Blues @ Leafs - Mar. 25th, 7:00pm - SN, TSN 1050

[bustaheims]

So did Canada's Olympic team. The Leafs really should choose to play like them next year.

Maybe they should. Just because they don't have the same talent level doesn't mean they can't be successful emulating their system and structure.

 

[Deebo]

My goodness. It's almost like our #1 defenseman would be their #4.

My heavens. It's almost like they play a much more structured and disciplined defensive system than the Leafs do!

So did Canada's Olympic team. The Leafs really should choose to play like them next year.

Why wait until next year, they should start tonight.

 

[Coco-puffs]

My goodness. It's almost like our #1 defenseman would be their #4.

My heavens. It's almost like they play a much more structured and disciplined defensive system than the Leafs do!

So did Canada's Olympic team. The Leafs really should choose to play like them next year.

I know that was sarcastic.... but I'm going to go with it anyways:

You mean control the play in the offensive zone for multiple shifts at a time, then after tiring the opposition out, when they do get the puck, back check so they need to dump the puck into the offensive zone and change before they can even get a shot on net? 

Yeah, I'm sure EVERY TEAM IN THE LEAGUE wants to utilize that strategy.  It's kinda hard, unless you have the personnel to do so- no matter who the coach is.

* Note:  In no way am I saying that Carlyle is doing a good job with the roster he has.  But, team defence is part strategy and part execution.  His strategy seems to be flawed, but really, I don't think we know that for sure because this team cannot execute the game plan for a full 60 minutes very often. 

 

[Redleaf]

You guys are arguing a lot about 'worst case scenarios' being what we already have, but there are a lot of unknowns when getting a new boss bench that you need to factor in. Look what happened in Edmonton with Dallas Eakins, the supposed answer to their problems (and ours, if he had come in instead of Carlyle). I don't think it's as easy as changing coaches, and instantly expecting better results.

Again, no one is expecting instantly better results, but, that changing coaches is going to have a much more significant impact on the team than anything they can realistically do in terms of the players on the roster. And, as for the unknowns . . . even with them, really, the team cannot play much worse than they have this season. Things will be different, but, at worse, that difference will see similar results to what we've seen this season.

Again...a flawed argument.......But whatever.....

 

[Kin]

does it also mean our goalie would have theirs playing on our farm team?

Well, it would have if Ken "Lazybones" Hitchcock would have coached his goalies better as opposed to using a trade to upgrade their talent at the position. You know, the easy way out.

 

[Highlander]

During the HBO series someone is quoted as saying that Carlyle and his staff do the best preperation in the league for this team, so the question is does the team and its individual players suffer from individual or collective ADD. 
Is Randy completely to blame or is it the modern new day attitude that seems to permeate everything?  Why is there no constant compete level?  I don't get it with players making more money in  a month than some of us make in 20 years?
And no one every answers the question I keep asking; Whom is going to be the new coach if Randy gets fired?  Not Laviollete, not Keegan, not Tororelli, not Quinn, so where do we find our savior coach?
Oh and by the way,  I vote for Mac to start in net tonight.

 

[Champ Kind]

Well, it would have if Ken "LazyBigbones" Hitchcock would have coached his goalies better as opposed to using a trade to upgrade their talent at the position. You know, the easy way out.

Hi Nik - noticed a mistake in your post and fixed it for you.  Hope you don't mind.

 

[Champ Kind]

Whom is going to be the new coach if Randy gets fired?  Not Laviollete, not Keegan, not Tororelli, not Quinn, so where do we find our savior coach?
Oh and by the way,  I vote for Mac to start in net tonight.

I hear this Tororelli is not only an excellent strategist, he's a real player's coach.

 

[Redleaf]

During the HBO series someone is quoted as saying that Carlyle and his staff do the best preperation in the league for this team, so the question is does the team and its individual players suffer from individual or collective ADD. 
Is Randy completely to blame or is it the modern new day attitude that seems to permeate everything?  Why is there no constant compete level?  I don't get it with players making more money in  a month than some of us make in 20 years?
And no one every answers the question I keep asking; Whom is going to be the new coach if Randy gets fired?  Not Laviollete, not Keegan, not Tororelli, not Quinn, so where do we find our savior coach?
Oh and by the way,  I vote for Mac to start in net tonight.

I agree, but you may have answered your own question here? Motivation takes a hit on some people when they're already living the dream.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

I know that was sarcastic.... but I'm going to go with it anyways:

You mean control the play in the offensive zone for multiple shifts at a time, then after tiring the opposition out, when they do get the puck, back check so they need to dump the puck into the offensive zone and change before they can even get a shot on net? 

Yeah, I'm sure EVERY TEAM IN THE LEAGUE wants to utilize that strategy.  It's kinda hard, unless you have the personnel to do so- no matter who the coach is.

* Note:  In no way am I saying that Carlyle is doing a good job with the roster he has.  But, team defence is part strategy and part execution.  His strategy seems to be flawed, but really, I don't think we know that for sure because this team cannot execute the game plan for a full 60 minutes very often.

The original comment wasn't suggesting the Leafs can be as good as the Blues are right now, but that a structured system could have them in much better position than they are.  It's still smart to do these things properly even if you don't have the same overall talent of the top teams.

