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

[Ziggdiezan]

I liked Folingo Campbell and Nylander this game.

And I think Matthews and Marner are going to eviscerate the Habs next game regardless on their own

Agreed, Nylander was buzzing all over. Wonder if they think about putting him at 2C and maybe bringing up Galchenyuk as 1 of his wingers.

Surprised to see so much Campbell love from people. He definitely made some good saves including that nice glove however he let in a backbreaking goal on the PP while making a bad pokecheck. I can't imagine the flack Andy would have gotten on that exact same goal

 

[djdev]

That mentality is great for the North conference in the regular season. This is the playoffs, a totally different animal. Have you been watching the other games? You have to be hard on the puck.
You have to finish your checks and finish them hard! You have to go to war for each other. You have to create a panicked state of mind in your opponent’s.
I will stand by my comment that soft teams do not have playoff success.

ive watched almost every other game. again, we are a possession team thats giving up possession. we are fine in the toughness area, we are not fine when we try and play a style we dont ever play.

 

[TimeZone]

I mean he didn’t look washed up tonight.

When is the last time we played a goaltender in the playoffs and didn't make them look like prime Hasek?

The "hot goalie" excuse ran it's course a while ago, this team can't put the puck in the net when it matters. Laughable perimeter shots without traffic in front is a surefire way to not score many goals in the NHL, no matter who's in net.

 

[Kurtz]

I think Palmieri was already gone to NYI and Hall according to rumours would not waive is NTC for anyone else except Boston so Foligno was the only one left.

Also, Leafs had to keep delaying the trade as late as possible due to cap issues to accumulate LTIR.

Cap flexibility was just not there

The rumours I've read had Hall wanting to go to either Leafs or Bruins. Leafs could have taken on his salary with retention and sending Kerfoot back - especially given that we already had plans to put Freddie on LTIR.

It's baffling that Dubas appeared to have no interest in Hall. Inexcusable.

 

[Antropovsky]

its keefe s 1st year with his own systems that hes been able to tech these guys to play. hes 1 game into the playoffs under a team that has improved immensely in our own end and dont give up leads and scary chances at nearly the same rate as in the past. we were top 10 in gaa and gf, had just come off an 8 day break and watched our captain crumple to the ice with what could have been a VERY serious injury. clearly everything isnt perfect because the PP is a legitimate head scratcher with our talent, but people need a bit of perspective, its one game with a bunch of crazy circumstances.

You didn't answer any of my questions? Do you know anything about nhl coaching systems or not? I'm legitimately interested in knowing what teams play our type of system...your comments made me believe your well versed in nhl systems.

Commentators and analysts repeatedly say how the leafs activate their defense and give their defense the green light... so I assume this is a bit unique considering how often it is brought up.

Also... plenty of coaches have taken over mid season for teams and went deep or even won the cup with teams. So saying Keefe hasn't had enough time is a poor excuse.

 

[Garthinater]

Not marners best game. Had a few good chances but couldn't come through.

Nylander was great.

Main thing is that tavares is alright.

 

[lebdafor norris]

Amazing how one game can completely deject your interest in the rest of the series.

Just want news that Tavares is okay and healthy. Series means nothing to me if we have peoples lives at risks over "freak collisions"

Many people here actually though that anything less than a 4-1 series win against the Habs will be disappointing when in reality, these Habs team is not that much different in terms of quality, to the Blue Jackets team that eliminated the Leafs during the last playoffs.

It really does seem like the expectations of finally winning a playoff series is getting into their heads, those delay of game penalties is just so out of the norm. Really, I dont care whether they win in game 5 or game 7, just win the series and hope the Leafs can perform better once the pressure of winning a playoff series is met and they are facing tougher playoff teams in the later rounds.

 

[Captain14]

ive watched almost every other game. again, we are a possession team thats giving up possession. we are fine in the toughness area, we are not fine when we try and play a style we dont ever play.

But you’re not getting it. There is very little space to work in the playoffs to be able to play like we did in the regular season. You have to knock your opponents on their asses and grind it out shift after shift. More importantly, you have to take a lick here and there to make plays. Believe me, physically has an impact on your opponents. They will start looking over theirs shoulders and making mistakes like they did to us.
You can’t be a possession team if you keep bailing out of being hit.

