Post-Game Talk: Leafs win 3-2 against Utah

[The Podium]

I disagree with your statement that I’m giving all the credit to Treliving.

We aren’t connecting on any level, so I’m just going to leave things at this.

Have a great day.

Is this not you?

…… or that Treliving has given us league leading goaltending and a pipeline in 1 season that Dubas could barely comprehend and had resorted to pitiful bush league bottom of the barrel scraping like he had to resort to.

 

[Avilaj07]

Like it or not this team benefits from Reaves in the lineup.

If he plays as he has in the past, physical, forecheck, net presence and of course a willingness to protect his teammates, he is an asset on the 4th line.

It may be more difficult for Berube to justify keeping him in during the soft stretches in the schedule but I hope he is not lulled into the false sense of identity this team is showing. Once playoffs start, the core will be bullied, constantly hit and they will fold. Reaves in for at least the first couple of games in a series can pay dividends.

My only hope is that somehow the North/South heavy forecheck mentality becomes ingrained and they are able to break through come playoffs. I wouldn't even wage your money that this comes to fruition.

This couldn't be future from the truth. There has been plenty of times that our players have suffered either dirty hits or clean big hits and Reaves has done nothing about it. He's not the player he once was. Our current 4th line of Dewar-Lorentz-Steeves actually have speed, great on the forecheck, and have some scoring ability. Reaves is a complete plug at this point of his career.

 

[ACC1224]

New home ice advantage.

‘A first for everyone’: Toronto traffic forces Utah Hockey Club to walk to Leafs game

“I think that’s a first for everyone. Never saw that before,” Utah defenceman Maveric Lamoureux tells the camera that documented the team’s stroll to Scotiabank Arena.

Lamoureux said the team’s bus was “not moving at all” in the Sunday evening traffic, just hours after the Santa Claus Parade and resulting road closures.

“So it’s pretty much the whole team walking the street,” he said, noting that they would probably miss their 5:15 p.m. pre-game meeting.

 

[TopCheeseShotta]

Auston who...?!???

 

[notDatsyuk]

Willy didn’t get an assist on the Marner goal?

I wondered about that at the time because he made the pass that Minten tipped wide. It was corrected by the start of the third.

 

[TheShape]

Not to be a broken record because I’ve said it multiple times, but this team needs to play Willy, Marner, and Matthews on separate lines. Nylander and Marner have played better away from Matthews recently while driving their own line. Matthews and Domi who have struggled to start the year can make up 2/3 of a line when they’re back and they have chemistry. Just keep everything the exact same and put Knies-Matthews-Domi as a line when they’re back.

This is where I stand, it's the obvious move. I've had a suspicion that Matthews/Marner want to play together though, and tend to get their way, we'll see what happens once Auston returns. Reality is both players are better away from each other, Marner and Tavares have always thrived. Domi and Matthews works, Nylander can play with whoever and produce. Ticks a lot of boxes and solves a lot of depth scoring issues.

 

[Antropovsky]

Not to be a broken record because I’ve said it multiple times, but this team needs to play Willy, Marner, and Matthews on separate lines. Nylander and Marner have played better away from Matthews recently while driving their own line. Matthews and Domi who have struggled to start the year can make up 2/3 of a line when they’re back and they have chemistry. Just keep everything the exact same and put Knies-Matthews-Domi as a line when they’re back.

Tavares is driving the Marner/Tavares line, or maybe it could be argued that Marner and Tavares are driving that line. However, Tavares has been phenomenal with any linemate Patches, Mcmann, Nylander or Marner and he leads all other core 4 in even strength points.

Still, nobody is driving Tavares' line more than Tavares is.

 

[notDatsyuk]

It could and should open up an opportunity for Domi to join Matthews and Knies too. Are we maybe auditioning and sampling a third line winger to play with Willy and Minten? Is this Holmberg? Robertson? Grebenkin? Alex Nylander? Is Holmberg the C on this line?

Holmberg had a really bad game in the faceoff dot. After about the 5 minute mark in the 2nd he only took one more. Willy took most of them for that line, had the third most overall and was second to JT in win %.

