Post-Game Talk: Leafs Lose 4-3 in OT | Lead Series 3-1

[Tak7]

Pacioretty was comfortably the Leafs least used forward tonight by some margin. Thought he had a really tough night.

I'd be looking at potentially replacing him with Nicky Scratch-and -Score for Tuesday.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Sorry, I have watched. I've watched the dude give up 4 terrible goals in 4 games. It's very difficult to win games when you can be guaranteed one softie against per night. That's Samsonov / Campbell stuff.

What do you want them to do? They are adamant with paying so much money for this core, this is the best kind of goalie they can afford. He is a very good one, but he is not a hall of famer. You can't expect him to provide hall of fame level goaltending all the time.

 

[Stephen]

That's fair too.

But if the baseline is the version of Matthews that we've seen pretty consistently in the past, and the comparison is the version we've seen for most of this year that has seen him miss a lot of time AND travel overseas to try and sort out whatever is bothering him?

There's at least grounds for speculation around his health.

No, not really. Just play better, make an impact and win. We’ve also seen Matthews fade into the wallpaper and maybe play 2 out of 7 games fully dominant in other series where there were no health problems. Just make an impact and get the job done. Won’t make a big deal of his impact to date, won’t play the injury card. But just get the job done.

 

[Squiffy]

Stollie has been rock solid until today. Not worried about goalie.

 

[Stephen]

Pacioretty was comfortably the Leafs least used forward tonight by some margin. Thought he had a really tough night.

I'd be looking at potentially replacing him with Nicky Scratch-and -Score for Tuesday.

Yeah Robertson should come back. Robertson’s small, ineffective and energetic. Pacioretty makes bit hits but is unenergetic. Mix it up.

 

[Budz]

It starts with you.

Example 1: You criticized the poster without actually making a counter point. I'm going to be generous and assume you had a point to make and forgot to make it in your fit of rage. You instead focused on telling us how you're better than the majority of posters on these boards.

JFC

…because actually taking time to explain things to people who don’t want hear it - and would rather act like 4 years olds not getting candy.

Matthews has been really, really good.

Blaming Stolarz … lol.

 

[TonsofPuppies]

Brother. Have you seen his numbers in the series. Minus this game he’s only let in 2 goals a game. That’s plenty winnable. Not to mention several breakaway saves. Give it a rest. He’s the best G we’ve had in decades.

This is such a sad statement and really is an implication of how insufferably bad this franchise has been for 50+ years. Toronto has been absolutely locking down Ottawa for massive stretches of the game, not allowing a single shot against for 10+ minutes multiple times now. He has a .902 save percentage in the series, despite being up 3-1. He hasn't been very good. No idea what you guys have been watching. lol

 

[Stephen]

They have to approach him in the summer and ask him to waive his NTC. but of course they won't do that.

I think he’s still gotta go. Like a functional offensive defenseman would be an upgrade there.

 

[Divine]

…because actually taking time to explain things to people who don’t want hear it - and would rather act like 4 years olds not getting candy.

Matthews has been really, really good.

The post you quoted said nothing about Matthews. Maybe learn to read before throwing your 4 year old candy tantrums.

 

[hfman]

all they had to do tonight was come out flying and put this series to an end.

But instead...


gave up a 2-0 lead in the 1st period
gave up a short handed goal
blew a 4-minute power play in OT


..and all in yet ANOTHER series clinching game


don't care what anyone else says but there is 100% reason to worry because this is yet the same old story with this team


If they lose game 5 watch the hell out. you would honestly have to believe that if they blow this whole f-ing series AGAIN that this has to finally be the end of this era and that half of them are shipped out? i mean how long can they do this for

 

[Divine]

all they had to do tonight was come out flying and put this series to an end.

But instead...


gave up a 2-0 lead in the 1st period
gave up a short handed goal
blew a 4-minute power play in OT


..and all in yet ANOTHER series clinching game


don't care what anyone else says but there is 100% reason to worry because this is yet the same old story with this team.


If they lose game 5 watch the hell out

Stolarz giving out rebounds isn't helping either. After this game Stolarz is a net negative goalie this series. He has saved less goals than expected.

We're very fortunate to be playing Ottawa as we can afford to grab every rebound. Much more tough against Tampa/Florida.

 

[Rob Brown]

If we were told we'd be up 3-1 with a chance to win the series at home we'd take it. Let's not overthink this.

 

[TonsofPuppies]

Stolarz giving out rebounds isn't helping either. After this game Stolarz is a net negative goalie this series. He has saved less goals than expected.

Don't say that out loud. The posters drinking the Sportsnet / TSN Kool-aid about how Stolarz is the best goalie in the league will be mad.

