Post-Game Talk: Leafs complete their annual October punking by LA

[JL17]

They keep changing the bottom 6 guys but this shows the same attributes for the last 5 years. Losing to teams they shouldn’t, blowing leads, sleep walking thru 50 minutes then playing urgent hockey in thr last 10, starting on time. The starting on time goes back to Babcock so the core is creating these problems. They year almost feels like last year. Marners been a disaster Matthews started hot but cooled off. JT started off well but they’ll be an incoming 10-15-20 disappearing act. Nylander seems to be the exception right now.

 

[Racer88]

Same core same coach same results. All the fiddling around with the secondary players is never going to make a difference. This group is so poorly constructed and indifferent many nights it’s pathetic

 

[Niagara Bill]

We now have this great pp play with 2 guys skating and 3 guys standing still. That is one less than before standing still.
If MM and AM think this basketball play is good, that shows us why we cannot win. It is a team game. The flying V as perfected by the Ducks and Emilio Estevez at least had all the players moving.

 

[supermann_98]

Every Leaf player should be embarrassed by that effort. Period.

They've shown time and time again they feel no embarrassment in losing. They jump in their Lamborghini's and Ferrari's and go about their lives completely unaffected by a loss, a lesson we as fans should probably all learn (in less pricey vehicles obviously)

 

[Nineteen67]

This will never yield success in the playoffs. If you can't grind and outwork your opponent you are going to lose. In a 7 game series WILL over SKILL

Its always been that way and it always will be.

And when you have limited skill you’d better have a lot of will

Colorado didn't will their way to the cup, they were by far the most skilled team.

Their skill and lesser skill also had will.

 

[leafers]

This isn't a coaching issue. The additions just haven't worked and thats on the GM for bringing them in. Keefe also has limited options on the PK. Another coach isn't going to make Reaves into an NHL player

Keefe just can’t motivate this team for whatever reason the same way a Pat Quinn was able to and it seems he is also getting out coached since less talented teams are outplaying us.

I feel like even if he finds the perfect line combinations he just isn’t the right coach for this team.

No one finishes a check on this team even though they have the players for it. No one creates energy when they need momentum even though they have the players for it.

Does Keefe tell them to do all these things and the players are not following order?
In that case they have tuned him out.

If he doesn’t then we need a more hard nosed coach (not Torts or any bs like that) to bring out the best out of this group.

 

[Nineteen67]

The questions / unknowns going into the season are getting answered, and the answers are almost all negative. Goaltending and at least 1/2 the top line wingers are positive, the rest has not been good.

 

[Dayjobdave]

LA is a big, physical team with strong defensive centres. Terrible matchup for our dipsy doodling in the O zone.

Indid like putting Nylander up with M&M though. Just push in the chips and go for it.

 

[Nineteen67]

Keefe just can’t motivate this team for whatever reason the same way a Pat Quinn was able to and it seems he is getting out coached since less talented teams are outplaying us.

I feel like even if he finds the perfect line combinations he just isn’t the right coach for this team.

No one finishes a check on this team even though they have the players for it. No one creates energy when they need momentum even though they have the players for it.

Does Keefe tell them to do all these things and the players are not following order?
In that case they have tuned him out.

If he doesn’t then we need a more hard nosed coach (not Torts or any bs like that) to bring out the best out of this group.

I don’t think Keefe is the answer because they do the same thing over and over and the results have been the same.
The bigger problem is management. Dubas was a disaster and had no clue how to build around the core. He tried hard, but he failed.
I’ll give Treliving a chance, but he doesn’t exude confidence and I don’t think he’ll last long, which might be a good thing considering the cap space they’ll have after this year.

 

[thusk]

The team came from a long road trip... the 1st home game after most of the time is the hardest one... they came back i their family, child didn't saw their father last 10 days so they want to spend time with it, their wife or girlfriend want to see him involve in the house, etc...

Shiuld that be really surprising than leafs level of energy was at his lower this season?!?!?!

Youre adding they gave up an unlucky 1st goal, LAK scored a 2nd goal, nothing to help to bring energy in that game... yeah its those kind of game pretty hard for everyone.

If they are playing that way thursday vs Boston, i will be a little bit more concern than this one..

Yes they could be better in october like they could be worst ( # oilers) but at the end 5-3-1 but at the end that still 100 pts space... its okay and leafs will still continu to grow up ans build chemistry

 

[CDN24]

Colorado didn't will their way to the cup, they were by far the most skilled team.

Will and skill are not mutually exclusive, a team and an individual player can have both. Colorado and the leader Mckinnon had both in spades.

 

[leafers]

I don’t think Keefe is the answer because they do the same thing over and over and the results have been the same.
The bigger problem is management. Dubas was a disaster and had no clue how to build around the core. He tried hard, but he failed.
I’ll give Treliving a chance, but he doesn’t exude confidence and I don’t think he’ll last long, which might be a good thing considering the cap space they’ll have after this year.

I believe the pieces are in place but are not being used to their max and that doesn’t necessarily need to be management related. If Tre was to fire him and replace him with a worse coach then yes I would agree the management is an issue, but it’s too early to tell right now.

