EAST Playoffs '23-'24 Round 1: (A3) Toronto Maple Leafs at (A2) Boston Bruins (BOS Wins 4-3)

[SaucyJack]

23 hours ago, SaucyJack said:

Leafs radio complaining that the fans aren’t supportive enough to give the Leafs a true home ice advantage.  Sad.

I figured Joe Bowen’s radio commentary would spur some morning-after controversy:

 

https://globalnews.ca/news/10449154/joe-bowen-leafs-twitter-fans-criticism/

[JR Ewing]

23 hours ago, SaucyJack said:

Now Leafs radio complaining that the fans aren’t supportive enough to give the Leafs a true home ice advantage.  Sad.

 

 

The real fans are standing around outside the arena, too poor to be able to afford to get in.

[SaucyJack]

1 minute ago, JR Ewing said:

The real fans are standing around outside the arena, too poor to be able to afford to get in.

I’d say that the majority of comments I read from his Xitter post were of that ilk.  Too many corporate suits, especially “in the lower bowl” - saw that many times, that real fans would love those way-too-unaffordable seats.    
 

But some commenters disagreed about last night’s crowd gusto.  But a minority.

 

Still…sad!

[JR Ewing]

1 hour ago, SaucyJack said:

I’d say that the majority of comments I read from his Xitter post were of that ilk.  Too many corporate suits, especially “in the lower bowl” - saw that many times, that real fans would love those way-too-unaffordable seats.    
 

But some commenters disagreed about last night’s crowd gusto.  But a minority.

 

Still…sad!

 

Most people can't afford to sign their kid up for hockey anymore, let alone attend a hockey game. If you have a son talented enough to play AAA hockey in Toronto, you're looking at $25,000. That's just to register. You haven't paid for equipment, camps, travel, etc, etc, etc. The average cost per year, all-in, is about $45,000 for a kid to play in that league.

 

That was the ironic part about that twitter idiot who said that Zach Hyman only scored 50 goals because his father is rich. Yes, Hyman's father is wealthy, but pretty much everybody in the NHL grew up privileged. Where the NHL was once a league of sons of farmers and tradesmen, it's now a league of young men who's fathers are real estate tycoons or investment bankers.

 

Hockey is well on its way to becoming a sport like tennis or motor sports.

 

[jammer2]

Open up things. Have a first come first serve playoff night with 1$ beers 

[Buffalo Rick]

Well I’m hoping the Leafs win tonight.  They always tried to sell the Leafs vs Sabres as a rivalry here but I never bought it.  There really is no rivalry and the Sabres have always been a thorn in their side.  I would like to see Toronto win now that my teams are long gone.  But that’s not likely.  Not that they don’t have the talent .  I guess we see what happens tonight.  I know Boston has been waiting for the playoffs to get payback for last year and they want Florida.  They may just get them.  I guess Carolina have kind of gotten no respect.  Except in Vegas as Jack reminded us.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Leafs back to being the same ol Toronto club we all know and have fun at their expense at?

Boston executing very well, already up in the series and look like they are in firm control of this one.
Rat Man with the latest goal.... 2-0 Bruins midway through the 2nd.

Leafs do have the firepower to dump a bunch of goals on the Bruins, especially with Nylander back, but like the Lightning in the other series, playing from behind constantly is a HARD way to make a playoff living!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

I really don't understand how the Leafs can be down 2-1 in this series and now down 2-0 in this game.

I mean....they have Ryan Freakin Reaves!
ALL season long, hell, PRE SEASON....kept hearing about the difference maker Reaves.
He was constantly being quoted and given airtime...

Always had all the 'right' things to say.

Why isn't he putting the team on his back while he smacks Bruins players left n right all over the arena?
Eh? EHHH??  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

3-0 B's.

Rat Man and Pasta Man combined for that third goal.
Toronto fans, who had been sitting on their hands this whole period are now letting the Leafs have it with the boos raining down on the ice.

