Post-Game Talk: Leafs begin season with a WIN. 6-5 in the shootout

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It was season opener but really played like another exhibition game .. outside of 4th line no one even put out a sweat .. but we beat Habs so got to stick it to my buddy again .. and watching skill of Matty is undeniable .. but everyone could see our D is not NHL caliber .. some guys had horrific nights but overall that is an AHL D .. ok Tre you got to fix it .. you know it .. you have said it to many already .. best of luck .. but get it done after holidays when games get tougher and time and space on puck closes in on playoff dial .. in meantime we will watch shinny hockey and hopefully pile up points when league is a don't get hurt mode .. for all da offensive youngins who love da skill and goals that time is for you .. have fun .. ps from JT da ice was pure garbage (way way way to wet and bumpy)
 
I watched habs game again and sorry everyone who saying leafs had a bad defensive game... watch this game again because youre probably only watched highlight... leafs d was most better than whats score suggesting
They were mostly OK for the first game of the season with some outstanding blunders and the Habs getting every bounce they could have prayed for. A lot of new forwards in important roles who don't know quite where to be in our end gave Habs forwards too much time and space as well
 
They were mostly OK for the first game of the season with some outstanding blunders and the Habs getting every bounce they could have prayed for. A lot of new forwards in important roles who don't know quite where to be in our end gave Habs forwards too much time and space as well

Outside of 5 goal habs scored leafs didn't allowed a lot of things... i count maybe 4 good scoring chance and allen made probably 9 of 10 best saves in that game
 
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I mean, they had grade A opportunities, often because the team let him down.

Goal 1, Brodie falls, breakaway.
Goal 2, D pinches, nobody covers 3 on 1.
Goal 3, Deflection he never saw.
Goal 4, Deflection he never saw.
Goal 5, Liljegren fans on the puck, bad giveaway and it's in the back of the net.

Now, of course you'd like your goalie to be better... but I mean this team put him in a bad position time and time again. I'm not going to roast the goalie, when the goals were scored the way that they were. We were a tire fire defensively, all around... but they got the win, and in the end that's all that matters. They will improve as the season goes.
Except for the D pinching what really is bad D?

Brodie falling is just a fluke. Same with Lily fanning on a pass. Both those happen every game to dmen.

Deflections are what they are. You could argue that maybe guys need to be boxed out better.

Althiugh xga is not perfect, it does help paint a picture of what really was happening.

The Leafs really did limit Montreal to very little.
 
Outside of 5 goal habs scored leafs didn't allowed a lot of things... i count maybe 4 good scoring chance and allen made probably 9 of 10 best saves in that game
Yeah they cashed on every opportunity we gave them. They just happened to big ones. Habs fans are drunk blaming Allen for the loss. Samsonov definitely had the worse/unluckier night of the two
 
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Not exactly a confidence inspiring game, unless your name is Auston Freakin' Matthews.

Too early for reactions, but this game definitely did nothing to assuage the fear that age is finally catching up with Gio and Brodie.

Brodie in particular was the glue that held our defense together. That's concerning.


Shake off that rust and Go Leafs Go!
 
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I'm still curious why they didn't re-sign Schenn. He was affordable, always physical, and played very well with Rielly.

I guess because in the dying seconds and elimination games they need a lot of offense in the playoffs which they certainly have now.

Not exactly a confidence inspiring game, unless your name is Auston Freakin' Matthews.

Too early for reactions, but this game definitely did nothing to assuage the fear that age is finally catching up with Gio and Brodie.

Brodie in particular was the glue that held our defense together. That's concerning.


Shake off that rust and Go Leafs Go!

I wouldn't even judge anything until after 10 games. Even then teams aren't in mid-season form yet. I think we can see without watching any games that this roster is not a top 10 defensive team anymore, but is almost undeniably a top 3 offensive team if not not number 1.
 
Sounds like an excuse for the team tripping over their own feet.

I'm sure the ice wasn't great, as it's been reported that SB doesn't have the best ice - there was an article about it on the Athletic:


However, I don't think I saw one Habs player trip on the exact same ice - so it seems to be an excuse.
i did, multiple times.
there was also a drake concert the night before i believe, considering its garbage normally im sure it was even worse.

marner didnt play well, but the ice always has been/is an issue for a high skill team like the leafs
 
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Except for the D pinching what really is bad D?

Brodie falling is just a fluke. Same with Lily fanning on a pass. Both those happen every game to dmen.

Deflections are what they are. You could argue that maybe guys need to be boxed out better.

Althiugh xga is not perfect, it does help paint a picture of what really was happening.

The Leafs really did limit Montreal to very little.

Especially when the quality of the ice is bad like marner said after game, he changed the way in SO because of this bad quality. Just watch suzuki in SO, an other exemple of bad quality of the ice.
 
