Leafs @ Penguins - Oct. 23rd, 7:00pm - CBC, TSN 1050

[bustaheims]

I'm not overly worried. They've done ok despite getting very little from their main guys so either their all-stars have all of a sudden turned into bad players or they're in a slump and they'll get better.

Yup. This team isn?t going to shoot below 6% for the whole season. Per Naturalstattruck.com, they lead the league in expected goals, scoring chances, and high danger chances. It?s just a matter of time before those chances become goals.

 

[Bullfrog]

I'd rather it happen now then at the end of the season..Plenty of time to turn this around.

Lots more games to figure this out than in a 7 game series. The fun thing is all opponents had two/three whole series now to see exactly how to bone the Leafs (let them bone themselves in essence), so we are going to get a lot of practice. I will riot, however, if the only solution appears to be play the piss out of Matthews and Marner.

I'm assuming your were just as excited as me to see Bunting-Matthews-Nylander for a few shifts.

Because clearly, the solution is to play the piss out of Nylander. He is unquestionably the MVP of the team to this point.

 

[Joe S.]

I had to stop to watching when it was 1-1. So what?s the bottom line? Overall garbage effort? Bad goaltending? What?s the actual takeaway from this game?

 

[Highlander]

I had to stop to watching when it was 1-1. So what?s the bottom line? Overall garbage effort? Bad goaltending? What?s the actual takeaway from this game?

I think at least 4 of the goals were complete flukes, especially Liljegren scoring his first NHL goal on an excellent tip past Campbell.

 

[herman]

I'd rather it happen now then at the end of the season..Plenty of time to turn this around.

Lots more games to figure this out than in a 7 game series. The fun thing is all opponents had two/three whole series now to see exactly how to bone the Leafs (let them bone themselves in essence), so we are going to get a lot of practice. I will riot, however, if the only solution appears to be play the piss out of Matthews and Marner.

I'm assuming your were just as excited as me to see Bunting-Matthews-Nylander for a few shifts.

Because clearly, the solution is to play the piss out of Nylander. He is unquestionably the MVP of the team to this point.

https://twitter.com/mostlyleafies/status/1452317674063663117

 

[Guilt Trip]

I'd rather it happen now then at the end of the season..Plenty of time to turn this around.

Lots more games to figure this out than in a 7 game series. The fun thing is all opponents had two/three whole series now to see exactly how to bone the Leafs (let them bone themselves in essence), so we are going to get a lot of practice. I will riot, however, if the only solution appears to be play the piss out of Matthews and Marner.

I'm assuming your were just as excited as me to see Bunting-Matthews-Nylander for a few shifts.

Because clearly, the solution is to play the piss out of Nylander. He is unquestionably the MVP of the team to this point.

https://twitter.com/mostlyleafies/status/1452317674063663117

I'd like to see them play 34, 88, 58 for 5 games or so...I think Ritchie is more suited for the 2nd or 3rd line where he'll see easier competition. 

 

[Redleaf]

I'd rather it happen now then at the end of the season..Plenty of time to turn this around.

Lots more games to figure this out than in a 7 game series. The fun thing is all opponents had two/three whole series now to see exactly how to bone the Leafs (let them bone themselves in essence), so we are going to get a lot of practice. I will riot, however, if the only solution appears to be play the piss out of Matthews and Marner.

I'm assuming your were just as excited as me to see Bunting-Matthews-Nylander for a few shifts.

Because clearly, the solution is to play the piss out of Nylander. He is unquestionably the MVP of the team to this point.

https://twitter.com/mostlyleafies/status/1452317674063663117

I'd like to see them play 34, 88, 58 for 5 games or so...I think Ritchie is more suited for the 2nd or 3rd line where he'll see easier competition.

Its disappointing to think Dubas thought they could plug almost anyone into the top line spot with Matthews and Marner and those two would carry that player and the line would just click. Im thinking they're realizing how important of piece Hyman was to that lines success now.

 

[rdowdall]

I'm not overly worried. They've done ok despite getting very little from their main guys so either their all-stars have all of a sudden turned into bad players or they're in a slump and they'll get better.

My only concern there is that it points to the lack of depth that the cap has enforced on this team.  If the big guys can't get going, then sure they are probably going to lose.  But to lose by 6 to a team that is without any of its top players is a concern.  If they had lost 2-1 last night it's a different story.  There were points in that game where it looked like the Leafs didn't even deserve to be on the same ice sheet.  And if this last stretch of games is any indication, then this team is again going to be up against it in the playoffs if they can't get the big guys going

 

[princedpw]

How are we doing here? Imploding?

