2020-21 Maple Leafs Thread
- Thread starter gcostanza
- Start date
Best to get the bad game out of your system in a nothing game. He's got 5 days to practice and work on his faults.
nothing game?? you just posted in #1381, leafs could move up to 4th....
remember what ali used to say, stay off the dope
Expect the Habs to be physical (as in hitting), how the Leafs skilled players respond will be important but they have Foligno, Simmonds, and Hyman to answer the physical play.
How the refs call the game will have an impact. The likes of Weber and Chara usually get away a lot more with their hooks, cross checks etc. This is the 4th (?) playoffs for Matthews, Marner, Rielly and Nylander and I’ll be very disappointed if they don’t perform much better than they did before.
The supporting cast and defence are much better suited for the playoffs and against Montreal they should prevail with even just steady goaltending, i e it doesn’t have to be spectacular, just no softies !
If you think Tavares has had a down year you don't know hockey very well.
I think that Nylander is very talented but he doesn't work hard enough. He's very inconsistent with his game.
51GP
17G
25A
+10
133SOG
2GWG
12HT
15BLK
30TK
41GV
Nothing about those stats scream elite skills to me.
I'd be shocked if the Leafs were 4th in the league in puck battles, unless they are including face offs won and lost in the calculation.
Second lowest ppg and gpg totals in his career...for $12 million a year you gotta be a point a game player.
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Between him, Nylander and Rielly, all overpaid, it's amazing the Leafs won as much as they did.
I don't think I was outright calling Nylander elite. Nylander has elite skills. His skating for one. There's no denying he can shoot and he can pass and make plays. There's also no denying that at times it appears he doesn't apply himself. He's in that class with K Connor and N Ehlers. Easily top 6 players.
I didn't make that stat up. Leafs 4th in winning puck battles. You're probably shocked because you feel there's only one way to win puck battles and that's by banging bodies and being big. The point of the stat is Leafs use different methods to get the same or better results. You look at Hyman. Him winning puck battles is not by banging bodies. His skill is using body positioning to squeeze opponent out and protect the puck.
I don't consider Leafs a small team. Sure, they have some smaller players but I would say this applies to every other team.
No denying hitting and being big is effective but not every player on every team is big and hits. Players play to their strengths and it's up to the coach to how best to utilize each player.
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Tavares does not make 12 million. Where did this come from? Put it in context and perspective. At the time of his signing I doubt anyone thought it was a bad signing. This isn't David Clarkson we're talking about. When he was signed it was known his later years hurt. He's nowhere close to being at that stage right now. There's also Covid and the salary cap freeze which makes all top Leaf player contracts look worse. Tavares looks to be the same player he was when he was with NYI. He was never fast. His strength is in his shooting and protecting the puck. He came as advertised. He and Nylander were also saddled with a bunch of ankers early on this year and Galchenyuk was a player that passed through waivers this year so he was a filler as well. There's a reason Leafs were looking for a top 6 winger all year. Hence Foligno who looks to be starting game 1 on the 2nd line.
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Pardon me...11 million.
Grit, Grit, Grit. Deep, Deep, Deep. Playoffs. Matthews needs believe he is the best hockey player ever lived in the current time!!!
Well, McDavid is the best player today but Matthews plays with a deeper team.
I'm jumping on the bandwagon this year for the Leafs vs Habs. Admittedly, I don't know much about hockey and even I'm pretty excited about this rivalry in the first round. I maybe dating myself, but my favorite year of Leafs hockey was in 1993. I was still living with my uni roommates and everybody was so into the playoffs that even I got immersed into it that year. LOL
