Series Talk: Leafs vs Lightning Pre-Playoff Thread

[myleafs]

If we are fully healthy especially our new bottom 6, Leafs take it.

I want to believe this but I just cant until proven otherwise...Wasnt last yr supposed to be the year? Or the year before that or the year before that?

Vas was average for the first time , Point was hurting bad...all around everyone acknowledged that Tampa looked tired and not the same juggernaut they had been.....and we still lost. Tampa is heating up and people are talking about how leafs are waiting for the playoffs and are somewhat checked out...no biggie? Boston has every reason to be checked out but they are also still playing with purpose. If the leafs think they are just gonna walk in to the playoffs ho-hum like and turn on a switch and beat that Lightening team......then .....I dunno....maybe I dont understand how it works cause that doesnt seem like a recipe for success to me.

 

[myleafs]

2 best teams in the playoffs. If we win we win the whole Cup, Boston has no chance

lol...yea that bruins team has no chance....what the what?

 

[Jojalu]

Leafs have to win this. To me, it's unacceptable to lose. Those that are saying "it's a coin flip" just want to excuse this core and Dubas once again. If they lose, Dubas/Keefe gotta go. Sick of all the excuses. Just get it done for once. This ain't a coin flip, Leafs have to take this. Enough. A loss shouldn't be accepted. No moral victories.

It can be both.

Series is a coinflip and it is also unnacceptable to lose. Leafs have used up all their goodwill.

 

[myleafs]

So it was you!!!

!

The problem is that Keefe whispering to his keepers not to let in soft backbreaking goals in big games doesn't appear to be working....but does appear to work for the other coaches as they get .940+ save%

Maybe the sub .890 in elimination games goes away with these new keepers.

The Leafs new goalies will ultimately decide the Leafs success IMO.

The bolded made my sphincter tighten then warble a little.....you arent wrong but that makes me a little uneasy.

 

[myleafs]

That pedigree will eventually wear off. Red Wings of 06-10 had it go away, Pens for 2015-2018 had it go away

Tampa this year has been quite poor in the reg season. They look beatable and don't have a major deadline add who is producing well or a superstar who will return from injury

Leafs in 6/7 is a prediction as Toronto has struggled to close the series off before but leafs winning in 5 shouldn't be out of the question.

Toronto this year is Boston in 2019 to Tampa coming into the series. We are the better team and can end their run at the top of the East.


Keefe should whisper to his power play coach instead of the goalies

Have we scored a power-play goal in game 7(5 vs CBJ)?

Special teams, Keefe needs to get right. Our PK shits the bed to often (2019 Boston, 2022 Tampa) and the PP goes from top 3-5 in the league to struggling

Hopefully the leafs dont underestimate Tampa the way you are. Big mistake IMO.

 

[myleafs]

Agreed. Tampa is definitely not that good.

LOL Yep...three cup finals in a row with 2 cups totally screams not that good

 

[stickty111]

Leafs are 8-6-2 since March 1st. Now, most of these games are fairly meaningless and it's mostly been for Keefe getting new guys adjusted and experimenting with the lineups, but not exactly hitting a stride going into playoffs. I hope they're just conserving themselves and will be ready to go in a few weeks at full steam.

It does in a way bring up a common issue of not finishing off opponents. We have had a chance to leave Tampa behind for home ice but they remain pretty close to us

 

[GoonieFace]

LOL Yep...three cup finals in a row with 2 cups totally screams not that good

Different year, they haven’t been all that impressive. Leafs have the tools, let’s see if this is the year they finally figure it out. Sounds familiar

 

[IPS]

I like the idea of JT or ROR being on the third line, but I think Keefe prefers them both in the top 6.

If he does "stack" the top two lines, do you think he should go back to JT-ROR-Marner and put Nylander with Matthews and Jarnkrok?

Why does JT need to be a staple to the top-6? He can't keep up with the rest of the boys at ES. Why can't he headline a scoring type 3rd line?

 

[myleafs]

Different year, they haven’t been all that impressive. Leafs have the tools, let’s see if this is the year they finally figure it out. Sounds familiar

Remember Boston was supposed to have fallen off a cliff for a few yrs now as well...If we keep just saying these teams arent as good eventually we will be right I guess......I think Tampa gets the benefit of the doubt here. Also, Last 3 games 3-0 1 goal against on the home stretch to the playoffs seems pretty impressive to me.

 

[Notsince67]

LOL Yep...three cup finals in a row with 2 cups totally screams not that good

They lost last year. They're cup chokers.

