Post-Game Talk: Leafs win 4-1

[Clark4Ever]

Happy for the win, but that could have been ugly if not for Woll.

We need to tighten things up.

 

[Nineteen67]

The Leafs gave up a lot of chances and weren’t very good in their own end in the first half of the game that I watched, but Brodie is showing glimpses of being a real D man.

If they secure a playoff spot early enough, they really need to give him nights off in the 2nd half of the season. I said it last year and they only gave him time off for injury and showed in the playoffs.
A game a week might be enough and he and Gio don’t ride a plane in March.

 

[MapleLeafs77]

Early season good:
Nylander, matthews, woll, tavares, rielly, knies, liljegren, brodie, gio

Okay:
Jarnkrok, kampf, domi, klingberg, mccabe, gregor

Bad:
Marner, bertuzzi, reaves, samsonov

Based on potential.

 

[PeE eL DuBoiS]

Nylander is playing like a top 15 player right now, but unless this continues the full year (Nylander playing like this, Marner sucking), I'll still give Marner the benefit of the doubt.

He is one of the best PKers in the league, Selke level defensively, a great PP player, and normally puts up close to 100 points a year.

That is extremely rare.

Also PPG over the last 3 players (so are Matthews/Nylander).

The track record for Marner is too long to think he will not play at his potential all year.

By all year, you mean until April.

 

[Fogelhund]

Looking at the 5v5 stats from last night.

Matthews on ice... 1 shot for, 10 against.
Marner 1 shot for 9 against.
Jarnkrok 0 shots for 8 against.

Washington had 21 shots for, 5v5... we had 12...

The rest of the forwards essentially had 11 shots against, and 11 shots for... so they played more or less an even game.

Matthews and Marner though... Like my guys... aren't you the highest paid guys, the team leaders? I appreciate that goal and all, but we should be have great possession, and more shots when our ***best*** players on are on the ice.

They had a bad night... like a really bad night.. But we won.... they just need to be better, consistently. How many times does this need to be said?

 

[hobarth]

I can't figure out why Knies isn't on the 2nd PP unit, I don't think there's a forward on that unit, better than him?

Not liking how TO is playing, don't mind the winning but will TO's poor play cost eventually?

 

[banks]

Just a quick reminder that Tavares is a really good hockey player.

I know Nylander is playing better than he ever has, so it does look a bit like Willy is carrying Tavares a bit. But it's not like JT is a corpse out there. He is looking just as good these first few games as he always has in Toronto. He's probably the most consistent forward we have. I'm sure glad he's on the team.

 

[leafs in five]

played a great 1st period and got battered for much of the rest. Rielly was great, Nylander line was good too. Hintz is sick.

 

[Judas Tavares]

While the second period wasn't great at all... I was thinking about what Mike Johnson said at the end of the game. "That was a hard win." Yes it was. While it wasn't a masterpiece, I think overall anyone waiting to see the Leafs play a good game against a tough opponent got their wish. That won't be a top 5 game all season. Maybe not top 10 but.... It won't be far off...

You play a good team, the win will be tough, and there will be moments when things look rough and it looks like the team is hanging on by a thread. That's what happens when you play tough teams. Even weaker teams. This is the NHL. Anyone can win on any given night.

There's a bit of a myth on this board that teams play this 60-minute masterpiece of perfection. Especially, with great assumption, all the big scary teams like Vegas, Tampa, Colorado, Boston etc... consistently play this 60-minute masterpiece all the time. Fact is they don't.

I expect my team to play hard and win. I'm not expecting a delusional performance where they win 7-0, outshooting the team 45-20 while playing in the other team's zone for 45 minutes. Those don't happen. They won't happen. You can ask for better than last night for sure, but you can't really ask for much better, or at least, not that often. That's just the NHL. I'd be very satisfied if the team played consistently over many games like they did last night.

 

[Clark4Ever]

Considering we basically played the whole game with 5 defencemen, I thought the team put in a strong effort.

Joseph Woll continues to impress.

 

[Jojalu]

I can't figure out why Knies isn't on the 2nd PP unit, I don't think there's a forward on that unit, better than him?

Not liking how TO is playing, don't mind the winning but will TO's poor play cost eventually?

Knies had a PP assist yesterday on the 2nd unit!

