Pre-Game Talk: Ottawa @ Toronto - Game 1 - Sunday 7pm

[Suntouchable13]

They'll never get a better chance IMO.

I'd rather them finally overcome Florida than bypass them. They've always been looking for the easy way out but there are no easy Stanley Cups.

Man, Florida will be a tough cookie to crack. But we will see.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

If the Leafs lose this series, that's it, I'm out.

And unlike Lindsay Graham, I will actually mean it.

Losing this series wouldn't make me disinterested.

Losing this series AND keeping the status quo...that's different and that is unforgivable.

 

[Suntouchable13]

So for game 1, IF Patches is ready to go I'd play him. I might be dumb for this, but Kampf is staying out for me.

 

[wingman75]

So for game 1, IF Patches is ready to go I'd play him. I might be dumb for this, but Kampf is staying out for me.

Who are you scratching? Holmberg or Robertson?

 

[Suntouchable13]

Who are you scratching? Holmberg or Robertson?

Holmberg. But I was thinking maybe even Jarnkrok, but I know they like him defensively.

 

[Leaf Fans]

Nice to see Reaves recalled.

 

[Roo]

Holmberg. But I was thinking maybe even Jarnkrok, but I know they like him defensively.

Doubt Holmberg gets scratched given how he and that line is performing.

 

[RuudeDog]

They got out of the first round two years ago and lost in ot last year despite not having 88 for 3 games and 34 for 2. Hoping the core guys including Tanev and MCcabe can stay healthy for one playoff run

If Stolarz can maintain his regular season play the leafs will go far. Tampa is only team in the east that really scares me. Sens say they have no pressure. Don’t agree Losing to the Leafs again will break them.

 

[LeafalCrusader]

 

[Schennanigans]

If stolly is on his A game this could be a short series.

 

[Seras]

Sunday is strange, crush dem sens tho

 

[Seras]

They got out of the first round two years ago and lost in ot last year despite not having 88 for 3 games and 34 for 2. Hoping the core guys including Tanev and MCcabe can stay healthy for one playoff run

If Stolarz can maintain his regular season play the leafs will go far. Tampa is only team in the east that really scares me. Sens say they have no pressure. Don’t agree Losing to the Leafs again will break them.

Florida too if they get their shit together and beat TB

 

[TopCheeseShotta]

One series at a time Boyz... one series at a time.

F it - one GAME, 1 period, 1 shift at a time!

 

[GQS]

They got out of the first round two years ago and lost in ot last year despite not having 88 for 3 games and 34 for 2. Hoping the core guys including Tanev and MCcabe can stay healthy for one playoff run

If Stolarz can maintain his regular season play the leafs will go far. Tampa is only team in the east that really scares me. Sens say they have no pressure. Don’t agree Losing to the Leafs again will break them.

Sens really don't have any pressure this series because they're the clear underdog. The pressure they had was to make the playoffs and they've accomplished that so everything else is the cherry on top for them. If they lose it might hurt long time Sens fans who remember the Battle of Ontario from the early 2000s who have to come to terms with yet another Sens loss to the Leafs in the playoffs.

For the Sens themselves it will hurt abit, but it won't hurt or be as much of a disappointment compared to if the Leafs lose to the Sens not only for the team, but for Leafs fans who would be in disbelief that a supposedly strong Leafs team would lose to this Sens team.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

The seasons finally over and we can focus on Game 1 of what should be a great series.

Hopefully McCabe and OEL are good to go, all indications are that they will play game 1.
Stolarz no doubt gets the net.
Guessing no practice today? Should get more updates after they skate tomorrow.

ottawa senators toronto maple leafs

GLG!!

It's playoff time if they can put on their skates they should play.

It's the time of year where you play through shit.

EVERYBODY still playing is playing through something at this point.

 

[crump]

I 100% forgot Pac was on this team.

Is he going to play?

I think injury fill in at this point. 2 months off game ice is hard to switch on.

The real question is Kampf, probably holds more value as a bottom 3 than Jarnkrok his PK is pretty important against the diver Sens. But that Laughton line looks like the 3rd line now in terms of ice time . So throw the last line out for 10 minutes a game and you have Kampf instead of Holmberg, then Robertson and McMann get 2nd PP time. Holmberg doing ok, so I’m torn I go back and forth on these bottom 6 lines every day, but they are important to have chemistry and occasional scoring coming from the bottom 6.

Lorentz. Laughton. Jarnkrok
McMann. Kampf/Holmberg. Robertson

So injury. 4th line
Pacioretty. Holmberg. Reaves

 

[Niagara Bill]

Nice to see Reaves recalled.

No. We are a better group without him in the room. It is obvious other players who can contribute on the ice have stepped up. Did we not just have a great finish to the season. Does the room not feel better now. Whose voice is now being heard.
Did we collapse when he was taken away from the team.
IMHO, he will take a voice away from some players who are contributing.
Other than fists and a hard head, he has added nothing since the day he came. Nobody cried when his music disappeared from the room.
Just give him the traditional job in the NHL front office and move on.

 

[Evilhomer]

Florida too if they get their shit together and beat TB

A healthy Florida team would likely beat Tampa, but without Ekblad for a couple of games and whatever shape Tkachuk may be in, I'm not sure they will have enough to beat Tampa.

 

[BraveCanadian]

Leafs in 5. No excuses.

 

[BraveCanadian]

Can we sacrifice Domi to this cause because we win that exchange

We have to worry more about Domi doing something dumb that costs us

 

[TheGreenTBer]

We have to worry more about Domi doing something dumb that costs us

Exactly. If he can annoy Tkachuk and get him off his game I don't care if Domi gets a single point all series, he'd still be doing his job. If he doesn't get under anyone's skin then he's not.

 

[rumman]

Losing this series wouldn't make me disinterested.

Losing this series AND keeping the status quo...that's different and that is unforgivable.

This coild have been said for the last five years yet here we are…….

 

[rumman]

We have to worry more about Domi doing something dumb that costs us

Definitely father like son scenario here, he can be a positive force if he can use his brain and nit hus bravdo imo……

 

[kevsh]

Losing this series wouldn't make me disinterested.

Losing this series AND keeping the status quo...that's different and that is unforgivable.

For me though the time to move on from the status quo has long past.

We knew what this core was all about long ago and they have yet to prove us wrong. Failure this year just re-confirms it for about, what, the 5th time? At least?

A new president won't change that, letting Mitch walk for nothing does not make the team better, and they have a bare cupboard of picks/prospects so there's little reason to believe that if they don't get it done this year that next year or the year after will be any different.

In the end it feels like every year they fail the MLSE board have a meeting and try to decide what they're going to do to fix this. Then someone brings out a chart showing their profits, they all have a laugh and realize that it doesn't matter, us idiot fans will keep watching no matter what they do.

In consumer retail-speak, at some point I guess I refuse to be that sucker customer that keeps paying for a bad product because of the brand.

 

[rumman]

Exactly. If he can annoy Tkachuk and get him off his game I don't care if Domi gets a single point all series, he'd still be doing his job. If he doesn't get under anyone's skin then he's not.

I don’t think Tkachuk will be undisciplined, he finally has somethingbto play for, he might just surprise you……..