Post-Game Talk: Leafs Win!!! Defeat Habs 5-4 in OT

[Gary Nylund]

yep.

maintain zen for 5gms until we see what we got.

but not much longer than that, because this season is too short to waste time.

 

[Twine Tickler]

Once again Johnston shows he is one of the only ones on media who know what they are talking about.

Something else, surprising Button also said the fight didn't do much. Didn't expect that from him.

everyone is entitled to their opinion on this. Quite truthfully I really only put weight into former players opinion on this topic. Mike being one of them. It would clearly not have sparked Mike, but Carlo, Bieksa, Anthony Stewart all mentioned the impact they felt that fight made.

The only conclusion I can draw from that is only some players will get sparked by it. given the names listed, 3/4 would have gotten that jump from it. Certainly better then him not fighting IMO

EDIT; i do care about other opinions, just former players hold more weight lol

 

[stickty111]

I think it’s more on who instigates the fight and the circumstances. If I’m the Habs I wouldn’t engage in a fight to give the Leafs a morale boost when they had the lead.

I agree with this.

 

[Clark4Ever]

Once again Johnston shows he is one of the only ones on media who know what they are talking about.

Something else, surprising Button also said the fight didn't do much. Didn't expect that from him.

I don't know about that. I've seen it time and time again over the years whereby a fight can change the momentum of a game. When that happens, the adrenalin usually goes right to the legs of the team of the player who won the fight.

 

[stickty111]

While he is right, I still love what Simmonds brings. I thought he looked good and healthy which is great news.

If he nets 20-25 points, scraps, stands in front of the net, and is a pure pain in the ass to play against, that's a good signing.

Especially in the playoffs.

I like having players like him. They can stick up for you, provide a spark, and hopefully provide some production. I have nothing against his kind of player. I just don't like the false narratives made about the fight.

 

[TopChedder]

I like having players like him. They can stick up for you, provide a spark, and hopefully provide some production. I have nothing against his kind of player. I just don't like the false narratives made about the fight.

Completely fair and valid point.

 

[zeke]

While he is right, I still love what Simmonds brings. I thought he looked good and healthy which is great news.

If he nets 20-25 points, scraps, stands in front of the net, and is a pure pain in the ass to play against, that's a good signing.

Especially in the playoffs.

I think Simmonds was surprisingly good even besides the fight. He didn't look too slow, and seemed very comfortable with the puck on his stick. Nice to see. Hopefully it was a health issue the past 2yrs and it's fixed now.

 

[stickty111]

everyone is entitled to their opinion on this. Quite truthfully I really only put weight into former players opinion on this topic. Mike being one of them. It would clearly not have sparked Mike, but Carlo, Bieksa, Anthony Stewart all mentioned the impact they felt that fight made.

The only conclusion I can draw from that is only some players will get sparked by it. given the names listed, 3/4 would have gotten that jump from it. Certainly better then him not fighting IMO

EDIT; i do care about other opinions, just former players hold more weight lol

Thats fine. I just think why did it take 8 plus minutes for the team to wake up after the fight? The PP IMO had more of an influence.

 

[TopChedder]

Completely random but it's amazing how much better Willy is compared to his brother Alex.

 

[stickty111]

I don't know about that. I've seen it time and time again over the years whereby a fight can change the momentum of a game. When that happens, the adrenalin usually goes right to the legs of the team of the player who won the fight.

I'm not downplaying an impact and I don't think Johnston is either. Just don't think yesterday was a good example.

 

[notDatsyuk]

The fourth one was poor as well. First two are whatever but not goals I hope to see very often later in the year.

Which 'fourth one'? The one on Price, where it bounced off the ref and created a 2-on-0, or the one on Andersen, where Anderson walked right around Tavares?

The one on Andersen was iffy.

 

[TopChedder]

I think Simmonds was surprisingly good even besides the fight. He didn't look too slow, and seemed very comfortable with the puck on his stick. Nice to see. Hopefully it was a health issue the past 2yrs and it's fixed now.

Fully agree. The guy had a torn pelvis at one point and as an athlete that is horrendous.

I think he is finally healthy and I loved the back check on Weber last night! He looked good.

 

[Nylanderthal]

I don't know about that. I've seen it time and time again over the years whereby a fight can change the momentum of a game. When that happens, the adrenalin usually goes right to the legs of the team of the player who won the fight.

All it tells me is that MJ was a zombie out there and probably why a talented guy like him bounced around so much.

 

[LMFAO]

Thornton should never be on the first line again lol 4c and PP only.

Hyman - Matthews - Marner
Vesey - Tavares - Nylander
Robertson - Kerfoot - Mikheyev
Barabanov - Spezza/Thornton - Simmonds

 

[JEI]

Once again Johnston shows he is one of the only ones on media who know what they are talking about.

Something else, surprising Button also said the fight didn't do much. Didn't expect that from him.

I don't know if the fight impacted the game one way or another. But I think the argument for Spezza could be seen as even though he didn't fight, he provided a spark by being the 36 yr old non-fighter who's showing the will to do what it takes.

Simmonds needs to 'win' fights to provide spark (he's known for his physicality). I don't think anyone's on the bench getting pumped up if Simmonds loses. Whereas non-fighters (like Spezza) just have to show the willingness to get out of their comfort zone in an effort to provide the 'spark'.

