Symptom of a bigger problem? How we play with the lead...

[Capital Leaf]

I never understood why teams just sit back and stop forechecking when they have the lead. I was pissed in the other games of the series when they did it and knew they were in trouble yesterday when they started playing that same way.

Look at these stats.

3rd period shot total with the Lead:

Game 2- 13-6 for Boston
Game 5- 19-4 for Boston
Game 7- 17-6 for Boston

Seriously folks its was just a matter of time... You are playing with fire when you sit back an let the opposition come at you in waves.

But why is this happening? Has to be one of the following

1) Coaches are telling them to sit back
2) They don't have the right type of players that can play shut down Defense.

So these are two important factors that need to be addressed for next year.

Man its so devastating to lose like that!

 

[Redleaf]

I never understood why teams just sit back and stop forechecking when they have the lead. I was pissed in the other games of the series when they did it and knew they were in trouble yesterday when they started playing that same way.

Look at these stats.

3rd period shot total with the Lead:

Game 2- 13-6 for Boston
Game 5- 19-4 for Boston
Game 7- 17-6 for Boston

Seriously folks its was just a matter of time... You are playing with fire when you sit back an let the opposition come at you in waves.

But why is this happening? Has to be one of the following

1) Coaches are telling them to sit back
2) They don't have the right type of players that can play shut down Defense.

So these are two important factors that need to be addressed for next year.

Man its so devastating to lose like that!

Pretty sure it will be addressed ??? and improved upon for next year. Another shutdown type defensemen or two would certainly help the cause. I can't see it (the defense as a whole) as something that doest get an overhaul, especially now that it has been so painfully exposed.

 

[TML fan]

But why is this happening? Has to be one of the following

1) Coaches are telling them to sit back
2) They don't have the right type of players that can play shut down Defense.

It's both.

 

[Capital Leaf]

But why is this happening? Has to be one of the following

1) Coaches are telling them to sit back
2) They don't have the right type of players that can play shut down Defense.

It's both.

Can't believe Carlyle had them play that way!....don't get me wrong I like Carlyle for everything else he has done for the team but if he told them to sit back then that's brutal!

 

[TML fan]

But why is this happening? Has to be one of the following

1) Coaches are telling them to sit back
2) They don't have the right type of players that can play shut down Defense.

It's both.

Can't believe Carlyle had them play that way!....don't get me wrong I like Carlyle for everything else he has done for the team but if he told them to sit back then that's brutal!

Well, in fairness to Carlyle, I don't put too much responsibility for "The Loss" on him. He's not on the ice with the players. For all I know he could have been telling them to go all out and they didn't listen.

That said, I don't like the fact that Carlyle even had them playing this way in the first place. While I think it contributed to their success this year, it is not a viable long term option, and the Leafs proved they are a better team when they take the game to their opponent (albeit in a very small sample size)

The bottom line, for me anyway, is that you should never sit back. It's so much harder to defend than it is to attack. Teams that do are only beating themselves, and that's what happened last night.

 

[Boston Leaf]

All year we had issues at every point in the game when the heat is on we are not good enough at chipping the puck out of our end.. It was unreal time and time again how we just rhow pucks to points and then when given the chance we play it back to our defense

 

[Corn Flake]

But why is this happening? Has to be one of the following

1) Coaches are telling them to sit back
2) They don't have the right type of players that can play shut down Defense.

It's both.

3) young team learning how to play the damn game.

 

[TML fan]

But why is this happening? Has to be one of the following

1) Coaches are telling them to sit back
2) They don't have the right type of players that can play shut down Defense.

It's both.

3) young team learning how to play the damn game.

I think NHL players know how to play hockey. If you're referring to learning Carlyle's system, well I hope it's something they can unlearn because it cost them the series.

 

[Redleaf]

But why is this happening? Has to be one of the following

1) Coaches are telling them to sit back
2) They don't have the right type of players that can play shut down Defense.

It's both.

3) young team learning how to play the damn game.

I think NHL players know how to play hockey. If you're referring to learning Carlyle's system, well I hope it's something they can unlearn because it cost them the series.

It's the same system that helped put them in the playoffs for the first time in 9 years. I wouldn't blame Carlyle too much for the 10 minute collapse. I doubt very much Randy was telling them to mail the rest of the game in once you get a lead.

 

[TML fan]

But why is this happening? Has to be one of the following

1) Coaches are telling them to sit back
2) They don't have the right type of players that can play shut down Defense.

It's both.

3) young team learning how to play the damn game.

I think NHL players know how to play hockey. If you're referring to learning Carlyle's system, well I hope it's something they can unlearn because it cost them the series.

It's the same system that helped put them in the playoffs for the first time in 9 years.

In a short season...

 

[Joe S.]

But why is this happening? Has to be one of the following

1) Coaches are telling them to sit back
2) They don't have the right type of players that can play shut down Defense.

It's both.

3) young team learning how to play the damn game.

I think NHL players know how to play hockey. If you're referring to learning Carlyle's system, well I hope it's something they can unlearn because it cost them the series.

It's the same system that helped put them in the playoffs for the first time in 9 years.

In a short season...

Did the rest of the league play a longer season?

 

[TML fan]

But why is this happening? Has to be one of the following

1) Coaches are telling them to sit back
2) They don't have the right type of players that can play shut down Defense.

It's both.

3) young team learning how to play the damn game.

I think NHL players know how to play hockey. If you're referring to learning Carlyle's system, well I hope it's something they can unlearn because it cost them the series.