 

[djdev]

But you’re not getting it. There is very little space to work in the playoffs to be able to play like we did in the regular season. You have to knock your opponents on their asses and grind it out shift after shift. More importantly, you have to take a lick here and there to make plays. Believe me, physically has an impact on your opponents. They will start looking over theirs shoulders and making mistakes like they did to us.
You can’t be a possession team if you keep bailing out of being hit.

they were rattled tonight clearly, im gonna stick with my opinion that we are and will be fine. have a good night

 

[DavePoulin4PM]

Nylander was the only one that showed up tonight.

 

[Twine Tickler]

Calm down. Over Toronto's last 6 playoffs games (5 games last year and 1 game this year) they've scored a total of 11 goals. That's 1.8 goals per game.

That's just not good enough. Not even close for a team with the offensive skill Toronto has iced the last two seasons.

What's worse is that a very similar system that shut them down last year in the Columbus series is being employed by Montreal and Toronto looked to have zero answers for it again tonight, while their big 4 combined for 1 point and what looks like a possible (hopefully not) season ending concussion.

New year, different team. What’s the point of digging up a grave that has zero impact on the success of this years team? 1 game at a time. They still have to beat us 3 more times in the next 6. Really not a break glass panic scenario yet

 

[Stephen]

it has nothing to do with being soft. a possession team giving up possession just doesnt make sense. its no different than the boston series, when we play our game and dictate we win more than we lose, when we try to adapt to a different style we dont play as well.

Possession is fine but needs to be elaborated on.

If you maintain possession but constantly get repelled and have to regroup deeper and deeper in your own end of the ice while the neutral zone fills up with bodies it’s not that productive and creates opportunities for some bad turnovers with momentum going towards your end. Might be better to just chip and chase when the situation calls for it and have the ethic to get it back.

Possession as in your skilled forwards making dogged in heavy traffic and moving in clean straight lines to the opposition net and speed and support? No problem.

 

[glue]

F*#K F*#K F*#K F*#K F*#K BALLS!!!

AHHHHHHHH

Damn I still don’t feel better

 

[Gabriel426]

Important thing is winning the series. Toronto sports teams always lose their first game of post season, I think it is a Toronto thing

 

[djdev]

Possession is fine but needs to be elaborated on.

If you maintain possession but constantly get repelled and have to regroup deeper and deeper in your own end of the ice while the neutral zone fills up with bodies it’s not that productive and creates opportunities for some bad turnovers with momentum going towards your end. Might be better to just chip and chase when the situation calls for it and have the ethic to get it back.

Possession as in your skilled forwards making dogged in heavy traffic and moving in clean straight lines to the opposition net and speed and support? No problem.

fair enough, its not like our passes were crisp or anything. we were throwing away pucks tonight like crazy. in reality that was the worst issue we had imo.

 

[mrbagina]

But SImmonds in ? Mikaheyev in ?

Those guys both sucked. At least Joe will make a pass here and there.
Joe is not the problem, it's his usage. that's on the coach


Simmonds is done

For some reason I talked myself into believing that Simmonds was gonna crash and hit and be in a scrum every chance he could, be a real pain. He was none of that. Disappointing.

 

[m1ker]

And that’s why the leafs should of signed Perry

 

[AllDay28]

Agreed, Nylander was buzzing all over. Wonder if they think about putting him at 2C and maybe bringing up Galchenyuk as 1 of his wingers.

Surprised to see so much Campbell love from people. He definitely made some good saves including that nice glove however he let in a backbreaking goal on the PP while making a bad pokecheck. I can't imagine the flack Andy would have gotten on that exact same goal

woulda been 4-1 Montreal at that point if Andys in net.

 

[Antropovsky]

its keefe s 1st year with his own systems that hes been able to tech these guys to play. hes 1 game into the playoffs under a team that has improved immensely in our own end and dont give up leads and scary chances at nearly the same rate as in the past. we were top 10 in gaa and gf, had just come off an 8 day break and watched our captain crumple to the ice with what could have been a VERY serious injury. clearly everything isnt perfect because the PP is a legitimate head scratcher with our talent, but people need a bit of perspective, its one game with a bunch of crazy circumstances.

plenty of teams play off the rush...the point is thats how we need to actually play. lol im not sure what you said has anything to do with anything other than be whiny.

