Pre-Game Talk: Leafs vs Lightning. Game 5

[Cor]

Anyone else think Matthews should be with Nylander and Tavares with Marner?

 

[All Mod Cons]

The fans that really really want to win and the fans that don't have the exact same level of impact on the odds of us winning: zero.

Agreed

 

[inthe6ix]

Reporter needs to ask Keefe:

With how these 2 teams stack up, safe to say whoever wins the 5v5 battle moving forward takes the series. Is it safe to assume Marner will be taken off pk, so you know , he can win the f***ing game.

Tried to stay professional but lost it at the end

ffs papi is stapled to the bench while we kill penalties all game - can't have your best player sitting there rotting away when we get chances on the pk with guys who refuse to shoot on 2-on-1's

sheldon has to stop coddling him and worrying about him getting hurt blocking shots

if papi is the future selke candidate people keep touting him as, then he should be out there with marner guarding the point

and in the unlikely event papi gets gets hurt on the pk, we know we can play without him and somehow jt miraculously steps up in his absence

time to take the kid gloves off and let him loose

 

[Madap]

I don't think the world is over BUT it was alarming to me how the Leafs capitulated. After that game, I am having a tough time seeing the Leafs winning this series. Again, Matthews and Marner have not showed up either. Total non-factors in both games in Tampa.

I mean, was that loss any worse than Tampa’s in game 1? I thought Tampa’s was far more embarrassing given the PP imbalance. They bounced back and showed that they aren’t that team (as we all knew).

Toronto will bounce back and show the same.

 

[AvroArrow]

Anyone else think Matthews should be with Nylander and Tavares with Nylander?

Assuming you meant Tavares with Marner, i'd agree

 

[IPS]

I think you roll these lines in the beginning to see how everyone plays:

Bunting Matthews Marner
Kerfoot Tavares Nylander
Mikheyev Kampf Engvall
Simmonds Spezza Kase

Rielly Lybush
Gio Lily
Muzzin Brodie

If things aren’t great then change to the following:

Bunting Matthews Nylander
Kerfoot Tavares Marner

Rielly Brodie
Gio Lily
Muzzin Lybush

I cannot take any poster seriously who still has Tavares as 2nd line C. He needs to be on the 4th line and everybody in the room knows it.

 

[Cor]

Assuming you meant Tavares with Marner, i'd agree

Sorry, yeah

 

[Buds17]

Anyone else think Matthews should be with Nylander and Tavares with Nylander?

I feel like that will probably end up being the last resort for change. The team scores at a sufficient enough clip when they win, while lack of production is only one of the problems when they lose.

 

[SprDaVE]

I mean, was that loss any worse than Tampa’s in game 1? I thought Tampa’s was far more embarrassing given the PP imbalance. They bounced back and showed that they aren’t that team (as we all knew).

Toronto will bounce back and show the same.

We shouldn't need a bad game like that just because TB had a bad game. Bad games happen and sometimes everything goes wrong, but we had a bad game like that a few weeks ago against TB. There have been far too many bad games lately.

I'm sure the Leafs will bounce back, at least I really hope they do... but they shouldn't need a bad game to wake up. We can only hope this is the last one for a long time... if there is a long time to be had.

 

[Suntouchable13]

I mean, was that loss any worse than Tampa’s in game 1? I thought Tampa’s was far more embarrassing given the PP imbalance. They bounced back and showed that they aren’t that team (as we all knew).

Toronto will bounce back and show the same.

I hope you’re right. Reading your posts makes me much more at ease. Thanks

 

[Hoglund4MvP]

ffs papi is stapled to the bench while we kill penalties all game - can't have your best player sitting there rotting away when we get chances on the pk with guys who refuse to shoot on 2-on-1's

sheldon has to stop coddling him and worrying about him getting hurt blocking shots

if papi is the future selke candidate people keep touting him as, then he should be out there with marner guarding the point

and in the unlikely event papi gets gets hurt on the pk, we know we can play without him and somehow jt miraculously steps up in his absence

time to take the kid gloves off and let him loose

Agree I just don't mention him because he will be there beside marner if smart things start to happen.

 

[ShaneFalco]

I mean, was that loss any worse than Tampa’s in game 1? I thought Tampa’s was far more embarrassing given the PP imbalance. They bounced back and showed that they aren’t that team (as we all knew).

Toronto will bounce back and show the same.

Or not, because until they prove otherwise, they are that team

 

[Mopar]

I cannot take any poster seriously who still has Tavares as 2nd line C. He needs to be on the 4th line and everybody in the room knows it.

