Game 4: Bruins @ Leafs - Apr. 17th, 7:00pm - CBC, Fan 590

[lamajama]

I am really disappointed at Babcock and his handling of the bench and  his seemingly inability to adjust in real time. Marleau may be a wonderful guy but he's not bringing really anything at all. Thats just one glaring example.

 

[Strangelove]

Also Zaitsev is chronically out of position on the penalty kill. Seems like it should be an easy fix but it?s been the same story all year.

 

[lc9]

Matthews played well for stretches.

Unfortunately Tavares was invisible (again), Marner was ineffective, the third line continued to do very little and Andersen was very shaky.

It would have been nice to squeak out a win here but it seems like Babcock is incapable of getting the Leafs to ?start on time?. This series is probably going 7.

I don't understand what you mean by again. He's been generally very good this series.

1 goal in 4 games?  An empty netter. 

 

[mr grieves]

What a bad loss. 

I would rather never see Nylander play again.  Just a bad player.

Nonsense. Just a bad comment. Drivel, really.

Nylander had a great game, considering he was playing with no useful wingers. Would've liked to have seen Babcock do something about that, but at least they got one. Better than some other lines tonight.

 

[Stronger Than All]

Yay for the moral victory of coming back.....  Seriously though I?m not sure about taking another gamenin Boston.

 

[ZBBM]

I am really disappointed at Babcock and his handling of the bench and  his seemingly inability to adjust in real time. Marleau may be a wonderful guy but he's not bringing really anything at all. Thats just one glaring example.

I think Babcock generally has matched or bettered Cassidy until tonight.  But he waited too long to adjust.

And I'll say it again, the crowds in T.O. are no advantage to the Leafs.  No energy if the Leafs are behind.

 

[herman]

Yeah Nylander towed two boat anchors into the highest cumulative xG line on the team with bottom six minutes.

 

[Strangelove]

Matthews played well for stretches.

Unfortunately Tavares was invisible (again), Marner was ineffective, the third line continued to do very little and Andersen was very shaky.

It would have been nice to squeak out a win here but it seems like Babcock is incapable of getting the Leafs to ?start on time?. This series is probably going 7.

I don't understand what you mean by again. He's been generally very good this series.

To me he?s lacked intensity, particularly tonight but also throughout the series apart from a couple standout plays here and there. I guess I was hoping for a bit more.

 

[Zee]

I hate Babcock. Marleau as an extra man with the net empty?

I agree. Matthews on the bench at the end?

He was gassed after that long goalie out sequence, but starting with Marleau? You might as well put Gauthier on for all the scoring threat Marleau is at this point in his career. Matthews, Tavares, Marner, Johnsson, Rielly and either Nylander or Moore/Kapanen. Is it that hard to pick your 5 best scoring forwards?

 

[ZBBM]

Matthews played well for stretches.

Unfortunately Tavares was invisible (again), Marner was ineffective, the third line continued to do very little and Andersen was very shaky.

It would have been nice to squeak out a win here but it seems like Babcock is incapable of getting the Leafs to ?start on time?. This series is probably going 7.

I don't understand what you mean by again. He's been generally very good this series.

To me he?s lacked intensity, particularly tonight but also throughout the series apart from a couple standout plays here and there. I guess I was hoping for a bit more.

He was awesome against Bergeron & Co. in Game 3.  Scored a key goal in Game 1.  Let the pass get to Matthews on the PP goal tonight.  Sure, I'd like to see him score more but he's been good overall.

 

[Guilt Trip]

What a bad loss. 

I would rather never see Nylander play again.  Just a bad player.

Nonsense. Just a bad comment. Drivel, really.

Nylander had a great game, considering he was playing with no useful wingers. Would've liked to have seen Babcock do something about that, but at least they got one. Better than some other lines tonight.

Nylander did not have a great game. He was a giveaway king out there and was extremely lazy on the back check. He needs to compete harder. The Backes breakaway is a prime example of his overall play. His linemates have nothing to do with that.

 

[mr grieves]

I am really disappointed at Babcock and his handling of the bench and  his seemingly inability to adjust in real time. Marleau may be a wonderful guy but he's not bringing really anything at all. Thats just one glaring example.

If the Leafs lose the series, next season looks like the last couple (Babcock getting complacent with his line-up in a number of obvious ways), and the team's staring down another meeting with the Bruins, I think Dubas pulls the trigger.