 

[Squiffy]

…because actually taking time to explain things to people who don’t want hear it - and would rather act like 4 years olds not getting candy.

Matthews has been really, really good.

Blaming Stolarz … lol.

He is missing his shots though, ones you expect him to hit on a privileged level from watching his career so far. I don’t think the execution looks off, just the result.

He hasn’t gone on a heater all season, and he always goes on a heater at some point. Hopefully just saving it up eh?

 

[arso40]

Nope. If they scored on the PP not a single one of you would be talking about the goalie.

Agreed

 

[Rare Jewel]

Kampf in or Robbie next game... on Tuesday!?

Both if possible.

 

[Divine]

If we were told we'd be up 3-1 with a chance to win the series at home we'd take it. Let's not overthink this.

I don't think anyone is worried about losing the series. This is Ottawa. The Leafs can play the next 3 games shorthanded for 60 minutes and likely still win the series.

It's just you don't want to develop bad habits for the second round, and that includes our goalie kicking out rebounds instead of freezing pucks causing a lot of unnecessary scrambles. Our defenders/forwards blowing clearing chance after clearing chance because they keep shooting it up the boards without seeing that Ottawa's entire game plan is to cover the points.

 

[TheTotalPackage]

They should have finished it off on the 4 minute PP. Absolutely no reason not to have to be brutally honest.

Ottawa is clearly an inferior team. Ullmark has been slightly above average at best, thankfully -- he would have been the primary/sole reason why Ottawa would stand a chance.

The Leafs should dust them off on Tuesday.

 

[Budz]

The post you quoted said nothing about Matthews. Maybe learn to read before throwing your 4 year old candy tantrums.

I am talking about you, and the general stupid takes in here. It’s so dumb.

I bet you or 90% of our fans could not articulate basic stuff of the X’s and O’s of what we are playing.

What is our fore-checking system?
What is our D zone coverage?
Explain our PK system.

Learn to read…good one. Sick burn.

 

[Stephen]

all they had to do tonight was come out flying and put this series to an end.

But instead...


gave up a 2-0 lead in the 1st period
gave up a short handed goal
blew a 4-minute power play in OT


..and all in yet ANOTHER series clinching game


don't care what anyone else says but there is 100% reason to worry because this is yet the same old story with this team


If they lose game 5 watch the hell out. you would honestly have to believe that if they blow this whole f-ing series AGAIN that this has to finally be the end of this era and that half of them are shipped out? i mean how long can they do this for

Yeah I feel like they need to snap out of the park the bus stance as the default. There’s a place and time to lock it down and it’s not necessarily when it’s 0-0.

 

[robertmac43]

That OT post is going to live in my brain rent free until Tuesday night.

 

[hfman]

Stolarz giving out rebounds isn't helping either. After this game Stolarz is a net negative goalie this series. He has saved less goals than expected.

We're very fortunate to be playing Ottawa as we can afford to grab every rebound. Much more tough against Tampa/Florida.

i know i'm the most negative "fan" on these forums lol but I'm actually liking Stolarz and I don't cringe every time someone takes a shot on him. I actually have confidence that he's going to make that big save for once.

It's the rest of this roster that worries me. After close to a decade of epic proportion collapses who in their right mind would be surprised to see them tank this series as well? Every Leaf fan has gotta have the doubt in the back of their minds after tonight.

All they needed was that killer instinct to end this and they just didn't have it again the same way they haven't had it the last decade.

This is going to get nasty... just watch.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Domi's line not being figured out is a determent to this team. They might bring Robbie back in, and scratch Patches for game 5. It's been a revolving door of players on that line

 

[Divine]

I am talking about you, and the general stupid takes in here. It’s so dumb.

I bet you or 90% of our fans could not articulate basic stuff of the X’s and O’s of what we are playing.

What is our fore-checking system?
What is our D zone coverage?
Explain our PK system.

I bet you that the majority of the people in here are smarter than you. People going onto these forums claiming no one else knows hockey and they're the chosen one usually got to look in the mirror.

It takes intelligence to accept viewpoints other than your own. You struggle mightily at it and I'll leave it at that.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Stolarz giving out rebounds isn't helping either. After this game Stolarz is a net negative goalie this series. He has saved less goals than expected.

We're very fortunate to be playing Ottawa as we can afford to grab every rebound. Much more tough against Tampa/Florida.

That's how this team is built. They are spending most of the cap upfront, and that leaves scraps for the goaltending. Stolarz is a very good goalie, still. He is just not a hall of fame level kind of goalie. We shouldn't rely on the goalie to steal a series