 

[SaucyJack]

The ghost that haunted the Washington Capitals repeatedly from 1984 to 2017, resulting in countless playoff failures (with rare exceptions) whenever a favorite, or at least a strong contender…

 

…has haunted the Toronto Maple Leafs for several years now.  That ghost left one body for another after the Caps 2018 Cup miracle, in part since Washington has not been a playoffs favorite since their one and only Glory Moment.

 

Although that ghost has decades more living in Toronto to equal the haunting in Washington, I feel for Leafs fans now.  Did last year too.  
 

Leafs radio analyst used the A word (“atrocious”) tonight to describe their recent home playoff record.  Didn’t harp on it, but…sad.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Scotiabank Arena was an absolute morgue up until that goal by Marner.

3-1 Boston now.
Plenty of time left for Toronto to make a comeback, however, do the Bruins have another gear themselves?

[FD19372]

Toronto...with all their flash and skill, still lack composure and discipline every single time in the playoffs. They aren't mentally tough, either. This year is no exception, and all I need to see to know who's dominated this series (though, yes, I've watched every game), is Boston is 6 for 12 on the power play. They STILL aren't built for playoff hockey. The Bruins are built for it, but they're going to run into their kryptonite, in the next round. Toronto might not be as soft with the additions of Reaves, and a few others, but they're too mentally fragile and Boston has a stronghold over the Leafs collective minds.

[FD19372]

*Physically they're getting beat up, too.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Someone please take away all Toronto players' license to carry firearms....
They keep shooting themselves in the foot....

[FD19372]

I'm not much of a fan of Nylander. All the talent in the world and takes monumentally dumb penalty in the offensive zone. A momentum KILLER. The Leafs had the Bruins against the ropes and had a great chance to get within one, but Nylander with a huge brain fart ..throwing DeBrusk down to the ice. It's not rugby or football, Willie.

Edited April 28 by FD19372

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

2 minutes ago, FD19372 said:

I'm not much of a fan of Nylander. All the talent in the world and takes monumentally dumb penalty in the offensive zone. A momentum KILLER. The Leafs had the Bruins against the ropes and had a great chance to get within one, but Nylander with a huge brain fart ..throwing DeBrusk down to the ice. It's not rugby or football, Willie.

 

This just in....

Nylander wants OUT of Toronto  

[Math]

3 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

This just in....

Nylander wants OUT of Toronto  

 

The Toronto FC would be a great fit though.

[OccamsRazor]

 

[OccamsRazor]

 

[JR Ewing]

-Auston Matthews is 56th in playoff scoring with 1 goal and 2 assists in 4 games. Listening to eastern media talk about him as though he's in the conversation for being the best player in the game is an insult to everybody who watches hockey.

-Seeing the Sportsnet panel talk about how the Leafs are playing so bad and how Marner needs to stop whining... Oof.

-As a fan of a team in this country that, like all non-TO teams, gets a fraction of the coverage of those guys... The cherry on the top so far: Kevin Bieksa saying how the Leafs stars like Marner, need to be more mature, like Draisaitl.

-The Leafs don't have a single pisscutter at the top of the batting order. Management can bring in guys like Ryan Reaves until they're blue in the face, but guys who only play 8 minutes a night won't get you there.

-I'd say that management needs to change the mix, but they all have no-movement clauses, so they've hamstrung themselves.

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

Matthews (illness) held out of third period of Game 4 loss

• Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporterApr 28, 2024, 12:05 AM ET

TORONTO -- Star center Auston Matthews did not finish Saturday night's Game 4 because of an illness, as the Toronto Maple Leafs fell 3-1 to the Boston Bruins.

 

Toronto now finds itself on the brink of elimination in its first-round playoff series, with a must-win Game 5 on Tuesday in Boston.