John Tavares is not playing on the 4th line. Ever.

There's a better chance of martians landing in Maple Leaf Square.

WTF is with the JT to the 4th line posts around here?

 

[leafsfan5]

Lot of crybabies and whiners in this thread for a 2-2 series, yikes.

Why do people keep thinking the complaints are due to this one series?

This is an accumulation of failures since 2017. They haven't learned a single thing from all their losses, they're literally repeating the 2019 series GAME FOR GAME. People rightfully don't like their chances because every-time the leafs have been put in this situation they blow it. It's up to the players to change the narrative, but it has been rightfully earned

 

[TheDoldrums]

Keefe needs to make home ice advantage feel like an advantage. Earn your stripes.

 

[Apex Predator]

 

[McSnypsky]

Anyone else think Matthews should be with Nylander and Tavares with Marner?

I think it should be done just to spread it out more, the 3rd line is solid and might get a few goals here and there but there has to be more of threat on line 2.

 

[DraftSchmaft]

Reporter needs to ask Keefe:

With how these 2 teams stack up, safe to say whoever wins the 5v5 battle moving forward takes the series. Is it safe to assume Marner will be taken off pk, so you know , he can win the f***ing game.

Tried to stay professional but lost it at the end

Bang on brother. There's a certain group here who won't be caught dead liking your posts because of politics, but the fact they're letting you roam free doing the dirty work means you're not the mvp they want, but the mvp they need.

Imagine having the confidence to use mik-kampf-engvall as line 1 for first half of the period but at the same time don't have the confidence to reward them with the responsibility of the entire PK (with Kerfoot) so Marner can blossom into the playoff beast he's meant to be.

Make it make sense.

 

[DarkKnight]

I still believe, therefore I’m obviously not a bit right.

 

[ShaneFalco]

Next game is crucial. They're not beating TB 2 straight. Or I'll eat my shorts if they do!!

 

[The Blueprint]

John Tavares is not playing on the 4th line. Ever.

There's a better chance of martians landing in Maple Leaf Square.

WTF is with the JT to the 4th line posts around here?

I don't blame everything on Tavares, and I haven't called for him to be on the 4th line.... But how can you be surprised?

He's been objectively bad through the whole series. Like, bad bad. Manny Malhotra would give us the same faceoff success with 1 eye at his current age for league min.

He's our captain, our 2nd line C that is supposed to give us a huge matchup advantage. He gets caved in every shift. No fight, no battle.

So I think that's why people are a little mad. Oh ya and the guy he replaced (who makes half as much) was the exact opposite kinda guy in the playoffs.

 

[Madap]

We shouldn't need a bad game like that just because TB had a bad game. Bad games happen and sometimes everything goes wrong, but we had a bad game like that a few weeks ago against TB. There have been far too many bad games lately.

I'm sure the Leafs will bounce back, at least I really hope they do... but they shouldn't need a bad game to wake up. We can only hope this is the last one for a long time... if there is a long time to be had.

Yeah I definitely agree with you. Not ideal by any means. And I’m really not trying to make excuses.

But Tampa also had a stinker against us in the regular season too. It appears not to mean much for the next game, and if it did mean something, it would actually appear to be in our favour.

Tampa is everyone’s best team and/or favourite for the cup, but they’ve been no different than us. Lots of teams in other series’ have been blown out as well already.

 

[Nineteen67]

I think you roll these lines in the beginning to see how everyone plays:

Bunting Matthews Marner
Kerfoot Tavares Nylander
Mikheyev Kampf Engvall
Simmonds Spezza Kase

Rielly Lybush
Gio Lily
Muzzin Brodie

If things aren’t great then change to the following:

Bunting Matthews Nylander
Kerfoot Tavares Marner

Rielly Brodie
Gio Lily
Muzzin Lybush

I’d like to see how many chances the Pointe line would generate against Matthews and Nylander. You know Cooper would get him out there.

 

[keonsbitterness]

Next game is crucial. They're not beating TB 2 straight. Or I'll eat my shorts if they do!!

Please, no video evidence if it happens!

 

[leafsfan5]

I still believe, therefore I’m obviously not a bit right.

This probably makes no sense and the team is making me go crazy but the one thing that gives me hope is I don't really believe at this point. Every single series before this I did have hope and we lost. Maybe the one year I don't have hope is the year they get it done (in which case I will eat all the crow in the world, just please f***ing do it)