Post-Game Talk: Leafs beat Connor Hellebuyck 4-3, end 3 game skid in OT

[Amadeus]

By the way Zach Hyman was the Ieafs best player tonight and I thought one of his best games ever

Agreed

 

[ACC1224]

I'm not missing your point at all... I'm being facetious because I don't think it's adding much to the conversation to suggest that Toronto would be excellent if they could simply add the defending Vezina winner, one of the two best goalies in the world.

I think that's fairly obvious. No?

I think the frustration is people see that as something that is going to hold the team back.

 

[IPS]

He is paid like a mid-tier goalie, that's essentially what he is. Honestly, which one of those 3 shots was actually stopable? Leafs had a ton of high danger chances, but how many of them actually reflected that when they went on net? We shot into Helle a bunch, or went in too close on breakaways trying to beat him low.

Paid like a mid tier goalie who's been playing at the level of a 3rd stringer this year.

At the end of the day, his stats tell the story. He's rocking a .902 SV% on a team that's got the 7th best GAA in the league. Nothing else needs to be said.

He has the WORST SV% out of all starting goalies who's teams are in the top-10 GAA. It's so damn obvious he's the weak link of the team right now.

 

[zeke]

Thing is, what’s your point? Is it that hellebuyck is better then andersen, well no one on planet earth will disagree with you. Is it that he is overrated?? Well most rank him at a below average to average starter/1A, so that’s not an overrate. Is it that you just don’t like the guy? Maybe, I can’t read your mind, so I can’t actually give that answer. Focusing on the one negative in an otherwise positive game is beyond dumb. He didn’t play good, no, but he wasn’t trash either, he was an average goalie who let in 2 goals he, in terms of ability probably can’t save, and 1, the first, he should’ve done a better job and probably saved it.
Just enjoy the win, it’s much better for you

The point is anyone saying that the Leafs' skaters played poorly in any way whatsoever is out to lunch.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Most pucks deflected from 10 feet out are a pure game of chance. No goalie has the reflexes to stop that consistently.

Not going to argue with you but it’s pretty much a given it’s going in with Freddy. You have a chance with other starters in this league but Andersen has not been able to read plays and react the way he has in years past and his save percentage reflects that despite tending for a team that has gotten tighter defensively.

 

[Cynical]

The Leafs playes pissed today. You didn't see this from this team in previous years when they lost a couple of games. The Leafs played well enough to score 7-8 goals. Hellebuyck played well enough to get a shutout. Leafs still put 4 behind him.

 

[Big Muddy]

What a game - very entertaining. Hellebuyck stood on his head. Leafs with all kinds of chances.

Important win.

 

[Stephen]

Every goal that goes by him for the remainder of the year will be under a microscope. It doesn't matter how good the goal is in reality, or how many of the same quality goals the Leafs score against other goaltenders... Every non-shutout will be treated as if he's the worst ever.

Call him out when it's due. But why fabricate hate for player when it's undeserved? 2 of the 3 goals tonight were saves he had no business making. Surprise, the Jets have great forwards too. The first goal, he has to save. Toronto absolutely needs that save.

He needs to be better. A lot better. But the hatred is over the top. It's no longer rational.

Also... Your goalie is struggling a little bit right now. How about as a team you stop coughing up odd man rushes like they're candy caught in your throat? You know, team effort and all that...

Sorry man, this reads like the "voice of reason" call in a post-game radio show, but I think it's missing the mark and ignoring a lot of bad Andersen history.

The idea that a goalie "had no chance" on X shots, so therefore it's not his fault is reasonable on the surface, but a workhorse starter's job is actually to make big saves to preserve a win, give his team a chance and ultimately to help win a playoff series.

It's not that Andersen was hung out to dry on a 2 on 1, it's what the goalie at the other end is doing, and the excuses just means he's not even in a goalie battle, not even making that one team lifting save.

Look at the elimination games they've played with him in net.

It's Liam Foudy squeaking one in on an improbably weird angle shot for Columbus in Game 5.

It's Joakim Nordstrom doing the same, short side glove in Game 7 for Boston the year before.

It's the cheap Marchand tip in at the start of the 3rd in Game 7 to blow a 4-3 lead, then minutes later Jake DeBrusk streaking in to make it 5-4 in Game 7 the year before that on a harmless right wing drive.

The cheap dribbler by Washington to tie it 1-1 after Matthews opened the scoring deep in the 3rd period of a 0-0 game.

So many ill-timed, soft, backbreaking, heartbreaking, deflating goals.

 

[The Beyonder]

I'm tired of these refs and their "we don't want to decide the game" mentality. By choosing that they ultimately and actively decide the game. The only way they could not decide them is if they actually call it by the rules.

That Rielly slash is as blatant as it gets, they turned 3on3 to a 3on2 in front of the net.

 

[Antropovsky]

yiu do realize marner made a great defensive play by the crease to get the puck up to rielly

Typical leaf fan

....... so your saying if a player makes a low percentage play that is not scored on, but later makes a good defensive play "all's good"? @notdoneyet What happens if Winnipeg scored on Marners turnover... then the good defensive play later couldn't have happened. Then what would your response have been? Not all good? ---- Can't wait for your response.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Damn what a game that was, a little bit of everything. Overcoming adversity, never give up, stopped our three game skid and what a way to end it. Auston (the franchise) Matthews, he with his wrist at 80% or whatever it is scores an absolutely filthy goal that few in the world are capable of. Yep, I'm gonna be buzzing from this one all day long tomorrow.

 

[shaner82]

Doesn't matter how quality of a goal our opponents score, or how many odd man rushes we give up, everything is Freddy's fault, all the time.

