How are you feeling about Tavares these days?

[sunstersun]

His lack of ability to receive a pass astounds me.

 

[Fogelhund]

It's ok to criticize someone for their play, when it's poor. But at the same time, you have to be able to credit someone for their solid play, when it happens. JT won us the game last night... that's how playoff hockey is played... take the puck hard to the net, and good things will happen.

 

[4thline]

That was JT best grinding game in a long time .. JT plays better when game slows down to a grind like last night .. much better defensive approach by team .. key was team always played right side of puck . no cheating .. it was Devils style playoff hockey which wins .. i hope we play same grinding game at home

Early in the year we spoke about the importance of moving JT to wing - I've changed my mind. He's still best suited for C, but on lines built to play his style. McMann, Knies, Jarncrok fit. Willy doesn't, Marner doesn't. Simple heavy hockey, winning board battles, pucks to the net.

 

[Ignatius Reilly]

1) Tavares didn't look very slow on that OT goal. You'd think an old guy would be gassed by then.

2) Some lines seem to work with a combo of gritty plodders and elite skaters. Hyman and McDavid seem to be okay that way. IIRC JT and Willy worked together well, at least to start the season.

 

[Leafs4Life77]

It was a great play to take it to the net hard in OT. Well done JT!

Aside from that I thought he was terrible last night. So many flubbed passes, mishandled attempts, plays dying on his stick etc. Nylander made a ridiculous pass to him alone near the front of the net and he couldn't get a shot off. To my eye, he really can't create his own shot any more and really struggles to handle the puck (great OT play aside).

 

[Tak7]

It's not just the play he made in OT to win the game that was impressive to watch, but the fact that beat a Bruins Dman in a footrace, despite a standing start, which really stuck out for me.

For large stretches of this series, especially in the offensive zone, his legs have looked gone - so color me pleasantly surprised when he got the puck standing still in the neutral zone, and still managed to outskate Grzelcyk to the funhouse.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Two full pages of bashing John Tavares since Saturday night… not one post since that overtime power move to the net, helping us save the season.

Go figure… last post was another lengthy rant.

Since that JT dish to Knies, saving our season… crickets.

Not sure that was a 'dish' to Knies - it was a (typical) JT shot from a bad angle. Fortunately the rebound landed on Knies' stick.

JT plays a solid game - he's slower than he used to be, and still has the tunnel vision, but you can't fault his effort or work ethic, and if you give him time and space he can still bury the puck really well.

 

[CelticDruid]

Not sure that was a 'dish' to Knies - it was a (typical) JT shot from a bad angle. Fortunately the rebound landed on Knies' stick.

JT plays a solid game - he's slower than he used to be, and still has the tunnel vision, but you can't fault his effort or work ethic, and if you give him time and space he can still bury the puck really well.

We caught a lucky break much like the Boston goal.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Lets be honest about the winning goal. Yes it was great JT beat his man and drove the net but it was by luck that it slipped right out into Knies in the slot and credit to him for cashing it. Tavares has been terrible this series.

 

[hfman]

he grinds
shows up every night
not afraid of corners and contact
has scored and contributed to many pivotal goals during his time here
doesn't whine
doesn't complain
doesn't make excuses
faces the media

Was in on the OT goal last night again, just like OT vs Tampa last year which won the series

Scored 47 goals a few years back.

I don't get the hate for him. At all. Is it because of the money? Give me a break. Forget about the money and we have an awesome player on our team, lucky to have him

 

[Confucius]

We’ve only scored 9 goals in 5 games and Boosh is a plus 5, pretty amazing

Edit: and 1 of the goals was a PP so he was on for at least 5 of the 8 goals.

 

[RunItBackAgain]

We’ve only scored 9 goals in 5 games and Boosh is a plus 5, pretty amazing

Edit: and 1 of the goals was a PP so he was on for at least 5 of the 8 goals.

Pretty sure I've got some JFresh graphs that say that is impossible and likely NHL stats are wrong. There's zero chance.

 

[notDatsyuk]

I love Seigal's "83% D-zone" faceoffs, while not mentioning the 14% O-zone.

 

[wingman75]

Lets be honest about the winning goal. Yes it was great JT beat his man and drove the net but it was by luck that it slipped right out into Knies in the slot and credit to him for cashing it. Tavares has been terrible this series.

It is created luck. So many of our guys would have done a button hook at the hashmarks there and looked for a pass. It's one of the reasons we cannot score in the playoffs.

Regardless of the bounce, the decision to take it to the net is what made the play possible.

 

[WillyC]

Yeah, I don’t get the hate… the 2 goals in the last minute of the 2nd period, to go up 3-2 in game 6 with Tampa facing elimination… then last season with the overtime winner to move onto the second round… Tavares has scored some huge goals as a Maple Leaf.

Then last night, in overtime, facing elimination… the power move to the net, and yes, he knows Knies is coming to hopefully pickup a loose puck.

Go figure… it worked.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he scores tomorrow night in game 6.

