Post-Game Talk: November fun over, Leafs lose again 5-2

[93gilmour93]

 

[frizzer1]

Tavares lost every important face off in the last 2 games.
And he just can’t finish in front of the net anymore.
Don’t let the numbers fool you.

 

[Lightsol]

I dunno, that could go so wrong, but you cannot argue with the other skill guys we have the team doesn't miss him much.

My head goes to the fack he is clealy not close to being healthy. We might have seen his peak already, which would be a shame.

And now you're really glad he only has a short term contract...

 

[wingman75]

Matthews with a terrible game.
Just so many soft low energy plays all over the ice.
We took way too many needless penalties and got burned.

We went on a nice run with him out of the lineup and missing other depth pieces but we badly need McCabe, McMann, Domi, Kampf back.

All true about Matthews. I think he is not healthy, and probably not even close.

All true about needing the actual NHL players back. You can only run like this for so long.

And if Matthews is hurt, LTIR his ass and bring in some help.

And now you're really glad he only has a short term contract...

That has crossed my mind a couple times since the signing. If you look at the three big guys, he clearly has the lowest expected longevity.

 

[MoreMogilny]

I can’t get over losing to Pittsburgh. A team in no man’s land, after a tough loss the prior night.

Should we not have come out and absolutely dictated the pace and given Pittsburgh everything they could handle?

We looked disinterested and gassed

 

[Lightsol]

Auston Matthews was playing some unacceptably poor hockey out there as captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Completed the "Jason Allison" tonight by collecting 2 assists without even skating.

Visibly the laziest Leaf out there, from completely unengaged on faceoffs to the point of barely even covering the other center on the auto loss, completely aimless shifts where he's out on a pleasure skate, waiting around for Mitch to do all the work, drifting out of scoring positions and calling for the pass.

Standing around defensively looking busy while not even covering a guy like Rust at the top of the circle. Losing a foot race to 50 year old Evgeni Malkin to get bailed out by Joseph Woll on the scramble (you could count the number of times he bailed on the play thinking it would be a goal against).

Lazy high sticking penalty on the third.

Failed to cover the blueline on the first EN goal.

This effort level is not leadership. I don't care if this is not 100% or working back into game shape, but the rest of the team doesn't need this setting an example.

And then weakly dumped the puck back to a covered Tavares so the Pitts guy could chip it past him and score in the empty net.

 

[likecheese]

Why did we wait so long to get the 6 on 4?

The new leafs are good defensively but also so passive. You have elite talent and are already up a man, pull the goalie and push for the tying goal

Funny how he put Matthews out there on the first draw of the pp even though he had so little faith in him winning it that he left the goalie in. Absolute shite coaching tonight, just garbage.

 

[Cleetus]

Maybe the Germans did give Matthews the Jason Allison serum lol

 

[MSZ]

Sundin style

At least Sundin had two final four appearances under his belt(ok, one of them was actually Gary Roberts'). I don't think we will ever see that with a group leading by Matthews and his buddies.

 

[wingman75]

I can’t get over losing to Pittsburgh. A team in no man’s land, after a tough loss the prior night.

Should we not have come out and absolutely dictated the pace and given Pittsburgh everything they could handle?

We looked disinterested and gassed

We looked like a team that was looking at it's captain to lead the way, in a back to back on the road. Did not happen.

I thought they played hard, not super controlled. And our goalie let in a weak one, and we hit three posts.

As terrible as they were, with the same effort the win was there for the taking.

 

[Lightsol]

I can’t get over losing to Pittsburgh. A team in no man’s land, after a tough loss the prior night.

Should we not have come out and absolutely dictated the pace and given Pittsburgh everything they could handle?

We looked disinterested and gassed

With a few exceptions, they actually did outplay Pittsburgh for the first two periods. I don't know what the hell happened in period 3, though; the team decide to mimic the captain's effort?

 

[htpwn]

Officiating was brutal again, especially in the first 40 minutes. Bad bounces galore again. That's just the way things are going right now. But you also have to earn your bounces and the Leafs aren't right now.

