Post-Game Talk: Leafs beat the Kings - B2B shutouts

[Gallagbi]

For some idiotic reason we'll end up playing Boston or Tampa in the first round and itll be a Game 7 coinflip. Again.

Just once I want to get some team that is ripe for the picking. Like a dysfunctional team that just rolls over and is done in 4 games.

Why the hell do we get a Stanley Cup finalist/winner every year? It's infuriating

There arent many dysfunctional teams in the playoffs and I think we were close to it vs. CLB, but didnt seize the opportunity. Losing game 1 and blowing game 3 killed any hope of an easy series. Even MTL was ripe blowing that Game 5 lead and we pissed it away.

We simply need to win a playoff series, and eventually that coin flip has to come up heads...right?

 

[egd27]

This time it's gonna be different.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

We are going to win the cup aren’t we

There is soooo much luck in winning a Cup. By that I mean injuries, bounces, officiating, etc. Another is simply being hot at the right time. We need a run like this one at the right time.

Encouraging to me is that despite all the injuries and specifically to our areas of perceived weakness, we seem to be able to plug and play or “next man up”. I am hoping that means not only can we weather the storm but we are the storm. Also encouraging to me is that despite scoring being its highest since like 93-94, we have yet to score more than 5 and have only hit that four times…..we aren’t playing or winning track meets, yet we have some of the best offensive players in the world. Almost feels like you have a Mike Tyson knockout uppercut in your arsenal but you are getting the job done without it…..pity the fool that doesn’t realize it’s there.

 

[Jojalu]

Say what you will about Keefe but his system seems to allow the Leafs to switch players in and out seamlessly.

Timmis after practicing a few times sems to get it. Mete and Benn were fine.

Every forward seems to have bought in.

If only they had scored in OT last year in game 6...

 

[notDatsyuk]

This is shinny season. What if he doesn’t give 100% in the playoffs again?
That’s his biggest hurdle

And yet he's been one of our best playoff performers over the last couple of years.

Go figure.

 

[therealkoho]

The cowboy

Put the saddle on the stove ma, cause we're riding the range tonight!

 

[Nineteen67]

In the name of consistency…. When we were a bit of a mess after 7-8 games, the sky was falling and everybody needed to be fired or traded… I said patience. 7-8 games is meaningless. Now, less than thirty games into the season, we’ve had one heck of a streak and firing on all cylinders…. It feels good, it’s fun to watch…. And it’s still equally meaningless. This is a qualification process for the playoffs, that’s all. By all means, enjoy this, but at the end of the day, all we will remember is the playoffs. I sure hope we finally have success, but no need to get too high, or low, in the ebbs and flows of a long season

Although the Dallas game was fun and there were some amazing saves and some goof effort, that would b a loss in the playoffs.

 

[Darch]

Fire Dubas, fire Shanahan, fire Keefe!

Haven't heard this in a few weeks...

 

[Jojalu]

This is shinny season. What if he doesn’t give 100% in the playoffs again?
That’s his biggest hurdle

Again?

He has been pretty damn good in the past tow playoffs.

Although the Dallas game was fun and there were some amazing saves and some goof effort, that would b a loss in the playoffs.

How so?

The Leafs had the better goalie. No different than Tampa last year in Game 6.

 

[kb]

This is shinny season. What if he doesn’t give 100% in the playoffs again?
That’s his biggest hurdle

Nylander is PPG over the past 3 playoffs.....the only other player on the Leafs with more points over that stretch is Matthews.

Which means....he RAISED his play in the playoffs.

Hardly unexpected from casual observers though

Again?

He has been pretty damn good in the past tow playoffs.


How so?

The Leafs had the better goalie. No different than Tampa last year in Game 6.

You are responding to all sorts of special takes there. lol

 

[ACC1224]

Again?

He has been pretty damn good in the past tow playoffs.

I don't think he's referring to points but the lack of effort at certain points.
He has been pretty good but imagine if he gave it his all? That's where the frustration kicks in.

 

[therealkoho]

I shattered a mirror today
Have 7 years bad luck
My lawyer is trying to get me off

Full service law I'm supposing?

 

[Jojalu]

I don't think he's referring to points but the lack of effort at certain points.
He has been pretty good but imagine if he gave it his all? That's where the frustration kicks in.

I think maybe there is one play where people refer to.

Other than that, Nylander brings his best effort all the time.

If you broke down tape on every player who plays near 20 mins a night, you would quickly find shifts/periods where everyone makes mistakes or has head scratching moments.