 

[Antropovsky]

Yeah, I don’t get the hate… the 2 goals in the last minute of the 2nd period, to go up 3-2 in game 6 with Tampa facing elimination… then last season with the overtime winner to move onto the second round… Tavares has scored some huge goals as a Maple Leaf.

Then last night, in overtime, facing elimination… the power move to the net, and yes, he knows Knies is coming to hopefully pickup a loose puck.

Go figure… it worked.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he scores tomorrow night in game 6.

60% on faceoffs, and started most shifts in neutral or defensive zone, but still had a ff% and cf% comparable to Marner.
Though Marner only had around one faceoff in defensive zone by comparison.

Marner hasn't created on overtime goal in a playoff game yet. Meanwhile Tavares has two in two recent post seasons, both in elimination games.

Yet posters are praising marner for a great game in the Marner thread and putting down Tavares?

One is in his 30's at the tail end of their 11 million ufa contract the other prime 27 years old, at the tail end of an 11 million RFA contract.

Tavares second contract was only 8.5% of the Islanders salary, where he was a finalist for the Hart twice, while playing with fringe 2nd liners. Meanwhile Marners second contract was 13.38% and he cant even break 100 points with one of the best centers to ever play in the league.

Tavares took less to come to his hometown Leafs.

Marner, also a hometown kid, held out, pulled every dirty tactic in the book and eventually got more money from the Leafs than any other team would offer him.

If he stayed on long Island, he would have an extra year for 11 million or even more had he went to San Jose. We don't deserve a loyal player like Tavares.

 

[Gilmour1996]

John has really stepped up the past couple games in Matthews' absence. You can't have too many centres in case one gets injured. He seems to have found another gear and is now earning his keep. If he wasn't here, imagine how bleak centre ice would look behind Domi.

 

[DitchMarner]

He was solid the last couple of games, but this guy needs to put the puck in the damn net. I'm sick of their top six guys being unable to score. Nylander has missed half the series but is tied for the team lead in goals.

 

[hamzarocks]

60% on faceoffs, and started most shifts in neutral or defensive zone, but still had a ff% and cf% comparable to Marner.
Though Marner only had around one faceoff in defensive zone by comparison.

Marner hasn't created on overtime goal in a playoff game yet. Meanwhile Tavares has two in two recent post seasons, both in elimination games.

Yet posters are praising marner for a great game in the Marner thread and putting down Tavares?

One is in his 30's at the tail end of their 11 million ufa contract the other prime 27 years old, at the tail end of an 11 million RFA contract.

Tavares second contract was only 8.5% of the Islanders salary, where he was a finalist for the Hart twice, while playing with fringe 2nd liners. Meanwhile Marners second contract was 13.38% and he cant even break 100 points with one of the best centers to ever play in the league.

Tavares took less to come to his hometown Leafs.

Marner, also a hometown kid, held out, pulled every dirty tactic in the book and eventually got more money from the Leafs than any other team would offer him.

If he stayed on long Island, he would have an extra year for 11 million or even more had he went to San Jose. We don't deserve a loyal player like Tavares.

Tavares is objectively a huge failure as a leaf

He has failed both reg season and playoffs as a leaf. He has 24 pts in 37 playoff games as a leaf (53 pt pace) which is terrible for an offensive 2C and even worse at 11M caphit

The tavares moments dont matter as he hardly produces outsude of them and kills the offense of his wingers generally

The team is somehow playing good enough this year despite bad playoff from all the big 4 offensively.

Round 2 vs flordia if we close out boston we need the big guys to come back to life offensively

 

[mapleleaf979]

Tavares was literally invisible in Game 6. His skating is so bad, he instantly gets trapped when he touches the puck, then possession turns into a puck battle.

 

[HandshakeLineRespect]

Strip the C next year. Pressure him to waive his no trade. Retain half if you have to. Addition by subtraction.

 

[hotpaws]

he should never have been signed and now it's time for mgmt to let him know they won't offer him an extension and ask for a list of teams he'd waive too

his cap hit is atrocious but he'll be owed less than a 1m in actual salary after his bonus this summer so there should be someone who will take him without us adding sweeteners

the guys a career loser and has ruined the last 6 yrs

 

[JungleBeat]

Strip the C from this hometown bozo. Domi is more impactful at this point.

 

[likecheese]

It's not even his fault, the whole signing was a Dubas catastrophe. Three highly talented forwards soon to command huge contracts and you go spend huge $ on another forward instead of fixing goal and defense. So the whole thing turns into a ridiculous "can you win with 4 forwards taking all your cap" experiment for all these years. Just an idiotic disastrous signing.

 

[hamzarocks]

He has 23 pts in 38 games in the playoffs as a leaf

That is a 49.6 pt pace

He is gving us 2016 Nazem Kadri production lool despite 2016 being low scoring as shit, and the 2016 leafs being the worst team which was tanking vs 2019 - 2024 being an alleged super team with elite core.

Tavares needs to waive his NMC. Hes a disgrace