I actually thought the fight seemed rather blah with no fans. Really makes it seems more silly without the people cheering/pumped up from it.

 

[Twine Tickler]

Thats fine. I just think why did it take 8 plus minutes for the team to wake up after the fight? The PP IMO had more of an influence.

100% I am not sure it directly gave them a jump that lead to the comeback. a 2 minute 5 on 3 is what sparked the comeback no doubt. But I still think it was a rallying point coming into the room in the 2nd intermission. They were clearly a better team in the 3rd period IMO. Not necessarily the better team, just far more engaged then their first 2 periods. Could that have been because the game was tied? sure. But the game quickly went back in MTL favor to start the 3rd, and i really dont think it was out of a bad start, just 1 bad play and 1 shot freddy needs to save. I liked their response after that goal, they showed some fight. The goal to get back to level was a lucky goal. But I really think they showed some fight to get back into it, where last year they would have crumbled. Who knows if that came from the fight directly, but I think it comes from the added bench presence of a wayne, joe, spezz. Huge value for this fragile team. I think Wayne's fight was more or less a statement for him to show the boys, we are still in it. I wont attribute the comeback solely to him by any means, but he deserves some praise in my mind

 

[egd27]

Price. Was a sloppy game but Price still outplayed Freddy. IMO

As he should on most nights. Price is regarded as one of the best in the world.

 

[Twowingcantfly]

Under this shutdown situation. It is entertainment. I will take it. Hopefully the powers that be, will realize sooner rather than later; there is no stopping covid. And give us back our lives.

 

[egd27]

So we can't complain about Dubas since Thornton, Vesey and Bogo didn't look great in their first games?

 

[Ashdown2]

bad pinch, but JT rightly backed up the pinch, as he's supposed to. that's no special marks, that's his job there.

but then he got schooled.

its a play that happens a hundreds of times a year. the d pinches and the centerman goes back to cover up ... at least someone was back there covering up,
this time it was a great play by anderson , JT committed to maybe a drop pass and not a double step .... i dont really blame anyone for that goal ... not every goal has to be someones fault is the forward makes a great play ...

frankly it was a shot right in the numbers and freddie should have maybe had it but its fine.

 

[Leafs1991]

Completely random but it's amazing how much better Willy is compared to his brother Alex.

I'm glad we got the better of the two this time around haha.

I thought him and Matthew's were fantastic. Both seemed to be willing to step their game up and be game changers now. Marner seemed a bit more physical laat night too but not as much as the other two.

 

[TopChedder]

I will say this though.

Weber and Chairot are going to try and injure Matthew's. You could see both those guys want to take him out and not just that single in game play, but out of the game completely.

Someone needs to take care of this on the Leafs. Matty showed push back and that was great, but they need to be taught some lessons.

 

[Twine Tickler]

Jumbo is happy and all and thats great. Im glad we have him. But if he is to play with Matthews and Marner he needs to step it up.

Ya unfortunately I would have to agree. It really wasn't an issue when they had puck possession in the O-Zone, he is still very effective passing the puck, and using his body to his advantage. However, he was noticeably behind the puck carrier on entry. I'm not sure, he needs to be in line with the puck carrier, but he didn't present himself as an option until the zone had been gained. I am a huge fan of Joe on the top line for his ability to see the play, but he will need to adjust. I think this is an experiment that will take time to mature. I've said all along, I think this move was more to bolster the 3rd line by giving them Hyman. I really want to see some tertiary scoring/pressure on this team, and I think Hyman moving down does just that. I really think Auston and Mitch are just so good, they don't need a 3rd guy to help gain the zone. they often do that solo, even with Hyman on their line. Id give Joe a 10 game sample size before I'd change course. I still think he can help those guys sustain puck possession.

 

[Morbo]

Gary the caller on First Up was terrific. He raised some great points that even after the Simmonds fight, Montreal were still the better team. What really changed the game was our skill guys took over on the PP. Carlo still believes the fight changed the momentum. It didn't. Landsberg was disagreeing with Carlo too. They went after each pretty well. Carlo said other guys who played the game agree with me. Landsberg said Mike Johnston doesn't.
Look I'm not downplaying what Simmonds did. I really liked that he tried to get the team going, but to say that changed the momentum, it really didn't.

Carlo is a nice guy, but is a complete imbecile. e.g. one day he went on about how he didn't know who Jonas Brodin was and didn't understand why he got all the money. stuff like that comes out of him all the time. idiot.

why can't everyone paid to talk about it actually know hockey and the players, like Ray Ferraro does?

 

[JT AM da real deal]

I will say this though.

Weber and Chairot are going to try and injure Matthew's. You could see both those guys want to take him out and not just that single in game play, but out of the game completely.

Someone needs to take care of this on the Leafs. Matty showed push back and that was great, but they need to be taught some lessons.

Hockey is a physical game and intimidation is a big part of it ... not as much as 30 years ago but it still occurs ... messages get sent and delivered in opening games ... I like how Matty responded ... but you are right if those 2 start up again next game then it is hammer time and Simmons needs a shift or two with Matty ... one thing I can guarantee you is Keefe will not miss it he is keenly aware how things operate ... and next fight will be between Weber (not Josh) and Simmonds