Post-Game Talk: Shameful Leafs lose 3-2

[Oilers in NS]

Matthews choking all night nothing new.

Marner is just nothing. The 4th line brings more.

I hope Sammy is healthy but can't play next game for some reason.

Im not hear to cause problems but the one that got me was when Marner was coming outta his end and tried to get fancy and passed off to Matthews who tried to get fancy. Result is a goal. This is the NHL , not JR B

 

[Stinger8]

Here's my birds eye take for row 1 blues .. Leafs came out harder/faster to start game and unfortunately could not maintain either da pace and/or physical side .. Cats can maintain speed and toughness and they did for 2 periods until they went into trap mode in 3rd period .. JT and Kampf continue to get badly tilted when they are on da ice .. Matty and ROR played even steven .. Bobbo played his best game which did not help our cause .. but that was not why we lost da game

Defensively 3 huge defensive turnovers which were all self inflicted were da cause for da L .. Lily trained in Sweden/Leafs development clearly does not know how to eat a puck, then JT could not support his error due to footspeed and mobility issues and Gio assumed Lily was gonna move puck up boards (lack of communication very evident there) .. overall Cats speed on forecheck reduces time and space and caused da breakdown .. this is a theme now for past 2 games

Goal 2 against was a ghastly error by both Willy and then Sammy .. 1st no excuses Willy is fastest guy on ice and this was a straightforward easy exit which Willy played at regular season pace (give him credit he picked up his pace after that goal against but..) .. he fumbled puck to Cats and then after his fumble he did not attack Barkov to make his shot attempt harder and Barkov used his quick release and screen to beat Sammy in a goal which could have been saved but it was nowhere near as bad as Freddy's or Soup's f*ck ups .. but it was a save that $$$ tenders need to make

Goal 3 was all on Mitch and Matty as they both decided to play shinny hockey in a playoff game .. goes to both of their characters and bottom line neither are leaders of men and both are still boys .. given both of their self entitled hockey lives I don't see either being a guy you can trust in playoffs .. da truth hurts fans but it must be stated

All that said offensively both ROR and Kerfoot found ways to beat bobbo with their 2 only chances at net .. Matty had 2 glorious chances, JT had 2 even better chances and Willy had 3 which were super good too .. our core 4 had 7 i said 7 let me repeat 7 chances to score .. 7 legit kill zone chances to score .. i think you need to hear that again folks da core 4 had 7 legit chances to score .. BUT ZERO NOTHING NOTTA 1 goal .. what does that tell you??????? .. think long and hard about that one .. of course there will be folks on here which say Bobbo stole it .. my reply yes he did play extremely well .. but this is a recurring playoff theme for 6 years now .. legit top end scorers don't miss 7 times like that .. those boys are not clutch at all .. and they never will be .. great regular season scorers yes but when pace picks up in playoffs and time and space is reduced on puck none of them excel .. facts are facts .. you can't have 4 guys ALL FORWARDS who don't score when required on your team .. too much tied up in them

All that said I don't see Leafs winning this series but Bobbo will not play at this level 4 straight .. Keefer can make some more changes to lineup and team can play better .. but character of core 4 is reason we won't win this series .. blaming Sammy is flat out wrong .. he flat out beat Vasi in round 1 and that tells me he is fine ..

Post of the year. Bang on. I would estimate Marner has missed 25 clean hit opportunities in both rounds combined. He has zero interest in finishing a check. Other stars around league routinely finish checks in playoffs. Mathews not much better (but better). The entitlement angle appears obvious, if they cannot come back a resourceful GM could get a windfall in returns for Nylander, and or Mathews and or Marner (not to same team). I would move 2 of them and get "hockey players" in return (maybe target Dubois as a free agent.

 

[Stephen]

Lack of discipline.

They rely on talent and creativity over system and structure. It's one of main reasons they regularly lose to teams with far less talent but can play within a system.

(and yes, other good teams lose to bottom feeders, just not with the regularity the Leafs do)

Agreed on the structure. I feel like as I’ve watched this era of Leafs hockey my appreciation for coaching and structure has gone up a lot. Look at the way Carolina and Vegas manage the ice as 200 foot teams it’s almost like they play table top hockey with guys on routes running on rails. It’s not necessary the “preferred” way to play the game but that’s what discipline and playing with structure actually means. Not this loosey goosey reversal on reversal dipstick doodle creative stuff.

Like FFS save the creativity for when you’re in the opposition zone. Just play straight forward normal hockey when trying to exit a zone or safely transport through Center ice.

 

[Mess]

Goaltending results in the series.

Samsonov
================
Game #1 ... 4.20 GAA & .857 Sv%
Game #2 ... 3.12 GAA & .895 sv%

Bobrovsky
===============
Game #1 ... 2.02 GAA & .944 sv%
Game #2 .. 2.00 GAA & .946 sv%

 

[Al14]

Im not hear to cause problems but the one that got me was when Marner was coming outta his end and tried to get fancy and passed off to Matthews who tried to get fancy. Result is a goal. This is the NHL , not JR B

When I was coaching, two of my rules for my players to follow were:

1) No back passes in our d-zone.

