Leafs @ Sharks - Oct. 30th, 10:30pm - SNO, TSN 1050

[Zee]

They had better fix it and win next game, I don't like losing to Carlyle's face.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

All this stuff about Leivo and Martin is really hiding the fact that Carrick is in the process of being Corrado'd. I think I'll be more ticked off if he's sitting next game than I would be if Leivo is.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

MSM coming at this now:

Leivo had a fantastic game against Carolina. Kapanen didn't play much. Neither is a centre, and the Leafs don't have a great deal of depth at centre. But if Marleau can play a bit of centre -- he used to be a centre, and certainly has the speed for it -- then perhaps it's time to sit Bozak for a few games, and see what Leivo, or Kapanen, can do.

This is not to say Bozak has hit the end of the line. There could be an injury at play. Or a private matter. Or a kink in his game that practice time will help.

No question the Leafs will be better if Bozak is better. But if this team is a meritocracy, as Babcock has suggested, then there are players that merit a chance to play ahead of Bozak.

https://www.thestar.com/sports/breakaway_blog/2017/10/31/tyler-bozak-s-woes-could-translate-to-bench-time.html

Zero mention of Martin, but baby steps I guess.

 

[bustaheims]

Looks like I made the right decision choosing sleep over what was clearly a mess of a game.

Changes clearly need to be made to something. Would love to see Bozak, Martin, and Polak out; Leivo, Kapanen (or even Fehr), and Carrick in . . . but, I know that's not happening.

 

[Andy007]

I'd be surprised to see Bozak scratched but pushing him to the 4th line and spreading Matthews, Nylander and Marner across the first 3 lines looks pretty good:

JVR      Matthews    Brown
Leivo      Kadri        Nylander
Kapanen Marleau    Marner
Hyman    Bozak      Komarov

 

[bustaheims]

I'd be surprised to see Bozak scratched but pushing him to the 4th line and spreading Matthews, Nylander and Marner across the first 3 lines looks pretty good:

JVR      Matthews    Brown
Leivo      Kadri        Nylander
Kapanen Marleau    Marner
Hyman    Bozak      Komarov

I'd be hesitant to split up Matthews and Nylander - they're the only combo that seems to be working on a consistent basis.

Flip Nylander with Brown, and I think you've got something interesting going on.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I'd be hesitant to split up Matthews and Nylander - they're the only combo that seems to be working on a consistent basis.

Flip Nylander with Brown, and I think you've got something interesting going on.

I've been thinking about splitting them up too. Yes, they're great together, but they could also be great on their own too. I mean I think it's worth a shot at least. It's not like trying them on separate lines for a few games would make their chemistry disappear if we needed to put them back together. And they'd still play together on the PP, plus on post-PK shifts too.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

Borgman credited with the goal that was given to Kadri in the game last night.

I initially thought it was Borgman's goal and he celebrated like it was.

 

[herman]

Borgman credited with the goal that was given to Kadri in the game last night.

I initially thought it was Borgman's goal and he celebrated like it was.

https://twitter.com/JeffVeillette/status/925226921809666049
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmihcdwSZb8

I think Kadri's reaction says it all. Replays from behind Borgman don't really show the puck changing direction from deflection.

 

[Arn]

The question is: will Arn stay up all night to watch this?

The clocks changed here at the weekend, so it was an hour earlier start than it might have been, but I failed miserably despite my attempts. I tried to sleep early and wake up, but I forgot to do the waking up bit

 

[Zee]

I'd be surprised to see Bozak scratched but pushing him to the 4th line and spreading Matthews, Nylander and Marner across the first 3 lines looks pretty good:

JVR      Matthews    Brown
Leivo      Kadri        Nylander
Kapanen Marleau    Marner
Hyman    Bozak      Komarov

Flip Brown with Nylander and I'm on board.

Actually just noticed that Hyman is on the 4th, that'll never happen.  So it's more realistic:
Hyman      Matthews    Nylander
JVR      Kadri        Brown
Kapanen Marleau    Marner
Leivo Bozak      Komarov

 

[cabber24]

Included in the top 50 career worst active +/-: Bozak -93,  Hainsey -71, Rielly -69, Martin -49, and JVR -41.

