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What would be the one thing you change before G7?

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Twowingcantfly said:
The problem with this team?? The GM. Plain and simple. He signed/added players to this roster that can not/would not hit. This team was lacking toughness before he got here. For anyone looking at this roster, it is so easy to see the problem. Of all the players added since Dubas came on board, only two can dish it out or take it. Foligno, and Simmons. Don't believe me Watch game 6 again. Worse, there is no one waiting in the wings that can give/take one either.
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They can change or add as many role players that hit as they want but until they have every player buy into that kind of play to not play scared or avoid contact they'll be chokers . Especially when the players that play soft perimeter games play over a 3rd of the game . Same goes with a D that hears footsteps . Don't think the Leafs d are like that but just saying you can't win with a d playing scared let alone one that plays big mins.
 
We only dominated the 3rd the last couple games because we were.behind
Just as when habs were behind us in 3rd and tried to come back. Leading team turtles.

I'd split marner Matthews for sure.
It's too late now but the low scoring chances game is something I hated all year even when we were on hot streaks. You can't consistently win games by 1 even if your the better team. There's too much luck in hockey. Play to your strengths who is great offence. If that doesn't win you a cup than may e you shouldn't have gone after these strengths. But TB has proven you can be deep offensively and with great goaltending Win a cup.


Leafs can't play their puck controlling game when other team is working hard and flying. Marner et Al can't make plays at this speed. They can't carry out k.in cause they don't want to make mistakes so we're a dump and chase team now. Everything we did k. The regular season no longer applies. Which means we didn't developed properly during the season.
 
You put the whole damn thing in the blender.

Foligno-Matthews-Nylander
Galchenyuk-Kerfoot-Marner
Robertson-Spezza-Hyman
Mikheyev-Engvall-Simmonds

You sit Thornton so there's no risk of a sluggish looking start as far as skating is concerned. Or 4th line shifts where we are back on our heels and it hurts momentum. Sorry Jumbo, you've been brutal all series. Marner and Matthews need broken up. It's not generating enough. I don't care that that line isn't getting scored on, like Keefe mentioned. That's too much money into two players to be happy with defensive play, we need goals. Spezza has been one of our best players, he deserves 3C if we're going down swinging. Hyman helps that line defensively, Robertson adds a shot threat that plays high tempo hockey. Fourth line has been our third line for games 3 and 4, so they should have no issues. Kerfoot deserves the 2C, been good all series long. Maybe Marner playing beside two high energy guys in Galchenyuk and Kerfoot will get his butt into gear. But this is what I'd go with. The guys in the room need a big shake up
 
Keefe better put Nylander with Matthews, what's it gonna take? It's ridiculous he's refused to ever breakup Matthews & Marner, and now Willie is rolling as their best player they should give him Matthews to play with.
 
I would go

Marner - Matthews - Spezza -
Let Spezza rattle these two guys and keep them accountable after every shift get in their faces and demand more. Spezza has played really well Game 7 let him shine

Gally - Kerfoot - Nylander
Not sure why this line was broken up but again playoff coaching is suspect and they overthink things.

Mik - Engvall - Hyman
Let this line grind down MTL D and create havoc in front of Price

Thornton - Foligno - Simmonds
Slow 4th line but veteran enough to know how to play and play smart. Get pucks on net and grind away.

Reilly - Brodie
Muzzin - Holl (if Muzzin healthy)
Dermott - Bogo

If not healthy I put Hutton in vs Sandin. Sandin is too small to play this series.
 
Keefe loaded up 1 line last year and it failed. I'd put Kerfoot back with Nylander and Nash in for Jumbo. No way should Keefe be willing to die on the Jumbo hill.
 
In previous years it would have been the goalie. This year nothing of consequence. Complete team failure with the highest paid players failing to deliver.
 
socko said:
In previous years it would have been the goalie. This year nothing of consequence. Complete team failure with the highest paid players failing to deliver.
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Campbell this year has literally been Andersen last year.

both guys had a .935ish sv % and both gave up soft goals in key moments.
 
Here are the lines I wanna see for game 7:

Hyman-Matthews-Nylander
Galchenyuk-Spezza-Marner
Mikheyev-Kerfoot-Simmonds
Foligno-Brooks-Malgin
 
there's not much that can be done in a single, game to be honest - but here are a few off the top of my head:

- sub in Brooks for Thornton; Leafs need more speed and creativity

- dress Sandin only if Muzzin is not good to go, but give Sandin only PP1 and sheltered minutes; lean on Bogosian/Dermott more

- double shift Nylander on Matthews-Marner and Kerfoot-Galchenyuk early in the 1st 10 minutes of the 1st period and in the 3rd period if the Leafs aren't in the lead

- even out the PP1 and PP2 more in terms of ice-time (60-40 instead of the 75-25 current split); Use an overload strategy with Matthews/Nylander/Sandin/Simmonds/Spezza on PP1 and Marner/Thornton/Rielly/Kerfoot/Hyman PP2 and get pucks on net and bodies in front; have a mental model of no more than 2 passes past the blue line before getting the puck on net

- put Galchenyuk-Kerfoot-Nylander on the Gallagher line and keep Hyman-Matthews-Marner fresh for mismatches.
 
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Not everybody in your line-up needs to be a speedster, and you can afford a guy who doesn't skate well, but you can't afford two

Galchenyuk - Matty - Marner

Hyman - Kerfoot - Nylander

Foligno - Spezza - Engvall

Mikheyev - Nash - Simmonds

Hopefully Muzz is good to go if not;

Brodie - Rielly
Sandin - Holl
Bogosian - Dermott
 
DopeyFish said:
9 one things

i'd swap marner and nylander
i'd bench simmonds and put in robertson on first line LW
i'd bench thornton and put in brooks
i'd bench holl and put in liljegren (on top of sandin replacing muzzin)
i'd move hyman to third line (hyman/kerfoot/engvall)
i'd move mikheyev to 4th line
i'd put our PP as marner, matthews, nylander, robertson and sandin, nylander shifting from half wall to net front with robertson
i'd keep that PP unit as a 2 minute unit
i'd stop dump ins and force possessed entries

we are losing to speed so let's actually bring speed

play a high tempo game, no clunky transitions, no more dump and chase garbage hockey which our team consistently sucks at

play to our strengths for once

FOR ONCE
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Dopey for coach! Music to my ears.
 
Can we forfeit the game? I think it'll be much easier for all of us to just call it a season right now than to go through this game 7 and add yet another black mark on the already dark history book this franchise has.
 
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