Post-Game Talk: Leafs lose Game 1: 4-2

[Strangle]

Leafs had a lot of good looks. TB was a better team.

Although what really sucks is this loss probably means Holl gets back in. Ugh

Let’s not do any thing drastic, like playing Holl.

Stay the course

 

[Captain Crunch]

So Bob had a great game. Leafs played well enough to win. It doesn't mean mistakes weren't made and the Leafs couldn't tighten things up...starting with the shifting schizophrenic lineup. Keefe needs to stop fing around. Marner had a shit game but part of it was too many duties. Is he a shutdown guy or is he a scoring guy? I don't know and neither did Keefe it appears. On Willy, what could possibly motivate him to not play to his strength other than coaching instruction. So weird to see him not play a power move when he could have stuffed it down their throats. Pushing the kid to slow down the game is hancuffing him. He needs to play with Knies. O'Reilly needs a boost too so match them up. Here is the puzzling move...

I was dumbfounded on that play. He had a clear path to the net!!! WTF!!!

 

[Nineteen67]

Really disappointing game but I expected it. They didn't show up in game 1 last series, so with more rest and Florida just playing 2 days ago I thought it would go that way.

Really unfortunate how much they dominated the 2nd but ended up with a tie score in that period and another back breaking late period goal... They really need to stop with that shit because it's getting old.

Florida loved to open it up but I think the leafs should try and limit that as much as possible and play tighter like the did against Tampa.

After a great first round McCabe was a bit trigger happy. Bad decision to join the rush which resulted in that 3rd goal.

Hopefully they take Florida more seriously now and they have a strong bounce back game.

I still think knies should be on the 3rd line to give it a much needed boost. The leafs looked their best when he was there and they had 3 lines that could generate a lot of offence.

But they did show up. Florida’s best player was their goalie.

The Leafs dominated possession on the PP, but they dont have that cross crease pass as weapon and weren’t able to cash in.

 

[The Management]

Just couldn't cash one in last despite all the opportunities. Bobrovsky gave the Panthers some big saves, and every mistake ended up in the back of our net. Can't get those kind of PP opportunities against a team like Florida and not bury on them. Have to find other ways to score if Florida's D is going to box out the front of the net. Wish we had a big point shot.

If there's a silver lining, it's that I don't think the Panthers looked particularly good either. Tkachuk's line is a problem, but that's really about it.

I thought Bunting looked like one of our better forwards, scoring a goal and drawing a penalty. Think he probably should have gotten more ice time.

On to Game 2.

 

[Captain Crunch]

Really disappointing game but I expected it. They didn't show up in game 1 last series, so with more rest and Florida just playing 2 days ago I thought it would go that way.

Really unfortunate how much they dominated the 2nd but ended up with a tie score in that period and another back breaking late period goal... They really need to stop with that shit because it's getting old.

Florida loved to open it up but I think the leafs should try and limit that as much as possible and play tighter like the did against Tampa.

After a great first round McCabe was a bit trigger happy. Bad decision to join the rush which resulted in that 3rd goal.

Hopefully they take Florida more seriously now and they have a strong bounce back game.

I still think knies should be on the 3rd line to give it a much needed boost. The leafs looked their best when he was their and they had 3 lines that could generate a lot of offence.

I would like to see Keefe try moving Nylander and Knies down with ROR, Bunting and Matthews together (just not sure who to put on the other wing, maybe Kerfoot because there's no one else, unfortunately), and Acciari down to 4th line giving that line some much needed energy.
Also, as another poster previously mentioned, maybe MM needs to come off of the PK (surely all those extra minutes must eventually take their toll).

 

[D00bis]

Leafs have been great at bouncing back, they looked super dangerous but couldn’t bury their chances those games happen. It’s game 1 let’s see how they respond on Thursday. That knies goal tho

 

[DraftSchmaft]

Other years we lost in 7, I looked at those teams and told myself "If we were able to get out the first round, we most likely go all the way"

The year we finally win a round we look awful and incapable of winning 16. I'm starting to think Bunting and Rielly taking out Cernak and Point (played massively hurt) is the only reason we advanced.

This team is not equipped to win if the core of the opponent is scoring. We got lucky the past 2 years. Tampas core didn't score much.

Look at the metrics. They stink. 21+ periods deep and we sucked for 80% of it. You don't need to look if you've been watching. You saw with your own eyes.

That defence....oh boy. It's so bad even Luke Schenn looks like a Norris winner in comparison. Schenn has been amazing but he shouldn't be our most reliable. There should be atleast 2 more guys providing better. What a fail of a defensive build.

 

[ACC1224]

A couple of moments would have completely changed things last night.
Not scoring an early PP Goal and allowing the 3-2 goal late in the 2nd.
That goal was a backbreaker, IMO.

 

[Peace Frog]

- Sloppy in our own end.

- Panthers scored opportunistic goals (as a result of our passive, sloppy D zone play)

- Bob made about 6 or 7 big time saves to keep Florida in it.

We need to find an answer for their heavy forecheck and exit our zone more efficiently.

Try not to be so cute in the offensive zone and just get back to going after those dirty area, playoff type goals.

