Post-Game Talk: Leafs lose 1-5 to the LA.Kings. Another great game by Ritchie

[Cap'n Flavour]

It's pretty simple. We need a right handed Kenny Jonnson.

We need Robert Svehla back. He's only 7 years older than Chara, so as long as he has kept in shape...

 

[Darcy Tucker]

I like you already

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Or Yushkevich. I loved that guy.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

I'll be your Danni Markov

 

[BrannigansLaw]

As long as you’re not my Cory Cross. Still remember that playoff OT goal though against Ottawa.

 

[ShaneFalco]

No doubt Soup wanted to play well against his old team and his old mentor Quick. All the Leaf players would've been well aware of this. Yet they did sweet f*** all to help him out. Same thing when JT returned to Long Island for his first game against the Isles since the trade. Did the Leafs rise to the occasion? Nope. Quite the opposite - they wilted. Lack of spirit and respect. It's an aspect of the team that bugs me intensely.

 

[Bluelines]

Put in the 2 players that you brought up from the Marlies

Something to be said for the value of a player who is playing hungry vs playing with fear of losing a job.

 

[LeafSteel]

After 2 big wins in Tampa and Boston I thought they would come in flat.

Hate seeing Campbell hanging this on himself and would have liked to see the boys push hard to get the win against his old team for him. He deserved to get it.

Oh well, onto the next and hopefully a bounce back effort.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Toronto needs to be industrious and hire the first female head coach in NHL history. Can Marner retire at age 25?

 

[PromisedLand]

True

from that entire bottom six, I expect Spezza to bounce back. That’s it. Makes me wonder if something like

Bunting- Matthews - Kase
Engvall - Tavares - Marner
ritchie - Kerfoot - Nylander
kampf - Spezza - Simmonds
Pray mikheyev gets back and replaces Ritchie cuz yuck

expect
AM - 45G - 40A - 85P
MM - 25G - 65A - 90P
JT - 35G - 45A - 80P
WN - 30G - 30A - 60P

maybe adds three scoring lines??? Idk cuz rn the depth is a concern. It’ll become a huge issue if it stays like this

Yup I'd split up Matthews and Nylander. Nylander's game is struggling due to Matthews trying to do everything himself IMO. Splitting up and having 3 lines will spread out offense, create match-up problems and on top of that keep minutes in check so that we don't tire anybody significantly

I'd however go with these lines

Bunting-Tavares-Marner
Engvall-Kerfoot-Nylander
Spezza/Simmonds-Matthews-Kase
Ritchie-Kampf-Spezza/Simmonds

When Mikheyev is back I bump every LW down from 2nd line onwards with Mikheyev on 2nd line

If opposition matches Matthews then either JT-Marner OR Kerfoot-Nylander get easier match ups and they can put up the goals; if opposition matches either JT-Marner or Kerfoot-Nylander then Matthews gets easier match ups to figure out whats going on and it helps him find his game quicker.

Regardless of how opposition matches I think spreading offense will have a tremendous net positive impact on team results

 

[Trapper]

Prognosticators, skeptics and visionaries alike will continue to beat this same drum that its difficult to win consistently with 1/2 you cap tied up in just 4 forwards, because you can't build a successful team around no secondary scoring.

When the core 4 are going great Leafs have a chance at winning, but if the other team holds them in check or plays them even the Leafs are more likely than not to lose the game because of their lack of offense from anyone outside those core 4.

Trying to win, particularly trying to win 16 playoff games to hoist a Cup is not great odds because always getting key scoring from your core 4 is not sustainable.

Leafs are built to win or die by their core 4.

Hasn’t worked so far but hey, maybe next time doing the same thing will.

Next year we also pay Rielly more so again, it’s the same thing, just more money. Doubt Rielly is going to improve vastly beyond where he is now.

Then we still need a goalie and in 2 years what are we paying Matthews/Nylander next contract?

Costs keep rising but results aren’t changing.

 

[Bluelines]

There hasn't been hunger in that locker room since 93 and I can't remember a time in my life where we had solid team D. No skilled grit in the top 6 since Clark and no team D equals disappointment decade after decade.

If you don't have that trait in you stars you need it in your bottom of the line up players.

