Leafs @ Penguins - Feb. 17th, 7:00pm - SN, TSN 1050

[azzurri63]

I think Babcock's end-of-game bench management is terrible.  Matthews & Nylander not out there until 35 seconds left.

Babcock: I know, we are down by a couple of goals.  Let's sit Matthews and Nylander in favour of Bozak!

Surprise anyone. Not his coaching why the team is where it is.

 

[disco]

Dangle LFR will be entertaining

 

[L K]

Babcock: I know, we are down by a couple of goals.  Let's sit Matthews and Nylander in favour of Bozak!

He wanted Matthews on the last shift. Bozak?s group just happened to put together decent zone time.

The Leafs had a timeout.  Put Matthews out there.  If he scores.  You take a time out and leave him out there. 

 

[ZBBM]

Babcock: I know, we are down by a couple of goals.  Let's sit Matthews and Nylander in favour of Bozak!

He wanted Matthews on the last shift. Bozak?s group just happened to put together decent zone time.

And once again he left his timeout in his pocket.  He should have called it and started those guys back when it was 2+ minutes or whatever it was.

 

[barney_rebel]

We stink btw

 

[ZBBM]

It was an entertaining game.  You can't expect to beat Pittsburgh at home unless you bring your best game.  Andersen didn't have his, and the D for most part certainly didn't.  Marner was completely neutralized.  But there was some good play by almost all the other forwards.

 

[Strangelove]

Zaitsev has been terrible and needs to be buried in the third pairing or the press box. He messes with his line mate by being constantly out of position.

I hope we see Carrick tomorrow. He did nothing to deserve being scratched and was playing better than at least three of the Leafa? defencemen are currently playing.

 

[herman]

Babcock: I know, we are down by a couple of goals.  Let's sit Matthews and Nylander in favour of Bozak!

He wanted Matthews on the last shift. Bozak?s group just happened to put together decent zone time.

The Leafs had a timeout.  Put Matthews out there.  If he scores.  You take a time out and leave him out there.

Or prioritize giving opportunity to the pair that had two points on the night paired with the two that have been tearing up the scoresheet the past ten games?

?\_(ツ)_/?

 

[L K]

Babcock: I know, we are down by a couple of goals.  Let's sit Matthews and Nylander in favour of Bozak!

He wanted Matthews on the last shift. Bozak?s group just happened to put together decent zone time.

The Leafs had a timeout.  Put Matthews out there.  If he scores.  You take a time out and leave him out there.

Or prioritize giving opportunity to the pair that had two points on the night paired with the two that have been tearing up the scoresheet the past ten games?

?\_(ツ)_/?

Eh, I'd still rather have my best player on the ice with the game on the line.  If Komarov didn't have hands of stone Matthews would have been sitting on two points tonight too.

 

[ZBBM]

Babcock: I know, we are down by a couple of goals.  Let's sit Matthews and Nylander in favour of Bozak!

He wanted Matthews on the last shift. Bozak?s group just happened to put together decent zone time.

The Leafs had a timeout.  Put Matthews out there.  If he scores.  You take a time out and leave him out there.

Or prioritize giving opportunity to the pair that had two points on the night paired with the two that have been tearing up the scoresheet the past ten games?

?\_(ツ)_/?

Either Matthews is your franchise player or he isn't.  His line should have been out there for 4/5s of the time remaining, not 1/5 like it turned out.

 

[herman]

Either Matthews is your franchise player or he isn't.  His line should have been out there for 4/5s of the time remaining, not 1/5 like it turned out.

You know they've been deliberately not saying stuff like that, right?

I get that most people are going to be frustrated by these decisions (Komarov > Kapanen, Bozak's PP unit over Matthews'), but there are obvious tactical reasons for them* and the game was decided well before that. Others saying that the coach doesn't understand basic hockey is a take I'd be interested to see them say to his face.

*1 Komarov: JvR-Bozak: clicking tonight; Marleau-Kadri-Marner: clicking all month; Komarov is the vet that accepted the move to the 4th line out of the top 9 and played well. Left hand shot that plays the same way as the player he's subbing for reduces the adjustment required on the line. Would I have much preferred Kapanen? Yes. Doesn't mean Babcock's an idiot.

*2 Bozak's unit has pretty much always been first up for 6v5 all season, and they've cashed in on these from what I can recall. Bozak was playing well tonight, as was JvR. Marner and Kadri have been on fire up until tonight, and they still got a couple of good chances. Their playstyle is also more conducive to success in this scenario with the shovel to the slot/crease strategy, than Matthews/Nylander shooting from the circles.

 

[L K]

Admittedly I just did a quick flip through Bozak's game log but I don't think he has a point in late game situations 6 on 5.

 

[Strangelove]

Either Matthews is your franchise player or he isn't.  His line should have been out there for 4/5s of the time remaining, not 1/5 like it turned out.

You know they've been deliberately not saying stuff like that, right?

I get that most people are going to be frustrated by these decisions (Komarov > Kapanen, Bozak's PP unit over Matthews'), but there are obvious tactical reasons for them* and the game was decided well before that. Others saying that the coach doesn't understand basic hockey is a take I'd be interested to see them say to his face.

