Hunter368
RIP lomiller1, see you in the next life buddy.
- Nov 8, 2011
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Congratulations Leafs fans, Sens fans be proud you had a good series and future looks good
Post-Series Talk: Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the Ottawa Senators, 4-2
- Thread starter Leonardo87
- Start date
MCR74
Registered User
- Nov 11, 2022
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Peasy
Registered User
And half the fanbase probably wants Marner gone anyways
I said the Leafs needed to win games at home, and to win the special teams battle to win this series and they were able to do both. Ottawa looked really rough early on in the series but got more comfortable each game. Wish I saw more killer instinct from the Leafs in games 4 and 5. They really need to get their shit together if they want to go toe to toe with Florida.
MCR74
Registered User
- Nov 11, 2022
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Exactly. It's like referring to Alfredsson as Alfie the Clown. Who cares?
wintersej
Registered User
I mean you can’t blame us after Lily and Sandin and the other flavors of the week.
But, out of all the Leafs, dollar for dollar, he is the one I would want to steal to my team. Even with whatever his new deal will be.
NyQuil
Big F$&*in Q
Leafs end up with a deserved 4-2 win in the series, congratulations to them and their fans.
I think the three keys to victory for the Leafs were:
1. Shot suppression
It's easy to say that it was a low event series but this was by design. Berube had a plan and stuck to it no matter what happened on the ice.
As a result, the Senators dropped from around 29.3 shots per game (regular season) to 24 shots per game, which is a not insignificant 17% drop.
At the same time, shots against for the Senators dropped from 28.6 shots per game (regular season) to 25.2 shots per game, which is a less significant 10% drop.
Some of that obviously is from playing a quality opponent exclusively, but from just watching the games, the Leafs did an extremely good job in fending off incoming rushes, patiently outwaiting the cycle, and clearing out rebounds.
It's easy to say "Ottawa should have put more pucks on net", but as that became more and more difficult, Ottawa players were frustrated into over-passing or over-handling on occasion, which played into Toronto's hands.
Even the shots they did get, few of them were from open looks or odd-man rushes.
Toronto's defensive corps was large and committed enough to keep the area around the net relatively clear, and the forwards (even offensive guys like Marner and Nylander) would outwait the opposing forwards on the cycle as opposed to gambling for a quick poke check or trying to do too much defensively. It was impressive.
2. Resiliency
The chess match that resulted was one that I think the Leafs are mature enough to handle.
In Game 6, the Senators once again clawed their way back into the game, but the Leafs responded as they typically did in this series, which is to lay on the pressure and not fold themselves.
"Here we go again" was a common refrain over the past few games, but it didn't necessarily show in the play on the ice. They just kept going about their business.
This is a bit of a narrative-driven quality (they didn't lose so therefore they were resilient) but it's something I think that you could see on the ice. They didn't get down on themselves, they didn't get frustrated.
Stolarz let in a few soft goals but a good portion of that is the lack of consistent work in this kind of series, so I imagine it's tough to keep your focus. Berube stuck with his guy and ultimately he was also resilient in that the goals he did give up didn't cause him to melt down.
3. Special Teams
Even in final game, it was Toronto with the PP goal and Ottawa with nothing to show for it from their two PPs.
This was pretty much the story throughout the series, whoever wins the special teams battle wins the game, which is not surprising in such a low-event match-up at 5 on 5.
Standouts:
I had said earlier in the season that Matthew Knies was a sublime addition to the team, because he's exactly what they didn't have in previous playoff runs. A big guy who goes to the net with speed, pressures puck carriers and makes life miserable. I think he seemed to be excellent in every game of the series.
I was also impressed with the Leafs defensive corps in general. They had a lot of work to do, but they kept at it, shift after shift, boxing out, working hard along the boards, clearing the net. It's unspectacular yeoman work that may not get noticed in the highlights, but it had a huge impact on the series.
The Core 4 weren't spectacular in every game, but it wasn't that kind of series, and clearly they did enough in the end to push their team over the top.
More impressive than any individual performance was the commitment by all Leafs to the system that Berube implemented. Whether it's a more physical guy, or a slick skilled player, they all contributed to a defense-first mentality that never changed from the drop of the puck in Game 1 to the end in Game 6. It wasn't perfect, but it was very close to perfect.
