Playoff Keefe

[Gabriel426]

This running into hot goalies is such a lame excuse. Do players and MGTs really expect the opposing team goalie in the playoffs will play like crap?
Remember that playoff gear or that extra gear that players usually switch on when it comes to playoffs, just bc the Leafs players cant seem to find it or don't have it, it doesn't make it special. Can't the everyone just admit that other teams(players and coaches) are more prepare mentality for the playoffs than our guys. There will always be a winner and a loser in each series but there is a difference between being outplayed and being invisible, and sofar, the Leafs had been pretty invisible the last few playoffs in Series Deciding games.

 

[Stonehands1990]

Yes those were 4 very nice saves against the Leafs. Imagine running into good goaltending in the post season. Such hard luck for the boys.

Edit....Just remembered. Korpisalo got yanked in Game 3 and didn't even play in Game 4 So, yeah.

And Elvis performed pretty much just as well. Almost like CBJ had a game plan and we played right into it

 

[Superstar]

And Elvis performed pretty much just as well. Almost like CBJ had a game plan and we played right into it

Keefe had a great game plan in game 5 against the CBJ...can't score enough? Just stack Tavares, Matthews and Marner on the top line to be shutdown, and let Nylander drown playing 2nd line centre...worked like a charm...

That didn't work against the CBJ, but Keefe did it again against the Habs, riding Matthews and Marner to the ground with Tavares being injured this time. Keefe must know there are 4 lines in hockey, not just one line...and at least 3 lines if the 4th line only sees the bench.

 

[Superstar]

The 'expected unluckyness' is off the charts with this team.

The Leafs were so unlucky to be up 3-1 against the Habs...maybe if the Leafs were lucky enough, it would have been the Habs up 3-1 in the series...

 

[Superstar]

When are Dubas, Keefe and Shinny taking the training wheels off?

They have and they found out they can't ride a bike...though they'll tell you it's a process...or missing that killer instinct...next year, they might tell you the guys need more hunger...

 

[Stonehands1990]

Keefe had a great game plan in game 5 against the CBJ...can't score enough? Just stack Tavares, Matthews and Marner on the top line to be shutdown, and let Nylander drown playing 2nd line centre...worked like a charm...

That didn't work against the CBJ, but Keefe did it again against the Habs, riding Matthews and Marner to the ground with Tavares being injured this time. Keefe must know there are 4 lines in hockey, not just one line...and at least 3 lines if the 4th line only sees the bench.

He doesn’t understand basic concepts like spreading your talent out so they can elevate lesser players or that a fresh and hungry 3rd line beats an exhausted 1st line. He’s a terrible coach and this team will be lucky to squeak out a round victory with him

 

[ZEBROA]

It is ok to do a couple of "wrong moves" , or no move at all if thats the best option.

But this feels like screaming to someone to get of the rails because u see a train coming. And they just stand there like a goof waving.

If PP fails for a loooong stretch should i:
A: Do nothing
B: try something else

If one player is extra hot should i:
A: Do nothing
B : Give the player more icetime, maby even some pp1 shifts.

If the first line dont produce should i:
A: Do nothing
B: Try something else

If i answer A on all above should i:
A: Coach a NHL team
B: Not coach a NHL team

I had big hopes on Keefe. And i hope he steps up.

 

[Zybalto]

This running into hot goalies is such a lame excuse. Do players and MGTs really expect the opposing team goalie in the playoffs will play like crap?
Remember that playoff gear or that extra gear that players usually switch on when it comes to playoffs, just bc the Leafs players cant seem to find it or don't have it, it doesn't make it special. Can't the everyone just admit that other teams(players and coaches) are more prepare mentality for the playoffs than our guys. There will always be a winner and a loser in each series but there is a difference between being outplayed and being invisible, and sofar, the Leafs had been pretty invisible the last few playoffs in Series Deciding games.

The problem is that we can watch the games and have differing opinions on what went on. The Leafs are only "invisible" as the puck doesn't go in the net. How did the Leafs lose the last three games? Was it because they were outplayed?

Lets compare the Leafs to the president trophy winners Avs and their 4 game collapse after going up 2-0 against Vegas.

