Rooting for Toronto tonight 8/9

[sweetlou]

The only reason I want them to win tonight is so they don't have a chance of getting the #1 pick!!!

[bunomatic]

54 minutes ago, sweetlou said:

The only reason I want them to win tonight is so they don't have a chance of getting the #1 pick!!!

I’m with you on this lou. If any of the better or top echelon teams bows out early and lands the #1 pick its criminal. Should have stuck with the same formula however disfunctional it seemed. I get the feeling Gary Bettman would like to personally handpick the lucky recipient each year.

[Zamboni]

[Taro T]

Doubt that they win the lottery, but even if they do they need another F like Botterill's Sabres needed another RHD.

Glad they lost.  And the way they snuck out Friday's game they likely had Loaf Nation believing until there was only 1 minute left.  Couldn't happen to a nicer fan base.

[Andrew Amerk]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

Doubt that they win the lottery, but even if they do they need another F like Botterill's Sabres needed another RHD.

Glad they lost.  And the way they snuck out Friday's game they likely had Loaf Nation believing until there was only 1 minute left.  Couldn't happen to a nicer fan base.

A leafs fan attempted to pee on me once after they lost to the Sabres. 
 

They can eat dog turds as far as I’m concerned. 

Edited August 10, 2020 by Andrew Amerk

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

Doubt that they win the lottery, but even if they do they need another F like Botterill's Sabres needed another RHD.

Glad they lost.  And the way they snuck out Friday's game they likely had Loaf Nation believing until there was only 1 minute left.  Couldn't happen to a nicer fan base.

If they win the lottery, which I really hope they don't (because if they don't they don't even get a first round pick) I suspect they'll swap Nylander for a D man first chance they get. They may do that anyway, if they are smart. 

[Taro T]

8 hours ago, Andrew Amerk said:

A leafs fan attempted to pee on me once after they lost to the Sabres. 
 

They can eat dog turds as far as I’m concerned. 

They have the arrogance of the Yankee fans with successes of the 2nd 1/2 of the 20th century Cubs to back it up.  Not a good combination.

But how drunk were you if a squatting Loafs fan nearly got your leg?  

[dudacek]

As bad as the Sabres have been, at least they still have bragging rights in playoff success, even if you have to go all the way back to 07 to find it.

The Leafs haven’t won a playoff round in 16 years.

[nfreeman]

I was thinking about why the Leafs lost this series and more specifically trying to identify the flaw in this Leafs team.  It's not unreasonable to chalk it up to goaltending -- this was a short series, where the outcomes are more volatile, CBJ certainly got better goaltending last night, and Korpy put up 2 shutouts in CBJ's 3 wins.  Toronto's problem clearly isn't a lack of skilled forwards.  Their top guns are about a million times more dangerous in the o-zone than CBJ's are -- Matthews and Marner are terrifying on pretty much every shift.  Meanwhile, CBJ doesn't have anyone scary to work the half-wall on the PP, but they played a smart, tough series, didn't panic when the Leafs were able to maintain o-zone possession and limited the Leafs' scoring chances.

I think the Leafs need 2 guys:  a top-6 forward or top-4 defenseman who plays with fire and intensity, and a veteran top-6 forward who consistently makes the smart, correct play -- like what they were hoping to get from Marleau.  Otherwise they will need to wait until their homegrown guys develop maturity and mental toughness.

Hopefully they'll panic as a result of getting bounced and make some dumb moves in the offseason.

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, nfreeman said:

I was thinking about why the Leafs lost this series and more specifically trying to identify the flaw in this Leafs team.  It's not unreasonable to chalk it up to goaltending -- this was a short series, where the outcomes are more volatile, CBJ certainly got better goaltending last night, and Korpy put up 2 shutouts in CBJ's 3 wins.  Toronto's problem clearly isn't a lack of skilled forwards.  Their top guns are about a million times more dangerous in the o-zone than CBJ's are -- Matthews and Marner are terrifying on pretty much every shift.  Meanwhile, CBJ doesn't have anyone scary to work the half-wall on the PP, but they played a smart, tough series, didn't panic when the Leafs were able to maintain o-zone possession and limited the Leafs' scoring chances.

I think the Leafs need 2 guys:  a top-6 forward or top-4 defenseman who plays with fire and intensity, and a veteran top-6 forward who consistently makes the smart, correct play -- like what they were hoping to get from Marleau.  Otherwise they will need to wait until their homegrown guys develop maturity and mental toughness.

Hopefully they'll panic as a result of getting bounced and make some dumb moves in the offseason.

The Loafs are shy at least 2 legit top 4 D-men & until they get those their goaltending isn't good enough.  Really hope they take the view that the forwards need more work.  They aren't built for the playoffs & hope they never are.

[tom webster]

9 minutes ago, Taro T said:

The Loafs are shy at least 2 legit top 4 D-men & until they get those their goaltending isn't good enough.  Really hope they take the view that the forwards need more work.  They aren't built for the playoffs & hope they never are.

My hope is that Matthews/ Eichel turns into Marino /Kelly taken to one FINAL step.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

26 minutes ago, tom webster said:

My hope is that Matthews/ Eichel turns into Marino /Kelly taken to one FINAL step.

Didn't Marino / Kelly end up in an AFC Championship game in Miami in 1992?  I think so.

Is that not the best we can hope for with Matthews / Eichel at this point?

Edited August 10, 2020 by New Scotland (NS)
sorry ... January 1993

[tom webster]

3 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

Didn't Marino / Kelly end up in an AFC Championship game in Miami in 1992?  I think so.

Is that not the best we can hope for with Matthews / Eichel at this point?

My analogy had more to do with Marino piling up the stats while the Bills owned them and appeared in four Super Bowls to Marino’s one.

[ubkev]

14 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

Didn't Marino / Kelly end up in an AFC Championship game in Miami in 1992?  I think so.

Is that not the best we can hope for with Matthews / Eichel at this point?

Shoot...man, I don't wanna get blown out by the cowboys again!