 

Coach Sheldon Keefe previously confirmed Matthews played through an illness in Game 3, and Matthews had been absent from multiple team sessions while recovering. It was more of the same in Game 4 when Matthews logged 14:16 in ice time before not returning after the second intermission.

 

"It is all related to the illness he's dealing with," Keefe said, responding to a reporter's question on why Matthews didn't return for the third period. "The doctors pulled him."

 

 

Matthews was Toronto's hero in Game 2, scoring the game-winning goal and notching two assists to lift the Maple Leafs to a 3-2 victory.

 

It was the Bruins again taking it to Toronto early Saturday. Boston jumped out to a 1-0 lead off James van Riemsdyk's opening goal to enter the second period ahead 1-0, and it quickly added to its lead with a power-play goal from Brad Marchand. David Pastrnak collected another with 41 seconds left in the middle frame to afford Boston a 3-0 advantage going into the third.

 

 

Toronto has now lost six straight playoff games at home, a streak dating to the 1970s, and has been outscored 21-11 in that stretch of home contests. The Leafs have also scored three or fewer goals in 11 consecutive postseason tilts to date.

 

Emotions were visibly boiling over for Toronto on the bench in Saturday's loss, with cameras capturing Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander -- back in the lineup after missing the series' first three games with an undisclosed injury -- exchanging verbal barbs.

 

"We're grown men," Marner said of their exchange. "We're just talking about plays out there that we all want to make sure we're 100% on. Just a little off page there. We're not yelling at each other because we hate each other. We just all want to be on the same page and help each other out."

 

Marner was the lone goal scorer for Toronto when he broke through with his first of the playoffs to cut Boston's lead to 3-1 in the third period. That was all Toronto could muster, though, offensively.

 

The Leafs' power play continued to misfire and finished 0-for-3 in Game 4, to put them 1-for-14 on the man advantage in the series to date. Meanwhile, Boston has capitalized on its special teams' opportunities with another power-play goal on Saturday (6-for-13 in the playoffs).

 

The gravity of Toronto's situation now isn't lost on anyone.

 

"We're down 3-1," Nylander said. "It's not a great spot to be in."

 

Keefe opted to make a goaltender change for the final frame by inserting Joseph Woll for Ilya Samsonov, who had allowed three goals on 16 shots (.813 save percentage). The Leafs' coach declined to name a starter for Game 5.

 

"The reason for [the swap] is we're just trying to change things," Keefe said. "You get to get Joe involved. That's really it. You're trying to change the momentum. We've got some time here to talk it through [before Game 5]."

 

Boston went back to Jeremy Swayman in its net to break the goalie rotation it had cultivated between him and Linus Ullmark. Swayman had led Boston to victory in Game 1 and Game 3; Ullmark started the Bruins' lone losing effort in Game 2.

 

Coach Jim Montgomery explained on Saturday the plan had been to give each of Swayman and Ullmark a postseason start and then decide on a regular goaltender from there. Given Swayman's success, it was an easy choice for Montgomery to keep him in the crease.

 

Montgomery had previously questioned if Swayman was "in [the Maple Leafs'] heads," given his success against them all season. Swayman is now 6-0-0 against Toronto and holds a .956 save percentage through three postseason games.

 

Keefe felt it wasn't for lack of trying that Toronto hadn't been able to crack Swayman.

 

"I don't sense any frustration," he said. "Guys are pushing one another, guys are competitive, guys want to win. It's all part of it."

 

Toronto can only turn the page now to Game 5 on Tuesday, where the Leafs will extend -- or end -- their season.

 

"There was nothing wrong with our effort level here tonight," Keefe said. "Guys are competing. It's physical hockey. Guys are trying. That's a good team over there. It's limiting us. You can question a lot of things, can't question the effort."

[Brewin Flames]

5 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

 

 

This warms the cockles of my heart....

