2020-2021 Toronto Maple Leafs General Discussion

[bustaheims]

https://twitter.com/markhmasters/status/1366877936289275906

Could definitely be worse.

 

[caver]

Yanic Perreault is ready to step in if needed...

 

[Bullfrog]

Any instance of a broken Willy is an immediate emergency, man

https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/1366873491040051200

Agreed. I've basically been in full-on panic all day. I refuse to let work or domestic duties get in the way of me worrying about our saviour.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1366886316449935362

 

[rdowdall]

How is this the first time I am seeing this:

https://twitter.com/MikeWestlakee/status/1366591678681866248

I feel the internet has failed me.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/MikeWestlakee/status/1366591678681866248

Dragostea din tei is my favourite song and I'm sad he didn't make them do the numa numa dance.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/domluszczyszyn/status/1367119479629631492
Ah now we are jinxed

While the average North team scores 3.05 goals-per-game, the highest of any division, that number is actually 3.16 goals-per-game if Toronto?s 2.39 goals against per game is excluded, the league?s fourth-best mark.

That the team has been able to contain such a high-octane division to such low scoring is an impressive feat that isn?t getting nearly enough credit.

 

[L K]

Yeah, that is honestly the thing that has me most excited about their play. 

Sure, they are winning games but for the most part there haven't been many games where we didn't look like the better team.  Mistakes still happen.  Our team isn't top to bottom the best defensive collection of players but the consistency is way better than any team we have had in the last 10+ years. 

 

[herman]

I think we got a bit lucky in the early parts of the season (lots of one-goal games) where we were uneven or even entirely disconnected for most of the game, and then Matthews et al gets a good sequence to click a couple of times and that's it for the opposition.

Lately, it's been more business-like: steady doses of get puck, put puck in good spots, get goals, keep it boring.

 

[rdowdall]

https://twitter.com/MikeWestlakee/status/1366591678681866248

Dragostea din tei is my favourite song and I'm sad he didn't make them do the numa numa dance.

Would you hate me a lot if I said that I only knew it from T.I.'s Live Your Life?

 

[bustaheims]

Yeah, that is honestly the thing that has me most excited about their play. 

Sure, they are winning games but for the most part there haven't been many games where we didn't look like the better team.  Mistakes still happen.  Our team isn't top to bottom the best defensive collection of players but the consistency is way better than any team we have had in the last 10+ years.

Being in the top few teams in goals against while playing in the highest scoring division is certainly something to celebrate.

 

[herman]

Dragostea din tei is my favourite song and I'm sad he didn't make them do the numa numa dance.

Would you hate me a lot if I said that I only knew it from T.I.'s Live Your Life?

That's a fair entry point for most people; OGs will know it from this.

 

[rdowdall]

Dragostea din tei is my favourite song and I'm sad he didn't make them do the numa numa dance.

Would you hate me a lot if I said that I only knew it from T.I.'s Live Your Life?

That's a fair entry point for most people; OGs will know it from this.

I remember that now!!!  I guess I purged it from my mind once there was a video that featured Rihanna in it.

 

[cabber24]

Yeah, that is honestly the thing that has me most excited about their play. 

Sure, they are winning games but for the most part there haven't been many games where we didn't look like the better team.  Mistakes still happen.  Our team isn't top to bottom the best defensive collection of players but the consistency is way better than any team we have had in the last 10+ years.

Being in the top few teams in goals against while playing in the highest scoring division is certainly something to celebrate.

Or a group of incompetent teams playing each other equates to a lot of goals?

I am enjoying this season, sure I wonder how we would do against TB or BOS but that's not in the cards for the regular season.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

Yeah, that is honestly the thing that has me most excited about their play. 

Sure, they are winning games but for the most part there haven't been many games where we didn't look like the better team.  Mistakes still happen.  Our team isn't top to bottom the best defensive collection of players but the consistency is way better than any team we have had in the last 10+ years.