 

[LeafalCrusader]

Honestly cannot believe how useless Bertuzzi has been

Giving me Nick Ritchie flashbacks.

 

[notbias]

Will and skill are not mutually exclusive, a team and an individual player can have both. Colorado and the leader Mckinnon had both in spades.

Did he stop trying the year after or all those years before?

My issue is people saying that trying and wanting to win the most does anything... every team is putting it on the line to win.

 

[ToneDog]

Defense is terrible. Not winning anything when 40 year old Gio is your toughest dman.

Klingberg makes Barrie look good in his end.
Brodie on the decline
McCabe another Dubas flop so far
Lily -Sorry, I do not see what others see in this guy.

Rielly -only dman we do not need an upgrade on. Although his acting is terrible but not as bad as Hyman.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

I turned the game on in the first period and noticed all sorts of Keefe line blender stuff. I said to myself: "the Leafs are in for a long night".

I know you have to try to see if different things work. I just feel like the long preseason should be that time, and not October 31st.

I don't think it's doom and gloom time, but BT/Keefe have their work cut out for them.

 

[CDN24]

Did he stop trying the year after or all those years before?

My issue is people saying that trying and wanting to win the most does anything... every team is putting it on the line to win.

I agree in that only one team can win. Wanting it more does not mean you are guaranteed to win. We rarely see a repeat winner these days (Tampa making it to the finals 3 years in a row is the exception). The effort required to win it all takes a lot out of a team- rare to see a finalist make it back the next season.

That said, talent alone will not win it. You have to be willing to do more than the other guy, sacrifice more and you need the depth. Every winner has at least one series they got through because their depth out worked/out scored and out performed the other teams depth. The top lines often just cancel each other out.

Some teams/players are putting more on the line to win than others.

 

[fahad203]

Still too early. Leafs look like a decent team but just not contenders
A lot of teams just look better. Vegas, Boston, NJ

Anyways, I didn't watch the full game. It's time for a different voice. Keefe is no longer fit to run this team or take it to the next level

His time has come and gone.

 

[ToneDog]

I agree in that only one team can win. Wanting it more does not mean you are guaranteed to win. We rarely see a repeat winner these days (Tampa making it to the finals 3 years in a row is the exception). The effort required to win it all takes a lot out of a team- rare to see a finalist make it back the next season.

That said, talent alone will not win it. You have to be willing to do more than the other guy, sacrifice more and you need the depth. Every winner has at least one series they got through because their depth out worked/out scored and out performed the other teams depth. The top lines often just cancel each other out.

Some teams/players are putting more on the line to win than others.

Sums it up pretty good.

 

[Gilmour1996]

The team came from a long road trip... the 1st home game after most of the time is the hardest one... they came back i their family, child didn't saw their father last 10 days so they want to spend time with it, their wife or girlfriend want to see him involve in the house, etc...

If I used that excuse in my job I wouldn't last very long. Employers in the real world expect an acceptable performance level no matter what's going on with home life. These players have no accountability to their employer or their fans.

 

[Arzak]

The Leafs should be embarassed. Thoroughly outworked all night.

All of the new additions have been non-factors at best, and complete tire fires (Klingberg) at worst.

Marner better wake up in November, because he has been awful.

Redeem yourselves next game.

Marner got an assist. Almost PPG now!

 

[ToneDog]

Marner got an assist. Almost PPG now!

Mitch needs a few more Empty net goals to pad his stats. Talk about an embarrassing month for the best RWer to ever play the game. He's got lots of work to do to win the Selke let alone the Hart as one poster predicted.

Meanwhile in Boston, Pasta just keeps on getting it done. No Bergeron or Krejci, no problem.

 

[Darch]

Soft defense core stuck in a bad defensive system. How many times will those D cough up the puck and be unable to exit the zone?

Matthews has been pretty shit since game 2

6 in 2 —> 10 in 9
4 in past 7 seems playoffs have come early

Marner playing in a way where I wouldn’t even want to sign him

Nylander probably had his worst game, Tavares had the goal but was pretty awful too

Woll had a meh game, should’ve stopped one of the 4 but this is his second loss and both times we scored 1 goal

I disagree with the Matthews comment. He's been doing so much more than scoring goals. And every time he touches the puck I'm amazed as the hands. The things he can do...

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Da Kings are a Cup contender with Avs and Vegas this year .. da views from da cheap seats last night showed a big fast nasty Kings team, especially on their D, just choking out our skilled Leaf forwards .. Kings will be a tough out in playoffs with that D .. just another good picture for Tree to witness last night .. we need almost a complete revamp of our D before playoffs .. right now we got Rielly Lily and McCabe and that's it folks .. Gio and Brodie are washed .. Klinberg is damaged goods and has lost 3 or 4 steps this year .. hope he goes on LTIR soon .. get to work Tree .. as you know D wins when games get to 0-0 battles in playoffs

 

[Nineteen67]

I believe the pieces are in place but are not being used to their max and that doesn’t necessarily need to be management related. If Tre was to fire him and replace him with a worse coach then yes I would agree the management is an issue, but it’s too early to tell right now.

I don’t think they have all the pieces in place, but they have really solid base to build around when they free up some cap space. However, I don’t have a lot of confidence Treliving will use it properly. We’ll see.