GDT: The BwO Presents: Leafs vs Panthers - The Game Before Game 7 - 8pm EDT SN

[HockeyVirus]

haha, if they somehow pull off a miracle against the Panthers and advance - under which scenarios would you run it back next year with a re-signed Marner on $13.5M X 8, Tavares, Knies, and no chance at McDavid in 2026?

A) Leafs lose in 4-5 to Carolina
B) Leafs lose in 6-7 to Carolina, with hard fought games and 1 stinker
C) Leafs make it to the SCF
D) Leafs actually win the Cup

If the Leafs make the cup finals, I am fine bringing them back. Making the finals is as significant an event for this franchise as winning, we haven't done either since 1967.

Seriously long time fans just think of all those great teams.. 1993/1994, 2002, etc. None of them with those Leaf greats could even get to the finals. It is a massive accomplishment.

But they need to pull their head out of their ass, win this series, and win the next and then at least be competitive in the final to run it back.

To many ifs for me.

Last year, when they were down 3-1 to Boston, they won game 5 on the road to avoid elimination after everybody said they are done. These guys have it sometimes.

Oh I am aware. This team is amazing at forcing game 7's, generational at losing them. I am not going to be shocked at all if the Leafs win tonight because that is what they do.

I need to see them win this series for them to get me to buy back in.

 

[Nineteen67]

There is not much Berube can do but change up da lines and go with 1 line who is producing effort .. Knies Domi and Willy .. play them every 2nd shift early and press for a goal or two .. Berube we MUST do everything possible to score a couple early goals .. those 3 are da only 3 this series with EFFORT oozign out everywhere on ice .. then play Scott Laughton line every 3rd shift and tilt ice in our direction .. everyone else play on a performance basis in game 6 .. don't be afraid to bench Matty and Mitch if required .. they aren't gonna do anything anyways .. and they are both likely finished here this summer .. do what is in TEAMS best interest .. play da guys who want to play to win .. at some point likely in 2nd period you are gonna need to switch to a 100 ICING program to kill clock .. adopt a program where winger closest to bench comes off quickly before puck reaches centre ice and get JT on for draws .. tell him his sole focus is on winning draw and then let Tanev decide how we progress out of our end .. then JT comes off fast and rinse and repeat as required

Going with standard setup will only result in a loss .. Cats are a much faster and grittier team and if they play their game we have ZERO chance .. Matty and Mitch are not fast enough to beat Cats anywhere on da ice .. only chance for them is Cats D faceoff and then if Matty loses draw get them off ice ASAP

I would move Knies and load up the top line with him,Willy, and JT in hopes they can score. I would trust Willy playing LW and let Knies and JT get all the pucks down low.

 

[LeafGrief]

I doomed my little heart out after game 5 against the Sens. I've been dooming my little heart out this week.

The Leafiest thing will be to win this game solidly. Matthews might even bag one. Then we all know how Game 7 goes.

But honestly, I think they see the writing is on the wall and it's written in their blood. They've played THREE complete shit-their-pants-collapse games already this playoffs, which is a new low even for them. Who, aside from the usual suspects, really believes that they could have truly gotten all the suck out of their systems and will turn it around, much less that they can win 10 more games?

I don't believe. Not one whit. Go Leafs Go, because win or lose, futility of it all be damned, I will bleed blue until the day I die.

 

[DarkKnight]

Come on guys, it’s on brand we come out hard tonight and force a Game 7. If we just lose tonight that’s too easy, it’s expected and we will just sigh and move on. BUT, if they win, we can extract one more game of maximum pain Sunday. It has to be the Leafiest, it is written.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

I would move Knies and load up the top line with him,Willy, and JT in hopes they can score. I would trust Willy playing LW and let Knies and JT get all the pucks down low.

Yeah that was my 2nd choice .. da issue in game 5 was JT was behind play by 2 lines both going forward and coming back to defend .. so he will be da drag on da line .. but it may work on offensive zone draws where JT can cycle puck with Knies for Willy setup

 

[Nineteen67]

If the panthers are finally the team to break up this core we owe them one quite frankly

I’ve had the mindset all along that this series is a win-win for Leafs fans.

 

[Leafs98]

Florida are the champs and the better team. They win big games. Objectively thinking, there is no reason they dont come out and play a good game and take care of business. I imagine the Leafs will play hard though. 4-2 (empty netter) Cats is my prediction.

 

[Nineteen67]

Yeah that was my 2nd choice .. da issue in game 5 was JT was behind play by 2 lines both going forward and coming back to defend .. so he will be da drag on da line .. but it may work on offensive zone draws where JT can cycle puck with Knies for Willy setup

He is a gamer and I could see him banging one in.

