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2023-24 Toronto Maple Leafs General Discussion

https://twitter.com/dalter/status/1771230620703694902

Keefe's "Marner is progressing well" shirt is starting to have people asking a lot of questions already answered by his shirt.
 
It's Marner's turn for a break, it'll do him well down the stretch.  I suspect Matthews may develop "some soreness" to give him a minute as well.
 
https://twitter.com/markhmasters/status/1771233430170169603
https://twitter.com/koshtorontosun/status/1771239164341571601

Sounds like they're trying to pull another Samsonov here.
 
https://x.com/realpaulross/status/1771167054814405058

The key
fd-1960-allen-key-featurejpg.jpg
 
https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2024/04/01/why-did-the-maple-leafs-power-play-fall-off-a-cliff-in-march-a-look-at-the-game-tape/
This is a good read

Some easy solutions we could have tried instead of waffling (we still have time to try them!):
- mirror image PP running off Matthews half-wall, iso-Nylander shot.
Domi
Nylander-Tavares/Bertuzzi-Matthews
Liljegren/Timmins

RD quick pass option on the peripheral to Matthews on the R-wall, or one-time feed to Nylander in the Ovi-office. Can work the down-low give and go triangle Matthews to Domi to bumper, the exact mirror of Nylander down to Marner to Tavares/Matthews.

- Jim Hiller PP 1a
Tavares
McMann/Whoever-Matthews-Nylander
Rielly/Liljegren

This one used to be Marner skating down the R-wall and having either Kadri in the slot (high tip) or JvR down low (highlight reel shelf tuck, or slip pass to bumper one timer) to pick who to plinko the puck to. Tic-Tac-Toe, or the rebound goes to the L-side Bozak to hit an open net. Nylander can play the Marner role with an additional shot threat. Tavares is about as good as JvR at the crease. Matthews can make anything work from the slot and he has tremendous gravitational pull on the PK. High tips are really annoying for PKs to stop.

- Jim Hiller PP 1b
Bertuzzi
Matthews-Tavares-Nylander
D-man

Reconnecting the Matthews-Nylander pitch and catch coming downhill on the wings from before Matthews got comfortable with one-timers.
 
I like your last line most of all.  Where is the play where 34 gets to fire his deadly wrister while skating menacingly towards the net?

I mean, I love his LeftyOvie stuff as much as anyone, but he's got other weaponry too.
 
Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate said:
I mean, I love his LeftyOvie stuff as much as anyone, but he's got other weaponry too.
Click to expand...

This is definitely where he stands out from Ovechkin (to pull the conversation from the Sabres GDT). Ovechkin is a wrecking ball and a howitzer, but Matthews is a full arsenal that is really only held back by his imagination and health. When his wrist held him only to 40 goals, he was getting pucks on net (and in the net) with an array of high tips, screen deflections, wrap arounds, etc. A floor of 35ish goals a season when absolutely labouring with injury is kind of insane.
 
Domi - Matthews - Bertuzzi
McMann - Tavares - Marner
Jarnkrok - Holmberg - Nylander
Knies - K?mpf - Dewar

Looks like a strong group. Would love to fit Robertson in but can?t do it.
 
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