Series Talk: Leafs vs Bruins - 'ah shit here we go again' edition -- Full schedule post #933

[AuraSphere]

We’ve got a big edge at forward, but they’ve got a massive edge in goal and a slight edge on D:

Defence probably looks something like this:

Grzelcyk - McAvoy
Lindholm - Carlo
Wotherspoon - Peeke

vs

Rielly - Boosh
Benoit - McCabe
Edmundson - Lily

Bruins with the edge overall - I think they’ve got better 1st and 2nd pairings while we’ve got the better 3rd pairing (assuming Keefe doesn’t try to force Brodie or Gio in there!).

Then in goal:

Swayman
Ullmark

vs

Sammy
Woll

Obviously they have an absolutely massive edge here, Swayman and Ullmark are both miles ahead of

That's a huge gap on D and Goalie tbh. "Slight" gap on D is an understatement. Their second pairing would be our top pairing

Boston plays a lot of afternoon games.
Wouldn’t surprise me if they start Saturday afternoon.

Have they said when they will announce the schedule?

It will be Saturday evening - im almost 99% sure of it.

I am guessing an 7/8pm Saturday game

 

[Mitch nylander]

So what's everyone's ideal lineup?

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

That's a huge gap on D and Goalie tbh. "Slight" gap on D is an understatement. Their second pairing would be our top pairing

Tanev instead of Boosh with Rielly and it looks a lot better. However I don't think Calgary was interested in dealing with Treliving no matter what, even if he offered a 1st.

 

[Jmo89]

There are certain things about this team that I like but I think the goaltending and coaching will be too difficult to overcome.

As always though it'll come down to the core. Especially Matthews. They're talented enough to win a series, but that'll require them to stop being so mentally fragile.

 

[6ix]

I don’t think we’re going to see “playoff” Rielly this year. He’s been an absolute plug since coming back from injury, which would make me think he’s not 100%. He has no burst right now.

 

[Menzinger]

They swept the series this season 4-0. They had a 30% PP, 14 goals and .949 save percentage. Leafs had a 9% pp, 7 goals and .891% save percentage.

Yeah... 50/50... Real close...

I've stopped worrying (for better and for worse) about regular season matchup records after that 2021 Habs series after the Canada division. Everything gets reset the second the opening faceoff goes down

 

[Rude Dog]

Leaf fans are so mentally fragile. I get why the Bruins are favourites. Rightfully so. But this is almost a pick ‘em series. Leafs will win this. Remember it was only a year ago the Bruins were watching the Leafs still playing while they were on the golf course. Won’t be easy

 

[Kiwi]

Oh well I guess you have to slay the beast eventually

Tough match up but either option sucked so let's get in there and do it

We definitely can, but our big guys have to play like superstars, our special teams need to hold up and we need our goaltending to get red hot

 

[DANTHEMAN1967]

I want to see Pasternak on his ass shift after shift.
Only Tampa and maybe NYR relies more on one player to supply their offence.
I imagine Burtuzzi needs to take this job on.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Well boys and girls, they either win and beat Boston, the team that started it all in 2013.

Or they lose and Keefe is gone, he HAS to be

 

[TIGERCOOL]

Worst part about playing Boston is how many times Sportsnet will play the tape from 2013 and drone on about our playoff record against them. They really love to find every angle to torment us at this time of year, and the Bruins will be a goldmine for them.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

Up front, the Leafs do match up well against the Bruins. This is assuming we get the regular season version of the Leafs forwards and not the anemic playoff version of years past.

Major hurdles will be the defensive core, goaltending, Keefe's coaching, and the ability to withstand tight checking.

This is where the Bruins will be ahead plus home advantage for matchups.

It'll be a fun series from an entertainment perspective and likely will go 6-7 games.