 

[ACC1224]

Considering we basically played the whole game with 5 defencemen, I thought the team put in a strong effort.

Joseph Woll continues to impress.

5 defenseman was last night, they used 6 in this game.

 

[Jojalu]

While the second period wasn't great at all... I was thinking about what Mike Johnson said at the end of the game. "That was a hard win." Yes it was. While it wasn't a masterpiece, I think overall anyone waiting to see the Leafs play a good game against a tough opponent got their wish. That won't be a top 5 game all season. Maybe not top 10 but.... It won't be far off...

You play a good team, the win will be tough, and there will be moments when things look rough and it looks like the team is hanging on by a thread. That's what happens when you play tough teams. Even weaker teams. This is the NHL. Anyone can win on any given night.

There's a bit of a myth on this board that teams play this 60-minute masterpiece of perfection. Especially, with great assumption, all the big scary teams like Vegas, Tampa, Colorado, Boston etc... consistently play this 60-minute masterpiece all the time. Fact is they don't.

I expect my team to play hard and win. I'm not expecting a delusional performance where they win 7-0, outshooting the team 45-20 while playing in the other team's zone for 45 minutes. Those don't happen. They won't happen. You can ask for better than last night for sure, but you can't really ask for much better, or at least, not that often. That's just the NHL. I'd be very satisfied if the team played consistently over many games like they did last night.

Really well put.

Both teams can put in "full 60 mins" and still have numerous breakdowns.

Sometimes against a weaker team it does appear the Leafs are just going through the motions and relying on their talent but they pretty much show up for the better teams all the time.

It is almost certain that all top temas will

Lose a few they are expected to win.
Win a few they deserved to lose
Go on a tear where it looks like no one can beat them
Go on a 3 or 4 game collapse where they look like they have never played before.

 

[Hellcat]

I noticed Klingberg and Rielly playing together a few times last night, under "What shouldn't work but does" category, they kinda looked pretty fluid, like they were thinking on the same level, reading each other, covering for each other. I'm not sure that is a Stanley Cup winning #1 pair but if it works , it works.

 

[Arzak]

Or woah’ll

wow'll

 

[Gabriel426]

I think some here are posting the Dallas win on here, which is supposed to be the Caps win

 

[ULF_55]

I can't figure out why Knies isn't on the 2nd PP unit, I don't think there's a forward on that unit, better than him?

Not liking how TO is playing, don't mind the winning but will TO's poor play cost eventually?

Well, the goaltender is part of the team.

Sometimes Matthews is hot.
Sometimes Tavares is hot.
Sometimes Goalie is hot.

I'll take playing less than perfect and wins over playing perfect and losses.

Expected results do not equal success. We see the argument all the time that based on expectations they should have won. Well, if they lost they lost. Pretending expected results makes any difference in the actual result is a losers refuge.

Take the points and move on.

Lets just hope they have a goaltender when they're playing their best.

 

[ACC1224]

I think some here are posting the Dallas win on here, which is supposed to be the Caps win

You think?

 

[Clark4Ever]

5 defenseman was last night, they used 6 in this game.

Oops, wrong thread, lol.

 

[hobarth]

Well, the goaltender is part of the team.

Sometimes Matthews is hot.
Sometimes Tavares is hot.
Sometimes Goalie is hot.

I'll take playing less than perfect and wins over playing perfect and losses.

Expected results do not equal success. We see the argument all the time that based on expectations they should have won. Well, if they lost they lost. Pretending expected results makes any difference in the actual result is a losers refuge.

Take the points and move on.

Lets just hope they have a goaltender when they're playing their best.

It's time that the superstars to be superstars, games of 1 shots for both MM & AM aren't acceptable.
Year after year MM says after the playoffs that they did the best they could and maybe they did but their salaries mean they're super human, able to leap tall buildings, etc. If they want to be paid like they can control games, basically win games on their own then that's who they need to be every game.

There should be no excuses, accepting subpar games/results means there isn't any progress, they continue to not blame themselves for poor efforts/results, they need to be held responsible, every game, all the time.

I don't expect them to win games on their own but I do expect them to be responsible all the time, that means against good teams, bad teams and especially in the playoffs, essentially TO's fate rests in their hands and their pay they so graciously accept means they are productive in every game they play, anything less isn't acceptable.

This is true in any profession, it's time for them to be professional.