On Ottawa's side of the ledger, the big standouts on D were Jake Sanderson whose versatility and speed meant that he could log endless minutes getting pucks out of trouble, chasing down forwards and buying time and space for the team in the offensive zone; and Tyler Kleven, who played at a much higher level than he did in the regular season. A bottom-pairing guy with size and a little bit of a mean streak, he played with a lot of calmness and was a surprisingly reliable puck carrier in terms of avoiding forecheckers and clearing the zone with possession.
Up front, Perron had a big impact as a veteran, and Brady came up in big moments when required, despite his injury. I think Stutzle showed his wheels and his elite puck possession skills, and he was physical (a lot of people don't know this), but I think he showed his nerves at times during key moments of the games when it came to delivering around the opposing net.
The Pinto-Greig-Amadio line ultimately did not win their match-up with Toronto's elite players, but that was always going to be a pretty tall order for a couple of playoff newbies and a journeyman. Toronto's advantage in the faceoff circles hearkens back to the days where Ottawa coach Travis Green owned the Senators in the early 2000s, and it can make a big difference in the momentum in the game. Giroux was disappointing in that regard.
There was some talk (including on TSN) that this BoO was disappointing or underwhelming because of the lack of fireworks, but the officiating I think played a pretty big role in that. They were quick to penalize any kind of infraction and the linesmen jumped in quickly for any altercations.
Also, only one of the games really got out of hand score-wise (the first, where Toronto's PP goals created a cushion), and aside from a couple of Greig's antics, it was pretty muted. It seemed like no player wanted to get benched by their coach for ignoring the score in favour of shenanigans.
As someone who attended two of the games in person, (4 and 6), the atmosphere was energetic, exhilarating and positively-driven, which is sort of a nice change. I'm old enough to attend games from the previous match-ups, and it was a very negatively-charged atmosphere. I'm sure individual incidents may have broken out, but there was none of the general mean-spiritedness that characterized some of the battles in the 90s and 2000s. I think that it's an improvement - no one should feel unsafe attending a hockey game, no matter what the rivalry.
Ultimately, it was a close series in terms of the scores, but I don't think it was particularly close in terms of general playoff readiness and execution. Ottawa was learning as they went, while Toronto just motored along with their eyes on the big prize.
To wit, Sanderson, Tkachuk, Chabot, Batherson, Gaudette, Stutzle, Pinto, Cozens, Greig all scored their first playoff goals in their careers.
The division is tight, and it's not even automatic that the Sens qualify again for the post-season next year. But if they do, hopefully they've learned enough lessons to achieve a different outcome.
As for the Leafs, facing a little bit of adversity early and staring it down might even prepare them better for the Panthers than the easy 4 game sweep. I guess we'll find out.
To those Leaf fans with whom I enjoyed some good discussions over the past couple of weeks, congratulations and good luck!
I think the three keys to victory for the Leafs were:
1. Shot suppression
It's easy to say that it was a low event series but this was by design. Berube had a plan and stuck to it no matter what happened on the ice.
As a result, the Senators dropped from around 29.3 shots per game (regular season) to 24 shots per game, which is a not insignificant 17% drop.
At the same time, shots against for the Senators dropped from 28.6 shots per game (regular season) to 25.2 shots per game, which is a less significant 10% drop.
Some of that obviously is from playing a quality opponent exclusively, but from just watching the games, the Leafs did an extremely good job in fending off incoming rushes, patiently outwaiting the cycle, and clearing out rebounds.
It's easy to say "Ottawa should have put more pucks on net", but as that became more and more difficult, Ottawa players were frustrated into over-passing or over-handling on occasion, which played into Toronto's hands.
Even the shots they did get, few of them were from open looks or odd-man rushes.
Toronto's defensive corps was large and committed enough to keep the area around the net relatively clear, and the forwards (even offensive guys like Marner and Nylander) would outwait the opposing forwards on the cycle as opposed to gambling for a quick poke check or trying to do too much defensively. It was impressive.
2. Resiliency
The chess match that resulted was one that I think the Leafs are mature enough to handle.
In Game 6, the Senators once again clawed their way back into the game, but the Leafs responded as they typically did in this series, which is to lay on the pressure and not fold themselves.
"Here we go again" was a common refrain over the past few games, but it didn't necessarily show in the play on the ice. They just kept going about their business.
