Leafs 2024-2025 Season Thread

[superstar_88]

Stolarz is playing well but now he plays against Florida where he was the back up last year...he's 31 and the Leafs are the 5th NHL organization he's been with, there is reason why that is, he's been average throughout his career.

He was injured most of his career. That's been the knock against him. He was also injured this season.
Last season with Florida he played 27 games with a 2.03 GAA and .925 save percentage. That is exceptional.
For comparison Bobrovsky last season had a 2.37 GAA and .915 save percentage. So one could say Stolarz was better on the same team. Stolarz has a career save percentage of .918 in 142 games. That is exceptional.
This season he had the best save percentage of all goalies who've played more than 30 games. Better than Hellebuyck.

No doubt though that Stolarz was a career back up. Even this season he wasn't the de facto starter until he was. No doubt also that Leafs are underdogs. Leafs changed their style to be more like Florida but Florida is better at it. It's going to require an upset.

Last season Bobrovsky had a .906 save percentage in 24 playoff games.
A lot of it is the team in front of him. This season Berube has transformed the team into a shot blocking machine. They've built a bigger D overall. They've built a better system to help out the goalie.

 

[superstar_88]

Matthew Tkatchuk played 10:33 last game and is averaging 13:41 in 5 games.
For comparison Max Domi is averaging 13:49 in 6 games.
That is the lowest total outside of the 4th line for Tkatchuk. He may be playing hurt.
Tkatchuk though is playing on the top PP unit.

Ekblad was suspended 2 games and because Florida beat TB in 5 games he should be missing the first game against the Leafs. Florida, however, won all 3 games without Ekblad.

 

[harryass]

a extra good reason to hit cheap shot weasel Matthew Tkatchuk hard with clean hits when he has the puck.

 

[bullitt]

Sweet Mary and Joseph! A 73 year old with that volume of timbre, Joe Bowen is the shits.

Berube was right to bring back Pacioretty, Robertson would have gotten knocked around.

Ciao Turds, I can put away the Grand Funk record.

i disagree. Robertson would have been a better IMHO, way more speed, and lets be honest , that shot that pacioretty missed earlier, robertson would have buried. give pacioretty credit, right place at the right time.

 

[bullitt]

i think the ice gets a little smaller this series ...

 

[superstar_88]

Leafs in 2023 lost to Panthers in 5 games but 4 of those were by 1 goal and the other was by 2.
Roster 2023 vs 2025
Goalie:
Samsonov out. Woll came in though when Samsonov was injured
Stolarz in. Woll is still the backup.
Defense:
Brodie, Holl, Schenn, Giordano out.
Tanev, Carlo, OEL, Benoit in
Forwards:
O'Reilly, Acciari, Bunting, Kerfoot, Kampf, Lafferty out
Laughton, Domi, McMann, Holmberg, Max P, Lorentz in.
Still the same:
Rielly, McCabe, core 5, and Jarnkrok

Holl struggled mightily and Gio was old and slow so improvement there.
Gotta think Stolarz is better than Samsonov
O'Reilly was good so a loss there but Kerfoot and Kampf were soft.
Berube vs Keefe
Florida went from losing in the Finals to now defending Cup champs so gotta think they've improved.

 

[Indiana]

Will the media have the same Senators hard-on for the Panthers?

 

[smuddan]

The Panthers know how to play nasty and dirty without getting caught. That makes their heavy forechecking that much effective . Ottawa tried that approach but they didn’t have the same personnel and experience to be as effective. If the Leafs’ pp can be as good as they were against the Sens, that may help to neutralize that strategy.

 

[smuddan]

Head Hunter Bennett was at it again. Maurice’s defence was the ref was right there and didn’t call a penalty. Refs are human and not the first time they missed a call. The replay doesn’t lie. It was a clear forearm to the side of Stolarz’s head and you could see s follow through of the elbow in the slow mo reply. It was clearly a headshot. It’s possible that the earlier puck shot on Stolarz’s head might have done some damage but Bennett’s action deserves a suspension imo.

 

[Insidious Von]

Was that the NHL or the WNBA? The last time I saw a forearm delivery like that was Angel Reese to Caitlin Clark. The Leafs escape Bettman machinations, he's fixing this series for the Panthers.

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

I predict the Winnipeg Maple Leafs will win the Cup

 

[whynot888]

Head Hunter Bennett was at it again. Maurice’s defence was the ref was right there and didn’t call a penalty. Refs are human and not the first time they missed a call. The replay doesn’t lie. It was a clear forearm to the side of Stolarz’s head and you could see s follow through of the elbow in the slow mo reply. It was clearly a headshot. It’s possible that the earlier puck shot on Stolarz’s head might have done some damage but Bennett’s action deserves a suspension imo.

But they call Domi's cross-checking penalty, that was pretty weak and not even close to a cross check

 

[Sonic Temple]

BrianBeLeafs

 

[bullitt]

Was that the NHL or the WNBA? The last time I saw a forearm delivery like that was Angel Reese to Caitlin Clark. The Leafs escape Bettman machinations, he's fixing this series for the Panthers.

your smarter than that HERR VON.

 

[bullitt]

worst game ive seen Bobrovsky play. at least 3 soft goals. Florida shakes off the layoff and gets the split. Leafs played well, no knock here, i just think this panther team starts to rev it up. say want you want about Bennet, pplays the same way every game. real good game game for this Knies kid, solid player, him and Benoit could suit up for my BRUINS, ina heartbeat .

 

[Insidious Von]

your smarter than that HERR VON.

Call me HERR BLUCHER.

How many Stanley Cups have Canadian teams won since Bettman took over? One, the Canadiens three months after his appointment. Since then it's gone to a team in a shithole country.

 

[superstar_88]

Woll's playoffs stats:
8 games played. Started 4 of them. 4 wins 2 losses. 2.12 GAA and .924 save percentage.

Stolarz playoffs stats:
7 games played started all of them. 4 wins 2 losses. 2.19 GAA and .901 save percentage.

 

[smuddan]

The Leafs can’t expect to win this series if their pp makes no meaningful contributions. With the Bennett incident I hope the refs will be paying closer attention to the Panthers’ dirty antics, but the Leafs need to get their pp going as a more effective deterrent. There were soft goals allowed on both sides but every expert in media and fans seems to be guaranteeing Bob will stand on his head the rest of the way while casting doubt on Woll. I think Woll will play better now that he’s been in a game after sitting out for so long. The Panthers may still win but I don’t think the Leafs are going to lay down without a fight.

 

[thousandeyesidol]

The Leafs can’t expect to win this series if their pp makes no meaningful contributions. With the Bennett incident I hope the refs will be paying closer attention to the Panthers’ dirty antics, but the Leafs need to get their pp going as a more effective deterrent. There were soft goals allowed on both sides but every expert in media and fans seems to be guaranteeing Bob will stand on his head the rest of the way while casting doubt on Woll. I think Woll will play better now that he’s been in a game after sitting out for so long. The Panthers may still win but I don’t think the Leafs are going to lay down without a fight.

As long as Colin Campbell is still director of the NHLs hockey operations the refs won't address anything. Berube I'd hope understands that and continues to keep the team locked down and not playing hazel like they did in that miserable-ish 3rd period.