Toronto Maple Leafs - 2016/17 Season

[SkyRider]

The Leafs are now using the 1-2-2 formation to protect a lead late in the game. Seems to be working.

That Nylander really blazed one last night. His shot is at least on a par with the young Phil Kessel's.

 

[smuddan]

The Leafs need to bank as many points as possible before the final 5 games in 7 days against teams including the top three teams (Pens/CBJ/WAS) in the conference.

Ideally they can lock up a playoff spot early to allow some rest before the playoffs start, but it looks like it's going to go down the wire as all the competing teams teams have gone hot and cold over the last stretch of games.

 

[bullitt]

big BRUIN fan here, i didnt see much wrong with the polak hit. cant believe he got 2 games, let alone a penalty. same with the crosby slash, unfortunate it happened, but to me its a hockey play.

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

So what are the odds now that Leafs will make the playoffs??


EDIT: this site claims 90.5% chance http://www.sportsclubstats.com/NHL/Eastern/Atlantic/Toronto.html

 

[smuddan]

So what are the odds now that Leafs will make the playoffs??


EDIT: this site claims 90.5% chance http://www.sportsclubstats.com/NHL/Eastern/Atlantic/Toronto.html

I don't care much about the odds, they're for gamblers. If they can get 11 point out of the last 9 games they'll be in. They have to do really well in games against Buffalo (x2), Florida, Detroit and Tampa, maybe 7-8 points there plus 4 out of the games against Nashville/Pit/Was/CBJ

 

[Ref]

Lou.

Kadri has to shave twice a day.

LOL! It takes me two days to get a 5 o'clock shadow.

I am a passive Leaf fan, but have been watching them a little more often this year.

Is the turn around this season because of the young players playing lights out, is it because they hired Lou from New Jersey who has a great track record, or is it due to the coaching of Babcock? I am thinking it is a combination of the three but as I said, I have not followed the leafs very much in the past decade so I am not sure if one has had a bigger than the others (or if there is a different reason).

 

[glamphotographer]

big BRUIN fan here, i didnt see much wrong with the polak hit. cant believe he got 2 games, let alone a penalty. same with the crosby slash, unfortunate it happened, but to me its a hockey play.

You think the NHL is gonna ever suspend Crosby?

 

[glamphotographer]

I don't care much about the odds, they're for gamblers. If they can get 11 point out of the last 9 games they'll be in. They have to do really well in games against Buffalo (x2), Florida, Detroit and Tampa, maybe 7-8 points there plus 4 out of the games against Nashville/Pit/Was/CBJ

93-94 pts should get them in.

 

[glamphotographer]

The Leafs are now using the 1-2-2 formation to protect a lead late in the game. Seems to be working.

That Nylander really blazed one last night. His shot is at least on a par with the young Phil Kessel's.

You know whats working they're aiming for the empty net. They hit the empty net the last 3 games.

 

[glamphotographer]

Lou.

Kadri has to shave twice a day.

So I guess Brent Burns coming to Leafs is out of the question. LOL!

 

[smuddan]

93-94 pts should get them in.

Maybe, but I think this race is a lot tighter than what the Toronto media make it sound like. NYI and Tampa just won 2 in a row. Both teams were hot for long stretches and Boston was almost unbeatable for about 10 games before they lost 4 in a row. All three teams are quite capable to go on a 6-1-1 type run. The Leafs need to beat out two of these three teams to get in.

The Leafs need to have a comfortable cushion before the "last 5 in 7".

 

[glamphotographer]

Maybe, but I think this race is a lot tighter than what the Toronto media make it sound like. NYI and Tampa just won 2 in a row. Both teams were hot for long stretches and Boston was almost unbeatable for about 10 games before they lost 4 in a row. All three teams are quite capable to go on a 6-1-1 type run. The Leafs need to beat out two of these three teams to get in.

The Leafs need to have a comfortable cushion before the "last 5 in 7".

93 pts got Detroit in last year. Boston plays NYI on Sat. Hopefully the Islanders win so the Leafs can hang on to 3rd in the division. Leafs have 1 more game against TB. 2 games against Buffalo. The leafs have 4 games that they should win. Last year Boston lost their last 7 games, I can see a trend happening here. Plus I'm not worried about Washington or Columbus, the Leafs can beat them, if it came down to the last 2 games of the season.

 

[dirkd101]

The punishment had already been meted out when you posted (2 games), as noted above in Post 493.
Also, your question regarding the hit, you may find the answer in the video above, in Post 490.

The tribulations of being busy.

I watched the hit many times and it was borderline. Polak got the 2 for being a physically aggressive player. The NHL is funny on how they view these things, as hits from behind are an everyday thing, it's the severity that they look at.

 

[glamphotographer]

The tribulations of being busy.

I watched the hit many times and it was borderline. Polak got the 2 for being a physically aggressive player. The NHL is funny on how they view these things, as hits from behind are an everyday thing, it's the severity that they look at.

Could it be that the head of NHL player safety is a former Montreal Canadien?

 

[gcostanza]

Could it be that the head of NHL player safety is a former Montreal Canadien?

He's also a former Boston Bruin, St. Louis Blue, Winnipeg Jet, New York Ranger, & Chicago Blackhawk.
I'm not sure what the significance is of him having played for Montreal?

 

[SkyRider]

Last year the Leafs were a top 30 team. This year probably a top 16 team? Next year a top 8 team? The year after that -----------STANLEY CUP? Two years from now, Auston Mathews will be only 21.

 

[gcostanza]

You think the NHL is gonna ever suspend Crosby?

Sidney Crosby has been suspended by the NHL in the past.

 

[gcostanza]

Maybe, but I think this race is a lot tighter than what the Toronto media make it sound like. NYI and Tampa just won 2 in a row. Both teams were hot for long stretches and Boston was almost unbeatable for about 10 games before they lost 4 in a row. All three teams are quite capable to go on a 6-1-1 type run. The Leafs need to beat out two of these three teams to get in.

The Leafs need to have a comfortable cushion before the "last 5 in 7".

Toronto can do as poorly as winning only 2 of their final 9 games and still make the playoffs, should the 7 losses all be of the O.T. or shootout version. Should they have a 2-0-7 record, mathematically, they can't fall to 9th.

 

[gcostanza]

LOL! It takes me two days to get a 5 o'clock shadow.

I am a passive Leaf fan, but have been watching them a little more often this year.

Is the turn around this season because of the young players playing lights out, is it because they hired Lou from New Jersey who has a great track record, or is it due to the coaching of Babcock? I am thinking it is a combination of the three but as I said, I have not followed the leafs very much in the past decade so I am not sure if one has had a bigger than the others (or if there is a different reason).

The (7) rookies have all contributed, some more than others.
Lou has been a steadying, knowledgeable force in the front office.
Mike Babcock is a terrific NHL coach (with occasional odd blind spots for players like Polak).

You missed one of the most important changes on the club, last year to this.
Frederik Andersen has been the steadiest goaltender the club has had since the days of Eddie Belfour.
Andersen struggled his 1st 4 games with the club, returning from an injury in the preseason.
Since then, with rare exceptions, he has been terrific.

 

[glamphotographer]

Toronto can do as poorly as winning only 2 of their final 9 games and still make the playoffs, should the 7 losses all be of the O.T. or shootout version. Should they have a 2-0-7 record, mathematically, they can't fall to 9th.

Are you sure about that? May not be enough ROWs (reg and OT wins) to get them in should there be a tie breaker rule in effect.