*** 2021-22 Playoffs Opening Round: Tampa Bay Lightning (A3) at Toronto Maple Leafs (A2) - (TBL WIN 4-3) ***

[Jimtown guy]

[Math]

On 5/8/2022 at 2:14 PM, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Crap.... Bolts don't need a kinder, gentler Perry. They need that same a-hole that pissed off so many other people when he was a member of the Ducks, Stars, and Canadiens!
I never really cared for his antics, but if I am going to be honest, I'd rather have those antics working FOR my team rather than against them.
Seriously...if he is gonna be on the team, then he needs to be who he is and all the good and bad that comes with it.

 

This, 100%.

 

I always disliked him when he was a Duck but he's one main reason why the Stars made it to the final and why the Canadiens made it the year after. He's the one willing to go where it hurts and he seems to be hell of a leader in the room. Plus: he's already won the Cup. The potential deciding X-factor. But he has to stay Perry.

[3 Palmateers]

For anyone who cares, Justin Holl is back in the lineup. There was a debate among Leafs fans whether he would be taken out and the consensus was that no way Keefe would remove him because it would look like Steve Simmons was right and he caved to Simmons opinion. Oddly, he claims he watched the game back 3x in justification of keeping Holl in the lineup. I think he'll regret his decision in less than 8 hours from now.

 

No Simmonds or Clifford tonight. 4th line will be Kase-Blackwell-Spezza, again. Surprised he didn't go back to at least one of Simmonds/Clifford. Very surprised. Past the point of no return... Leafs likely to retain Keefe and Dubas no matter what happens now. The one thing nobody wanted was another close series loss.

 

Will they be waving them or throwing them in?  Can't wait to see...

 

 

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

They are about to drop the puck.
The talking ESPN heads are saying they expect this contest to "be closer than the previous 4", though they really didn't give a reason as to WHY they were thinking that.

Playing the odds perhaps? Because the first four games were so lopsided in favor of one or the other, that the fourth MUST be closer?
Meh....

I think this series has been going the way it likely should have been....where special teams take center stage, and the team that shows up prepared, beats on the one that isn't.
I think the scores have spelled that out pretty well to this point.

It will take more than just playing well while the other team doesn't for either to win a championship this year, so that is what I will look for in today's game. 
Who makes the improvements and adjustments, and who, FFS, shows up 'on time' for the game.
Not saying that's gonna happen, but what I will look for.

If not, then I expect more of the same....one team shows up, mauls the other with the PP, and we get another mostly one sided affair.

Pressure should be high for both teams:
Leaves® because, well, you know....
And the Lightning.... they are the defending champions and the onus is on them to not only keep winning, but to NOT be the team Toronto finally breaks their awful streak against....

National anthems are over as I finish this post, some more talking going on, but it IS time to put away the nonsense and get down to business....

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Heh...Pat Maroon getting into it with Auston Matthews.

Mr. Matthews best not indulge Mr. Maroon. 
Not because Matthews can't be physical as well (he is a big boy too after all), but because if both he and Maroon get taken off, that is a win for TB ALL NIGHT LONG!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Stamkos and the Champions strike first!

Kucherov hustles to keep a play alive in the offensive zone, finds open teammates, NOBODY on the Leaves® picks up a late arriving Stamkos... Boom!
1-0 Tampa Bay.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

The superstars are showing up early for the Champs.... Leaves® looking a bit listless out there.

So there we are, at least in the first 10 minutes, one team shows up, the other doesn't, and the one that shows up starts to maul on the PP.
Same as previous games.
Unless Toronto gets their heads out of their maples, it won't be "a close game" as the Nostradummies predicted on ESPN...

[Toronto Jules]

Exactly the worst start the Leafs could have wanted. Down 2-0 on the board, but also the crowd is now completely out of the game and it seems like all the energy is with the Lightning. Something needs to shift very soon. 

[Toronto Jules]

Leafs very lucky to get out of the  bogus PP against Giordano with nothing against.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

12 minutes ago, Toronto Jules said:

Exactly the worst start the Leafs could have wanted. Down 2-0 on the board, but also the crowd is now completely out of the game and it seems like all the energy is with the Lightning. Something needs to shift very soon. 

 

Toronto dodged a bullet just now with that 5 on 3 against.
Granted, I thought that WAS a bogus call on Giordano, as it appears the refs wanna star in the show as well, but the Bolts, penalty or not, are all kinds of confident and aggressive right now.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

14 minutes ago, FireDillabaugh said:

Lol.  Good stuff!!

 

Hey, I realize ESPN has to 'sell viewerships' by proclaming the ultimate close game, but cmon....are they paying attention?

