Post-Game Talk: Leafs win 5-3

[Lightsol]

As far as Matthews defensively goes, I'm a little mystified as he wrecked whoever was in front of him the entire series.

He was just doing strange things, like losing the puck next to the Leafs net and almost coughting it up. I said I'd never seen Matthews play so sloppily before, and my father was convinced he was hurt. By game 6, he was also frequently behind or out of the offensive plays entirely.

 

[zeke]

What's wrong with adding better hitters if they can play? It helps with playoff attrition and at the end of the day we pay to be entertained.

Because usually adding hitters means adding worse players.

Let's concentrate on adding better players, imo.

 

[cookie]

What’s the point of Roberson playing 5 minutes?

Honestly thought he'd get at least double digits minutes on account of the sick bug going through the locker room. Playing your top prospect that's on the cusp just 5 minutes is more than disappointing when you have the aforementioned illness and advanced aged players on the team.

 

[cookie]

Because usually adding hitters means adding worse players.

Let's concentrate on adding better players, imo.

Bigger hitters would certainly impact how efficiently other team's defenders are able to move pucks out of the zone over the course of a 7-game series.

 

[Zybalto]

He was just doing strange things, like losing the puck next to the Leafs net and almost coughting it up. I said I'd never seen Matthews play so sloppily before, and my father was convinced he was hurt. By game 6, he was also frequently behind or out of the offensive plays entirely.

I see to remember the opposite but not putting the puck, especially when it comes to a guy with his ability, in the net will make anyone hyper critical IMO.

I saw Matthews just steamrolling the Habs which is the reason why they broke up their shutdown line after game 5 (not often a team breaks up their shutdown line if they are doing a good job right?). Matthews had both the most takeaways and the highest takeaway to giveaway rate of any player in the first round in any series.

Here's a crazy analytics stat.

When you look at individual expected goals for the entire playoffs, Matthews and Hyman both rank in the top 34 players for all players on all teams and they didnt even get out of the 1st round.

 

[Brad C]

Because usually adding hitters means adding worse players.

Let's concentrate on adding better players, imo.

Hitters and toughness gives more room for skilled players and leads to turnover.

 

[ACC1224]

Bigger hitters would certainly impact how efficiently other team's defenders are able to move pucks out of the zone over the course of a 7-game series.

Believing you can't be a good player because you don't finish a check is a pretty uniformed opinion.

 

[Havoc]

Interesting thing there about those stats is that TB and FLA are 17th and 18th in road hits per game, and #2 and #4 at home.

So you can put as much faith in those as numbers as you feel you should.

For 99% of the rest of us no faith is needed. It's a given fact Leafs need more grit. There's a select few here in casual denial.

 

[DraftSchmaft]

Hitters and toughness gives more room for skilled players and leads to turnover.

People forget hockey is a contact sport.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

For 99% of the rest of us no faith is needed. It's a given fact Leafs need more grit. There's a select few here in casual denial.

We need to get a couple fast big guys on blueline who can stop da cycle for playoff hockey and 1 of those guys should be Jakob as he can be a significant difference maker in top 4 .. we are fine up front as goals are highly limited in playoff hockey it is all about 3 periods of grinding out a win and then doing it 16 times .. defenders will get hurt as it progresses so 8-9 guys need to be ready for battle .. da bigger issue is in net and I think you will see Woll take over net if our guys aren't up for challenge .. he is a big game $$$ tender

 

[ACC1224]

For 99% of the rest of us no faith is needed. It's a given fact Leafs need more grit. There's a select few here in casual denial.

How many will reply to the bolded saying that they need good players, not goons?

 

[Dekes For Days]

It's a given fact Leafs need more grit.

Yeah, just like it was a "fact" that Carolina needed more gr... Oh no wait, they won the cup.
Yeah, just like it was a "fact" that Detroit needed more gr... Oh wait, they won the cup too.
Yeah, just like it was a "fact" that Chicago needed more gr... Oh wait, they also won the cup... and then did it again... and then did it again...
Etc.