 

[conFABulator]

Holmberg had a really bad game in the faceoff dot. After about the 5 minute mark in the 2nd he only took one more. Willy took most of them for that line, had the third most overall and was second to JT in win %.

W. Nylander being a C would change everything, but they don't seem eager to give that a go.

 

[notDatsyuk]

With Knies out JT was back in the slot on the PP. Good puck movement overall but not the same net front work. I think Knies is a real difference maker there.

 

[notDatsyuk]

W. Nylander being a C would change everything, but they don't seem eager to give that a go.

He was doing more C work, and taking more faceoffs, the last few games before Domi got hurt, and seems to be taking over from Holmberg the same way. Also looking much better defensively.

It might be Berube easing him into the position rather than dumping him in to "sink or swim".

 

[conFABulator]

He was doing more C work, and taking more faceoffs, the last few games before Domi got hurt, and seems to be taking over from Holmberg the same way. Also looking much better defensively.

It might be Berube easing him into the position rather than dumping him in to "sink or swim".

That would be fantastic.

 

[arso40]

Tavares is driving the Marner/Tavares line, or maybe it could be argued that Marner and Tavares are driving that line. However, Tavares has been phenomenal with any linemate Patches, Mcmann, Nylander or Marner and he leads all other core 4 in even strength points.

Still, nobody is driving Tavares' line more than Tavares is.

I’d say Marner and Tavares compliment each other but mitchys buzzing right now real hard to dispute that

He was doing more C work, and taking more faceoffs, the last few games before Domi got hurt, and seems to be taking over from Holmberg the same way. Also looking much better defensively.

It might be Berube easing him into the position rather than dumping him in to "sink or swim".

I really don’t think he wants to put him in there at all not about sink or swim he knows there better on the wing he’d definitely play center to keep his brother in the line up though they should play off that and give it one more try

 

[banks]

Tavares is driving the Marner/Tavares line, or maybe it could be argued that Marner and Tavares are driving that line. However, Tavares has been phenomenal with any linemate Patches, Mcmann, Nylander or Marner and he leads all other core 4 in even strength points.

Still, nobody is driving Tavares' line more than Tavares is.

Great post. Tavares is playing like a #1C this season, and he's doing it without riding any coat tails. With any linemates, he just continues to drive the play for Toronto.

And there's still so much skill and smarts in his game. That pass from the goal line to the other blueline was bonkers. If you could get a tattoo of a moving gif, I'd get that pass tattooed on my back.

 

[arso40]

Great post. Tavares is playing like a #1C this season, and he's doing it without riding any coat tails. With any linemates, he just continues to drive the play for Toronto.

And there's still so much skill and smarts in his game. That pass from the goal line to the other blueline was bonkers. If you could get a tattoo of a moving gif, I'd get that pass tattooed on my back.

I hate his neutral zone play on the power play if there’s one thing I can find to complain about it’s that but he’s been real good

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

I dont recognize this team, playing tight games and not choking up multiple goal leads in the 3rd? Unheard of in Leafland. If this is a dream let me sleep.

The Leafs didn't blow that many 3rd period leads last season.

 

[Burnie97]

The injured coming back?

Sorry Knies you’ve been great as well.

Yeah more so that when the injured guys are back... some guys might lay off the gas but we'll see what happens.

They've been playing great though.

 

[AvroArrow]

The way Marner has been moving on the ice, he looks like McDavid.

Not saying he's that good

But how he's moving his feet constantly and striding while controlling the puck, never floating, driving plays, very similar to how McDavid plays.

That's been the most impressive thing about him to me so far this year. But once again, complete domination from #16 on both ends of the ice.

 

[Leafsfan74]

This couldn't be future from the truth. There has been plenty of times that our players have suffered either dirty hits or clean big hits and Reaves has done nothing about it. He's not the player he once was. Our current 4th line of Dewar-Lorentz-Steeves actually have speed, great on the forecheck, and have some scoring ability. Reaves is a complete plug at this point of his career.

Bookmark this response:

Wait until the Leafs play their first meaningful game against a heavy/feisty team be they Florida, NY Rangers, Boston (who are now past their prime but have that culture).

Wait until they play their first playoff game.

