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Series Talk: Leafs vs Lightning Pre-Playoff Thread

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Who wins?

  • Total voters
    482
  • Poll closed .
TorMapleJays said:
The 5 players we brought in (or 25% of our line up) are competitors. This team is not going to roll over.
Click to expand...
O'Reilly, Acciari and Lafferty up front. Schenn, Gustavson and McCabe on defense. That seems like six players or 30%. Of course, my math skills are not great.
 
I have only one fear heading into the Tampa series. If our best play to their abilities, we win. If they don't it will be a tough slog. It's time they stand tall.
 
;)

FtzuxrMWYAApBf0
 
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hockeyes said:
I don't care about any player or storyline. Just win the series, that's all that matters. That is the attitude the players need to have going in. The refs will give Tampa every chance to extend their window, doesn't matter, beat them anyway. Winners win, time to win.
Click to expand...

Put a brick right through Tampa's "window."
 
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Looks like their game 1 line up. Just don't let that top line beat you.

Im running:
Jarnkrok-Matthews-Marner against their top line
Tavares-O'Reilly-Nylander against one of their lines, dont know who

let the bottom 6 duke it out with theirs.
 
Last edited:
Linematch: If you’re Keefe, who do do match?


Stamkos-Point-Kucherov
Kerfoot - Kampf- Acciari
McCabe- Brodie

Hagel-Cirelli-Killorn
Tavares - ROR - Marner
Giordano-Holl

Colton-Paul-Eyssimont
Jarnkrok - Matthews - Nylander
-extra D shift

Maroon-Bellemare-Perry
Bunting - Lafferty - ZAR
Rielly Schenn

(throw Bunting down there to goad)
 
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crump said:
Linematch: If you’re Keefe, who do do match?


Stamkos-Point-Kucherov
Kerfoot - Kampf- Acciari
McCabe- Brodie

Hagel-Cirelli-Killorn
Tavares - ROR - Marner
Giordano-Holl

Colton-Paul-Eyssimont
Jarnkrok - Matthews - Nylander
-extra D shift

Maroon-Bellemare-Perry
Bunting - Lafferty - ZAR
Rielly Schenn

(throw Bunting down there to goad)
Click to expand...
Throwing Bunting out against the 4th line is just as likely to result in their line getting him to retaliate and do dumb shit. That will 100% be their game plan with him.
 
Rob Brown said:
Throwing Bunting out against the 4th line is just as likely to result in their line getting him to retaliate and do dumb shit. That will 100% be their game plan with him.
Click to expand...
Probably right. It would be fun watching Perry freak out on him though, I bet he would draw some penalties too.
 
Bravid Nonahan said:
It was a blessing in disguise to have O'Reilly miss those games. They didn't mean a whole lot and would only tax has body which has a lot of miles on it. Now he's going into playoffs and has only played 53 games. He will be absolutely ready to go. Such a gamer and exactly what we needed. Gives me Gary Roberts vibes.
Click to expand...

I've been trying to place who he reminds me of, 100% Gary Roberts without the nasty dirty stuff
 
Rob Brown said:
Throwing Bunting out against the 4th line is just as likely to result in their line getting him to retaliate and do dumb shit. That will 100% be their game plan with him.
Click to expand...

If Bunting could just stop with the chatter to the refs and just take the abuse he gets without embellishing, he's a really decent 2nd liner. He does us no good in the penalty box. Kind of hard to score 100 feet away from the opponents goalie... ;) . He's more effective with his mouth shut.
 
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crump said:
Linematch: If you’re Keefe, who do do match?


Stamkos-Point-Kucherov
Kerfoot - Kampf- Acciari
McCabe- Brodie

Hagel-Cirelli-Killorn
Tavares - ROR - Marner
Giordano-Holl

Colton-Paul-Eyssimont
Jarnkrok - Matthews - Nylander
-extra D shift

Maroon-Bellemare-Perry
Bunting - Lafferty - ZAR
Rielly Schenn

(throw Bunting down there to goad)
Click to expand...
I don’t know about Kampf line against their top line.
A) Limits Matthews
B) They’d likely eat them alive.
C) TB would match Cirelli against Matthews.
 