Last 4 games of the Avs/Vegas series:

Shots: 126-101 Vegas
Scoring Chances: 106-102 Vegas
High Danger Chances: 52-39 Vegas
Goal differential: 17-8 Vegas
Team save%: 92.08-86.51 Vegas

Result: 4-0 Vegas

Vegas ran over the Avs in every conceivable way possible. Not the first time the president trophy team has been wiped out like this (and not the last). Outshot, outchanced and outgoalied. You could legitimately say the Avs were outcoached here due to the run of play being so lopsided.

Here are the last 3 games of the Leafs/Habs series:

Shots: 109-84 Leafs
Scoring Chances: 97-72 Leafs
High Danger Chances: 38-23 Leafs
Goal differential: 10-6 Habs
Team save%: 94.50-88.10 Habs

Result: 3-0 Habs

Generally, the team with more shots/scoring chances wins the game and is almost always considered the harder working/better coached team. Theres a reason why most pundits are picking the Leafs to easily qualify for the playoffs and the Habs to not even make it this year despite having just gone to the playoffs though......they think the Habs got lucky and its easy to see why.....but dont try to say the Leafs got unlucky, right?

The Leafs havnt been invisible.....opposing goalies have made it seem that way though the last two years, combined with almost zero puck luck and brutal injuries.

I understand criticizing Matthews/Marner for lack of finish (how many posts has Matthews hit in the playoffs, geez) but the ice has been tilted in the Leafs favor ever since Keefe has been behind the bench....its on the players to finish up their majority of chances (I think most would agree the transparent move to get more bodies in front for the upcoming year will go a long way).

 

[egd27]

Generally, the team with more shots/scoring chances wins the game and is almost always considered the harder working/better coached team.

Or that team has dug themselves a hole they needed to crawl out of while the opposition plays a "protect the lead" game and is less interested in offence.

A team that consistently refuses to "start on time" is almost never considered the harder working/better coached team.

 

[IPS]

Or that team has dug themselves a hole they needed to crawl out of while the opposition plays a "protect the lead" game and is less interested in offence.

A team that consistently refuses to "start on time" is almost never considered the harder working/better coached team.

That Habs team entire game plan was to sit on their lead in front of Price with their top-4 D playing a very physical protect the house type plan.

It's such a futile exercise referencing scoring chances and all that jazz.

 

[Ziggdiezan]

Leafs may be getting shots, chances etc. in important games but they are shooting right into the goalies logo. Literally a mental thing, worrying too much about their awful playoff record, gripping the stick too hard and generally f***ing up their shots. Don't see too many picked corners by leaf shooters in deciding games.

Bad case of the yips for the team and I hope this year will be different but it is hard to break those mental barriers.

 

[Zybalto]

Leafs may be getting shots, chances etc. in important games but they are shooting right into the goalies logo. Literally a mental thing, worrying too much about their awful playoff record, gripping the stick too hard and generally f***ing up their shots. Don't see too many picked corners by leaf shooters in deciding games.

Bad case of the yips for the team and I hope this year will be different but it is hard to break those mental barriers.

With so many shots/chances headed in the right direction, not many good bounces off skates or rebounds popping out either.....and he certainly wasnt just facing shots in the crest.



Prices positioning and movement were absolutely elite in the series. Looked like a completely different goaltender from the regular season.

 

[IPS]

Prices positioning and movement were absolutely elite in the series. Looked like a completely different goaltender from the regular season.

Welcome to the playoffs then, no free rides. Doesn't matter if it's Rask, Price, or Korpisalo - you don't go into the playoffs and expect what you saw in the regular season.

 

[Zybalto]

Welcome to the playoffs then, no free rides. Doesn't matter if it's Rask, Price, or Korpisalo - you don't go into the playoffs and expect what you saw in the regular season.

Considering the Leafs controlled play for most of the series, I dont think they were coasting and they actually outplayed the Habs far more than they did in the regular season.

Montreals team play was never the big issue in the North division but rather the play of their goaltending. Price had more good games in the playoffs than he did during the regular season, no joke. Montreal all of a sudden became a good team with goaltending issues to a good team with an elite goaltender. It's why they walked the Jets and Vegas after scraping by the Leafs. Couldn't keep it up against Tampa who did a great job with traffic in front (Leafs appear to be taking notes here). No one expects the Habs to be players this year though just like no one expected the Jackets to make much noise last year although Korpisalo had the best stretch of goaltending of any goalie in the playoffs last year (including that crazy save record against Tampa). It's not coaching despite both teams retaining their coaches, it's just an extension of the old saying: "show me a good coach and ill show you a good goalie".