[Brewin Flames]

Maple Leafs continue to sputter, show discontent in Game 4 loss

Matthews leaves game with illness for Toronto, which faces elimination TuesdayByMike Zeisberger

@Zeisberger NHL.com Staff Writer

1:23 AM

TORONTO -- They were booed off the ice after the second period by their home crowd at Scotiabank Arena.

 

Their star center, Auston Matthews, was felled by illness and did not play in the third period.

 

Forward William Nylander, making his first appearance in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing three games with an undisclosed ailment, showed signs of rust and took a costly holding penalty midway through the third period with his team trailing by two goals.

 

And at one point in the Toronto Maple Leafs' 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Saturday, the frustration boiled over to the point where forward Mitch Marner was seen sitting on the bench furiously chucking his gloves in disgust.

 

Add it all up and it was the worst-case scenario for the Maple Leafs, who now trail the best-of-7 series 3-1.

 

 

 

Judging by the jeers, Toronto’s rabid fan base appears to sense another Maple Leafs Stanley Cup bid unraveling, especially after watching some of the players sniping at each other on the bench.

 

Keeping that in mind, captain John Tavares was asked how the team can stick together while facing the reality of winning the next three games or going home.

 

Again.

 

“You know, a lot of guys have been here for a while and are just continuously pushing each other for more,” Tavares said. “Obviously this is an important time here. So, there’s a lot of belief in each other.

 

“The bonds here are really strong, to fight through adversity and to challenge each other and be able to be better.”

 

They’ll have to be if they want their season to continue.

 

It’s difficult enough to face the task of going into the raucous TD Garden for Game 5 on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, NESN, SNP, SNO, SNE, TVAS, CBC) knowing you have to win three consecutive games against a well-disciplined, structured Bruins team or go home.

 

But how do you do that with a sputtering power play that has gone 1-for-14 in the series and often spends more time in its defensive zone than in the offensive one?

 

Moreover, how do you do that when a team that is known for its scoring, can’t?

 

Consider this: The Maple Leafs have devoted almost half of their NHL salary cap to four players: Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Tavares. They are being paid handsomely, for the most part, to put pucks in the net. It’s what the team is known for.

 

At least in the regular season, anyway.

 

Come the postseason however, that penchant evaporates. The proof is in the numbers.

 

Toronto has now gone 10 of its past 11 playoff games scoring two goals or fewer. The exception was their victory in Game 2. They scored three in a 3-2 win. That’s hardly an offensive explosion.

 

In the meantime, while the Maple Leafs marquee players continue to sputter, Boston’s best players keep performing as such.

 

Forwards Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak scored Saturday and have now combined for five goals in the series.

 

That’s just two fewer than the entire Toronto team has accrued in four games.

 

In fact, the entire Maple Leafs team has scored just seven times in the series. Compare that to Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman, formerly of the Maple Leafs. He alone already has six goals in three games in the Western Conference First Round against the Los Angeles Kings.

 

Marner said any perceived discontent within the team is nothing more than a passionate outlet to find solutions to the present struggles. Interestingly, he was involved in an exchange on the bench in which TV cameras caught Nylander telling him to stop “crying.”

 

“We’re grown men. We’re talking about plays out there that we want to make sure we’re all 100 percent on,” said Marner, who scored Toronto’s lone goal.

 

“Know what we’re doing. We’re just a little off page there. We’re not yelling at each other because we hate each other. We just want to all be on the same page to help each other out to try to get the best offensive chance.”

 

The Maple Leafs have been anything but on the same page. And they are quickly running out of time to alleviate that situation.

[Math]

11 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

 

Michael Jordan won a series by himself while dealing with a mix of Ebola, Cholera and a 120°F-hemorragic fever...

 

(I know, I know...)

[radoran]

1 minute ago, Math said:

 

Michael Jordan won a series by himself while dealing with a mix of Ebola, Cholera and a 120°F-hemorragic fever...

 

(I know, I know...)

 

Yes, but his coach was Chuck Norris, so...