Flames @ Leafs - Dec. 9th, 7:30pm - TSN4, TSN 1050

[harps64]

Phaneuf should've had an assist on the Kessel EN too. That would've given him 2 ENG assists and 3A on the night.

Well not really, as he never touched the puck on the first empty netter, actually he almost cost them the win by failing to get the puck out on the original dump in by the Flames with just over a minute to play, he had all sorts of time to decide what he wanted to do when he was behind the net and still failed to get it out.

He may be the least technical player on the roster, pretty much every play he makes seems like such an effort. 

 

[barney_rebel]

We rule btw...

 

[Kessel Run]

People love to get their hate-on against the buds even more than they do showing the love when the team is winning. Go figure. :-\

This is a huge thing that bothers me, not so much Leaf fans expressing complaints, but people who don't follow hockey or the Leafs but still bash them. They came out of the wood works during that playoff series.

 

[Andy007]

Gotta say. I'm really impressed with this Leaf team so far this season.

It's funny. A big win against a really hot team tonight, and only 4 GDT pages.

Yet, the big loss against the Predators garnished 23 pages of comments.

People love to get their hate-on against the buds even more than they do showing the love when the team is winning. Go figure. :-\

Oh my God! That is a lot of condiments!!!!

But seriously, what do you expect? Do you think if, say, the Red Wings got smoked by a last place team and followed it up by getting smoked 9-2 at home that there wouldn't be way more comments than a random regular season win?

As for the Leafs, this is a team that has made the playoffs only once in the last 10 years and hasn't been to a Final in nearly 50. It's going to take a little more than a slight win in game 28 to turn the tide of despair.

 

[bustaheims]

Gotta say. I'm really impressed with this Leaf team so far this season.

I'm really not. A lot of the issues that plagued the team last season are still there now, and they seem to be getting more prevalent. They dominated the 2nd period, sure, but they weren't great in the 1st and they were awful in the 3rd. If this is their baseline level of play, they're going nowhere, and fast.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Kadri looks really confident right now.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Good win beating the Flames tonight.  Despite being outshot in the first, then
tnrning the tables, so to speak, in the second outshooting Calgary, and going on to win the game.

Bernier:
?I?m feeling pretty confident, pretty comfortable out there,? he said. ?I think we have some pretty good chemistry with my D (defence) as well.?

Stajan (Calgary):
"We could have won this game," Stajan said. "We're in every game. The Maple Leafs have great speed and great transition. The chances were there for us, but Bernier played a heck of a game and we couldn't get that second one by him."


Source:  Sportsnet, NHL.com

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

I've seen enough of Jay McWinnik on anything but the 4th line. (And the PK)

Oh man, really? I'd give the guy a ton more credit than a mclement comparable.

He's 1 point away from McClement's total points from last season in 55 fewer games.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I'm really not. A lot of the issues that plagued the team last season are still there now, and they seem to be getting more prevalent. They dominated the 2nd period, sure, but they weren't great in the 1st and they were awful in the 3rd. If this is their baseline level of play, they're going nowhere, and fast.

At least this roster is a little more built towards their style of play. Run-and-gunning is a lot easier when you have 4 lines that can score as opposed to just 2.

 

[crazyperfectdevil]

Gotta say. I'm really impressed with this Leaf team so far this season.

It's funny. A big win against a really hot team tonight, and only 4 GDT pages.

Yet, the big loss against the Predators garnished 23 pages of comments.

People love to get their hate-on against the buds even more than they do showing the love when the team is winning. Go figure. :-\

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

 

[bustaheims]

At least this roster is a little more built towards their style of play. Run-and-gunning is a lot easier when you have 4 lines that can score as opposed to just 2.

That's true, but, like last season, you can't rely on your goalie to bail you out as much as the Leafs have of late. They're still counting on a number of unsustainable trends to win, and that's certainly nothing to be impressed by.

 

[crazyperfectdevil]

At least this roster is a little more built towards their style of play. Run-and-gunning is a lot easier when you have 4 lines that can score as opposed to just 2.

That's true, but, like last season, you can't rely on your goalie to bail you out as much as the Leafs have of late. They're still counting on a number of unsustainable trends to win, and that's certainly nothing to be impressed by.

I don't know how it will turn out..but i seem to remember relying on potvin...cujo..and belfour more often than not..

 

[hockeyfan1]

At least this roster is a little more built towards their style of play. Run-and-gunning is a lot easier when you have 4 lines that can score as opposed to just 2.

That's true, but, like last season, you can't rely on your goalie to bail you out as much as the Leafs have of late. They're still counting on a number of unsustainable trends to win, and that's certainly nothing to be impressed by.

I don't know how it will turn out..but i seem to remember relying on potvin...cujo..and belfour more often than not..

Throughout their history, a great Leaf goaltender has been de rigeur. 

Depending on their goaltenders is nothing new.  The difference with Bernier is that he's had to be stellar much more often.  With the team's defence the way it's been and with the team continuing to be outshot, it falls on our goaltenders (in this case Bernier) to be at their best or near best.

 

[crazyperfectdevil]

At least this roster is a little more built towards their style of play. Run-and-gunning is a lot easier when you have 4 lines that can score as opposed to just 2.

