Kings @ Leafs - Dec. 11th, 7:30pm - TSN, TSN 1050

[Bender]

THAT'S more like the Ron Wilson hockey I've been pining for.

They essentially made 2 mistakes that cost them. It happens. LA is a good team. They're going to bury you on mistakes like that more often than not. It's better than sitting back and waiting for the inevitable.

I don't disagree with you, but I don't think moral victories are worth more than actual victories.

Yeah, but what's being called a 'moral victory' is 60 minutes of good play, which they hadn't mustered (except in one Pittsburgh game) all season. If it's a sign of things to come, it makes actual victories more probable outcomes in future games than, say, letting your goalie get shelled and converting on a few rushes.

Better play doesn't necessarily mean more victories. We've been hearing all kinds of moral victories for years. I think it'll be hilarious if going forward our fundamentals are better but our offence is just as brutal. Let's see how far scoring one or two (or no)  goals a game takes us.

 

[mr grieves]

Given what the last month and a half has provided, I will gladly take their overall performance from tonight.  I'll agree with you if they continue to play with more aggression and continue to lose that it doesn't mean much, but I'm going to take some small victories at this point.

Like I said, I'd have more confidence in that if it weren't for the fact that, of late, they've had similar chances in the third and been similarly unable to convert them.

Yeah, they haven't pushed a game to overtime since, it seems, mid-October against the Oilers. From what I recall (and can see from box scores), every other OT or SO game has involved scores deadlocked through much of the game or the other team rallying and getting the late goal.

 

[mr grieves]

Better play doesn't necessarily mean more victories. We've been hearing all kinds of moral victories for years. I think it'll be hilarious if going forward our fundamentals are better but our offence is just as brutal. Let's see how far scoring one or two (or no)  goals a game takes us.

Well, yeah. If Reimer and Bernier turn into a Raycroft/ Toskala tandem, all bets are off.

 

[TML fan]

Given what the last month and a half has provided, I will gladly take their overall performance from tonight.  I'll agree with you if they continue to play with more aggression and continue to lose that it doesn't mean much, but I'm going to take some small victories at this point.

Like I said, I'd have more confidence in that if it weren't for the fact that, of late, they've had similar chances in the third and been similarly unable to convert them.

That isn't necessarily a result of a lack of talent.

 

[Kin]

That isn't necessarily a result of a lack of talent.

Not necessarily, no, but that(a failure of execution anyway) would be how I read it through my lazy, alcohol fueled analysis,

 

[Rebel_1812]

THAT'S more like the Ron Wilson hockey I've been pining for.

omg ron wilson was the worse coach they have had in two decades.

 

[ZBBM]

Well, I would hope that most of us can agree that at least this game was the most entertaining  to watch in awhile. Unless you are a fan of horror movies.

 

[bustaheims]

THAT'S more like the Ron Wilson hockey I've been pining for.

omg ron wilson was the worse coach they have had in two decades.

Clearly, you've forgotten about Mike Murphy.

 

[Kin]

Unless you are a fan of horror movies.

Or derive a significant amount of entertainment from the Leafs winning anyway.

 

[ZBBM]

Unless you are a fan of horror movies.

Or derive a significant amount of entertainment from the Leafs winning anyway.

Thank you Crabby Appleton.

 

[Kin]

Thank you Crabby Appleton.

Yes, clearly if there's someone who needs to rein in the negativity, it's the person who's happy when they win, regardless of circumstance, and less so when they lose, regardless of circumstance.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

Wow, that was not the game I expected.  Just the result I expected.

 

[Bender]

Better play doesn't necessarily mean more victories. We've been hearing all kinds of moral victories for years. I think it'll be hilarious if going forward our fundamentals are better but our offence is just as brutal. Let's see how far scoring one or two (or no)  goals a game takes us.

Well, yeah. If Reimer and Bernier turn into a Raycroft/ Toskala tandem, all bets are off.

Yeah, but our goaltending is generally lights out and apart from our first win streak, it's pretty much irrelevant. Lets say the Leafs bring it down to 30 shots average per game and the opponents score twice. It's still great for our goaltenders statistically but if we can't score 2 or if we lose in a shootout, well, that's not good enough.

