GDT: Game # Leafs host Flames 7:30pm ET

[Teeder Keon]

No idea what they're thinking on the powerplay.

The drop pass is getting old. I know they want the speed entering the zone but clearly they need to switch it up.

Dumping it in and sending 3 guys in your going to either get the puck or cause turnovers in their corners a lot of times. Then get it back to the point and keep it simple.

Pucks on net for tips or rebounds... or down low to go cross ice to make the goalie move.

Go back to basics when all else fails... which it is.

Also get the right f***ing guys on the powerplay. Load up powerplay 1 for a game or 2 and see how it goes. Anything at this point can't hurt.

Excellent points brotha , sorry to have repeated most of your points

 

[Teeder Keon]

Yeah Sheldon it might have a bit to do with you sticking multiple 4th liners on the top unit too.

It’s very strange indeed

 

[MattySnipes]

Woah nice GDT GP.

Matthews and Marner definitely playing like 90+ overall players.

Big game tonight. B2B. TheScore states Rittich is expected in net against former team.

Gotta get back to the winning ways.

Who else is ready to play Montreal in first round and see them deploy the trap all game, every game?

 

[shaner8989]

Hope to see Rittich tonight.

 

[wingman75]

Please play better than last night. Hope this is not the start of another slide, last 2 games have not been well played at all despite winning one of them.

Any word if Rittich is playing? Maybe too soon?

 

[29Potvin]

Please play better than last night. Hope this is not the start of another slide, last 2 games have not been well played at all despite winning one of them.

Any word if Rittich is playing? Maybe too soon?

He was on the ice for practice with the Goalie coach, so i believe he has a chance.

 

[wingman75]

He was on the ice for practice with the Goalie coach, so i believe he has a chance.

Nice, of course! They would have flown in yesterday.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

Hope you folks don’t mind me putting this together. I thought you might like this style with the https://nhlhutbuilder.com images & the statistics following Trade Deadline with the Stat Pages from The Score App.

Lineups are based on the information provided from NHL Starting Goalies, Lines, News, Fantasy Tools - Daily Faceoff and I use NHL Starting Goalies, Line Combinations, and Fantasy Hockey Tools | leftwinglock.com for the Starting Goaltenders. I will update the OP once the Starters are Confirmed.

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Oh thats nice

 

[JayfromNB1219]

Great points
Sorry I’ve jumped on your thoughts without knowing you’ve already stated some of mine here
It’s incredible isn’t it that all those big brains and experience and they still are doing counterproductive things that are obvious to most

Sometimes those of us who “specialize” have the most narrow view of things
The more specialized you become in anything the less you tend to pay attention to everything else Malhotra is a PP guru if I’m not mistaken...it’s easy to overlook the simple adjustments and just chalk it up to “getting your head right” because theoretically it SHOULD work

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

I really miss the days of Rielly doing 200ft rushes. He was effective in the days when teams didn't have to focus on clogging up the neutral zone on us like they do right now, forcing short pass transitions and occasional 5v5 drop passes. Same reason the stretch pass never worked as well, but Babs died on that hill and it cost him his job.

With those aspects shut down Rielly's warts I'm afraid are really sticking out.

EDIT: To be clear, I don't miss those days. But I do miss Rielly being an effective #1D on our team.

 

[Burnie97]

Excellent points brotha , sorry to have repeated most of your points

I didn't realize until after I pretty much said the same thing as someone else above in the thread too lol.

Happens all the time. All good. Just means in regards to the powerplay apparently for some reason most fans see it but the coaches don't?!?!

I don't know anything compared to an NHL coach obviously, but when they've only scored 1 goal in about 30 something attempts ...

 

[Wafflewhipper]

How about they occasionally just carry the puck up the ice and soft dump it to a corner with a moving forward to go retrieve...teams just wait for the back pass and stack the blue line and dare them to try and stick handle through...it seems so simple even just to change it up on occasion just to throw teams PK’ers off and make them think...right now they can literally just wait on their blue line knowing the first man out is just looking to make a pass backwards before the real rush begins

Keefe is showing his coaching flaws by not having our guys wheeling out with the puck. There are no set plays for it actually. The play book is carved in stone 2 or 3 or 4 back passes and skate the puck in to a waiting wall at the blueline.

The amount of giveaways from this team from this team compared to the contenders is a sobering Statistic. All the contenders are possession teams obviousy but this team has a turnover rate thats through the roof compared to the top team’s in the league.

I’ve seen this turnover conversation on here get ignored before. This team is a turnover machine. Coach better fix it because the top contenders don’t come close to ours.

This drop pass is pathetic with it’s over use. It’s actually infuriating to watch it on a powerplay especially. The powerplay starts going wrong in our own zone when they are skating out at 2 miles per hour. Just saying it on the Coach at this point

Read the disclaimer on these stats at the top and then go check our defensive zone and offensive zones separately as to what the stats collectors consider lapse in play. We are 5th worst in both categories! It’s a seriously flawed team the way they turn the puck over. I was saying this earlier in the season and “gave up on it” pardon the pun because it was likely not enough sample size when i was noticing it. 75% of the season is played and it’s gotten worse actually. We break the puck out wrong keefe. Here is the charts anyways
https://morehockeystats.com/teams/givetake

 

[Bluelines]

Thanks Ginger Papa.

Would be interested to see Rittich against his old team right off the plane. Did he depart through a different door off the plane? Did he take the Leafs private jet? What did he eat on the plane, was there a movie? All important questions.

He was spotted arriving TO last night ...

