The Stanley Cup Playoffs 2023: Second Round GDT.

[Wyldnwoody44]

Man the Stars are the most bipolar team in the playoffs, a beat down, then they crush, now another whipping. 

[sabremike]

46 minutes ago, Zamboni said:

Reinhart clutch 

 

[...]

1 minute ago, Randall Flagg said:

Everyone said the same thing about the Leafs for years, and through a lot more wins than the Sabres have yet compiled

Let's take this thing one step at a time 

Toronto has been using the Rangers' model. It's kind of obvious at this point that there's more to building a team than just assembling "proven talent".  Take the recent expansion teams, Vegas and now Seattle doing well with rosters full of "the unwanted" - which is precisely what is/was crucial to their initial success because they're motivated to issue a huge middle finger to the rest of the league that discarded them.

The conclusion here is that the players need something other than money as a motivator. How do you achieve that when you're not an expansion team and your coach isn't Winston Churchill? One way is that you allow the locker room develop in such a way that it is self-motivating. That is far easier to do with league-neophytes who haven't been a part of the machine long enough that they're cynical. 

Just a thought that needs a lot more fleshing out.

[bunomatic]

1 hour ago, MattPie said:

 

So what you're saying is one of the studio guys picked two Leafs. Seems right.

Not sure why its so hard to understand. Each guy in the studio(there were 5)picked one player from each team. This happens on most broadcasts where they go to o.t.

[Broken Ankles]

On 5/6/2023 at 9:55 AM, mjd1001 said:

The thing I'm surprised the most with is the Florida/Toronto series, or should I say the Toronto reaction to being down 0-2.

On social media, there is a lot less Toronto Angst than I thought, a lot of people thinking being down 0-2 is just a minor inconvenience that will simply mean they will win in 6 or 7 games instead of 4 or 5 games now.  AND, listening a bit on the Radio to 590 out of Toronto, most of the hosts have the same opinion.

Instead of Toronto fans/media being super worried, they are still very very sure Toronto will win the next 4.

If you are tuned in tomorrow, please share their reactions being down 3-0.  
 

We were driving back from Vegas so I missed what had to be vile abjection from Biz.  I wish I recorded just to see his response.  
 

 

[Norcal]

Seattle is impressive tonight

 

[PerreaultForever]

The Kraken are simply a fun team to watch. 

[nfreeman]

What a play by Reino on that GWG.  Lousy defense and goaltending by the Leafs on that play, but still a great play by Reinhart.

Meanwhile, the Leafs are about to get bounced, and there is a very real possibility that they trade Mathews this summer, as he has 1 more year to UFA and it’s not clear whether he’s willing to sign an extension there.  

[Kristian]

3 hours ago, Eleven said:

He looked so gassed in the third.  I was really surprised by that.  He's not that old.

Moulson-Syndrome. Losing a step when you haven’t got a step to lose.

[shrader]

I’m amazed that the refs didn’t just end that Seattle game with about a minute left. 

[Rasmus_]

Toronto being swept would be a beautiful thing.

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

1 hour ago, nfreeman said:

Meanwhile, the Leafs are about to get bounced, and there is a very real possibility that they trade Mathews this summer, as he has 1 more year to UFA and it’s not clear whether he’s willing to sign an extension there.  

Never trust a guy with a porn 'stache:

 

[OverPowerYou]

I wonder what the Sabres ownership/management must be thinking watching Eichel, Reinhart and the new Seattle Kraken team play in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Meanwhile we haven’t won a playoff series since the Rangers GM was playing center for us

[Dr. Who]

1 hour ago, OverPowerYou said:

I wonder what the Sabres ownership/management must be thinking watching Eichel, Reinhart and the new Seattle Kraken team play in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Meanwhile we haven’t won a playoff series since the Rangers GM was playing center for us

I think they're entirely focused on their own process and feel good about the current rebuild, as they should be. Fans who want them to feel embarrassed or share the bitterness of those angered over twelve years of frustration are missing the forest for the trees. Nothing good can come of that -- as if ownership/management would somehow be more motivated to improve the team by indulging such a frame of reference or that it would be their just deserts to do so.

[Quint]

Noone does unbridled hysteria like Dangle:
 

 

[Wyldnwoody44]

Toronto HF boards have lost it. F it all, blow it up. Winning 4 games means nothing. These guys have no will to fight, just complacent. Keefe can't coach, Dubas needs to go. The core is rotten.... 

Sounds like us a little. 

I know we haven't made the playoffs since Churchill was in office, but it never gets old seeing the darlings of Canada weeping. 

