[PLAY-IN] (8) Toronto Maple Leafs vs. (9) Columbus Blue Jackets

[Jamarquan 201]

Can't speak for anyone else, but I had a great time!

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

From a hockey fan perspective, this is what you want to see in a series. It will be interesting to see if the Leafs' core can learn from loss and become a top-tier team in the East. 

[Jamarquan 201]

Islanders fans on social media just rolling in the filth tonight and I couldn't be more happy about it. Two years in a row of making it further than the Leafs.

[Kgbeast 195]

I enjoyed this as well. Real effort from both teams. Some soft goals on both ends through out the series, but more  spectacular and plentiful are the saves. This had me on the edge of my chair every game. Even if CBJ lost, I would have come here to write the same. Probably one of the more intense series so far.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

18 minutes ago, Jamarquan said:

Islanders fans on social media just rolling in the filth tonight and I couldn't be more happy about it. Two years in a row of making it further than the Leafs.

Islanders fans crack me up. They’re so butthurt about Tavares leaving. Just can’t seem to get over it. I also get a kick out of the fact that they think making it farther than the leafs is an amazing accomplishment lol.

[Jamarquan 201]

10 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

Islanders fans crack me up. They’re so butthurt about Tavares leaving. Just can’t seem to get over it. I also get a kick out of the fact that they think making it farther than the leafs is an amazing accomplishment lol.

I mean, we don't need to feel sad about it anymore. It's become clear that by playing more as a team instead of focusing all on one player that we can do more. He's certainly talented enough to have been useful to any team, but it's not like he's the missing piece or anything, and to be perfectly honest I don't care if Isles fans want to rip the guy for leaving and not making any progress for the Leafs as long as they aren't wishing him death or injury or personal tragedy.

 

Nobody on either side is gonna let this go until the contract is over or when he's not on the team anymore. Leafs fans held a damn appreciation day for him after he came back to Long Island and got heckled, which is weird but fine, until I saw people ripping up blue and white #91 jerseys and saying he should be traded last night. It goes both ways, and I do think that any team making it beyond the Leafs should be worth something right now because when you invest $40 million into your top 4 forwards and can't find any reasonable amount of success after all the hype surrounding it, to the point where members of the fanbase want to get rid of all their hypertalented players for one reason or another, nobody's gonna feel sorry for Leafs fans. If you (not you specifically) talk a big game but can't win the big game, then everyone's gonna get their digs in.

 

As a player though, this is a little surprising. He's usually more of a sure thing in the postseason, but on a team like this where it's so clear how they act once they go down a goal, there's no way he should be the captain.

[Kgbeast 195]

I think Leafs are fine. They just need to focus more on hard checking especially in the d-zone. I would say, their loss is all on coaching. The players played very well. If some Tavares can not score, it is not all on him, it is also on the goalie he shoots at and the other team players that put sticks in his lanes. On the other side, we always knew that Leafs pretty weak defensively and that is not going to work in playoff hockey.

[Left Wing King 50]

Not Andersens fault at all, Johnsson, who hasn't played since Feb put in over Robertson who has been playing well. Then the loaded up line was wiped out by Jones, Werenski and the Foligno line with no fire power from else where, spread the talent between 3 lines. Jones can't play 45 minutes. Marincin for the 2nd, just stood there, either take the guy crashing the net, or goto the puck carrier, don't stand still and do neither. I'd assume the keeper would tell the D man which one to do. 

JT needs to go his contract is a killer. We had a nice bit of cap space to sign a D man, but we spunked it on this white elephant, Bozak was a perfectly good 2nd line centre. Barrie scares me too, he thinks he's a right winger. Stayed up til 4am watching that. On another day we probably would have won that but something needs to change and I'd start by shipping outJT.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Shipping out JT isn't going to happen. I agree he's crazy overpaid but he was definitely not the problem in this series. The problem was just what you said - Keefe loaded up the top line giving them three useless ones. With Columbus only having one line that is actually dangerous, it makes no sense to counter that with... one line. Obviously Muzzin being out changed the series - I really think Game 3 would have been different if he had been in the lineup. He's not a key player but he's literally their only defensive defenceman. Honestly, Ceci ended up being much better than I expected considering how absolute dogshit he was the whole season. Dermott tried his best but it was just too much for him.

One thing I will say - at least this year the big boys showing up wasn't a problem. Matthews and Marner were absolute beasts. Nylander though... he was as much of a floater as ever. Man, he looks lazy.

Putting in Johnsson was a huge mistake. Roberston was in over his head but at least he had some bite to him. 

Barrie is gone after the season, for sure. What an absolute disaster the Kadri for Barrie/Kerfoot trade has turned out to be. 

It's certainly not Andersen's fault by any means BUT he just can't seem to win the big games. Game 7 two years ago he crumbled, last year they had two chances to close it out and couldn't get it done. The game 1 winner this year was a brutal goal. That second goal last night was not the game-winner but it was definitely a back-breaker and really deflating. You could see the change in how they were playing before and after that goal. None of the games were HIS FAULT by any means, in fact he played pretty well overall. But it's one of things where "you'd really like to get a save" at critical times. The inability to save wrist shots from the right circle off the rush is driving me nuts, though.

It's not too different from the Kessel situation a few years back. Nobody said he wasn't good (well, some did). Nobody said we didn't want him (well, some did for that as well). He just wasn't going to be the one to take them to the next step and it was time to move on and try something new. As far as Andersen, what's more important, the guy who has good overall numbers, or the guy who wins big games? I don't see Andersen being on this team by the time the playoffs arrive next season. 

[Giltis 116]

I agree with the general sentiments here, they needed to spread the talent a bit, then bring it together for dire moments when you pull the goalie. Seems like they relied just on individual numbers and didn't account for how well the players gel together.

In contrast to Andersen, people say Price is overrated judging by stats, but he always shows up for big games (even though the rest of the team doesn't).

Edited August 11, 2020 by Giltis

[IPv6Freely 2092]

1 minute ago, Giltis said:

I agree with the general sentiments here, they needed to spread the talent a bit, then bring it together for dire moments when you pull the goalie. Seems like they relied just on individual numbers and didn't account for how well the players gel together.

In contrast to Andersen, people say Price is overrated judging by stats, but he always shows up for big games (even though the rest of the team doesn't).

I'll admit to being wrong about Price. I definitely was one of the ones saying he was overrated because he just hasn't been all that good for quite some time BUT it's clear that it's a different story when he's put in a position to play those big games.

I feel like Andersen is the exact opposite. People defend him because he has decent numbers and because the goals "aren't his fault" but they aren't seeing the trends or the bigger picture. 

[Giltis 116]

Yeah, I think this is why you can't go full moneyball for Hockey (looking at you Dubas), and I think Carter Hart for example is going to be the next Price, good to decent numbers belying just how good he is for big games.

[chippa13 1844]

The Canadiens and Blue Jackets showed once again that effort beats contracts.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Yup, agreed.