This is a bit of a narrative-driven quality (they didn't lose so therefore they were resilient) but it's something I think that you could see on the ice. They didn't get down on themselves, they didn't get frustrated.
Stolarz let in a few soft goals but a good portion of that is the lack of consistent work in this kind of series, so I imagine it's tough to keep your focus. Berube stuck with his guy and ultimately he was also resilient in that the goals he did give up didn't cause him to melt down.
3. Special Teams
Even in final game, it was Toronto with the PP goal and Ottawa with nothing to show for it from their two PPs.
This was pretty much the story throughout the series, whoever wins the special teams battle wins the game, which is not surprising in such a low-event match-up at 5 on 5.
Standouts:
I had said earlier in the season that Matthew Knies was a sublime addition to the team, because he's exactly what they didn't have in previous playoff runs. A big guy who goes to the net with speed, pressures puck carriers and makes life miserable. I think he seemed to be excellent in every game of the series.
I was also impressed with the Leafs defensive corps in general. They had a lot of work to do, but they kept at it, shift after shift, boxing out, working hard along the boards, clearing the net. It's unspectacular yeoman work that may not get noticed in the highlights, but it had a huge impact on the series.
The Core 4 weren't spectacular in every game, but it wasn't that kind of series, and clearly they did enough in the end to push their team over the top.
More impressive than any individual performance was the commitment by all Leafs to the system that Berube implemented. Whether it's a more physical guy, or a slick skilled player, they all contributed to a defense-first mentality that never changed from the drop of the puck in Game 1 to the end in Game 6. It wasn't perfect, but it was very close to perfect.
On Ottawa's side of the ledger, the big standouts on D were Jake Sanderson whose versatility and speed meant that he could log endless minutes getting pucks out of trouble, chasing down forwards and buying time and space for the team in the offensive zone; and Tyler Kleven, who played at a much higher level than he did in the regular season. A bottom-pairing guy with size and a little bit of a mean streak, he played with a lot of calmness and was a surprisingly reliable puck carrier in terms of avoiding forecheckers and clearing the zone with possession.
Up front, Perron had a big impact as a veteran, and Brady came up in big moments when required, despite his injury. I think Stutzle showed his wheels and his elite puck possession skills, and he was physical (a lot of people don't know this), but I think he showed his nerves at times during key moments of the games when it came to delivering around the opposing net.
The Pinto-Greig-Amadio line ultimately did not win their match-up with Toronto's elite players, but that was always going to be a pretty tall order for a couple of playoff newbies and a journeyman. Toronto's advantage in the faceoff circles hearkens back to the days where Ottawa coach Travis Green owned the Senators in the early 2000s, and it can make a big difference in the momentum in the game. Giroux was disappointing in that regard.
There was some talk (including on TSN) that this BoO was disappointing or underwhelming because of the lack of fireworks, but the officiating I think played a pretty big role in that. They were quick to penalize any kind of infraction and the linesmen jumped in quickly for any altercations.
Also, only one of the games really got out of hand score-wise (the first, where Toronto's PP goals created a cushion), and aside from a couple of Greig's antics, it was pretty muted. It seemed like no player wanted to get benched by their coach for ignoring the score in favour of shenanigans.
As someone who attended two of the games in person, (4 and 6), the atmosphere was energetic, exhilarating and positively-driven, which is sort of a nice change. I'm old enough to attend games from the previous match-ups, and it was a very negatively-charged atmosphere. I'm sure individual incidents may have broken out, but there was none of the general mean-spiritedness that characterized some of the battles in the 90s and 2000s. I think that it's an improvement - no one should feel unsafe attending a hockey game, no matter what the rivalry.
Ultimately, it was a close series in terms of the scores, but I don't think it was particularly close in terms of general playoff readiness and execution. Ottawa was learning as they went, while Toronto just motored along with their eyes on the big prize.
To wit, Sanderson, Tkachuk, Chabot, Batherson, Gaudette, Stutzle, Pinto, Cozens, Greig all scored their first playoff goals in their careers.
The division is tight, and it's not even automatic that the Sens qualify again for the post-season next year. But if they do, hopefully they've learned enough lessons to achieve a different outcome.
As for the Leafs, facing a little bit of adversity early and staring it down might even prepare them better for the Panthers than the easy 4 game sweep. I guess we'll find out.
