Leafs @ Canadiens - Apr. 6th, 7:00pm - CBC, TSN 1050

[BermudaBudsFan]

I didn?t watch but were there any positives to take from this going into Boston other than getting 5 goals?

 

[lc9]

Losers of 10 of their last 14 games.  Just a bad hockey team right now. 

Look for leafs to lose to Boston in 4 or 5 games.

put your money where your mouth is buddy

$100?

 

[Zee]

What was Julien thinking not letting the kid shoot 3rd? Had Tavares scored he gets no fairy tale ending

 

[freer]

I didn?t watch but were there any positives to take from this going into Boston other than getting 5 goals?

Nope!

 

[lc9]

I didn?t watch but were there any positives to take from this going into Boston other than getting 5 goals?

Not really.  Andersen wasn?t great.  Defense was bad. Pretty much the last 4 months of the season. 

 

[azzurri63]

I?m not sure why that?s the case.  Responsible hockey shouldn?t be personnel dependent.

If that was true, then any AHL player could step in and look normal out there.

No, not quite right.  If we were resting all of our scorers and couldn?t score I would agree.  But earlier posts have indicated the defensive play has been awful.

I have probably been the biggest critic of that.
Regardless of who sat tonight and meaningless game the defensive play, soft easy to play against hockey this team plays will make for a short playoff again.
Poehling would have scored 3 against us even with a full lineup.
Hate sounding like a broken record but it is what it is.
Maybe I?m wrong and they?ll surprise me but if they don?t Babcock should go and Dubas has to change some of this team.

 

[Bullfrog]

I didn?t watch but were there any positives to take from this going into Boston other than getting 5 goals?

Rielly is amazing at 3-on-3. So, when they play 3-on-3 in the playoffs, they'll........oh, nevermind.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

I wanted to see that Marner shootout attempt again because it looked in on the toe

I'm 99% sure that was in. Not that it matters much, I suppose, but seeing habs fans happy for any reason is always a bummer.

 

[Kin]

I didn?t watch but were there any positives to take from this going into Boston other than getting 5 goals?

I think so. I think Gardiner looked good. I think the Tavares line continued looking like they might be a big factor. Rielly looked like he had pretty fresh legs in OT despite getting a ton of minutes in regulation.

 

[BermudaBudsFan]

I didn?t watch but were there any positives to take from this going into Boston other than getting 5 goals?

I think so. I think Gardiner looked good. I think the Tavares line continued looking like they might be a big factor. Rielly looked like he had pretty fresh legs in OT despite getting a ton of minutes in regulation.

That?s good to hear, particularly Jake.  As unfair as it is him being out so long, he will be counted upon.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

I know it sounds a bit weird, but after the last month, maybe the pressure is really off them now against Boston vs last season.

 

[Kin]

I typically don't like handicapping these things but I think so much of the playoffs will come down to the fairly simple question of whether or not this a slump or more indicative of something deeper that's wrong with the club. Persnally, I tend to lean towards the latter but really any playoff result wouldn't shock me.

 

[BermudaBudsFan]

I typically don't like handicapping these things but I think so much of the playoffs will come down to the fairly simple question of whether or not this a slump or more indicative of something deeper that's wrong with the club. Persnally, I tend to lean towards the latter but really any playoff result wouldn't shock me.

I think the latter as well.  I?m afraid to say I would be very (pleasantly) surprised if they won.  A lengthy stretch of poor play like this suggests very strongly they won?t win the series.

 

[azzurri63]

I typically don't like handicapping these things but I think so much of the playoffs will come down to the fairly simple question of whether or not this a slump or more indicative of something deeper that's wrong with the club. Persnally, I tend to lean towards the latter but really any playoff result wouldn't shock me.

I think the latter as well.  I?m afraid to say I would be very (pleasantly) surprised if they won.  A lengthy stretch of poor play like this suggests very strongly they won?t win the series.

Agree with both of you.

 

[Kin]

I think the latter as well.  I?m afraid to say I would be very (pleasantly) surprised if they won.  A lengthy stretch of poor play like this suggests very strongly they won?t win the series.

