Canucks @ Leafs - Jan. 6th, 7:00pm - CBC, TSN 1050

[herman]

Special teams are so role driven that it doesn?t really pay to mix it up mid-game, especially if the chances are still coming (even if the goals aren?t there).

 

[Andy007]

Also, can we please get Bozak the eff off the ice? I can't stand watching him lose every single puck battle, pass to non-existent teammates and miss completely open nets.

He did win the last game for us.

Yes he did. He can win faceoffs and is good in the shootout (although surprisingly that was only his 2nd attempt this year). He is literally good for nothing else. He's, at best, a 4th liner.

 

[ZBBM]

Special teams are so role driven that it doesn?t really pay to mix it up mid-game, especially if the chances are still coming (even if the goals aren?t there).

Fair enough.  Then I'd like to see it for next game.

 

[ZBBM]

Also, can we please get Bozak the eff off the ice? I can't stand watching him lose every single puck battle, pass to non-existent teammates and miss completely open nets.

He did win the last game for us.

Yes he did. He can win faceoffs and is good in the shootout (although surprisingly that was only his 2nd attempt this year). He is literally good for nothing else. He's, at best, a 4th liner.

I wouldn't go that far but your basic point taken.  But the same level of criticism is deserved by Kadri & Marleau for quite a while now.

 

[Andy007]

What the heck do you people have against Gardiner tonight?

I don't see it, either. He certainly hasn't looked any worse than the rest of the team tonight.

Yep, me three. Not sure why he's being singled out tonight anyway.

Overall, though, I think Gardiner's struggling between deferring to his natural tendencies, which are to skate and carry, as opposed to moving and dumping the puck away. I get what Babcock's trying to do but for some players you really just have to let them play to their strengths, and limiting Gardiner's greatest strength, to me, makes no sense.

Perhaps that's it, or perhaps he's less sure of Carrick so he's second-guessing himself and taking a bit longer than normal to process things. He just doesn't look nearly as good as he usually does. Normally on any given night you never know if the best defenceman on the will be Rielly or Gardiner. In the last month or so it's been Rielly, almost every night, by a mile.

Agreed on the latter point but I'm pretty sure Gardiner played with Carrick most of last year, to mostly good results.
I've noticed the indecision too. He doesn't have the level of hockey sense that Reilly has and if he's being asked to deviate from his natural tendencies that's where alot of those miscues come from. Let him skate and control the puck and I think you'll see more of the good Gardiner.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Smart penalty.

 

[Bender]

Two hard working players in the box. Go Babcock.

 

[ZBBM]

2 diveish calls give them a 5 on 3.  Yeesh.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Smart penalty x2.

 

[L K]

We need to dress Polak to kill all the penalties Polak takes

What a shock though that the Leafs looked like they were headed to having a power play advantage in a game and the refs strike.  That's the 3rd weak call against them tonight.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

2 diveish calls give them a 5 on 3.  Yeesh.

Maybe they went down a little easy but you can't cross check a guy when the puck is 20 feet away and you can't hack a guy's skate with your stick.

 

[barney_rebel]

We stink dudes


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[ZBBM]

CTB we could have had a legit 5 on 3 and no call.  Now we're down 2-0.  It's marginal.

 

[Al14]

Of course!  DIVERS 2 We rule 0!

Polak should have kept his stick to himself!

 

[L K]

Something needs to change with this team.  Heading for another loss against Vancouver and it's not just the loss but how they are losing these games.  Stop dumping the puck.  It's not working.

 

[freer]

Smart penalty x2.

2 of the softest penalties I have seen.

 

[ZBBM]

Something needs to change with this team.  Heading for another loss against Vancouver and it's not just the loss but how they are losing these games.  Stop dumping the puck.  It's not working.

And getting outshot by a beat-up team.  Hard to explain that away.

 

[Bender]

I don't understand. Why aren't we playing to our strengths? I'm starting to get tired of Babcock's platitudes of "playing the right way." There is no right way. The right way is doing whatever it takes to score more goals and/or allow fewer goals than the opposition.

 

[azzurri63]

Something needs to change with this team.  Heading for another loss against Vancouver and it's not just the loss but how they are losing these games.  Stop dumping the puck.  It's not working.

Haven't watched much but if anything has to change it's the officiating in this league. Nice the refs determine the outcome of a game. Horrible crap. If I was Babcock I would have lost it by now.

 

[bustaheims]

I thought the call on Martin was legit, even if Edler went down easy. There was no reason for him to come initiate contact there.

The call on Polak? Garbage.