Leafs @ Islanders - Feb. 28th, 7:00pm - TSN4, TSN 1050

[Bender]

This is the team that will beat the bruins though, so nothing to worry about.

Your Eeyore schtick is getting old.

The complaints are legit. You just don?t want to hear them.

Could you ask Azzurri how he's doing for me?

Deflect all you want.  Doesn?t change the reality. To win the leafs have to go through Tampa and Boston. And they are nowhere near matching their compete level.

I get that there's questions about this team. I think everyone has them. I have them. But I don't think that losing to Tampa or Boston is guaranteed because the Leafs lost tonight or had some losses that left you disappointed.

Like I asked earlier, what would make you happy? If the Leafs were this year's TBay? If they never had a blowout loss or a loss that displeased you? The Leafs had the 4th best record in the league going into tonight.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I think the hope was to roll the dice on the goalie that won the Calder Cup last year. It's hard to say if he's a legit backup at this point but man the team really didn't do anything to help him. The tone was set after that 3 on 1.

Considering his AHL play I still think giving him a shot was the right move, but I'm starting to lean anti-Sparks. Yeah he's often in a tough situation always playing the 2nd of a back-to-back but that's also just the life of a backup goalie. He went down way early on the 5th goal. Kinda wish he battled a little harder to get his position back on the 4th goal. 3rd goal was a breakway yeah but his 5-hole was wiiiide open. 2nd goal was an odd man rush yeah but he over-committed hard on the shot.

 

[Jeremiad]

Our most serious lack of depth is at the goalie position.

I don't know about that. Sparks made some big saves tonight. With a competent defense group, and decent team defense, the goaltending might not look so bad

My post was not meant as a judgment against Sparks (I'm definitely not pinning this loss on him) so much as an observation that if Andersen gets injured our playoff hopes are over. That's simply not true for other teams, e.g. Boston or TB.

 

[BermudaBudsFan]

Per Bob McKenzie ?the Islanders play a heavy game and the Leafs seemed to shrink from the challenge.?

I agree.

 

[Kin]

Oh, I don't know... Getting beat the shit out of night after night?

Is that what you saw against Edmonton? Or Buffalo? Or in the last 10 where, again, they have a winning record?

They're currently pretty beat up as a result. How's Dermott? How about Kadri? Wouldn't be surprised if Muzzin goes day to day after the punishment tonight. Good call, bring the young man up and watch his confidence shatter

A lot of young players get their chances because of injuries.

 

[princedpw]

What is concerning is that it seems in high pressure games they dont perform as well.
[/quote

The Montreal comeback was less than a week ago come on people.

Look, that game was nowhere near as intense as this one.  Everyone knew this was a big game.  They failed.

Nope this isn't a big game, yesterday against the Oilers was and Leafs passed with flying colours.

If the proposition is that all games are the same, I don?t agree.

The proposition is you or I don't get to say which games are bigger than any other.

Yeah, that?s not true.

... the leafs have played well against Tampa this year ... those games are the biggest, aren?t they?

 

[ZBBM]

Really, though, the Leafs were the better team in the first period.  Then once 2-2 magically became 2-1 again, they suddenly remembered it was 3 games in 4.  That, and the fact that our blueline can't absorb the loss of 2 starters, is pretty much the game story.

As for Sparks, this is not on him.  But is he a good enough backup?  Like Jeremiad said, our 2 big rivals have a decided edge there.  But we have always known that if Andersen goes down, it's lights out.

 

[Bender]

Bringing him into what? A team that's gone 5-4-1 in their last 10?

Oh, I don't know... Getting beat the shit out of night after night? They're currently pretty beat up as a result. How's Dermott? How about Kadri? Wouldn't be surprised if Muzzin goes day to day after the punishment tonight. Good call, bring the young man up and watch his confidence shatter

We've lost the least man games due to injury this year, so your theory doesn't really hold up.

 

[AtomicMapleLeaf]

TB is getting their asses handed to them by BOS

 

[Jeremiad]

Per Bob McKenzie ?the Islanders play a heavy game and the Leafs seemed to shrink from the challenge.?

I agree.

Yeah, that about sums it up. Does not bode well for April.

 

[BrownRolo]

The called.back goal and then the shorty after killed them. I still don't understand why the refs wait to see if the opposition coach will challenge. It should be like the NFL after the goal the scoring team can line up at centre ice and they drop the puck. You can't wait around to see if you want to challenge or not.

