Post-Game Talk: Hot Garbage, Leafs Lose 3-2 In OT

[Jacquestrapless]

No more vet signings in the off-season

 

[GQS]

Rielly's ability to defend has regressed big time. Way too many mistakes whether it's missing coverage, getting beat wide, or playing 2-on-1s like he's not even there.

Regressed? Seems like he's always been that way since I started watching him play as a Leaf fulltime. And it would explain why trying so many different partners with him to create a top defensive pairing has rarely worked except with Hainsey for a while and now with Brodie he's looked somewhat better.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

That can't be true. Maybe from a % standpoint, but not actual numbers

yeah, percentage

 

[The Apologist]

Love Matthews and Marner, but man, SERIOUS brainfarts by those 2 in OT. Marner put in great work to win us the initial possession, but then completely wasted it by going 1-on-3 and throwing a garbage shot on net. Hold on to the puck in OT!!!

And then when the puck was going the other way, the forwards were terrible. Gambling for takeaways that clearly weren't going to work, basically useless defensively, allowed Gaudreau to walk in for an easy, uncontested breakaway goal. Terrible defence by both Matthews and Marner on that one.

People blaming Rielly, go back and watch it. It's a 2-on-2, not a 2-on-1, Rielly takes the puck handler (Lindholm), Matthews is supposed to take Gaudreau. Should be a nothing play, but Matthews is lazy and tries to intercept the pass vs. just skating hard and keeping up with Gaudreau. That's almost all on Matthews, and a bit on Marner, who was weak and gambling in the neutral zone (and gave up possession in the first place with a clearly awful shot).

Rittich was good, PP was bad, OT play was shockingly dumb.

Hey look, intelligence.

 

[CelticDruid]

What are the odds the game on Saturday is PPD?

It would be a blessing for the Leafs to get some much-needed rest and practice time.

 

[Gallagbi]

For all those blaming Rielly for that OT goal, it was clearly, clearly just a terrible defensive effort by Matthews and Marner:



Garbage/useless gambling in the neutral zone, both forwards gambling on the puck carrier so unnecessarily. Then Matthews stops skating when, even after the bad gambling, he could have caught up with Gaudreau.

I mean....it's all of them. They all play it beyond terribly.

Marner's terrible shot choices, Matthews lazy backcheck and Rielly spinning like a top in no man's land. Not a single thing there is even decent. It's all just bad, lazy, stupid hockey

 

[MattySnipes]

The Toronto Maple Leafs have 20 out of a possible 24 points in their last 12 games

 

[123offtheglass]

No, their inability to score on a four minute powerplay and only having one powerplay goal in like the last 36-37 opportunities is why they lost, not because of fatigue.

Special teams wins games.

Another huge factor, yes. Despite everything else, if their powerplay was what it should be, they win that game.

 

[unitedstars87]

Willy to the rescueeeeeee

 

[BigGulpsEh]

I feel like the D hold on the puck at the point and wait until someone is in the lane to block it.

So many muffins into shinpads or wide by a mile

 

[Leaf4Life79]

The Toronto Maple Leafs have 21 out of a possible 24 points in their last 12 games

Which is great, but the last two games we're pure shit performances. NO excuse for that!

 

[TheGroceryStick]

This is on the coaching staff. Malhotra clearly has no idea what he is doing. A powerplay with the horses he has to work with should be near tops in the league, not struggling to even enter the zone. Keefe is making the most idiotic line-up decisions. I get paid nothing and can see that Thornton shouldn't be playing, let alone in the top 6. Simmonds and him have no business on the powerplay. Rielly also has zero clue defensively and doesn't actually do that much offensively. Point totals aside he never gets his shots through and picks up his points through low danger passes that convert into secondary assists. I'd trade him this offseason. He will for sure not live up to his next contract.

The sky is falling the sky is falling

He played Thornton and others here in these games...as a last ditch before the quarantine guys show up.

Relax . We will be just fine bub

 

[The Apologist]

I don't understand why he's converging on the Flames player while he's being defended by someone else already.

