I have a bunch of notes I take - not just on hockey but on everything - and I often go through them when I have time and cobble together posts.
This is one of them, as was my
post in this thread yesterday.
...
By my count the Leafs have only had a few 'bad games' against Montreal and Winnipeg.
I do not consider regulation wins a bad game under any circumstances. Good teams pull the ROW even when they're outplayed.
Not to say they didn't have stretches in games where they
looked bad - as in the 1st period of Saturday's game - but bad effort, bad results, bad play. We don't always enjoy it, but the team has shown the ability to take half the game off and then turn it on for 2-3 goals and take the W.
That shit may fly against Winnipeg, Edmonton and Montreal in the regular season, but I guarantee it won't against Tampa, Colorado or Pittsburgh.
The opener vs Montreal was sloppy but for both teams, the 4-2 loss about a month ago where they lost the game in the first was a bad game. The 2-1 loss earlier in the season was Montreal playing them perfectly and not so much the Leafs being bad.
Against Winnipeg, both 5-2 losses were ugly, and the game where we needed Matthews to take Hellebuyck's soul in OT was also bad.
Against Vancouver, three of their four losses were bad - two with a lead going into the 3rd, one with a horrible performance by Rittich - the OTL they played well, then Ho Borvat scores two goals on Jack from the exact same place.
They lost four in a row to Vancouver. They didn't lose twice in a row against anyone else and won't.
Ottawa, 3 losses all bad games; their first game when Stutziluh scored his 1st, the comeback and the last one down three going into the 3rd. Bad, bad and bad.
The 6-5 Matthews hat trick game was a lot of fun, the type of game you'd show a new fan, and they led going into the 3rd.
Even the Flames, Dave went nuclear and we only got lucky because Willy flicked the switch.
I don't think they've played a bad game against the Oilers, the final OT loss of the series Hutch was in and the D wasn't good. They won four in a row against Edmonton.
In spite of the bad games and the lulls, a few slides, the Leafs have brutalized just about everybody at least once:
They worked Edmonton hard three in a row with McDavid kept in his McPlace.
They slaughtered Vancouver in the first three, outscoring them 15-6 in and again in the last two where 'We had Covid it's not fair!'
Winnipeg thinks we're goons after the more recent wins.
Even the almighty Ottawa got punted 7-3.
Montreal, late in the season and
not as anticipated the team to beat in Canada, has been in a panic over the last three games.
Overall they've been very consistent and shown the ability to put bad games behind them. Every team has bad games, Tampa got mauled by Detroit last month and the Sharks smoked the Avs in March.
The last two games against the Jets the Leafs are 2-0-0 and have outscored them 9-4.
Montreal final series 2-0-1, 11-5.
They won the North and were in 1st place for something like 115 days. In an 82 game season that's like a team being at the top of their division since before Christmas.
They didn't take the division by fluke or in a technicality.
Montreal, Winnipeg, whoever it is - they're gonna hit us, and be on Matthews like flies on shit, and they're gonna hit Rielly and Muzzin on the forecheck - Montreal has shown a good forecheck game at times.
Both teams have a lot of tape against us, yoy think the PP got shut down because of a systemic flaw? The guys on the PP are still shooting the lights out five on five, it's because they picked it apart on tape.
But, if we're healthy, and we get the goaltending we've gotten - even if Jack plays 90% as good as he has really, I still have both series going for a maximum of six games, with sweeping not off the table.
I hope we can come out of either series with no injuries.
