Post-Game Talk: Leafs Lose 4-2

[A1LeafNation]

“We should have won that game”

Is that our dressing room banner this year?

We are heading for "we should have made the playoffs"

 

[Blufreezy]

I don't know why some get upset when it is suggested that guys like Eichel and Draisatl have both been playing much better than Matthews this season.

Same reason the opposite people get upset when you say Nylander's been dominant.

 

[Craig Button]

Matthews hit the post and literally broke up a breakaway with his backchecking in the third. Can we find a different scapegoat?

This team is killing itself though. They all just about rolled over and died when those goals went in. Flukey crap that normally gets saved, but three in a row just destroyed them and there was no fight. Game was done when they wasted that 5on3. They spent the first 80 seconds farting around before realizing they needed some urgency.

Great game from JT, he’s back and putting the team on his back. Good to see that one of the big guns is dominating. I’ve criticized JT lately and he’s been excellent. Marner’s looked very good. Matthews was quiet but fine. Mikheyev was great, rest of the team was bleh.

That was a puck luck game, but the boys have to make their own puck luck at this point. Can’t afford to lose to flukes and they need to find some mental toughness somewhere, they’re so ****ing weak when any adversity happens.

No.
Mainly just Andersen.

Honorable mentions:
Rielly
Barrie
Spezza

 

[A1LeafNation]

Am I being too critical if I suggest so many Leafs players are just too damn lazy?

I can't decide if they are too lazy or too stupid defensively.

 

[MattySnipes]

Well, I wouldn't take any win for granted with this team right now. Oilers could easily win that game. Our team is not great.

Jekyll & Hyde. We'll see which one makes the appearance. Tonight both made one.

 

[Stephen]

JT is quiet like Jumbo Joe. The team wasn’t motivated tonight and haven't been for a long time. Babcock can’t motivate them, Keefe can’t motivate them.

Need a captain who can say the **** that gets coaches fired now a days.

thanks for the insightful commentary I really appreciate it

Tavares seems better suited as the second in command wearing the 'A' as opposed to being the captain outright. Quiet, lead by example, but not leading the charge.

 

[saffronleaf]

Yea, doesn't look good. I don't see this team ever stringing a really good stretch together. I really don't. Too bad, I really thought this team was really good just being held up by Babcock.

still think we need to give keefe more time before arriving at conclusions, but yea the season is over.

 

[Stephen]

They easily could've lost the Vancouver game and easily won this one. These games turn on a handful of key moments.

But the fact that we are always at the mercy of a break or two is discouraging. It is the mark of mediocrity. We should be putting a stranglehold on a game like this in the third period, not pissing it away in a 3-minute span with sloppiness.

Well said. This is exactly the same instability that we were trying undo from the Carlyle Kessel era.

 

[MattySnipes]

still think we need to give keefe more time before arriving at conclusions, but yea the season is over.

I don't believe it is. They are capable of doing it. The standings also aren't that unfavourable. I wouldn't count out these guys just yet.

 

[Bomber0104]

I don't know why some get upset when it is suggested that guys like Eichel and Draisatl have both been playing much better than Matthews this season.

I find it amusing, myself.

 

[Advanced stats]

You guys are never happy.

This team plays hard for 50 minutes and loses, you all whine and complain.

This team plays hard for 4 minutes and wins, and you all whine and complain.

It's a lose-lose battle

 

[CelticDruid]

Watched the Tampa vs Boston game tonight and last night watched the Washington vs Boston game.

Those teams have lots of skill, and plenty of jam combined with a high work ethic.

The personnel of this team is just not right and its obvious.


What a haphazard performance.

 

[Suntouchable13]

I don't believe it is. They are capable of doing it. The standings also aren't that unfavourable. I wouldn't count out these guys just yet.

Hopefully they light up the Oil.

 

[robertmac43]

If I need to define what heart means in terms of sports or competition or battle, then I suggest you do so research yourself. Lotsa material out there. I’m using heart in the same way as any rational sports fan or educated person would in relation to competition or battle.

So what aspects of heart are we so evidently missing based off of the definition from "rational sports fans and educated people"?

