2020-21 Maple Leafs Thread

gcostanza

Well-known member
Jul 24, 2010
7,818
528
113
I don't see it mandrill, not saying he was bad or wouldn't take his goal, just not a performance worthy of getting his tires pumped to rub in people's faces.
Kerfoot and Galchenyuk drove the play all night, that's what stood out to me.
Marner was a monster on the forecheck and PK, that's what stood out to me.
Matthews is Matthews, nough said.
The defence was amazing, great structure and discipline under heavy pressure, that's what stood out to me.
The Kerfoot, Galchenyuk, Marner & Matthews statues are already in development for Legends Row.
They were magnificent.
 

gcostanza

Well-known member
Jul 24, 2010
7,818
528
113

gcostanza

Well-known member
Jul 24, 2010
7,818
528
113
Such a great hockey mind. You can't answer an obvious question so it all becomes mockery. What a loser.
You asked why I didn't mention some other players.
I mentioned other players.
You don't like my answer.
This seems more like a jello problem than a costanza issue.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: chuckertmg

superstar_88

The Chiseler
Jan 4, 2008
5,559
1,133
113
Muzzin:
He didn't get an assist on the Nylander goal but he started the play up ice with an elegant pass up to Kerfoot.
A little saucer on the backhand no less with just enough juice to a spot for Kerfoot.
He did get an assist on the Spezza goal by starting the play in his own zone with a nice pass to Gally to start the 2 on 1.
These are plays Marincin cannot make.
 

shack

Nitpicker Extraordinaire
Oct 2, 2001
51,346
9,945
113
Toronto
Agreed, but he's finishing off of everyone else's efforts and he gets his tires pumped. They would have won without him yesterday, they wouldn't have won without all the work everyone else put in.
And if everybody works hard and you don't have someone to finish, the hard work is wasted. Montreal has worked hard this whole series and has 4 goals in 4 games the same as Nylander. Maybe they'd be doing better if they had a finisher or two.

Leafs play better with the lead and that's what Nylander gave them last night. Who knows how the game turns without that lead. It definitely gave them more ability to apply more offensive pressure as was evidenced that soon after they had a 3-0 in the 2nd. He put them on a roll. He gave them momentum and momentum is huge in every sport. Or do you feel that momentum is not important?

Nylander is no Messier or Trottier, but he has elite skill and right now that skill has made him a leader for the team. Undeniable.
 
Last edited:

gcostanza

Well-known member
Jul 24, 2010
7,818
528
113
John Tavares is at the Maple Leafs practice facility today.
No practice for the club, but players are there for treatments.
 

gcostanza

Well-known member
Jul 24, 2010
7,818
528
113
Image

....because Stone Cold Spezza said so!
 
  • Like
Reactions: tribunus and bemeup

gcostanza

Well-known member
Jul 24, 2010
7,818
528
113
Up 3-1, no hurry for a Tavares return...
My guess is John Tavares is out for the season, minimum 2 weeks expected for the knee injury.
The concussion recovery, likely much longer (unknown).

Were I Coach Keefe/G.M. Dubas, I'd not be expecting JT91 in uniform again this year.
If he's ready to return, look at it as a bonus.

*This is all presuming Toronto gets by the Canadiens*
 

John Wick

Baba Yaga
Oct 25, 2019
2,269
2,497
113
Agreed, but he's finishing off of everyone else's efforts and he gets his tires pumped. They would have won without him yesterday, they wouldn't have won without all the work everyone else put in.
I tend to agree, mello. Right now, everyone appears to be rocking it against what is a truthfully a pretty shitty team in the Canadiens. I assume the Leafs will move past MTL and then a whole new set of cracks will become evident against WPG. If they get past WPG, I suspect the wheels come off completely pretty quickly after that.

As for Willy, can't take his goals and points away. That said, the inconvenient truth is that his days in TOR are limited for a number of reasons. His value to other teams on the open market may never be higher than it will be this summer. Expect him to be traded while the Leafs continue to re-tool and build on what will still be considered a successful season even if the Leafs do nothing more than win the North division and two playoff series.
 

smuddan

Well-known member
Mar 7, 2007
2,297
295
83
And if everybody works hard and you don't have someone to finish, the hard work is wasted. Montreal has worked hard this whole series and has 4 goals in 4 games the same as Nylander. Maybe they'd be doing better if they had a finisher or two.