 

[Guilt Trip]

Matthews played well for stretches.

Unfortunately Tavares was invisible (again), Marner was ineffective, the third line continued to do very little and Andersen was very shaky.

It would have been nice to squeak out a win here but it seems like Babcock is incapable of getting the Leafs to ?start on time?. This series is probably going 7.

I don't understand what you mean by again. He's been generally very good this series.

To me he?s lacked intensity, particularly tonight but also throughout the series apart from a couple standout plays here and there. I guess I was hoping for a bit more.

He was awesome against Bergeron & Co. in Game 3.  Scored a key goal in Game 1.  Let the pass get to Matthews on the PP goal tonight.  Sure, I'd like to see him score more but he's been good overall.

Totally agree. The Bergeron line won the battle tonight. JT has been great.

 

[Guilt Trip]

Matthews, Tavares, Marner, Johnsson, Rielly and either Nylander or Moore/Kapanen. Is it that hard to pick your 5 best scoring forwards?

Apparently it is with Babs. He got out coached tonight. Every time Boston doesn't catch the JT line out for an icing, the Bergeron line is over the boards. Babs had 2 chances in the second period, he puts out Nylander's??? One of the Matthews or JT's lines would be ready.

 

[mr grieves]

What a bad loss. 

I would rather never see Nylander play again.  Just a bad player.

Nonsense. Just a bad comment. Drivel, really.

Nylander had a great game, considering he was playing with no useful wingers. Would've liked to have seen Babcock do something about that, but at least they got one. Better than some other lines tonight.

Nylander did not have a great game. He was a giveaway king out there and was extremely lazy on the back check. He needs to compete harder. The Backes breakaway is a prime example of his overall play. His linemates have nothing to do with that.

Gave the puck away after staking around the zone looking for one of them to get into a spot to take a pass or get off a decent shot, which they never did.

The xG stats speak for themselves. Whatever backchecking deficiencies you perceived, over 1 xGF and about .25 xGA. Meanwhile, the Tavares line was expected to give up more than it was expected to get -- and, in fact, it ended up giving up a lot more than it got.

 

[ZBBM]

Willie has to be willing to go to the front of the net when the chance arises.  He's just not there often enough.  That's where the playoffs are usually won or lost.  He has to contribute that way.  If he does, it will open up ice for him elsewhere.  Until then, he'll be the target of criticisms, some of which are unfair -- but some aren't.

 

[Guilt Trip]

Willie has to be willing to go to the front of the net when the chance arises.  He's just not there often enough.  That's where the playoffs are usually won or lost.  He has to contribute that way.  If he does, it will open up ice for him elsewhere.  Until then, he'll be the target of criticisms, some of which are unfair -- but some aren't.

I didn't like his giveaways or his backcheck today. I agree tho he needs to drive the net more. Too much on the perimeter. It hasn't been a good year for Willy.

 

[Zee]

Matthews, Tavares, Marner, Johnsson, Rielly and either Nylander or Moore/Kapanen. Is it that hard to pick your 5 best scoring forwards?

Apparently it is with Babs. He got out coached tonight. Every time Boston doesn't catch the JT line out for an icing, the Bergeron line is over the boards. Babs had 2 chances in the second period, he puts out Nylander's??? One of the Matthews or JT's lines would be ready.

People think it's not a big deal but all these little coaching decisions add up over the course of a game and series. If you're not consistently putting pressure on the other team when you have good chances to you're just wasting time on the clock. Same with those Gauthier 3rd period shifts, basically killing a minute of the clock whenever he's out

 

[Zee]

Willie has to be willing to go to the front of the net when the chance arises.  He's just not there often enough.  That's where the playoffs are usually won or lost.  He has to contribute that way.  If he does, it will open up ice for him elsewhere.  Until then, he'll be the target of criticisms, some of which are unfair -- but some aren't.

Willy has to be willing. I see what you did there.

 

[mr grieves]

Willie has to be willing to go to the front of the net when the chance arises.  He's just not there often enough.  That's where the playoffs are usually won or lost.  He has to contribute that way.  If he does, it will open up ice for him elsewhere.  Until then, he'll be the target of criticisms, some of which are unfair -- but some aren't.

I think the problem is that, on his line this series, the chance to that won't arise very often.