 

[GQS]

Leaf fans are so mentally fragile. I get why the Bruins are favourites. Rightfully so. But this is almost a pick ‘em series. Leafs will win this. Remember it was only a year ago the Bruins were watching the Leafs still playing while they were on the golf course. Won’t be easy

What exactly have recent Leafs teams done in the playoffs to inspire their fans to believe in them?? So many painful, backbreaking losses in the postseason especially to the Bruins and in return they've only gotten to the 2nd round once in all that time.

On paper the Leafs should be just as good if not better than the Bruins and have a very good chance at beating them. In practice though Leafs fans have been burned far too many times by them that many if not most are in the 'won't believe until it actually happens' mindset. I'll start believing in the Leafs when Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Tavares all show up bigtime and leads the team to victory which so far they haven't done very much of.

Especially for Matthews all the goals and big numbers he's putting up in the regular season is great for when he negotiates for his next big payday, but his legacy will be what he does in the playoffs and so far its been good, sometimes very good, but never really dominating like the best players in the NHL have been able to do in the postseason.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

I've stopped worrying (for better and for worse) about regular season matchup records after that 2021 Habs series after the Canada division. Everything gets reset the second the opening faceoff goes down

Remember when Chiarot and Edmudnson got away with absolute murder that series? Just crushing anyone who came near the net with no penalties called? My question is if Edmunson and Benoit will get those same non-calls. My guess is, they won't.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

There better be SIGNIFICANT changes if they follow the usual script against the Bruins this year too.

Firing Keefe isn’t enough. Shanny needs to go and this core needs to be dismantled. For starters, figure out a way to dump Tavares so we don’t have to completely waste next year too.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Shanny needs to go

He needs to go anyway.

and this core needs to be dismantled.

How?
They have NMC / NTC.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

He needs to go anyway.

How?
They have NMC / NTC.

Just saying. We’ll have all offseason to figure out a way how. For now, I’ll desperately be cheering for every win until they lose that 4th game.

 

[RunItBackAgain]

We need to force top line vs top line. Anything else would be a mistake.

And McCabe and Benoit should be the pair.

Pasta cannot be allowed free roam to skate anywhere. Shut him down, get a few goals against him, and we have a chance. None of our other lines have a hope in hell of shutting him down.

 

[Sypher04]

Oh well I guess you have to slay the beast eventually

Tough match up but either option sucked so let's get in there and do it

We definitely can, but our big guys have to play like superstars, our special teams need to hold up and we need our goaltending to get red hot

We have been noticeably better than Boston since the new year began, and even more noticeably since the beginning of Feb. The standings don’t show it, and I don’t think Boston will be an easy out by any means, but we should fully expect to win this series

 

[Niagara Bill]

Leaf fans are so mentally fragile. I get why the Bruins are favourites. Rightfully so. But this is almost a pick ‘em series. Leafs will win this. Remember it was only a year ago the Bruins were watching the Leafs still playing while they were on the golf course. Won’t be easy

It is not the fans being mentally fragile that concerns me.
It is the weak mentality of the coach and players that shows up. Consider, our number 1 dman was minus 4 against Panthers, again.

 

[Nineteen67]

It’s been a long time since the Leafs beat Boston in a playoff series?

 

[All Mod Cons]

So what's everyone's ideal lineup?

This is always one of my biggest worries with Sheldon. I don't think he has a clue what his ideal lineup is. We chop amd change our lines and pairings way more than any other playoff team every season.

 

[7even]

Alright let's do a deep dive here, break this matchup down

G: Swayman + Ullmark vs Samsonov + Woll

Alright nevermind I've seen all I need to see

 

[All Mod Cons]

Have the Leafs ever beaten Boston in a playoff series?

Apparently not since the Cuban revolution.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

We have been noticeably better than Boston since the new year began, and even more noticeably since the beginning of Feb. The standings don’t show it, and I don’t think Boston will be an easy out by any means, but we should fully expect to win this series

We’ve lost 7 straight, and haven’t beaten them in 2 years