To those Leaf fans with whom I enjoyed some good discussions over the past couple of weeks, congratulations and good luck!
Last edited:
NyQuil
Big F$&*in Q
Good series, Ottawa. Solid young, promising team over there.
Rob Brown
Way She Goes
- Dec 17, 2009
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NyQuil
Big F$&*in Q
banks
Bye Marner. Don't come back.
- Aug 29, 2019
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Ottawa fans, you have a great team. I have no doubt there will be more Battle of Ontario series' in the near future, and I look forward to them.
Glad the Leafs could close this out. It really feels like they have the ability to go deep this year.
Glad the Leafs could close this out. It really feels like they have the ability to go deep this year.
Rob Brown
Way She Goes
- Dec 17, 2009
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I tagged someone else in my post, which means it's clearly directed at him based on something he said earlier in the series.
The Shadow
Registered User
- Feb 9, 2013
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NyQuil
Big F$&*in Q
Peasy
Registered User
The amount of shit I took in his prospect thread for simply stating I think he will be a beast power forward that can score 30-30... Some people just refuse to say anything slightly positive related to the leafs. "Othmann is way better", "his stats didnt even improve the next season how is he gunna score like that in the NHL!!!" etc etc. Like quit stat watchin and actually watch the dude and its clear as day his play style would translate greatly to the NHL.
Sens With Benefits
Registered User
Appreciate all the classy Leafs fans praising the team and not just trolling. It’s okay to admit the series was tight and close.
Toronto was the better team and they deserved to win. It’s that’s simple. But to shrug Ottawa off like they are nothing is ignorant.
Toronto was the better team and they deserved to win. It’s that’s simple. But to shrug Ottawa off like they are nothing is ignorant.
TheBeastCoast
Registered User
I had a lot of fun shit talking during the series but it was definitely a tight series through out. 4-0 would have been probably an unfair representation of the play...4-2 makes sense. I think the Sens have a lot of pieces in place now. The defense is really good. I think you need to find more goal scoring. Doesn't seem like there is a prospect coming to fill that void so some work in free agency to be done I would assume.
Sens With Benefits
Registered User
And that’s the fun of it, shit talking is part of the rivalry. I did my fair part too. But now that the series is over we can show some respect. 4-2 is definitely a fair representation of the series.
Defense is solid, maybe an upgrade on Jensen would be ideal, however he’s been hurt for the last few months. You are also right, we need another big time scorer. Our prospect pool is thin and you can thank Dorion for that. Trading two firsts for Debrincat and Chychurn was terrible asset management.
- Mar 21, 2013
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KniesMadeBradyCry
Registered User
NyQuil
Big F$&*in Q
I can see how it's definitely foreign for a Leaf fan to hear the crowd at a home game.
Playing a series in the playoffs really gives you insight into the other team. Playing a couple times in the season doesn’t really do it.
For me, I came away most impressed with Jake Sanderson. I knew he was good, but he looks like he will be a top two 2-way dman in this league for a long time.
For me, I came away most impressed with Jake Sanderson. I knew he was good, but he looks like he will be a top two 2-way dman in this league for a long time.
I want to echo some of my fellow Leaf fans in my newfound high regard for Sanderson. He played like a veteran and looked like he had great high hockey IQ beyond his years. Great player.
Fun tight series. Same with the Habs in the Caps series I thought both these newbie playoff teams showed well. Atlantic will be a fire show next year.
GLG
Fun tight series. Same with the Habs in the Caps series I thought both these newbie playoff teams showed well. Atlantic will be a fire show next year.
GLG
winnipegger
Registered User
- Dec 17, 2013
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This iteration of the leafs plays *completely* differently than past iterations. Berube has them playing consistent low event hockey. They only score if the other team makes mistakes. They don't create much off the rush. They protect the neutral zone and middle of the ice and have close support. They can't outscore their problems like this, so if you have problems you get games like game 5, but they don't create problems for themselves. They aren't going to give up 4 3rd period goals to lose a game 7. They might lose 2-0 but they are going to win a lot of 3-2 games without an excess of heart attacks.
Sens couldn't create anything off the rush or forecheck. We will see about Florida.
Sens couldn't create anything off the rush or forecheck. We will see about Florida.
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