Pre-Game Talk: It's official: Leafs vs Bruins [Game 1 on Wed]

[Penalty Kill Icing*]

Schedule:

 

[Eternal Leaf]

I can't wait.

Gonna be sick.

 

[LeeIs]

LOL...someone put this up at Kennedy Station

Love it.

 

[FifthLine]

Actually very disappointed with how many of us 'fans' have given up already as if the series is already over.

Its the playoffs anything can happen boys.

 

[Lilou]

Schedule:

Oh lawd I'm gettin excited. Wonder if they'll wear their 3rd jerseys all series like they used to.

 

[ULF_55]

This is the match up I wanted.

Slay the beast Kessel.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

This is it guys. I think we can put up a fight. Whether we win or lose, who knows. But I don't think it'll be nearly as one sided as many think it'll be.

 

[ErnieLeafs]

Anybody giving up on this series is too young to remember our series' against Ottawa.

Don't **** your britches yet, boys and girls. Playoff magic >>>>>> Christmas miracles

 

[Crispy Crust]

Kadri vs Marchand lol

 

[pezcore]

as a hockey fan, this series will be entertaining as hell.

as a habs fan, cant believe im gonna say this.....go Leafs go. If any team is going to crush your playoff run, I want it to be mine.

Habs handed the 2nd seed to the Bruins on a silver plater for the past two week and they still came up short a point. B's are a mess, I think all the pessismist Leafs fans shoudl rejoice, I think it'll be easier than you think.

Its gonna be fun to watch and I gotta admit, its fun to see you guys back in the playoffs again.

Good luck and hopefully see you in the 2nd round.

 

[Warden of the North]

Leafs in 7

 

[FifthLine]

as a hockey fan, this series will be entertaining as hell.

as a habs fan, cant believe im gonna say this.....go Leafs go. If any team is going to crush your playoff run, I want it to be mine.

Habs handed the 2nd seed to the Bruins on a silver plater for the past two week and they still came up short a point. B's are a mess, I think all the pessismist Leafs fans shoudl rejoice, I think it'll be easier than you think.

Its gonna be fun to watch and I gotta admit, its fun to see you guys back in the playoffs again.

Good luck and hopefully see you in the 2nd round.

Appreciate that. I also hope you guys lay a massive beating on the Sens. They don't deserve to be where they are.

 

[EDDIE20*]

****'em. I love that they hate us that much.

Me too! Love the fact that they focus their energy on us instead of their crap teams.

 

[Lebanese Leaf]

Kevin Garnett, on the Leafs-Bruins matchup:

 

[crump]

Buckle up boys and girls, time to start a new era in Leafs Nation. Have to believe.

 

[Daisy Jane]

One thing that is a positive Kessel is peaking at right time to face his nemesis, this is the opportunity to silence it all for GOOD.

I agree. this is prime time baby. He's going to step up and light the lamp

His heart will be torn in two.

LOL yeup! Poor Cherry. Leafs and Bruins.

Embarrassing? It's beyond embarrassing, its completely shameful.
I can't fathom how after being out of the playoffs for 9 years, that a fan of a team would snivel and whine about who they have to play before the puck is even dropped in the first game.
And these are the first guys to moan about entitlement on the Leafs.
You wanna be taken seriously? You wanna compete for a Stanley Cup? ThenSTFU about who you have to play and take all comers.
Pathetic.

I know. Let the games play out before you are doom, DOOOOM!

Bergeron and Chara will contain Kessel and JVR.

Krejci will go toe to toe with Kadri.

Reimer and Rask cancel each other out.

Our X factor?

Truthfully - I think that is the case. Lupul is going to be the guy that changes the series, more so than anyone else.

I am going to assume, with playing Boston: we're playing Gardiner as the 7th defenseman. and use him as the floating D, only because adding that extra mobility could cause Boston serious fits. that mobility from Lilies & Gardiner. woop.

****'em. I love that they hate us that much.

We need to be finishing checks, and pushing the pace of games, not sitting back and waiting for them to make mistakes. We have the speed with Kessel, Bozak, Grabo, Lupul, Mac, to put the Bruins and their hardly mobile defense on their heels.

Forechecking is going to be so important. Bet your bottom dollar that Komarov, Kulemin, and McClement will play HUGE roles in any win in this series. We'll have to take it to them, so they can't play it their way.

We can beat Boston. I aint Scurrrrd.

BTFB, Ladies and Gents!

I agree. we need to go back to basics. We need our cycle/forecheck game to come up. Also, I think that we need to practice set ups based on faceoff LOSSES. Bergeron is back, so that's going to be hard.. Randy is all about set plays. so if you play as if you lost it, you can minimize the point shots that can lead to goals.

