The NHL Thread

[slaw]

I agree man. I really do. They did up the effort last night, and they had to, but until I see it nightly I'm not betting money they get out of the first round.

Was at the game last night and the Leafs goaltender was great early and then Toronto really took it to Calgary. It was over in the first period. That was definitely the worst I've seen Calgary play in a while - really out of synch all over the ice - but full credit to the Leafs for that one. They can look back fondly on this win when Boston is ahead 3-1 in the first round....

[Demographic Shift]

Was at the game last night and the Leafs goaltender was great early and then Toronto really took it to Calgary. It was over in the first period. That was definitely the worst I've seen Calgary play in a while - really out of synch all over the ice - but full credit to the Leafs for that one. They can look back fondly on this win when Boston is ahead 3-1 in the first round....

Ouch... just fucking ouch....
Lots of blue and white in the stands as the Toronto diaspora seems to show at every stop on the road though...

But again. .what the judge and I have been going on about .. was evident in the third period...Connor Brown had a quick look and thought he could squeak through the hole and put his head down to do it.. but the space evaported like a trudeau promise and Brown got clocked by a Calgary Dman... and as the play rolled on the Calgary player a sweedish name i think.. looked back to see if he was going to have to pay the price....and like Regina on a thursday night after 8pm... not a soul in sight as the sidewalks were rolled up and put away....

if the leafs don't start pushing back its going to be a shorter post season than Leaf fans are hoping for....

[Demographic Shift]

It’s possible this iteration of the Leafs may have tuned out Mike Babcock.
They just don’t play with any fire. No one pushes back and they take some big hits.
Since the New Year..they are a pretty mundane 17 -13-2.

[DanH]

They've been garbage for about a week, but this was a great bounce back game, best in a long while, just ran into a crazy hot goalie. Not much to be done. If they sustain the play from this game and put the recent stretch behind them they'll be in great shape come the playoffs (especially if they get one or two real defencemen back to bump Oz/Holl out of the lineup).

[Demographic Shift]

They've been garbage for about a week, but this was a great bounce back game, best in a long while, just ran into a crazy hot goalie. Not much to be done. If they sustain the play from this game and put the recent stretch behind them they'll be in great shape come the playoffs (especially if they get one or two real defencemen back to bump Oz/Holl out of the lineup).

I have an ironic smile as I read this...I am usually the home town optimist. For sure with the Raps but not so much lately with the Leafs..Your taking the role of glass half full guy with Leafs and I pretty much in the glass half empty.

To me the Leafs have lost "it " right now. At this writing they are a pretty flat and confused outfit. They played two teams who employ different styles in the last week and they came up short both times.

Tampa is the gold standard this year and they can play offence all night long. They dusted the Leafs 6 to 2. Yep some of those TB goals were eye rollers but all in all Tampa owned the ice. Tampa's defense consistently pushed the Leafs off the puck and then made tape to tape passes to move the puck out. That NHL players put it on the tape is pretty normal.. but Tampa hits their guys in stride almost all the time. That team is loaded.
Nashville plays a tight defensive game and they are all over you all the time. They make you cough it up enough times that they get 2 or 3 and then shut you down. Peter Laviollete has played this way since he was in Carolina. His teams are hard to play against. Really hard. The Leafs though they had the puck over half the time never cracked the perimeter last night for anything in close. They got beat 3 to zip with an empty netter.

Leafs are in between right now.. The defense was going to be a problem from the get go and now with whipping boy Jake Gardiner out for a while longer and Dermott still on the shelf the defense is more than a little below average. Some of it is skill.. some of it is that they aren't getting much in the way of help in their own end from the high priced guys up front. But its not good. Their offense save for Philly hasn't been up to what they were in the first half of the year. There are more one on two rushes lately .. Looks nice.. doesn't win games.

Babcock has to get their ear again.. if he doesn't I fear the Leafs season will be much shorter than they thought it would be. If they go out in 5 to Boston the radio talks shows will be flooded with calls looking for the heads of Babcock... Nylander...anyone who plays defense and anyone else they can think of.

I fear the Leafs aren't ready yet..

[DanH]

Leafs definitely need some defencemen back. That's the biggest thing. They leaned on Gardiner for a lot and everybody is playing up a slot without him. Throw in Dermott and you've got your 7th and 8th best defencemen playing every night in place of probably your 2nd and 4th best defencemen, and that's tough to absorb.

