GDT: GAME 6 - Toronto @ Montreal - 5/29 - 7:30 PM ET - CBC

[Suntouchable13]

Matthews or Marner aren't getting traded if we lose this series.

Matthews for sure not, but why not Marner? Tell me how the Leafs improve then? If they can't beat the Habs.

Unless they win the Atlantic next year, they ain't facing a 18th overall team next year first round.

 

[fahad203]

Tough decision to either put a hurt Foligno in, or put Brooksy back in. Coach will have to make the call on what's best for the team, not on if Foligno really wants to play or not.

Personally, would rather have Brooks at 100% than Foligno at 70%. Young legs, and Brooksy has some skill and has had his chances.

You leave the Line up as is. We had plenty of chances and came back 3 goals down. We did a lot of good things in that game

Foligno isn't fast to begin with and kerfoot line was awesome

Its more on Auston and Mitch to come through

 

[Throw More Waffles]

Matthews for sure not, but why not Marner? Tell me how the Leafs improve then? If they can't beat the Habs.

Unless they win the Atlantic next year, they ain't facing a 18th overall team next year first round.

Depends if Dubas gets fired or not.

Dubas is pot committed to these guys and even once said he's risked his career on them. But if he's fired, the new GM would immediately shake things up with a core piece being moved. The half the cap on 4 forwards experiment would have to end if we can't even beat Columbus or the Habs.

But I think the most likely scenario is that the leafs win today and that would be enough to save Dubas and the core I believe.

 

[Daisy Jane]

I don’t understand why people keep bringing up the past failures of more successful teams to try to hand wave away this teams failures. “But Tampa got swept by Columbus” yeah? They were winning rounds and made a SCF and Conference Finals before that, safe to say that was a massive fluke. “Washington took forever to win a Cup” but they won actual playoff rounds(!) and a few presidents trophies beforehand, Leafs have one division title to their name and it was during a massive divisional realignment due to a pandemic.

Fact of the matter is this core hasn’t proven they’re able to finish the job and get that all important fourth win of a series. We can talk about difficult playoff matchups and immaturity and anti-clutch goaltending all we want, but at the end of the day this team hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt. Christ it’s not like we’re asking them to like make it to the Cup finals here, it’s winning FOUR games.

I want this team to win so bad, I believe they can win this series, but I’ll never be rid of that nagging feeling in the back of my head until it’s signed, sealed, and delivered. And the way game 5 went did not give me confidence in this group.

if you believe they can win the series, yet have a nagging feeling that they won't, then you don't really believe that they will win.

Either you believe they win - period

Or you you aren't sure that they can, but you think they can. which - FYI is not believing that they can win. you doubt it.

the Leafs won their division. it doens't matter that things were realigned and why they did it. they won it. Just like how Tampa won the cup - there's not going to be a note but during a pandemic. It either counts. or it doesn't count.

yes, the Leafs have had their struggles for a multitude of reasons and that is their growing pains. just like other teams have had theirs. and quite frankly, before the other teams were winning playoffs rounds(!), and presidents trophies, and whatever - they were not performing to standards to get there either. And irregardless of how many presidents trophies and 1st rounds they got, I am pretty sure losing in the 2nd round all the time when you were expected to go further sucks just as much as losing in the 1st round. because that was never the goal. I think the organization's expectation is


Year 1 - they lost to washington, but most people would have said they had zero business to be there and they were in it every game. The year before they were dead last in the league.

Year 2 and Year 3 - they were toe to toe with Boston, but blew it in game seven and lost. it could have gone either way. horrendous decisions (in my opinion) cost them in year 3

Year 4 (I didn't watch, i was sick, so i don't know what happened in the bubble series) so maybe they were horrendous. I don't know. maybe that's why.

now we are here and people wanna freak out that we are choking and it's just the same and stuff like that. if that's what people want to believe. believe it. Game 1 blew the air right out of the team, we won the next 3 games, and they could have won game 5. Game five was the worst out of the 5 - Sandin made some really bad mistakes and I still don't even know what happened on that 2-0 breakaway that ended the OT) - but it's not going to a Michaelangelo every night.

I firmly believe without any shadow of a doubt that they will win.
I think they will adjust from last game and expect that initial rush from Montreal.
IMO the biggest key here is to score first. and not let Price get locked in (which even in game five didn't matter because we came back. we just didn't win, because of a dumb mistake - which i didn't see so i can't comment on it).

 

[HockeyVirus]

Depends if Dubas gets fired or not.

Dubas is pot committed to these guys and even once said he's risked his career on them. But if he's fired, the new GM would immediately shake things up with a core piece being moved. The half the cap on 4 forwards experiment would have to end if we can't even beat Columbus or the Habs.

But I think the most likely scenario is that the leafs win today and that would be enough to save Dubas and the core I believe.

Why would Dubas get fired? He's been on the job 3 years which is like nothing for a GM. The first two years he had to navigate signing the franchise players and fix the cap mess. Then he got hit with a global pandemic with those deals. This is the first year he's had his coach and his roster and they won the division.