Honorable mentions: Lupul -79, Clarkson -66, and Kessel -64.

Yakupov is an impressive -88 in just 303 games.

 

[Andy007]

I'd be surprised to see Bozak scratched but pushing him to the 4th line and spreading Matthews, Nylander and Marner across the first 3 lines looks pretty good:

JVR      Matthews    Brown
Leivo      Kadri        Nylander
Kapanen Marleau    Marner
Hyman    Bozak      Komarov

Flip Brown with Nylander and I'm on board.

Actually just noticed that Hyman is on the 4th, that'll never happen.  So it's more realistic:
Hyman      Matthews    Nylander
JVR      Kadri        Brown
Kapanen Marleau    Marner
Leivo Bozak      Komarov

That looks quite nice too. I still don't quite understand Hyman being an absolute lock on the 1st line but if that means Martin is out of the lineup, well I can certainly live with it.

 

[ZBBM]

I chided grieves about ragging on Babcock but this team looks real Carlyle right now and the coaching isn't helping.

Speaking of the Carlyle era...

Did you notice the game's call had weird echoes of the last decade?

Team's getting caved in, nothing's happening, somehow hanging on but we know what the result is... announcers grasping at straws to make the game seem more competitive, closer than it is.

Good times.

More like a preview of hell.

 

[ZBBM]

The question is: will Arn stay up all night to watch this?

The clocks changed here at the weekend, so it was an hour earlier start than it might have been, but I failed miserably despite my attempts. I tried to sleep early and wake up, but I forgot to do the waking up bit

A genius move on your part.  The game was abysmal, the least entertaining since before Matthews.

 

[ZBBM]

Look, playing around with the forward lines is fine and all but the defense is the crying need.  Rielly and Gardiner are inconsistent at best and probably always will be, Zaitsev is going through a similar patch, and as a top 3 they are not going to play a shutdown game.  Hainsey is OK on the bottom pairing, Polak looks done, Borgman needs seasoning.  At the very least Carrick should be in for Polak.  The fact of the matter is that, even when the offense is flying, Doughty is right.

 

[Coco-puffs]

I will continue to say that Komarov is our best defensive forward, and having him on our fourth line is a waste.  Why have him out there trying to "stop" the other team's 4th line from scoring? 

And as much as Hyman lacks the passing skill and finish to be considered a top-6 forward, he really does create a ton of space for our skill players out there.  My lines, if I were given the reins behind the bench.

Marleau - Matthews - Marner
Komarov - Kadri - Brown
JvR - Nylander - Hyman
Leivo - Bozak - Kapanen

Was really tempted to swap JvR and Leivo too... imagine having JvR and Bozak on your 4th line?

 

[bustaheims]

Look, playing around with the forward lines is fine and all but the defense is the crying need.  Rielly and Gardiner are inconsistent at best and probably always will be, Zaitsev is going through a similar patch, and as a top 3 they are not going to play a shutdown game.  Hainsey is OK on the bottom pairing, Polak looks done, Borgman needs seasoning.  At the very least Carrick should be in for Polak.  The fact of the matter is that, even when the offense is flying, Doughty is right.

The forwards are a big part of the issue with the defence, though. They're not doing their part in the defensive end well enough, they're not providing quality passing options to help them get out the zone with the puck, etc. Obviously, that's not all about the line combinations, but, there are certain groups who are worse than others, and they need to be split up and put on lines with forwards who understand the importance of defensive responsibility.

Honestly, changing the makeup of the backend isn't going to make a significant difference at this point. They're the lesser of the two evils right now - though, I agree that Polak needs to be removed from the situation. That would probably be the extent of the changes I'd make right now.

 

[bustaheims]

imagine having JvR and Bozak on your 4th line?

Those two need to separated until they both learn how to be defensively responsible. I don't care what line they're on, if they're together, it's not going to be pretty when the puck ends up in the Leafs' end.

 

[Andy007]

Okay, JVR to Philly for their 1st; Philly's 1st, Our 2019 1st, Brooks and Dermott to Fla for Ekblad. Carrick in for Polak, Hainsey to the bottom pairing. Done.