Remember Boston was supposed to have fallen off a cliff for a few yrs now as well...If we keep just saying these teams arent as good eventually we will be right I guess......I think Tampa gets the benefit of the doubt here. Also, Last 3 games 3-0 1 goal against on the home stretch to the playoffs seems pretty impressive to me.

Leafs were supposed to fall off a cliff this year.

 

[PeE eL DuBoiS]

I like the idea of JT or ROR being on the third line, but I think Keefe prefers them both in the top 6.

If he does "stack" the top two lines, do you think he should go back to JT-ROR-Marner and put Nylander with Matthews and Jarnkrok?

Yes, at least in TO so he can put Matthews and Nylander in favourable match-ups.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Leafs were supposed to fall off a cliff this year.

LOL wut?

 

[Nineteen67]

I want to believe this but I just cant until proven otherwise...Wasnt last yr supposed to be the year? Or the year before that or the year before that?

Vas was average for the first time , Point was hurting bad...all around everyone acknowledged that Tampa looked tired and not the same juggernaut they had been.....and we still lost. Tampa is heating up and people are talking about how leafs are waiting for the playoffs and are somewhat checked out...no biggie? Boston has every reason to be checked out but they are also still playing with purpose. If the leafs think they are just gonna walk in to the playoffs ho-hum like and turn on a switch and beat that Lightening team......then .....I dunno....maybe I dont understand how it works cause that doesnt seem like a recipe for success to me.

Tampa gave two games away last year. If they do it again this year, they’ll lose.

 

[DavidClarksonGOAT]

Boston is like a 70% favorite vs whoever wins this series.

They are a top 5 team since the 90s.

spoken like a true hater, accept the fact that no matter what happens the Leafs are champions this year.

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

I don't even want to see Boston's name in this thread. Neither team is a lock to win their round.

 

[Jmo89]

Why does JT need to be a staple to the top-6? He can't keep up with the rest of the boys at ES. Why can't he headline a scoring type 3rd line?

As I said, I like that idea, but I don't see Keefe doing it.

 

[Morbo]

LOL wut?

well, Wyshysnki(sp) picked them to miss the playoffs. to name one example.

 

[notbias]

Why does JT need to be a staple to the top-6? He can't keep up with the rest of the boys at ES. Why can't he headline a scoring type 3rd line?

Not sure ROR is faster...

 

[Gary Nylund]

well, Wyshysnki(sp) picked them to miss the playoffs. to name one example.

I don't even know who that is. Look, there's always some nutbars out there but I expected them to cruise to the playoffs, so did most everyone else, the bookies had them as one of the top cup favorites, they've regularly finished among the top teams in recent years ,the consensus was that the Leafs would again be one of the top teams and the fact that there are a handful of people out of millions of fans that were out to lunch doesn't change that one bit.

 

[Morbo]

I don't even know who that is. Look, there's always some nutbars out there but I expected them to cruise to the playoffs, so did most everyone else, the bookies had them as one of the top cup favorites, they've regularly finished among the top teams in recent years and the consensus that the Leafs would again be one of the top teams and the fact that there are a handful of people out of millions of fans that were out to lunch doesn't change that one bit.

Neat. you were looking for where the notion the Leafs would fall back came from. I gave you one example. I'm sure there are more out there if one were inclined to google.

 

[KingsHockey24]

I hope Simmonds and Cliffy play against them during that last regular season game between the two.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Neat. you were looking for where the notion the Leafs would fall back came from. I gave you one example. I'm sure there are more out there if one were inclined to google.

Like I said, there are millions of people with an opinion on the Leafs, no surprise that a few of them were out to lunch. Clickbait's also a thing these days, might want to keep that in mind while you're googling.

 

[Morbo]

Like I said, there are millions of people with an opinion on the Leafs, no surprise that a few of them were out to lunch. Clickbait's also a thing these days, might want to keep that in mind while you're googling.

I admire your ability to pretend opinions you don't like don't exist. It's...a strategy.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I admire your ability to pretend opinions you don't like don't exist. It's...a strategy.

For starters, I don't "like" or "not like" opinions, I agree or disagree. When I don't agree, that sometimes leads to an interesting discussion which is what this board is designed for.

If the poster had used the phrase "some people", or "a few people" to qualify his meaning, that would have been fine. But instead, he said "Leafs were supposed to fall off a cliff this year" which implies that this was a widely help opinion, which it most certainly was not.

I hope that helps.