That's true, but, like last season, you can't rely on your goalie to bail you out as much as the Leafs have of late. They're still counting on a number of unsustainable trends to win, and that's certainly nothing to be impressed by.

I don't know how it will turn out..but i seem to remember relying on potvin...cujo..and belfour more often than not..

Throughout their history, a great Leaf goaltender has been de rigeur. 

Depending on their goaltenders is nothing new.  The difference with Bernier is that he's had to be stellar much more often.  With the team's defence the way it's been and with the team continuing to be outshot, it falls on our goaltenders (in this case Bernier) to be at their best or near best.

i guess i'd have to go look at the stats in the cujo era...but i don't know..i remember the leafs being fairly consistently outshot then too..especially when they had the lead...

i'm not saying this team is without flaws...i think it's a mediocre team...but the idea that it's a foregone conclusion that they're just going to explode into flames seems a little pessamistic

 

[bustaheims]

I don't know how it will turn out..but i seem to remember relying on potvin...cujo..and belfour more often than not..

Not in the same way they're relying on Bernier - unless you're talking about Potvin's last few years as the Leafs' starter, and, well, we know how those turned out. I don't remember those teams spending most of the 3rd period in their own zone most nights. When Cujo and Belfour were in net, they generally averaged 26-28 shots against per 60 minutes. They're allowing 33+ this season. While those teams had great goaltending, there were a lot of nights where they didn't need it to win - even though they frequently received it. This team absolutely needs it more often than not.

But, it's not just the goaltending that's the issue. They're shooting percentage over the last few weeks is also unsustainable. The offence isn't always going to be there like it has of late, and that's going to be an issue if they don't tighten up defensively.

 

[Kin]

i guess i'd have to go look at the stats in the cujo era...but i don't know..i remember the leafs being fairly consistently outshot then too..especially when they had the lead...

Even if that's true though, isn't that a perfect example of why it should concern people? Those Leafs were better than these Leafs but those Leafs frequently got knocked out of the playoffs when they ran into a team who could match their goaltending or when the goalie had an off series. I mean...who is the best goalie that the Cujo or Belfour era Leafs won a series against? Patrick Lalime? Chris Osgood? Vanbiesbrouck?

 

[crazyperfectdevil]

i guess i'd have to go look at the stats in the cujo era...but i don't know..i remember the leafs being fairly consistently outshot then too..especially when they had the lead...

Even if that's true though, isn't that a perfect example of why it should concern people? Those Leafs were better than these Leafs but those Leafs frequently got knocked out of the playoffs when they ran into a team who could match their goaltending or when the goalie had an off series. I mean...who is the best goalie that the Cujo or Belfour era Leafs won a series against? Patrick Lalime? Chris Osgood? Vanbiesbrouck?

i guess it depends on where your expectations are. This isn't a cup winner.  So yes...if that's where your expectations are for this years club then yes they're awful.  But if you're a long suffering leafs fan that would at this point just like to see some playoff hockey..because you know....it's only happened once in the last 10 years.  Then I think this team can do that and compared to other bubble teams they're not awful.

As far as their progress toward being a cup winner I feel that's a different discussion because that involves a future incarnation.  Not this one.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

The Leafs now have the NHL's second highest-scoring offence, 8 goals behind Tampa while having played 2 less games than Tampa.

 

[freer]

i guess i'd have to go look at the stats in the cujo era...but i don't know..i remember the leafs being fairly consistently outshot then too..especially when they had the lead...

Even if that's true though, isn't that a perfect example of why it should concern people? Those Leafs were better than these Leafs but those Leafs frequently got knocked out of the playoffs when they ran into a team who could match their goaltending or when the goalie had an off series. I mean...who is the best goalie that the Cujo or Belfour era Leafs won a series against? Patrick Lalime? Chris Osgood? Vanbiesbrouck?

i guess it depends on where your expectations are. This isn't a cup winner.  So yes...if that's where your expectations are for this years club then yes they're awful.  But if you're a long suffering leafs fan that would at this point just like to see some playoff hockey..because you know....it's only happened once in the last 10 years.  Then I think this team can do that and compared to other bubble teams they're not awful.

As far as their progress toward being a cup winner I feel that's a different discussion because that involves a future incarnation.  Not this one.

There have been plenty of teams who have won the cup when they should of. It is all about a team coming together at the right time. Tampa Bay and Carolina are both teams no saw winning the cup, yet they did because their teams found ways to work excellent at the right time.

I am not saying anything about TO winning the cup.I am not even sure that they will make the playoffs. IF they do anything is possible.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

That's true, but, like last season, you can't rely on your goalie to bail you out as much as the Leafs have of late. They're still counting on a number of unsustainable trends to win, and that's certainly nothing to be impressed by.

I know Bernier's been fantastic the past 2 games, but prior to that he's probably had more human games this season than all of last season. And I think we can all agree that Kessel, despite having a ton of points, has yet to really look like his best self this season. So I think it's encouraging that we are where we are despite our two MVPs from last year reaching their plateaus.

Yes, the team is still a mess defensively and likely won't go anywhere even if they make the playoffs, but I do see improvements in their play. Mainly because of the additions of Komarov/Santorelli/Winnik, the presence of a 4th line, and the improved play/role of Holland. The increased depth that this offseason brought is definitely paying dividends.