Post-Game Talk: Leafs Lose 4-2

[Gallagbi]

Leafs are way behind the a bunch of teams in points percentage.

They may have just set themselves up for a long uphill season.

not good.

This was always going to be a tough start for us with this schedule

 

[The Examiner]

we're all pissed off around here my bad.

Cool.

 

[TrueTT]

Your a noted marner hater and no doubt he had a poor game but 11.634 has been ass for 4 of the 5 games now

Why do you Marner apologists always need to bring up another Leafs player underachieving?

Both of them sucked ballz tonight. Happy? Does that somehow make up for the fact that Mitchy is massively overpaid for what he brings/has brought to the table thus far and we are essentially handcuffed for the next 4-5 years with the cap, as a result of it?

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Even if they play like ****?

I will NOT blame the defense when the backup is in net until there IS a backup

 

[Al14]

I really wish I could quit on this team the way they quit on us. Well... I'll be back for some more pain again next game

Breaking up with a woman is a lot easier! Been looking to try and cheer for another team. I JUST CAN'T DO IT!

 

[Nylander88]

Our team has gotten owned in the corners for far too long. I miss Hyman.

We need more like him though unfortunately.

 

[thewave]

Looks like he decided to become Phil Kessel. “I just score goals here.”

Sure looks it. The overpays destroyed team culture. Muskoka 4

 

[dimi78]

Something's rotten. Just zero effort, lots of floating, no backbone. Lots of gutless plays and players bailing out at the remote thought of contact.

That is only true for 2 players Marner and Matthews... Both are showing entitlement.... Babs needs to call them out.

FYI this was how Matthews played in game 7 last year and why Babs isn't giving him the TOI you guys think he should get. I would have benched both Matthews & Marner tonight.

 

[Teeder Keon]

 

[StevenB]

Absolutely.

nothing to do with getting paid.

a disconnect between him and the coaching staff.

definitely.

Imo even in his sophomore season he didnt show that drive that he did during his first season. If it had happened right after he got that extension I’d agree with you but he hasn’t looked the same since the Washington series

 

[Nylander88]

I really wish I could quit on this team the way they quit on us. Well... I'll be back for some more pain again next game

I'm the same way. Can't ever give up and I care too damn much for my own good. Makes this stuff more frustrating than it probably should be

 

[OVO16]

Boston's puck possession skill is remarkable

 

[Community]

LOL at those that thought Pastrnak was a good comparable for Nylander....

He was a pretty good comparable.... He just exploded AFTER he signed his contract. He also plays way better against the Leafs than any other team which gives Leaf fans a bit of a biased opinion.


He had 2 seasons of .5ppg (where he didn't even play full seasons) and 1 season where he scored 34g/70pts. That's fairly comparable to a guy with 2x 60pt seasons.

Pastrnak just kept getting better after his extension (ppg and then 81pts in 66games) whereas Nylander had a terrible season last year.

 

[Superstar]

I will NOT blame the defense when the backup is in net until there IS a backup

There won't be a proper back-up...there's no more cap space to get one.

 

[ToMaLe]

They have to...have to...have to...fire the coach or this season is lost.
Do it Dubas. You’ll like it.

A lot of us would like it!.....scratch that.....love it!

 

[TrueTT]

This was always going to be a tough start for us with this schedule

How can we point at the schedule's difficulty when we came into the season as a team with Stanley Cup aspirations?

 

[The Kessel Run]

I will NOT blame the defense when the backup is in net until there IS a backup

I mean, we don't have to beat a dead horse, but that's just an.....odd stance to take.

 

[EXPECT THE LEAFS]

As much as I hate Pastrnak the guy finishes his checks on the forecheck.

 

[Daz28]

11.6 and 10.9. Beautiful effort.

If my math is correct that's exactly 5 Marcus Johanssons

 

[Pilky01]

Games like this make it clear that our big money guys are grossly overpaid. Boston’s best players are so much better than ours.

Another incompetent GM has set the team back another decade. A great opportunity completely wasted because Dubas has no spine.

 

[Nithoniniel]

This is one of those nights where Babcock frustrates me so incredibly much. So he's sending Matthews and Marner out there again. They haven't worked at all, and especially not tonight. They have no chemistry at all. But he keeps them together because he wants to match them against Bergeron, which is fine if they could get some results there. But they don't. They get completely OWNED. But he doesn't adapt. He just keeps walking into the same trap. All to keep Nylander away from Bergeron so we wouldn't get these breakdowns... that we saw pretty much every shift. And Willy had one of those games where he did his job defensively. In the process, our two best players were neutralized, some of the best chemistry on the team was not utilized, and we give Boston a huge advantage.

