Post-Game Talk: Leafs lose 4-2

[Trapper]

After perusing some of the writing and listening to some of the talk shows, one thing stands out... or one term stands out I should say...

"in typical Leafs fashion..."

Hard to expect a different result at seasons end. That really is why people are rolling their eyes. This team is exactly what they have been for the past four years.

That should be the replacement for the definition of insanity…

 

[GoonieFace]

I know the popular take away is that the Leafs didn’t deserve to win tonight, but frankly that’s horseshit. They didn’t play anywhere close to their potential and deserve criticism for their effort, but despite that fact they were still on par with or better than the Coyotes virtually the entire night. The only reason this game was close was mediocre goaltending. And then, when the Leafs deciding to fully engage they basically flipped the game inside 10 mins only to be called on a ridiculously chincy penalty call with 2 mins left, and then after we tie yet again, they called it back Knee jerk reaction.

must have really slow reflexes. This is the same song and dance as previous years. I love the Leaf fans that defend this garbage to the bitter end

 

[stickty111]

My problem with this narrative is that it ignores that the Leafs have been routinely mediocre against bottom feeder teams. We had a better combined record vs top teams last year than we did against Montreal/Arizona/Buffalo/Vancouver etc. Even the season before in the 'North Division' they were .500 or even had a losing record against Ottawa and Vancouver who were the worst teams.

Thats fair. I saw Charron's article and Leafs had the best point pace last year against playoff teams, and were just an average 12th against non playoff teams. All though funny enough Canes were right there beside them and nobody would accuse them of not trying.
Thats not excusing yesterday. No excuse to lose that game. I just think we including me get caught up in one game, however you don't like to see warning signs this early into the season.
We'll see how they respond.

 

[stealth1]

The suck went on way longer than this last season and things turned out fine as far as the regular season record went. Its not time to panic yet...

The lack of effort is something to worry about. They will win their share of games due to talent but that only takes you so far.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

The NHL ruled in favor of the Arizona Coyotes in an attempt to give that team a win. The NHL knows this and are willing to punish aour Leafs at every turn.

LOL. Some people and their conspiracy theories.

 

[HockeyVirus]

So I count 5 threads on the main boards and see our forum, reddit leafs, and twitter all losing their minds as if the sky is falling because we are 2-2 in the middle of October.

Not sure if I am just getting too old for this shit or what but man. Why did we need to hear that all that matters is game 1 through 7 of round 1 for months on end and now after 4 games apparently these games matter? Like people are not seriously THAT dumb they think the Leafs won't make the playoffs? They aren't THAT dumb to realize the Leafs played perfect hockey in November and that matter exactly 0 in round 1 last year?

Seriously, I would be freaking out if they were on a losing streak looking awful in March. In October? 4 games in? When they had a slow start LAST season and easily overcame it? When our depth has played well but our stars have not? People REALLY think this is the best the team can offer with Matthews under PPG and scoring at a 30 goal pace and Marner on pace for the lowest point totals since he has been off his ELC?

Get a f***ing grip

 

[CabanaBoy5]

This is completely random, and I mainly say it because I was offered tickets to the game last night -- but games like this are why I no longer jump at the chance of overpaying for tickets to go see a game, nor am I going to go out of my way to watch the game. I'm not affluent enough to potentially waste hundreds of dollars to watch a dud of a game, and I'm no longer going to miss out on something else to watch something I have no control over.

That may have some to do with age and things in life being put in perspective. It's also because I have very little emotional attachment to this current iteration of the team and its players, save for a handful, that they don't have that pull to suck me in life other editions of the team from years past.

My friend would say “ why do you care so much, it’s not like they put food on your table.” A little perspective perhaps, this should be entertainment for us, a distraction from the mundane realities of life. I try to live by this when watching the Leafs.

But then, I see Holl and Muzzin f*** up a basic play and I rage like a madman. My kids wonder who is this guy? I think I need therapy.

