GDT: Toronto @ Tampa - 7pm - SN

[ACC1224]

Back at tonight with hopefully a better effort. Stolarz gets the net.
A win here will go a long way towards winning the division, a loss and the Panthers will start looking more and more like the playoff matchup.

toronto maple leafs tampa bay lightning

Previews, Game Summary, Boxscore and Highlights

www.tsn.ca

 

[Jojalu]

Need this one tonight.

They want to avoid Florida in the first round. For whatever reason they match up well against TB.

Vasi has been excellent this year and will probably finish second in Vezina so it's time to put it in his head that he struggles against the Leafs.

He can be great in Round 1 against Florida all he wants

 

[The Shadow]

This is a massive game. They will not beat Florida in the playoffs. That’s a matchup they will not win. They need first place and maybe Tampa knocks off Florida for them

 

[ToneDog]

Need this one tonight.

They want to avoid Florida in the first round. For whatever reason they match up well against TB.

Vasi has been excellent this year and will probably finish second in Vezina so it's time to put it in his head that he struggles against the Leafs.

He can be great in Round 1 against Florida all he wants

They've owned Vasi the last couple of years. Berube said they did not want the game as much as the Panthers did last night. Tonight we find out if they want it more than Tampa with 1st place on the line. I expect Tampa to show up because this is a must win for them if they want to win the division. No idea which version of the Leafs show up. Better goalie wins this game IMO.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Have to win this game. They should have a lot of energy still, judging by the "effort" given last night. No excuses. The division is right there for them.

 

[The Shadow]

We need this legend back asap!!! Just kidding

 

[Jojalu]

They've owned Vasi the last couple of years. Berube said they did not want the game as much as the Panthers did last night. Tonight we find out if they want it more than Tampa with 1st place on the line. I expect Tampa to show up because this is a must win for them if they want to win the division. No idea which version of the Leafs show up. Better goalie wins this game IMO.

View attachment 1009828


View attachment 1009829

TB for sure wants to finish first.

No one wants Florida in the first round. Or any round really.

They are just tough to play against and Bob can still get hot at any time.

 

[ToneDog]

TB for sure wants to finish first.

No one wants Florida in the first round. Or any round really.

They are just tough to play against and Bob can still get hot at any time.

That why I am expecting them to play hard and determined. Question is, are the Leafs willing to do what it takes to win this game? I've always said that this core is not willing to play outside it's comfort zone. Tonight is another test.

Odds are also against the Leafs sweeping the season series vs Tampa but when everything points to one team, bet the other. Should be a great game if Leafs show up.

 

[rumman]

Who shows up tonight?

 

[kevsh]

Thankfully they didn't over-exert themselves last night so they'd have lots of energy for this game.

 

[rumman]

Thankfully they didn't over-exert themselves last night so they'd have lots of energy for this game.

I have no doubts they csn kay another egg, the vloser we get to thd playoffs the more the tesm’s character (or lack thereof) comes to the surface…….

 

[Al14]

I have no doubts they csn kay another egg, the vloser we get to thd playoffs the more the tesm’s character (or lack thereof) comes to the surface…….

You are exactly right. A serious team would have locked up 1st place in the Atlantic by beating both Florida teams !!! Not our Leafs, they're not into achieving greatness at any cost. Laziness and under-performing is their forte and modus operandi !!!

 

[IPS]

I have no doubts they csn kay another egg, the vloser we get to thd playoffs the more the tesm’s character (or lack thereof) comes to the surface…….

Really starting to look that way isn't it.

 

[ToneDog]

Thankfully they didn't over-exert themselves last night so they'd have lots of energy for this game.

I have a feeling Cooper will feed them some of the same medicine Maurice fed them last night. The question is, do they show up and can they hang with Tampa? Need to stay out of the box and Stollie to outduel Vasi. Should be a beauty.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Lose this game and we are on a one way track to getting beat up for 5-6 games by the Panthers and sent back to the golf course.

 

[Stephen]

I have no expectations and even then a 50% chance of even being disappointed at lackadaisical play.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Outside of it sucking to lose, isn't this the ideal result? Losing to Panthers and Senators losing locks in the Sens in WC2.

Now we need a win tonight to solidify the division for us

 

[leafsfan5]

This is the season here, you absolutely need to win tonight and avoid Florida

A regulation loss and Tampa overtakes us. Their schedule is easier to end the year so we likely wouldn't finish A1

 

[13pacheco31]

This is the season here, you absolutely need to win tonight and avoid Florida

A regulation loss and Tampa overtakes us. Their schedule is easier to end the year so we likely wouldn't finish A1

You can't really avoid florida, you want to go deep or win, you have to face them eventually

 

[leafsfan5]

You can't really avoid florida, you want to go deep or win, you have to face them eventually

The hope is it's TB vs FLA in round 1 and Tampa beats them

A TB/FLA series is a toss up, they're the two best teams in the East imo. If Tampa wins, we matchup much better versus them and I like our chances of making a deep run a lot more. If we play Florida I don't think we make it past 5 games

 

[1specter]

Most important game of the season right here. The Panthers are the worst matchup in the entire NHL for the Leafs, they don't have a chance in hell of beating them in the playoffs. The Lightning on the other hand may actually be able to, so let them duke it out with each other in round 1.

 

[Metroid]

Doing the ol' jinx bet thing. Throw couple bucks on Tampa to win.
Leafs win, I'll make that 2 bucks back in no time, Tampa wins, I have slightly more bucks

 

[francis246]

They've played Tampa extremely well all year and I expect nothing less. With Stolarz in net, I'm expecting a close win. I think Knies leads the charge here tonight.

 

[Tak7]

Feels like we really don't make a big enough deal about how often we've seen THAT performance last night, this season.

Flat. Lacking energy. Heavy. Slow. Outworked and outbattled all over the ice. I've lost track of how regularly we've seen it, but it's becoming quite consistent.

The 10 game stretch prior to last night is the first time this season where I've actually liked their play for an extended stretch. But I'm a process > results fan now, and I just don't see a process that is consistent with playoff success.

I fully expect to see that lethargic broken outworked version of this team multiple times in the playoffs. It's who they are.

 

[francis246]

Feels like we really don't make a big enough deal about how often we've seen THAT performance last night, this season.

Flat. Lacking energy. Heavy. Slow. Outworked and outbattled all over the ice. I've lost track of how regularly we've seen it, but it's becoming quite consistent.

The 10 game stretch prior to last night is the first time this season where I've actually liked their play for an extended stretch. But I'm a process > results fan now, and I just don't see a process that is consistent with playoff success.

I feel like our team goes based off how the top line goes. If the top line is flying, the rest of the team has legs, even if the top line isn't scoring they are setting the tone.