaberle. Smooth skating playmaker from the point
ROR is our Gary Roberts. Heartbeat of the roster, absolutely clutch, willing to anything to win
Bunting is our Tucker. Shithead with a nose for the net
Knies is our Stajan. Young buck in the lineup who plays beyond his years

 

[57 Years No Cup]

What to do with Bunting is a toughie... I'm spit-balling... in for Jarnkrok?

If Keefe's set on putting Bunting back in that's who I'm taking out. He has one goal but really has been pretty invisible..

 

[Marshy]

Bunting is an odd situation on one had he adds some skill and forechecking to the top6 and might distract tampa by running around trying to “get him” but on the other hand he takes stupid penalties and the refs seem to have it out for him which could be a distraction.

I'm torn. He could goad them into penalties if he was smart. Not sure he's that smart/mature unfortunately. Also with the tendency for the refs calling him for interfering with Tampa sticks with his face... might be too risky.

 

[Notsince67]

Unless they win game 6.

....checking the math....
Yup I believe that is a fair probability for the xwin stat.

 

[Fogelhund]

Is he? Since April 1st he has averaged 3 minutes of PIM's a game and a 3 game suspension

Michael Bunting Stats, Profile, Bio, Analysis and More | Pittsburgh Penguins | The Sports Forecaster

All the latest news, stats and analysis on Michael Bunting, LW for the Pittsburgh Penguins on SportsForecaster.com.

classic.sportsforecaster.com

28 minutes...
Of which 9 minutes were offsets by the other team taking penalties.... fighting, roughing... which sometimes we values players who stand up to the other team, and apparently sometimes we don't. Plus he had a game misconduct, which other than being short a player... didn't harm us... Our short-handed minutes since April 1st, due to Bunting has been 9 minutes. Our PP time since April 1st is 2 minutes... so he's cost ONE Minor PK, and the Major....

Schenn has had 18 minutes of penalties over the same period...

 

[The Best Leafs Everr]

Is it too much to ask for a full 60 mins effort in playoffs at least? These guys sleep in the first and then be like we are behind we need to play.

 

[Once]

I don’t really want bunting in. Tend to not agree that he is “great on the forecheck” and he’s not much of a scoring threat unless paired in the top 6. If he’s in the top 6 then it increases the likelihood that we suffer from his antics. I think we should roll in with the lineup that’s won 3 straight.

 

[sxvnert]

Bunting has proven useless for months now and isn't strong enough defensively to play within the bottom six.

 

[TheGreatOne11]

For the love of god just close it out, I don't care how, dominate or have Samsonov bail us out again, i don't care. Just win. 20 years of failure.

Let's get over this hump and into the cup finals baby.

 

[stats1]

Screen and shoot high blocker side, screen and shoot high blocker side. Repeat all game. AV has a weakness and the world knows all about it now.

Matthews first goal(blocker), Rielly OT winner (blocker) Rielly tying goal (blocker)

 

[willmma]

My eyes are on Mitch Marner

These are games were Leafs could have won a series

2018 gm7 v Bruins. 0g 1a -2
2019 gm6 v Bruins. 0g 0a -1
2019 gm7 v Bruins. 0g 0a -1
2020 gm5 v Blue Jackets. 0g 0a -1
2021 gm5 v Habs. 0g 1a +1
2021 gm6 v Habs. 0g 0a 0
2021 gm7 v Habs. 0g 0a -1
2022 gm6 v Bolts. 0g 0a 0
2022 gm7 v Bolts. 0g 1a 0

9 game record 0g 3a -5

I want to see more from Marner.

 

[SprDaVE]

28 minutes...
Of which 9 minutes were offsets by the other team taking penalties.... fighting, roughing... which sometimes we values players who stand up to the other team, and apparently sometimes we don't. Plus he had a game misconduct, which other than being short a player... didn't harm us... Our short-handed minutes since April 1st, due to Bunting has been 9 minutes. Our PP time since April 1st is 2 minutes... so he's cost ONE Minor PK, and the Major....

Schenn has had 18 minutes of penalties over the same period...

It's pretty crazy. Like I get the worry to not mess with a winning lineup but not swapping a 4th liner to put in a 50 point guy just because of a suspension is pretty ludicrous. He'll be ok.

 

[satoshi6ix]

Bunting is in, you can bet the farm on it lol.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Bunting is in, you can bet the farm on it lol.

why ?

 

[Twine Tickler]

I will support any decision on Bunting being in or out of the lineup TBH because I do believe there are valid arguments for and against playing him. That said, at the end of the day, he is a much better player then Lafferty and ZAR and I can see him being hyper focused and motivated to make a difference in the game. Of course, I also see the value in rewarding the 12 men who have won 3 straight games. But lets not pretend like those 12 forwards were dominating the entirety of Bunts absence. In the 11 periods of hockey that we played w/o Bunts in the lineup we were the better team in maybe 5 or 6 of those periods and despite that we walked away with all 3 W's. 3 of those periods came in that game 2 blowout. So in reality, the last 2 games there were 8 total periods including the OT frames, and we got outplayed to varying degrees in at least 5 of those periods.

I know we are all jacked up about the results of games 3 & 4, specifically in the fashion that they occurred, but we cannot lose sight on the fact that this series could have easily been flipped 3-1 in TB's favor. You make your own luck in the NHL, but we are very fortunate to be up 3-1 in this series. This series is far tighter then it appears, and in all honesty TB has probably been the better team all series.

I think we'd be foolish to leave Bunts out of the lineup for a number of reasons.

1. He will be fresh
2. He will be motivated
3. He is a guy that TB is going to try and get retribution on, and potentially could lose their focus as a result
4. He's a good player

Bunts stock is at an all time low right now, but lets not run this guy out of town. Lets allow him to learn from this most recent mistake, and give him the opportunity to make right by it

 

[egd27]

I will say this:

With Vasi sucking hard, I’d be hard not to take 1 out of 3 off the Bolts.

If the Leafs lose 3 straight, I’m switching to Women’s Curling.

Your profile says you've been here since 2012, have you learned nothing in all that time?