Game 82: Maple Leafs @ Le Habs, 7:00pm, finally an end to our misery!

[Kaberle15]

Leafs can still finish with the 4th overall, anyhow, our misery ends tonight.

Go Leafs Go.

 

[Bullfrog]

More enjoyment's sake, i hope they beat the pants off of Montreal.

 

[Manson]

More enjoyment's sake, i hope they beat the pants off of Montreal.

Haha, awesome...I completely agree.  I hope Phaneuf buries the game winner with 2 seconds left and does an Ovechkin jump into the glass. 

 

[moon111]

This might be the closest Hab and Leaf fans have ever been.  Should throw all our Leaf and Hab jerseys in a big pile, have a bonfire, get drunk, and then piss on the ashes.

I realize a team's culture might need to change, but giving up Antropov for a 2nd rounder or not resigning Koivu have had teams scrambling to find suitable replacements.

 

[L K]

We always wanted Game 82 to mean something.  Leafs vs. Habs rivalry and it all comes down to this.  It will be very nice to wash this season from our memories and move on to not caring about the team until the draft.

 

[maplesyrup]

Leafs lose, Kessel with a hatty, and somebody leaves Subban in a crumpled heap = perfect game?

 

[ZBBM]

"I say unto you: attend to me, and learn. The first shall be last, and the great shall be laid low. The mighty prince shall be found on the muddy grounds of pasture as a simple herdsman. The proud are humbled, the boasting silenced, and those who once were covered with glory are shamed into nothingness. Behold all these things, I tell thee, and consider: for this is the fate of the undeserving."

 

[Kin]

The Leafs win this clash of the titans 5-2. Upon scoring the fifth goal Dion Phaneuf flings his glove into the air and fires five imaginary shots into it before it hits the ground. Few will be impressed, however, as he'll have done the same thing after scoring the team's second goal of the night also.

 

[princedpw]

... giving up Antropov for a 2nd rounder ...

It would be fascinating to see if Antropov would be a fit with Kessel.  Antropov is sooooo much better defensively than Lupul.  (I actually think Lupul might be the second worst defensive player on the team to Kessel).  Antropov has the same kind of size, ability to hold the puck, and vision to find the open guy.  He doesn't have Lupul's speed so the line might score slightly less but it might give up way fewer goals....though the line might actually score more because the puck would not be in the defensive zone so much.

Too bad we can't try the experiment out.

 

[Fanatic]

For love of the team.... I hope they lose.

 

[LittleHockeyFan]

"I say unto you: attend to me, and learn. The first shall be last, and the great shall be laid low. The mighty prince shall be found on the muddy grounds of pasture as a simple herdsman. The proud are humbled, the boasting silenced, and those who once were covered with glory are shamed into nothingness. Behold all these things, I tell thee, and consider: for this is the fate of the undeserving."

Did you just make that up ZBBMcF?

cause it's beautiful, I tell you. *snivvel*

 

[puckhog78]

For love of the team.... I hope they lose.

exactly.

Remember when boyd deveraux got his hat trick in the final game a few seasons ago? we went from the 5th pick to the 7th pick, and therefore ended up with Kadri instead of Schenn.

I dont think its too far fetched to think that the brothers playing together would elevate both their games, and Braydon is the type of player this team lacks.

 

[L K]

... giving up Antropov for a 2nd rounder ...

It would be fascinating to see if Antropov would be a fit with Kessel.  Antropov is sooooo much better defensively than Lupul.  (I actually think Lupul might be the second worst defensive player on the team to Kessel).  Antropov has the same kind of size, ability to hold the puck, and vision to find the open guy.  He doesn't have Lupul's speed so the line might score slightly less but it might give up way fewer goals....though the line might actually score more because the puck would not be in the defensive zone so much.

Too bad we can't try the experiment out.

Although Kessel - Antropov - Lupul might have been interesting too. 

 

[maplesyrup]

It's strange. When the season ends I'm usually sad and loathe the 6 months of no Leaf hockey (apart from the draft and free agency of course.) This year I'm not feeling sad at all. I'm kind of glad actually. It's as if I'm finally hearing the last box car come to rest in what was this loud, tragic train wreck of a season.  The reality is that there are only a couple of pieces here that I'm thrilled with. Gardiner, Kessel and possibly Lupul. I don't think there's another player at the NHL level I'd say that I'm over the moon with. There's a few intriguing prospects but none have me overly excited right now. I don't think any would be considered "blue chip."

When the dust settles, I'm hoping this team looks very different next year. At least two of Connolly, Komisarek, Armstrong, and Lombardi must be ex-Leafs by next October I think. I haven't entirely soured on Phaneuf as many have here. I think he needs to simplify his game and maybe he'd be more effective with a couple of less minutes per outing. Honestly, this team shouldn't be leaning on him so much and apart from Gardiner, the rest of the defence needs to step up their game. Almost all of them have been as (or close to) disappointing as Dion has. I think we need another All-Star calibre forward in here who brings some sand paper (preferably a centre) and at least one other bottom six players who can kill penalties and take some pressure off of Brown when needed. The goaltending? I just don't know. Status quo however, is simply not an option. We need a blue-chip prospect to give us some hope. Maybe a loss tonight will help us to achieve that. 

There's so much work to be done here. I''m not sure all can be achieved in one summer.  :-\

 

[Chev-boyar-sky]

More enjoyment's sake, i hope they beat the pants off of Montreal.

Haha, awesome...I completely agree.  I hope Phaneuf buries the game winner with 2 seconds left and does an Ovechkin jump into the glass.

I hope it goes down something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2HEFR4299g

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

For love of the team.... I hope they lose.

exactly.

Remember when boyd deveraux got his hat trick in the final game a few seasons ago? we went from the 5th pick to the 7th pick, and therefore ended up with Kadri instead of Schenn.

Scott Gomez hat trick tonight, book it!

 

[Tigger]

For love of the team.... I hope they lose.

exactly.

Remember when boyd deveraux got his hat trick in the final game a few seasons ago? we went from the 5th pick to the 7th pick, and therefore ended up with Kadri instead of Schenn.

I dont think its too far fetched to think that the brothers playing together would elevate both their games, and Braydon is the type of player this team lacks.

Hard to say really, but when I look at the actual accomplishments of the two, one has .33ppg and is a plus player on a weak team, one has .30ppg and is a minus player on a strong team.

The jury is still largely out on that one, it's a little early to drag out the Boyd D. pin cushions and get mired in premature and mostly pointless blame games.

 

[Kin]

Hard to say really, but when I look at the actual accomplishments of the two, one has .33ppg and is a plus player on a weak team, one has .30ppg and is a minus player on a strong team.

The jury is still largely out on that one, it's a little early to drag out the Boyd D. pin cushions and get mired in premature and mostly pointless blame games.

Right now the most impressive accomplishment, by far, that either player can claim is Schenn's sticking with and contributing to a good team.

That or +/-. Both are good.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Hard to say really, but when I look at the actual accomplishments of the two, one has .33ppg and is a plus player on a weak team, one has .30ppg and is a minus player on a strong team.

The jury is still largely out on that one, it's a little early to drag out the Boyd D. pin cushions and get mired in premature and mostly pointless blame games.

Right now the most impressive accomplishment, by far, that either player can claim is Schenn's sticking with and contributing to a good team.

That or +/-. Both are good.

I also think he has to be given some credit for his hitting prowess.

 

[Strangelove]

This is the most miserable season I've ever watched as a Leaf fan.  This team has little heart and no identity.  Just a complete trainwreck with almost no prospects for the future.  Good riddance.