azzurri63
Active member
bustaheims said:RedLeaf said:Like Nik just said, they played well enough in the 1st period, and have played well for many stretches this season. It's inconsistency. I don't agree with a lot of Carlyle's decisions, but I don't blame him for individuals having brain farts. Some of these pop up over and over with the same players (ie Franson) Others are from rookies learning the game. And effort, or lack of it, is squarely on the players shoulders. Period.
But, we're not just talking about individual brain farts. We're talking team-wide issues. There's absolutely no reason all 5 skaters should be within 5 feet of their own net so frequently. There are constant issues with breakouts, zone entries, puck support, etc. None of these have anything to do with effort. As for the stretches of overall good play, they've been short and isolated. Even when the Leafs were winning, they were playing poorly defensively. The fact that the puck was going in for them really helped mask that for a lot of people. Playing well for one period of the game doesn't change a thing. In fact, that it's so easy for other teams to turn the table on the Leafs after a good period on such a regular basis is a coaching issue. The Leafs system is way too easy to take advantage of when the top line isn't producing.
Been harping about this crap for more than just this season. Anyone who thinks this team has moved forward since the Bruin collapse is brain dead. Leafs management hasn't dealt with anything whether it's the players or Carlyle something needed to be done. Their play has been like this for 2 seasons now under Carlyle. Everyone thinks we're going to wake up one day and these guys are going learn how to play defensively.