Golden Knights @ Leafs - Nov. 6th, 7:00pm - SNO, Fan 590

[ZBBM]

Even if they manage to get the extra point, I don't see this game as a big old confidence-builder for the Leafs.

Nope. Looked like it could have been after the first, but, then, every line without Matthews on it stopped playing on most of their shifts.

Do you remember (we're talking years ago now) right before they fired Pat Quinn?  This run of doldrums reminds me of that.  No matter what Quinn did, he couldn't get that team -- which was pretty talented -- going. 

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

I hope that's a confidence booster for Eff You Freddie, he stepped up after conceding the equalizer.

 

[herman]

I hope that's a confidence booster for Eff You Freddie, he stepped up after conceding the equalizer.

Has Freddie 100'd a shootout with us before?

 

[Stronger Than All]

Well good thing for Mitch there.  Not expecting him to get the only goal in the SO.

 

[Zee]

All frustration aside, I think this is the type of game they build on. Usually after a slump you either just win ugly or just lose ugly and then get on a roll. We'll see if that happens

 

[bustaheims]

Do you remember (we're talking years ago now) right before they fired Pat Quinn?  This run of doldrums reminds me of that.  No matter what Quinn did, he couldn't get that team -- which was pretty talented -- going.

Similar. With Quinn, I felt he was having trouble adapting his systems to the new realities of the league - and maybe he'd been with the team too long/was too close to some of the players to make it work. With the team now - I think a lot of it can be chalked up to a combination of young players struggling to adapt to the increased pressure from other teams and some veteran players who just don't have it in them to put in the 200 foot effort required to be part of a truly successful team.

 

[ZBBM]

Do you remember (we're talking years ago now) right before they fired Pat Quinn?  This run of doldrums reminds me of that.  No matter what Quinn did, he couldn't get that team -- which was pretty talented -- going.

Similar. With Quinn, I felt he was having trouble adapting his systems to the new realities of the league - and maybe he'd been with the team too long/was too close to some of the players to make it work. With the team now - I think a lot of it can be chalked up to a combination of young players struggling to adapt to the increased pressure from other teams and some veteran players who just don't have it in them to put in the 200 foot effort required to be part of a truly successful team.

Yes, I remember distinctly that people were saying that PQ had lost the room, which is obviously not in play here.  That's a big difference.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

You guys saying that it's time for PAQB?

 

[Frank E]

Well, it's a win.

This exactly encapsulates my feelings.

 

[cabber24]

I hope that's a confidence booster for Eff You Freddie, he stepped up after conceding the equalizer.

Has Freddie 100'd a shootout with us before?

Freddie stoned walled them in the shootout, they wern't even close to scoring. That third goal though...

 

[cabber24]

The Leafs defensive game is continually awful. I cannot remember the last time it wasn't awful maybe the Brian Leech days? At least it's not one of those good on paper years where the blue line payroll is ridiculous high with awful results. Forever lacking that capable minute crunching dman.

 

[bustaheims]

The Leafs defensive game is continually awful. I cannot remember the last time it wasn't awful maybe the Brian Leech days? At least it's not one of those good on paper years where the blue line payroll is ridiculous high with awful results. Forever lacking that capable minute crunching dman.

I actually didn't feel like the defencemen were a problem last night. They were mostly not noticeable in the defensive end (which is a good thing). It's the forwards that created most of the defensive breakdowns.

 

[rdowdall]

The Leafs defensive game is continually awful. I cannot remember the last time it wasn't awful maybe the Brian Leech days? At least it's not one of those good on paper years where the blue line payroll is ridiculous high with awful results. Forever lacking that capable minute crunching dman.

I actually didn't feel like the defencemen were a problem last night. They were mostly not noticeable in the defensive end (which is a good thing). It's the forwards that created most of the defensive breakdowns.

Yeah, I think for the most part, the d and the forwards just aren't on the same page.  It looks like the d-man is making his reads, and not seeing what he expects at all, and that causes them to freelance, which ends up with some problems.

 

[ZBBM]

You guys saying that it's time for PAQB?

I was never in PAQ but as a matter of fanly principle (which says it's always OK to coach-kvetch) sign me up for PAQB.

 

[bustaheims]

You guys saying that it's time for PAQB?

Nah. This is a young team, so, I'm willing to give Babs some leeway there - especially considering how many of the vets have basically been AWOL when it comes to defence.

 

[Highlander]

Do you remember (we're talking years ago now) right before they fired Pat Quinn?  This run of doldrums reminds me of that.  No matter what Quinn did, he couldn't get that team -- which was pretty talented -- going.

Similar. With Quinn, I felt he was having trouble adapting his systems to the new realities of the league - and maybe he'd been with the team too long/was too close to some of the players to make it work. With the team now - I think a lot of it can be chalked up to a combination of young players struggling to adapt to the increased pressure from other teams and some veteran players who just don't have it in them to put in the 200 foot effort required to be part of a truly successful team.

Yes, I remember distinctly that people were saying that PQ had lost the room, which is obviously not in play here.  That's a big difference.

The real question is with all the rule changes that have come and will come, including the slashing and face-off obstruction rules that this game has changed to such a speed machine that we hardly can recognize the hold in the corner (forever) puck battles and all the holding that used to go on in this game. Now it is speed, speed, speed and of course some teams will enforce the trap to stop it but there is a chance that this may be even be regulated.
The fact of the matter is that we have to be patient with our young defensemen as it will take some time of adaption to keep up with speed.