 

[notbias]

Keefe is such a poorly spoken goober. Even if you’re going to challenge your elite players there’s something distasteful about a pro coach punching down on another team that just beat you.

Reminds me of Jon Cooper

 

[egd27]

They need to get JT off the top PP unit, and have someone who is willing to stand in the slot and screen the goalie, particularly on shots from the point.

Shots from where?

 

[JT AM da real deal]

My friend would say “ why do you care so much, it’s not like they put food on your table.” A little perspective perhaps, this should be entertainment for us, a distraction from the mundane realities of life. I try to live by this when watching the Leafs.

But then, I see Holl and Muzzin f*** up a basic play and I rage like a madman. My kids wonder who is this guy? I think I need therapy.

Hockey is a religion to many including me .. whether Leafs, Team Canada, your team or any team my kids are on .. it becomes a major part of your life from time you learned to piss .. this is a learned behavior and like a bad drug you always need your fix .. it is sad but we lose our perspective growing up in this culture .. i can still remember my girlfriend, now wife, at a game in Hartford CT where she asked me if I was going to get charged for fighting .. i LOL at 1st but realized she wasn't kidding as a hockey newbie .. most of us 50+ think of it as a normal thing that happens and it is no big deal

 

[tmlms13]

They played like shit the entire game, you must be blind.

No they didn't. Check the game stats.

Leafs dominated them at 5v5. They just weren't able to finish, that will happen, not a big deal.

Special Teams are what lost them the game. It's that simple. Holl and Muzzin were bad, but 2 people do not represent the whole team.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

It would NOT be whistled dead because of hitting the opponent's high stick! Marner touched the puck, not another Coyote!!!

It may have hit Kellers stick which is why you hear a noise of stick touching puck .. but after that it definitely hit Keller's skate to change direction .. so technically it could have been ruled a high stick and then puck 1st touched by Keller which to my understanding would always be a blown whistle .. but ref did not say that to us in crowd .. he said it was a hand pass which it wasn't .. it was 2 guys trying to get to a puck 1st a traditional loose puck battle

 

[francis246]

They need to get JT off the top PP unit, and have someone who is willing to stand in the slot and screen the goalie, particularly on shots from the point.

What? JT is perfect on that top pp line. They need to make 2 even units. The skilled guys refuse to use JT. They want all the shots, the year JT scored 40 they used him a lot on the PP. they ran bumper plays to him and did a lot of screen shots. Now every thing has to be cross seam shots and get Matthews the puck. These guys care way too much about individual stats

 

[JT AM da real deal]

No they didn't. Check the game stats.

Leafs dominated them at 5v5. They just weren't able to finish, that will happen, not a big deal.

Special Teams are what lost them the game. It's that simple. Holl and Muzzin were bad, but 2 people do not represent the whole team.

Forget stats I was at game and eye ball test was it was a 50/50 game .. but Leafs gave up trying to break da Coyote trap after Nick scored .. sometimes in hockey skating around with puck trying to make a skilled pass play to break a 5 man down low trap does not work .. sometimes you have to power into da danger zone and throw a few shots from point into traffic to score .. Leafs do not have a plan B in their playbook or maybe and more likely they don't have personnel to execute a different plan

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Game 5 of the season should be a barn burner.

 

[GoonieFace]

The point seems to be missed. Many fans treat every period, and every game as some type referendum on the players, coaching, Dubas..... The reactions border on hysterical. It's a mix of comedy, and tiresome. The over reactions of everything that happens here, under a giant microscope is incredible. Rational discussion doesn't need to include constant over reactions to minutia, and surely it's made some of these posters miserable.

Or maybe they treat the past 5 or more seasons of the same crap as some type of referendum. Or is that too small of a sample size?