 

[antipathy]

the first 5mins of this game will dictate the results.

 

[IPS]

Absolutely zero expectations at all.

This team has made it so very obvious with their body language when they've quit and we've seen precisely that the last 2 games.

 

[Suntouchable13]

I don't understand Berube. Why not try different combos during the regular season? Marner with Matthews never won us anything. Why did he stick with it all season? Just brain dead. You have to spread out the offence against a team like Florida.

 

[ToneDog]

Kyper says Tanev has is all but done with all the punishment he has taken. So if he is good for 2 rounds, we need to bring a dman that can take some of the punishment from him. Thinking Ekblad might be that guy.

We'd have to dump Rielly to make it work.

 

[QJo]

2-0
0-3
2-0
Is a wild way to go through a series. The wildest. No more rollercoaster scenario than that. From confident as can be to deflated as can be to excited as can be. Can they take us there?

 

[notbias]

Kyper says Tanev has is all but done with all the punishment he has taken. So if he is good for 2 rounds, we need to bring a dman that can take some of the punishment from him. Thinking Ekblad might be that guy.

We'd have to dump Rielly to make it work.

Or dump the guy who can't handle playoff hockey?

But I doubt that is the case, Kyper may be right, but just have my doubts... but it'd be weird to keep a 35 year old who has to tap out after 2 rounds...

 

[ToneDog]

I don't understand Berube. Why not try different combos during the regular season? Marner with Matthews never won us anything. Why did he stick with it all season? Just brain dead.

He's pretty much been neutered by MLSEL IMO. Allowing two losers to dictate that they want to play together needs to stop. Another reason to punt Marner out of Toronto.

 

[notbias]

I don't understand Berube. Why not try different combos during the regular season? Marner with Matthews never won us anything. Why did he stick with it all season? Just brain dead. You have to spread out the offence against a team like Florida.

They have been together and apart for the same number of series... they have won two series together, zero apart.

Not saying they shouldn't try anything else, just saying they've done better so far together.

 

[TMLeafer]

Bring the intensity! Bring the passion! Maybe bring some goals too actually. I'm not ready for the Leafs season to end. Go Leafs Go!

 

[Malachi Crunch]

For Maurice.

And for Bennett.

 

[Fogelhund]

Part of me wants to skip watching tonight, but then it could be a historic night, the last we see this group together… so I will watch.

The sad part being, we will likely never see a collection of such talented players on this team again. We’ve seen some incredible hockey at times, but pure natural talent doesn’t win you cups.

It’s even feasible that this team has peaked, and will be on the downturn now…

 

[Torontonian]

Win the first period and go from there. First period & first goal is going to be massive. If Toronto can't push back and they just allow FLA to come wave after wave, they will be in tough.

Let's see the response from both 16 & 34. They have been ripped to shreds the past two days, do they perform, or do they sulk and give another uninspired effort... I expect 34 to be way better, 16.. Not so much.

 

[Nineteen67]

I don't understand Berube. Why not try different combos during the regular season? Marner with Matthews never won us anything. Why did he stick with it all season? Just brain dead. You have to spread out the offence against a team like Florida.

I think he was trying to teach them how to play, but, despite being warned, there’s no way he could fathom they were this scared until he saw it for himself. The bed is made so they all have to lay in it.

 

[Ciao]

I stayed up past 3 a.m. to catch Game 5 from Greece.

The heck with them tonight. I dont expect much of anything from the Buds, and will sleep tight tonight.

They aren't worth losing any more sleep.

 

[Mess]

The core players have posted a 2-13 record in close-out games since 2018, and even dropped 2 games during their first round matchup against Ottawa after staking themselves a 3-0 lead. They closed things out in Game 6, but it was primarily off the back of William Nylander, and they will need some more of that magic on Friday.

William Nylander, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares are a combined minus-8 and have all been held without a point over the last 2 games. The Maple Leafs were also a minute away from being shut out for the second straight game before a late tally by Nicholas Robertson.

The Leafs are going to need all hands on deck for Game 6 and it starts and ends with the core members.​

 

[All Mod Cons]

I can't imagine Matthews and Marner want to string this out until game 7. Pretty sure they'll mail it in again tonight and just be done with it. Easier to end in Florida than it is game 7 in Toronto.

 

[DarkKnight]

I stayed up past 3 a.m. to catch Game 5 from Greece.

The heck with them tonight. I dont expect much of anything from the Buds, and will sleep tight tonight.

They aren't worth losing any more sleep.

I got up every night the first round in Italy to watch, I’d sleep like a baby tonight lol