If we make the proper adjustments, then we’ll be fine!

 

[justashadowof]

I hope it eventually occurs to the Leafs that they're far more capable of playing some form of a disciplined and frustrating defensive game than Florida. That's the Leafs' major edge over Florida. Last night they just played a fast paced trade-line-rushes type of game that the Leafs utilize in the dog days of the regular season. That plays right into Florida's lap. The teams are largely equal in that type of game. It's playing with fire.

William Nylander scored 40 goals this past season and he's the team's 2nd best playmaker. Yet he's on the team's 2nd power play.

 

[Captain Crunch]

Let’s not do any thing drastic, like playing Holl.

Stay the course

I will be surprised if Holl gets back in at all, unless he is a last resort due to injuries. I know Rielly and Schenn are working well together, but would McCabe and Schenn make a good shutdown pairing (providing McCabe knew that was his primary responsibility), while also reuniting Rielly and Brodie?

 

[River Meadow]

Leafs are the most dangerous team I've ever seen with the goalie pulled, I'll give them that.

Can't they harness some of that energy to being dangerous 5-5?

 

[Jojalu]

Verhaeghe has 6 FWG in Florida's 9 playoff wins in the past 2 years. Including 5 OT winners. Unbelievable

 

[BallardEra]

AI is out of control:

 

[1specter]

Let’s not do any thing drastic, like playing Holl.

Stay the course

Only change I would do is maybe 11-7 since Gio is struggling and ZAR is pretty useless.

 

[Atomos2]

Probably should go 11 and 7. 4th line didn’t look that good once again and taking less ice time away from McCabe would be a bonus.

 

[mapleleafs34]

It was our 7th game of the playoffs, what did we expect was going to happen last night?

 

[Torontonian]

Willy had about half the PP time of Matthews, Marner, Tavares, ROR, and Reilly, and most of it was on the second unit. Why single him out?

Because of this effort right here. No will to move Duclair in front of the net or block the shot. Numerous times on the forecheck he did the same thing. That last part was kinda just added on, they need more from everyone.

The d-zone coverage is my biggest worry, it's been garbage for 7 games now.

 

[shaner8989]

Florida is so f***ing good and deep it’s insane. I still think we’re better.

I just hope this team isn’t just satisfied winning 1 round and now fold.

This is the year. This is the f***ing year.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Willy and Marner just don’t play playoff hockey. They are so scared of getting hit, they avoid contact at all costs. I can’t believe some people out there think Marner is better player than Matthew Tkachuk. I still think we are going to win the next 4 games but man, those guys are frustrating to watch.

 

[ToneDog]

After watching Tkachuk in the playoffs, anybody still think Marner is 1.5m or more better ? We saw why you do not pay Nylander major dollars. He is not winning you any playoff games when opponents up their physicality. IMO Marner will not either.

 

[fahad203]

I dont know why everyone here so caught up on Bob. He didn't play out of his mind, he didn't put vezina caliber performance. He did his job, he just provided average adequate goaltending

The problem with us is we haven't had adequate goaltending in long long time so we think Bob played out of his mind

We had chances and we will win. Leafs in 6

Buy Sammy needs to provide just average goaltending.

 

[ShaneFalco]

To start this series, the strange decision was running the John Tavares-led line against the Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk line. Presumably, the logic was that Mitch Marner was matched up on Tkachuk’s side and Calle Jarnkrok — who is a solid defensive winger — was on the other, but Tavares is not exactly a defensive center nor is he fleet of foot.

The Tkachuk line dominated them and opened the scoring in this one. Tavares and Mark Giordano lost a battle behind the net as Bennett came out with the puck and got it to Tkachuk, who walked out from the corner. Marner sort of half-heartedly waved his stick at him with one hand, which was easy for Tkachuk to just step around, walk in, and shoot. Cousins whacked in the rebound as Jake McCabe didn’t tie him up well enough.

In the second period, the Leafs started using Auston Matthews against this line, and it went much better. I just don’t know why the coaching staff thought this would be a good idea at all in the first place.

Florida has three good lines, and the Leafs botched the matchups in Game 1. They started to figure it out as things went along, but ultimately, they ended up chasing the game. They will need to adjust and impose their style heading into Game 2.

Game in 10: Maple Leafs sucked into the Panthers' style of game en route to Game 1 loss

For years now, the prevailing thought was that if the Maple Leafs could just get over the hump of winning in the first round, the pressure would be off and they would ride the wave from there. They certainly looked like the pressure was off and played a loose, open style of hockey that played […]

mapleleafshotstove.com

 

[Alerion]

Guys I found Interactif

 

[ToneDog]

Willy and Marner just don’t play playoff hockey. They are so scared of getting hit, they avoid contact at all costs. I can’t believe some people out there think Marner is better player than Matthew Tkachuk. I still think we are going to win the next 4 games but man, those guys are frustrating to watch.

We may win this series but I doubt we are winning the next 4. They probably smell Leaf dmen blood after pounding them last night and if they can bring the same level of physicality and intensity in game #2, this series could go south fast. Tampa was missing Hedman and Cernak and Vasi was bad in game #2. I doubt Florida gifts us game #2 like Tampa did.