He'd almost certainly be given a chance to shake up the team once more. Especially given how restocked the Toronto pool has been under him and all the relationships he has with guys overseas who trust Dubas to not screw their careers. He's done a good job. We all agree the team should win this series. It's on the players not Dubas is they fail.

 

[Throw More Waffles]

Why would Dubas get fired? He's been on the job 3 years which is like nothing for a GM. The first two years he had to navigate signing the franchise players and fix the cap mess. Then he got hit with a global pandemic with those deals. This is the first year he's had his coach and his roster and they won the division.

He'd almost certainly be given a chance to shake up the team once more. Especially given how restocked the Toronto pool has been under him and all the relationships he has with guys overseas who trust Dubas to not screw their careers. He's done a good job. We all agree the team should win this series. It's on the players not Dubas is they fail.

He'll likely be fired if they lose this series (but again, I think the leafs win tonight). Most new gm's come in to start a rebuild/retool. They don't usually inherit a 100 year storied franchise full of young stars that the year prior got their record for points in a season. We were supposed to be cup contenders year 1 of Dubas. Not endless first round losses to "borderline" playoff teams.

 

[ToneDog]

Why would Dubas get fired? He's been on the job 3 years which is like nothing for a GM. The first two years he had to navigate signing the franchise players and fix the cap mess. Then he got hit with a global pandemic with those deals. This is the first year he's had his coach and his roster and they won the division.

He'd almost certainly be given a chance to shake up the team once more. Especially given how restocked the Toronto pool has been under him and all the relationships he has with guys overseas who trust Dubas to not screw their careers. He's done a good job. We all agree the team should win this series. It's on the players not Dubas is they fail.

Agreed it is on the players, the same players Dubas assembled. He mortgaged some of the future to bring in Foligno under the cap (a cap problem he created by overpaying you know who). Also had to throw Kappy and AJ overboard (contracts he handed out) in order to clear cap space to sign Brodie. If the media raises enough of a stink on senior management, somebody's head may need to roll if they lose the a lousy Habs team, after the GM went all-in.

 

[TOCap1]

Why 7:30
Why so close to 8pm game, start at least by 7, on a Saturday, so we can see a period of the other game, assuming no OT.

its so that the intermissions don’t line up.

 

[Paradoc]

Just win no matter what.

I do not think I can take another game 7...

 

[stealth1]

He'll likely be fired if they lose this series (but again, I think the leafs win tonight). Most new gm's come in to start a rebuild/retool. They don't usually inherit a 100 year storied franchise full of young stars that the year prior got their record for points in a season. We were supposed to be cup contenders year 1 of Dubas. Not endless first round losses to "borderline" playoff teams.

For some reason I don't know why this core can't get into the next gear needed for playoff hockey. I don't buy the lack of fans cause the Oilers/Jets didn't have fans and that series had playoff intensity. This series feels like a bunch of regular season games.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

if you believe they can win the series, yet have a nagging feeling that they won't, then you don't really believe that they will win.

Either you believe they win - period

Or you you aren't sure that they can, but you think they can. which - FYI is not believing that they can win. you doubt it.

I believe that the Leafs have the skill to win this series, but I don't believe that they've got the mental fortitude to see it through, how's that?

the Leafs won their division. it doens't matter that things were realigned and why they did it. they won it. Just like how Tampa won the cup - there's not going to be a note but during a pandemic. It either counts. or it doesn't count.

I didn't say it doesn't count, I'm just pointing out what outside circumstances led to their division win.

yes, the Leafs have had their struggles for a multitude of reasons and that is their growing pains. just like other teams have had theirs. and quite frankly, before the other teams were winning playoffs rounds(!), and presidents trophies, and whatever - they were not performing to standards to get there either. And irregardless of how many presidents trophies and 1st rounds they got, I am pretty sure losing in the 2nd round all the time when you were expected to go further sucks just as much as losing in the 1st round. because that was never the goal. I think the organization's expectation is

The thing is, those franchises were winning something before they finally broke through and won the big prize. Yeah only making it to the second round, conference finals, only winning your division isn't the end goal, but it's an accomplishment a team did where they can stick a feather in their cap. The Leafs over the past 15 years do not have that. That's just reality. It's better to win something, literally anything, rather than nothing. I suppose winning the North Division regular season is now that something for the Leafs but no one will be satisfied with that if we're bounced in round 1 or even round 2 given what has taken place in recent seasons.

Year 1 - they lost to washington, but most people would have said they had zero business to be there and they were in it every game. The year before they were dead last in the league.

Year 2 and Year 3 - they were toe to toe with Boston, but blew it in game seven and lost. it could have gone either way. horrendous decisions (in my opinion) cost them in year 3

Year 4 (I didn't watch, i was sick, so i don't know what happened in the bubble series) so maybe they were horrendous. I don't know. maybe that's why.