But with that said, what's wrong with the club is what we knew was wrong with the club and what everyone knew going into the season. It's not a great defensive team. To take the next step that's where they need to go. What I emphatically reject is the "they're not gritty enough" or "they don't have enough heart" or the same garbage that always gets said about the Leafs when they're just not good enough.

Putting it on Babcock or "compete level" or "grit" is just the same old tired BS we always hear. The team didn't fully tear itself down and was too interested in getting good right away after the Matthews pick and as a result they have a cobbled together blue line. The teams ahead of the Leafs as genuine contenders have better defensemen. I think that's all there is to it.

 

[BermudaBudsFan]

I think the latter as well.  I?m afraid to say I would be very (pleasantly) surprised if they won.  A lengthy stretch of poor play like this suggests very strongly they won?t win the series.

But with that said, what's wrong with the club is what we knew was wrong with the club and what everyone knew going into the season. It's not a great defensive team. To take the next step that's where they need to go. What I emphatically reject is the "they're not gritty enough" or "they don't have enough heart" or the same garbage that always gets said about the Leafs when they're just not good enough.

Putting it on Babcock or "compete level" or "grit" is just the same old tired BS we always hear. The team didn't fully tear itself down and was too interested in getting good right away after the Matthews pick and as a result they have a cobbled together blue line. The teams ahead of the Leafs as genuine contenders have better defensemen. I think that's all there is to it.

I agree.  I have said a few times on here that this is an extremely important off season for Dubas.  He must, in my view, sacrifice some talent up front for defense.  It?s a tricky proposition ? see Hall for Larsson as exhibit A.  They can?t win with what they have got right now.

 

[ZBBM]

I think the latter as well.  I?m afraid to say I would be very (pleasantly) surprised if they won.  A lengthy stretch of poor play like this suggests very strongly they won?t win the series.

But with that said, what's wrong with the club is what we knew was wrong with the club and what everyone knew going into the season. It's not a great defensive team. To take the next step that's where they need to go. What I emphatically reject is the "they're not gritty enough" or "they don't have enough heart" or the same garbage that always gets said about the Leafs when they're just not good enough.

Putting it on Babcock or "compete level" or "grit" is just the same old tired BS we always hear. The team didn't fully tear itself down and was too interested in getting good right away after the Matthews pick and as a result they have a cobbled together blue line. The teams ahead of the Leafs as genuine contenders have better defensemen. I think that's all there is to it.

I agree with you and BBF and azzurri but I am going contrary and saying the Leafs upset Boston.

I don't agree when you say the team didn't fully tear itself down.  It did, but what happened is they hit it big with 3 successful top-10 picks  ... who all happened to be forwards, and were so good that they pushed the team up and into the playoffs. 

Then the last 2 years they did their best to pick for defense.  The big question is whether Liljegren and Sandin pan out.

 

[Kin]

I don't agree when you say the team didn't fully tear itself down.

It's not really a case of agree or disagree, you're just wrong. They didn't trade Bozak. They didn't trade JVR. They didn't trade Kadri. They didn't trade Gardiner. In all of those cases except Kadri for now, they kept those guys and got nothing back for them. The assets they could have gotten for them would have easily been enough for at least another Muzzin type deal and potentially even more. At the very least you're probably talking about multiple first and second round picks in our prospect base. 

 

[Stronger Than All]

I wanted to see that Marner shootout attempt again because it looked in on the toe

I'm 99% sure that was in. Not that it matters much, I suppose, but seeing habs fans happy for any reason is always a bummer.

I thought he scored

 

[AtomicMapleLeaf]

I don't agree when you say the team didn't fully tear itself down.

It's not really a case of agree or disagree, you're just wrong. They didn't trade Bozak. They didn't trade JVR. They didn't trade Kadri. They didn't trade Gardiner. In all of those cases except Kadri for now, they kept those guys and got nothing back for them. The assets they could have gotten for them would have easily been enough for at least another Muzzin type deal and potentially even more. At the very least you're probably talking about multiple first and second round picks in our prospect base.

I agree with this, I like how St. Louis got assets back even though they were in the playoffs. I'm sure we could be wrong, but my fear is becoming Chicago or LA too soon.