Post-Game Talk: Leafs lose to Buffalo

[Niagara Bill]

Not one player on this team got angry and tried to lift the team, with hit, or aggression, or a thrown stick, or a face wash, or a run at Znderson,....nothing...zippo, notta....not a whimper.

 

[Darch]

Losses lately are not about goaltending or effort. They are about being back to trying to play offense first. D-men who take too many risks. Too large a gap between the D-men and Forwards in the neutral zone. Coaching staff has some 25 games left to fix this. Otherwise, it's another early playoff exit.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Ya think. We could still have Kadri at half the cost. And don;t go blowin smoke about the suspensions again. Y>'all know right now you would take back Naz over JT

Ever heard the saying where there's smoke, there's fire?

 

[Mugzy97]

Not one player on this team got angry and tried to lift the team, with hit, or aggression, or a thrown stick, or a face wash, or a run at Znderson,....nothing...zippo, notta....not a whimper.

There's a great idea, losing to Buffalo in a regular season game halfway through the season - let's run the goalie!

 

[ShaneFalco]

Arena filled to capacity for the first time ........ and they lay an egg. Just typical Leafs

 

[29Potvin]

Andersen had a rough year with injuries and poor use along with as usual with our Leafs getting peppered but he is better than the 2 back ups we have.

Andersen takes over in Carolina,who dumped Mrazek and so far,

38

37

29

7

0

2

1,079

76

2.03

.930

3

2,245

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

So I am not putting it on Freddy but much more on the team in front of him.
I would have taken back Freddy easily over our 2 present choices.

I agree that Fred is the better goalie than what we have but like Kadri, Fred had playoff weakness that the media and fans would not let slide and and people will point to save % and GAA and that the team didnt score enough. Fred would give up weak goals when it got tough and the mental part of the game would over take him it happened with him this year in the second game against the Leafs he was rolling but once we got the . I find Soups mental game is far too weak and is something that has and will plague him for his entire career. Petr is what he is and will never be anything more. Poor rebound control and gives up far too many weak and is what many fans said about him when he was signed in the summer.

The problem with the goaltending in Toronto for far too long has been Mental toughness!

 

[Mugzy97]

I love Keefe but the Sandin-Rielly pairing was such a poor idea. You likely found an ideal partner for Sandin in Lyubushkin and then decided nah, I'll just pair him with the exact opposite of an ideal partner.

I feel like it was Dubas asking for a certain look because he's engaged in trade talks.

lol, its really frustrating talking to leaf fan friends, theres no in-between, either a fan boy or a hater.
i want JT to be good, i never said trade the bum etc etc. a better JT means a better leaf team.
but cmon there has to some good conversation out there about how hes actually played that isnt just about his points(or intangibles).

I personally don't think Tavares is declining yet, he still has 50 points in 53 games, even after sucking for a while now. He's either battling an injury, or he's just in a rut. I believe he will come out of it. It's too sudden and soon to assume he's declining.

 

[ShaneFalco]

Not one player on this team got angry and tried to lift the team, with hit, or aggression, or a thrown stick, or a face wash, or a run at Znderson,....nothing...zippo, notta....not a whimper.

It's like game 7 all over again

 

[ACC1224]

Any idea why Nylander didn't play last night?

 

[sparxx87]

I agree that Fred is the better goalie than what we have but like Kadri, Fred had playoff weakness that the media and fans would not let slide and and people will point to save % and GAA and that the team didnt score enough. Fred would give up weak goals when it got tough and the mental part of the game would over take him it happened with him this year in the second game against the Leafs he was rolling but once we got the . I find Soups mental game is far too weak and is something that has and will plague him for his entire career. Petr is what he is and will never be anything more. Poor rebound control and gives up far too many weak and is what many fans said about him when he was signed in the summer.

The problem with the goaltending in Toronto for far too long has been Mental toughness!

I look forward to Anderson proving you and others wrong about this. He wasn’t perfect but I went back out of curiosity and in 25 games he gave up 4, maybe 5 that he’d tell you he had to stop.

4 or 5 vs the literally countless times he bailed out mistakes in front of him.

You begin to see how twisted that is, and probably explains why it’s so tough to play goal in the market.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Why not go back to those d pairings against Minnesota that worked well?

Rielly Brodie
Dermott Liljegren
Sandin Lyubushkin

A defence with no holles

Makes too much sense to go back to something that worked.

 

[griffon1]

A couple of bad deflections combined with no offence. Just a terrible effort.

Petr wasn't great, but neither was anyone else.

What's with Holl thinking he's Bobby Orr?

Too much rushing by the D and getting caught.

Tough game to watch.

Trade incoming.

I'd start with a winger for JT but don't give up the farm.

We have more holes than we can plug anyway.

Can't possibly get a 2nd line winger, Tough dman and a solid goalie.

 

[HogTown06]

I guess it's probably Panthers or Lightning on the first round... Maximum effort.

 

[29Potvin]

I look forward to Anderson proving you and others wrong about this. He wasn’t perfect but I went back out of curiosity and in 25 games he gave up 4, maybe 5 that he’d tell you he had to stop.

