Series Talk: Round 2 discussion || North vs South || Leafs vs Panthers

[sxvnert]

As Bunkis asked last night, Is Marner also hurt. Zero SOG in Florida and 13 in 10 playoff games.

Next game will tell us if these guys have what it takes to win a SC or are just chicken shit in big games.

Growing tired of the injury excuse for the yearly playoff choking from the media. This is year nine of watching Matthews and Marner dodging contact regardless of the cost.

Thankfully Marner will end up bolting this summer after the fan backlash and Tre will be forced to move on.

 

[wingman75]

Just like in the Ottawa series, I think the Leafs will benefit from the extra day of rest before game 5.

Hopefully. The D have been taking a lot of hits with Woll in the net, and the forwards didn't look like they had much energy last night, certainly not at the start of the game.

Everyone is going to have to be at their best if they want to grab control of the series back! Physical and mental rest should help.

 

[Amadeus]

That game was within reach after 2 if you looked at the scoreboard but Florida just put the clamps down and showed more focus and maturity and ensured that win!

Leafs need to match that big time if they have any shot to win this series.

 

[pcruz]

That game was within reach after 2 if you looked at the scoreboard but Florida just put the clamps down and showed more focus and maturity and ensured that win!

Leafs need to match that big time if they have any shot to win this series.

This is exactly it.
Florida showed that when things are tight, they tend not to make the silly mistake.
Toronto is still very much prone to the silly mental error at times, and a team like Florida will pounce and make you pay every time.

Which is why Berube has had the team play a certain way this whole season.
Dump and retrieval has been the bread and butter of this team all year and when they tried something they would have done in previous years, bam it was 2-0 and there was just no hope left. Even if they got a lucky bounce at 6 on 5, they weren't getting 2 of them and the game was over.

Matthews needs to start imposing himself more in the games. He's been dominant behind the puck all playoffs long, but he needs to scare the opposition. He's not.

Woll had a great game last night, and hopefully that is but one of many, however he has been prone to quite a few horrible goals thus far this series.

The bottom 6 has energy but they don't have much of anything else.
I honestly don't know what Jarnkrok and McMann do out there every shift.

 

[Delete1]

The extra day’s rest might be a good reset for them and cool Florida a little bit but Leafs didn’t win Game 5 vs Ottawa either. Played their worst game of the series.

But wasn't game 6 in that series after the extra day?

 

[theTTC]

Also the amount of punishment Tanev is taking is unbelievable. I feel bad for the guy. We're paying a 35 year old to get absolutely mangled.

Notice how Leafs don't target Tkachuk even though he's playing injured for sure? Panthers purposely going after both our goalies, Marner, and Tanev (Matthews doesn't need "tending to" as he's made himself a beta).

 

[Rob Brown]

That game was within reach after 2 if you looked at the scoreboard but Florida just put the clamps down and showed more focus and maturity and ensured that win!

Leafs need to match that big time if they have any shot to win this series.

Honestly to me that felt like it was going to be one of those games that usually happens to us - we outplay the other team and get absolutely goalie'd and lose. It was ripe for the picking going into the third and they couldn't do it. It was looking fine until that Bennett goal.

 

[theTTC]

Maybe it's better to spread the minutes out? Get everybody else involved. Look at the ice time distribution. There are 5 guys, then the rest of the forwards barely play. Berube sucks, Leafs would have won the series with Ottawa with Keefe too.

Maybe because these 5 demanded, and got, all the money? Like, all the money.

Now it's their turn... go earn it... oh, I see, in Toronto it doesn't work that way. We choose instead to make unrealistic demands of the 6 or 8 minimum wage new guys Leaf management uncovers when dumpster diving every year trying to mask the ridiculous wage imbalance.

 

[Torontonian]

Domi scored, Benoit scored, Rielly scored, OEL scored, Patches scored, we got enough goals from the depth these playoffs. Matthews has to score for us to win. A lot will be on him if he doesn't end up scoring and the Leafs lose.

The bigger boys need to score a bit more, but If you're playing a top 6 role like Patches is, I'd expect you to produce. The only good thing right now is Toronto is very much alive in the series and both Mathews/Marner/JT (to a certain extent), haven't had a great impact in the o-zone. They do need to ramp it up if they want to win the series.

On the other side, the forward depth isn't the main issue right now, but it's definitely a problem.

It's concerning a player like Robertson whose played in 2 games this playoffs, has the same amount of points (1A) as the following players in 8 less games.. Holmberg/Jarnkork/Lortenz/McMann/Laughton (2A).

 

[Stephen]

The more I think about it, letting Game 3 slip may have been the whole ball game.

You get one chance to throttle a team and you don’t killer instinct them off they come for you fast and hard.

It’s a long series but it also isn’t.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Game 5 is must win.