 

[Mikeyg]

I am the only 1 who is optimistic? look at the games against them this year. 1st game 4th line gets burned and we lose 1-0, then we lost 1 in the shootout (which honestly we were the better team) and then we won a convincing 1 too, lets do this

 

[Lebanese Leaf]

as a hockey fan, this series will be entertaining as hell.

as a habs fan, cant believe im gonna say this.....go Leafs go. If any team is going to crush your playoff run, I want it to be mine.

Habs handed the 2nd seed to the Bruins on a silver plater for the past two week and they still came up short a point. B's are a mess, I think all the pessismist Leafs fans shoudl rejoice, I think it'll be easier than you think.

Its gonna be fun to watch and I gotta admit, its fun to see you guys back in the playoffs again.

Good luck and hopefully see you in the 2nd round.

Cheers, good luck with Ottawa and I'm hopefully we will be back to hating each other in round 2 in an epic head to head!

 

[EDDIE20*]

as a hockey fan, this series will be entertaining as hell.

as a habs fan, cant believe im gonna say this.....go Leafs go. If any team is going to crush your playoff run, I want it to be mine.

Habs handed the 2nd seed to the Bruins on a silver plater for the past two week and they still came up short a point. B's are a mess, I think all the pessismist Leafs fans shoudl rejoice, I think it'll be easier than you think.

Its gonna be fun to watch and I gotta admit, its fun to see you guys back in the playoffs again.

Good luck and hopefully see you in the 2nd round.

Thanks mang and back at ya. Here's to the Habs embarassing the Sens. I hope you guys invade SBP and make Melnyk sweat bullets.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Schedule:

man oh man. (sigh).

I loathe Wednesday games LOL
so we have to wait till Wednesday then wait till Sunday. but this will help our owies.

 

[cup67]

Leafs in 7

leafs in 6, we send boston golfing at home.

 

[Stephen]

Leafs should do what they did a long time ago in a playoffs series against a heavily favoured Hawks team with Chelios and Suter. Just hit Chara and co. every chance. Even those type of guys have to eventually break down

The Hawks were not heavily favored that year, we were the 3rd seed and they were the 6th, but your point remains valid and hopefully Reimer pitches three 1-0 shutouts...

 

[dimi78]

Randy Carlyle has been masterful with the line up this year, going to be interesting who he decides to get in. Needless to say Orr and Mclaren are going to be in for body work, you need all 24 players on the roster to win, the grinders are just as valuable but aren't noticed, we need to wear down Bergeron and Chara, they are the keys to Boston, beat them, lean on them and you stand a good chance to win this series.

Leafs should do what they did a long time ago in a playoffs series against a heavily favoured Hawks team with Chelios and Suter. Just hit Chara and co. every chance. Even those type of guys have to eventually break down

How do you guys expect to hit and wear these guys down when the Leafs biggest issue is to sustain an offensive cycle? I got news for both of you NOT GOING TO HAPPEN... The Leafs stand no chance if they try to dumb there game down to out grit the Bruins. Sadly and I hate to say this but Carlyle wont dress his best team needed to beat the Bruins which will put it squarely on the shoulders of Reimer being the first, second and third star to get past them.

To stand a chance this assuming Boston plays to there abilities just so everybody understands the context:

- Kessel needs to continue playing the way he has
- The JVR from Philly in the playoffs needs to show up
- Bozak needs to play with more gumption, take matters in his own hands in using JVR more than constantly feeding into the double shadow that's on Kessel to make things happen cause if he doesn't Kessel will get shut down like he has vs Boston and that line will be ineffective
- Kadri and Lupul need to be at there best
- Grabo needs to show up
-Reimer needs to match Rask save for save

That's just to have a chance but unfortunately a couple of roster and strategic decisions will be the nail in the coffin. Frattin will sit for MacArthur which will be a huge mistake and not having Gardiner or allowing Lilies/Phaneuf to jump into the attack will cost this team the series IMO. Offense more important offensive pressure from the D to sustain an offensive cycle the lack of it will be the teams down fall if all things are equal and Boston brings there (A) game.

Hoping and rooting for the Leafs right down to the last second but I don't like the Leafs on this match up.

 

[garce]

Anybody giving up on this series is too young to remember our series' against Ottawa.

Don't **** your britches yet, boys and girls. Playoff magic >>>>>> Christmas miracles

Right on, there was no way the Leafs could beat the Sens, they were too young fast, talented and so on, this has a definite similar feeling, it's a coin flip at worst, take it to them and give the skill guys room, hammer their D!

 

[crump]

Leafs haven't played Boston in the Playoffs since 1974. Could be a classic.