@djdev where did you go? You called me whiny and said many teams play like the leafs but when I asked for a more detail rhetoric... you disappeared. Anyways I did a quick Google and it looks like more people have noted that Keefe plays a very offensively focused style. Also one noted that keefes system has a tendency to give more odd man rushes than typical systems.

Keefe effect: What's different in early days of new Maple Leafs era

Keefe's system promotes regrouping when the situation warrants a reset. The rationale is simple: keeping the puck on a Leafs player's stick is better than dumping it into the offensive zone with no concrete retrieval plan. The rookie NHL coach also wants his defensemen to engage in the attacking side of the game by joining the play or handling the puck. Creativity is a major theme.
Toronto Maple Leafs: One of the Problems With the New Coach’s System

Keefe’s system has allowed for the team to play a style that optimizes the team’s personal for success, with the adoption of total hockey where every player is involved in the offense (even if it’s Cody Ceci).

As the new high risk, high reward style is favorable for the Leafs dynamic offensive team, it does come with the deficiency of increasingly more odd-man rushes against.
Besides the poor goaltending, when the team has found themselves down in games it is sometimes because of the allowance of odd-man rushes against. These odd-man rushes are inherently bound to happen more often with the new system put into place by Keefe.

As we have examined, the increasing number of odd-man rushes that have occurred since Keefe has come in as the head coach is a real issue.
The issue is mainly caused as a result of the new system put in place that prioritizes offense, however, plenty of the odd-man rushes can be masked if the forwards were covering for the defensemen.



Sheldon Keefe Brings Structure, Success to Maple Leafs Head Coach Role

Now with Keefe at the head coach role, he will get to execute a philosophy that aligns with his general manager.
“We want to be very fast and we want the players to feel free when they’re on offense,” Dubas told reporters on Thursday.

 

[mrbagina]

Brooks was great down the stretch. No idea why he wasn't playing tonight

For me the best 3rd and 4th lines we had all yr were 65-47-11 and 97-19-77

 

[Stephen]

fair enough, its not like our passes were crisp or anything. we were throwing away pucks tonight like crazy. in reality that was the worst issue we had imo.

I'm not that surprised. The Leafs details and work ethic were headed in the wrong direction in the Ottawa and Winnipeg "nothing games" where they got beat by a heavy, motivated forecheck and the same thing basically happened tonight. The idea of flipping a switch from disinterested to all in isn't easy to pull off. Take a look at some of the momentum teams having early success in the playoffs and see what other teams are ramping up and doing. The Leafs talk about championship habits...

 

[Ziggdiezan]

woulda been 4-1 Montreal at that point if Andys in net.

Perhaps, Campbell was definitely the better choice to start the game and has played far better this year. However people seem to treat Campbell with alot less criticism than Andy. How often do I hear about Andy getting out goalied in a playoff game yet not a word of that tonight or about the backbreaker goal Campbell let in. Just so much bias/favoritism

 

[ErnieLeafs]

The rumours I've read had Hall wanting to go to either Leafs or Bruins. Leafs could have taken on his salary with retention and sending Kerfoot back - especially given that we already had plans to put Freddie on LTIR.

It's baffling that Dubas appeared to have no interest in Hall. Inexcusable.

You don’t even have concrete proof this is true, yet you’re angry at the GM?

 

[Stephen]

Perhaps, Campbell was definitely the better choice to start the game and has played far better this year. However people seem to treat Campbell with alot less criticism than Andy. How often do I hear about Andy getting out goalied in a playoff game yet not a word of that tonight or about the backbreaker goal Campbell let in. Just so much bias/favoritism

A breakaway goal on the PP materializing in the slot isn't exactly a situation many goalies are going to thrive in.

In Andersen's case, he really doesn't help his case by always letting in those point shots he doesn't quite track.

 

[ErnieLeafs]

I never felt like we were winning when Tavares went down. Gotta re-group for next game with a renewed purpose. Treat it like game 1.