What would be the one thing you change before G7?

[egd27]

We dominated in the 3rd & OT and most of the series, Price is more stonewalling us

Maybe if they didn't wait until the 3rd and OT before looking like they gave a crap there wouldn't have been an OT. But sure, let's keep trotting out the hot goalie excuse.

How many expected goals did we not score last night?

 

[Stephen]

Maybe if they didn't wait until the 3rd and OT before looking like they gave a crap there wouldn't have been an OT. But sure, let's keep trotting out the hot goalie excuse.

How many expected goals did we not score last night?

Maybe they just need to pretend like there's 20 minutes left and they're down by 2 at the start of the game?

 

[egd27]

Maybe they just need to pretend like there's 20 minutes left and they're down by 2 at the start of the game?

It's been an issue with this group for as long as I can remember. Babcock couldn't get them to start on time, neither can Keefe.

Maybe they should start the 3rd or 4th line and try and establish some hustle, lay a couple of hits and try and set the tone?

I dunno, I just am so sick of hearing about (insert opponent) coming out flying and the Leafs trying to weather the storm.

 

[hamzarocks]

Maybe they just need to pretend like there's 20 minutes left and they're down by 2 at the start of the game?

Maybe they are just an overrated group of players who can't close out teams. The leafs are playing right up to potential, they are who the league thinks they are.

Next year, we keep this same core, same management I can already imagine Boston/Tampa being eager for a 1st round bye. Maybe we stoop low enough to get the Panthers and help them end their 1st round curse.

 

[Stephen]

It's been an issue with this group for as long as I can remember. Babcock couldn't get them to start on time, neither can Keefe.

Maybe they should start the 3rd or 4th line and try and establish some hustle, lay a couple of hits and try and set the tone?

I dunno, I just am so sick of hearing about (insert opponent) coming out flying and the Leafs trying to weather the storm.

Lose the opening draw, let the other team bump it back to the defense, who chip it in for the heavy forecheck, cycle it around and get a few scoring chances and chase the first line back to the bench, rinse and repeat. If Marner can't start a game on time, bench him till the second.

 

[egd27]

Lose the opening draw, let the other team bump it back to the defense, who chip it in for the heavy forecheck, cycle it around and get a few scoring chances and chase the first line back to the bench, rinse and repeat. If Marner can't start a game on time, bench him till the second.

It's pretty much a pattern.

 

[egd27]

Matthews / Marner / Nylander on 3 separate lines. Let Ducharme figure out how to have Danault shut down three lines without last change.

 

[Gallagbi]

Matthews / Marner / Nylander on 3 separate lines. Let Ducharme figure out how to have Danault shut down three lines without last change.

They've basically ignored Nylander to this point as far as matchups go

 

[ToneDog]

Maybe they are just an overrated group of players who can't close out teams. The leafs are playing right up to potential, they are who the league thinks they are.

Next year, we keep this same core, same management I can already imagine Boston/Tampa being eager for a 1st round bye. Maybe we stoop low enough to get the Panthers and help them end their 1st round curse.

If I am reading it right, only way you get the Panthers is if one of TB or Boston does not make the playoffs. A wild card gets you the #1 seed from the Metro.

 

[diehardleafsfan9878]

Let me start by saying matthews and marner should produce regardless of matchups.

With that said I would mess everything up to get away from the matchups. Lines would be:

Mikheyev-matthews-spezza

Yes soup has issues with offense but he is very effective down low and cycling the puck. Spezza has been a 1 man show all series and is actually a threat to score off a shot. And the way matthews has played, he shouldn't be gifted with Nylander.

Galchenyuk-kerfoot-nylander

This has been the leafs best line in the series. The last 2 games haven't been very good though. As 1 of the biggest Nylander supporters on here, he has been very disengaged the last 2 and has kind of ruined any good faith he had from the start of the series for me.

Hyman-foligno-marner

Does Montreal look to matchup against Matthews, and marners line now, or do they focus on nylanders line more still. If they focus on Nylander, and marner can't break through against that 3rd pair...

Thornton-engvall-simmonds

And we all know thornton or simmonds are not coming out so.

 

[egd27]

They've basically ignored Nylander to this point as far as matchups go

And he's put up 4 goals and 7 points. This is why I'm very much against him being put on Matthews line.

 

[Coachcorner]

Bench Thornton?
Move Marner to another line?
Scramble the PP lines?

What would you change?

Oh, thank you for the question milord.

One thang: Move thornton to the second pp unit. For life. Nylander - matthews - marner - rielly - simmonds should be right now the pp unit numner one. When tavares comes back this weekend, he should take simmonds spot of course. Easy, that worked before, it will always, always like the italians say with the accent work again. Our best players should always, always play the first unit when the time comes. Always. WIth the accent.

 

[seanlinden]

I'm also on the breakup M&M train...

One of the reasons IMO that both have been shut down, is that the "book" is out on them. Matthews used to create chances & goals with the puck on his stick playing alongside the likes of Hyman, Johnson, Kapanen, and Brown. Montreal has figured out how to defend it, and there's nothing they're going to do that's going to change it.

Keefe showed a tendency / inkling to throw the big 3 out there together to get a goal. I think he should do the opposite.... create an absolute nightmare matchup-wise, and run 3 lines that can each beat you...something along the lines of:

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

Kill them with speed in the first 2 groups. Yes, they'll know the puck is still going to Matthews on that #1 line, but Mikheyev has great north-south speed to open up the game for him. The second line has been solid all series long. The 3rd line may not play with as much speed, but you've got a guy in Marner that's solid defensively and who likes to make plays from up top, a guy who can shoot in traffic in Spezza, and Foligno to crash & bang.

The Leafs have home ice, so it's not about "avoiding" the matchup -- it's about giving Montreal looks that they've never seen, and relying on your superior skill to create new chances rather than rely on the tried & true.

 

[djdev]

take marner off the PP...or move hyman back to 3rd line.

 

[Captain14]

I am going to change to double Bourbons neat in lieu of Manhattan’s.

 

[Mats13]

Double shift Jumbo.

This is the way

 

[summer tooth]

More playing time for Kerfoot

 

[makbeer]

Hot take.

Bad idea

Still sure about this?

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Still sure about this?

That was a bad goal

 

[tokyoite]

I like jumbo, but he's slow.