2) When handling the puck within 5' of our blue line, get it out first, then skate with the puck or distribute it to another teammate.

These so called pros broke my rules that resulted in a goal against. Unforgivable IMHO !!! This is NHL hockey not PEEWEE house league !!!

 

[therealkoho]

You missed Marner.

But to me it's not unbelievable, it's been going on for ages without correction. By game 90 the players should know what is expected of them with regard to those types of turnovers and general Dzone safety. A really good coach corrects these things throughout the season, by either teaching or disciplining.

A stupid change in Game 5 led to losing the CBJ series
Dermott's ridiculous Dzone play led to losing Game 6 (and the series) against MTL
Kerfoot's awful drop pass led to a loss in Game 6 (and the series) against TBL
Last night Nylander, Marner and Matthews each cough up the puck at the blueline costing us the game


And it happens all the time. It would have been the reason we lost to TBL last series if not for some good fortune.

Why does it continue? Because it is not properly corrected all season long.

Did I, I duppose I did but let me explain

Why is Nylander throwing a lazy pass allowing the Panthers to close in on him, not to mention he's got nowhere to go other than deeper into the Leafs zone, Matthews is standing still above the goal line and while it's a poor choice where else you going to go. Matthews expended zero energy in trying to corral that puck and watched go to the Panthers. He didn't give chase, Willie was watching in relative safety 20 feet away, Brodie was deep and wondering which of the 3 Ps he was going to take as nobody else seemed interested, other than a feckless wave as Panthers skated by.

It's like they're playing by themselves half the time. This was probably the worst game for Will in 3 years, I guess that hit in the 1st was too much for him. Matthews was better and on a par with Mitch but playing at about 30% effectiveness. It was a shameful way to open a period, they just gave the game away

Frig, I'm so friggin angry at them what a bunch of useless dicks, 12 friggin schmill to play like he could care less, it's not the first time, and it doesn't stop there. I'm serious when I say they need to move him, and Will and throw Brodie in as well they'll never win with guys who only care about the paycheque, but then I guess, they at least care about something!

I thought last night was no less embarrassing then when Boston slapped them around back in 68 10-0 then 7-0 in the Boston Garden. At least Jim Dorey lost his mind and took on a bunch of Bruins and pummeled a few of them.

NO SUCH PRIDE LAST NIGHT

 

[stickty111]

Now that I am more cooled down, I still believe this series is not over.

 

[KnightofBoston]

if Leafs are to lose the series I'd prefer they get absolutely embarrassed and swept

this will hopefully lead to

1) New Competent GM and Coach
2) Players' pride will get hurt and next year they will show up angry instead of "oh we pushed the series to X games"

For me as a Leafs fan I either want a series win or they get completely embarrassed. It will be for the good of the franchise in the long run

P.S. I did not underestimate Panthers at all. They have been playing playoff hockey for more than a month. Thats a team more prepared than other teams, in a manner of speaking

I think 2 will work better than 1, Dubas has gotten his flak but I think he did a good job this year, and Keefe has to be credited with AM growing his game....both losses seemed tight too, where leafs made a lot of good plays too, so i think even IF a sweep happens, you can argue that it's a sweep in a similar way to Lightning in 2019 rather than just some pretender showing their colors.


I expect leafs to be #1 seed next year in Atlantic, and regardless of how this series plays out, it's going to spring board these guys into more and more success.

 

[sunstersun]

Now that I am more cooled down, I still believe this series is not over.

You can't believe in this coaching. It's a joke.

Wow, Nylander is generating a lot of great chances, lets put him with John "Kerfoot" Tavares.

 

[Kiwi]

Now that I am more cooled down, I still believe this series is not over.

We need to get some goaltending because we are creating plenty of opportunities

Stopping the stupid mistakes wouldn't hurt either

 

[therealkoho]

You missed Marner.

But to me it's not unbelievable, it's been going on for ages without correction. By game 90 the players should know what is expected of them with regard to those types of turnovers and general Dzone safety. A really good coach corrects these things throughout the season, by either teaching or disciplining.

A stupid change in Game 5 led to losing the CBJ series
Dermott's ridiculous Dzone play led to losing Game 6 (and the series) against MTL
Kerfoot's awful drop pass led to a loss in Game 6 (and the series) against TBL
Last night Nylander, Marner and Matthews each cough up the puck at the blueline costing us the game


And it happens all the time. It would have been the reason we lost to TBL last series if not for some good fortune.

Why does it continue? Because it is not properly corrected all season long.

Did I, I duppose I did but let me explain

Why is Nylander throwing a lazy pass at him allowing the Panthers to close in, not to mention he's got nowhere to go other than deeper into the Leafs zone, Matthews is standing still above the blueline and while it's a poor choice where else are you going to go. Matthews expended zero energy in trying to corral that puck and watched it go to the Panthers. He didn't give chase, Willie was watching in relative safety 20 feet away along the boards and Brodie was deep and wondering which of the 3 Ps he was going to take as nobody else seemed interested, other than a feckless wave as Panthers skated by.