 

[WIGWALS_wifey]

I'm from LA, didn't get to watch the whole game but, boy, did my Facebook friends tell me. Wish I could have been the one chirping it up! PS: are we sending Fraser and Ranger down any time soon? Why for, no John-Michael Liles?!

 

[mr grieves]

Better play doesn't necessarily mean more victories. We've been hearing all kinds of moral victories for years. I think it'll be hilarious if going forward our fundamentals are better but our offence is just as brutal. Let's see how far scoring one or two (or no)  goals a game takes us.

Well, yeah. If Reimer and Bernier turn into a Raycroft/ Toskala tandem, all bets are off.

Yeah, but our goaltending is generally lights out and apart from our first win streak, it's pretty much irrelevant. Lets say the Leafs bring it down to 30 shots average per game and the opponents score twice. It's still great for our goaltenders statistically but if we can't score 2 or if we lose in a shootout, well, that's not good enough.

Sort of my point, but on the other end. That is, all that happened to the offense after October was the Leafs' shooting percentage falling to the league average. They weren't shooting enough to make up the difference. If the play like they played tonight, they'll be shooting more. If they're shooting more at the league average, it won't matter that they can't score 5 goals on 23 shots.

 

[mr grieves]

I'm from LA, didn't get to watch the whole game but, boy, did my Facebook friends tell me. Wish I could have been the one chirping it up! PS: are we sending Fraser and Ranger down any time soon? Why for, no John-Michael Liles?!

Ferraro's been saying they should do this for a couple weeks. His argument is, I think, both sound and elegant: what's going to happen? They're going to give up 51 shots?

 

[hockeyfan1]

Exciting game tonight mainly with the Leafs on the offensive.  Too bad the Leafs outshot the Kings and still didn't get the win, thanks to what's-his-name Jones.

While the Leafs shots and particularly their chances were of quality, the Kings shots proved more effective with whatever opportunities they took advantag of.

Oh well, one of those games...

 

[L K]

Given what the last month and a half has provided, I will gladly take their overall performance from tonight.  I'll agree with you if they continue to play with more aggression and continue to lose that it doesn't mean much, but I'm going to take some small victories at this point.

Like I said, I'd have more confidence in that if it weren't for the fact that, of late, they've had similar chances in the third and been similarly unable to convert them.

Don't get me wrong.  I agree with that.  I did enjoy the game a little more when the Leafs were actually controlling the play at times though.  From a pure entertainment standpoint, this was much better to watch.  From a results standpoint, not so much obviously. 

Ultimately, it was another game where the Leafs didn't score 5 on 5.  The PK gave up yet another goal and the team couldn't mount that additional something to score a goal and win the game. 

They have scored 11 goals in 5 November games.  Only 6 of them have been at ES (and one was a 4on4 OT goal).

Since November they are 6-9-3.  They have TWO regulation wins in 18 games.  They won three games by shootout and 1 game by OT winner.  All of that amounts to a team that will miss the playoffs if they don't start putting up points.  Over that 18 game stretch they have scored 36 goals over 18 games 2 goals/game.  Only Buffalo has a worse Goal/Game rate than that.

Ultimately it is up to the team to continue to play that style of hockey if they want to see results.  I think it should net them a fair share of wins if they continue to play like that.  Handful of mistakes aside, the Leafs played better than LA last night.  LA is a much better team, has better composure and never looked out of them game, but they were outplayed for the majority of the game.  Maybe it was just them playing a road game, but I'm going to hope it was something more because this team needs to pick it up.

 

[freer]

That was the best game I have seen them play in about two years. IMO Benier was not good enough. I did not like Gardiner and Reilly on the same line. But that is just me. Ranger made one bad pinch and that is where you expect your goalie to bail you out. I thought the hit on Kadri in the third was dirty but that is me as a bias Leaf fan. If they keep playing like that they will make it to at least the second round of the playoff. Just saying

 

[Andy007]

I thought Gardiner and Rielly looked great together. Hopefully they can continue this play and dispel the notion that you always have to have a big, slow, physical defenceman in the lineup. I mean we played a strong, physical and fast LA team and the worst defencemen were Ranger and Fraser, the big bruisers. I strongly prefer a back end that includes Liles over either of those two stiffs.