 

[Twine Tickler]

this is the best 15 game stretch of hockey that this core has played as a unit. Literally every member of the core 4 is buzzing right now. Not sure we've ever been able to say that in this core's tenure. Not even mentioning the fact that we've gone 6 periods without conceding a goal, with 2 different tendy's. Who might I add are also on the top of their games.

It really feels like a dream to see them win in this fashion. Pure dominance start to finish. Killing 9mins of PP, 5 of which being a major penalty that could have been disastrous.

I have an odd confidence with this team in situations where I once didn't. Case in point being in the first period. We utterly dominate the first 18.5 mins of that period but we don't get a goal. Gio takes a penalty and the Kings lethal PP takes the ice. We've seen this story all too many times. But this time I really had confidence that a) we'd kill the penalty b) if we didn't kill the penalty, we'd still win that game.

Life is awesome for Leafs fans right now. More of this please!!

 

[ACC1224]

I think maybe there is one play where people refer to.

Other than that, Nylander brings his best effort all the time.

If you broke down tape on every player who plays near 20 mins a night, you would quickly find shifts/periods where everyone makes mistakes or has head scratching moments.

Mistakes are understandable, pulling the chute in the playoffs is not acceptable and it's happened many times.

That said, he seems more engaged this year so perhaps he's matured and it will no longer be an issue.

 

[Dekes For Days]

This is shinny season. What if he doesn’t give 100% in the playoffs again?

This is most certainly not "shinny season", and he's never given less than 100% in the playoffs before.

Although the Dallas game was fun and there were some amazing saves and some goof effort, that would b a loss in the playoffs.

That may be a loss in the playoffs with the goaltending we've gotten in the playoffs in past years, but teams win games like that all the time in the playoffs.

 

[SprDaVE]

 

[Peasy]

I really hope the Leafs goalies will be able to out perform the oppositions goalies in a playoff series for once... Its been like 6 straight series where our goalie put up worse stats than the other. Both Campbell and Vasi weren't great games 1-6, but Vasi really out played Campbell in game 7 last year.

 

[therealkoho]

Mistakes are understandable, pulling the chute in the playoffs is not acceptable and it's happened many times.

That said, he seems more engaged this year so perhaps he's matured and it will no longer be an issue.

Yep for sure, you could see it in the pre-season, he looked like a guy who just said "I'm mad as he'll and I'm not going to take it anymore!" He was hard on the boards he was always playing at 11, most exhibition games he looked like the best player on the ice.

Will has always had that crazy elite talent and he almost always looked like he belonged with the best but this year he was the best on a lot of nights.

I have seen a lot of Leafs teams over the years and only the mid 70s teams could match this team in overall talent level, the difference in those years was the Montreal Canadiens, now this time around maybe we're the Canadiens. Let's hope it replays and Boston gets to come to Toronto to get their hearts broken.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Men against boys last night folks. Wow right from puck drop Leafs tilted ice. Virtually every shift entire game long. Team is on an incredible heater right now. Great to watch. You almost felt badly for Kings last night it was such a blowout. Every guy played well. It looks like a TEAM.

 

[AvroArrow]

I just can't stop imagining if Keefe just played Lily in the playoffs last year He's looked so f***ing good, him and Sandin have both seriously stepped up. Also Sandin has been skating SO much better this year.

 

[Peasy]

Kings sit 3rd in their division. What a lousy team. Meanwhile Tampa sits 3rd in our division and fans of the Pacific teams want to try and act like that division isnt complete garbage.

 

[GoonieFace]

Kings sit 3rd in their division. What a lousy team. Meanwhile Tampa sits 3rd in our division and fans of the Pacific teams want to try and act like that division isnt complete garbage.

Honestly, no team seems all that intimidating this year. Just make the playoffs and play who you play, it shouldn’t matter. If this team continues this type of play, they will succeed

 

[Zybalto]

It's funny how having solid goaltending changes the perception of basically the same team D as last season and pretty much Keefe's entire tenure.

Sure, the core is into its prime now too but having injury riddled sullen Andersen, Sparks, Hutch, Kallgren, No save Dave, Mrazek, Kaskisuo really hurt the overall team performance. The best goalie the Leafs have had under Keefe was current worst in the NHL goalie Campbell and both Andersen and Campbell choked hard in big playoff games. The confidence in the room goaltending stability brings cannot be overstated,

An argument can be made that, right now, Murray and Samsonov may be the first actual healthy, legit NHL starters to even play for the Leafs under Keefe.

Was "NHL All-Star" Campbell a product of an incredible team with no other options with the Covid cap freeze?

Really interesting to see how this plays out.

 

[CapspaceKiller]

I cannot praise the defense of the big 4 enough. Leading by example