[Zamboni]

44 minutes ago, Quint said:

Noone does unbridled hysteria like Dangle:
 

 

I watched one of his videos a couple of years ago… And I vowed to never watch his videos again. It’s a complete waste of my time.  and I waste enough of my time with other things. obviously he must do well with his videos because enough people watch him, for him to continue the stupidity.

[French Collection]

Florida fans trolling Leafs and their fans by chanting “we want Florida”.

So good.

[Buffalonill]

11 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Bugs me to see Reinhart happy, but makes me happy to see Toronto lose so I will take it. 

Why ? He give it his all in buffalo 

Edited May 8, 2023 by Buffalonill

[Carmel Corn]

1 hour ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

Toronto HF boards have lost it. F it all, blow it up. Winning 4 games means nothing. These guys have no will to fight, just complacent. Keefe can't coach, Dubas needs to go. The core is rotten.... 

Sounds like us a little. 

I know we haven't made the playoffs since Churchill was in office, but it never gets old seeing the darlings of Canada weeping. 

Yes....I'd add reading the Toronto Sun reader comments as well...lots of heartburn going on up there (beautiful!)

Edited May 8, 2023 by Carmel Corn

[French Collection]

I watched about 3/4 of that game.

I can’t help but focus on Nylander when he is on the ice.
That guy can skate, dangle and shoot with the best. He does not like playoff hockey, he had multiple opportunities to finish a check but did a fly by. You don’t have to crunch the guy, just squeeze him out and let him know there are no free passes. Maybe you wear him down a bit. He outright avoids contact.

I know he is not the highest paid of the Fantastic Four but it makes me laugh how the announcers say he is putting on a clinic on puck possession and then poof, nothing happens. He just looks like a guy from a boy band who doesn’t want to mess his hair.

Ten ply toilet paper.

[mjd1001]

9 hours ago, Broken Ankles said:

If you are tuned in tomorrow, please share their reactions being down 3-0.  
 

We were driving back from Vegas so I missed what had to be vile abjection from Biz.  I wish I recorded just to see his response.  
 

 

I listened a bit to 590 today. Probably 20 minutes.  Just one host and one guest talking, so not a lot of opinions, but in general:

-You have to decide on the core.  They seem 'entitled' and 'coddled'. If you trade just one of them, the 3 remaining guy will override any 'culture' that the new guy would bring in.  If you are going to change the core, you need to move 2 of them. Tavares won't be moved because of his age/contract, so if you make some moves, 2 of the 3 of Matthews, Nylander, and Marner need to go.

-As far as managment/coaching:  Moves may be made here, but if you fire Keefe, its going to be a 'move to make a move' because he really has tried different things.  Players clearly think they have control though, as when Keefe called them out as being 'soft' a while back, he had to 'walk back' those comments.  Dubas actually did a good job the last few trade deadlines, not his fault.  Shanahan? No one really knows what he does, if a member of management needs to go they think it should be Shanahan.

-The guys on the station truly think the leafs are the most 'talented' team in the league. They did make one comment about running the current team out there 'one more  year' and seeing how it goes, but then one guy said you have to make a decision on Matthews contract likely this offseason, so if there is even a chance you are going to make any changes, do so now.

At least from the host/guest, there was not a lot of Angst, just almost a level of acceptance of the loss if the leafs end up not coming back from down 3 games.

[Scottysabres]

Apparently some Leafs fans threatened the family of a referee from the Tampa series, I guess that ref was assigned game 3 of the Florida series as well.

Scumbag move to threaten the family or a ref themselves. A lot of deranged mofo's in this world today.

[Flashsabre]

3 hours ago, OverPowerYou said:

I wonder what the Sabres ownership/management must be thinking watching Eichel, Reinhart and the new Seattle Kraken team play in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Meanwhile we haven’t won a playoff series since the Rangers GM was playing center for us

I’m sure they don’t give a frog’s Fat ass about them. They weren’t winning anything here when they were leaders. They were blown up and sent to different teams that already had real leadership in place and they just had to play a role.

Management is probably more focused on adding a couple key pieces here and watching this team be successful for the next decade.

[Flashsabre]

6 minutes ago, Scottysabres said:

Apparently some Leafs fans threatened the family of a referee from the Tampa series, I guess that ref was assigned game 3 of the Florida series as well.

Scumbag move to threaten the family or a ref themselves. A lot of deranged mofo's in this world today.

That is bad but there is WAY more to the story then just some crazy fans threatening a random ref. It goes all the way back to Keefe’s junior playing days and is really disturbing:

https://holrmagazine.com/wes-mccauley-and-sheldon-keefe/