chemistry, a sense of belonging, guys liking each other, willing to go to battle for your teammates. Those are big factors in winning, it’s why organizations look for specific players that can fit a locker room. You can acquire all the talented pieces you want but if the locker room is toxic or the players don’t vibe you will never win as well. So you need a mix of both elements, you can’t just build a team without considering the power of having a team that loves each other like brothers and is willing to go to war every night for each other, and you can’t fill the locker room with good guys who can’t play or have no skill.
Toronto has scored 11PPGs since Marner injury
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chemistry, a sense of belonging, guys liking each other, willing to go to battle for your teammates. Those are big factors in winning, it’s why organizations look for specific players that can fit a locker room. You can acquire all the talented pieces you want but if the locker room is toxic or the players don’t vibe you will never win as well. So you need a mix of both elements, you can’t just build a team without considering the power of having a team that loves each other like brothers and is willing to go to war every night for each other, and you can’t fill the locker room with good guys who can’t play or have no skill.
Aashir
Backcheck, Forecheck, Paycheque
- Apr 19, 2019
- 13,890
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I’d still give Marner and the top pp a couple of games, but if by game 35 he doesn’t start getting points or a singular PP goal, I’d suggest having the players create a couple of plays without him or changing his position on the PP. I’d tell the players to stop auto deferring to him today because players like Nylander and Tavares always give the puck back to him instead of trying plays like they did when he was out
ACC1224
Super Elite, Passing ALL Tests since 2002
- Aug 19, 2002
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ShaneFalco
Registered User
Have you seen this team willing to go to battle? Standing up for each other prior to bringing in tougher guys (ie this year). Battling to the end? Nope quite the opposite
Canadian Finn
Oskee Wee Wee
Michael HOMERUNing
Registered User
- Feb 24, 2019
- 2,497
- 2,374
This team is spoiled. The star players are already filthy rich. They have nothing to give the extra 10 percent for. In a couple years when they are about to hit free agency expect the effort level to rise.
Gary Nylund
Registered User
- Oct 10, 2013
- 31,704
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I wish I could say this isn't on point but our last 13 periods of game 7's (game 5 against CLB) have seen us outscored 15-2. These were 4 winnable playoff series, every last one of them. In the first one we were leading after two periods, then got crushed 4-0 in the 3rd period and then we were never in the next 3 where we were outscored 11-2. I've heard all the excuses - Kadri suspended, Tavares injured, goalie letting in softies, opposing goalie playing great, Kadri suspended again, Muzzin injured but 15-2, there's just enough lipstick in the world to hide the fact that when a playoff series comes down to one deciding game, our team has been the worlds ugliest pig.
This is the most talented Leaf team I have seen in over 50 years. We're 3rd overall in the standings, have great goaltending, play solid team defence, have enough tough guys to ensure that nobody should ever be playing scared, we can score goals with the best of them and there isn't one weak spot that needs fixing but the fact remains that we have 4 consecutive season ending collapses on our resume. To me that doesn't say we battle to the end, it says that we battle almost until to the end but when the end is in sight and there is just that final hump to get over, we stop battling and that's it, we just stop.
Maybe this spring will be different, nobody knows. I sure hope so because with each year the losses against increasingly inferior opponents are getting harder to take. Life is short, hockey careers are shorter, you only get so many kicks at the can and every wasted opportunity is a crying shame. This group has a chance to go far this spring, let's hope that they don't waste it. No more excuses!
Griffin76
Registered User
Rielly to Marner, back to Rielly, over to a covered (because 1 guy can easily cover both Rielly and Marner) Matthews and back again. Over and over. Nylander and Tavares touch the puck only when they retrieve a blocked shot off Matthews' stick.
Wasn't like this at all before Marner came back. Not crapping on Marner. I've said it before there's just not enough puck to go around. The puck needs to be on Matthews' stick and Nylander's stick more often. They need to drive the PP. They can't be passengers on the Marner bus to an unsuccessful PP. And poor Tavares doesn't get any touches too many times.
Wasn't like this at all before Marner came back. Not crapping on Marner. I've said it before there's just not enough puck to go around. The puck needs to be on Matthews' stick and Nylander's stick more often. They need to drive the PP. They can't be passengers on the Marner bus to an unsuccessful PP. And poor Tavares doesn't get any touches too many times.