Nylander is no Messier or Trottier, but he has elite skill and right now that skill has made him a leader for the team. Undeniable.
While I agree that Willy is a great finisher, I wouldn’t go so far calling him “a leader”. He’s the leader on the individual score chart but no where close to being a true leader of a team. He has benefited in these playoff games so far from the hard work of his teammates for all the goals he has scored. Here’s what I remember how he scored his 4 goals :

1st - Foligno tied up 2 defenders in net front allowing Willy to tap in from the side of the net off a rebound;

2nd - Matthews hard shot was saved by Price but the rebound went straight to Willy and he shot it into a partially open net with Price down;

3rd - Kertfoot won a clean face off to Willy and with heavy traffic in front of the net, he beat Price; and

4th - Galchenyuk made a great no look pass to Willy for a tap in.

Willy also had an assist on Kertfoot‘s empty net goal in game two but was floating around when Montreal scored its lone goal. His defensive deficiencies have yet to be exposed because of the low caliber of competition from the Canadiens.

If Willy played for this Canadien team, he would never be as effective as he wouldn’t have the benefit of his teammates creating open nets and tap ins for him.
 

shack

Nitpicker Extraordinaire
Oct 2, 2001
51,346
9,945
113
Toronto
If Willy played for this Canadien team, he would never be as effective as he wouldn’t have the benefit of his teammates creating open nets and tap ins for him.
100% speculation.

In the meantime 4 goals in 4 games is fact, not speculation. Anybody who does that, will have teammates admire and or look up to him and or appreciate him, kinda like a leader.
 

smuddan

Well-known member
Mar 7, 2007
2,297
295
83
100% speculation.

In the meantime 4 goals in 4 games is fact, not speculation. Anybody who does that, will have teammates admire and or look up to him and or appreciate him, kinda like a leader.
Arn’t we all speculating when we express our opinions ? Kinda like your last statement ?
 

mellowjello

Well-known member
Jan 11, 2017
2,628
1,135
113
And if everybody works hard and you don't have someone to finish, the hard work is wasted. Montreal has worked hard this whole series and has 4 goals in 4 games the same as Nylander. Maybe they'd be doing better if they had a finisher or two.

Leafs play better with the lead and that's what Nylander gave them last night. Who knows how the game turns without that lead. It definitely gave them more ability to apply more offensive pressure as was evidenced that soon after they had a 3-0 in the 2nd. He put them on a roll. He gave them momentum and momentum is huge in every sport. Or do you feel that momentum is not important?

Nylander is no Messier or Trottier, but he has elite skill and right now that skill has made him a leader for the team. Undeniable.
I didn't realize that working hard and being a good finisher were mutually exclusive.
And besides, hard work is never wasted, it makes you the best you can be however talented or limited.
What makes you think he's such a great finisher?
Hyman scored at a better clip than Nylander this year, is Hyman considered a finisher.
I don't care that Hyman played on Matthews' line, his goals came from hard work, he's the hardest working player in the game.
Why would you look at Montreal as the benchmark, if Leafs move out of their division, they'll
go up against teams that are talented, finish, and work like demons, I don't understand why you would set your expectations so low.

A leader on this team? You've got to be joking. His name has never come up that way, and it still doesn't.
You and some of your buddies seem to think so, no one else in the hockey world even hints at it.
This guy's effort has always been an issue.
He does have elite skill for sure, but he's not an elite player, he doesn't play on an elite level and he doesn't produce on an elite level.
THAT is what makes fans turn on him.
You think I'm a hater, this is what I wrote after they lost in game 1.
It's only game 1, lots of hockey left.
Matthews is showing some ferocity, I love it when his mojo is in overdrive.
Nylander showed up to play, you could feel the fire in his belly, he was engaged on every level.
Kudos to him for manning up.
Haven't seen it since, I don't care how many rebounds he taps in or finishes off somebody else's nice set up.
This guy needs to grow the fuck up and show some commitment to his teammates, and the fans.
 

shack

Nitpicker Extraordinaire
Oct 2, 2001
51,346
9,945
113
Toronto
Arn’t we all speculating when we express our opinions ? Kinda like your last statement ?
I don't think that I referenced a hypothetical situation.
 

superstar_88

The Chiseler
Jan 4, 2008
5,559
1,133
113
Are we now grasping at alternate universes to bash Nylander.
At least it's now speculation rather than proof.
Seems someone is conveniently forgetting all the work Nylander did to set up Marner and Spezza.
I suppose on those plays he was thinking he gets no credit for scoring goals so might as well give a great pass instead since passers get all the credit. I can see the hounds coming out if Nylander doesn't score tonight at his goal a game pace.
 
Last edited:
Toronto Escorts