Post-Game Talk: Leafs Lose 4-2

[Gallagbi]

You can criticize the roster make up but really the 3rd and 4th lines have been the most consistent in terms of effort all season. The defense has been shaky but that can be somewhat expected (albeit not this bad) given the turnover.

The effort level and play of the stars has me mostly concerned. Tonight was bad, but overall Matthews has been solid (cannot complain with 8 goals already) .. Nylander had a good start but hasn't been as impactful the last handful of games (nice assist tonight though) .. Marner and Tavares both have been just brutal. Tavares is somewhat explained with the birth of his new child but Marner looks like he just goes home and rolls around on his bed of money. Rielly looks like he thinks he has Matthews' shot and Marner's vision.

It really does look like the 'big 3' they've tuned out the coach.

Not concerned with JT or Nylander at this point, but M&M leave a lot to be desired and Rielly has been a tire fire.

 

[Legion34]

I love the posters who just want to trade every good player we have and build a culture "like Boston," like its so damn easy to just pick up Bergeron and Marchand. This is still a young team, expecting them to play like a 34 year old Bergeron, possibly the best defensive forward of all time is stupid. Full stop. They will hopefully grow into more well rounded players and fit into their roles, Ovi didn't win a thing until he was 32.

This isn't to say that the start to this season has been in any way acceptable but there is no "lets get a culture like Boston," that is not an option, what you're really saying is to build around Babs and bring him 20 Hyman's who try real hard every night but don't win anything either.

boston also was out of the playoffs for years. People forget that part

 

[Cleetus]

because it seems like the team is getting worse and worse as the roster gets better.
2016/17: 50.3 xgf% (15th)
2017/18: 50.02 xgf% (17th)
2018/19: 50.7 xgf% (13th)
2019/20: 49.1 xgf% (18th)
(all 5v5)
and 20th in points percentage now. It really seems like something is wrong and the team isn't performing up to the level I'd expect from a roster like that

not sure where the roster is getting better???

 

[Ryan Michaels]

IF they are not ready to play well rounded winning hockey

then they should not be getting paid what they are

I'm not talking about contracts, I'm done talking about contracts, I don't care about contracts, if you want to talk about contracts talk to someone who feels differently. As noted the depth has been fine, short of this backup goalie crises that has everyone on the edge the team has not yet been dealt a significant blow because of the contracts, I'm talking about their play that is occurring on the ice and I am saying it is unacceptable, I don't understand why I got this response, maybe you intended it for someone else?

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

not sure where the roster is getting better???

feel free to look up the 16/17 roster and compare it to this one I guess

 

[PromisedLand]

Boston's puck possession skill is remarkable

becasue their players aint afraid of contact so don't throw away the puck; they hold on to it to cycle the puck

 

[Gallagbi]

Plus Craig fukin berube has a ring
Babcock is 1 of 30 good coaches now

Who is the crappy one?

 

[Teeder Keon]

Babs is actually doing what we want him to do. Play certain stars together, icing them more, calling timeouts.

This team is just flat out bad, right now. No one seems to care, we barely have any edge.

I hope this is just a bad stretch and we come out of this. This is just pathetic.

I hate saying this , but this isn’t just a bad stretch , it’s been going on since 3/4 way last year unfortunately .

 

[Nineteen67]

Is Rielly the worst defenceman in the league that plays in the top 4? He’s been pathetically bad.

 

[TrueTT]

not sure where the roster is getting better???

Really? You wouldn't consider this a step-up to days of having Carrick and Zaitsev in our top-4?

 

[The Examiner]

Kessel pretty much was their best player. A lot of people thought he was the Conn Smythe choice in both runs. You obviously can win with him playing a key role.

I agree. I thought he should have definitely been Conn Smythe winner in at least one year but let’s face it, it was Crosby and Malkin doing the heavy lifting and Kessel fed off that because he is a very talented player. In the end, they aren’t winning without Crosby or Malkin.

 

[Nithoniniel]

because it seems like the team is getting worse and worse as the roster gets better.
2016/17: 50.3 xgf% (15th)
2017/18: 50.02 xgf% (17th)
2018/19: 50.7 xgf% (13th)
2019/20: 49.1 xgf% (18th)
(all 5v5)
and 20th in points percentage now. It really seems like something is wrong and the team isn't performing up to the level I'd expect from a roster like that

Yeah I agree. I'm still waiting to see what would happen with a coaching change, but at that point it's up to the players to show that they're not the problem.

I wouldn't say we're necessarily worse though. Our overall play has been getting worse, but our shooting talent has probably evened that out. We shouldn't be a mid-range team in a stat like xGF% though. We really shouldn't with this kind of roster.

