Post-Game Talk: Leafs Win 7-2 against Philly

[CabanaBoy5]

Jarnkrok third line holmberg fourth line Robertson press box patches pushes jarnkrok to the fourth line and holmberg to the press box when he returns

I have to agree with you. With the top 2 lines playing so well, I'd give them the run to the playoffs together. That leaves little for the bottom 6. So might as well put together two units that hustle, be tough on the puck, and sound defensively. Unfortunately, that doesn't include Robertson, who gets knocked off the puck and his feet too easily. We have 6 players with at least 20 goals (how many teams have that), if they play the way they can, we won't need much scoring from the 3rd and 4th lines. It's going to be tough to shut down BOTH of those top 2 lines.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Yeah, that would be it….you would think. I would much rather play Tampa in Round 1, but honestly it shouldn’t matter who they play, they just need to win

To me, there are no excuses. IF they have to beat both TB and FLA, then so be it. If they lose to one of them, I don't wanna hear any excuses. This group just gotta get it done. No crying "oh it's so tough!" none of that. That's already been exhausted.

 

[arso40]

I have to agree with you. With the top 2 lines playing so well, I'd give them the run to the playoffs together. That leaves little for the bottom 6. So might as well put together two units that hustle, be tough on the puck, and sound defensively. Unfortunately, that doesn't include Robertson, who gets knocked off the puck and his feet too easily. We have 6 players with at least 20 goals (how many teams have that), if they play the way they can, we won't need much scoring from the 3rd and 4th lines. It's going to be tough to shut down BOTH of those top 2 lines.

Marner lines do have a history of disappearing and matty isnt a 100 what we’re banking on his Knies being a bull with Matthews and allowing marner to play with space and be effective

 

[Gary Nylund]

To me, there are no excuses. IF they have to beat both TB and FLA, then so be it. If they lose to one of them, I don't wanna hear any excuses. This group just gotta get it done. No crying "oh it's so tough!" none of that. That's already been exhausted.

Agree 100%. TB and FLA are both good teams, but not that good. Our core guys are in their primes, we seem to have the most reliable goaltending we've had with this core, we've done enough losing and it's time to start winning. The end.

 

[Torontonian]

To me, there are no excuses. IF they have to beat both TB and FLA, then so be it. If they lose to one of them, I don't wanna hear any excuses. This group just gotta get it done. No crying "oh it's so tough!" none of that. That's already been exhausted.

Gotta beat everyone if you wanna win the cup.. Ideally you want the "easier" matchup and let Panthers & Tampa beat the shit out of each other. But Round 2 you're getting a Florida team and round 3 you're getting a tough team so it doesn't matter.

Thought the game was a good one, Toronto came out and silenced everyone by putting on a beating even though it's against a weak Philly team.

11 games left, time for Toronto to start ramping up for the playoffs, can't go into them with poor habits etc.. Extremely hard to just "turn it on" come game 1.

 

[Fogelhund]

Agree. And although I liked his compete and his defensive play, I'll say what I have been saying all season. He is paid to do more than just that. He is 3rd on the team in goals and barely ahead of Knies.

I keep lying to myself and saying he is saving it for the playoffs. Guess we'll see.

Off season surgery, to once again fix his wrists is my guess. Clearly something is right physically, but it doesn't hamper his skating. If they thought they could fix it by sitting him, they would. But, it seems like surgery is needed, and it would end his season, so here we are.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

 

[Fogelhund]

Because the people that run moneypuck don't have a f***ing clue what they are talking about

No, it means people lack an understanding of stats, and that even the best stats require context.

 

[Jojalu]

Off season surgery, to once again fix his wrists is my guess. Clearly something is right physically, but it doesn't hamper his skating. If they thought they could fix it by sitting him, they would. But, it seems like surgery is needed, and it would end his season, so here we are.

He is also on a 105 point pace since Jan 1. It would be great if he was scoring at his normal pace, but as so many pointed out last year, he has to find ways to create offense outside of scoring. And he has.

 

[Fogelhund]

He is also on a 105 point pace since Jan 1. It would be great if he was scoring at his normal pace, but as so many pointed out last year, he has to find ways to create offense outside of scoring. And he has.

Matthews is paid to score goals, and this team needs him to score goals. People criticize Marner for being an assist guy, and while I don't necessarily agree with that, for Matthews, and this team to be effective, we need him to be a scoring threat. I don't fault his effort, and it's not a criticism of him... I'm sure he's not physically right..

 

[arso40]

Matthews is paid to score goals, and this team needs him to score goals. People criticize Marner for being an assist guy, and while I don't necessarily agree with that, for Matthews, and this team to be effective, we need him to be a scoring threat. I don't fault his effort, and it's not a criticism of him... I'm sure he's not physically right..

Put him with a scorer flip his wingers

 

[Jojalu]

Matthews is paid to score goals, and this team needs him to score goals. People criticize Marner for being an assist guy, and while I don't necessarily agree with that, for Matthews, and this team to be effective, we need him to be a scoring threat. I don't fault his effort, and it's not a criticism of him... I'm sure he's not physically right..

