Canadiens @ Leafs - Apr. 9th, 7:00pm - CBC, TSN 1050

[ZBBM]

Nice win!

Too close in my opinion. Thank God we don't play them in the playoffs as for whatever reason we can't seem to bury this god awful team.

I give Montreal credit,  they battled hard

That's expected they aren't playing for anything other than a spot for next year but considering the talent on both these teams it shouldn't be this close. My opinion. Shots have been double last 2 games in each one for the Leafs and lost badly in one and eked out a win tonight.

Montembault played a great game.  What can you say?  It's not like they didn't have plenty of chances.  Though as we discussed earlier I think Matthews could have literally destroyed them singlenhandedly if he wanted to.

 

[L K]

Good news everybody!

The Leafs are now 3rd overall in the NHL as we pull into a virtual tie with Carolina.  For that we get the luxury of playing the 7th best team in the NHL in the first round.

 

[ZBBM]

Good news everybody!

The Leafs are now 3rd overall in the NHL as we pull into a virtual tie with Carolina.  For that we get the luxury of playing the 7th best team in the NHL in the first round.

You know, all kidding aside, this may be a good thing, considering their play-down tendencies (which were on display, in miniature, on the 5 on 3).

 

[lamajama]

Good news everybody!

The Leafs are now 3rd overall in the NHL as we pull into a virtual tie with Carolina.  For that we get the luxury of playing the 7th best team in the NHL in the first round.

Is it weird that I instantly and ONLY read that first line in Professor Farnsworth?s voice????

 

[Britishbulldog]

Good news everybody!

The Leafs are now 3rd overall in the NHL as we pull into a virtual tie with Carolina.  For that we get the luxury of playing the 7th best team in the NHL in the first round.

I am actually okay with the Leafs playing anybody in the Eastern Conference.  Anybody.

I have made it to my 50s and have never seen a Leafs team this well built.  There is only one player I am not absolutely content with (price/performance/playoff ready) but I won't mention him because he has the same number as what Lindros used to wear. 

 

[herman]

The guy who is currently tied with Doug Gilmour in goals scored as a Leaf?

 

[Zee]

Good news everybody!

The Leafs are now 3rd overall in the NHL as we pull into a virtual tie with Carolina.  For that we get the luxury of playing the 7th best team in the NHL in the first round.

I am actually okay with the Leafs playing anybody in the Eastern Conference.  Anybody.

I have made it to my 50s and have never seen a Leafs team this well built.  There is only one player I am not absolutely content with (price/performance/playoff ready) but I won't mention him because he has the same number as what Lindros used to wear. 

I saw Nylander bring it in last year's playoffs I'm not worried

 

[Britishbulldog]

The guy who is currently tied with Doug Gilmour in goals scored as a Leaf?

I was counting on you brother.  You're awesome! 

 

[Britishbulldog]

Good news everybody!

The Leafs are now 3rd overall in the NHL as we pull into a virtual tie with Carolina.  For that we get the luxury of playing the 7th best team in the NHL in the first round.

I am actually okay with the Leafs playing anybody in the Eastern Conference.  Anybody.

I have made it to my 50s and have never seen a Leafs team this well built.  There is only one player I am not absolutely content with (price/performance/playoff ready) but I won't mention him because he has the same number as what Lindros used to wear. 

I saw Nylander bring it in last year's playoffs I'm not worried

That's fair Zee.  It's just that last year and the year before there were multiple players I was concerned with compared to other playoff team lineups:

Engvall would have great hustle but then randomly throw the puck in the middle of the ice causing a brutal giveaway that would either lead to a great scoring chance for the other team or worse a goal against.  About mid-season this year that disappeared.

Mikheyev had speed to burn but didn't seem to have a fast enough hockey sense to match.  He didn't seem to know how to finish which was eerily similar to Kapanen's game.  About mid-season this year that disappeared.

Sandin seemed skilled but was physically outmatched.  Now he has shown a high hockey IQ, high skill and is playing physical while actually boxing out the opposition a majority of the time.

Kerfoot has been playing for the whole season like he had his last season in Colorado.  Unsurprisingly it corrolates with his 1st season in Toronto that he is fully healthy.

Dermott would randomly struggle at the worst times but he has been replaced by Giordano who is so solid.