The more I watch this scrum the more I like Burt. He has no idea where the puck is but the whistle hasn't gone and he just jabs his stick in there and starts throwing punches. This team is going to have some snarl this year and I am here for it.

 
A good number of so called fans left after Montreal scored goal 5.
Seven minutes left and the building started to clear out. LOL. I cannot imagine leaving a game with 7 minutes left, get on the go train, get home, check the score, and see that the Leafs won in a shoot out.

Outside of 5 goal habs scored leafs didn't allowed a lot of things... i count maybe 4 good scoring chance and allen made probably 9 of 10 best saves in that game

I agree.

25 minutes without a shot at one point. Tough to be a goalie when you are cold and then there is a random turn over.

View attachment 752180
 
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Seven minutes left and the building started to clear out. LOL. I cannot imagine leaving a game with 7 minutes left, get on the go train, get home, check the score, and see that the Leafs won in a shoot out.



I agree.

25 minutes without a shot at one point. Tough to be a goalie when you are cold and then there is a random turn over.

View attachment 752180
As you probably know if you go to all the games like me 3k attendees leave every game with 5 to 10 minutes left to beat traffic .. i don't unless it is a blowout but it has been fairly common for regular season games for past 20+ years I have been going .. we have a ton of corporate types at games now and bottom line it is not their $$$ .. to me based on visuals over da years it is more people in lower deck who leave early .. most of us upstairs don't because we are actually paying for our tickets
 
I'm still curious why they didn't re-sign Schenn. He was affordable, always physical, and played very well with Rielly.
His regular season effectiveness was not nearly as good as the much smaller playoff sample. I don't think they were sure which version they would get with an extension. He got paid like playoff Schenn.
 
The more I watch this scrum the more I like Burt. He has no idea where the puck is but the whistle hasn't gone and he just jabs his stick in there and starts throwing punches. This team is going to have some snarl this year and I am here for it.


My favourite part of that scrum is seeing Matthews, along with Rielly and Gio, aggressively jumping into the fray in defence of Bertuzzi. That’s new. No hesitation support for teammates from everybody is something that’s been lacking for too long.
 


Wednesday night's season opener was a sloppy, back-and-forth game. The Leafs managed to thoroughly outshoot and outplay the Habs, but nobody in Toronto, player or coach, left Scotiabank Arena satisfied by anything but the end result. There was, however, one extremely important moment in the game that seems to be getting overlooked.

Midway through the second period, Bertuzzi and Matthews came oh so close to burying on a nifty give and go play. Bertuzzi took an extra poke at the puck under Jake Allen and was immediately jumped by two Habs. Here's the important part. As soon as they saw their teammate involved in a scrum, both Matthews and Marner immediately joined in with enthusiasm. While Marner was first to intervene, he was quickly put in a headlock and pulled away from the altercation, but Matthews sped into the huddle and grabbed a body immediately afterward. This is something that neither have done with any regularity in the past.
 
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Wednesday night's season opener was a sloppy, back-and-forth game. The Leafs managed to thoroughly outshoot and outplay the Habs, but nobody in Toronto, player or coach, left Scotiabank Arena satisfied by anything but the end result. There was, however, one extremely important moment in the game that seems to be getting overlooked.

Midway through the second period, Bertuzzi and Matthews came oh so close to burying on a nifty give and go play. Bertuzzi took an extra poke at the puck under Jake Allen and was immediately jumped by two Habs. Here's the important part. As soon as they saw their teammate involved in a scrum, both Matthews and Marner immediately joined in with enthusiasm. While Marner was first to intervene, he was quickly put in a headlock and pulled away from the altercation, but Matthews sped into the huddle and grabbed a body immediately afterward. This is something that neither have done with any regularity in the past.

I pointed out during the game they looked more aggressive and a few, not surprisingly I guess, didn't like it.
I don't know how anyone can view it as a bad thing.
 
The more I watch this scrum the more I like Burt. He has no idea where the puck is but the whistle hasn't gone and he just jabs his stick in there and starts throwing punches. This team is going to have some snarl this year and I am here for it.



It's a PIM but it's a PIM that is rarely called, players dig for the puck in the goalie equipment ALL the time. So if you are going to call it in Game One you better call it in Game Forty Two ... the inconsistency is incredibly fusterating.
 
I pointed out during the game they looked more aggressive and a few, not surprisingly I guess, didn't like it.
I don't know how anyone can view it as a bad thing.
Some fans prefer figure skating to real hockey. :wg:

With Bert on line #1 and Domi on line #2 and Reaves setting the tone with a big hit & fight that the entire Leafs team played a bigger game and more physical game.

To me this is exactly what new GM BT was looking for by his additions and we should see this more all regular season long, and not simply stocking up for playoff time to play a heavier game. IMO
 
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