*1 Komarov: JvR-Bozak: clicking tonight; Marleau-Kadri-Marner: clicking all month; Komarov is the vet that accepted the move to the 4th line out of the top 9 and played well. Left hand shot that plays the same way as the player he's subbing for reduces the adjustment required on the line. Would I have much preferred Kapanen? Yes. Doesn't mean Babcock's an idiot.

*2 Bozak's unit has pretty much always been first up for 6v5 all season, and they've cashed in on these from what I can recall. Bozak was playing well tonight, as was JvR. Marner and Kadri have been on fire up until tonight, and they still got a couple of good chances. Their playstyle is also more conducive to success in this scenario with the shovel to the slot/crease strategy, than Matthews/Nylander shooting from the circles.

There is no world in which playing a guy with historically low points per 60 with Matthews late in the game is a good plan.

Edit: Also, the notion that Komarov has played well since his demotion is pretty clearly a case of lowered expectations. He still isn't scoring, his possession numbers still suck, he still gets caught on the wrong side of his man in his own end. He's been serviceable, maybe, but nothing more.

 

[Chris]

*1 Komarov: JvR-Bozak: clicking tonight; Marleau-Kadri-Marner: clicking all month; Komarov is the vet that accepted the move to the 4th line out of the top 9 and played well. Left hand shot that plays the same way as the player he's subbing for reduces the adjustment required on the line. Would I have much preferred Kapanen? Yes. Doesn't mean Babcock's an idiot.

Komarov accepted the move to the 4th line? I didn't realize it was a requirement that a player accept a move like that, that's the coaches prerogative isn't it? You play where the coach puts you. As for Komarov/Kapanen...Kapanen is a right hand shot as is Hyman, versus Komarov being lefty. So maybe there is less adjustment if Kapanen is played there? I still think Kapanen has a better chance of burying that shot even though he's a righty. The one point in your favor here is the style of play similarity between Hyman and Komarov, but Kapanen has shown the ability to be strong along the boards and is faster even than Hyman. I think Babcock blew it here, and may have cost the game with this decision. I won't call him an idiot, though. He may just have over thought things.

*2 Bozak's unit has pretty much always been first up for 6v5 all season, and they've cashed in on these from what I can recall. Bozak was playing well tonight, as was JvR. Marner and Kadri have been on fire up until tonight, and they still got a couple of good chances. Their playstyle is also more conducive to success in this scenario with the shovel to the slot/crease strategy, than Matthews/Nylander shooting from the circles.

I can't find fault with putting them out there to start, they did generate a lot of zone time and some decent chances. I might have switched earlier though.

 

[ZBBM]

Either Matthews is your franchise player or he isn't.  His line should have been out there for 4/5s of the time remaining, not 1/5 like it turned out.

You know they've been deliberately not saying stuff like that, right?

I get that most people are going to be frustrated by these decisions (Komarov > Kapanen, Bozak's PP unit over Matthews'), but there are obvious tactical reasons for them* and the game was decided well before that. Others saying that the coach doesn't understand basic hockey is a take I'd be interested to see them say to his face.

*1 Komarov: JvR-Bozak: clicking tonight; Marleau-Kadri-Marner: clicking all month; Komarov is the vet that accepted the move to the 4th line out of the top 9 and played well. Left hand shot that plays the same way as the player he's subbing for reduces the adjustment required on the line. Would I have much preferred Kapanen? Yes. Doesn't mean Babcock's an idiot.

*2 Bozak's unit has pretty much always been first up for 6v5 all season, and they've cashed in on these from what I can recall. Bozak was playing well tonight, as was JvR. Marner and Kadri have been on fire up until tonight, and they still got a couple of good chances. Their playstyle is also more conducive to success in this scenario with the shovel to the slot/crease strategy, than Matthews/Nylander shooting from the circles.

They don't have to.  You know he is, I know he is, Babs knows he is, he knows he is, Brendan Shanahan's pet ferret knows he is.  Would you have the same reaction if this were a playoff game?

Which in fact it was a good simulation of.  Playing the champs in their rink on a Saturday night ... you have to give him and his line the opportunity to see what they can do in a situation like that IMO.  Crosby and Malkin were both out there, Crosby the whole 6/5 I think.  I think the coach should want best-on-best there.

And, although I appreciate that you said I wasn't the one who called Babs an idiot earlier, not putting Kapanen in for Hyman was idiotic.  Heck, I think Kapanen could replace Hyman on that line at some point.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

https://twitter.com/jonassiegel/status/965071749665587201

Has Babcock ever criticized Zaitsev? I mean ever.

And that's not even to say that Gardiner and Rielly had their best nights of the season... but Zaitsev and Hainsey definitely looked like the two worst defencemen on the ice. And that's saying something considering Polak exists.

 

[L K]

Hainsey has been regressing pretty fiercely to me.  His inability to make an outlet pass is really starting to be an issue.  If the Leafs aren?t collapsing back Hainsey just shoots the puck out and it results in a turnover.  Having one guy do it isn?t great but when Polak plays regularly it?s two guys who just hand the puck over to the opposition when they get it in the defensive zone.


And yeah, Zaitsev has been bad since coming back from injury and he really wasn?t having a great sophomore season before the injury.  I thought the first 7-10 games he looked really good and has struggled since then.