Andersen was a great goalie but would let in some back breaking goals at crucial times where Campbell has bad stretches where he can't stop a beach ball and then plays great.  Campbell rarely let's in a soul crushing goals.  (BTW Andersen is STILL doing that!  I was watching the Canes and NYI in N Carolina.  Canes fought hard and tied it with less then a minute in the game.  Andersen let in the winning goal in only 40 seconds later to lose the game)

I love almost all of Nylander's game except his physical engagement.  I know...it's not a shocking revelation or a new criticism bit really that's it.  He has ELITE hockey IQ, insane puck handling skills, he can snipe ridiculous goals, top end skating speed, etc.  That's why I find him disappointing on occasion.

It's just that he tries to use his stick so many times rather that getting his 6'0" 200+ lbs body in there.  I am NOT looking for him to be Raffi Torres but just finish his rubouts/checks and be willing to receive a hit to make a play.  Engvall used to play the same way but has completely changed.  Engvall took a hard hit by PL Dubois to get Mikheyev sprung on breakaway for a shorthanded goal and has been rubbing out opponents and throwing the odd hit. 

Drafted players who play physicall engaged now include Marner, Matthews, Engvall, Sandin, Liljegren and undrafted Mikheyev.  Nylander could do that little tweak to his game and be a complete player so easily which is why I am still a bit disappointed in him.  /long winded

 

[herman]

I love almost all of Nylander's game except his physical engagement.  I know...it's not a shocking revelation or a new criticism bit really that's it.  He has ELITE hockey IQ, insane puck handling skills, he can snipe ridiculous goals, top end skating speed, etc.  That's why I find him disappointing on occasion.

It's just that he tries to use his stick so many times rather that getting his 6'0" 200+ lbs body in there.  I am NOT looking for him to be Raffi Torres but just finish his rubouts/checks and be willing to receive a hit to make a play.

That's a fair assessment. Just for context, Nylander grew up playing up 1-3 years, so he was always the smallest (and usually most skilled) on his teams. It's not instinctive for him to actively seek out physical engagement and it's not exactly how SHL was played either. Now that he has bulked up, he has been shrugging off checkers in the OZ more readily; you don't remember him taking hits to make plays because he's usually just slips past. He has definitely adapted his game to his new size: you don't score net front goals the way he does without taking a bit of a beating; Nylander likes arrive at the crease 'on time' with the play vs waiting there early and getting repeatedly crosschecked (old-school Simmonds style).

He definitely can try to engage more in the DZ to just simply stop plays, but given his role on the line as the go-to person to drive offense, you kind of want his linemates jarring pucks loose for him to zip through the NZ rather than the other way around. Sort of like you'd rather Nylander be taking the shots rather than setting up Kampf or Kerfoot.

He's a lot like JvR but better.

 

[Britishbulldog]

I love almost all of Nylander's game except his physical engagement.  I know...it's not a shocking revelation or a new criticism bit really that's it.  He has ELITE hockey IQ, insane puck handling skills, he can snipe ridiculous goals, top end skating speed, etc.  That's why I find him disappointing on occasion.

It's just that he tries to use his stick so many times rather that getting his 6'0" 200+ lbs body in there.  I am NOT looking for him to be Raffi Torres but just finish his rubouts/checks and be willing to receive a hit to make a play.

That's a fair assessment. Just for context, Nylander grew up playing up 1-3 years, so he was always the smallest (and usually most skilled) on his teams. It's not instinctive for him to actively seek out physical engagement and it's not exactly how SHL was played either. Now that he has bulked up, he has been shrugging off checkers in the OZ more readily; you don't remember him taking hits to make plays because he's usually just slips past. He has definitely adapted his game to his new size: you don't score net front goals the way he does without taking a bit of a beating; Nylander likes arrive at the crease 'on time' with the play vs waiting there early and getting repeatedly crosschecked (old-school Simmonds style).

He definitely can try to engage more in the DZ to just simply stop plays, but given his role on the line as the go-to person to drive offense, you kind of want his linemates jarring pucks loose for him to zip through the NZ rather than the other way around. Sort of like you'd rather Nylander be taking the shots rather than setting up Kampf or Kerfoot.

