Post-Game Talk: LEAFS defeat montreal hockey team 2-1

[The Best Leafs Ever]

He should be ready for the next few rounds just in case. If the habs want to wear down Price, let them.

If we have a clear advantage of Montreal, we need to be practicing our PP and getting guys like Andersen up to speed.

Us finishing games faster is a much better way to give the goalies rest than the way you just mentioned. Wearing down is part of the game, if they can't even do that in a short season... Anyways my point is that we don't have a solid 1B type back up so we can not afford to lose a playoff game. Maybe if we won the first one but not today.

 

[Zybalto]

He's probably the only reason we are not 3-0 with a major differential right now.

Montreal has been able to shut us down for spurts, but we always manage to break through and force Price to make a lot of high quality saves.

I think as people were saying, Colorado-St. Louis is the only series which has looked more lopsided at this point and St. Louis looked like they had no business of being in the playoffs this year at all. They were the worst team in the playoffs going up against the President's winner. Went about how you would expect.

Montreal isnt all that bad a team with good Price in net really. They are essentially an upgraded team of the one that took out the Pens last year. The "North is a terrible division" nonsense really did infect too many folks out there, even some usually sensible ones. The Leafs are 62-29-12 with Keefe behind the bench despite being near the top of the league in injury issues. The reluctance to call the Leafs a top team is probably tied to that dumb narrative.

 

[Nylander88]

I don't mean to point out the obvious, but the TSN turning point of this series seems to be the inclusion of Pierre Engvall

I actually really liked the makeshift line of Mikheyev-Engvall-Simmonds. Thought they were disruptive, and Wayne Train played with more tempo next to two faster guys

 

[kb]

Jack Campbell: .951% and 1.35 GAA in 3 playoff games.

If Andersen starts tomorrow, that's management saying they don't care about winning.

Or it says he's still nursing his injury and they don't want to risk making it worse. Not the best take.....

 

[Gallagbi]

Run of play in the series so far is the 2nd most lopsided of the post season is what Im saying.

Im not saying it always results in a series win (the Oilers had far more of the puck and scoring chances than the Jets but still got swept, Helle is good) but its just a fact...one that we havnt seen with this team the last 4 years.

They keep it up and they will take the series.

Last nights third was a solid push by the Habs but, unlike a team like the Jets, they have issues with finishing that are rearing their heads yet again. I'm also not a fan of the Leafs sitting on a lead and taking their foot off the pedal but the Habs killed themselves trying for the tying goal and lets see if it affects their performance tonight. Wouldnt be surprised to see the Leafs looking much fresher of the two teams.

How much of that was the really fantastic 2nd game though? Game 1&3 were closer than I'd like, even with Game 3 basically being all a 3rd period shell.

 

[The Podium]

Didnt know where else to post this, is there no GDT? If there is im assuming I have whomever made it on my ignore list

 

[Gallagbi]

Didnt know where else to post this, is there no GDT? If there is im assuming I have whomever made it on my ignore list

Promise land made the GDT, but @Daisy Jane showed us a cool trick where if you scroll down all the where there's a "Show ignored threads" option

 

[The Podium]

Promise land made the GDT, but @Daisy Jane showed us a cool trick where if you school down all the where there's a "Show ignored threads" option

I like that he's ignored so much that it required solving the issue

 

[Gallagbi]

I like that he's ignored so much that it required solving the issue

In fairness that wasn't for this GDT, but I'll say it would've been helpful for some past GDT for me.

 

[kb]

Nylander has been a beast along the boards, did you even watch the game tonight?

Why bother watching closely when you can spew an old tired narrative instead?

 

[TopChedder]

Well this is all good news though, not that we need him right now against MTL but as long as he becomes more comfortable by the 2nd round, because we'll need him then .. especially with Tavares being out and Folignos injury.

Agreed. I still think we see JT sometime in the playoffs, but if not we need Foligno to be healthy and Nash to feel good.

 

[kb]

Have we ever been up 2-1 since we started making the playoffs in 2017?