Matthews and Marner were magic in that 3rd period in Nashville but it didn't work in Washington, it wasn't working tonight, and it hasn't worked for much of the past two seasons. They need to be split up. Matthews, in general, just plainly needs to better.

Lack of depth also continues to hurt us: When the Core 4 aren't going, and that pitiful 6-on-4 tells you how they're going despite Marner's goal tonight, we got little else.

 

[BallardEra]

This was a pathetic loss. They underestimated this very bad Pens team.

 

[Leafs4Life77]

I was starting to wonder during the period when Matthews was out if the Leafs should consider trading HIM for pieces, and now I'm around 99% positive. He can dominate when he wants to, but too often he chooses not to. And when he's playing like this he's dragging down all the players around him.

Clown take. They’re not trading the perennial rocket and former hart winner. Get a clue.

 

[thewave]

Matthews is playing like he's still hurt.

No.

He is playing like he is playing with Marner.

It doesn't work anymore.

 

[wingman75]

And then weakly dumped the puck back to a covered Tavares so the Pitts guy could chip it past him and score in the empty net.

JT put in a no win situation there. Terrible play by the captain.

 

[arso40]

Special teams is killing us again. We cannot have a 50-60% PK and expect to win.

McCabe man

 

[Leafsfan74]

Teams are adjusting to the new Leaf structure, scouting around the league are building a book. Leafs were losing battles along the boards, couldn't get space and aren't good at fighting for space. This is similar to what they will face come playoffs and smart money would be on predicting the usual results.

The core realize that the clubhouse will be primarily intact for another 7 or 8 years, only fringe players are at risk. No need to work too hard outside of the PP.

As games get more intense, more games on the road after the great early schedule, results will revert to the mean.

Berube will become more comfortable and obedient understanding that the corporation is all that matters so he will need to button up the shirt and be nice in public.

Convince me that I'm wrong.

 

[Stephen]

Brutal game by Mathew’s and shitty weekend outscored 8-3. Makes you wonder we might be better off without Mathew’s.

We are definitely better off without *this version* of Matthews because you can quality control the effort level from the rest of the troops without such a sus effort level at the top.

When you have a player thrust in a position of leadership cheating details and effort like that, sleepwalking like he’s got something else to do later, the whole thing falls apart.

 

[Dave92]

Matthews won't be the same player as captain. The biggest culture change in the past 8 years was him getting injured for 4 weeks. People gonna deny it until it's impossible to ignore like all the other obvious shortcomings of this team the past decade.

 

[Lightsol]

Clown take. They’re not trading the perennial rocket and former hart winner. Get a clue.

Guess we're wasting four more years and then we'll have to rebuild. Hurray.

 

[Aashir]

Matthews is brutal

Nylander does nothing even strength

Goodbye first place

 

[PROUD PAPA]

Feeble effort nets a deserved result. They have nothing to complain about.

 

[Apex Predator]

Matthews and Marner should only be together when they need a goal. Keep Matthews and Marner apart

Knies Matthews nylander
McCann Tavares Marner

 

[Stephen]

Officiating was brutal again, especially in the first 40 minutes. Bad bounces galore again. That's just the way things are going right now. But you also have to earn your bounces and the Leafs aren't right now.

Matthews and Marner were magic in that 3rd period in Nashville but it didn't work in Washington, it wasn't working tonight, and it hasn't worked for much of the past two seasons. They need to be split up. Matthews, in general, just plainly needs to better.

Lack of depth also continues to hurt us: When the Core 4 aren't going, and that pitiful 6-on-4 tells you how they're going despite Marner's goal tonight, we got little else.

That Nashville third period is the Matthews and Marner curse because they put together a highlight reel for 20 minutes and you’re stuck with horseshit hockey for weeks afterwards with up and down circus level hockey.

Mitch has been cooking for a month lately. There’s no reason to go back to that slacker duo.

Matthews needs to be read the riot act and forced to carry his own water.