He's a lot like JvR but better.

Makes sense.  Thanks Herman.  I see the Leafs are so close to having every player engaged like SC champions TBay and Boston when they won which has never happened  to the Leafs in all my years watching.  I don't think Nylander will ever point the points up like Marner and Matthews but he is so skilled I can see him winning games on his own like other teams 1st line players.

 

[Joe S.]

Nice win!

Too close in my opinion. Thank God we don't play them in the playoffs as for whatever reason we can't seem to bury this god awful team.

Remember that when looking at the final standings, quality of victory and quality of opponent is factored into the final standings. It?s a complex algorithm, but it balances out the true victories from the hollow ones.

 

[Bender]

Nice win!

Too close in my opinion. Thank God we don't play them in the playoffs as for whatever reason we can't seem to bury this god awful team.

Remember that when looking at the final standings, quality of victory and quality of opponent is factored into the final standings. It?s a complex algorithm, but it balances out the true victories from the hollow ones.

You're right. Tampa lost to them badly recently. Bunch of frauds.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

https://twitter.com/scottmatla/status/1512955151606337536

These guys are banking on Caufield so hard.

 

[Zee]

https://twitter.com/scottmatla/status/1512955151606337536

These guys are banking on Caufield so hard.

If Leafs win the Cup, all the trash talking from Habs fans goes away, cause at that point they got nothing.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

https://twitter.com/scottmatla/status/1512955151606337536

These guys are banking on Caufield so hard.

If Leafs win the Cup, all the trash talking from Habs fans goes away, cause at that point they got nothing.

The fallback position is then about the number of Cups.

 

[Joe S.]

Honestly who cares. I?ll never understand why other fan bases care so much about diminishing other teams accomplishments. It?s even dumber when you realize that all these players across teams are actually friends.

I got into it with a friend who is a habs fan and he says to me ?look at Boston, they just keep taking the players the leafs gave up on and turn them into stars? and I asked him who because that?s not the case at all and he says ?Seguin?. I tapped out at that point.

 

[Zee]

https://twitter.com/scottmatla/status/1512955151606337536

These guys are banking on Caufield so hard.

If Leafs win the Cup, all the trash talking from Habs fans goes away, cause at that point they got nothing.

The fallback position is then about the number of Cups.

Oh I know, but it's a hollow position.  At least now they can chant "1967" and "have you ever won a Cup in colour or in HD?"  Leafs win it, and the Habs fans "number of Cups" thing is basically just a huge reach where they may as well just yell "SHUT UP OK!!!"

 

[Bill_Berg]

https://twitter.com/scottmatla/status/1512955151606337536

These guys are banking on Caufield so hard.

If Leafs win the Cup, all the trash talking from Habs fans goes away, cause at that point they got nothing.

The fallback position is then about the number of Cups.

Oh I know, but it's a hollow position.  At least now they can chant "1967" and "have you ever won a Cup in colour or in HD?"  Leafs win it, and the Habs fans "number of Cups" thing is basically just a huge reach where they may as well just yell "SHUT UP OK!!!"

Habs are basically at 30 years now. Lots of fans over there that have never seen a cup.

Also, if the Leafs win the cup, I will have to have a serious internal debate between being humble and joining the epic new era of trash talking that will surely begin.

 

[Zee]

https://twitter.com/scottmatla/status/1512955151606337536

These guys are banking on Caufield so hard.

If Leafs win the Cup, all the trash talking from Habs fans goes away, cause at that point they got nothing.

The fallback position is then about the number of Cups.

Oh I know, but it's a hollow position.  At least now they can chant "1967" and "have you ever won a Cup in colour or in HD?"  Leafs win it, and the Habs fans "number of Cups" thing is basically just a huge reach where they may as well just yell "SHUT UP OK!!!"

Habs are basically at 30 years now. Lots of fans over there that have never seen a cup.

Also, if the Leafs win the cup, I will have to have a serious internal debate between being humble and joining the epic new era of trash talking that will surely begin.

I fear for fans of any other Canadian team on Twitter if the Leafs win the Cup.  If they think Leafs fans are bad now, just wait.  Also, other cities complain about too much Leafs centric coverage, imagine how that would just increase if they won the Cup?  ;D