Leafs @ Ducks - Jan. 14th, 10:00pm - SNO, TSN 1050

[L K]

Media now calling Carlyle a genius for letting the Leafs cheat and playing run-and-gun. Amazing.

I was saying it all season.  The Leafs are selfish jerk players who refuse to listen to the coach.  They refuse to play his defensive system.  However, Carlyle was fantastic because he knew this team was garbage and could only cheat so he preached defense but secretly wanted them to ignore him and cheat to score rush goals and get hemmed in their own zone giving up 40 shots a game.  It was all his plan.  The stupid fans and organization got in the way of a real genius.

 

[Leaflifer]

Franson is the reason for the last two goal. dumbass

Are you seriously blaming him for the third goal? Good finish by Perry, but a total cherry-picking hail-mary play by Perry-Getzlaf. They were lucky that pass got through and deflected the way it did.

Yes if he did not tip the puck it is not a break away.

He had to attempt to stop that puck...for obvious reasons.

 

[bustaheims]

I don't think they need to "work on it". I think they have to stop giving Clarkson a PP shift, and stop playing Phaneuf and Franson--neither of whom carry the puck particularly well--for the first 90 seconds. Very little work necessary.

Sure, but, despite all that, it was a top 10 PP until recently. The 2nd unit has needed help all year, but the 1st unit was producing at a very good rate - even with Franson and Phaneuf manning the blue line for it. I'm all for changes, but, until now, outside of fixing the 2nd unit, none were necessary, and even those that were there weren't pressing.

 

[herman]

Media now calling Carlyle a genius for letting the Leafs cheat and playing run-and-gun. Amazing.

I wish Simmons and Feschuck were on this panel too, so I can ignore them all at the same time.

Well, Sportnet always has the media's best and brightest to work their intermissions.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Damien Cox and Nik Kypreos bringing you their awesome hockey knowledge.  This is all the system and not a scoring slump at all.  Sigh.  And they are openly advocating for Kessel to cheat and ignore the coach.  Hilarious.

One of these days people are going to understand PDO. It just won't be today.

 

[x.jr.benchwarmer]

If it were up to me, Phaneuf would have been taken off the 1st PP a while ago. Would like to see what Gardiner and/or Rielly could do on that unit. Even if it were for a short period of time.
[/quote
Totally agree.

What is the downside trying Gardiner on the first PP unit ahead of Dion?  The Leafs need a bona fide puck carrier and Gardiner is the best defenceman for that, IMO.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Franson is the reason for the last two goal. dumbass

Are you seriously blaming him for the third goal? Good finish by Perry, but a total cherry-picking hail-mary play by Perry-Getzlaf. They were lucky that pass got through and deflected the way it did.

I wish we had a better replay because I have no idea how that wasn't offside.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Damien Cox and Nik Kypreos bringing you their awesome hockey knowledge.  This is all the system and not a scoring slump at all.  Sigh.  And they are openly advocating for Kessel to cheat and ignore the coach.  Hilarious.

It's funny.  0 goals their last 5 periods, but 7 the 5 before that.  Not going to be mentioned though.

Also funny, some of the 'analytics' guys on Twitter predicted something like this could happen (and Mirtle said it might be a reason to not fire the coach before the trip) - a rough PDO stretch during this Western trip.  If SV% & SH% both go down at once, and your C depth consists of Kadri, Bozak, Smith, Carrick...it could be rough.

 

[Strangelove]

I don't think they need to "work on it". I think they have to stop giving Clarkson a PP shift, and stop playing Phaneuf and Franson--neither of whom carry the puck particularly well--for the first 90 seconds. Very little work necessary.

Sure, but, despite all that, it was a top 10 PP until recently. The 2nd unit has needed help all year, but the 1st unit was producing at a very good rate - even with Franson and Phaneuf manning the blue line for it. I'm all for changes, but, until now, outside of fixing the 2nd unit, none were necessary, and even those that were there weren't pressing.

I'd say when your team hasn't scored in a bunch of periods, you have to be willing to make in-game adjustments, even if only to give the team a spark. Trotting out the same lines over and over, regardless of whether they're working, is not a particularly good way to inspire a sense of urgency in your club. Tinkering a bit with a slumping powerplay would be the perfect place to start.

 

[bustaheims]

I'd say when your team hasn't scored in a bunch of periods, you have to be willing to make in-game adjustments, even if only to give the team a spark. Trotting out the same lines over and over, regardless of whether they're working, is not a particularly good way to inspire a sense of urgency in your club. Tinkering a bit with a slumping powerplay would be the perfect place to start.

That same "slumping power play" scored a pair of goals just 2 games ago and didn't see the ice yet until late in the 2nd period tonight.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

I'd say when your team hasn't scored in a bunch of periods, you have to be willing to make in-game adjustments, even if only to give the team a spark. Trotting out the same lines over and over, regardless of whether they're working, is not a particularly good way to inspire a sense of urgency in your club. Tinkering a bit with a slumping powerplay would be the perfect place to start.

That same "slumping power play" scored a pair of goals just 2 games ago and didn't see the ice yet until late in the 2nd period tonight.

Yeah, every PP runs hot and cold.  Even the best you're going to have stretches of no PP goals, it's unavoidable.

 

[Strangelove]

I'd say when your team hasn't scored in a bunch of periods, you have to be willing to make in-game adjustments, even if only to give the team a spark. Trotting out the same lines over and over, regardless of whether they're working, is not a particularly good way to inspire a sense of urgency in your club. Tinkering a bit with a slumping powerplay would be the perfect place to start.

That same "slumping power play" scored a pair of goals just 2 games ago and didn't see the ice yet until late in the 2nd period tonight.

The fact that they have a decent powerplay in general does not imply that it can't be improved or that the coach shouldn't make adjustments when it isn't working.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

The old first line back together, Leafs d have the puck and all three forwards are near the opposing blue line. 

I get that these guys are millionaires and need to be 'managed' but Jesus have some balls if you're a coach and just tear them apart, let them know that the next time they do that they will be in the press box and follow through on it.

 

[bustaheims]

Yeah, every PP runs hot and cold.  Even the best you're going to have stretches of no PP goals, it's unavoidable.

Yup. It's cooled off from where it was earlier in the season, but, that's also not a huge surprise considering the favourable shooting percentage they were seeing. It's still producing at a pretty good rate. It's more that the ES production has really started to dry up, so there's a lot more focus on the PP.

 

[bustaheims]

Horachek still not giving Carrick much ice time, but, in fairness, he doesn't look NHL ready to me, either.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Horachek still not giving Carrick much ice time, but, in fairness, he doesn't look NHL ready to me, either.

Carrick's this years Andrew MacWilliam. Nobody hears about that guy anymore huh.

 

[L K]

There were a few posters raving about Carrick over and over again when he was getting passed over on callups.  I'm not seeing it.  He looks like a dime-a-dozen AHL player who barely fits as a 4th liner in the NHL.

 

[ZBBM]

Nice job there refs.  Crap.

 

[herman]

Booth + elbow = woozy

 

[L K]

Vatanen elbows Booth in the face when Booth goes to try and hit him.  No call on the ice.