GDT: Sens @ Leafs pre-season - 7PM EST

[notbias]

That goal is 40% Matthews fault for forechecking behind the net with 0 left in the tank leaving a mess for McCabe and Marner.

0% Matthews' fault...

McCabe just had to stay in front of him, I don't care that he got beat, he is usually solid, but you play man on 3 on 3.

 

[Stephen]

I get that and completely agree, cheer how you want. I also agree that players should want to win every game. Competitive fire should be there every night. But there are those of us who want to give this squad this year under a new coach after two practices more than 1 preseason game to gel. Seems weird to criticize others in the fanbase for wanting to be optimistic like a few seem to be doing in here.

You have it backwards.

 

[myleafs]

It's like no one has ever watched a preseason game before.

The worse of a team you ice, the better chance you have at winning.

Every year, every team is the same thing. The 'B' team typically beats the 'A' team. This isn't a Leafs thing, it's everyone. If your team does really well in the preseason it's probably not a good sign, because it probably means you got a bunch of 'B' level guys on your 'A' team.

Established NHLers are just going through the motions and getting into game shape. Young players want to make an impression and quad A guys like Adam Gaudette look great in the preseason year after year.

Excuse #1 in a long list of excuses coming up.

 

[Stephen]

0% Matthews' fault...

McCabe just had to stay in front of him, I don't care that he got beat, he is usually solid, but you play man on 3 on 3.

If Matthews didn’t have the energy to battle behind the net or come back he shouldn’t have gone fishing.

 

[Ciao]

Usually, you start things off the way you want them to continue.

Knies, Grebenkin, Nylander, Matthews, Tavares, Pacioretty and a few others looked pretty good, but I would have expected a lot more players to really bust their asses to impress the new coach right off the bat.

Only a few days into training camp, poor team play is fully expected, but poor effort isn't.

 

[DragoGrizzly]

You have it backwards.

So you don’t see people in this thread and every GDT accused of drinking the koolaid and being fine with results? Even though they aren’t?

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

The trends last night were similar to this teams problems of years past, but as the saying goes Rome wasn’t built in a day. Berube just got here and he recognizes that last night wasn’t good enough. It’ll take time for him to really hammer in his strategy and have the standard of play up to a level required to win in this league. Never fun losing to a rival even if it’s pre-season, even worse when the GWG is scored by a hyped rookie after you controlled most of OT. But still, it’s game one of pre-season. I’ll reserve judgement on whether these are the “same old Leafs” for now.

 

[Antropovsky]

0% Matthews' fault...

McCabe just had to stay in front of him, I don't care that he got beat, he is usually solid, but you play man on 3 on 3.

So... what's the point of Marner behind Mccabe if he has no responsibility to defender well?

 

[myleafs]

People freak out during preseason: "it's only preseason"

People freak out during the season: "its only the season"

People freak out after we lose in the 1st round: "theres always next year"

Repeat/repeat/repeat/repeat/repeat/repeat/repeat/repeat (8 years of this now)

If you can't beat AHL teams/zamboni drivers you're probably not winning the cup.

The ownership has had full mandate to go scorched earth for a while and done very little. Yeah I guess "it's only one loss to an AHL team," but that loss is following nearly a decade of failure with the players losing as such.

The funny thing is if they made massive changes (i.e forcing Mitch/Tavares out), we could at least cope "oh it's a new group, they're still figuring it out," instead we are just left with the fact it's the same old losers losing.

Wait til they re-sign 16 for 8 yrs and re-sign Tavares then lose in the 1st round again.....for me if it goes down like that which I fully feel it will is when any flickering of hope will finally die.

 

[Roo]

So... what's the point of Marner behind Mccabe if he has no responsibility to defender well?

He’s there to pick up a puck after McCabe takes his man. He’s not playing ‘behind’ our D man lol. Just because he makes a stride to try to get to him after he’s beat doesn’t make it his man.

 

[notbias]

So... what's the point of Marner behind Mccabe if he has no responsibility to defender well?

You think Marner should have went behind McCabe here to cover for McCabe making a terrible decision?

Everyone takes a man in 3 on 3, Marner is looking for the late guy here...

All McCabe has to do is stay between the attacker and the goalie...

 

[Torontonian]

I imagine we'll see a feistier lineup tomorrow on the road with lots of fringe guys being dressed.

Such is the nature of pre season, NHL players/rosters just try to get through the pre season with as little bumps/injuries as possible while the AHL players/fridge NHLers are trying to impress and make the team.

It's why it's hard to take away a lot of good/bad from the game.

 

[ACC1224]

Such is the nature of pre season, NHL players/rosters just try to get through the pre season with as little bumps/injuries as possible while the AHL players/fridge NHLers are trying to impress and make the team.

It's why it's hard to take away a lot of good/bad from the game.

This guy gets it.

 

[weems]

Liljegren is such a polarizing player.
You'll hear good top 4 RHD and you'll also hear "wouldn't be in my top 6".
I definitely see the good things he can bring but he's also inconsistent and goes through some really rough patches of play.
I have no idea what this player is but for our sake we need him to be good.

