Game 5: Maple Leafs @ Rangers - Saturday January 26th, 2013 - CBC 19:00

[Zee]

Was out for the whole first and quit watching when the Rangers tied it at 2. Lacklustre is the only way to describe it. Looked horrible halfway through the Isles game and continued tonight. Forwards giving up the puck way too easy. These guys scared to take a hit or what. Absolutely brutal. 9 shots after 2 periods. Finally what's the coaching staff thinking. Phaneuf and Kostka logging way too many minutes. Both -4. Do we not have anybody else to bring up for Fraser. Gardiner I can see maybe needing a little time after the concussion but wheres Blacker, Holzer.

I did not understand the ice time for Phaneuf/Kostka. 32 min each?? Is this Pronger and Niedermayer out there?  Phaneuf should never play more than 24 min tops he's not a workhorse.

 

[Bullfrog]

Would you give up Kessel, and if so, what would you expect to get for him?

I was thinking something like Tyler Seguin, Dougie Hamilton and Jared Knight

Not to bang the drum or anything but...how hard would someone be laughed at for proposing that now, excluding any of the history behind it?

I'm not sure many/any would do Seguin for Kessel straight up.

 

[Zee]

Sad thing is the CBC Saturday game is the only game I get to watch all week.


Actually this may be a good thing.

 

[mc]

So Kessel cant hit, wont go in the corners, is small, very streaky, one dimensional (wrist shot), wont back check, cant play defence or cover anyone. Boston is set for the next 15 years with Seguin, Hamilton and Knight. We are already discussing trading Kessel.

 

[Derk]

Watched the first 13 or so minutes of the game at the gym, have been running around since then. Instead of going to the scoreboard, I came here.

Glad I didn't watch the rest of the game - sounds like it was another embarrassing performance and that the Leafs really didn't show up except for Reimer.

I hear there is a deep draft this year.

Season's not over yet.

 

[Derk]

So Kessel cant hit, wont go in the corners, is small, very streaky, one dimensional (wrist shot), wont back check, cant play defence or cover anyone. Boston is set for the next 15 years with Seguin, Hamilton and Knight. We are already discussing trading Kessel.

That's pretty much the way things have gone for the last four decades I'm afraid.

Now as long as they don't throw some gas on the fire by trading Kadri, Gardiner and a 1st for Luongo....

 

[Stronger Than All]

First game I watched this season.  Not sure how many more I'll catch.

 

[Mack674]

First game I watched this season.  Not sure how many more I'll catch.

I've watched every game this season.

I've seen enough. Same as last season, the season before that and the one before that. Garbage.

 

[hillbillyjack]

Reimer has looked steady.

I'm also enjoying Rich Nash getting roughed up.

Has Frattin even played since his hooking penalty?

Was that intentional or just a typo?

 

[hillbillyjack]

4 unanswered, another lead blown. Sigh

Word is going to be out that leaf leads aren't safe, but one could've guessed that with our goaltending

Goaltending is the last thing I'd blame for tonight's loss.

This.

 

[Strangelove]

Totally outclassed.  The lack of talent from the top to the bottom of the line-up was pretty glaring tonight.  Kostka has no business playing 30 minutes and leading the PP, and Phaneuf should be limited to 22-24.

Why Liles isn't on the top powerplay unit is a bit of a mystery.  Why is he on the team?

The "top-line" also played way too much tonight; when things aren't working you have to adjust - I don't know what game Carlyle was watching.

 

[mjmgrand]

Totally outclassed.  The lack of talent from the top to the bottom of the line-up was pretty glaring tonight.  Kostka has no business playing 30 minutes and leading the PP, and Phaneuf should be limited to 22-24.

Why Liles isn't on the top powerplay unit is a bit of a mystery.  Why is he on the team?

The "top-line" also played way too much tonight; when things aren't working you have to adjust - I don't know what game Carlyle was watching.

The entire game tonight was a bit of a mystery. Even Komarov, usually a beast, did not land a single hit of consequence.

I have never seen Kessel look this ineffective. I also need to see him and Bozak split up, as well as see him double shifted and playing with as close to "super-line" that we can muster on our roster, with Grabovski at centre and Van Riemsdyk on the left.

Carlyle was very much out-coached by Torterella tonight.