If a blondie message boarder like me sees it, they gotta see it!
I should go apply and take someone's job over there  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Welp....Michael "Mini Marchand" Bunting went down like a house of cards so it was easy for the officials (who are DEMANDING top billing tonight, dammit!   ) to give Toronto their make up call for the inane cross checking call on Giordano earlier.

Leaves® to the PP...let's see if they actually try to score and not simply try to feed Johnny Pajamas because he hasn't scored yet.
Open man best take the shot...even if that open man is Lyubushkin!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Alright then...
Toronto didn't score on that PP, but they certainly worked it better with guys not passing up shots "to set up Tavares", and taking aim at Vasilevskiy when presented the opportunity to do so.

Leaves® DID double shift the big three of Marner, Matthews, and Tavares, but overall worked it better.
Should have gotten Nylander or Reilly more involved in there somehow though.......

[SaucyJack]

Tough few minutes for Mitchell Marner.  Good open shot hits ice and breaks stick (might have sprained a wrist golfing) then negates a PP 6 seconds in. 

Edited May 11, 2022 by SaucyJack

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Wow....Johnny P pushing real hard for his first goal of the series...almost gets one too.
But Vasy stood firm...and, more importantly, a guy like Sergachev BURIES Tavares in the crease area, serving notice: "You can STAY goal-less, and this is what you get if your gonna sniff around the net!"

End of 1, Champs up 2-0.
Toronto's shamans are being called into service during the intermission....

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Just now, SaucyJack said:

Tough few minutes for Mitchell Marner.  Good open shot hits ice and breaks (might have sprained a wrist golfing) then negates a PP 6 seconds in. 

 

Yep...but he ALSO passed up some good chances on Toronto's first PP which he should have taken himself instead of deferring.
I thought the Leaves® had good looks on the first PP, possibly could have scored then, but both Marner and Matthews passed up on shots trying to thread the puck to Tavares.

That stick breaking on Marner was perhaps karma spiting him! 

[Toronto Jules]

Unacceptable 1st Period by the Leafs. 4 total shots and 1 shot on the 2 power plays. 

[3 Palmateers]

Jack Campbell's positioning is TERRIBLE. He's incredibly lucky it isn't 4-0.  There've been multiple occasions where a huge portion of net is completely unattended and Tampa has just missed ala Stamkos in Game 1. 

 

ZERO lead changes in this series. Campbell playing poorly. Marner having it go wrong for him. Matthews and JT still a non-factor. 

 

No depth guys you can count on. 

 

Every Leafs fan knows how this goes. When it goes badly in a big game the Leafs don't have the fortitude to swing it back around. The avalanche just picks up more and more snow. 

 

Almost tempted to turn this one off and look at the score around 945p, Eastern. So tired of seeing this team just fold, fold, fold EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. 

 

Mental makeup of these guys just isn't what it should be. Talent is more than enough. Mindset is not strong enough. Keefe is overmatched psychologically and it flows downhill. 

[Toronto Jules]

1 minute ago, FireDillabaugh said:

Agreed.  I think they ended up with 5 shots.  But, your point remains the same.

 

And 14 shots by Tampa against Campbell.  That's more like it from them.  If they continue that and come close to 40-42 shots for the game against him, they win this game.  Again, you want to beat this Leafs team, Campbell MUST be tested(meaning more than 25-30 shots against) to see if he's going to be competent in net for them.

The D seems slow on the Leafs and the Leafs offense seems like they have no plan at all. They are just throwing the puck around wildly it seems. 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Good GAWD!
Who is that during the Lexus Intermission Report...??

PK Subban, or the Heat Miser from Rudolph's Year Without a Santa Claus??? 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Haha...Cailey Chelios trying to get out of Jon Cooper "how he manages to get the match ups he wants" despite being the road team.

Ol Coop, forever the lawyer, deftly sidesteps that with, "Lots of PP chances, it's crazy the amount of penalties called. It's hard. We are doing our best".

WTG, Cooper!
Give NOTHING away to sneaky double agent reporters!  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Toronto is on the board...Nylander made that happen.
Warts to his game n all, Nylander could be the x-factor for the Leaves® this series.

Bolts are ready and waiting for the big three...they may have to start making that a big four, the way Nylander has played against them.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Toronto looking alive now, after that goal.
Champs are gonna have to weather the Leaves® as they huff n puff, bend don't break, ride out the storm... all those old worn out cliches..

Stamkos with a big league block, showing superstars CAN wear blue collars as well (though it surprised the ESPN crew, I'm not...Stamkos takes pride in his overall game, I've seen that from him his entire career!), and TB doesn't seem to be losing focus as they face down a furious Toronto attack.

[Toronto Jules]

The Captain finally breaks the ice. 

 

2-1 now. 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Zach Bogosian with a blast and a bid for HIS first ever playoff goal!

All this talk about John Tavares not scoring goals in this series.....what about Bogo, eh? Eh??