Toronto skated both Columbus and the Habs into the ground for much of their series. The Habs dont want to be a "rope a dope" team as its not their game (and it wasnt the Jackets either). They are a 5v5 possession team with decent defense that wears other teams out. If they are getting outshot/outchanced 5v5, then things are definitely not going to plan.

Over the last 2 years in the regular season, the Habs were in the top 5 in the league for 5v5 possession/shots/chances, held down by poor goaltending and shoddy special teams. The Price effect is real though and just like the Penguins last year (top seed knocked out by a team that wasn't even going to make the playoffs due to the play of Price) it happened to more teams this year. Learn from it and get more big bodies and traffic to the front I guess (like Tampa).

 

[Pookie]

He doesn’t understand basic concepts like spreading your talent out so they can elevate lesser players or that a fresh and hungry 3rd line beats an exhausted 1st line. He’s a terrible coach and this team will be lucky to squeak out a round victory with him

he understands it.

just didn’t get Matthews’ permission to do it.

 

[Ziggdiezan]

With so many shots/chances headed in the right direction, not many good bounces off skates or rebounds popping out either.....and he certainly wasnt just facing shots in the crest.



Prices positioning and movement were absolutely elite in the series. Looked like a completely different goaltender from the regular season.

Price did have a great series but it keeps happening every playoffs series. At some point you have to start looking at the shooters rather than every goalie the leafs play having the series of their life.

 

[Zybalto]

Price did have a great series but it keeps happening every playoffs series. At some point you have to start looking at the shooters rather than every goalie the leafs play having the series of their life.

Heh, I hear what you are saying and I'm down with the shooters getting some blame but, three years in a row, Rask/Fleury were the top two goalies 3 playoffs ago, Korpisalo stood on his head to keep his team in it and played the best hockey of his career (setting the playoff save record against the Bolts) and then we get Price playing the best extended stretch of hockey he's played in years. The play of these goalies was only partially against the Leafs and yet they are certainly 3 of the top ten goalie performances in the playoffs over the last 3 years and happened to come against the Leafs in the first round for some reason....and all three were coming off of considerably worse regular seasons.

Sigh, life as a Leafs fan continues.

How about the other team gets the 2nd best goalie in a series? or gets a key injury? or how about the Leafs get a bounce in an OT after outshooting the other team 13-0? 2 goals on three shots to win two overtimes for the Habs? Jeezus.

If the Leafs go on a big run this year, it wont be because of any big changes though, it will be because they finally got a break (or two) in their direction. Its so much easier if they were actually getting outplayed or outshot or outchanced or if it really were even the play of their goalies. The other goalie going ham is absolutely maddening and leads to all sorts of awful takes though.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

Montreal won and deserved it. They came out ready in game 5 and didn’t look back from that point. Leafs came out asleep in a elimination game. End of story right there, they gave up the momentum and Montreal ran with it.
Game #5 was the most p!ssed off i was with this team ever. Keefe really should have called a time out and completely snapped on them.
Carey price picked up confidence then and so did his team. Keefe just watched it happen. He has a better lineup to work with this year hopefully and maybe a handful of adjustments to make how he deploys.
Looks like possibly a better constructed lineup to work with if he’s in to the old adage of let the plumbers plumb and the the engineers draw it up.
We’ll see how soft he puts the bottom 6 together and it will be his evaluation time as a coach at the Nhl level.

 

[Gabriel426]

The problem is that we can watch the games and have differing opinions on what went on. The Leafs are only "invisible" as the puck doesn't go in the net. How did the Leafs lose the last three games? Was it because they were outplayed?

Lets compare the Leafs to the president trophy winners Avs and their 4 game collapse after going up 2-0 against Vegas.

Last 4 games of the Avs/Vegas series:

Shots: 126-101 Vegas
Scoring Chances: 106-102 Vegas
High Danger Chances: 52-39 Vegas
Goal differential: 17-8 Vegas
Team save%: 92.08-86.51 Vegas

Result: 4-0 Vegas

Vegas ran over the Avs in every conceivable way possible. Not the first time the president trophy team has been wiped out like this (and not the last). Outshot, outchanced and outgoalied. You could legitimately say the Avs were outcoached here due to the run of play being so lopsided.