That was already Riellys guy, right from the get go. Gaudreau was Matthews' guy.

 

[mrbagina]

Rielly seems so lost defensively.

On that goal he has to take away the pass and he does the exact opposite and its not the first time. He is not learning anything from Brodie.

 

[Ginger Papa]

Well, that result sucks but the Team did look tired compared to Calgary. However, as @MattySnipes mentioned to me, the Power Play will be important in the Playoffs even if it is much lesser called upon.

As an outsider I still see so much to like about your club, even on an off night like this, FWIW.

Thank you all for being so welcoming again.

 

[123offtheglass]

The Toronto Maple Leafs have 21 out of a possible 24 points in their last 12 games

Doing this with a hot garbage powerplay that's supposed to be their greatest weapon besides Matthews himself, pretty impressive.

 

[The Podium]

I feel like the D hold on the puck at the point and wait until someone is in the lane to block it.

So many muffins into shinpads or wide by a mile

Baffling isn’t it? I don’t ever remember so many blocked shots against us, even when we were poo

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Rielly had 2:30 of PP time and got outshot 2-1 by the Flames. he may not be the only problem, but he's undoubtedly not good enough to be on our top PP

 

[Goose]

1. the power play doesn't have "some" issues. Our goal differential on the PP over the last month is worse than the worst team's goal differential at 5v5. it's almost impossible to overstate how massive of a weakness it is

If I had to pick a problem to have it would probably be the power play.

They’ll get it figured.

 

[The Podium]

Well, that result sucks but the Team did look tired compared to Calgary. However, as @MattySnipes mentioned to me, the Power Play will be important in the Playoffs even if it is much lesser called upon.

As an outsider I still see so much to like about your club, even on an off night like this, FWIW.

Thank you all for being so welcoming again.
View attachment 422051

When LA won the cup I’m pretty sure they had the lowest playoff PP%

 

[Seath The Scaleless]

Which is great, but the last two games we're pure shit performances. NO excuse for that!

Are teams not allowed to have off nights? Even with that, Leafs were in both games until the end. People are acting like we were blown out

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

Muzzin looked like he didn't give af
Holl looked just bad

That pairing was a liability tonight

They got hemmed in their own end for just about the last minute of play but that was partly because Holl was hooked down to his knees at least twice in that span.

 

[Not My Tempo]

Positive: JT has looked like JT for around 3 weeks now. 8 points in his has 6 games. If he goes back to being a PPG center down this stretch, it’s good news for us.

 

[ponder]

I mean....it's all of them. They all play it beyond terribly.

Marner's terrible shot choices, Matthews lazy backcheck and Rielly spinning like a top in no man's land. Not a single thing there is even decent. It's all just bad, lazy, stupid hockey

I agree with Matthews and Marner, but disagree with Rielly. The forwards screw him there - both gambling so unnecessarily in the neutral zone. Then instead of Matthews skating back hard and covering Gaudreau the moment his gamble fails, he skates back lazily and takes nobody. Rielly is left trying to play damage control on a 2-on-1 that did not at all have to happen, should so easily have been a 2-on-2 at worst.

After the nasty gambles by the forwards, Rielly had already made the right call committing to Lindholm, Matthews should have seen that and committed to Gaudreau, but was too lazy to skate with him. At that point Rielly has to try to pick off the pass, because there's no way he's catching Gaudreau - he did what he could in a very bad situation handed to him by Matthews/Marner.

I do hope Keefe rips into Matthews and Marner tonight, the way they played that OT is like they were trying to lose. At some point the forwards just can't be so dumb and lazy.

 

[The Apologist]

> Matthews didn't have his legs all night and it impacted his line the whole night
> Engvall's not an NHLer, he doesn't have anything
> Simmonds was straight up off
> Tavares and Hyman played hard, but that line missed Nylander badly
> I thought Rielly and Brodie played well all things considered
> Riddich was good

They need time off

I agree with all this and would like to add that AGAIN Holl and Muzz were hot garbage.
And I love Big Joe but come on man...... he needs a break.