Hellcat said:
If Bunting could just stop with the chatter to the refs and just take the abuse he gets without embellishing, he's a really decent 2nd liner. He does us no good in the penalty box. Kind of hard to score 100 feet away from the opponents goalie... ;) . He's more effective with his mouth shut.
Click to expand...
All that is true, but there is a factor that I have been hearing more and more as this season has gone one (via podcasts mostly). The defensive liability that is Bunting; he creates disadvantageous matchups especially with with 34 and 16 and forces them to have to cover for him, which they can do, but we need them generating offence too.

Someone else posted it in this thread, we need our top guys to be our top guys, but we need our support group to allow them to do that, meaning they have to be playing solid as well and not getting overrun.

I felt last years team was good enough to win at least a series, I feel this years team is significantly deeper and better structured (as for what options you have at each position).

It's put up or shut up time.
 
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crump said:
Linematch: If you’re Keefe, who do do match?


Stamkos-Point-Kucherov
Kerfoot - Kampf- Acciari
McCabe- Brodie

Hagel-Cirelli-Killorn
Tavares - ROR - Marner
Giordano-Holl

Colton-Paul-Eyssimont
Jarnkrok - Matthews - Nylander
-extra D shift

Maroon-Bellemare-Perry
Bunting - Lafferty - ZAR
Rielly Schenn

(throw Bunting down there to goad)
Click to expand...

Stamkos-Point-Kucherov
Kerfoot/Jankrok - ROR- Marner
McCabe- Brodie


Hagel-Cirelli-Killorn
Bunting - Matthews - Nylander
Rielly-Schenn


Colton-Paul-Eyssimont
Knies - Tavares - Kerfoot/Jankrok
Giordano-Liljegren


Maroon-Bellemare-Perry
ZAR - Kampf - Acciari
- D Rotation

I don't think Leafs move heavens and earth to sign Knies so that he is sitting in the pressbox. They could have done that in the summer then instead of trying to burn handful of his games to count as a year.
 
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PromisedLand said:
Stamkos-Point-Kucherov
Kerfoot/Jankrok - ROR- Marner
McCabe- Brodie


Hagel-Cirelli-Killorn
Bunting - Matthews - Nylander
Rielly-Schenn


Colton-Paul-Eyssimont
Knies - Tavares - Kerfoot/Jankrok
Giordano-Liljegren


Maroon-Bellemare-Perry
ZAR - Kampf - Acciari
- D Rotation

I don't think Leafs move heavens and earth to sign Knies so that he is sitting in the pressbox. They could have done that in the summer then instead of trying to burn handful of his games to count as a year.
Click to expand...
I'm torn. I like these line matches but I thought knies excelled with ROR due to ROR's vocal nature. Tavares is a quiet one, so I would either sub Lafferty for Knies on the Tavares line or straight switch Kerfoot and Knies.
I also think Matthews can shutdown point so that gives us flexibility
 
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Breakdown of the top 20 forwards with at least 250 minutes played (135 total) for both 5v5 xGF% and Goal differential REL over the last 3 playoffs (2020-2022): Which players have meant the most to their teams 5v5?

5v5 xGF% REL:
1. Chytil
2. Marner
3. Bergeron
4. Kakko
5. O'Reilly
6. Rust
7. Matthews
8. Crosby
9. Kane
10. McDavid
11. Pastrnak
12. Perron
13. Marchand
14. Guentzel
15. Lee
16. Yamamoto
17. Lafreniere
18. Gallagher
19. Landeskog
20. Barzal

5v5 Goal Differential REL:
1. Bergeron
2. Marchand
3. Pastrnak
4. McDavid
5. Trocheck
6. Pavelski
7. Huberdeau
8. Palmieri
9. Matthews
10. Perron
11. Foligno
12. Pageau
13. MacKinnon
14. Bennet
15. Teravainen
16. O'Reilly
17. Domi
18. Marner
19. Kucherov
20. Karlsson


Matthews and Marner appearing in both lists kind of highlights just how poor the bottom 6 have been for the team.

Much like the Leafs, the Penguins have had some really good play from their big guns brought down by poor supporting contributions, bad goalkeeping in big games and shoddy special teams. which is why they have not won a round as well. Boston's top guns have been a killer this whole time and are going to be very hard to beat with the whole team gelling so well in their historic season.

Nice to see O'Reilly up on this list showing why he is rightly considered a playoff guy.

Do the Leafs have the depth and goalkeeping to make a deep run this time around? I'm excited to find out.
 
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