We were up 2-1 against Washington in 2016/17

 

[TopChedder]

Nash was used as a defensive centre ice position.

I noticed a couple times that it looked like he was struggling to change directions and pivot to go the other way. I think he's been okay, but you can tell he's not 100%.

Both him and Hyman won't be fully comfortable until the second round. Just need to advance and give these guys more time to catch up.

 

[Bluelines]

Why bother watching closely when you can spew an old tired narrative instead?

The guy has the most untapped talent potential on the Leafs. If he played as hard as Hyman does every game, he would be in the Hart trophy conversation, I think he has that much more potential. He also frustrates the F out me at times.

 

[BoredBrandonPridham]

Nash was Nash absolutely nothing good or nothing bad happened, he is the perfect example of a low event player. You wont score with him but the other team wont score when he is on the ice.

Was hoping that Nash could be an important piece that helps what happened in the 3rd period last game NOT happen. Takes more than 1 player though.

 

[Zybalto]

How much of that was the really fantastic 2nd game though? Game 1&3 were closer than I'd like, even with Game 3 basically being all a 3rd period shell.

Run of play wise, Montreal has only won 2 periods the entire series so far. The third of game 1 and the third of game 3. There have also been a few evenish periods but the Leafs have outright won half of the periods this series.

During the regular season, here is how the Leafs did against the Habs (All Situations):

CF%: 48.92
SF%: 49.91
SCF%: 51.30
HDCF%: 54.95
xGF%: 54.07
GF%: 57.63
Save% 91.20

These numbers seems to have told almost everyone that we were insane favorites that should roll over the Habs.

...and in the playoffs against the Habs (and ranking compared to other playoff teams):

CF%: 54.24 (7th highest out of 16)
SF%: 54.70 (5th highest out of 16)
SCF%: 54.30 (5th highest out of 16)
HDCF%: 57.69 (5th highest out of 16)
xGF%: 61.18 (2nd highest out of 16)
GF%: 66.67 (2nd highest out of 16)
Save%: 95.12 (1st out of 16)

...and so many are less optimistic for some reason. Gotta keep our chins up here. Despite the Folgino and Tavares injuries and Hyman still getting up to speed, they have been performing solidly.

 

[Gallagbi]

Run of play wise, Montreal has only won 2 periods the entire series so far. The third of game 1 and the third of game 3. There have also been a few evenish periods but the Leafs have outright won half of the periods this series.

During the regular season, here is how the Leafs did against the Habs (All Situations):

CF%: 48.92
SF%: 49.91
SCF%: 51.30
HDCF%: 54.95
xGF%: 54.07
GF%: 57.63
Save% 91.20

These numbers seems to have told almost everyone that we were insane favorites that should roll over the Habs.

...and in the playoffs against the Habs (and ranking compared to other playoff teams):

CF%: 54.24 (7th highest out of 16)
SF%: 54.70 (5th highest out of 16)
SCF%: 54.30 (5th highest out of 16)
HDCF%: 57.69 (5th highest out of 16)
xGF%: 61.18 (2nd highest out of 16)
GF%: 66.67 (2nd highest out of 16)
Save%: 95.12 (1st out of 16)

...and so many are less optimistic for some reason. Gotta keep our chins up here. Despite the Folgino and Tavares injuries and Hyman still getting up to speed, they have been performing solidly.

Thanks, can I ask if that's 5v5, ES or All situations? Assuming 5v5 based on the numbers I saw earlier

 

[Zybalto]

Thanks, can I ask if that's 5v5, ES or All situations?

All situations

 

[Gallagbi]

All situations

Interesting, I thought we were roughly even in Games 1&3 for HDCF with the Habs and slightly ahead in xGF

 

[kb]

The guy has the most untapped talent potential on the Leafs. If he played as hard as Hyman does every game, he would be in the Hart trophy conversation, I think he has that much more potential. He also frustrates the F out me at times.

Frustrating at times for sure, but these playoffs are looking a bit like a coming out party of sorts. He's engaged. Montreal has scored only one more goal than Nylander in this series.