It's like they're playing by themselves half the time. This was probably the worst game for Will in 3 years, I guess that hit in the 1st was too much for him. Matthews was better and on a par with Mitch but playing at about 30% effectiveness. It was a shameful way to open a period, they just gave the game away

Frig, I'm so friggin angry at them what a bunch of useless dicks, 12 friggin schmill to play like he could care less, it's not the first time, and it doesn't stop there. I'm serious when I say they need to move him, and Will and throw Brodie in as well they'll never win with guys who only care about the paycheque, but then I guess, they at least care about something!

I thought last night was no less embarrassing then when Boston slapped them around back in 68 10-0 then 8-0 in boston. At least Jim Dorey lost his mind and took on a bunch of Bruins and pummeled a few of them.

NO SUCH PRIDE LAST NIGHT

 

[ACC1224]

No but I bet a guy wearing Pajama has no voice anywhere he goes. Even his wife would keep his voice beneath hers.

Makes sense

 

[therealkoho]

Post of the year. Bang on. I would estimate Marner has missed 25 clean hit opportunities in both rounds combined. He has zero interest in finishing a check. Other stars around league routinely finish checks in playoffs. Mathews not much better (but better). The entitlement angle appears obvious, if they cannot come back a resourceful GM could get a windfall in returns for Nylander, and or Mathews and or Marner (not to same team). I would move 2 of them and get "hockey players" in return (maybe target Dubois as a free agent.

Dubois is Mtl bound

 

[ToneDog]

Cut him some slack

He just had a child

3rd one in 5 years.

You can't expect him to produce with newly born infants crying plugging his ears

In fairness to JT, he probably was not expecting to be playing in May,

 

[Mopar]

This loss stings a little more today. Can't believe we are heading to FLA down 2-0.

Absolutely enraged by the Barkov goal and the Marner giveaway. Two mistakes that cost us the game ultimately. A goal that Samsonov can just NOT let it and Marner flipping a pass instead of playing safe, simple hockey and getting the puck out. Brutal.

Bobrovsky is playing very well but I wouldn't say we are getting "goalied". Not getting the puck to the net with traffic in front is making him look a lot better than he should.

If we just limit the mistakes that led to goals we win the game 2-1 or 2-0. Same with Game 1.

We have a combination of things going wrong right now even though we are dominating for stretches.

 

[PROUD PAPA]

Dubois is Mtl bound

I watched Dubois perform in the playoffs. Montreal is a good place for him.

 

[m1ker]

not rocket science.. we win when

nylander is with matthews
orielly tavares and nylander do not work

Not only do we know orielly tavares and nylander dont work but hes putting them out with lilgren and giordano every time?? Literally you can't have a worse calculus

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Lol. Lmao even.

 

[sunstersun]

At this point the series can be laid at the feet of these players.

1) Tavares - what is he good at exactly?

2) Coaching - Keefe ur drunk.

3) Marner - what is he good at exactly in the playoffs?

4) GM for the lack of good defenceman. Gio and Holl are not NHL players in these playoffs. Sandin trade bleh.

5) Sammy. I don't give him as much crap because I think he was essential in keeping the leafs alive in some horrendous stretches in the tampa series.

After that, Matthews and Nylander need to convert their chances into points, but Marner and Tavares aren't generating any chances.

 

[Torontonian]

Now that I am more cooled down, I still believe this series is not over.

I said earlier, being down 2-0 is not ideal, but it's not a daunting task to come back from, it's not like we are playing Tampa/Hurricanes/Boston.

Team just needs to reset and get back to the basics.. Limit mistakes off forecheck, get eyes in front of Bob and play for screens and tip ins.

Toronto will get their chances against FLA every game, its about limiting the mistakes we make.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

This is more meant to be a criticism of the league than a defense of the Leafs who still deserved to lose, but the way these games are called is awful. Florida's plan is clearly to play as dirty as possible right from the start, knowing that the refs will only call the first few penalties and then let them do whatever they want. We had to watch a 20 year old leave the game with a brain injury on a total non hockey play that wasn't even called a penalty. It's totally ridiculous that player safety is ignored in favour of managing the score

 

[Stephen]

This is a recording.
With this Team the more things change, the more they stay the same.

The most embarrassing response is when the players pull the plausible deniability card like “I didn’t see it” in the press conference post game. Like you didn’t sit in a room with an injured rookie and your whole team didn’t get angry? You didn’t ask him what was wrong? You didn’t vow vengeance in the room and play for the kid?

The typical response is going to be “we stick up for each other in this room.” You don’t have to have a WWF war of words. But just a message that this won’t be taken lightly. And back it up.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Ok this “anti-Leafs” joke is one I can laugh at.

 

[Shooter2x]

88 with the giveaway on 2nd goal. 16 and 34 with the careless play on the winning goal.

Atleast Nylander's giveaway required effort by Florida to track him down. Nylander had support behind him as well which is the only reason he risked it. Softy by the goalie when it's all said and done.

Bunting-matthews-marner was just a pure stupid freebie to Florida.

*Nylander's was stupid too

 

[seventieslord]

Lol. Lmao even.

That's hilarious. In four seasons there's not even a zero and one somewhere that you can pair together to make a better two-game stretch than the one he just had.