 

[princedpw]

I'd rather it happen now then at the end of the season..Plenty of time to turn this around.

Lots more games to figure this out than in a 7 game series. The fun thing is all opponents had two/three whole series now to see exactly how to bone the Leafs (let them bone themselves in essence), so we are going to get a lot of practice. I will riot, however, if the only solution appears to be play the piss out of Matthews and Marner.

I'm assuming your were just as excited as me to see Bunting-Matthews-Nylander for a few shifts.

Because clearly, the solution is to play the piss out of Nylander. He is unquestionably the MVP of the team to this point.

https://twitter.com/mostlyleafies/status/1452317674063663117

Just how many burner accounts do you have Herman?

 

[ZBBM]

How are we doing here? Imploding?

Does "we" include the Toronto Maple Leafs proper, or just the fanbase?  If the former, the answer is, yup.

 

[Bullfrog]

I'm not overly worried. They've done ok despite getting very little from their main guys so either their all-stars have all of a sudden turned into bad players or they're in a slump and they'll get better.

My only concern there is that it points to the lack of depth that the cap has enforced on this team.  If the big guys can't get going, then sure they are probably going to lose.  But to lose by 6 to a team that is without any of its top players is a concern.  If they had lost 2-1 last night it's a different story.  There were points in that game where it looked like the Leafs didn't even deserve to be on the same ice sheet.  And if this last stretch of games is any indication, then this team is again going to be up against it in the playoffs if they can't get the big guys going

I'm not too concerned. If these two teams played 20 times, I'm betting the Leafs win 15-18 of them. Any team in the NHL can beat any other team. That's what parity's done, for better or worse.

Really, the game sucked. No denying that. But rewatch the goals; a number of them are flukey bounces.

 

[rdowdall]

I'm not overly worried. They've done ok despite getting very little from their main guys so either their all-stars have all of a sudden turned into bad players or they're in a slump and they'll get better.

My only concern there is that it points to the lack of depth that the cap has enforced on this team.  If the big guys can't get going, then sure they are probably going to lose.  But to lose by 6 to a team that is without any of its top players is a concern.  If they had lost 2-1 last night it's a different story.  There were points in that game where it looked like the Leafs didn't even deserve to be on the same ice sheet.  And if this last stretch of games is any indication, then this team is again going to be up against it in the playoffs if they can't get the big guys going

I'm not too concerned. If these two teams played 20 times, I'm betting the Leafs win 15-18 of them. Any team in the NHL can beat any other team. That's what parity's done, for better or worse.

Really, the game sucked. No denying that. But rewatch the goals; a number of them are flukey bounces.

I'm not sure I feel like they have done okay.  They lost to a tired San Jose team that played the night before.  The lost to a depleted Pittsburgh team in a fantastically bad fashion.  They couldn't break through against the Rangers.  They were pretty bad against the Sens in their second game of the season.  Even their 2 wins weren't awe inspiring. 

It all fits with what we as fans have seen over the last couple of years.  The lack of urgency in their starts.  The lack of ability to rise to the occasion.  The lack of ability to put down weak opponents.  I think it all stems from their overreliance on there skill and their reluctance to change anything up.  It looks as thought teams have figured out that with the Leafs puck possesion approach, all you have to do is keep them to the outside, because no one, other than Spezza, wants to take it to the net, so they pass it around looking for the perfect shot that is never there, because 5 opponents just collapse back on their net. 

That's why it all looks the same, and I think that has to be a concern because if they don't change things, then the result is likely to be the same.  Take away the Leafs skill and the team falters.  Right now, I think that Tavares and Marner need to step up, and then they need to stay up.  They can fall off, because a large part of that lack of depth is that there is an unforgiving cap system in place and those two players take up 21.5 million of that cap.

And as soon as the big guys get firing again, they'll win their fair share of games, and they will probably make the playoffs, but at that point, it looks like those above character flaws will rear there ugly heads again and we as fans will be left wanting come playoff time again.  It's just that the warning signs are now.

I was on board with the big 4, and I likened it to the approach Pittsburgh took to how they won their last two cups, but to me, there is more to it than just raw skill at this point.  They have the raw skill in spades, and it looks like they don't have the other parts that pull them together as a team.  I don't know if the skill guys need to grow more, or if they just need more support than what they are getting.