Sabres @ Leafs - Dec. 27th, 7:30pm - TSN, TSN 1050

[CarltonTheBear]

@

10-24-3, 23 points | 18-16-5, 41 points

Projected Lines

Moulson-Ennis-Girgensons  Ott-Leino-Stafford Foligno-Flynn-D'Agostini Omark-Ellis-Scott Tallinder-Myers Sulzer-Ehrhoff McBain-Weber Miller ​

JVR-Kadri-Kessel Lupul-Holland-Raymond Kulemin-McClement-Clarkson D'Amigo-Smithson-Orr Gunnarsson-Phaneuf Gardiner-Franson Ranger-Rielly Bernier​

Scratches

Johan Larsson Mark Pysyk ​

Mark Fraser John-Michael Liles Frazer McLaren​

Line-up Notes

?Miller likely starts for Buffalo ?A flu bug kept 4 regulars out of Buffalo's last game so their lines are a little hard to gauge​

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?Bernier likely starts for Toronto
?Any one of the previous scratches could see himself slotted in                                              ​

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Injuries

?Cody Hodgson - Wrist - Out indefinitely ?Cody McCormick - Finger - Injured Reserve ?Kevin Porter - Leg - Injured Reserve ​

?Tyler Bozak - Oblqiue - Injured Reserve    ?Dave Bolland - Ankle - Out indefinitely ?Trevor Smith - Hand - Injured Reserve ​

Statistical Leaders

Ennis - 8 Ehrhoff - 11 Hodgson - 19 Sulzer - +1 Scott - 46 Ott - 49.8%         Ehrhoff - 24:02 Miller - 9 Miller - 2.65 Miller - .924​

G A P +/- PIM FO% TOI/G W GAA SA%​

17 - Kessel 16 - Kessel/Franson 33 - Kessel +11 - Phaneuf 75 - Orr 58.9% - Smithson 24:20 - Phaneuf 10 - Bernier 2.42 - Bernier .929 - Bernier​

Season Overview

10 24 3 (30th)  23 (30th)  1.68 (19th)  2.84 (28th)  12.0% (19th)  81.4% (29th)  26.5 (28th)  34.2 (28th)  46.3% 3-12-1 4-4-2 Won 1​

W L OT P G/G GA/G PP% PK% S/G SA/G FO% A | H L10 Streak​

18 16 5 41  (17th) 2.59  (16th) 2.80  (18th) 22.4%  (4th) 78.4%  (26th) 27.0  (27th) 36.1  (30th) 46.8%  (26th) 12-8-1 3-5-2 Lost 2​

Stream Options

http://www.ourleafs.blogspot.ca/
http://www.firstrow1.eu/sport/ice-hockey.html
http://atdee.net/index.html
​

 

[CarltonTheBear]

No Saturday night game for those who didn't know

 

[Highlander]

Good Fraser and Fraser sit?we now have a chance to win.

 

[mc]

YES! Hockey is back! A three day hiatus now back to pulling my hair out.

 

[Stickytape]

Handing these guys a 3rd win is NOT an option.  The slump-busting begins tonight.

 

[moon111]

Buffallo is one of the select teams that I would play Frazer McLaren against.

 

[drummond]

Buffallo is one of the select teams that I would play Frazer McLaren against.

Exactely my thoughts. Carlyle plays heavyweights against speedy teams loaded with skilled players and against teams known for cheapshots and dirty plays he sits them. Hard to find any logic. If anyone is able to stand face to face John Scott it is Frazer MacLaren.

 

[mr grieves]

Over their last 25 games, both teams have 8 wins. Only one will have 9 in 26.

 

[Jalili]

Leafs win this one.

 

[iwas11in67]

No option but 2 points in this game.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Buffallo is one of the select teams that I would play Frazer McLaren against.

Exactely my thoughts. Carlyle plays heavyweights against speedy teams loaded with skilled players and against teams known for cheapshots and dirty plays he sits them. Hard to find any logic. If anyone is able to stand face to face John Scott it is Frazer MacLaren.

Why not just play speedy players who can skate around the John Scott's of the league instead of having to uselessly fight them?  Why not try to take advantage of their slow tough guy when he's on the ice?

 

[wnc096]

Buffallo is one of the select teams that I would play Frazer McLaren against.

Exactely my thoughts. Carlyle plays heavyweights against speedy teams loaded with skilled players and against teams known for cheapshots and dirty plays he sits them. Hard to find any logic. If anyone is able to stand face to face John Scott it is Frazer MacLaren.