Good
Kerfoot - Outside the penalty drawn and one so-so giveaway, Kerfoot was amazing. He was flying with the puck, making smart plays, and creating offense.
Nylander - Pretty good game. Nothing bad, but a list of good topped by that great cross-ice pass. Halfway back to the way he played the first five-six games.
Kapanen - People lost it earlier this season. Kap struggled as a LW, but he wasn't the sole problem on that line. Back in a more ideal position, he looks like an impact player.
Muzzin - Muzzin is one of those players that if you just watch the game, you might not come away impressed. If you focus on him though... he's just so damn good. He gives no space, he contests every puck, and he's got the patience and smarts to make very good transition plays. He plays with considerable risk, which results in some bad plays, but the overall is so positive.
Holl - If this was what Holl could have brought last year, we made a big mistake not giving him ice time. He looks great. If it wasn't for difference in usage, I'd say he's been our best RD.

Fine
Johnsson - Johnsson had some great moments, but I have no idea how you enter a game with a heavy focus on discipline and take two dumb penalties in a row.
Mikheyev - Considered putting him in bad. I didn't like his decision-making tonight, and I didn't feel like he had a lot of impact. I don't think he was that bad though.
Gauthier - Not a hallmark performance for Goat, but he still looks like an effective NHLer out there. That's so much more than I expected.
Moore - Another player I considered putting as bad. He really struggled handling the puck tonight, but I think his tenacity and the space it opens up warranted a better grade.
Shore - Could have just put the entire fourth line under the same. Didn't do much, but they did their job. Decent results in defensive minutes.
Petan - See Shore.
Timashov - See Petan.
Barrie - See Nytro. Just kidding. Barrie was fine. But we traded for a difference maker, a dynamic offensive player. He's not shown any of that.

Bad
Matthews - Complete no show, and bad defensively. I know it's the Bergeron line, but I caught him several times far away from where he should be.
Marner - Similar to Matthews. Did nothing. And somehow he's gone from taking bad shots way too often to ignoring good opportunities. Happy medium is hard to find.
Rielly - I have no idea how anyone can watch Rielly and come away thinking he's good defensively.
Ceci - I have no idea how anyone can watch Ceci and come away thinking he's a hockey player.
Gravel - It's been a rocky road... No, I'm not going there. Gravel had the absolutely right idea of what he should be doing. He just couldn't do it. At all.
Hutchinson - I know he had a bunch of great saves, but that's four goals against in a game where I lost count of how many times a transition opportunity turned into offense for them thanks to his puckhandling. I can't recall seeing a goaltender screw up handling the puck this much before.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Wow, he wasn't the issue tonight. Marner, Matthews, Rielly, Barrie, all were.

Piece of shit has ONE out of 6 points and Matthews stole that point.

It's the issue

 

[Canadian Finn]

Imo even in his sophomore season he didnt show that drive that he did during his first season. If it had happened right after he got that extension I’d agree with you but he hasn’t looked the same since the Washington series

well, prior to getting paid, he was soft because he didn't want to get injured and not get paid.

now he gets paid, he is soft because he gets paid...

or maybe, just maybe (hear me out here), maybe Matthews is just SOFT and it has nothing to do with coaching, getting paid, or anything else...

I know, crazy.

 

[hamzarocks]

I'm not. I am a big fan of him but when he plays like does, I call him out.
I support Matthews, Tavares, Nylander, Marner a lot. They are some of my favorites on the team.

Sorry maybe I'm mistakeing you for another poster. Marner was dog shit tonight , Matthews was dog shit. Nylander was the only one who was close to acceptable tonight. Rielly is my favourite leaf but he was downright terrible tonight. Made dumb decisions with the puck in the offensive zone and got beat 1 on 1 to many times.

Dubas has to make a shakeup. A trade, a firing, or telling Babcock to send a message and healthy scratching 16/34 next game.

 

[cmorly]

Just an observation, but I'm really missing the Leafs teams that wouldn't go down without a fight. Sure lose a few games here and there, but the other team isn't getting out of the 3rd period without a big hit or a fight, a few slashes after the whistle, a face wash/punch to the face. Set the tone for the next game.

Now it's like, oh no worries bro. I'll see you on xbox live after the game.

Show some heart. This team seems to have 0 of it, as long as they're cashing their millions they're happy.

Edit: I know this is the new NHL and this is how the league wants them to play, but the teams from the 90s and early 2000s were much more enjoyable to watch. I was proud to be a Leafs fan. I can't think of a single player that I really like on this team