 

[Cleetus]

becasue their players aint afraid of contact so don't throw away the puck; they hold on to it to cycle the puck

team grinded us into the ground for most of the game!

 

[Stephen]

Can we really look at how this season has looked so far and say that it's a heavily unbalanced lineup though? Our third and fourth line has defied all expectations. The only depth that hasn't been great is the bottom pairing and backup.

The whole defense is trash, and it's a combination of it being the wrong personnel and having so much turnover.

The bottom six has been the best part about this team.

 

[Nineteen67]

I hate saying this , but this isn’t just a bad stretch , it’s been going on since 3/4 way last year unfortunately .

about 64 games

 

[Pookie]

Didn’t even know we played tonight.

Loss? Oh well. This part of the Cup run is about getting points to get in the post season.

We’ll be fine to get in.

Nothing that happens now... outside of points... matters in the post season.

Don’t get too worked up.

 

[Canadian Finn]

becasue their players aint afraid of contact so don't throw away the puck; they hold on to it to cycle the puck

especially when they are playing a "fast and skilled team" built four-ply soft.

 

[Cleetus]

Really? You wouldn't consider this a step-up to days of having Carrick and Zaitsev in our top-4?

nope. Ceci has been ok, Barrie is AHL level bad.

 

[Gallagbi]

boston also was out of the playoffs for years. People forget that part

I certainly forget they were out in the late Julien years before Marchand and Bergeron figured out they were really good and not just above average top 6'ers.

 

[Faltorvo]

I thought Muzzin and Kerfoot seemed to at least care tonight. One thing I don't understand is why this team never responds. All these little pushes and cross checks post whistle by the Bruins and the leafs just look away. Last game Marchand ran straight into Anderson and all he gets is a little tap. Today Marchand cross checks a guy nearly a foot taller than him and nothing happens. I watch hockey around the league and no other teams just take it like the leafs do. If the leafs ever even tried to give a bruin a slash after the whistle they'd never just ignore it. The leafs team identity seems to be to turn the other cheek. It seems like a very corporate HR department culture on the ice, not a team culture. Someone please explain this to me..

like i said earlier a "VERY FLAWED ROSTER"

i am not shocked that a wussie GM built a wussie roster.

this roster looks like a bunch of mercs just trying to get their cookies so they can get paid.

when was the last time you actually saw them back another player up with a wolf like, pack like mentality?

no one has the other guys back on this roster, they are all out for themselves

 

[BertCorbeau]

Is Rielly the worst defenceman in the league that plays in the top 4? He’s been pathetically bad.

Not even close.

 

[Nineteen67]

becasue their players aint afraid of contact so don't throw away the puck; they hold on to it to cycle the puck

It’s positioning and reading the Leafs.

 

[PromisedLand]

especially when they are playing a "fast and skilled team" built four-ply soft.

in the playoffs when time and space are taken away what is the "fast and skilled' gonig to do? if they can't grind it out and hold on to the puck; or get the puck by taking body and breaking the cycle

whats the point

pens 2 consecutive cups had teams that were not afraid of playing body and not afraid of holding onto the puck. it was effort 100% all the time and their leadership core led from the front (crosby, malkin, letang, hornqvist, hell even kessel)

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Yeah I agree. I'm still waiting to see what would happen with a coaching change, but at that point it's up to the players to show that they're not the problem.

I wouldn't say we're necessarily worse though. Our overall play has been getting worse, but our shooting talent has probably evened that out. We shouldn't be a mid-range team in a stat like xGF% though. We really shouldn't with this kind of roster.

yeah I think Dubas was right to replace the assistant coaches, but how many games does he give Babcock now? It's been 11 and the team is as lackadaisical as the latter part of last year. When I said worse I was talking strictly about structured play and special teams, as I think coaching really isn't doing us any favours

 

[TrueTT]

Yeah I agree. I'm still waiting to see what would happen with a coaching change, but at that point it's up to the players to show that they're not the problem.

I wouldn't say we're necessarily worse though. Our overall play has been getting worse, but our shooting talent has probably evened that out. We shouldn't be a mid-range team in a stat like xGF% though. We really shouldn't with this kind of roster.

We were on the fortunate side of riding PDO last year in a big way our first three months before Christmas. People keep pointing out the nosedive this team took after the New Year- but fail to keep in mind that as our possession stats and underlying metrics got progressively better, we started winning less and less.

Something has to give. Either this team plays with more structure and the skill is stifled, or this team plays chaotic hockey and hopes a clicking PP + Freddie + puck luck will pull them through.