Post-Game Talk: Leafs lose. Thornton on the first PP unit. Weak. Nice work keefe. Do better.

[Cleetus]

You are correct.... I assumed the OP was in a different time zone when tomorrow is Saturday

lol nice try! lol!

 

[yubbers]

It's funny watching Dubas homers that watched us fail with no grit now blame grit. Hahahahaha.

 

[Jojalu]

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it, this is no playoff team. I think we all know who we can blame for that.

Who isn't a playoff performer?

Muzzin has won a Cup
Bogo too.
Joe and Spezz have been to the finals
Brodie has made a run. Foligno and Nash have had playoff success.

What makes a playoff team?

In the Leafs 5 playoff appearances we have had very different teams everytime.

Reilly, Hyman, Matthews, Marner and Nylander are the only ones to have been here the whole time.

 

[Legendary]

These guys better be on fire on Saturday. Hits, fights, emotion. Get into the middle of the ice and get into Price’s kitchen. Enough of this perimeter garbage and letting guys skate right through Campbell’s crease after the whistle. This is the playoffs, play like it matters.

Unfortunately this is how the team is built. No mental toughness means no playoff success.

 

[pcruz]

It's getting quite sickening watching pairs like Mackinnon/Rantanen and Kucherov/Point decimate their matchups while our 34/16 pair continues to "run into hot goalies".

Well, our version of Adam Oates and Brett Hull has Oates try to become the goal scorer.

It has to stop.

 

[IrishInOntario]

We hit 2 off the post on the PP, Matthews had a solid 3-4 chances on the PP. Thornton f***ed the powerplay, apart from him the rest of it looked better. That very easily could've been a 3-1 game for us, game of inches.

You do realize that when you hit a post or a cross bar, you're inaccuracy still caused you to miss, right? Great teams have their best players EXECUTE and score when it matters. Imagine an NFL team losing a game by 6 points because their field goal kicker hit the uprights twice, and trying to take some moral victory from that.

You have to execute, or you lose. Period.

Game 1 of this series looked just like most of the Columbus series last year. The obviously more talented team showing no class in their ability to finish offensively.

 

[leafsfan2point0]

Does anyone know the last time we won game 1 of a series? Feels like we always lose them

 

[Coachcorner]

I TOLD Y*ALL!! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!! KARIYA FROM STEVENS! ETC! TAVARES MIGHT BE BACK FOR GAME 3! I AIN*T SURPRISED AT ALL!!! Eeven for game 5!!! WE LOVE THE LEAFS AND LIFE!! FOR LIFE!!

 

[CelticDruid]

Told you that Thornton Spezza Simmonds line is too slow. Put Brooks’ back at centre.

Yeah, a few of us pointed that out.

I hope Keefe has the balls to sit some of these old vets and not worry about hurting their feelings.

 

[Gallagbi]

Toronto in 7.

My heart can't take a Game 7

 

[Michael HOMERUNing]

Montreal's physicality had absolutely nothing to do with this loss actually.

It's also overblown. That hit counter was botched.

Not Montreal's physicality. Toronto's lack thereof. Our players are so afraid to take hits that they would rather dump the puck over the glass and take a penalty

 

[fahad203]

Riley Nash played as advertised. Absolutely nothing offensively but gave up nothing defensively.

That will be very important later. Don't think you take him out over a guy like Thornton, especially if you are adding an offensive specialist like Galchenyuk.

The fact that you put him in the line up who hasn't played in months over a guy like Engvall who scored 4 goals in 6 games and Gally is mind baffling

 

[Cleetus]

Yea he did, I was just referring to the skaters though.

f*** it he wears skates lol jk, just adding I thought your list of players was right on the mark!

 

[Azail]

We hit 2 off the post on the PP, Matthews had a solid 3-4 chances on the PP. Thornton f***ed the powerplay, apart from him the rest of it looked better. That very easily could've been a 3-1 game for us, game of inches.

I am tired of "If only this happened, we win." I have heard excuses the whole Matthews/Marner era. Our PP has been a JOKE for 2 months. I don't care if they hit 5 posts every PP, put it in the damn net.

 

[PromisedLand]

So, is Sandin not our saviour on the PP?

Got burned twice....

1. Anderson goal

2. Byron goal

Sandin needs to sit. He isn't ready for playoffs. And he needs to work on his footspeed in the off season

 

[yort2010]

I am pretty sure we actually have more SHG against, then PP goals for during this run. It is actually comical.

I believe 5 pp goals and 4 shg. So pretty close. That’s embarrassing

 

[SakuKoivu11]

It’s Price. The ability to steal games.

 

[SeenSchenn2]

I don't know what people see in Mik. He sucks.

He's the Leafs' Kawasaki. Replacement-level, but is 'funny'

 

[Brown Dog]

Price was fine but other than that sprawling save on Marner on the 2-on-1, he wasn't tested much. We hit his crest an awful lot and multiple posts. He wasn't and won't be the difference.

 

[ORRFForever]

My heart can't take a Game 7

I do NOT want to see Montreal/Winnipeg.

 

[hockeynorth]

Positives:
- Nylander had a great game
- Rielly also had one of his best games of the season
- We got good chances from our top guys
- Campbell looked good
- We played physical
- Sandin looks excellent on PP1
- PK was superb

Negatives:
- JT, that's what the problem was this game and everyone should realize that. It is hard to win a hockey game after seeing that, idc who you are.
- Thornton and at times Hyman were invisible on PP1, I don't understand why we don't just go back to early season units and set ups but whatever, honestly it was the best its been in a while Price just stood on his head.
- Didn't love L3 at all, and found L4 to be somewhat invisible, we need more from depth.

What I would do:
- Draw Galchenyuk in, we will need his goals.
- Sit Riley Nash, yes I know he's this "defensive beast" but we don't need that right now, we need Engvalls wheels or Brooks's two way game, both are good enough defensively and will boost our depth.

Run something like the following:

Hyman-Matthews-Marner
Galchenyuk-Nylander-Foligno
Engvall-Kerfoot-Mikheyev
Thornton-Spezza-Simmonds

Rielly-Brodie
Muzzin-Holl
Sandin-Bogosian

PP1:
GOAL-Simmonds-GOAL
Thornton-BUMPER-Matthews
Marner-POINT-Rielly

Marner and Thronton cycle between point, left circle and goal line.

PP2:
GOAL-Hyman-GOAL
Spezza-Nylander-Galchenyuk
POINT-Sandin-POINT

Nylander rovers through that middle lane to open up for a shot, Gally is your 1 timer threat, Spezza can drop low or back up, Sandin aims to get shots through.

 

[GrosBill]

Chill out guys. Who says you have to win in 4. Don't worry your team will come out on top.

 

[Menzinger]

Nobody here should be able to say they felt the Habs were the better team tonight.

Just need to fix this absolutely bizarre Pap issue

 

[Leafsdude7]

Not starting Campbell? Dude was excellent tonight he only got beat on a couple tough breakaways.

And sitting Sandin? Are we not watching the same game? Probably our best puck mover and was snapping the puck around on the PP. You think Rielly wouldn't have gotten beaten by a faster Byron on that breakaway?

Our problem is more of a roster construction issue like why is a young Swedish kid in his first playoff game having to anchor the PP in the first place or why are we putting out slow ass vets on there?

No, this team is a PP issue. If our PP was producing at even an average 11-15% pace since Feb and wasn't literally giving up more goals than it was producing over that stretch, this team would be unstoppable.

As it is, it's another example of how this team loves to find ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

 

[Leaf4Life]

The overreaction of this fan base after one game. Y’all don’t deserve the Leafs winning a title. Losers.

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