4 or 5 vs the literally countless times he bailed out mistakes in front of him.

You begin to see how twisted that is, and probably explains why it’s so tough to play goal in the market.

Look at his history and tell me when has he ever proven anyone wrong? In big games he has always given up weak goals and that is a fact!

 

[sparxx87]

Look at his history and tell me when has he ever proven anyone wrong? In big games he has always given up weak goals and that is a fact!

This year? There was a thread on how he’s done as an NHL goalie, a thread comparing him to career backup/B goalie Mrazek where someone went as far as saying Michael Hutchinson was better.

I was a troll for saying he’ll post career highs in Carolina so bookmark this one and apologize when you see him behind a better structured and far more disciplined defensive team in the playoffs.

 

[Niagara Bill]

There's a great idea, losing to Buffalo in a regular season game halfway through the season - let's run the goalie!

You don't have to hurt him to get him off his game, but here is an idea, let's be embarrassed about being pushed around and run out of your own building, in front if your first full crowd, by a terrible team, half way through the season when you are trying to win first place to help in the playoffs.
How many Stanley's gave you seen won.

 

[2legit2quit]

Look at his history and tell me when has he ever proven anyone wrong? In big games he has always given up weak goals and that is a fact!

Anderson wasn't the reason they lost against columbus or montreal.

In fact, he played really well, leafs choked and couldn't score.

 

[ULF_55]

They played very poorly, and the bounces went the wrong way, especially for Sandin.

Alone in front of the net with two Sabres, puck comes to him and bounces over his stick. Goal.
Cross ice pass from Rielly, puck is slightly behind him bounces away. Goal.
Get muscled out of the play and the guy who pushed him off picks up an easy rebound. Goal.
Rielly wasn't good either, first PP goal Rielly had the puck at the side of the net and then somehow it's on a Sabres stick and the Leafs take a penalty. On the PK Rielly then skates across the front of the net and deflects a long shot past Mrazek.

Well, just win 3 out of every 4 ...

 

[Rogue Leader]

I posted the following at the end of the GDT in response to someone suggesting that “good” teams don’t lose to “bad” teams.
Florida lost 6-2 to these sabres not long ago and lost to Columbus last week right after we did. Every team has stinkers
Tampa lost 5-1 to the ducks recently and two months ago, got shut out by the Sens & Sabres earlier on in the year.
Carolina lost to detroit last night, got beat by the Sens a few weeks ago, got a 7 spot put up on them vs Jersey and got shut out 6-0 by Columbus in mid January. They’ve also lost to the kraken, flyer and Sens again.
The Avs have been beat by Columbus twice, the Sens, Arizona and Dallas like three times who are middling at best.
I get it, it sucks living through in the moment and sucks to watch but bad teams beat good teams often enough in hockey you can’t sweat it

Nice post! Thank you for the effort that went into it! It is true - anything can happen in the NHL - that is why betting and gambling on it is allowed.

 

[Rogue Leader]

I’m pissed off that I stayed up to watch this. I can only imagine how the poor bastards who bought tickets to this feel.

Not sure where you are from .. but for me - here in Europe it was 02:30 start time in the morning! And I had to go to work after that ...

 

[Rogue Leader]

I think that Willy has checked out with having Tavares as his centre, he needs faster players, and it's time to change that 2nd line up. It's been crap for a while.

But what are we supposed to do with Tavares? It's not like he will agree to be traded.

 

[ACC1224]

Nice post! Thank you for the effort that went into it! It is true - anything can happen in the NHL - that is why betting and gambling on it is allowed.

Context is important though. Sure you can lose a game against a bad out of conference opponent in a meaningless game in the middle of winter, every team does that. This wasn't that game.

First place on the line, first time in a long while in front of a full home crowd against a division rival.
If you can't show up for that, it is a little concerning.

 

[Rogue Leader]

I don't get the hate on Tavaresnhe hasn50 points in 53 games his production is fine and even during this slump hens till has what? 11 points in 13 games the production is fine.

The main issue is goaltending

Have him C the 3rd or 4th line and his points will drop. Nylander makes him look better than he is ..

 

[ULF_55]

Not sure where you are from .. but for me - here in Europe it was 02:30 start time in the morning! And I had to go to work after that ...

Well then work must have seemed like nirvana.

 

[Rogue Leader]

Context is important though. Sure you can lose a game against a bad out of conference opponent in a meaningless game in the middle of winter, every team does that. This wasn't that game.

First place on the line, first time in a long while in front of a full home crowd against a division rival.
If you can't show up for that, it is a little concerning.

I fully agree. I have just mentally found peace. This team does not have the heart & soul to be a Cup winner. I have accepted that without major changes - this roster is not going anywhere. Nylander has 8 hits for the whole season ... So when I log in here from time to time ... I try to write positive stuff. There are just too many people who are already pointing out everything bad. But I am checked out. This team is winning only if somehow the whole league gets COVID and is disqualified except the Leafs.