 

[tmlms13]

Forget stats I was at game and eye ball test was it was a 50/50 game .. but Leafs gave up trying to break da Coyote trap after Nick scored .. sometimes in hockey skating around with puck trying to make a skilled pass play to break a 5 man down low trap does not work .. sometimes you have to power into da danger zone and throw a few shots from point into traffic to score .. Leafs do not have a plan B in their playbook or maybe and more likely they don't have personnel to execute a different plan

What does being at there the game have to do with anything? Leafs had like 70 shot attempts to Arizona's 30. And you're complaining they didn't shoot enough lol, nice try. Try drinking less. Done with you.

 

[Kazparov]

Fair point

That's a pretty narrow look at things. Most people are pissed with that lackluster effort. Leafs play down to their opponents all the time. They need to quit doing that shit and be ready for every game.

However after given time to not be pissed off... and they had an even worse start last year... I'm going to give it about 15 games until you know what's really there for this team.

Agreed on the 10-15 games. But everyone here loves to emotionally overreact

 

[JT AM da real deal]

What does being at there the game have to do with anything? Leafs had like 70 shot attempts to Arizona's 30. And you're complaining they didn't shoot enough lol, nice try. Try drinking less.

No drinks last night as I drove to and from game .. and who gives a rats *ss about shot attempts whatever da h*ll that even means .. bottom line Leafs could not penetrate Coyotes 5 man defensive zone trap until Willy took game over pretty much by himself again while really sick .. listen to Nick interview he sums it up bang on

 

[darrylsittler27]

My two cents. This is a new team with a bunch of new faces and it always takes 20 games to properly assess what we have, especially with Samsonov. Is it too early to panic ? Yes. These guys are bored of regular season now as well. There are clearly some flaws to this team but even if they finish 8th, who cares ? I'm not surprised, this team expects its top 4 to carry this team and that's not what wins cups. I expect a 500 ish team till game 20, then the heat goes way up.

 

[ACC1224]

No drinks last night as I drove to and from game .. and who gives a rats *ss about shot attempts whatever da h*ll that even means .. bottom line Leafs could not penetrate Coyotes 5 man defensive zone trap until Willy took game over pretty much by himself again while really sick .. listen to Nick interview he sums it up bang on

It was pretty obvious to anyone watching the game that this was no where near their best effort.
Any fan being satisfied with that loss is mystifying.

 

[stickty111]

Didn't think about it much but Liljegren is so important to this defensive core. Not that they have been bad or anything, but the D core is slow. Liljegren isn't the fastest either but his puck movement and breakout passing really speeds up our transition attack. He's arguably our best passer on the back end.

 

[TheDoldrums]

Didn't think about it much but Liljegren is so important to this defensive core.

Someone tell Keefe, maybe he'll play in the playoffs this year.

 

[Burnie97]

Agreed on the 10-15 games. But everyone here loves to emotionally overreact

Well I'm guilty of that sometimes. I think most are sometimes, but it happens. Just a fan base that has been starved of any real success in a long time.

 

[Menzinger]

So I count 5 threads on the main boards and see our forum, reddit leafs, and twitter all losing their minds as if the sky is falling because we are 2-2 in the middle of October.

Not sure if I am just getting too old for this shit or what but man. Why did we need to hear that all that matters is game 1 through 7 of round 1 for months on end and now after 4 games apparently these games matter? Like people are not seriously THAT dumb they think the Leafs won't make the playoffs? They aren't THAT dumb to realize the Leafs played perfect hockey in November and that matter exactly 0 in round 1 last year?

Seriously, I would be freaking out if they were on a losing streak looking awful in March. In October? 4 games in? When they had a slow start LAST season and easily overcame it? When our depth has played well but our stars have not? People REALLY think this is the best the team can offer with Matthews under PPG and scoring at a 30 goal pace and Marner on pace for the lowest point totals since he has been off his ELC?

Get a f***ing grip

Funnily enough the team and a 4 game losing streak near the start of last season. Still finished 4th overall by the end. We've got short memories around here it seems.