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Blues @ Maple Leafs - Jan. 3rd, 7:00pm - SNO, TSN 1050

Guilt Trip said:
L K said:
Well I can soundly say the shootout is still garbage
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Shootouts suck
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It was fun to watch all our shooters but yeah.  Tonight is a good example of a game where a tie would have been better.  I get that casual fans want to see a definitive result, no matter how meaningless.
 
I think it?s time to let Murray have a few starts in a row and let Samsonov clear his head
 
Guilt Trip said:
L K said:
Well I can soundly say the shootout is still garbage
Click to expand...
Shootouts suck
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So does Samsonov. Been horrid last few weeks and even when he was winning he's all over the ice. Made 1 good save in OT but that was it. Like I said before when you play 1 period you get what you deserve and Friedman is bang on with this guy.
 
L K said:
I think it?s time to let Murray have a few starts in a row and let Samsonov clear his head
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Samsonov has been off since his non-revenge game against the Capitals. No idea what they did to him but he's not the same goalie since that game
 
Samsonov really doesn't look right. Swimming in the net. He needs some time to get his game back. Either way this was just a nutty game. 1pts fine, next.
 
Bender said:
Samsonov really doesn't look right. Swimming in the net. He needs some time to get his game back. Either way this was just a nutty game. 1pts fine, next.
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They have a B2B this weekend I think.  Murray can't take all the games.
 
I have to apologize to all of you.  I stayed up and watched the OT and shootout, and it ended up exactly as it always does when I watch.

I think the Leafs were lucky to get the point. 
 
Frank E said:
I have to apologize to all of you.  I stayed up and watched the OT and shootout, and it ended up exactly as it always does when I watch.

I think the Leafs were lucky to get the point. 
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With the not so good goaltending and defensive breakdowns, they were lucky to get a point. Overall though I still think they were the better team.
 
DZ breakdowns were disappointing, Samsonov is having his regular post-start wonkiness of trying to do too much. Tavares, while excellent on the draw and defensively alongside Jarnkrok/Marner, isn't quite carrying the offensive load after his hot (PP-driven) start. The season ebbs and flows, so as long as things line up to click in the postseason, that's all that matters.

Everyone looked very tired in the messy OT; all our shooters technically beat Binnington in the shootout (on dekes, so there's some scouting going on there) but bad luck struck the Swedes' attempts. I had a feeling Sandin would get a look after the first 3 so it was really fun to see him go 4th and he nearly netted one.

Nylander is building up a nice little goalscoring streak against Binnington.
 
I think quite honestly, part of the reason Nylander is on fire is because he isn't saddled with Tavares 5 on 5. Bunting and Matthews are a massive upgrade.

I know this sounds like Tavares bashing; he's still a good player and a terrific player at specific things, but 5 on 5, he's no longer elite. Marner is essentially running that line and even he is struggling finding passing options.

I'm really hoping that dubas can trade for a high-end winger for that line to give it more even strength pop.
 
Bill33 said:
I think quite honestly, part of the reason Nylander is on fire is because he isn't saddled with Tavares 5 on 5. Bunting and Matthews are a massive upgrade.

I know this sounds like Tavares bashing; he's still a good player and a terrific player at specific things, but 5 on 5, he's no longer elite. Marner is essentially running that line and even he is struggling finding passing options.

I'm really hoping that dubas can trade for a high-end winger for that line to give it more even strength pop.
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We don't spend time talking about Tavares because he's here for the duration but, inevitably, he no longer provides full value for his contract.  But we knew that would happen the moment he signed.
 
herman said:
Tavares, while excellent on the draw and defensively alongside Jarnkrok/Marner, isn't quite carrying the offensive load after his hot (PP-driven) start.
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Wouldn't mind seeing Engvall and Jarnkrok swap spots in the line-up. I don't think Jarnkrok's been playing bad at all, but that line just isn't clicking. Aside from their first game together the Leafs have scored just one 5-on-5 goal with them on the ice.

Odds are at this point that Tavares and Marner won't have their perfect third linemate until maybe the deadline but Engvall's pretty much the only possibility that hasn't been tried there yet so may as well give it a shot.
 
The other option could be to try Bunting with Tavares and Marner for awhile. Maybe Matthews and Nylander don't need him as much as they would. It'd be tough to break up that line obviously because of how hot it is but the Leafs need to be using this pre-deadline time to try different things before determining exactly what they need to acquire.
 
Re: Tavares
I think Engvall is an excellent running mate for Tavares and worthy of a long look. Tavares' game is predicated on holding the puck down low, working a little seam or opening, and making a fantastic/weird shot on an ugly puck in tight. Tavares' lines struggle at times because the captain tends to lose pucks in transition (footspeed + penchant for inviting multiple coverage before making a play). Engvall has the speed, puck holding, and transition ability to perfectly complement Tavares' game.

I kind of want to see an Engvall - Tavares - Jarnkrok line actually, now that Jarnkrok got his legs back.

Bunting - Matthews - Marner
Engvall - Tavares - Jarnkrok
Kerfoot - Holmberg - Nylander
Aston-Reese - Kampf - Hunt

Nylander definitely doesn't deserve the downgrade, but he is the best suited option to elevating a line offensively against soft matchups without getting butthurt about it (technically Tavares would be line 3). You can slide Robertson next to Holmberg-Nylander when he returns and swap Hunt/Aston-Reese out for Kerfoot. Or shuffle the top 3RWs as needed.
 
For the crowd that wants the Leafs to get a Dman with a better point shot on the PP: we already have this guy who can do that, and then some.
https://twitter.com/TicTacTOmar/status/1610443671811555333
He didn't even need to read my long-ago treatise on the efficacy of the right handed one-timer to the goalie's low blocker side.
 
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