Post-Game Talk: Leafs Lose 3-1 To VGK

[justashadowof]

Who knew that a 1 year $2.25M aav deal would be treated like a retirement deal by Pierre Engvall?

 

[Nineteen67]

Vegas plays 5 minutes per period and then they turn into a stupid, soft as butter, team. Cassidy will be pulling his hair out, if he can’t get that fixed.

 

[Notsince67]

Matthews has been winning puck battles/board battles. Puck goes in the offensive zone if it is not on Matthews' stick it is out of offensive zone in a jiffy.

Also, they are taking away the Matthews shot on PP; so Leafs need to do something different except they have two muffins in marner/rielly on the PP; Rielly doesn't evven have a slapper; if I was Matthews I'd be frustrated with my linemates.

Don't know what you are talking about. Puck is on Marners stick a lot. Lots of plays involve a pass to Matthews and a missed or blocked shot. Only someone willfully blind would say otherwise.

 

[Nineteen67]

What if the team just isn't that good...?

Third atrocious effort in seven games. They probably get the day off tomorrow too

The team is good when Matthews Marner are clicking, when they’re not, they’re average. And right now, they’re having a lot of bad luck.

 

[NewEraGM]

People saying it’s just 1 game. It’s not
It’s been 6 years they have been trying to learn this lesson and still don’t get it. To think they ever will is a joke.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Keefe is a TERRIBLE coach. Period !

Yeah the 2 bums of the night were Keefe and Kerfoot. Mostly Kerfoot. I'm getting tired of his dumb penalties. He needs to be healthy scratched/bag skated.

 

[Jojalu]

People saying it’s just 1 game. It’s not
It’s been 6 years they have been trying to learn this lesson and still don’t get it. To think they ever will is a joke.

I get what your saying but in that 6 years there are only 4 players from that team from 6 years ago.

Plus a new coach and new GM.

 

[The Podium]

Good thing Simmonds and Clifford were in the lineup, the players felt so comfortable out there!

 

[Niagara Bill]

Good thing Simmonds and Clifford were in the lineup, the players felt so comfortable out there!

So much for rethinking the decision made in camp...using 2 guys who you tried to give away. There is no plan, no formula, no motivation.

 

[Shooter2x]

Sorry to say this but I'm enjoying matthews and marners cold start. I really wanted the complete trashy way the rest of the team is built to be exposed.

I'm not worried about those two. They'll carry us into the playoffs as usual. Just sit back and enjoy the shit show , we might finally be forced to put the correct finishing touches on the team instead of half assing

In better news Ilya looks like a keeper and we found our no 1 for the next 5 years and Nylander is simply snipe city let's goooo

 

[Hoglund4MvP]

Sorry to say this but I'm enjoying matthews and marners cold start. I really wanted the complete trashy way the rest of the team is built to be exposed.

I'm not worried about those two. They'll carry us into the playoffs as usual. Just sit back and enjoy the shit show , we might finally be forced to put the correct finishing touches on the team instead of half assing

In better news Ilya looks like a keeper and we found our no 1 for the next 5 years and Nylander is simply snipe city let's goooo

Me too. Stress free right now. Hopeful marner and matthews keep snoozing for at least 2 weeks more to stop masking why we cant win in playoffs, then commence the eventual 9-1 in last 10 streaks.

 

[All Mod Cons]

Kerfoot's selfish penalties are killing us. Jarnkrok is legitimately useless. There's actually no point of him. Kyle's genius coming into play again. All these people saying we have so much depth are out to lunch.

We're probably the most shallow in the division. The bottom 6 sums Kyle up really well. No rhyme nor reason. Just bargain big players spewing out from all directions.

What an absolute terrible job of constructing a roster.

 

[NewEraGM]

I get what your saying but in that 6 years there are only 4 players from that team from 6 years ago.

Plus a new coach and new GM.

Ok I mean, change it from 6 years to 4 years and it includes all the core players. It’s not much better

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Did Keefe call out our pair of losers last night or did he do it and then apologize again?

Can’t hurt their precious “grown” man feelings by trying to treat them like grown men and hold them accountable.

 

[Torontonian]

I'd swap out Clifford for Malgin, then put Engvall on the 4th line, the bottom 6 is far to vanilla for me.

 

[Nineteen67]

It would be a leaf’s type of season where samsonov has the best season as a leafs goalie in years and still miss the playoffs.

and he’d move on to a “better” situation.

He’ll come back to his norm soon, as will AM and Marner, and the team will likely make the playoffs. They’ve pinned their hopes on him being really good for two weeks in April.

 

[Nineteen67]

I hate picking on Pierre, again, so I won't directly, but this is just as much on Keefe - who has coached Engvall for years - not convincing this guy to use his body. With his size and speed he could be a forechecking beast.