Being in the top few teams in goals against while playing in the highest scoring division is certainly something to celebrate.

Or a group of incompetent teams playing each other equates to a lot of goals?

I think the point is that in regards to Toronto, the high numbers of goals against, isn't happening.

 

[bustaheims]

Or a group of incompetent teams playing each other equates to a lot of goals?

I am enjoying this season, sure I wonder how we would do against TB or BOS but that's not in the cards for the regular season.

The North division boasts some of the best offensive talent in the league.  5 of the league's top 10 point leaders and 7 of the top 10 goal scorers are all in the North. It's not necessarily the strongest group of defensive squads, but teams in this division would shred a lot of very good defences if they played them 8-10 times in a season.

-4 of the top 8 teams in goals for/60 play in the North.
-The Leafs are the only team in the top 8 in goals against/60, and one of 3 in the top 20.
-Every team in the division is in the top 16 in expected goals for.

It's not incompetent teams at all. It's more of a collection of teams built to score lots of goals.

 

[herman]

https://theathletic.com/2411803/2021/03/02/why-mitch-marners-defensive-play-for-the-maple-leafs-should-put-him-in-the-selke-trophy-race/

An ode to Marner's emerging defensive play (i.e. annoying little brother x1000). He knows all your buttons and when to push them. He's one of those special players that knows where everyone is on the ice and it drives his results on offense and defense, even though his non-lateral skating and puck reception skills are works in progress. It's going to be nuts when he starts folding improvements to those aspects of his game into action. His game brain and vision are so good I think if circumstances were a bit different early on, he'd have made for a Scott Niedermayer-esque defenseman.

 

[L K]

Or a group of incompetent teams playing each other equates to a lot of goals?

I am enjoying this season, sure I wonder how we would do against TB or BOS but that's not in the cards for the regular season.

The North division boasts some of the best offensive talent in the league.  5 of the league's top 10 point leaders and 7 of the top 10 goal scorers are all in the North. It's not necessarily the strongest group of defensive squads, but teams in this division would shred a lot of very good defences if they played them 8-10 times in a season.

-4 of the top 8 teams in goals for/60 play in the North.
-The Leafs are the only team in the top 8 in goals against/60, and one of 3 in the top 20.
-Every team in the division is in the top 16 in expected goals for.

It's not incompetent teams at all. It's more of a collection of teams built to score lots of goals.

Its also kind of interesting how the division didn't such when Montreal started hot in the first few weeks of the season.  It wasn't until the Leafs took over the top that it was a problem with how bad the division was.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

The thought of pinching defence and when it should be done has changed greatly over the last few years.
It use to be a "only do it when you know you can get the puck first", but if you play the 1/1/3 forecheck that was mentioned, either that top F or the D partner, should always be able to step in and cover for the pinch. Therefore, you're better off applying pressure on the breakout winger on the wall as it leads to turnovers and removes the space and time required for free breakouts.

(Read the replies about breakouts from our defensive zone. I felt you were referring to the offensive zone. If I'm mistaken, I apologize. That said, the ability to breakout of your own zone certainly helps your ability to forecheck in the offensive zone. i also think that what you're seeing a lot more of is players not being afraid to go back into the defensive zone with the puck. It doesn't always have to move towards the opposing team's net. If bringing the puck back towards your own net provides more time, it's the right play. Controlling the puck and putting the puck into positions that your team can access first and successfully, is the name of the possession game being implemented by Toronto.)

I'm not sure what you're referring to in relation to what I wrote, but I was talking about the NZ forecheck in relation to how we sort out as the opposing team tries transition from their DZ through the NZ.

Indeed the Leafs will throw a D-man pinch on the attack (wall pinch by strong side D as F3 rotates up to cover) and on mucking up break outs (horizontal pinch from the weak side D as strong side D backs up to set up gap control) to apply pressure to the winger and buy time for the structure to set up.

So I just completely misunderstood everything. Figures.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/berezin_goal/status/1367315207576563716