Spezza-Simmonds-Ritchie
Kase-Kampf-Engvall

Sandin-Lilly-Dermot

Two guys - Spez and Simmonds and Kampf plays a defensive role, I have no issue with his game.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Trapper is my quarterback. Star date 2022

 

[New User Name]

They get my hopes up, then they turn in a pitiful effort like last night. The Kings simply out-worked them.

Guys are making 7-8-9-10-11 million US, add 30% for Canadian $ and they need incentive??????

Dubas has made some incredibly disastrous decisions and here we are.

Maybe it's not their fault, Cherry said teams coming to play in Toronto up their game because they're playing in front of family and friends.
I think there's some truth to that.

Bottom line is, results are dependent on how bad you want to win. Leafs some days IMO don't give a shit.

But I'm still a fan. LOL

 

[ACC1224]

Daily reminder that many posters on this board wanted to trade Nylander for Ritchie straight up...

Define many?

 

[horner]

Something to be said for the value of a player who is playing hungry vs playing with fear of losing a job.

Maybe it will put some fear into Ritchie and Engvall if they are built that way.

 

[Gary Nylund]

There hasn't been hunger in that locker room since 93 and I can't remember a time in my life where we had solid team D. No skilled grit in the top 6 since Clark and no team D equals disappointment decade after decade.

You don't think we had solid team D in 93? I most honorably beg to disagree, that 93 team D was rock solid.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

How much does Keefe weigh on a daily basis? I don't know but we'd love to hear about it fan base.

 

[RomanianLeafs]

So much negativity over one game. HOLY. You call yourselves fans?

Lighten up gents. My goodness.

They are not real fans, they hate Matthews and Marner and are called Hymansites

 

[Twine Tickler]

Every time the boys start to feel good about themselves, they lay an absolute egg. It is the most predictable thing in hockey. Ultimately, we got what we deserved.

Credit to LA, they came out hungry. They don't have a lot of high end players, but they played within their system excellent for the most part. They eliminated the time and space completely. As frustrating as it is to watch these type of games, we have to learn how to play against teams that are willing to skate like that. Hard work beats skill when skill doesn't work hard. Plain and simple.

It may have been a November game, but a lot of those guys on LA are playing to showcase their shit. Far more urgency on their end.

Wasn't happy with anyone's game last night TBH. Just far too pedestrian. You could tell from the opening puck drop that they would lose that game.

Going to have to wake up real f***ing quick. The Schedule waits for no one. This week could really get out of hand if the boys don't show some urgency on Wednesday. We have 3 games in 4 days starting tmw. Need a win against PHI, or we will be fast approaching that same shame spiral we were in 2 weeks ago.

short term memory, get to work today

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Game was over before it started ...

Another game where Sandin got beat like a rented mule due to his lack of foot speed .. 3 step lead and superior positioning on any NHL player you can't let that turn into a breakaway .. looked like Habs winner from game 1 .. no top 4 NHL dmen can skate at such a slow pace .. never gonna occur when a goal like that is given away every 2 games due to lack of speed

Lily took wrong position and cut incorrectly on same goal too but that is what happens with rook defenders .. it takes time to learn game at NHL level .. so you can't blame him for these type of learnings over next 3-4 years

Sandin was in right spot but he just can't keep up to NHL pace ...

But more than rook errors to see Muzzy foot speed slipping with father time is kinda tough to watch .. that 2nd goal against in 1st should never ever ever ever happen against a vet defender with such NHL experience .. I thought it would occur as I noted 2 years ago next season but it has started this year folks .. this is most disturbing issue in a our d core this year and likely da downfall of it

 

[ShaneFalco]

How much does Keefe weigh on a daily basis? I don't know but we'd love to hear about it fan base.

Start drinking early today?

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Start drinking early today?

Just coffee so far Bill

 

[DarkKnight]

Only 9 pages after a loss, that has to be a record. This fan base is in a unique place.

 

[Ziggdiezan]

Do people really expect the collection of league min players that make up vast majority of the bottom 6 to really add much scoring depth?

This team lives and dies by if their top 6 produces. If someone said before the game that the big 4 wouldn't produce more than 1 goal i would have bet on a loss. Couple that with a bad game for the leafs defenders who have trouble with fast wingers and you have a 5-1 beating.