Post-Game Talk: Leafs Lose in Game 7. Again.

[SnizzNasty88]

Presented to you by Kyle Dubas.

Most goated comment I’ve seen. FUCCK DUBASS!!!!

 

[deprw]

Maybe I just see it differently. Tampa besides game 1 gave effort every night. The Leafs just decide which nights to check in and check out and our D core is incredibly flawed. They get exposed against any team that can flood the front of the net and they suck at clearing the front of the net which is a mainstay tactic in the playoffs when shooting lanes are blocked like it's no one's business.

They showed stats before Game 7 where you could see that Tampa's stars Point, Kucherov, Stamkos and Hedman had one assist combined in 21 game sevens. Actually our mentally weak core outplayed their stars by country mile, but in the end it doesn't matter, because we lost. Though you could during summer think about that angle of mentally weak and no show.

Two time Stanley Cup winning core doesn't score in game 7 for few years. I don't see problem within Matthews or Marner this time, they took huge strides as players. Most players win something big when they're close to 30. Like Tampa's core did when all of their main players were 27-30 beside Brayden Point.

 

[HammertownHockey]

Bad news. Leafs lost. Good news is i realized im no longer emotionally attached to this team. Wont be watching next year. Good luck

 

[KingJoffrey]

Fire Shanaflop, Dubler Dubas and Keefe. Hire Trotz as a president and the GM and hire his 2nd who have followed him for decade as hc. Put Tavares to LTRI and send soft buttler Nylander to moon or Arizona.

 

[Raging Bull]

There are no silver linings any more.

 

[Westlander]

I just can’t believe we’re here again, things just never ever go this team’s way when it really matters.
The sad thing is this was a decently played series on the whole, when examined on its own. History is relevant though and because of that they get no benefit of the doubt.
I’m curious about how fan dissatisfaction will compare with that of last off season;
For my part it’s hard to imagine feeling much engaged through another long regular season. I’ll watch but with casual interest. I mean how can anyone be excited?

 

[BodaciousBeefBazooka]

Mentality. That's why these players lose. It's them. Nobody else. Its psycholgically rooted. We are talking about professional athletes here its up to them instinctualy to 'make that next jump' but the way their brains are wired is the main reason whats holding them back. For that you can't coach its up to them to execute. See yall next fall.

 

[SCD]

It is not all about talent. It is finding those few players who can excel in playoff situations.

Shanahan could, but his players can't.

 

[dubplatepressure]

They showed stats before Game 7 where you could see that Tampa's stars Point, Kucherov, Stamkos and Hedman had one assist combined in 21 game sevens. Actually our mentally weak core outplayed their stars by country mile, but in the end it doesn't matter, because we lost. Though you could during summer think about that angle of mentally weak and no show.

Two time Stanley Cup winning core doesn't score in game 7 for few years. I don't see problem within Matthews or Marner this time, they took huge strides as players. Most players win something big when they're close to 30. Like Tampa's core did when all of their main players were 27-30 beside Brayden Point.

One - you forgot the Vasy stat which was 3 GA in his last 4 G7s combined. Yah their stars didn’t produce but their depth did and ours didn’t.

Final marks on the TDL moves I guess. Their TDL acquisition took us down. Love the irony in that.

 

[Puckstuff]

We're cursed.

This is a victim hood mindset to deflect away accountability on Dubas.

The reality is the leafs weren’t good enough.

 

[Ambassador Bridge]

Get rid of Rielly. That drop pass on the power play is so predictable.

 

[Racer88]

I don’t think fans are okay we lost….but more we got beaten by a better team and the guys showed up and fought.
The goal is to win the Cup, don’t think we are planning the parade if we beat TB.

I agree that we got beat by a better team. My problem is that Dubas was supposed to build this “better team”. He has had all the resources in the world to accomplish that but instead he has built this model of investment 50% of your cap in 4 similar forwards. I will give him credit for improving the defence but the rest of the team including the goalies are made up of table scraps. The Leafs are not even closely as well balanced as Tampa.
The real question now becomes how does he fix it, does he even think it needs to be fixed or does he think shuffling around a bunch of low paid bottom players is enough and finally is he even the guy to be making decisions any longer.
As far as the goal being winning the cup I agree but I also don’t think you go from not winning a single round for 18 years straight to winning the cup…….it has to start by winning rounds.

 

[2 Slick]

The difference maker in this series was our secondary scoring wasn't as good as Tampa Bay's secondary scoring.

Kase: 0 goals
Kerfoot: 1 goal
Engvall: 0 goals
Mikheyev: only empty net goals
Bunting: 1 goal
Spezza: 0 goals
Blackwell: 1 goal

I mean, Jake Muzzin had as many goals in this series as Kerfoot, Kase, Engvall, Bunting and Spezza combined. That's not good enough.

Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares, Rielly and Kampf (Even Muzzin) provided enough offense, the rest, not so much.

Last post-season it was Matthews and Marner that were invisible offensively and the secondary scoring were kings. This post season Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Tavares did a good enough job offensively, but none of them controlled the series and the secondary scoring was flat.

In a series this tight, the lack of secondary scoring from guys that made great strides like Kase, Kerfoot, Bunting, Engvall and Mikheyev wasn't good enough.

Bunting and Kase get a little reprieve from me due to their injury situations, but Giraffe, Cobra and Kerfoot were trash.

Don't even know where they go from here. Great skill, decent defensive group, so-so goaltending, wasn't good enough again. Same story, same result. I expect no different next post-season, I really don't have any faith whatsoever, zero, nil, none.

 

[Le Cobra]

I expected to get swept - they didnt. But then i started to believe maybe we will break out of the first round - never again. At least we won 13 cups

 

[The Masters]

Thought didnt come out to play a real game 7 but rather just a RS game. Didnt like the performance all that much. Gotta take control of the game especially with them being there .ast 6 years and losing.

I dont like Keefe. They need a change.

and I expect Dubas and Shanny to stay to revamp the club

You cant go into next season with same team. And you gotta get a new voice in there.

Most times making changes for sake of changes isnt the right way but for this scenario, u gotta

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Was a very close series that could have gone either way. Ultimately the Lightning have that champion pedigree and the Leafs …. Well clearly this has gotten to their heads. Not sure what the answer is tbh. Maybe need to sign Corey Perry? Lol

 

[GardinerTheForward]

I didn't say that, but I just never bought the argument that refs/league is biased against us. I am not saying you don't know the game, not at all. Just different viewpoints.

My comment about “maybe i dont know the game” was trying to suggest thatbI saw the game called in favour of tampa in games 6 and 7 but it could be because I’m a biased leafs fan. Personally I doubt it but I’m not really down/ready to have that neutral third party analysis yet. Just want to be grump and hate bettman for a while

 

[The Blueprint]

Nowhere to point the finger. Just can't get it done. This just sucks for everyone involved. Management, players, fans.. just feels hopeless at this point.

Going to be another long summer.....atleast I can relax every other night now. Wtf do you do if you're a part of this core/management?? Yikes

 

[All Mod Cons]

It has just been so, so, so obvious to some of the fanbase what and where the issues lie. Unfortunately, those fans have been abused, bullied, had their integrity questioned, and told to go and support a different team. It's a shame.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

Well, we loved to kick the Oilers because their lack of success. At least they've won a playoff round in recent times now. We should be more careful who we mock.

 

[SniperOnTheWing]

Meh. I’m not even mad. Last year vs the Habs I was mad. I’m just numb to it now. And we lost to a way better team than the one that beat us last year.

Blowing things up or firing everybody would be a bad mistake. Let’s not forget Tampa was a regular season powerhouse a few years ago and got swept by Columbus in the 1st round. They didn’t do anything emotional or drastic to their core, and now they’re b2b Cup champs with a shot at a three-peat. We just had the misfortune of drawing them as first round opponents despite finishing with our best record ever.

This team would have beaten anybody else in the East I’m sure of it. And if we would have gotten a different opponent, won, and met TB later in the playoffs with the confidence of slayed demons in our back pocket we would have beaten them.

We’re so close. Literally a couple of good bounces and a goal or two away for a couple of years now. We’re not out there getting swept year after year like some of the overreactions would suggest. The right move would be to continue tweaking and improving with experience. When we finally crack through the dam will burst and there will be no stopping us.

I would hate to make a bunch of drastic moves, fall short again next year, then have to wonder what could have been if we had just left things the way they were and let this group finish what they started. People are emotional right now and want to trade this guy or fire that guy but I don’t think it’ll have the effect you’re expecting. You do that stuff when you fail to make the playoffs entirely or get destroyed in a horrendously embarrassing fashion. That’s not what happened here.

 

[KapG]

Tough one to lose. Feel like we outplayed them most of the series. Sigh.

 

[Gallagbi]

I don't know who's off the mark. Holl was the reason why Point scored the OT winner in game 6.

Game 6 OT goal isn't on any specific player. There's a turnover and soft play by Marner where he needs to cut Hagel off, but doesn't causing an odd man situation. Bunting is too slow/tired to rotate in support

 

[ShaneFalco]

Elite!!

 

[BigGulpsEh]

Obv a disappointing and predictable end to the season

Something needs to change with the core. Need guys that put it all on the line