Losses happen. Hockey is probably the game where the one game result is least correlated with a team's performance in that game. Have to see better play all around - and last game was a huge improvement from the recent trend, regardless of the final score.

[Demographic Shift]

Leafs definitely need some defencemen back. That's the biggest thing. They leaned on Gardiner for a lot and everybody is playing up a slot without him. Throw in Dermott and you've got your 7th and 8th best defencemen playing every night in place of probably your 2nd and 4th best defencemen, and that's tough to absorb.

Losses happen. Hockey is probably the game where the one game result is least correlated with a team's performance in that game. Have to see better play all around - and last game was a huge improvement from the recent trend, regardless of the final score.

We will know at the end of April...I hope I am wrong but my guts and my eyes tell me that some of the high priced help up front have tuned out the coach......

[Demographic Shift]

A glimpse into the Leafs probable future last night. In a game at home the blue and white came up short. Look.. losing a game happens. But a couple of things that are killing the Leafs repeated themselves yet again against the Rangers. They can't or wont stand up for themselves and they just lack fire. Breaking your stick after you fuck up isn't fire. All its showing is that as a pro you don't have to buy a new one yourself. Save the theatrics.

Last night one of their best players, John Tavares just got hammered in a flurry in the crease. Mark Stahl cross checked Johnny T from behind and almost broke his back. The response ? Nada. Nothing. Bupkis. Niente. There was an indignant look from GM Dubas in the press box though. That must have made the Rangers cringe. Meow.

In what just might be the best 5 minutes of hockey the 3 on 3 overtime Babcock in an attempt to get a stalled (no pun intended) Nylander going put him out with Mathews ... problem was Nylander lost the puck in deep and then he cruised back as the Rangers stuffed one by Freddy. Usually the guy who turns it over is the fastest man on the ice. Not Willy. On the give shit meter he is barely moving the needle.

No guts and No fire.... .

There will be some more wins before seasons end and more proclamations the Leafs have turned the corner or are saving themselves for the playoffs.

But the Bruins know if they hustle and play hard they can take the Leafs lunch money and kick their ass whenever they feel like it.Unless there is an epiphany in the next couple of weeks the Leafs playoff designs are in serious doubt.

[DanH]

The Leafs got stoned by a goalie. Such is life. When a goalie stops 100 of 102 shots over two games, you probably get zero points from those two games. I'm just happy they stole one point.

As for the OT goal, if any forward is at fault, it's Matthews, going for a change creating the 2-on-1 - Nylander got to the bench almost as fast as Matthews did in spite of being deeper, and his man (Johnsson) got back in time to cover the third guy - he wasn't so far back though to be able to cover for Zaitsev who stupidly slid into the corner failing to cover the 2-on-1, and was away from his man on the far post (as Kadri, the sub for Matthews, caught up to cover the near post). I'd place the blame on Zaitsev, then Matthews, then probably Johnsson or Kadri for not reading the threat on the far post fast enough.

And where have you been re: Nylander skating with Matthews? They've been on the same line for weeks.

[Demographic Shift]

The Leafs got stoned by a goalie. Such is life. When a goalie stops 100 of 102 shots over two games, you probably get zero points from those two games. I'm just happy they stole one point.

As for the OT goal, if any forward is at fault, it's Matthews, going for a change creating the 2-on-1 - Nylander got to the bench almost as fast as Matthews did in spite of being deeper, and his man (Johnsson) got back in time to cover the third guy - he wasn't so far back though to be able to cover for Zaitsev who stupidly slid into the corner failing to cover the 2-on-1, and was away from his man on the far post (as Kadri, the sub for Matthews, caught up to cover the near post). I'd place the blame on Zaitsev, then Matthews, then probably Johnsson or Kadri for not reading the threat on the far post fast enough.

And where have you been re: Nylander skating with Matthews? They've been on the same line for weeks.

No guts...

No fire....

Dan.... Nylander coughed it up when he was in deep with Mathews ...No problem with that..If you don’t take chances you don’t score....The problem arises when he didn’t bust his ass to come back....This in and of itself gives a view on how hard these guys want to play defensively. Defense isn’t rocket science. You have to expend effort. Lots of effort...And right now there isn’t much effort being displayed.