 

[notbias]

If Matthews didn’t have the energy to battle behind the net or come back he shouldn’t have gone fishing.

So in your ideal situation, no one has trust in their teammates and everyone attacks the puck?

This isn't 5v5, back pressure doesn't work the same.

 

[Stephen]

So in your ideal situation, no one has trust in their teammates and everyone attacks the puck?

This isn't 5v5, back pressure doesn't work the same.

In an ideal situation, Matthews peels off the pressure, retreats up the ice and looks for a change when possible.

 

[notbias]

In an ideal situation, Matthews peels off the pressure, retreats up the ice and looks for a change when possible.

The outcome is still the same, McCabe is trusted to take the man attacking him...

This is such a weird convo, I don't know how anyone who has seen more than 1 game thinks this is anyone but McCabe's fault.

 

[Stephen]

The outcome is still the same, McCabe is trusted to take the man attacking him...

This is such a weird convo, I don't know how anyone who has seen more than 1 game thinks this is anyone but McCabe's fault.

If Matthews doesn’t let Yakemchuk go behind the net he doesn’t have 200 feet to wind it up a la Bobby Orr. You either retreat to the high a lot to cut down that speed coming out of the zone or you don’t lose the battle.

That’s a combined Matthews, McCabe issue.

 

[notbias]

If Matthews doesn’t let Yakemchuk go behind the net he doesn’t have 200 feet to wind it up a la Bobby Orr. You either retreat to the high a lot to cut down that speed coming out of the zone or you don’t lose the battle.

That’s a combined Matthews, McCabe issue.

So he should have tripped him? What is your argument? He should have put more effort into his stick check like McCabe did?

It is 3 on 3, he misses a check and it is 3 on 2 and you'd all be whining.

He made a lazy stick check to make sure he was able to defend up ice.

I don't think his plan was to ever strip him of the puck in that situation, it was to push him to the outside.

If McCabe can't defend a 1 on 1, he shouldn't be playing D in the NHL... luckily, this is not a normal thing.

 

[francis246]

People can follow the team how they choose and have different standards for what they deem to be acceptable. Some people follow along like analytics specialists, some want to hero worship their favorite players, some play armchair GM or shadow coach, and probably a mix of all the above. There’s no right or wrong way to engage in the material.

But from my perspective, the business as usual crowd has always been on the wrong side of the evaluation. Meaningless preseason is a step away from a meaningless opening night to a meaningless regular season. We don’t win the Presidents Trophy because it’s meaningless. We don’t win the conference because we’re saving it up for later. We don’t want our guys over exerting for a scoring title cause it’s meaningless. We won’t win the division because it’s meaningless. Then when it’s suddenly meaningful, well guess what, you’re still the second hardest working, second most prepared team on the ice, and have a great summer. 8 years in a row.

Colorado went 2-4-0 the year they won the cup.

Tampa 3-3-0

Washington 2-5-0

I searched up the last 20 cup champs. There’s a mixed bag. Ultimately preseason isn’t a good indicator for anything related to regular season or post season success. Most teams went .500 in pre season so they had good games and bad games.

As many people have also referenced Ottawa has had some of the best pre season records the last 3-4 years, lots of compete and energy from them but they don’t win in the regular season or sniff the playoffs.

 

[Nineteen67]

Liljegren is such a polarizing player.
You'll hear good top 4 RHD and you'll also hear "wouldn't be in my top 6".
I definitely see the good things he can bring but he's also inconsistent and goes through some really rough patches of play.
I have no idea what this player is but for our sake we need him to be good.

He was always projected to be a decent, reliable, bottom pair D and seems to be growing into that role.

 

[Nineteen67]

View attachment 908958

You think Marner should have went behind McCabe here to cover for McCabe making a terrible decision?

Everyone takes a man in 3 on 3, Marner is looking for the late guy here...

All McCabe has to do is stay between the attacker and the goalie...

They claimed it was a great move by the Ottawa player, which it clearly wasn’t. Nothing more than a lazy play by McCabe which surprised everyone on the ice.

 

[rumman]

Liljegren is such a polarizing player.
You'll hear good top 4 RHD and you'll also hear "wouldn't be in my top 6".
I definitely see the good things he can bring but he's also inconsistent and goes through some really rough patches of play.
I have no idea what this player is but for our sake we need him to be good.

Him and OEL looked lost last night, and yes I know it’s the preseason just stating they didn’t look good……….

 

[Macman]

Did you see the winning goal by Ottawa?



Rookie Dman Carter Yakemchuk lights the lamp in OT, as Marner watches with limited effort.

What does that have to with my claim the Marner created the most scoring chances for the Leafs? I saw three guys on that goal with limited efforts.

 

[Fogelhund]

Leafs Media post-game availability. Berube was pretty frank about the team, and how they played, what they need to work on. I like what he had to say about the team.

Let's not over analyze singular plays here... it's preseason, enjoy that hockey is back.