Wings @ Leafs - Jan. 1st, 3:00pm - SN, Fan 590

[CarltonTheBear]

And for those that think Nylander is bad at defense, he had plenty of Gardiner-esque moments as well with strong stick lifts in his own and neutral zones with sneaky advantageous positioning that quickly turned into chances going the other way.

That whole play where he almost set-up Kadri in OT was insane.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

If Babcock himself said he didn't think Nylander could do it long term I'd think he'd cracked.

After Martin's fight the 4th line took a shift and it was Nylander who went out in his place. Not JVR or Marner or even Matthews. Even a little thing like that makes me confident that Babcock still really likes the kid.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

For some reason people keep saying that Matthews is 3rd in goals right now when he's 2nd with Jeff Carter. But Carter has played 1 more game, so technically Matthews would be ahead of him.

Matthews is 2nd in the league in goals. 2nd.

 

[herman]

If Babcock himself said he didn't think Nylander could do it long term I'd think he'd cracked.

After Martin's fight the 4th line took a shift and it was Nylander who went out in his place. Not JVR or Marner or even Matthews. Even a little thing like that makes me confident that Babcock still really likes the kid.

Yeah. I've been saying it since Nylander appeared on the fourth line. Babcock uses Nylander like a Swiss Army Knife anytime he needs offence because of his ability to play all three positions, occasionally take draws, and make any linemate look good.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Yeah. I've been saying it since Nylander appeared on the fourth line. Babcock uses Nylander like a Swiss Army Knife anytime he needs offence because of his ability to play all three positions, occasionally take draws, and make any linemate look good.

Yeah I think that we can disagree about whether or not it's the best strategy to win hockey games but I really can't accept that Babcock does that as a punishment or because he thinks Nylander is the 10th best forward on the team.

 

[hockeyfan1]

What a third period of a game that was!  The Leafs exploded then imploded.  Either way, it was at first fun, then agonizing to watch the lead evaporate. 

A beautiful gorgeous winter day, fit for the world's greatest game!  A game for all to enjoy, watch, and be a part of. 

GO LEAFS GO!!

 

[Kin]

If Babcock himself said he didn't think Nylander could do it long term I'd think he'd cracked.

After Martin's fight the 4th line took a shift and it was Nylander who went out in his place. Not JVR or Marner or even Matthews. Even a little thing like that makes me confident that Babcock still really likes the kid.

Yeah, I guess my point was more just about how young Nylander is. Whatever he can/can't do right now matters but for anyone to make solid declarations about what he might be long term(or, say, make arguments in favor of keeping Bozak around for that purpose) seems premature.

 

[slapshot]

I noticed both Komarov and Gardiner.

Komarov had some nice open ice hits to knock pucks loose and keep plays alive (especially in the early third). His goal was a very shrewd and opportunistic move to sneak into a strong net front position. He disappeared towards the end however.

Gardiner had a ridiculous number of quick stick checks to defuse rushes and either turned them up ice with short passes or gained the offensive zone himself skating through traffic. His pinches and passes were directly responsible for chances and a couple of goals.

Nice to see Gardiner finally getting more props. I feel like he's like the Rodney Dangerfield of the Leafs, often mentioned in trade rumours. Personally, I think he's benefited from the Babcock era as much as anyone, along with Kadri. I'd like to see both of them remain in the core.

I think Gardiner paired with a 5-7 guy in Carrick, so paired with a guy like Zaitsev (I'm not saying move Zaitsev to pair with him unless the Leafs acquired a legitimate number 1-2 right handed shot). I am saying if they traded for a more experienced, defensively responsible guy like Zaitsev, Gardiner I think would do even better.

He kind of reminds me of a Brian Leetch or Phil Housley type, both of whom were offensive minded. You can't compare stats because the Gretzky era they played in was quite different. Just the style of play of Gardiner more closely resembles those type of players.

Question to through out there, If they Leafs found another top 4 d-man. Would be better off with Carrick or Polak in the third pairing right-handed spot, or platoon them based on the opposition match-up? Carrick for against smaller fast teams and Polak and bigger cycle teams. And, who might be a top 4-guy to go after? Do you think the Leafs would have any interest in a guy like Kevin Shattenkirk to pair with Rielly and move Zaitsev back, or do we look for a more defensive type guy to pair with Gardiner and leave Zaitsev with Rielly? I guess it all depends on what opportunities present themselves.

