Red Wings @ Leafs - Nov. 22nd, 7:00pm - CBC, TSN 1050

[Highlander]

I thought Holland played a very strong game, I think this kid is really starting to blossom and is becoming a go to player. Nice trade for him.

 

[Bullfrog]

I've liked Holland since the day he arrived. Glad to see him playing well with the opportunities he's been given.

 

[Kin]

What exactly is the attraction of Stromboulopolous as a host?  Is he supposed to appeal to a younger audience?

I don't think it's a young/old thing, I think it's an attempt to reel in some people who aren't the traditional hockey audience. I think they want someone with interviewing skills beyond "How important is it to get that first goal?"

 

[L K]

What exactly is the attraction of Stromboulopolous as a host?  Is he supposed to appeal to a younger audience?

I don't think it's a young/old thing, I think it's an attempt to reel in some people who aren't the traditional hockey audience. I think they want someone with interviewing skills beyond "How important is it to get that first goal?"

So instead we now get 20 minutes of jokes about how short PJ Stock is and how useless a hockey player Nik Kypreos is.  Gotcha!

 

[Kin]

So instead we now get 20 minutes of jokes about how short PJ Stock is and how useless a hockey player Nik Kypreos is.  Gotcha!

I didn't say they'd done a great job with it. I think the presentation is unwatchably bad. I'm just saying what I think the aim was re: Strombo.

 

[L K]

So instead we now get 20 minutes of jokes about how short PJ Stock is and how useless a hockey player Nik Kypreos is.  Gotcha!

I didn't say they'd done a great job with it. I think the presentation is unwatchably bad. I'm just saying what I think the aim was re: Strombo.

I wasn't trying to argue that you were.  I do understand what they were trying to do with Strombo, I just think he's been a colossal mistake at this point.  His strength for me is in the slow sit down and chill setting that HNIC really doesn't provide an opportunity to do.  I think he might have been a good addition if they were to have him do a 20-30 minute sit down interview with a player/coach/scount/GM/owner/Commissioner and then break it up into a few segments shown over the broadcast...essentially his show but with a hockey focus.

For me he just seems like a guy without passion when actually talking about hockey.  There is no energy behind what he is saying.  I don't need him showing tonnes of emotion to get interested in watching the Leafs because I quite frankly would be happy to watch them on mute if I had to but it just seems so out of place.  That and the fact that Sportsnet is still trying to emulate 1999 Fox Sunday Football makes me laugh.

 

[Kin]

I wasn't trying to argue that you were.  I do understand what they were trying to do with Strombo, I just think he's been a colossal mistake at this point.  His strength for me is in the slow sit down and chill setting that HNIC really doesn't provide an opportunity to do.  I think he might have been a good addition if they were to have him do a 20-30 minute sit down interview with a player/coach/scount/GM/owner/Commissioner and then break it up into a few segments shown over the broadcast...essentially his show but with a hockey focus.

For me he just seems like a guy without passion when actually talking about hockey.  There is no energy behind what he is saying.  I don't need him showing tonnes of emotion to get interested in watching the Leafs because I quite frankly would be happy to watch them on mute if I had to but it just seems so out of place.  That and the fact that Sportsnet is still trying to emulate 1999 Fox Sunday Football makes me laugh.

No, I think you put your finger on it exactly. They could have decided to go left field with it, to take a break from the ex-players trying to be interesting/funny stuff and really try to focus in on analysis from a fresh perspective and I think they recognized that to one extent or another that was needed.

The problem was they thought they could go half-way with it and bring him in to host but also keep the bulk of what had become a really insular, jargon-heavy HNIC show in an attempt to satisfy everyone and ultimately it doesn't click with anyone.

 

[L K]

I will say that I am enjoying Romanuk a little more of late.  I think he makes a lot of little mistakes during the broadcast but he was a nice addition to the broadcasting team.  Listening to Romanuk/Johnson and Cuthbert more than Hughson has been nice.  I guess it will be interesting to see what they do with the show next year.  I'm not really convinced that they have the mentality to change their approach.  Sportsnet has always felt like a cartoony version of TSN to me. (Not that TSN doesn't have their own plethora of issues)

 

[hockeyfan1]

Solid game in all areas.  Very adept at taking advantage of scoring opportunities (I liked the way Holland found the net on that goal), and the way the team is executing the play.

Bernier has been back to being Bernier.

Best of all, the Leafs came out playing with purpose and plenty of confidence in these last two home wins (Tampa Bay and now Detroit), particularly after all the brouhaha following their pathetic 9-2 loss to the Predators.

All good.  Keep up the good works, boys!

GO LEAFS GO!!

 

[Britishbulldog]

Wow,  I wish the Leafs had a 1st line center who can win faceoffs, etc. 

This is sarcasm right?

Bozak FO%59
Also with a SHG.

