Leafs @ Penguins - Dec. 16th, 7:00pm - SN, SN 590

[GhostofPotvin29]

What bothers me the most:

We give the puck away with poor dump ins and lack of a forecheck.

We NEVER circle back and wait for fresh linemates to pass the puck too.

We have way to much tunnel vision... get the puck, dump it out and await the onslaught from the other team.  We don't value the puck at all, we just give it to the other team.

For some reason JVR dumped it in on a 6 on 4 PP with an empty net.  Carry it man don't give up possession in that scenario.

 

[Erndog]

What bothers me the most:

We give the puck away with poor dump ins and lack of a forecheck.

We NEVER circle back and wait for fresh linemates to pass the puck too.

We have way to much tunnel vision... get the puck, dump it out and await the onslaught from the other team.  We don't value the puck at all, we just give it to the other team.

For some reason JVR dumped it in on a 6 on 4 PP with an empty net.  Carry it man don't give up possession in that scenario.

For some reason?

I think thats a coaching thing honestly.  We are constantly doing it.  I noticed Raymond liked to carry it but even he's dumping it now. 

And last week when Ashton took that puck over the glass penalty?  He had Kulemin streaking right out of the zone but Ashton didn't even look, just dump it off the boards and out. 

I really think the coaching staff preaches that but it's clearly not working.

 

[princedpw]

We NEVER circle back and wait for fresh linemates to pass the puck too.

Not never, but I notice we do this a lot.  On a line change, we usually give the puck to the other team.  The other team doesn't reciprocate.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

What bothers me the most:

We give the puck away with poor dump ins and lack of a forecheck.

We NEVER circle back and wait for fresh linemates to pass the puck too.

We have way to much tunnel vision... get the puck, dump it out and await the onslaught from the other team.  We don't value the puck at all, we just give it to the other team.

The dump in that made absolutely zero sense(other than the 6-4 dump in) was Gardiner's that led to the winning goal. That was a bloody howitzer with no chance of being tipped or touched. I've been a Carlyle supporter but if in any way this is what they're being told to do, I give up.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

Are the Leafs not a middle of the pack/bad team? I'd rate them closer to being a bad team than to being a good team.

I wouldn't have said so before the season started, but, it's hard to argue against that now. However, in order to become a good team, the amount they rely on clutch plays late in the game to put up points is one of the areas they're going to have to work on.

Well yes, definitely. But until they become a good team, they'll continue to have to rely on clutch plays. I think we have a Conundrum!

 

[hockeyfan1]

Surprised that the team had it so tough even against a depleted Pittsburgh line-up.  Crosby, as usual, was the deciding factor in the Pens victory.

That Gardiner dump out was a killer. Those plays are risky and can lead to a scoring opportunity, especially against a sharp opponent.  Lesson learned.

Loved the way Bernier came out and thumped whoever it was.  Brilliant!  Heck, Bernier had a point in the assist column, too!

The Leafs had more than enough chances to defeat the Pens but only make it harder on themselves with their oft-times flawed playing -- no puck cycling, no offensive zone pressure, too many dump-ins or giveaways, etc.

*sigh*

 

[Erndog]

Why is depleted in quotation marks? 

That was definitely a depleted Pens lineup.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Why is depleted in quotation marks? 

That was definitely a depleted Pens lineup.

I hadn't noticed the quotation marks.  Device error.  Fixed.