[POLL] Is Toronto going to make it out of the first round?

[kevsh]

Too early for me to vote as the matchups aren't set yet.
But early in-depth analysis says:

Florida, no.
If they get Ottawa/Montreal, they should but maybe not.
Tampa Bay, I'm not sold they'd win this either.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

That doesn't really mean much to just say it though..

I understand what the claim is, but what is the evidence of the claim?

I think you are wildly understating Tanev and McCabe.

 

[nofehr]

I'm fully prepared to have them let me down in humiliating fashion yet again.

Matthews seems way off this year. He doesn't seem to beat goalies clean from distance like he used to (but his playmaking seems better). They also have the knack for taking the dumbest penalties at the most inopportune time.

I know regular season doesn't matter but any games against their potential opponents, they've seemed outclassed every time (except one win against the Habs maybe).

This team just doesn't have the killer instinct, go-for-the-throat that you need in the playoffs. They can eke out a few wins, but depending on that strategy won't get you very far.

 

[jbeck5]

I think you are wildly understating Tanev and McCabe.

Perhaps. Perhaps others are underestimating the sens top 4 this year?

They've been playing much better than previous years...have these improvements been taken into account?

The claim was that the Leafs have better goaltending and defense and offense...so how do the sens allow less goals if their goaltending and defense is worse? Is it that Ottawa's forwards play a better defensive game to support their d? I would have said no at some points of the season and yes at others.

If the sens F is better defensively, should that play a part in which forward group is better?

Like, what are the Leafs worse at than the sens to allow more goals against?

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Perhaps. Perhaps others are underestimating the sens top 4 this year?

They've been playing much better than previous years...have these improvements been taken into account?

The claim was that the Leafs have better goaltending and defense and offense...so how do the sens allow less goals if their goaltending and defense is worse? Is it that Ottawa's forwards play a better defensive game to support their d? I would have said no at some points of the season and yes at others.

If the sens F is better defensively, should that play a part in which forward group is better?

Like, what are the Leafs worse at than the sens to allow more goals against?

I think the truth is that both teams are good defensively. The Leafs GA is probably slightly higher based off of some bad performances from Hildeby and Murray....I also don't think the Leafs are some suffocating defensive juggernaut either because our PK can be flat out bad. That does matter. But we are very good at limiting chances in high danger areas at even strength and not allowing 2nd and 3rd chances. Stolarz helps too.

 

[AvroArrow]

Depends on the match up

Florida probably dusts us

Tampa Bay 50/50

Sens or Habs about a 75% chance Leafs win

It's looking like Leafs vs Sens, I think Leafs win in 6 or 7 but it's gonna be tough. Hungry team and Brady is going to be a nightmare to handle in a playoff series. Sanderson is also super under-rated.

There's no easy match up but I like the way the team is constructed this year and the full team commitment to a two-way game.

 

[DJJones]

They gotta be the favorite but I'm all for Ottawa coming up with the upset

 

[Sheppy]

I feel they will because there's no Boston in the playoffs.

 

[kingsholygrail]

1st round exit until proven otherwise.

 

[VivaLasVegas]

I have the Leafs in the Conference Final. They are a much harder team to play against this year.

Agree ..... to a point. The Leafs' core still disappear when play gets very physical, so if they end of up playing Florida in a round it is likely to be a short series.

 

[sansabri]

back end is bigger so that should help but can't go against ol' reliable game 7 loss

 

[Schennanigans]

I feel good about any matchup other than Florida. But there’s no easy matchup.

 

[CokenoPepsi]

Sens are due to beat them in the playoffs

 

[Maitz]

Yes they will win a round this year but unfortunately they will never win the cup with Matthews

 

[DamonDRW]

there are no issues with Maple Leafs, it is destiny.

 

[Wats]

They got past their round 1 curse. It's now a round 2 one.

 

[stempniaksen]

I think you are wildly understating Tanev and McCabe.

I think the Sanderson/Zub pair is getting overlooked here too. They are one of the best (maybe THE best) purely defensive pairing in the league and Sanderson is well above average doing the heavy lifting offensively. If I were to rank the pairings I'd probably have it as something like this:

1. Sanderson/Zub
2a. Tanev/McCabe
2b. Rielly/Carlo
3. Chabot/Jensen
4. OEL/whoever
5. Kleven/whoever

I think anyone claiming it's either side "AINEC" are out to lunch. They seem like comparable groups at face value. Personally give the Senators the slight edge because A) I'm a homer and B) I think the gap between Sanderson/Zub and whoever the Leafs top pairing is offsets the slight edge the Leafs have on pairing 2 and 3.