 

[Dragao6]

Matthews hit the post and literally broke up a breakaway with his backchecking in the third. Can we find a different scapegoat?

This team is killing itself though. They all just about rolled over and died when those goals went in. Flukey crap that normally gets saved, but three in a row just destroyed them and there was no fight. Game was done when they wasted that 5on3. They spent the first 80 seconds farting around before realizing they needed some urgency.

Great game from JT, he’s back and putting the team on his back. Good to see that one of the big guns is dominating. I’ve criticized JT lately and he’s been excellent. Marner’s looked very good. Matthews was quiet but fine. Mikheyev was great, rest of the team was bleh.

That was a puck luck game, but the boys have to make their own puck luck at this point. Can’t afford to lose to flukes and they need to find some mental toughness somewhere, they’re so ****ing weak when any adversity happens.

Haha can only hit the post on a 5v3....if that's all he has this team is in bigger trouble then I thought...11.6M$ my friend, invisible

 

[Trapper]

Difference maker all right. He was out goaltended again.

You expect him to be perfect every night? I hope you hold others to that standard.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

Had a couple of buddies over for the game tonight, a chilly night in Oakville.

I need to get this off my chest...

I’m not sure if there’s a softer and less defensively responsible forward group in the NHL.

Hyman - Tavares - Marner
Kapanen - Matthews - Nylander
Engvall - Kerfoot - Mekheyev
Petan - Spezza - Aberg

WTF is that?

Other than Hyman, who in the world will push back and make life difficult for opponents?

That 2nd line is hilariously bad in their own zone, Kapanen is the most attentive of all three and that’s not saying much. Nylander and especially Matthews couldn’t care any less when they don’t have the puck.

Not one player in the bottom 6 throws a single hit. Nobody. Soft as f***ing butter.

The JVRs, Marleaus, Komarovs, Kadris, etc. days are long gone.

I don’t think there’s a softer team in the league, just so damn easy to play against.

 

[Dave92]

Agreed. You could tell this team really got over its loser mentality when, in game 7 against Boston, they coughed up the lead 3 times and finished the game by squandering a 3rd period lead by giving up 4 unanswered goals.

Such win. Much heart.

When they finished with 105 points and actually made the playoffs you mean? When they were capable of going on a 3 game winning streak more than once in a calendar year? When they would actually fight and occasionally win them?

And when were in a good position to win game 7 before Andersen did his game 7 thing and gave up back to back weak goals.

 

[Suntouchable13]

You guys are never happy.

This team plays hard for 50 minutes and loses, you all whine and complain.

This team plays hard for 4 minutes and wins, and you all whine and complain.

It's a lose-lose battle

How about just play hard for 60 minutes and win? Play like a contender.

 

[Craig Button]

we were the better team all game long.
just a bad 2min from freddy and you guys are acting like the whole team played like shit.

We need an actual #1 Goalie that can be the best goalie on any given night. Not just once a month.

 

[Dough72]

They've been losers for almost a full year

well they must have been doing something right because they put up 100 points last year and would have beat the Bruins in the playoffs if their goalie showed up.

 

[Dragao6]

I don't know why some get upset when it is suggested that guys like Eichel and Draisatl have both been playing much better than Matthews this season.

Because they both get paid allot less AND Matthew's supposedly took a discount to sign for only 5 years.
Hence our cap situation

 

[Stephen]

Also, doesn't get brought up enough, but Morgan Rielly really needs to slow down his game and clean things up. Horrible and spectacular things always seem to follow him around when he's trying to force an offensive play or transition too aggressively. Barrie isn't going to help him in that respect but he's got to watch some Mark Giordano game tape and learn how to calm the waters instead of making things worse.

 

[34]

You expect him to be perfect every night? I hope you hold others to that standard.

Not good enough. Sure he was awesome against Vancouver, but tonight he was garbage. 3 goals on 3 shots in less than 3 min. None were screened or difficult. He was beat clean. Not good enough.

 

[Havoc]

Literally no one advocates that Matthews has been better than Draisaitl this season.

Not sure why that bullshit story is floating around this thread.