I already talked about the Leafs difficult roads they had in round 1. Other teams have managed upsets, why couldn't this group? Why when the chips were down and it was for all the marbles did they choke? Carolina stormed back to beat Washington in Game 7, Columbus swept Tampa in what was supposed to be a lopsided win for the Lightning, the Oilers beat San Jose a few years back, etc. Why can this group of players not do that?

now we are here and people wanna freak out that we are choking and it's just the same and stuff like that. if that's what people want to believe. believe it. Game 1 blew the air right out of the team, we won the next 3 games, and they could have won game 5. Game five was the worst out of the 5 - Sandin made some really bad mistakes and I still don't even know what happened on that 2-0 breakaway that ended the OT) - but it's not going to a Michaelangelo every night.

I firmly believe without any shadow of a doubt that they will win.
I think they will adjust from last game and expect that initial rush from Montreal.
IMO the biggest key here is to score first. and not let Price get locked in (which even in game five didn't matter because we came back. we just didn't win, because of a dumb mistake - which i didn't see so i can't comment on it).

I can only be optimistic and yet get kicked in the teeth so often before I become fully blackpilled. If that makes me a bad fan fine, but I see nothing wrong with approaching this teams chances with a little bit of trepidation given how things have gone over the last 15 years, and more specifically the last 4 seasons with this core. I agree with you on what the Leafs need to do to win, I'm just not sure they'll actually do it.

This is the Galchenyuk giveaway in OT, it's really bad.

 

[ShaneFalco]

Some of you are going to.look silly when we win 4-2 tonight

 

[Ciao]

Tough decision to either put a hurt Foligno in, or put Brooksy back in. Coach will have to make the call on what's best for the team, not on if Foligno really wants to play or not.

Personally, would rather have Brooks at 100% than Foligno at 70%. Young legs, and Brooksy has some skill and has had his chances.

I would play Brooks ahead if an injured Foligno. If he's significantly injured, keep him out and let a healthy player play.

 

[Stephen]

if you believe they can win the series, yet have a nagging feeling that they won't, then you don't really believe that they will win.

Either you believe they win - period

Or you you aren't sure that they can, but you think they can. which - FYI is not believing that they can win. you doubt it.

If you separated a playoff series into 3x buckets of 1) pure talent, 2) intangibles-work ethic-psychology-killer instinct and 3) goaltending, I think there's enough uncertainty with 2 of the 3 categories to have second thoughts. It's only natural with a team that has never done it.

 

[egd27]

From the mouth of Bob McKenzie. "The Toronto Maple Leafs didn't want Taylor Hall. They could've had him. They didn't want him"

the cap hit could also have been reduced to $2m after using a 3rd team for secondary retention

Well Bob knows much more about these things than I do. So I guess I heard wrong that he didn't want to come to Toronto.

 

[egd27]

The first two years he had to navigate signing the franchise players and fix the cap mess.

There was no "cap mess" without the Tavares signing and the poor RFA negotiations. I think he's done a decent job, but let's not pretend the cap challenges were inherited.

 

[Cleetus]

thanks for the live thread mods, spoiled here for sure!

 

[Golden_Jet]

its so that the intermissions don’t line up.

id prefer at least half the game doesn’t line up.
7:30 must be NBC doing otherwise it would be 7 on a Saturday I feel.

 

[LeafGrief]

For the love of all that is holy, please do the simple thing and win tonight. Think about how much easier it would be to just put in the effort, win it all tonight, and then just go on to round 2. Having to play again on Monday means all kind of stress and stupid questions from reporters and nasty messages on instagram accounts and ain't nobody got time for that shit. It's way easier to just win tonight guys, trust me. Just win the series tonight and you'll be happy you did.

 

[egd27]

Just win no matter what.

I do not think I can take another game 7...

"You can, and you will."

 

[Wafflewhipper]

If they come out and are the best team for 60 minutes we will win. Wasn’t the case last game. Wasn’t even close to the case last game. Weakest jam you could have possibly envisioned turned up. Bad bad look.

 

[TimeZone]

Make no mistake about it, if these guys can't finish off the worst team(by far) in the playoffs tonight, they're the same losers they always have been all along.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Just to be clear, the same people that have been complaining about our lack of grit and leadership in the playoffs are now whining that we got Foligno instead of possibly the biggest loser in the league coming off the worst season of his life?

 

[bossram]

Foligno really doesn't seem ready to go tonight. He should not be playing.

Galchenyuk has been playing well overall, but his defensive deficiencies really make it hard to trust him in a higher-leverage role.

Nylander - Matthews - Marner
Galchenyuk - Kerfoot - Hyman
Mikhevey - Engvall - Simmonds
Spezza for special teams and rotate in

The top guys need to get it done. They've dominated territorially, but we need goals. Let them run, 22+ minutes. Hyman can cover defensively for Galchenyuk. The Engvall line has actually been pretty effective overall. The 4th line is a clear weakness though and just can't be played. Not trustworthy. Keefe can work Spezza in here and there and on special teams.

 

[Scion]

If you separated a playoff series into 3x buckets of 1) pure talent, 2) intangibles-work ethic-psychology-killer instinct and 3) goaltending, I think there's enough uncertainty with 2 of the 3 categories to have second thoughts. It's only natural with a team that has never done it.

And if I broke it into three different arbitrary buckets I may come up with an entirely different conclusion. It's a stupid exercise.