If the 4Nations wasn't Jake Sanderson's coming out party I think this playoffs will certainly be it. This guys is legit.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

I think the Sanderson/Zub pair is getting overlooked here too. They are one of the best (maybe THE best) purely defensive pairing in the league and Sanderson is well above average doing the heavy lifting offensively. If I were to rank the pairings I'd probably have it as something like this:

1. Sanderson/Zub
2a. Tanev/McCabe
2b. Rielly/Carlo
3. Chabot/Jensen
4. OEL/whoever
5. Kleven/whoever

I think anyone claiming it's either side "AINEC" are out to lunch. They seem like comparable groups at face value. Personally give the Senators the slight edge because A) I'm a homer and B) I think the gap between Sanderson/Zub and whoever the Leafs top pairing is offsets the slight edge the Leafs have on pairing 2 and 3.

If the 4Nations wasn't Jake Sanderson's coming out party I think this playoffs will certainly be it. This guys is legit.

I don't really disagree with any of this.

 

[jbeck5]

I think the truth is that both teams are good defensively. The Leafs GA is probably slightly higher based off of some bad performances from Hildeby and Murray....I also don't think the Leafs are some suffocating defensive juggernaut either because our PK can be flat out bad. That does matter. But we are very good at limiting chances in high danger areas at even strength and not allowing 2nd and 3rd chances. Stolarz helps too.

Good points but I feel like you could say similar things or have a similar sounding paragraph describing the sens GA. They have some struggles here and there but otherwise have been very solid. Haven't allowed as many odd man rushes as previous years or guys standing alone in the slot for 5 business days. Can also say our GA got brought down by some poor performances by Forsberg for example...or when we played hamonic too high in our lineup for no reason. Otherwise they've been solid.

And like I originally said, I wasn't saying Ottawa is better, but I don't see how Toronto is definitively better this year on d or in nets.

I think the Leafs can score more in bunches and the sens offense can dry up...otherwise I see similarly teams for d and goalie.

The only real advantage I see for the Leafs is the top end of their forward group. Otherwise very comparable. I don't agree that the Leafs are better at every faucet than the sens.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Good points but I feel like you could say similar things or have a similar sounding paragraph describing the sens GA. They have some struggles here and there but otherwise have been very solid. Haven't allowed as many odd man rushes as previous years or guys standing alone in the slot for 5 business days. Can also say our GA got brought down by some poor performances by Forsberg for example...or when we played hamonic too high in our lineup for no reason. Otherwise they've been solid.

And like I originally said, I wasn't saying Ottawa is better, but I don't see how Toronto is definitively better this year on d or in nets.

I think the Leafs can score more in bunches and the sens offense can dry up...otherwise I see similarly teams for d and goalie.

The only real advantage I see for the Leafs is the top end of their forward group. Otherwise very comparable. I don't agree that the Leafs are better at every faucet than the sens.

I definitely never said the Leafs are better in every facet. I think the Leafs have an advantage at 1C and 2C...Sens have one at 3C. Sens have a better top end of there defense...Leafs probably have more depth on defense. I think it is a 6 or 7 game series that gets won or lost on the margins and breaks one way or another.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Nope

 

[Cool Hand Puke]

Depends on the match up

Florida probably dusts us

Tampa Bay 50/50

Sens or Habs about a 75% chance Leafs win

It's looking like Leafs vs Sens, I think Leafs win in 6 or 7 but it's gonna be tough. Hungry team and Brady is going to be a nightmare to handle in a playoff series. Sanderson is also super under-rated.

There's no easy match up but I like the way the team is constructed this year and the full team commitment to a two-way game.

Anyone can just make up percentages

 

[KingPuckChoo]

Leafs got a solid goaltending duo, added more grit, and more playoff experience now.
Leafs will pass the 1st round.

 

[I am Canadian]

Not sure they have better defense either...

It Rielly, Ekman Larsson, McCabe, and tanev better than Sanderson, Chabot, Jensen and zub? I'm not too sure..

Rielly is having a down year...38 points and -14...then 33 year old OEL who isn't what he used to be...Jake McCabe...35 year old tanev...

I'm not saying Ottawa is better but I don't see how Toronto has the better d.

Its almost no argument that Sanderson is the best...then you could argue Chabot over Rielly this year...than it's defensive responsible d like Jensen and zub vs McCabe and tanev...

I dunno. Maybe it's the homer in me, but I take the sens D as well.

The sens have allowed less goals against than Toronto despite Toronto playing more time in the offensive zone with better offensive stars...so maybe, just maybe, Ottawa has better goalies/D.

Leafs D core is

McCabe - Tanev

Rielly - Carlo

Benoit - OEL

OEL should be compared to bottom pairing defender not sure who that is for the sens

 

[jbeck5]

I definitely never said the Leafs are better in every facet. I think the Leafs have an advantage at 1C and 2C...Sens have one at 3C. Sens have a better top end of there defense...Leafs probably have more depth on defense. I think it is a 6 or 7 game series that gets won or lost on the margins and breaks one way or another.

I never said you did. It was another poster (the face of bear or something) who said the Leafs have the better forwards and the better d and the better goalies and will win in convincing fashion.

Then I said I wasn't so sure about having better d or g and they could be more of a wash...and yadda yadda, here we are lol.