You may personally like to watch people hitting, and want to spend significant assets for that entertainment factor, but the fact is, Leafs do not need more "grit" to win.

 

[thusk]

Hitters and toughness gives more room for skilled players and leads to turnover.

Not true.. its work, competitiveness and grit leading to turnover and create some room not toughness and hit. Washington game was a great exemple.

First goal just marner working hard on the corner and gave it to bunting

2nd and 4th goal was just about tavares work.

3rd work and battle close of the net...

 

[Hoglund4MvP]

How many will reply to the bolded saying that they need good players, not goons?

hoglund team beat Senators with grit. Puff sens no chance against leafs.

 

[zeke]

Hitters and toughness gives more room for skilled players and leads to turnover.

That's a theory.

 

[zeke]

For 99% of the rest of us no faith is needed. It's a given fact Leafs need more grit. There's a select few here in casual denial.

Not sure you get the difference between fact and faith.

 

[ACC1224]

hoglund team beat Senators with grit. Puff sens no chance against leafs.

I remember it well.
The toughness aspect in the playoffs is one of those things that divides those that watch hockey and those that understand what they're watching.

 

[zeke]

Nothing more amusing then people convincing themselves that appreciating hits is a sign of deep hockey knowledge.

No surprise that it's these people that need to convince themselves in every post that everyone who disagrees with them simply doesn't watch hockey.

 

[hotpaws]

Nothing more amusing then people convincing themselves that appreciating hits is a sign of deep hockey knowledge.

No surprise that it's these people that need to convince themselves in every post that everyone who disagrees with them simply doesn't watch hockey.

Nothing more amusing than people who’ve never played a contact sport trying to convince others that physical play has no bearing on the outcome of a game .

 

[Shooter2x]

hoglund team beat Senators with grit. Puff sens no chance against leafs.

Funny you mention this Mr.Hoglund. When I watch players like Mik and Engvall I get taken over with this feeling of dread knowing their style of play is similar to Puff Sens we used to embarrass.

Out of the 4 Atlantic teams we sadly are the Puff Sens of the group. And all 4 are high quality shot teams as well, so Leafs don't have the advantage there either.

 

[zeke]

Nothing more amusing than people who’ve never played a contact sport trying to convince others that physical play has no bearing on the outcome of a game .

your guys' need, in every post, to pretend some of us haven't played contact sports shows exactly how weak your argument is.

truth is going googoo gaga over big hits is the easiest, most casual way to watch hockey.

 

[DraftSchmaft]

your guys' need, in every post, to pretend some of us haven't played contact sports shows exactly how weak your argument is.

truth is going googoo gaga over big hits is the easiest, most casual way to watch hockey.

That's your personal vendetta with that person. Please don't generalize onto the rest of us who are only being objective. The fact you are shows how weak your argument is.

 

[zeke]

the Puff Sens vs. the superGrit Leafs


Bonk --------- Sundin
Hossa -------- Roberts
Alfredsson --- Mogilny

Fisher --------- Nieuwendyk
Havlat --------- Antropov
Bondra -------- Tucker

White ---------- Reichel
Smolinski ----- Ponikarovsky
Schaefer ------- Kilger

Vermette ------- Francis
Neil ------------- Domi
Varada ---------- Fitzgerald
Spezza ---------- Stajan



Redden --------- Kaberle
Chara ----------- McCabe

Phillips ---------- Leetch
DeVries ---------- Klee

Volchenkov ------ Marchment
Pothier ----------- Berg
Leschyshyn ------ Johansson


Lalime ------------ Belfour
Prusek ------------ Kidd



it's still funny that leafs fans have convinced themselves that they only won those series due to "grit".

 

[zeke]

That's your personal vendetta with that person. Please don't generalize onto the rest of us who are only being objective. The fact you are shows how weak your argument is.

sorry, but there are a number of posters in this thread that continue to use the argument "you must not have watched/played the game" as their proof.

 

[ToneDog]

Nothing more amusing than people who’ve never played a contact sport trying to convince others that physical play has no bearing on the outcome of a game .

If our genius GM can convince Shanny, anything is possible. No ??