Obviously neither teams are guaranteed to make the playoffs right now, but both seem very likely. Still, which team would you rather matchup with in the playoffs?
Who would you rather face in the playoffs, Toronto or Ottawa?
- Thread starter Bjornar Moxnes
- Start date
GlitchMarner
There was a Glitch and my username was switched
I think Tampa (and maybe New Jersey) would prefer Ottawa, but every other EC playoff team would rather face Toronto.
Toronto has so much pressure in the playoffs, that they can't handle it and crumble.
Ottawa's pressure is simply to make the playoffs. From there, it's house money - which I think makes them more dangerous.
Ottawa's pressure is simply to make the playoffs. From there, it's house money - which I think makes them more dangerous.
GlitchMarner
There was a Glitch and my username was switched
That's a good point.
Also...
TOR's record versus Eastern Conference teams currently in a playoff spot:
FLA: 0-2
WSH: 1-2
CAR: 1-1
OTT: 0-3
NYR: 1-1
TB: 3-0
NJ: 3-0
And they're 0-2 vs CLB but have done well against teams like MTL, BOS, DET.
I'll take the perceived failure over the proven failure.
The Leafs routinely get dominated in the playoffs by nearly every opponent. Columbus embarrassed them. Montreal pimped-slapped them. Washington, Boston, Tampa, Florida...Leaf failure after Leaf failure.
Ottawa is an unknown. Perhaps they have greatness within them. The Leafs lack greatness. There’s a reason the Leafs haven't made a 'Cup Finals in 5.5 plus decades...and that reason is the the Leafs are soft, weak, fragile and heartless. 0% contender, 100% pretender.
The Leafs routinely get dominated in the playoffs by nearly every opponent. Columbus embarrassed them. Montreal pimped-slapped them. Washington, Boston, Tampa, Florida...Leaf failure after Leaf failure.
Ottawa is an unknown. Perhaps they have greatness within them. The Leafs lack greatness. There’s a reason the Leafs haven't made a 'Cup Finals in 5.5 plus decades...and that reason is the the Leafs are soft, weak, fragile and heartless. 0% contender, 100% pretender.
Your second paragraph reminds me of a quote one of the commentators said after Colorado won the cup in 2001. Paraphrasing because I don’t remember the exact words off hand, but it was something like that adversity doesn’t build character, but rather, it reveals character.
I still think I’d rather face Ottawa in the playoffs than Toronto though. The Leafs have enough talent that they could potentially just finally make it click and get on a roll. I’m not sure I can say the same about Ottawa yet. They’d have to probably come into the playoffs hot and be firing on all cylinders. At that point it’s kind of a numbers game. Toronto is simply more likely to win than Ottawa is, mathematically speaking.
I should also say that I’m looking at this through the lens of “if I’m Tampa Bay” since I follow them in addition to Utah.
Can I ask you what evidence makes Toronto even remotely a top contender?
GlitchMarner
There was a Glitch and my username was switched
Stolarz isn't bad.
I think OTT can surprise. I remember the Leafs put up a surprisingly good fight against WSH in their first playoff appearance with their current core. That year the Capitals were the President's Trophy winners and it was a year before they finally won the Cup. People thought TOR would get murdered.
But by now, everyone knows what the Leafs' strengths and weaknesses are and how to beat them. The pressure seems to get to them.
OTT has young players who haven't experienced the playoffs and they can be scrappy. I can see them giving a team a scare or at least causing problems.