It's the book on them and has been for years. I hope Berube is able to drive them to a pack mentality under all circumstances. It's not the softer teams when little is at stake that matters and he is going to be in for a rude awakening when these intense games ramp up and the same big salaries go into their shells again as they do every playoff.

He has an excuse as he hasn't coached the Leafs during the playoffs. No Leafs fan who has watched the last eight post seasons can maintain that naive posture.

The Leafs defense is tougher now and are willing to mix it up. We saw the only playoff round success when Leafs acquired Schenn and Lyubushkin against TB and they were constantly in their grill when they tried to do the usual against the Leafs. Leafs finally won their only playoff round in 9 tries.

The only game the Leafs really iced a team for the trenches was a few years ago when Leafs dressed Simmonds and Clifford against TB in that game 1 because of TBs constant actions against the core. Clifford on the first shift takes a major penalty with a bad hit. Leafs follow up with the most dominant kill in playoff history (maybe they wanted to reward Clifford and keep him in the lineup?) and they end up dominating the remainder of that game.

Keefe pulled them from the series and they didn't play again (Simmonds might have lasted one more game until he took a penalty and was pulled but I forget). As usual, Leafs lose the series as T.B grinded them down and out.

I repeat, as I have before every playoff series, "this is the book on them". Few teams are going to out skill them.

 

[Hellcat]

The Leafs didn't blow that many 3rd period leads last season.

They would get big leads, then fall a sleep and let the other team back in the game is what I meant... all you have to say to a Leaf fan to get him to freeze with fear is say 4-1 lead going into the 3rd...

 

[Torontonian]

Team played good enough to win, and so they did. Anytime your down 7 regulars forwards in your lineup and you win, you take it.

The ONLY good thing about Matthews being hurt just proves Marner can play and drive a line on his own. There's 0 reason to put 34+16 together when he's back. Feels like when they play together these days, they force things to each other. Almost afraid to hog the puck.

 

[notDatsyuk]

The Leafs didn't blow that many 3rd period leads last season.

Blown third period leads over the last four seasons: 7, 4, 8, and 6.

None so far this year.

Blown leads overall last four seasons: 12, 11, 17, 19.

Two so far this year.

 

[arso40]

Blown third period leads over the last four seasons: 7, 4, 8, and 6.

None so far this year.

Please don’t jinx

 

[Suntouchable13]

Why does it feel like there is 84 years in between games lately? Nothing till Wednesday, then again nothing till Saturday after that.

 

[GalacticaActual]

Bookmark this response:

Wait until the Leafs play their first meaningful game against a heavy/feisty team be they Florida, NY Rangers, Boston (who are now past their prime but have that culture).

Wait until they play their first playoff game.

It's the book on them and has been for years. I hope Berube is able to drive them to a pack mentality under all circumstances. It's not the softer teams when little is at stake that matters and he is going to be in for a rude awakening when these intense games ramp up and the same big salaries go into their shells again as they do every playoff.

He has an excuse as he hasn't coached the Leafs during the playoffs. No Leafs fan who has watched the last eight post seasons can maintain that naive posture.

The Leafs defense is tougher now and are willing to mix it up. We saw the only playoff round success when Leafs acquired Schenn and Lyubushkin against TB and they were constantly in their grill when they tried to do the usual against the Leafs. Leafs finally won their only playoff round in 9 tries.

The only game the Leafs really iced a team for the trenches was a few years ago when Leafs dressed Simmonds and Clifford against TB in that game 1 because of TBs constant actions against the core. Clifford on the first shift takes a major penalty with a bad hit. Leafs follow up with the most dominant kill in playoff history (maybe they wanted to reward Clifford and keep him in the lineup?) and they end up dominating the remainder of that game.

Keefe pulled them from the series and they didn't play again (Simmonds might have lasted one more game until he took a penalty and was pulled but I forget). As usual, Leafs lose the series as T.B grinded them down and out.

I repeat, as I have before every playoff series, "this is the book on them". Few teams are going to out skill them.

The leafs have already played two games against those heavy teams: Vegas and Boston. And the Leafs shut both of them out convincingly, with tough, physical play and tight, defensive hockey.