Here are the last 3 games of the Leafs/Habs series:

Shots: 109-84 Leafs
Scoring Chances: 97-72 Leafs
High Danger Chances: 38-23 Leafs
Goal differential: 10-6 Habs
Team save%: 94.50-88.10 Habs

Result: 3-0 Habs

Generally, the team with more shots/scoring chances wins the game and is almost always considered the harder working/better coached team. Theres a reason why most pundits are picking the Leafs to easily qualify for the playoffs and the Habs to not even make it this year despite having just gone to the playoffs though......they think the Habs got lucky and its easy to see why.....but dont try to say the Leafs got unlucky, right?

The Leafs havnt been invisible.....opposing goalies have made it seem that way though the last two years, combined with almost zero puck luck and brutal injuries.

I understand criticizing Matthews/Marner for lack of finish (how many posts has Matthews hit in the playoffs, geez) but the ice has been tilted in the Leafs favor ever since Keefe has been behind the bench....its on the players to finish up their majority of chances (I think most would agree the transparent move to get more bodies in front for the upcoming year will go a long way).

First, unlike a lot of fans here, I believe the Leafs will make the Playoffs next year barring injuries.
Secondly, the Leafs didn't show after Game 4. Yes, they tied in Game 5 and 6 and forced OT but they didn't start putting on pressure till they were down by a few goals. They didn't start on time. Same with the BJ series. If it wasn't for a 6 mins push while pulling the goalie the whole time, they would have lost the series in Game 4 while being shut out for the second time in 4 games.
Call me old fashion, but there are just too many excuses and it is time for the team to be accountable and realise they need to be a lot better if they want to WIN the Cup.

 

[Racer88]

Kerfoot and Spezza seemed to beat invincible Price……..what’s up with that? Are we paying the wrong guys 22 million

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Holl in the lineup vs Lili is classic playoff Keefe.

I'll be tracking Holl's goals against tonight.
Obviously the bolts will target him.

Holl isn't a legit option on the PK.

 

[Holls Blackmail]

Garbage.

Needs to go.

 

[Zybalto]

View attachment 541582

Holl in the lineup vs Lili is classic playoff Keefe.

I'll be tracking Holl's goals against tonight.
Obviously the bolts will target him.

Holl isn't a legit option on the PK.

Kind of confused.

Fewest Goals against/60 for current Leafs D since Holl came back from his benching in early Nov.:

5v5:
1. Brodie
2. Holl (on 42% ozone starts)
3. Sandin
4. Gio
5. Boosh
6. Lily
7. Muzzin
8. Rielly

One of the goals against MVPs this season no?

Hes been hot and cold though and Keefe went with the hot hand in Lily to start.

...also Holl has been a mainstay on an excellent PK first pairing whenever in the lineup hasnt he? Hes second jn both PK time and TOI/games playwd this year.

With Lily getting exposed a bit the last couple games though, not really a suprise to see Holl come in to stabilize what has been the weakest pairing on the team so far. Holl and Spezza also come in fresh and the team depth may play dividends here.

 

[Nylanderthal]

View attachment 541582

Holl in the lineup vs Lili is classic playoff Keefe.

I'll be tracking Holl's goals against tonight.
Obviously the bolts will target him.

Holl isn't a legit option on the PK.

Holl is the teams #1 PK D man. They got cooked on the penalty kill in game 2

Kind of confused.

Fewest Goals against/60 for current Leafs D since Holl came back from his benching in early Nov.:

5v5:
1. Brodie
2. Holl (on 42% ozone starts)
3. Sandin
4. Gio
5. Boosh
6. Lily
7. Muzzin
8. Rielly

One of the goals against MVPs this season no?

Hes been hot and cold though and Keefe went with the hot hand in Lily to start.

...also Holl has been a mainstay on an excellent PK first pairing whenever in the lineup hasnt he? Hes second jn both PK time and TOI/games playwd this year.

With Lily getting exposed a bit the last couple games though, not really a suprise to see Holl come in to stabilize what has been the weakest pairing on the team so far. Holl and Spezza also come in fresh and the team depth may play dividends here.

Narrative> facts bruh, this is HFB after all

 

[AuraSphere]

I'm fine with Holl in the line-up - just not over Liljegren and breaking up the Gio-Liljegren pair.

I think it just doesn't make sense having Lybushkin on the top pairing and then also only having him play 10 mintues a game? In the total 10 minutes he played in last game, he got scored on, gave up several scoring chances, and took a penalty.