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

[Summer Rose]

If the Leafs lost to the Sens, it will be HF mayhem.

In any event, Leafs-Sens brings me back to the early 00s when they had some wars that the Leafs always seemed to win despite having the inferior team, on paper. Those were some fun series.

Put me down for team chaos, although it's not necessarily that the Ottawa Senators winning would cause that (though it would be a factor), it would be more about Toronto getting eliminated early again.

 

[ORRFForever]

You keep your dirty Bruins mouth shut,

You are no longer involved, this is between TO and Ottawa.

I mean that in the nicest way possible btw. I just know what you're trying to throw out there

My father ran the Boston marathon 26 years in a row btw, so that keeps me from thread ban I'm assuming?

LOL. I am not a Bruins fan.

 

[Random Comment]

If the Leafs lost to the Sens, it will be HF mayhem.

In any event, Leafs-Sens brings me back to the early 00s when they had some wars that the Leafs always seemed to win despite having the inferior team, on paper. Those were some fun series.

Ok well then expect mayhem here because this will be a chaotic series regardless if it goest 4 or 7

 

[NyQuil]

In any event, Leafs-Sens brings me back to the early 00s when they had some wars that the Leafs always seemed to win despite having the inferior team, on paper.

Just don't look at the standings and/or the payrolls of those teams.

 

[CupofOil]

Put me down for team chaos, although it's not necessarily that the Ottawa Senators winning would cause that (though it would be a factor), it would be more about Toronto getting eliminated early again.

Yep exactly, it's all about the Leafs losing as the story. If the Leafs, once again, exited the playoffs early to the Sens of all teams? Ohhhh boy is all I got to say, God Speed to the residents of Toronto and HF.

 

[Strangle]

This thread has the 2nd most pages in the Stanley cup forum

No wonder Toronto is the most popular team in the NHL, even the haters are obsessed with them

I’ve been saying this for years! Everyone is a fan, deep down

 

[nbwingsfan]

You're right. My bad.

Check out the chest pump thread in their forum. It's a good laugh.

As if you guys haven’t done this every season for the last 6 years and then disappeared

 

[CupofOil]

Just don't look at the standings and/or the payrolls of those teams.

You as a Sens fans should know that those Sens teams underachieved and should have beat the Leafs at least once or twice in those years. The 4 game sweep in particular was a shocker.

 

[X66]

Put me down for team chaos, although it's not necessarily that the Ottawa Senators winning would cause that (though it would be a factor), it would be more about Toronto getting eliminated early again.

My wife, who doesn't give a **** about sports and is more of the "I just hope both teams have fun" type of person.

However when I told her the Leafs were playing the Sens, she's had legit flashbacks watching the battle of Ontario with her family and started getting nervous lol.

She doesn't even care for sports, but the Battle of Ontario is built into our core memories if you're over 30.

 

[AvroArrow]

Yep exactly, it's all about the Leafs losing as the story. If the Leafs, once again, exited the playoffs early to the Sens of all teams? Ohhhh boy is all I got to say, God Speed to the residents of Toronto and HF.

I will riot.

Will come down to special teams IMO. Leafs PP has been abysmal in the playoffs, PK hasn't been great either.

 

[Strangle]

look at this, Toronto is the only team that gets its own thread already lol

Rent free

Center of the Universe, friend

 

[NyQuil]

You as a Sens fans should know that those Sens teams underachieved and should have beat the Leafs at least once or twice in those years. The 4 game sweep in particular was a shocker.

Sure, that one series was definitely a choke. The Leafs finished higher in the standings the other three times.

Some of the others, I think people don't give the Leafs enough credit. They made it to the Conference finals 3 times in 4 years.

They had more than twice the payroll because they could afford to pay veterans. Ottawa could not and did not.

Like I said earlier, this underdog narrative that has persisted through time is a false one.

Losing to any team four times in a row is embarrassing, but this idea that the Leafs were some plucky underdog going up against the big bad Sens is false.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Center of the Universe, friend

Its the best long lasting comedy show in the country! Maybe second after trailer park boys

 

[Summer Rose]

My wife, who doesn't give a **** about sports and is more of the "I just hope both teams have fun" type of person.

However when I told her the Leafs were playing the Sens, she's had legit flashbacks watching the battle of Ontario with her family and started getting nervous lol.

She doesn't even care for sports, but the Battle of Ontario is built into our core memories if you're over 30.

Back when I started watching hockey in 2001, I didn't pay attention to anything but local media (and in Phoenix, there was usually little coverage of the Coyotes other than being able to look at the box score on page 5 or so of the sports section the next day). I also didn't have much of an online presence back then, so I had no idea what any of the markets were really like. That combination resulted in me concluding from the get go that Toronto was just a bunch of yahoos that nobody cared about outside of Toronto.

How wrong I was...