It's really tough to say we weren't in those last elimination games IMO. Not the result or style I wanted in any of them, but winnable games that were competitive until at least the third IMO. We died against MTL with the 2-0 goal then some missed chances. The two softies by Fred vs CLB/Bos to put us down 2 in the third were the end of those games.
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Gary Nylund
Registered User
- Oct 10, 2013
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That's the way it's looked to me. When your entire season comes down to one game, I'd expect any team to come out flying, looking like they've come to play their hearts out and leave it all out there on the ice but that's not the way this team has played, not even close. I have no explanation for it but I hate losing, I especially hate the wimpy way we've been losing these last few years and I just hope and pray that this nightmare ends this spring.
Both teams have looked timid and reluctant to take chances in those elimination games. I wish we dominated, but that's unrealistic for an elimination game in relatively even matched series with defensive minded teams. We didn't finish well enough and had a few softies that broke our back in competitive games, but these weren't games the team was dominated in.
Gary Nylund
Registered User
- Oct 10, 2013
- 31,704
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Outscored 11-2 in the last 3 series deciding games. I guess our idea of what dominated means is um ... different.
I'd say this lacks context and understanding of what actually happened in game, but you know that.
Pleasure as always
PP1 looked very un-dangerous once again. A couple nice shots but nothing special. I would really go back to the Marner injury setup and throw Marner on PP2. I would bet actual money that he scores on PP2 in his first game... but no worries, it'll never happen.
Seras
Dubas supporter
4 game win streak, battled hard all night, near top of the standings.
Thanks for your continued dedication to finding flaws with this team no matter what the standings say or how they play on the ice.
Thanks for your continued dedication to finding flaws with this team no matter what the standings say or how they play on the ice.
Soup got two PP goals this season.
Maybe it is the setup or just maybe Marner to be move to PP2 and see if PP1 struggles.
Luckily, PP2 is scoring and we are winning games.
Maybe it is the setup or just maybe Marner to be move to PP2 and see if PP1 struggles.
Luckily, PP2 is scoring and we are winning games.
ACC1224
Super Elite, Passing ALL Tests since 2002
- Aug 19, 2002
- 78,338
- 45,573
Hasn’t PP2 scored two games in a row? Why would they want to change that up?
Then Leafs will creat PP3Hasn’t PP2 scored two games in a row? Why would they want to change that up?
HamiltonNHL
Resigning Marner == Running it back
- Jan 4, 2012
- 22,710
- 13,885
This is obvious:
(1) Shooters are the key to Power plays. Nylander, Tavares, Matthews.
(2) Marner sucks on power plays. He can't shoot. He needs to be on PP2. It's stupid obvious. He can setup Ilya on PP2 !
(1) Shooters are the key to Power plays. Nylander, Tavares, Matthews.
(2) Marner sucks on power plays. He can't shoot. He needs to be on PP2. It's stupid obvious. He can setup Ilya on PP2 !
The last PP looked like it did while Marner was injured. Very quick puck movement resulting in quality scoring chances from Matthews and Reilly.
It can be dangerous with Marner on the PP1 but not every setup or play has to be run through him.
With Matthews and Nylander on the wings both being able to onetime or snipe, they just have to move the puck quickly to allow one of them to be open
saffronleaf
Registered User
Gary Nylund
Registered User
- Oct 10, 2013
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Lacks context? Sure thing dude.
Even Zeke, the biggest optimist fanboy in this place said after the MTL game that it was the worst loss in franchise history, that should tell you something right there. He was so upset, that when he was finally up to posting again after taking a few days break he called our star players "choking dogs". I saw the games and understand what happened just fine. If you think 11-2 offers a distorted picture of what happened and you're happy with the way we played then that's fine, but I think you know better. Or maybe you really don't know better, it's possible I guess but it does seem unlikely.
Maybe this year will be different, we'll see but pretending we didn't play terrible in those crucial games doesn't help. Or maybe it helps you feel better to pretend? If that's the case then go ahead but I suggest you do so quietly in private, trying to convince others that we weren't terrible in those games doesn't make you look sharp.
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