 

[L K]

My joking comment about cadre aside I do think the circumstance played heavily and why goaltender interference wasn't called. If the score had been for three the hole. And Detroit got that goal I think it gets called back but given their come back I think that influence the call on the ice and the eventual review in the box. Anderson  was that the left side of the net because he was taking away the angle on a last-second shot from the half boards he had no opportunity to fully come across the net because there was a player sitting half in the blue paint between his legs. I think we've seen far less contact get called.
That absolutely did not strike me as a goaltender interference penalty but I do feel that it was a clear case of goaltender interference that should have resulted in a no goal and a face-off outside of the zone

I do agree with next statement that the leaves put themselves in that position entirely though. So many opportunities to clear the zone even if by icing and instead they tried to make pretty little tip passes to get a rush of the ice for an empty net goal. I'm sure Babcock will let them have it over that usually guys like Hyman and brown are much more dependable

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

It's crazy to think the Kadri goal against Florida was called back and that Detroit equalizer was not, there is no way to know what they will and won't call, it's maddening.

 

[Tigger]

Does CF% really mean all that much in a single game sample?

It's more descriptive than it is predictive. I think it still shows how a player played in a single game, but it says nothing of how a player will perform in future games.

Komarov played well, parts of his game include ignoring possession for tactical purposes ( right or wrong ). I think you can live with low possession numbers in his case in this game.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

Why the heck do they start outdoor games during the day?

In his pre-game interview, Colin Campbell said that it's entirely because the TV people demand it.  The hockey people would prefer it after the sun goes down but yield to the TV demands.

 

[ZBBM]

And for those that think Nylander is bad at defense, he had plenty of Gardiner-esque moments as well with strong stick lifts in his own and neutral zones with sneaky advantageous positioning that quickly turned into chances going the other way.

That whole play where he almost set-up Kadri in OT was insane.

Hear hear.

Nylander is going to be a superstar in this league.  I only hope he'll be one with us.

 

[AvroArrow]

I honestly don't see any interference by Vanek at all...  It was the right call.

 

[Tigger]

I honestly don't see any interference by Vanek at all...  It was the right call.

Yup.

 

[bustaheims]

I honestly don't see any interference by Vanek at all...  It was the right call.

Agreed. I looks to me like Andersen's left pad makes contact with a stationary Vanek, and that's what starts to take him out of position. Since Andersen initiates contact, it's not interference.

 

[Kin]

The ESPN recap of the game says it wasn't completely sold out as there were some visibly empty seats which is both surprising given the market and not at all surprising given that you couldn't have paid me to go outside today.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

The ESPN recap of the game says it wasn't completely sold out as there were some visibly empty seats which is both surprising given the market and not at all surprising given that you couldn't have paid me to go outside today.

I know I read they were definitely still selling tickets in the morning. I think price was more of an issue than weather generally speaking (it certainly wasn't Ann Arbor cold). Available tickets as of a couple days ago were between $200-400 per the National Post.

 

[Kin]

I know I read they were definitely still selling tickets in the morning. I think price was more of an issue than weather generally speaking (it certainly wasn't Ann Arbor cold). Available tickets as of a couple days ago were between $200-400 per the National Post.

Issue for me was just being New Year's Day. Even hangover-free I'd be exhausted for it being a solid week of Christmas-Channukah-New Year's craziness.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

I know I read they were definitely still selling tickets in the morning. I think price was more of an issue than weather generally speaking (it certainly wasn't Ann Arbor cold). Available tickets as of a couple days ago were between $200-400 per the National Post.

Issue for me was just being New Year's Day. Even hangover-free I'd be exhausted for it being a solid week of Christmas-Channukah-New Year's craziness.

I think there is a decent argument for sports fatigue too. There have been a lot of events for people to spend money on this year with so many successful teams in the city; Raptors, WCOH, TFC, Jays, Resurgent Leafs, World Juniors and now the Centennial Classic. It's a lot to ask of people to keep spending, especially this close to Christmas.