Nice finish by Matty! Nylander was great tonight too. Deserved a lot better. Tavares was excellent too. Easily could have had a 3-4 point night.

Some people do blame Freddie for everything. Most of us are more rational though. My thoughts are that I just want Freddie to be the one that outplays the other goalie. It just doesn't happen enough. He never seems to stand on his head. He never gives us that game when we need it. He's relatively steady. Stops most easy ones. Lets in the difficult ones. Doesn't seem to stand on his head.

When it comes to playoff hockey, a hot goalie can win the series. We never seem to get that though

 

[93LEAFS]

14th G cap hit

and ATM 31rst sv% among tenders with 10+ starts

i don't about you but i see a serious imbalance here

He's pretty much been middle of the pack his entire time here.

 

[BertCorbeau]

Instead of getting dejected by Helle’s play the Leafs kept pushing .. for two games in a row. They’re finding ways to win games they hadn’t in the past. A good sign.

 

[Zybalto]

Its the playoffs. WHen time and space is taken away; how do you react? Leafs shit the bed against CBJ they gotta learn from that. Tonight they tried different things in the 3rd period and it paid off

Keefe seems to mix it up more than most coaches (and did so in the playoffs as well). Just gotta play hard and hope the bounces go your way in the playoffs. Its a sad fact that if you play switch the goalies in the Columbus series, a different team wins but I'm actually still hoping for an Andersen redemption story this year. He carried this team for so long when we sort of looked like the Jets tonight and I hope he's got one more hot streak left in him.

 

[likecheese]

By the way Zach Hyman was the Ieafs best player tonight and I thought one of his best games ever

The Hyman contract-o-meter keeps going up.
He must be a gym rat because he's a bull on skates.
He's putting on the power moves this season, '1 on 1 to the net, why am I going around this guy when I could just go through him'

 

[IrishInOntario]

It's completely missing the point when you throw in the other players you did.

Man... I obviously understand your point. Toronto is an excellent goalie away from being an elite team. I got it.

But it's a little over the top to just think they should / could have a Helle. As if the defending Vezina winner is easy to come by.

Like I said, I was clearly being facetious.

 

[RealisticLeaf55]

Hellebuyck was the only reason that game was not a blowout. The Jets are absolutely awful defensively.

We hemmed them into their own zone the entire game. They even had missed calls and tried to slash Reilly and still the Winterpeg Thrashers couldn't beat us.

You suck and your logo is stupid, Go Leafs Go.

 

[Teeder Keon]

The Hyman contract-o-meter keeps going up.
He must be a gym rat because he's a bull on skates.
He's putting on the power moves this season, '1 on 1 to the net, why am I going around this guy when I could just go through him'

His transformation into a legit top line player is stunning

 

[meefer]

Missed the game, sorry to say, but it reads well. Congrats to the boys. Sick play by JT to set up Willy. Watched the Matthews goal a few times and I'm still trying to figure it out, jeez that was a move.
Looking forward to seeing the game in 6, sounds like Helly had a heck of a game.

Speaking of goalies, it would be nice to come here and enjoy a thread where we are happy about the result and not so focused on breaking down any individual's strengths and weaknesses. Just for a change, something different...a collective moment of positive zen.

Yeaaaaaah, that'll never

 

[Alerion]

Insane that Winnipeg got 3/4 points from those 2 games (well, really, Helle did) burning glad the Leafs kept pushing and found a way to win. Dropping 4 in a row, even while playing well, would have really sucked but they fought through a ton of adversity to get a W tonight. Unfortunately, they need to do it again Saturday.

 

[PromisedLand]

Goaltending is such an essential part of any team.

A good goalie makes a team look better.
A bad goalie makes a team look worse.

Its not difficult. Now ofcourse there are so many variables that go into a good and bad goalie.

Sometimes a good goalie looks like a bad goalie bc of stupid D mistakes.

Sometimes a bad goalie looks good bc of smart and composed D men.

most of the folks that talk about high danger chances they look at natural statrk to talk about it not actually what happened.

Some absolutely STUPID examples of high danger chances

• Player was in to close to make it dangerous
• Player's shot was high and wide or into the crest
• Player's shot was deflected or well defended
• etc...

These all count in HDCF% or high danger chances but of course "context" goes right out of the window when people just look at numbers without context.

Like you said no goalie in the world including prime Hasek or Roy would continute to make saves if the the slot chances are open even if few.

Freddy is a good goalie just not a vezina caliber goalie. He has more wins than losses for this season. He is 13-5-2 for the season yet you will see posts like "he is the 2nd best goalie on most nights"

Then again once cannot argue with moronic narratives LOL one can only ignore them

 

[Jojalu]

Tampa sucks. Gave up 6 in a loss to Detroit

 

[IrishInOntario]

I think the frustration is people see that as something that is going to hold the team back.

I've never made the argument that Toronto shouldn't be looking to upgrade Anderson. I'm all for it.

I get annoyed when fans expect Anderson to be the better of the two goalies on a routine basis, regardless of who the opponent is, when he's never shown us that he can be that for long stretches.

It's bordering on the definition of insanity. Blame the the GM for not upgrading the goalie. Don't blame the goalie for being, essentially, who he is.

 

[MattySnipes]

Keefe seems to mix it up more than most coaches (and did so in the playoffs as well). Just gotta play hard and hope the bounces go your way in the playoffs. Its a sad fact that if you play switch the goalies in the Columbus series, a different team wins but I'm actually still hoping for an Andersen redemption story this year. He carried this team for so long when we sort of looked like the Jets tonight and I hope he's got one more hot streak left in him.

Tbh Zybo,

I rmbr when Freddie looked like like Hellebuyck did this series. It was few yrs ago, when team was weaker.

He faced league high amount of rubber.