It's the same system that helped put them in the playoffs for the first time in 9 years.

In a short season...

Did the rest of the league play a longer season?

Don't think the Leafs would have made the playoffs if they had

 

[Chev-boyar-sky]

But why is this happening? Has to be one of the following

1) Coaches are telling them to sit back
2) They don't have the right type of players that can play shut down Defense.

It's both.

3) young team learning how to play the damn game.

I think NHL players know how to play hockey. If you're referring to learning Carlyle's system, well I hope it's something they can unlearn because it cost them the series.

It's the same system that helped put them in the playoffs for the first time in 9 years.

In a short season...

Did the rest of the league play a longer season?

Don't think the Leafs would have made the playoffs if they had

Yeah why put stock in a tangible thing like the result they achieved when one can just dream up a scenario where the outcome is different and use that as a measure of the team.

Awesome!

 

[TML fan]

But why is this happening? Has to be one of the following

1) Coaches are telling them to sit back
2) They don't have the right type of players that can play shut down Defense.

It's both.

3) young team learning how to play the damn game.

I think NHL players know how to play hockey. If you're referring to learning Carlyle's system, well I hope it's something they can unlearn because it cost them the series.

It's the same system that helped put them in the playoffs for the first time in 9 years.

In a short season...

Did the rest of the league play a longer season?

Don't think the Leafs would have made the playoffs if they had

Yeah why put stock in a tangible thing like the result they achieved when one can just dream up a scenario where the outcome is different and use that as a measure of the team.

Awesome!

I can acknowledge the achievement as well as the fact that it was earned under different than normal circumstances.

If the league had played 48 games last year, the Leafs would have made the playoffs as well.

 

[Joe S.]

But why is this happening? Has to be one of the following

1) Coaches are telling them to sit back
2) They don't have the right type of players that can play shut down Defense.

It's both.

3) young team learning how to play the damn game.

I think NHL players know how to play hockey. If you're referring to learning Carlyle's system, well I hope it's something they can unlearn because it cost them the series.

It's the same system that helped put them in the playoffs for the first time in 9 years.

In a short season...

Did the rest of the league play a longer season?

Don't think the Leafs would have made the playoffs if they had

Based on what? They were pretty consistent all season, no long losing or winning streaks, they pretty much held their position over 48 games.

And on top of that, despite some spots in the playoffs, they looked pretty good for an additional 7 games.

 

[L K]

I don't think you can entirely discount the shortened season, but I think it is definitely something that is being over-used as a negative against the team.

The season was 48 games and they played an additional 7 postseason games, so a 55 game season.  Granted there are another 27 games in a full regular season.  But given that the structure of the NHL is drastically changing next year, I think that is a bit of a moot point regardless.

Even in the playoffs the Leafs technically went 3-2-2 (based on regular season performance) so it was right on par with the majority of their season.

 

[TML fan]

But why is this happening? Has to be one of the following

1) Coaches are telling them to sit back
2) They don't have the right type of players that can play shut down Defense.

It's both.

3) young team learning how to play the damn game.

I think NHL players know how to play hockey. If you're referring to learning Carlyle's system, well I hope it's something they can unlearn because it cost them the series.

It's the same system that helped put them in the playoffs for the first time in 9 years.

In a short season...

Did the rest of the league play a longer season?

Don't think the Leafs would have made the playoffs if they had

Based on what? They were pretty consistent all season, no long losing or winning streaks, they pretty much held their position over 48 games.

And on top of that, despite some spots in the playoffs, they looked pretty good for an additional 7 games.

Based on the fact that they did it all with some pretty unsustainable numbers.

And you're right, they looked really good from game 2 until the last 10 minutes of game 7. That's how i want them to play next season.

 

[Joe S.]

Based on the fact that they did it all with some pretty unsustainable numbers.

And you're right, they looked really good from game 2 until the last 10 minutes of game 7. That's how i want them to play next season.

Well they sustained it over 55 games. And again, if anything, they were pretty consistent this past season in terms of performance. They year before they were all over the map. Even when they were still in the playoff race, they didn't look good - and most importantly, the goaltending was night and day from one year to the next.

i just don't share your opinion on this.

 

[TML fan]

Based on the fact that they did it all with some pretty unsustainable numbers.

And you're right, they looked really good from game 2 until the last 10 minutes of game 7. That's how i want them to play next season.

Well they sustained it over 55 games. And again, if anything, they were pretty consistent this past season in terms of performance. They year before they were all over the map. Even when they were still in the playoff race, they didn't look good - and most importantly, the goaltending was night and day from one year to the next.

i just don't share your opinion on this.

The goaltending was better, and combined with their ridiculously high shooting percentage, they were able to win games. I wouldn't call being hemmed in your own end for huge portions of the game "looking good", but as you said, we don't share opinions on this matter.

 

[Derk]

I think I am leaning a little bit towards TML fan's line of thinking on this, but not as extreme.

I acknowledge that they played well in the shortened season and made the playoffs and took Boston to the limit.

I can see the point that they haven't shown that they can sustain their play over a full 82-game season, and their strong starts have fallen flat, none more glaringly than the pre-lockout season. I can also see that they made improvements this past shortened season and were able to bounce back from tough losses and keep losing streaks from getting too long.

I think my perspective for next season is going to be that they can compete and make the playoffs, but they are going to need to show me that they can sustain it over an entire season before I come out and say they will definitely improve upon this year's (regular season) performance.