Instead, we have this. Just embarrassing.

I guess that’s who they are and what they want to be. I thought Keefe was trying to change that with his rhetoric in training camp.
We all saw Nylander’s even more egregious play in the dying minutes of the season and yet here we are.

It’s on Keefe and Dubas for having him in the lineup, but a coach can only change certainly things about a player. You can’t make a dumb player smart. You can’t make a soft player tough.

Maybe they could make a poor player, rich? That would be my message.

 

[Nineteen67]

Sorry to say this but I'm enjoying matthews and marners cold start. I really wanted the complete trashy way the rest of the team is built to be exposed.

I'm not worried about those two. They'll carry us into the playoffs as usual. Just sit back and enjoy the shit show , we might finally be forced to put the correct finishing touches on the team instead of half assing

In better news Ilya looks like a keeper and we found our no 1 for the next 5 years and Nylander is simply snipe city let's goooo

The plan is to win a round and save jobs. Right now theyre including Keefe in the plan, but I’m sure they’ll sacrifice him if needed.

 

[dubplatepressure]

I guess that’s who they are and what they want to be. I thought Keefe was trying to change that with his rhetoric in training camp.
We all saw Nylander’s even more egregious play in the dying minutes of the season and yet here we are.


Maybe they could make a poor player, rich? That would be my message.

That’s it - they are who they are. They aren’t tough players - they do not regularly finish checks. We ought to just deal with that and expect that this will continue to happen repeatedly until either culture or personnel change occurs. This team is built to compete on offense and not through strong defensive play or physicality. When we aren’t scoring we are most often losing.

 

[Jojalu]

Ok I mean, change it from 6 years to 4 years and it includes all the core players. It’s not much better

It really isn't.

Although I have bought into the idea of just enjoying the season and waiting for the playoffs to lose my mind if things go sour once again

 

[DarkKnight]

Big picture plus side, looks more and more like we have a goalie.

 

[ULF_55]

I didn't actually watch last night, blacked out and didn't put any effort to finding a window to watch.

So is there something wrong with Matthews physically? Perhaps whether he's healthy or not he starts the season this way? First NHL game with 4 goals and now this ...

I think we know he'll get started eventually. Could still easily hit 50 goals, and he's only 6 goals behind leader.
Just hasn't looked like he's been dangerous with his shots. Just look like shots rather than snipes. Just putting them on net, and not picking spots. Whereas you see Nylander sniping, rather than just shooting. So comes back to my question above about Matthews health? Does he have something prohibiting from sniping?

Probably just a cold spell ... which while not ideal is better now than in the playoffs. Last 4 playoffs he and Nylander have 12 and 11 goals respectively leading the team. Near .5 goals per game. Like to see a better than that. Like to see Matthews closer to his Rocket season, like .8 goals per game post-season.

As Matthews goes marner goes.

Just have to be patient.

Not having watched, I don't know how Holl played, but from the comments, it seemed he was as good as he ever is. He has the physical abilities, size, skating to be an okay defender, perhaps just not the processing power to be consistent?

It would be nice if the Leafs had a true number 1 defender, someone who can play all situations well. At this point one has to suggest, there is no more growth to come from any of the defenders on the team other than Sandin and Liljegren. Did Sandin and Liljegren actually tie for 2nd. for goals by defender last year, and they didn't even play the entire year? Never expected to see that.

Rielly is a good #2, if you include defending as a requirement. He is skates extremely well, which is probably why some consider him a #1. Brodie is 32 years old, I don't think it is a stretch to suggest he's on his decline, and that isn't good for Rielly. So can Liljegren take over the top RD position? I have to believe he has to with what the Leafs have in their arsenal. It might have to happen this year. Is he ready? I don't know.

Going forward, every player declines and has to be replaced. Sandin, Liljegren, Niemela, might be their only hope, other than overpaying for a free agent. Unfortunately, with their timeline they might not have time for that to occur.

 

[The Podium]

For all the anti spreadsheet/expected goals guys



The stats match the eye test

 

[Nineteen67]

Big picture plus side, looks more and more like we have a goalie.

Cautiously optimistic, but I think he’s been really good in October throughout his career.

 

[Al14]

Rielly has a lot of bad games. There are a lot of nights where he's scrambling around and you wonder if he wouldn't be better off as a Number 3.

This is not a popular opinion with many other Leafs fans, however it needs to be said once again... Rielly IS NOT a true number 1 defense man. He is an average number 2 at best. I agree, I think he is an ideal number 3 on a 2nd pairing.

He is a great skater but doesn't have much else to offer to be a true number 1. No point shot, not toughness in front of our net, and sometimes his decision making is very flawed. I sometimes question his hockey IQ.

JMHO.