For the first time ever, I'm squarely looking at Phaneuf. I need to see more passion from him. I need to see him hit the net when he shoots. I need to see him barking on the bench.  He is not playing like an elite defenseman in his own end, and he is fully capable of that.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Totally outclassed.  The lack of talent from the top to the bottom of the line-up was pretty glaring tonight.  Kostka has no business playing 30 minutes and leading the PP, and Phaneuf should be limited to 22-24.

Why Liles isn't on the top powerplay unit is a bit of a mystery.  Why is he on the team?

The "top-line" also played way too much tonight; when things aren't working you have to adjust - I don't know what game Carlyle was watching.

I feel like people have an issue with whatever coach we have.

 

[hockeyfan1]

First game I watched this season.  Not sure how many more I'll catch.

I've watched every game this season.

I've seen enough. Same as last season, the season before that and the one before that. Garbage.

What's the "same as last season" is that the Leafs still have trouble holding onto a lead.

Of course, we can all see that they still need a top-6 forward, another good d-man (an un-Phaneuf), and a decent back-up goaltender ( unless we place our complete faith in Scrivens when he plays). 

I'm not going to be so pessimistic in throwing away the season as "garbage" just yet.  Look at the Rangers and where they're at.  Many teams have identical records & points as the Leafs do at this stage so far.

The Islanders, of course, are doing better than their cross-town rivals (the  Rangers).  ;D

 

[Strangelove]

Totally outclassed.  The lack of talent from the top to the bottom of the line-up was pretty glaring tonight.  Kostka has no business playing 30 minutes and leading the PP, and Phaneuf should be limited to 22-24.

Why Liles isn't on the top powerplay unit is a bit of a mystery.  Why is he on the team?

The "top-line" also played way too much tonight; when things aren't working you have to adjust - I don't know what game Carlyle was watching.

I feel like people have an issue with whatever coach we have.

I wouldn't say I have an issue with him just yet.  I was just struggling to wrap my head around his decision-making last night.

The real problem, as far as I'm concerned, is the dearth of talent in the line-up.  There's no quick and easy way to address the mediocrity (read: mess) that Burke left behind.

 

[Kin]

I feel like people have an issue with whatever coach we have.

That's true. I've been a Leafs fan for...what, a quarter of a century almost and still not a single coach has been universally hailed as being perfect.

 

[Zee]

I feel like people have an issue with whatever coach we have.

That's true. I've been a Leafs fan for...what, a quarter of a century almost and still not a single coach has been universally hailed as being perfect.

I don't have an overall issue with Carlyle but playing Phaneuf 32 min in game 5 of the season is excessive. Just because you take issue with one part of the coaching doesn't mean you're down on the coach. Carlyle is still moving this team in the right direction.

Pat Burns was pretty well regarded as a great coach that had the Leafs overachieving.

 

[L K]

I think the random AHL experiment of playing Kostka on the top pairing needs to stop.

He's a team worst -7
The team starts 52% of his shifts in the offensive zone...and ends with 31.1% of them in the offensive zone. (Not only is this a team worst for decline in zone but it's also the lowest mark by a wide margin).
The team is scoring 1.36 ES goals/60 minutes of icetime.
The team is giving up 6.01 ES goals/60 minutes of icetime.

I'm really just not seeing what Carlyle is getting out of Kostka that has him playing 30 minutes a night.  And this is a fully in game shape Kostka that is likely to get worse as teams get back up to speed and the top end players get in better shape.  He really shouldn't be anywhere near the top pairing.  A 5th/6th defenseman with PP time, sure.

 

[cw]

I think the random AHL experiment of playing Kostka on the top pairing needs to stop.

He's a team worst -7

Phaneuf is a league worst -8

I wouldn't blame it all on them. Some stoppable goals by Scrivens and in Reimer's first game contributed. And the Leafs forwards last night got manhandled by the bigger Rangers.

In earlier games this season, I thought Phaneuf was playing the best defensive hockey I'd seen him play.

Having said that, a pairing that's a league worst collective -15 ... well, you might want to try something different in terms of a partner or time on ice rather than playing them for 31-32 mins.

 

[cw]

I feel like people have an issue with whatever coach we have.

As great as some of them were, I can't think of a player or coach in NHL history who was flawless.

I didn't care for Punch Imlach and he only won four Cups. I liked Neilson, Burns & Quinn as Leafs coaches and I like Carlyle but I can't recall giving any of them a complete pass.

After the way the team has played the last two games, I don't feel like Carlyle should be beyond criticism or scrutiny. Like Wilson or recent Leafs coaches, he's obviously working with some talent limitations on his roster so he's far from being the major problem.