Post-Game Talk: Leafs win 7-6 in OT

[hector morrison]

Personally I like the fact that he is showing some emotion.

At home that would've been ok...not so cool on the road!

 

[Shayne Corsi]

What on earth was that? lol I'm really hoping that was just first game jitters, because Sparks looked abysmal.

 

[TheBigThree]

That was some of the worst goaltending I've seen in recent memory. On both sides.

The extremely strong play of the Leafs core players is covering up some really atrocious depth play. Wtf happened to Johnsson, Brown, Kadri, Leivo, etc. Well at least JT and AM are a thing.

 

[The Kessel Run]

Kadri is so out of sync now.

I could see this as being a problem in the future.

Several times he collided with one of his wingers in the neutral zone. No one has any chemistry on that line.

 

[Glenn Isildur Healy]

Hope Kadri is next to get things going
That whole line has no chemistry though

 

[Boutette]

Ok, high horse.

The Leafs defeated Montreal and Chicago, both in OT. And lost to Ottawa.
All 3 teams were not projected to make the playoffs. 25/40 PTS with the backup in net is FAR from realistic from what has been on the ice currently.

Montreal Beat Pittsburgh 5-1. Chicago beat St. Louis. We're kind of in the early crazy days of the season. Won't start calming down until November, like it does every year.

 

[Seath The Scaleless]

Not sure why all the Sparks hate, just reviewing their 6 goals and 4 of them were not on Sparks.

Goal 1 - Toews, tip, no chance
Goal 2 - Debrincat, Tic tac toe, no chance
Goal 3 - Manning, screen shot from point off the post, no chance
Goal 4 - Hayden, squeezes one 5-hole which should have been stopped
Goal 5 - Kane, left hash marks, should have been stopped
Goal 6 - Kane, deflects off Hainsey's stick, no chance

So two goals which should have been stopped, but I'm not putting the others on him. He bailed us out a few times throughout the game as well (stoned Kane a couple of other times during the game), so all the we shoulda kept McBackup BS, is just that.

I'd argue that the Anisimov screen did not really help, but he was too deep in his net I guess

 

[Erdinger]

So, a few notes about the game:

* Send Babcock some notes on the correlation between scoring empty netters and keeping late leads. As I said in the GDT, his insistence that we don't even try to go for one is just pride over something archaic that has cost us for years now. Didn't tonight though, thankfully.

That started with Pat Quinn

 

[LeafsNation75]

John Tavares hat trick goal called by Joe Bowen

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Is it me or has Sparks looked always scared out there in an NHL game.

good description.

 

[TheRexman]

Someone get on the phone with Glenn Healy's agent.

f*** Glenn Healy. I never want to hear his condescending voice again or see his ugly legs in a kilt.

 

[Liminality]

Gotta love beginning of the season where everyone plays really lose, and there's lots of goals.

Curious question, is there a better dman than Rielly who has a worse partner than old man Ronnie?

This is the exact same thing that happened last season too.
After 3 games in 2017-18,
19 goals for, 10 goals against.

This season 13 goals for, 13 goals against.

This team will tighten up as the season goes.

 

[Gallagbi]

So Andersen goes down in game 3 of the conference finals and we are left with an NHL rookie goalie in Sparks..it’ll have no effect on our ability to win the cup? Okay then.

Backup goaltending has EVERYTHING to do with a teams ability to win in the playoffs.

Mac isn't capable of starting in that spot either.

 

[Zizzzzy]

Who are Crosby and Malkin?

Last generation....

 

[Ratboy]

Kadri is so out of sync now.

I could see this as being a problem in the future.

Time for a new thread!

 

[supermann_98]

Matthews with 8 points in 3 games

Got him in my pool

 

[Macallan18]

So the facts you are alluding to was something you didn't mention in your post? That is still not a fact, just a popular and reasonable opinion? Got it.

I haven't argued that Sparks was not bad. What are you going on about? We just won, and all I did was point out was that the actual win did feel like a win for me, and that not everything needs to be all negative right now.

Oh, and backup goaltending has pretty much zero to do with our chances of winning in the playoffs. As for defense, if we play like this it'll be hard. But as recent history has shown, you don't need great defense on paper.

Oh, and as close to a fact that we can get would be an actual fact. Like that we just won, our newly acquired franchise center had a hattrick, and our other franchise center just had four points.

And Kappy looked good with Matthews!!

 

[LeafChief]

Except, it does look that bad.

You missed the part where I said a legit RHD would need to be acquired?

 

[mallory67]

That was some of the worst goaltending I've seen in recent memory. On both sides.

The extremely strong play of the Leafs core players is covering up some really atrocious depth play. Wtf happened to Johnsson, Brown, Kadri, Leivo, etc. Well at least JT and AM are a thing.

So thats 26 goals tonight in the first 2 games tonight!
How much did they change that goalie equipment exactly????

 

[RoadWarrior]

An incredibly entertaining win. After Kapanen was put on Matthews' line it changed the tone of the game.

I don't think our defensive play was as bad as the score indicated. Sparks was sub par.

Oh no. The leafs D sucked all right. Rielly, Hainsey, Gardiner and Dermott struggled. Oddly enough Marincin was ok on the right side.

 

[KyleSeaBass]

Are people really making excuses for Sparks?

Guy has never proven he can be an NHL calibre goalie and let in 6 goals tonight. We let the best backup in the league over the past two seasons walk for him.

It is inexcusable to let in half a dozen goals on 31 shots.

I like Dubas, but he a made a mistake, competent GMs can make mistakes as well. Time for people to just admit it.

 

[Jmo89]

One was tipped and the other was a really good shot by Kane that Zaitsev should have been challenging him on.

It is never a good game when you give up 6 goals, but a lot of those were poor plays by the defense or really good shots by Chicago that Sparks really could not have done much about. Tips, screens, shots that went top corner, etc. Maybe he could have been lucky and saved one or two of them, but none of them were anywhere near to the crap Andersen gave up yesterday.

Although this just gives more fuel to the fire to the Sparks haters, even though if McBackup was in this game we probably would have lost. Some of the saves Sparks made, McBackup would not have. And pretty much all of the goals Sparks gave up, McBackup was not going to save either. Maybe if he got lucky.

You can read my post history on what I think about Andersen. He doesn't get a free pass.

As I said, 6 goals given up is a team effort, including coaching staff. Personally I think Sparks is near the top of poor performances. Kadri is probably 2nd (and before I'm called a hater, I'm a big Kadri fan.)

 

[Rob Brown]

Who are Crosby and Malkin?

I didn't say anything about either of them, and we can be lucky without thinking about another team. What's your point?

 

[hector morrison]

The are friends.
Mostly just joking with each other.

Who is ? Auston and the crowd,or are you saying it was directed towards the Hawk bench? Either way Patty threw it back in his face,so ,he should learn that's why you don't do that! The jinx is real!

 

[pucky]

That was some of the worst goaltending I've seen in recent memory. On both sides.

The extremely strong play of the Leafs core players is covering up some really atrocious depth play. Wtf happened to Johnsson, Brown, Kadri, Leivo, etc. Well at least JT and AM are a thing.

Good evaluation. The bottom lines were non-existent or committing turnovers. The D was bad as usual but Sparks decided his first game should be a dud.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Oddly enough, Marincin did not f*** up tonight.