 

[Bluelines]

Keefe is showing his coaching flaws by not having our guys wheeling out with the puck. There are no set plays for it actually. The play book is carved in stone 2 or 3 or 4 back passes and skate the puck in to a waiting wall at the blueline.

The amount of giveaways from this team from this team compared to the contenders is a sobering Statistic. All the contenders are possession teams obviousy but this team has a turnover rate thats through the roof compared to the top team’s in the league.

I’ve seen this turnover conversation on here get ignored before. This team is a turnover machine. Coach better fix it because the top contenders don’t come close to ours.

This drop pass is pathetic with it’s over use. It’s actually infuriating to watch it on a powerplay especially. The powerplay starts going wrong in our own zone when they are skating out at 2 miles per hour. Just saying it on the Coach at this point

If you watch the far side the back door is always unprotected, the other teams know we are going up the middle or the near side. I REALLY despise the drop pass, it eats 5 to 10 seconds every time.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Lindy Ruff started that drop pass thing when he was coach of the Buffalo Sabres around 2008-2010. It's had it's time in the league. Improve upon it.

You could healthy scratch Thornton and have him build a better PP than Malhotra at this point.

 

[Cotton]

They need to not get drunk before this one, and somebody needs to have a talk with Keefe about having a talk to Joe - 1 assist in his last 18 games, while getting PP time (and was an extra man last night).

 

[kevsh]

Last season when the PP was struggling they had a forward drop low behind the red line, a few feet from the net. Ideally it pulls a defender out of position and opens up a lane to the bumper in front of the net. It worked a few times then they stopped it.

If nothing else try a new look, put Auston on the opposite wing, for example, or just load up in the slot and fire low looking for a screen, deflection or rebound.

And I disagree that it's "100%" confidence.They know how to score on the power play, they were the best in the league early on and it's a safe bet that they didn't go cold out of lack of confidence. It just looks now like they are so consumed by trying to score and end this slump that they are rushing things.

 

[Rude Dog]

Gotta win the face off on the PP. When they do. Amazing. When they lose it...60 seconds of trying to regain entry. No more point shots. Never ever works. Need more shooters on first PP. Only one is Mathews. Everyone else is pass first. Simmonds just trying to get his body on it.

 

[Burnie97]

Seems he'll be in. I don't see why he wouldn't.

Also this would be an interesting plane ride lol



Can't stand Lucic though... but its his 1000th game tonight. Its the only time I'll say it but congrats to him on that. No easy feat for any NHLer.

In saying that... I want the Leafs to absolutely destroy them now because of that. 7-0 shutout by Rittich would be awesome.

 

[Chief Berube]

Gotta win the face off on the PP. When they do. Amazing. When they lose it...60 seconds of trying to regain entry. No more point shots. Never ever works. Need more shooters on first PP. Only one is Mathews. Everyone else is pass first. Simmonds just trying to get his body on it.

Other teams know to Clog up up the neutral zone. That drop pass does absolutely NOTHING. Everyone knows how to stop us.

 

[crump]

Are the Flames in official Tank mode now? The Habs win over us last game gave them an additional 2 point. Flames are 8 points back with the Habs with 2 games in hand.

 

[VanW27]

Lindy Ruff started that drop pass thing when he was coach of the Buffalo Sabres around 2008-2010. It's had it's time in the league. Improve upon it.

You could healthy scratch Thornton and have him build a better PP than Malhotra at this point.

Pretty much every team runs the drop pass and most do it effectively, the problem isn't with the play itself but how we execute it.

The whole point of the drop pass is to allow a guy to be able to attack the zone a full speed while the defenders are standing still. Our guys come up the ice so slow that nobody has any speed and it's easy to defend.

 

[crump]

Other teams know to Clog up up the neutral zone. That drop pass does absolutely NOTHING. Everyone knows how to stop us.

They tried a traditional entry last night, but were not patient enough once they got in there.

 

[Gallagbi]

Last season when the PP was struggling they had a forward drop low behind the red line, a few feet from the net. Ideally it pulls a defender out of position and opens up a lane to the bumper in front of the net. It worked a few times then they stopped it.

If nothing else try a new look, put Auston on the opposite wing, for example, or just load up in the slot and fire low looking for a screen, deflection or rebound.

And I disagree that it's "100%" confidence.They know how to score on the power play, they were the best in the league early on and it's a safe bet that they didn't go cold out of lack of confidence. It just looks now like they are so consumed by trying to score and end this slump that they are rushing things.

They're relying on plays that don't work often right now. Your note about drawing players out of position is spot on, but they're waiting for a Marner or Rielly shot, which isn't smart.

Marner's at his best with passing options from his current spot, not shooting. Rielly is a basic decoy who should just be an outlet, not a shooter. We need to stop driving for traffic with them and instead spread out the D to open up a more dangerous option.

We looked 10x better with onetimer options for Marner and Matthews, even when we weren't scoring.

I don't mind a drop to gain speed, I don't like where we're doing it or how much time it's taking. No reason Rielly can't start the regroup and drop from the redline instead of waiting for Marner and Matthews to curl back below the dots in our own zone. Shorten the ice, have them circle at the blueline and you accomplish the same thing in less time

 

[Suntouchable13]

Seems he'll be in. I don't see why he wouldn't.

Also this would be an interesting plane ride lol



Can't stand Lucic though... but its his 1000th game tonight. Its the only time I'll say it but congrats to him on that. No easy feat for any NHLer.

In saying that... I want the Leafs to absolutely destroy them now because of that. 7-0 shutout by Rittich would be awesome.

I thought the Leafs would send mlse private jet to get him but this works even better