 

[Zee]

What is concerning is that it seems in high pressure games they dont perform as well.
[/quote

The Montreal comeback was less than a week ago come on people.

Look, that game was nowhere near as intense as this one.  Everyone knew this was a big game.  They failed.

Nope this isn't a big game, yesterday against the Oilers was and Leafs passed with flying colours.

If the proposition is that all games are the same, I don?t agree.

The proposition is you or I don't get to say which games are bigger than any other.

Yeah, that?s not true.

I guess I missed that memo where they sent out the voting cards to fans asking which games are big. 

 

[princedpw]

This is Holl's 3rd or 4th game of the season.  Marincin stinks.  Sparks stinks.  This was going to be a tough game to win no matter what.

It took Nylander 20+ games to find his stride. Holl is in a more difficult situation.  Let?s give him a bunch of games to get back in the swing.

 

[Kin]

So just to sum up:

Games against Tampa? Not big.

Games against Monteal? Not big.

Games against Washington? Not big.

Games against Pittsburgh? Not big.

Games against Boston and NYI? THE BIGGEST!!!!!!!

 

[Bender]

Per Bob McKenzie ?the Islanders play a heavy game and the Leafs seemed to shrink from the challenge.?

I agree.

Yeah, that about sums it up. Does not bode well for April.

What about TBay getting crushed by Boston? Does that not bode well for TBay in April? The narrative being spun out of this one game is highly overstated.

 

[ZBBM]

Per Bob McKenzie ?the Islanders play a heavy game and the Leafs seemed to shrink from the challenge.?

I agree.

Yeah, that about sums it up. Does not bode well for April.

Well, true.  Except ... teams that play a heavy game can fade over a long series.  The BOS series last year a case in point, the first 2 games were as awful as this one, just jammed it down our throats, but until the third period implosion in G7 the Leafs battled back.

This game was a sugar high for NYI.

To me, the most interesting thing about the playoffs this year is to see whether Matthews and Tavares and to a lesser extent Nylander can bring it.  Matthews especially.

 

[Jeremiad]

Per Bob McKenzie ?the Islanders play a heavy game and the Leafs seemed to shrink from the challenge.?

I agree.

Yeah, that about sums it up. Does not bode well for April.

What about TBay getting crushed by Boston? Does that not bode well for TBay in April? The narrative being spun out of this one game is highly overstated.

It's not just one game. We've seen this over the whole season. I'm not saying we're screwed. I still believe the Leafs can beat Boston in the first round. But, yeah, after tonight's game in Beantown, if I'm a TB fan, I would be praying to face the buds in round 2 and not the Bruins.

 

[Zee]

Per Bob McKenzie ?the Islanders play a heavy game and the Leafs seemed to shrink from the challenge.?

I agree.

Yeah, that about sums it up. Does not bode well for April.

What about TBay getting crushed by Boston? Does that not bode well for TBay in April? The narrative being spun out of this one game is highly overstated.

Once again I hate to keep harping on the schedule but look at Tampa and Boston tonight. Tampa, 3rd game in 4 nights, Boston well rested. Shots are currently 42-17 Boston, hmmmm Tampa can't match that physicality!!

 

[Jeremiad]

Per Bob McKenzie ?the Islanders play a heavy game and the Leafs seemed to shrink from the challenge.?

I agree.

Yeah, that about sums it up. Does not bode well for April.

Well, true.  Except ... teams that play a heavy game can fade over a long series.  The BOS series last year a case in point, the first 2 games were as awful as this one, just jammed it down our throats, but until the third period implosion in G7 the Leafs battled back.

This game was a sugar high for NYI.

To me, the most interesting thing about the playoffs this year is to see whether Matthews and Tavares and to a lesser extent Nylander can bring it.  Matthews especially.

Agreed. These playoffs should be a defining moment for AM. Let's hope in a good way.

 

[Bender]

Per Bob McKenzie ?the Islanders play a heavy game and the Leafs seemed to shrink from the challenge.?

I agree.

Yeah, that about sums it up. Does not bode well for April.

What about TBay getting crushed by Boston? Does that not bode well for TBay in April? The narrative being spun out of this one game is highly overstated.

It's not just one game. We've seen this over the whole season. I'm not saying we're screwed. I still believe the Leafs can beat Boston in the first round. But, yeah, after tonight's game in Beantown, if I'm a TB fan, I would be praying to face the buds in round 2 and not the Bruins.

Why? We beat TBay in our last game. Everyone's memories are only as good as the most recent loss it seems.