Optimus Reimer said:Bender said:Optimus Reimer said:Bender said:Optimus Reimer said:Bender said:Optimus Reimer said:Corn Flake said:Optimus Reimer said:Busta Reims said:The team is in the midst of a rough stretch. It happens. And yet, they've still won 3 of their last 6 games. We're not exactly in end of the world, blow it all up territory here. I don't think anyone will tell you that the team has played well, but, before we start throwing coaches and players under the bus, let's look at things in perspective first and cut out the hyperbole. Let's also remember that different does not always mean better. Firing Wilson won't make the Leafs a better team in and of itself. Unless there's a clear choice out there that will make the players on the ice able to execute a system more effectively, play better defensively and generate more secondary scoring, it becomes change for the sake of change - and that doesn't actually benefit anybody.
I have always respected your posts - they are written with wisdom and insight, but I totally disagree with you on this one.
If I am an opposing coach of a team facing the Leafs, I am going to emphasize on my players to forecheck, be agressive to the puck and to the puck carrier, skating hard and fast and to pressure the d-men. I am going to emphasize muddling up the neutral zone, forcing the Leafs to shoot the puck in. On the PK, I will emphasize to the players to keep the Leafs around the perimeter and cut down on the shooting lanes. On the PP, I will emphasize passing the puck back and forth, thus forcing the Leaf players to play 'chase the puck'. I will send at least one player to the front of the net during the PP, making it hard for the Leaf goalie to make the save and perhaps drawing another penalty by a Leafs defender. At all times have my best defensive forward against Kessel.
If every team played that way against the Leafs, I guarantee the Leafs would not win many games, and that is why Wilson should be fired. He cannot adapt the players to counter what other teams are doing to the Leafs.
In fairness, most coaches emphasize those things when they face any other team in the NHL and their respective best players, and not just the Leafs.
Unfortunately, that is how the Leafs are being beat and also unfortunately, the Leafs aren't doing any of those things on a consistent basis to win or at least be in the game. And Wilson does not make any adjustments during the game to counter what the opposing teams are doing to the Leafs.
Like changing one sub-par goaltender for another sub-par goaltender.
I'm surprised we still haven't picked up on the song and dance.
The system and the goaltending go hand-in-hand. A bad defensive system results in 30+ shots on the Leaf goalie every game. A bad defensive system results in more scoring chances for the other team. Bad goaltending results in more goals and shots that should have been easy to stop, go in. That in turn results in the defensive system playing with caution and with little or no confidence in the goalie. The defensive system ends up worse.
Instead of playing chase the puck, Leaf players should be more agressive towards opposing players in the defensive zone, forcing turnovers or forcing opposing players to take low risk shots. That will result in less shots on goal, and hopefully less goals against.
Right. Have you seen the goaltending outside of last night's game? Goals were going in on non-scoring chances from both Gus and Scrivens. It's not a surprise that when he played well in Columbus we won, even while giving up more shots. The most successful Leafs teams in history have had goaltenders that were marquee players: Ed Belfour, Curtis Joseph, Felix Potvin in recent memory. Those goaltenders played above average in general and the Leafs statistics show it, even if they were getting outshot or outchanced. In the end the Leafs would do more with less BECAUSE they had stellar goaltending. It's not a surprise that after Raycroft, Toskala and an oft injured Giguere that we were playing respectable hockey under Reimer and now we are not under Gustavsson, and only starting to play half decent when Scrivens plays half decent or better.
There are definitely things that need fixing: Their goal scoring has dried up some, their defense isn't water tight, but imo, this doesn't START with special teams, or defense or goal scoring, it starts with the goaltender.
With those goalies the team had players such as Gilmour, Andreychuck, Sundin, Roberts, Niewy etc. and played hard nosed hockey during the Quinn years. There was a system in place and during the Quinn years, the Leafs regularly were near 100 points...until JFJ took over.
I played goalie for a long time, playing on teams that were stacked, average or offensively poor. On teams in which the players were not offensively gifted, we lost most of those games 3-1, 2-0 etc. My GAA was under 3.00 and my SV% was over .900. I kept my team in the game, they couldn't keep their end of the bargain.
You are absolutely correct when you say the team starts with the goalie. A bad goalie=a bad team (Raycrap etc.), but I say that offence starts with defence and that is my point. If the system in place makes it easy for other teams to have puck possession in the Leafs zone or the system makes it difficult for the defence to get the puck to the forwards, to start an offensive transition, then no matter who is in net, the Leafs will have a difficult time scoring goals and winning.
Agreed on almost all points, but I just have to say that the 97/98 Leafs were a pitiful team, but 98/99 the biggest addition was Cujo (and Quinn) and we became an incredible team. Coaching plays a big role in it, but I can't ignore the strength of Cujo.
And using the Red Wings as another example: (And I know this isn't foolproof as Osgood had bad numbers too, but...) Ty Conklin is 1-2-1 with a .885 SV%. Even their system can't mask a bad goaltender.
But the Wings will make the playoffs. Leafs may not.
... ok.... And they're getting good goaltending from Jimmy Howard. A poor calibre goaltender will almost never be covered up by systems unless the team plays the trap. The only anomaly to the rule, for the most part, was Chris Osgood.