Matthews situation will come out after the playoffs are over but he's doing it defensively, Marner and Knies gotta really carry that offensively and score the goals.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

If Leafs come out fast like in home games in game 5 then this one as i predicted will go 7 games .. we all need to hope da hockey gods help us out .. we deserve a break to fall our way since da 4-1 debacle

 

[MapleLeafs77]

I have been saying it all year….without matthews being matthews than you aren’t winning anything. He has been hurt all year and probably needs some sort of surgery this summer.

This is not our year. What sucks is that this year would have been our year if he was healthy.

 

[Stephen]

Game 5 is must win.

Matthews situation will come out after the playoffs are over but he's doing it defensively, Marner and Knies gotta really carry that offensively and score the goals.

I could see a world where he doesn’t say anything about his injuries. It’s a no win situation. If he reveals what it is, you might look at how it was managed or how much it affected his game and not be pleased at the decisions he made that cost the Leafs. If he keeps it private it won’t be good because there’s no trust he’s going to make the right decision to fix it.

 

[WTFMAN99]

I could see a world where he doesn’t say anything about his injuries. It’s a no win situation. If he reveals what it is, you might look at how it was managed or how much it affected his game and not be pleased at the decisions he made that cost the Leafs. If he keeps it private it won’t be good because there’s no trust he’s going to make the right decision to fix it.

He's pretty private about injuries and health so we'll see.

Not opposed to swapping Marner / 88 onto different lines either.

 

[thewave]

He's pretty private about injuries and health so we'll see.

Not opposed to swapping Marner / 88 onto different lines either.

Marner can't score goals from the blueline. Matthews is working hard, Marner is sucking. Nylander with Matthews makes sense since Marner can't score.

Knies and Matthews are working pretty hard out there. On Marner, should never have to shelter a 13m lol player.

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

Game 5 is must win.

Matthews situation will come out after the playoffs are over but he's doing it defensively, Marner and Knies gotta really carry that offensively and score the goals.

No excuse for Matthews, did he get more injured after 4 nations? If not then he has to have more then 2 goals this playoffs. Period. He scored at a sub 40 goal pace in his injured season this year. He scored 6 goals in the last 11 games down the stretch. He's not dealing with a sudden injury that is preventing him for scoring. He's just choking, something we've seen him do in the past.

 

[al secord]

Letting game 3 get away was all she wrote. This core is so mentally weak, I don’t think they have it in them to pull this off. I hope I’m wrong, but have seen no evidence to the contrary.

 

[Stephen]

Marner can't score goals from the blueline. Matthews is working hard, Marner is sucking. Nylander with Matthews makes sense since Marner can't score.

Knies and Matthews are working pretty hard out there. On Marner, should never have to shelter a 13m lol player.

Marner scored a game winner this series. Don’t love the guy but have to remember that.

 

[The Shadow]

Letting game 3 get away was all she wrote. This core is so mentally weak, I don’t think they have it in them to pull this off. I hope I’m wrong, but have seen no evidence to the contrary.

If they are that mentally weak they didn’t deserve it anyway

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

All eyes on the core for the next 2 or 3 games. Fair or unfair, the sample size is getting large. Need to manufacture offense. Getting blanked in game 4 was rough

 

[thewave]

Marner scored a game winner this series. Don’t love the guy but have to remember that.

May be the case but he is running scared at this point. Nobody can deny that. Clear as day.

 

[BlueForever75]

Berube does not suck as some have stated on this thread. This team is the closest its been to the Pat Burns era then ever!!! Its a style of play that is not for everyone, but its worked until this point. There is no place to change the style now. Dump and chase has worked and it will continue to work as long as everyone buys in.

Matthews and Marner are maybe not scoring as much as they should be. But this is not a reflection of Berube style. It is more so with them putting their skills to work within the style being preached. The PP for example has not been consistent. Not shooting enough. When they shoot with traffic in front its worked. When they try to whip it around looking for the perfect setup, is when this unit goes stagnate. Get traffic in front, and shoot. If they get back to this in all faucets of their game they will win the series. If they continue to play Keefe hockey as they did yesterday. It will fail.

Simple as that.

 

[Stephen]

If they are that mentally weak they didn’t deserve it anyway

I think they needed to be different in Game 3 and lock down the series. The team was ready at the start. The goalie was not. Game 4, the team was broken already and the goalie decided to show up. You blow 2 Stanley Cup playoff games against the defending champs like that, you’re not winning the series unless they have a higher gear they’ve been saving.

Florida is going to be shifting from straight up brawling and throwing wild unguarded punches mode to strangle the series mode. Leafs don’t have an answer for that.

 

[Stephen]

May be the case but he is running scared at this point. Nobody can deny that. Clear as day.

For sure, but the biggest problem is Auston.