Maple Leafs
- Thread starter Indiana
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That may be jumping ahead a bit. How they perform for the rest of this year will play a part in determining their approach to next year.
Does the fact that they've recently beat Carolina, Florida and Boston mean anything? They don't have to worry about playing down to Buff or Montreal in the playoffs.
Does that give them any ice cred?
the rangers san jose anaheim van. i think any of those teams would take him in a heartbeat. nylander plays a SOFT game, probably vancouver .he,d fit right in.
Right because the NHL is such a rough league today.
Easy. It's 3 pro hockey teams. Every team wins and loses games, no matter of talent imbalance.
Surely it’s an encouraging sign and it gives them confidence, but we knew all along that the Leafs would do well in the regular season. We also know that these teams that the Leafs are beating now will have another gear in the playoffs when they meet again. The question remains unanswered is will the Leafs be able to match and handle the extra intensity and physicality of playoff hockey. Captain Tavares was cross checked by Marchand three times and the refs just ignored the infractions and so did the Leaf players. Hall sucker punched Lyubushkin and not a Leaf even said a word to him while Lyubushkin was lying on the ice motionless. It will get worse in the playoffs and turning the other cheek will not get them anywhere. Didn’t Dubas promise more grit after they were bounced by the Canadiens last year ? Goaltending is also a big question mark so I’m guarded against getting false hopes with these wins.
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Not really. Regular season and playoffs are two completely different things. Leafs are still being man-handled by other teams, and are relying on 2-3 players for the majority of their points, couple of vets are disappointing to say the least. Goaltending isn't trending upwards, and their defense isn't championship quality. Maybe the rest of the Leafs beyond Matthews and Marner can find another gear in the playoffs, but I'm not confident.
For all the size on the ice in Boston for the Leafs, there was very little grit or toughness, and Boston knew it. The Leafs can still be physically intimidated, regardless of the changes Dubas has made. When Taylor Hall and Brad Marchand are the players pushing you around and you don't/can't respond, there's a problem.
Context is everything, and clearly the context within which I made my comment was lost on you.
It wasn’t lost on me, you were wrong on your evaluation…I explained it without throwing an insult, you should try that sometime.
also the game against florida a couple nights ago, goudas for florida was hitting every leaf in sight. my sense is lay the body on the leafs, and watch them wilt. playoff games are much tougher than reg season. i dont despise the leafs, but now is the time to be held accountable. i wonder if it happens...
How specifically was I wrong in my evaluation? What specific evidence of grit and toughness did you see? Who was it exactly that made Taylor Hall and Brad Marchand pay/regret their transgressions? The only consequences I saw were a minor penalty to Hall and a trivial fine, and nothing regarding Marchand. Kinda feels like BOS took liberties with a physically intimidated Leafs team.
I thought Taveras stood in there pretty good with Gudas, Gudas hits everything, not just Leafs...sometimes his own teammates...
Flyers C Couturier injured in practice collision with D Gudas
Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier apparently injured his right leg in a collision with defenseman Radko Gudas at Tuesday's practice, putting his availability for Wednesday's Game 4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in question. Couturier was skating toward the goal with his head down as...
sports.yahoo.com
Brad Marchand plays that way every game, you think he just acted like a little prick because it was Toronto...you talk like Boston ran the Leafs out of the building, they won the game...are you expecting a line brawl and the Leafs start pummelling Bruins...the Leafs were so intimidated they were lucky to score 6...
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He pays a price playing like that against other team but not against the Leafs.Toronto is the only team which allows its captain to absorb cross checks like a sponge and a teammate got sucker punched without responding. Boston decided to rough up the Leafs after they scored six and promptly the Leafs allowed the next three goals.
Ok...sure...nothing you have stated is fair or accurate.
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And it gets much tougher in the playoffs. Imagine playing Boston every second night for at least 4 and maybe up to 7 games. It's a meat grinder.