 

[Highlander]

Oh by the way, Elton John is 67 today, "I guess thats why you call it the Blues"

I know a lot of us want to rant over this most recent collapse, I for one hope the find some way to get into the playoffs?as I need to have that profound let down once again?.LOL

 

[ZBBM]

@DavidAmber 

#Leafs and #Blues goalies have identical .916 save%. Only difference is Blues have allowed 800 fewer shots on goal this season

800!

Bah. That's only like 11 shots per game.

And roughly 1 goal per game.

EDIT: So somehow in 2011-12, with the Leafs top 4 defensemen being Phaneuf, Gunnarsson, Gardiner and Liles, the Leafs by game 73 managed to allow roughly ~380 less shots (using their 82 game pace) than this season, where their top 3 defensemen are Phaneuf, Franson, Gardiner, Gunnarsson.

During which the Leafs finished with exactly as many points as they have right now.  So, unless they lose every game from here on in, they will finish with more points this season yet give up hundreds more shots.

What this tells me is that we are doing better, not because the defense has gotten better, but because the offense has.  We are essentially wasting the best offensive talent we've had in in years because of (1) inept coaching and (2) the core guys on D simply being not good enough.

 

[Optimus Reimer]

According to Sesame Street, this losing streak was brought to you by the number 6.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

@DavidAmber 

#Leafs and #Blues goalies have identical .916 save%. Only difference is Blues have allowed 800 fewer shots on goal this season

800!

Bah. That's only like 11 shots per game.

And roughly 1 goal per game.

EDIT: So somehow in 2011-12, with the Leafs top 4 defensemen being Phaneuf, Gunnarsson, Gardiner and Liles, the Leafs by game 73 managed to allow roughly ~380 less shots (using their 82 game pace) than this season, where their top 3 defensemen are Phaneuf, Franson, Gardiner, Gunnarsson.

During which the Leafs finished with exactly as many points as they have right now.  So, unless they lose every game from here on in, they will finish with more points this season yet give up hundreds more shots.

What this tells me is that we are doing better, not because the defense has gotten better, but because the offense has.  We are essentially wasting the best offensive talent we've had in in years because of (1) inept coaching and (2) the core guys on D simply being not good enough.

Shootouts.  That team was 4-5 in SO with 31 ROWs, this team is 9-4 with 27 ROWs.

 

[ZBBM]

@DavidAmber 

#Leafs and #Blues goalies have identical .916 save%. Only difference is Blues have allowed 800 fewer shots on goal this season

800!

Bah. That's only like 11 shots per game.

And roughly 1 goal per game.

EDIT: So somehow in 2011-12, with the Leafs top 4 defensemen being Phaneuf, Gunnarsson, Gardiner and Liles, the Leafs by game 73 managed to allow roughly ~380 less shots (using their 82 game pace) than this season, where their top 3 defensemen are Phaneuf, Franson, Gardiner, Gunnarsson.

During which the Leafs finished with exactly as many points as they have right now.  So, unless they lose every game from here on in, they will finish with more points this season yet give up hundreds more shots.

What this tells me is that we are doing better, not because the defense has gotten better, but because the offense has.  We are essentially wasting the best offensive talent we've had in in years because of (1) inept coaching and (2) the core guys on D simply being not good enough.

Shootouts.  That team was 4-5 in SO with 31 ROWs, this team is 9-4 with 27 ROWs.

There you go.  The offense has been better.

 

[Corn Flake]

Anyone want a pair of tickets for tonight?

willing to sell them at face value. $70 each.. section 307 row 15.

Edit: They are gone.

 

[bustaheims]

There you go.  The offense has been better.

The goaltending has, too, though the significant increase in shots against has virtually eliminated the difference that improvement has had on results. And, that's pretty much it.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

@DavidAmber 

#Leafs and #Blues goalies have identical .916 save%. Only difference is Blues have allowed 800 fewer shots on goal this season

800!

Bah. That's only like 11 shots per game.

And roughly 1 goal per game.

EDIT: So somehow in 2011-12, with the Leafs top 4 defensemen being Phaneuf, Gunnarsson, Gardiner and Liles, the Leafs by game 73 managed to allow roughly ~380 less shots (using their 82 game pace) than this season, where their top 3 defensemen are Phaneuf, Franson, Gardiner, Gunnarsson.

During which the Leafs finished with exactly as many points as they have right now.  So, unless they lose every game from here on in, they will finish with more points this season yet give up hundreds more shots.

What this tells me is that we are doing better, not because the defense has gotten better, but because the offense has.  We are essentially wasting the best offensive talent we've had in in years because of (1) inept coaching and (2) the core guys on D simply being not good enough.

Shootouts.  That team was 4-5 in SO with 31 ROWs, this team is 9-4 with 27 ROWs.

There you go.  The offense has been better.

Shootouts aren't indicative of an improved offense.  Same exact guys in the shootout this season and they went 0-5 last season.  It's random.  4 of the top 6 shootout teams in the East aren't in the playoffs. Not really indicative of much and will likely change next season.

 

[ZBBM]

There you go.  The offense has been better.

The goaltending has, too, though the significant increase in shots against has virtually eliminated the difference that improvement has had on results. And, that's pretty much it.

Very true.  My point is that it's hard to argue against the idea that the coaching needs to change and the defensive needs a major upgrade.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Anyone want a pair of tickets for tonight?

willing to sell them at face value. $70 each.. section 307 row 15.

PM me.

Face value - you're a good man.  If I wasn't 700 kms away...