As skilled as the Leafs forwards are they get pushed off the puck easily...
They take some big shots which deflates teams..and no one..no one pushes back.

If this malaise continues..they’re toast come playoff time.

[DanH]

No guts...

No fire....

Dan.... Nylander coughed it up when he was in deep with Mathews ...No problem with that..If you don’t take chances you don’t score....The problem arises when he didn’t bust his ass to come back....This in and of itself gives a view on how hard these guys want to play defensively. Defense isn’t rocket science. You have to expend effort. Lots of effort...And right now there isn’t much effort being displayed.

As skilled as the Leafs forwards are they get pushed off the puck easily...
They take some big shots which deflates teams..and no one..no one pushes back.

If this malaise continues..they’re toast come playoff time.

I encourage you to watch the replay of that goal again. Kadri and Johnsson hop off the bench at almost the exact same time in spite of Nylander curling behind the net after his shot. Kadri busts to the front of the net as the first forward back in the 2-on-1, and Johnsson pulls up to cover the trailer, and reacts too slow to cover for Zaitsev after he totally overcommits on the 2-on-1 coverage. It had nothing to do with Nylander busting his ass or not.

They outshot the Rangers by like a 2:1 ratio. If they play like that in the playoffs, they'll win a series or two at least. This game was not indicative of any of the issues the Leafs have - and they do have issues.

[Demographic Shift]

I guess you see what you want to see.

I see a team team that isn’t scoring and doesn’t play defense hard enough.

They will score again..but the want to on defense isn’t going to change. No guts. No fire. No playoff run. Drawing Boston in round 1 is tough for the Leafs..The Bruins strengths are the Leafs weak points.

[Demographic Shift]

OK.. here we go.. the NHL embarks on a two month long endurance test known as the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Every second night .. with busted fingers, aching shoulders and knees, borderline concussions and more sutures than Toronto General hands out on a Saturday night on full moon the NHL playoffs kick off tonight.To the NHL Load management is draft beer and cheap strip mall chineese food.

So who ya got ?

In the East I like the Caps and the Lightning... I think the Islanders upset Sid the Kid and when you least expect it the Leafs win a series from their nemesis in Boston. When the dust settles Tampa carries the East flag to the Cup Final.

In the West I like Nashville and Vegas. I think Calgary walks past the Avs but without a first string goalie falls to Vegas in the quarters. My preseason pick to bring the cup home the Jets seem to have hit a flat spot at the wrong time and run into the hottest team in the league in the Blues. Oh so close last year the Preds who have as good goaltending with Rinne as Vegas has with Fleury get by the Knights to carry the flag for the West.

It goes 6 and Tampa Bay brings it home.. Stammer gets his Cup and while a lot of accolades will go around none bigger should go to Steve Yzerman who built this freight train of a team but stepped away for what most likely were health reasons.

So who ya got Danny ? SJudge ? Slaw ? and any others who love the national sport.

[slaw]

I don't follow hockey that much. I would like to see Calgary make a run. Not a Flames fan per se but things out here are so bad right now we need something good to happen....

As for the rest, I've seen a few games this year. From an uneducated fan's perspective, I thought Tampa Bay was incredibly sharp - probably the best team and best game I've seen in years in Calgary. Tough to see them losing a 7-game series. As for upsets, I think St. Louis is dangerous. Pittsburgh could make a run. It's so hard to pick in hockey cause a hot goalie can win a series.

[bertarapsfan]

I don't follow hockey that much. I would like to see Calgary make a run. Not a Flames fan per se but things out here are so bad right now we need something good to happen....

As for the rest, I've seen a few games this year. From an uneducated fan's perspective, I thought Tampa Bay was incredibly sharp - probably the best team and best game I've seen in years in Calgary. Tough to see them losing a 7-game series. As for upsets, I think St. Louis is dangerous. Pittsburgh could make a run. It's so hard to pick in hockey cause a hot goalie can win a series.

only watch playoffs. but I've heard Calgary good this year. I hope they make a run for for the reasons you stated. plus I want the sea of red to return to 17th Ave. I was too young last time to partake but would take a trip to cow town if that type of scinangians return this spring.