Yeah, sorry.  I usually put a sarcasm tag.  I just am surprised/tired of how much pundits link Bozak's success ONLY to playing with Kessel. Bozak is a strong skater as shown in the SHG last night with Kronwall chasing him, he has soft hands and has one of the top faceoff % in the league.  All for $4.2 MIL. 

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Wow,  I wish the Leafs had a 1st line center who can win faceoffs, etc. 

This is sarcasm right?

Bozak FO%59
Also with a SHG.

Yeah, sorry.  I usually put a sarcasm tag.  I just am surprised/tired of how much pundits link Bozak's success ONLY to playing with Kessel. Bozak is a strong skater as shown in the SHG last night with Kronwall chasing him, he has soft hands and has one of the top faceoff % in the league.  All for $4.2 MIL.

So is your argument that his success shouldn't be linked to Kessel due to being good at face-offs and being a strong skater?  At this point even Bozak's parents probably attribute a lot of his success to playing with Kessel.

 

[Bonsixx]

Wow,  I wish the Leafs had a 1st line center who can win faceoffs, etc. 

This is sarcasm right?

Bozak FO%59
Also with a SHG.

Yeah, sorry.  I usually put a sarcasm tag.  I just am surprised/tired of how much pundits link Bozak's success ONLY to playing with Kessel. Bozak is a strong skater as shown in the SHG last night with Kronwall chasing him, he has soft hands and has one of the top faceoff % in the league.  All for $4.2 MIL.

So is your argument that his success shouldn't be linked to Kessel due to being good at face-offs and being a strong skater?  At this point even Bozak's parents probably attribute a lot of his success to playing with Kessel.

Still absolute money on breakaways though... it's almost uncanny.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Wow,  I wish the Leafs had a 1st line center who can win faceoffs, etc. 

This is sarcasm right?

Bozak FO%59
Also with a SHG.

Yeah, sorry.  I usually put a sarcasm tag.  I just am surprised/tired of how much pundits link Bozak's success ONLY to playing with Kessel. Bozak is a strong skater as shown in the SHG last night with Kronwall chasing him, he has soft hands and has one of the top faceoff % in the league.  All for $4.2 MIL.

So is your argument that his success shouldn't be linked to Kessel due to being good at face-offs and being a strong skater?  At this point even Bozak's parents probably attribute a lot of his success to playing with Kessel.

Still absolute money on breakaways though... it's almost uncanny.

Yes, it's not an insult, most players would benefit from playing with Kessel.  Every good or bad play he makes doesn't alter that.

 

[Chev-boyar-sky]

Wow,  I wish the Leafs had a 1st line center who can win faceoffs, etc. 

This is sarcasm right?

Bozak FO%59
Also with a SHG.

Yeah, sorry.  I usually put a sarcasm tag.  I just am surprised/tired of how much pundits link Bozak's success ONLY to playing with Kessel. Bozak is a strong skater as shown in the SHG last night with Kronwall chasing him, he has soft hands and has one of the top faceoff % in the league.  All for $4.2 MIL.

So is your argument that his success shouldn't be linked to Kessel due to being good at face-offs and being a strong skater?  At this point even Bozak's parents probably attribute a lot of his success to playing with Kessel.

There's no doubt he benefits from playing with Kessel, anyone would.

Not to knock what is a great year for him, but I feel he could easily have another 5-7 goals (easy ones too) where he's been unprepared/unlucky which would put him close to the scoring lead....

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Wow,  I wish the Leafs had a 1st line center who can win faceoffs, etc. 

This is sarcasm right?

Bozak FO%59
Also with a SHG.

Yeah, sorry.  I usually put a sarcasm tag.  I just am surprised/tired of how much pundits link Bozak's success ONLY to playing with Kessel. Bozak is a strong skater as shown in the SHG last night with Kronwall chasing him, he has soft hands and has one of the top faceoff % in the league.  All for $4.2 MIL.

So is your argument that his success shouldn't be linked to Kessel due to being good at face-offs and being a strong skater?  At this point even Bozak's parents probably attribute a lot of his success to playing with Kessel.

There's no doubt he benefits from playing with Kessel, anyone would.

Not to knock what is a great year for him, but I feel he could easily have another 5-7 goals (easy ones too) where he's been unprepared/unlucky which would put him close to the scoring lead....

I feel like his points right now are a bit of an illusion - he's got only about half his points at even-strength.  It's fine right now, but going forward you'd like to see that percent be a lot higher since the majority of the game is even-strength situations.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Still absolute money on breakaways though... it's almost uncanny.

I actually read a story on twitter a long time ago that his shootout move is basically responsible for his NHL career. He was about to get cut by his BCHL team (league below the NCAA) and his coach watched him take penalty shots after practice and his coach put him on the team because of that. Just a funny look at the journey of a NHL player.

 

[bustaheims]

I feel like a broken record, but when should we concerned about the lack of production from Kadri? Or is it less of a concern now that he's taking care of the defensive side of the game?

