Post-Game Talk: Leafs Lose To Florida In OT

[Bomber0104]

He's playing with 65 and 15. Declining but not at Spezza the Star just yet IMO.

Prime PP time...

Nylander was just taken off his line.

 

[Cleetus]

Tampa in 5 is what im feeling, heart is saying leafs in 6 lol

 

[Stephen]

I still can't even wrap my head around the line of thinking that went into that Tampa game. It was just so stupid to treat that game as meaningless and it looks like Tampa has woken back up again. And now we get to watch them continue to pay for it tomorrow too, as they have to go back to Kallgren

The way they walked into a road game vs their likely first round date and twice defending cup champions was really weird. And the fact that they said Tampa wanted it more. Like was the 6-2 win the Leafs Stanley Cup or something?

 

[TheShape]

Matthews, Marner and Rielly are not a good OT unit. They can't win an opening draw to save their lives and can't get a stop. It was sad how gassed they were playing on the back foot and when they went off for a change Barkov still had more gas in the tank. Glad to have Matthews back for tonight but this was probably the worst game of the season for him.

Matthews and Marner so lackadaisical and play with no urgency in OT, it’s odd. We’re just chasing it the entire time.

 

[riffle]

Just saw that. Tough luck, hopefully back for the playoffs. That is the big thing in this instance.

Bunting is the exact kind of player this team NEEDS for playoff hockey. It has very little of what he offers.

An ominous feeling for me regarding his injury. That is one to really be concerned about. Is 10 days enough to get him ready?

That final game vs. Boston may be for home ice. His absence will really be felt if he can't play, or is held out.

 

[frizzer1]

Unfortunately Tavares is one of those athletes who got old at 30.
He used to be hard on the puck and deadly around the net.
Now he gets knocked off the puck or stripped easily.
So he can’t skate, can’t stickhandle, and can’t finish.
And in the last few months he has primarily gotten secondary assists playing with elite players.
Hopefully he will waive his ntc and another gm will look at the stats and think “hey, he’s a ppg so I’ll take him.

 

[Hurt]

Ya'll are losing your marbles over a meaningless 3v3 OT loss in late April. The team looked pretty damn good today, especially in a bounceback game from Thursday. Shame we didn't win but I just want this team to get to the end of the season healthy.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Kadri: 8 goals, 7 primary assists, 13 secondary assists.
Tavares: 10 goals, 9 primary assists, 7 secondary assists.

Keep pushing that narrative though.

I will.

Kadri:

64 GP 26 G 58 A 84 PTS

Cap hit: 4.5 million

Tavares 75 points in 77 GP, can’t skate.

Cap hit: too damn much.

 

[TheRumble]

The key to the playoffs is we need to get better at 3v3 OT.

When you look at all the Stanley Cup champs in recent years, the 3v3 OT play was key.

 

[96]

Those "Matthews is just being load managed" takes are aging really poorly.

He's definitely not 100%

bring some of those bitches to me I'll handle them for you

 

[34]

Tampa in 5 is what im feeling, heart is saying leafs in 6 lol

Tampa in 4. Leafs shut out 3 games.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

JT is a liability on 3v3 and he better starts scoring his chances bc a 11mil faceoff C is a bit much.

A….bit...much?

Dubas thanks you for your kind words.

 

[PromisedLand]

View attachment 534825

This is gonna be so PAINFUL

 

[Azail]

Bunting is the exact kind of player this team NEEDS for playoff hockey. It has very little of what he offers.

An ominous feeling for me regarding his injury. That is one to really be concerned about. Is 10 days enough to get him ready?

That final game vs. Boston may be for home ice. His absence will really be felt if he can't play, or is held out.

Home ice would be nice. But the Leafs have had chances the last 3 years to close out series at home and haven't. I don't put that much stock into home ice as maybe some others, maybe that is just because the Leafs haven't capitalized on their opportunities when they had it.

Regardless they will be playing a good team in the first round. I think with or without home ice it will be a 50/50 chance to win the series.

 

[ToneDog]

Prime PP time...

Nylander was just taken off his line.

91 and 88 does not work. Could have had 2 goals tonight if not for Bob. Made a few good setups. Not worth the cap hit but not dead yet. Hopefully he can grind out a good playoff.

 

[riffle]

I still can't even wrap my head around the line of thinking that went into that Tampa game. It was just so stupid to treat that game as meaningless and it looks like Tampa has woken back up again. And now we get to watch them continue to pay for it tomorrow too, as they have to go back to Kallgren

Tell me it doesn't feel like Game 5 vs. Montreal. It feels exactly like it to me.

I may watch the Tampa/Florida game tomorrow night, instead, or have both of them on.

This team never learns. Never. Will make you believe it has, but it just doesn't.

 

[PromisedLand]

We should ltir Tavares next season and bring him on for the playoffs… clears 11 million in cap space imagine what we could do with it.

We should LTIR Tavares and forget about him there for the rest of his contract

 

[ToneDog]

This is gonna be so PAINFUL

Might be time to find a new team. It is only going to get uglier.

 

[meefer]

Very entertaining game. Can't wait for playoffs.

Florida is in real trouble once the vlock strikes midnight and their carraige turns to a pumpkin

Before I forget by passing over you comment, you’re so correct. This was one of the best games of the year. So entertains, great hockey. The only thing it proves is that these are two quality teams and if we meet them in the playoffs the games should be great.

 

[IPS]

Am I tripping or is all this garbage being posted about Matthews look dumb?

He legit looked like our first or 2nd best player tonight.

If anything he should have been played less tonight - 21:40 was too much IMO

 

[IrishInOntario]

Not emotional about that loss at all, but didn't that just have all the makings of a typical Leafs "close but not quite enough" game that we'll see in the playoffs?

2-0 lead blown. The best goal scorer in the world missing some chances that he usually scores in his sleep. About 4 or 5 complete brainfarts on 2 on 1 chances while tied in the 3rd period. Bad playbin which our Captain, God love him, is simply not fast enough to get back into a play in a critical situation...

That had all the makings of a first round exit type game, where we're left asking ourselves the same questions we always are... "How are they so devoid of the "clutch" gene that they simply can't pull these out when it matters?"

The old expression rings true. You can't start winning, until you learn to stop losing. In Toronto's case, you can't start winning those nailbiters that matter, until you learn to stop losing them.

If I have the secret answer as to how you stop losing like that, which you KNOW is coming in the playoffs, I'd be coaching in the league and not posting on the board.

The boys played well tonight. They were right there. They still, simply, don't have enough of "it"... Whatever "it" is that fosters the winning gene.

 

[MSZ]

League leading 304 goals allowed. Matthews is good for at least 2.

lol Don't get your hopes up.

 

[tmlms13]

To be fair to Dubas and Tavares, they were probably expecting the Cap to be around 90m this off-season. The decline in his play probably isn't a massive shock but that the percentage of on his cap hit still being the same is.

No one could have predicted a flat cap for 3 years

 

[All Mod Cons]

91 and 88 does not work. Could have had 2 goals tonight if not for Bob. Made a few good setups. Not worth the cap hit but not dead yet. Hopefully he can grind out a good playoff.

I think the "not worth the cap hit" is the biggest issue fans have.

 

[Community]

Sigh another loss. The last 10 games or so should be a tune up for the playoffs……not floundering around

I honestly don't believe that the last few games are a tune-up... all the good/bad habits built up in the season don't change in the last few games. The most important thing is to be/stay healthy... I remember a ton of times where a team floundered in the last regular season games before changing gears in the playoffs and vice versa.