It would be a lot to ask of Knies if Matthews can't score, but if he can create on the PP and set up Nylander and JT while still playing a 200 foot game they can find success.

It would be a lot easier if he was popping in goals every game but that doesn't look like a realistic thing until the injury is dealt with.

 

[keonsbitterness]

This core is 100% done if

Just like 2024, 2023, 2022...

No, it means people lack an understanding of stats, and that even the best stats require context.

What's the context of Flyers at 63%?

 

[Fogelhund]

Just like 2024, 2023, 2022...

What's the context of Flyers at 63%?

Flyers put up more dangerous shots than we did in the third period, when we sagged a bit. They had quite a few cross crease passes that didn't connect, we had some good goaltending in the third. Before the third, we were ahead on expected goals.

Our shots weren't all that dangerous, but a combination of luck, and some really bad goaltending saw us put up 7 goals. Most of those goals shouldn't be going in, and wouldn't normally... I mean the Domi one was terrible goaltending in particular. Their stats show our Expected Goals at 1.61. Natural Stat Trick had our expected goals as 1.57.

Their expected goals was 2.67 or 2.52... in either case, higher than ours.

That's the way the puck bounces sometimes.... sometimes you get a lucky night, sometimes the goalie isn't very good, and other nights you can throw everything at the net, and you can't put one it.

Expected Stats aren't all that useful for single games... too many variables, luck.. etc... They tell a story if you can read them, and have watched them game to understand why...but they are far more useful over a season, than a game.

 

[Zybalto]

What's the context of Flyers at 63%?

Flyers got both bad luck (Nylander and Tavares first goals came off bodies on pucks missing the net) and bad goaltending and trying to measure score effects is not really an exact science. Once the Leafs ran up the score, they went on cruise control and the Flyers were easily the better team after the Leafs 6th goal and were probably read the riot act by Torts at the 2nd intermission.

Final all-situations expected goal numbers for the game were:

1st period: 57%-43% Leafs
2nd period: 52%-48% Leafs
3rd period: 79%-21% Flyers

 

[notDatsyuk]

Ya.. Matthews played hard, and was defensively decent. But nothing on the offensive side was working tonight. Knies did get two points.

I though Knies did a great job on JT's second. After a long shift stuck in their own end he got the puck out and instead of just dumping it and changing he chased it down, spotted Marner, and fed him the puck.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Willy doesn’t care about the belt……..it’s about bucks and babes………my hero

Not the belt - he wants the Cup.

 

[mikeyz]

This core is 100% done if they lose to the Sens in round 1. That would be the cherry on top of all the playoff failures.

Ohhh 100%..

We haven't had much to cheer for since late 1960s. But if there's one thing that we have had it's that we've owned the Senators in the playoffs and have never lost to them. If that were to change this spring, we would officially have nothing left.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

An NHL versus an AHL team .. that was not even a real game .. personally I don't enjoy going down to Scotia to watch a mismatch like that .. that's just me .. we got a 2 points so no cares .. i'd like to see us go for 1st place .. even if it means Sens in round 1

 

[Fogelhund]

An NHL versus an AHL team .. that was not even a real game .. personally I don't enjoy going down to Scotia to watch a mismatch like that .. that's just me .. we got a 2 points so no cares .. i'd like to see us go for 1st place .. even if it means Sens in round 1

It was a fun atmosphere last night... even had fans start up the wave, that went around the arena like eight or nine times.

 

[Zybalto]

An NHL versus an AHL team .. that was not even a real game .. personally I don't enjoy going down to Scotia to watch a mismatch like that .. that's just me .. we got a 2 points so no cares .. i'd like to see us go for 1st place .. even if it means Sens in round 1

That AHL team beat the Jets and Tampa this month so those 2 teams should be written off as jokes now right? Of course not.

No reason to diminish a solid thrashing of what is obviously an NHL team (even if it is a poor team).

 

[Confucius]

That AHL team beat the Jets and Tampa this month so those 2 teams should be written off as jokes now right? Of course not.

No reason to diminish a solid thrashing of what is obviously an NHL team (even if it is a poor team).

I think they are in tank mode, it’s an away game the less points the better now.

 

[PanniniClaus]

We've been begging for some easy nights.. some beat downs. Got one and some still aren't happy.

 

[Martin Skoula]

That AHL team beat the Jets and Tampa this month so those 2 teams should be written off as jokes now right? Of course not.

No reason to diminish a solid thrashing of what is obviously an NHL team (even if it is a poor team).

It’s a basement team that voluntarily sat their 1D for 2 periods

 

[ThrowDemTongs]

I was just thinking this same thing.

And even if the Cats were fully healthy to start, get the toughest matchup out of the way and if the Leafs win (big "if" obviously) the confidence boost would be massive.

Also, I'm absolutely terrified of drawing the Sens in round one. If the Leafs lost, there would simply be no living it down. Case in point, many of us are still traumatized by the Habs choke job and will be until our last days.

Guaranteed loss if we play them lol