 

[Strangle]

Sure, that one series was definitely a choke. They finished higher in the standings the other three times.

Some of the others, I think people don't give the Leafs enough credit. They made it to the Conference finals 3 times in 4 years.

They had more than twice the payroll because they could afford to pay veterans. Ottawa could not and did not.

Like I said earlier, this underdog narrative that has persisted through time is a false one.

Losing to any team four times in a row is embarrassing, but this idea that the Leafs were some plucky underdog going up against the big bad Sens is false.

The worst part about this is that the current Toronto maple leafs have become the senators of the battle of Ontario days.

High skilled, soft as baby shit, regular season superstars who crumble in the playoffs

 

[NyQuil]

The worst part about this is that the current Toronto maple leafs have become the senators of the battle of Ontario days.

High skilled, soft as baby shit, regular season superstars who crumble in the playoffs

There's a certain degree of truth to that, although I'll say that everyone was a lot tougher back in the dead puck era including the Senators.

They didn't call anything in the playoffs unless you pretty much decapitated a guy.

Very few teams today would be able to play in that kind of series anymore.

The knock against the Leafs in the past little while is that they didn't seem to elevate their game enough in the post-season, and treated it like a continuation of the regular season.

Jacques Martin's Senators could certainly be accused of that as well.

 

[SpezDispenser]

I will riot.

Will come down to special teams IMO. Leafs PP has been abysmal in the playoffs, PK hasn't been great either.

Good news. The Sens PP has been quiet as shit lately and their PK is a diamond that most teams have figured out quite quickly.

I didn't realize that about the Leafs' PP though, that makes me feeling slightly better.

 

[X66]

Sure, that one series was definitely a choke. The Leafs finished higher in the standings the other three times.

Some of the others, I think people don't give the Leafs enough credit. They made it to the Conference finals 3 times in 4 years.

They had more than twice the payroll because they could afford to pay veterans. Ottawa could not and did not.

Like I said earlier, this underdog narrative that has persisted through time is a false one.

Losing to any team four times in a row is embarrassing, but this idea that the Leafs were some plucky underdog going up against the big bad Sens is false.

Even though I was thrilled with every result(lol) the Leafs were very lucky that clutching and grabbing existed back then, because the Sens definitely outplayed us in a few of those series.

Joseph and Belfour were huge difference makers.

 

[AvroArrow]

Good news. The Sens PP has been quiet as shit lately and their PK is a diamond that most teams have figured out quite quickly.

I didn't realize that about the Leafs' PP though, that makes me feeling slightly better.

The PP has been on fire for a couple months, but it's always been good in the regular season. Playoffs, it drops down to like 10% or so. We'll see if that continues, but key for the Leafs will be to win the special teams.

 

[NyQuil]

Even though I was thrilled with every result(lol) the Leafs were very lucky that clutching and grabbing existed back then, because the Sens definitely outplayed us in a few of those series.

Joseph and Belfour were huge difference makers.

The Leafs did a good job of boxing out and a lot of the Senators ended having to shoot from the perimeter. Leaf goalies didn't allow anything from the outside.

Of course, in those days, you could do whatever you wanted to someone in front of your own net.

When Ottawa made it to the ECFs in 2017 (the Karlsson run), it was a funny run for Senators fans because we were playing more like the Leaf teams that we had lost to in the early 2000s.

Tough around our net, borderline dirty (e.g. Methot and Phaneuf).

 

[X66]

The worst part about this is that the current Toronto maple leafs have become the senators of the battle of Ontario days.

High skilled, soft as baby shit, regular season superstars who crumble in the playoffs

Leafs actually got a taste of what it feels like to be that vs the Bruins.

Very similar scripts, heartbreak losses, bad goals at bad times etc.

 

[SpezDispenser]

The PP has been on fire for a couple months, but it's always been good in the regular season. Playoffs, it drops down to like 10% or so. We'll see if that continues, but key for the Leafs will be to win the special teams.

Shit! That's the key to the Sens as well! What's gonna happen?

 

[AvroArrow]

Shit! That's the key to the Sens as well! What's gonna happen?

Whoever wants it more, I feel like a lot of people are underestimating the Sens. I've been pretty high on them for a couple of years now, they finally made the leap. Whoever is hungrier, that's what it always comes down to in the playoffs. Not the most talented team, but the one willing to work the hardest and lay it all on the line usually wins.

If Tkachuk is out or playing banged up it's gonna be tough for Ottawa, Matthews looks like he's getting close to healthy, we're gonna need him at 100% if we wanna go deep.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Backups aren’t going to play a key role. It’s going to be Ulmark vs Woll, don’t you think? And I think Ulmark will face the tougher chances.

I think it will be Ullmark vs Stolarz. I don’t see why leafs start Woll.

 

[SpezDispenser]

I think it will Ullmark vs Stolarz. I don’t see why leafs start Woll.

I was gonna ask the same thing...