Coming into last night's game, only 2 forwards had more ES points and ES goals - Kessel and JvR. He's fine. He's just not able to convert on the PP - largely because of the people he's out there with.

 

[herman]

Still absolute money on breakaways though... it's almost uncanny.

I actually read a story on twitter a long time ago that his shootout move is basically responsible for his NHL career. He was about to get cut by his BCHL team (league below the NCAA) and his coach watched him take penalty shots after practice and his coach put him on the team because of that. Just a funny look at the journey of a NHL player.

For the past couple of years, that's been the Leafs in a nutshell. As Babcock mentioned in the morning scrums, the Leafs can score almost at will once they get into position. Players like Kessel, JvR, Bozak, Kadri, Lupul, and now Holland, and Leivo/Kozun all have the ability to snipe on the rush. Our problem has generally been our play without the puck in the other two thirds of the rink.

This year, we've shown some flashes of improvement. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, we are successful when our forwards deign to backcheck with speed and give our defensemen passing options. The coaching staff and players also made this a focus point in their video sessions after the Nashville mauling. The lazy backcheck appears to be a habit formed as a result of the defensive system that left us hemmed in our own zone for more than half the game, coupled with the success players found by cheating on cherry picks coming out of the zone.

Going forward, we will need to make having that aggressive backcheck second nature, ingrained in their play like muscle memory. This will allow the defense to set up the wall higher up in the neutral zone, rather than at the hashmarks in the defensive zone. We will need to learn how to establish productive offensive zone time. Santorelli, Komarov, and Winnik are great additions in that regard, but they are not natural scorers. Find more players with their tenacity on the puck, and JvR/Lupul hands.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

Still absolute money on breakaways though... it's almost uncanny.

I actually read a story on twitter a long time ago that his shootout move is basically responsible for his NHL career. He was about to get cut by his BCHL team (league below the NCAA) and his coach watched him take penalty shots after practice and his coach put him on the team because of that. Just a funny look at the journey of a NHL player.

For the past couple of years, that's been the Leafs in a nutshell. As Babcock mentioned in the morning scrums, the Leafs can score almost at will once they get into position. Players like Kessel, JvR, Bozak, Kadri, Lupul, and now Holland, and Leivo/Kozun all have the ability to snipe on the rush. Our problem has generally been our play without the puck in the other two thirds of the rink.

This year, we've shown some flashes of improvement. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, we are successful when our forwards deign to backcheck with speed and give our defensemen passing options. The coaching staff and players also made this a focus point in their video sessions after the Nashville mauling. The lazy backcheck appears to be a habit formed as a result of the defensive system that left us hemmed in our own zone for more than half the game, coupled with the success players found by cheating on cherry picks coming out of the zone.

Going forward, we will need to make having that aggressive backcheck second nature, ingrained in their play like muscle memory. This will allow the defense to set up the wall higher up in the neutral zone, rather than at the hashmarks in the defensive zone. We will need to learn how to establish productive offensive zone time. Santorelli, Komarov, and Winnik are great additions in that regard, but they are not natural scorers. Find more players with their tenacity on the puck, and JvR/Lupul hands.

Good post, it drives me crazy when the Leafs D have the puck and both are deep in their zone and there is not another forward in sight.

It's something you almost never see from good teams and it's especially common with the Leafs top line.

 

[Chev-boyar-sky]

Wow,  I wish the Leafs had a 1st line center who can win faceoffs, etc. 

This is sarcasm right?

Bozak FO%59
Also with a SHG.

Yeah, sorry.  I usually put a sarcasm tag.  I just am surprised/tired of how much pundits link Bozak's success ONLY to playing with Kessel. Bozak is a strong skater as shown in the SHG last night with Kronwall chasing him, he has soft hands and has one of the top faceoff % in the league.  All for $4.2 MIL.

So is your argument that his success shouldn't be linked to Kessel due to being good at face-offs and being a strong skater?  At this point even Bozak's parents probably attribute a lot of his success to playing with Kessel.

There's no doubt he benefits from playing with Kessel, anyone would.

Not to knock what is a great year for him, but I feel he could easily have another 5-7 goals (easy ones too) where he's been unprepared/unlucky which would put him close to the scoring lead....

I feel like his points right now are a bit of an illusion - he's got only about half his points at even-strength.  It's fine right now, but going forward you'd like to see that percent be a lot higher since the majority of the game is even-strength situations.

But really how rare is that among players who get #1 PP time?

Some players with 50% or more of their pts on the PP this year:

Malkin, Crosby and Stamkos (both 1 pt under),Pavelski, Couture, Karlsson, Letang, Marleau, Brock Nelson,Phanuef,Ryan, Nyquist, Steen and seemingly on and on.

Good players score a bunch on the PP it seems. Would it be nice if he scored more ES goals? Sure, but as it stands this team needs people to get pucks in the net (G or A that lead to them). Bozak's done exactly that so far.