Why not just play speedy players who can skate around the John Scott's of the league instead of having to uselessly fight them?  Why not try to take advantage of their slow tough guy when he's on the ice?

Honestly, if playing or not playing Frazer Mclaren is a big enough factor between a win and a loss...then this team is big trouble

 

[Leafaholic99]

Leafs win 4-2

 

[Jalili]

Honestly, if playing or not playing Frazer Mclaren is a big enough factor between a win and a loss...then this team is big trouble

That isn't something unique to the Leafs' situation though. Any team that has players on its roster who can't play worth a damn is going to be at a tactical disadvantage, albeit even if it's a minor one.

The league is highly competitive and games are often won and lost by small margins, and sometimes those minor advantages are enough to change the outcome of a game.

So I would always rather have someone like D'Amigo on the 4th line who can be relied on to play a regular shift, versus the guy who can't.

 

[moon111]

Buffallo is one of the select teams that I would play Frazer McLaren against.

Exactely my thoughts. Carlyle plays heavyweights against speedy teams loaded with skilled players and against teams known for cheapshots and dirty plays he sits them. Hard to find any logic. If anyone is able to stand face to face John Scott it is Frazer MacLaren.

Why not just play speedy players who can skate around the John Scott's of the league instead of having to uselessly fight them?  Why not try to take advantage of their slow tough guy when he's on the ice?

Honestly, if playing or not playing Frazer Mclaren is a big enough factor between a win and a loss...then this team is big trouble

He might be the difference between the loss or not of Phil Kessel.

 

[L K]

Buffallo is one of the select teams that I would play Frazer McLaren against.

Exactely my thoughts. Carlyle plays heavyweights against speedy teams loaded with skilled players and against teams known for cheapshots and dirty plays he sits them. Hard to find any logic. If anyone is able to stand face to face John Scott it is Frazer MacLaren.

Why not just play speedy players who can skate around the John Scott's of the league instead of having to uselessly fight them?  Why not try to take advantage of their slow tough guy when he's on the ice?

Honestly, if playing or not playing Frazer Mclaren is a big enough factor between a win and a loss...then this team is big trouble

He might be the difference between the loss or not of Phil Kessel.

Bottom line.  As much as the John Scott thing was ridiculous, the fact that dumb goon behaviour is routinely used as justification for the existence of goons is just silly.

A - Didn't actually get his hands on Kessel
B - Doesn't have a history of chasing around skilled players at other times
C - There really isn't a long list of 4th line goons who chase and punch star players

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I wish Nolan put Scott out there against Kessel. That would sure help him break out of his funk.

 

[Bullfrog]

Honestly, if playing or not playing Frazer Mclaren is a big enough factor between a win and a loss...then this team is big trouble

But it can be. I would argue that having a fourth line that can reliably play 7-10 minutes of even strength time vs. the three minutes the fourth line normally gets could be the difference between winning and losing.

 

[L K]

Honestly, if playing or not playing Frazer Mclaren is a big enough factor between a win and a loss...then this team is big trouble

But it can be. I would argue that having a fourth line that can reliably play 7-10 minutes of even strength time vs. the three minutes the fourth line normally gets could be the difference between winning and losing.

Carlyle keeps throwing out "we're a tired team"/"we had no energy"/"tough stretch of games"/"busy schedule" in his post-game press conferences.  I don't understand how a coach that won a Stanley Cup could be so clueless when it comes to bench management. 

If the team is coming out flat...and I think there is reasonable evidence in how poorly the Leafs are at outworking opponents late in games that maybe you should be spacing those minutes out a little more. 

Jay McClement is a fine defensive player...but he's not a shutdown center.  He also is a black hole offensively.  If they could cut his 5 on 5 minutes down by 1-2 minutes he's fresher for the PK and you might be able to play a guy who is more likely to hit someone and wear down the opposition.  I don't get it.

The flip side would be in games where Kessel AND/OR Lupul's line is struggling.  There really isn't any option to sit them down for a stretch to regroup because Carlyle only players three lines.  So instead he punishes single players (as in rookies).

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

I'm not trying to say it would or wouldn't be the difference in this particular game, but that playing better players over worse players is a smart thing that, over time, I do think would have a positive impact.

Why make your overall product worse to bring yourselves to another team's level?  Again, a goon isn't going to fight a non-goon, it's just not going to happen and I can't remember an example of it happening in recent memory.  Just beat them with skill.