Eastern Conference: Round 1 - #2 Boston Bruins vs #3 Toronto Maple Leafs

[J0e Th0rnton]

2 hours ago, Podein25 said:

 

Good picks. How does Burns not get a point in an 8-1 rout though?!

I asked the same question when I whooped at the score then checked the boxscore.

 

At least I also had Pavelski.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

10 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

 

Isn't he your Captain??

 

 

[hobie]

Sure hope Plekanec can keep it up and stay as the 2nd line center till the end of the series. 

 

TO found a way to halt the Bergeron line, for a game at least, is it possible again? Altho they didn't score they still dominated so if TO is lucky enough to slow them down for one more game TO could be in a position to win the series. The new Plekanec line did a lot of things well but it isn't a solid option to play against the Bergeron line.

 

When Kadri returns I'd like to see and even better 1st line so I'd try these lines.

 

Kadri/Matthews/Nylander

Marleau/Plekanec/Marner

Jvr/Bozak/Hymen

Brown/Moore/Kapanen

 

I don't think Hymen is a decent option on the 1st line against an all All-Star line, on the 3rd line he looks good where his hustle and forechecking could be very effective. He probably provides as much offense, on the 3rd, as Brown.

 

The new Matthews line looks like a line that could possibly dominate or at least face the Bergeron line as equals. 

[hf101]

On 4/16/2018 at 10:15 PM, Kadri43 said:

Please, please, please let Komarov miss the rest of the playoffs. The guy is horrific and the Leafs are WAY better without him. 

 

 

[Kadri43]

16 minutes ago, hf101 said:

 

 

Thank goodness. Komarov this year is the most useless player I've ever seen on a competitive Leafs team. And the numbers show it. I have 0 idea how the coaching staff don't see it.

[BluPuk]

LOL.

[WordsOfWisdom]

Game over. Series over.  

 

 

 

 

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

Game #4 - Defensive Errors

1. Marner, Rielly, Plekanec
2. Gardiner
3. Dermott

3-1 BOS.

 

Leafs gambled and lost at the end with a few bad pinches. 

 

You would never know that the Leafs were a strong offensive team from their performance in this series. They haven't done anything extraordinary against the Bruins. 

 

[Kings Redeem LA]

1 hour ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

Game #4 - Defensive Errors

1. Marner, Rielly, Plekanec
2. Gardiner
3. Dermott

3-1 BOS.

 

Leafs gambled and lost at the end with a few bad pinches. 

 

You would never know that the Leafs were a strong offensive team from their performance in this series. They haven't done anything extraordinary against the Bruins. 

 

 

Leafs  aren't doing themselves any favors either with

some terrible turnovers at the red line. Sloppy stuff in this 

last game that led to two Boston  goals.      

[hobie]

Leo might be useless but there appears to be a lot of useless players in this series.

 

Matthews 1 goal, Nylander 1 assist, Kapanen zip, Gardiner nada so I think TO isn't ready to win.

 

Outside of Marner and Rielly I think the entire team is letting us down. TO is skating well, defending reasonably well but the guys who need to score aren't and no team can win without offense. 

[BluPuk]

Really, really disappointing. It would be just like the Leafs to win in Boston only to lose on home ice in game six. I prefer they lose in Boston and get it over with.

 

FORE!!!!!! 

[WordsOfWisdom]

2 hours ago, BluPuk said:

Really, really disappointing. It would be just like the Leafs to win in Boston only to lose on home ice in game six. I prefer they lose in Boston and get it over with.

 

FORE!!!!!! 

 

Oh it'll be over in Boston. The Bruins are going to blow them out of the (frozen) water.  I'm picturing a 9-1 finish with fans chanting "we want the cup" from the opening faceoff until final puck drop.   

[WordsOfWisdom]

7 hours ago, hobie said:

Leo might be useless but there appears to be a lot of useless players in this series.

 

Matthews 1 goal, Nylander 1 assist, Kapanen zip, Gardiner nada so I think TO isn't ready to win.

 

Outside of Marner and Rielly I think the entire team is letting us down. TO is skating well, defending reasonably well but the guys who need to score aren't and no team can win without offense. 

 

You would think that the Leafs would have at least one game where they blow out the Bruins -- given the offensive talent they have. However, the players you mentioned above haven't shown up.

 

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

Defensive error totals

(After 4 games)

 

Andersen - 4

Rielly - 4

 

Hainsey - 3

Gardiner - 3

 

Polak - 2

Zaitsev - 2

Plekanec - 2

Dermott - 2

 

JVR - 1

Marleau - 1

Kadri - 1

Brown - 1

Matthews - 1

Hymen - 1

Johnsson - 1

Marner - 1

[BluPuk]

Looks like real team "effort" WOW.  

[WordsOfWisdom]

1 hour ago, BluPuk said:

Looks like real team "effort" WOW.  

 

For interest sake, let's forecast the final score for game#5: 

 

I'm going to say 6-0 Boston, and it'll break down like this:

 

After 1st period: 4-0 Boston

After 2nd period: 5-0 Boston

After 3rd period: 6-0 Boston

 

Bruins will hit'em fast and hard, bury them early, and then run out the clock. Rask finishes with a shutout. A fitting end to the Leafs season.

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

Refs seem to be trying their best to screw the Leafs tonight. Lots of BS penalty calls going against Toronto.  

[WordsOfWisdom]

Best game the Leafs have played in this series by far. Bruins spent half the game on the power play because of one cheap **** call after another and the Leafs still won, so I completely throw out the SOG total for this game. Bruins were dead and buried after the first period so the refs lit a fire under them. Bruins began to respond and the Leafs struck back, again putting the game out of reach and extinguishing the Bruins. The refs decided they would use gasoline and a blow torch to get the Bruins going and it finally worked halfway through the second. "Game management" 1-on-1 as they say. 

 

By all accounts, this was a 5-1 or 6-1 win for Toronto. It was only close because it was a 7-on-5  (5 Bruins + 2 refs vs the Leafs). Anything to keep it from being a rout. Total BS officiating. 

 

 

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

Game #4 - Defensive Errors

1. Zaitsev
2. Gardiner, Nylander
3. Zaitsev, Bozak

4-3 TOR.

 

[hobie]

In the last period in one minute I counted 8 panicked giveaways by the Leafs, I was only counting because I'd seen so many before that minute. I thought it was a horrible game for TO and it was a goaltending battle that Rask lost.

 

I would summarize this game as panic by the Leafs but it seems thru most of the games in this series panic is TO's one true constant. 

I think it's interesting that CBC and others list whatever line Matthews is on as #1 even when Matthews starts the game with TO's 4th liners, it's an obvious and earned demotion for Matthews.

[WordsOfWisdom]

9 hours ago, hobie said:

In the last period in one minute I counted 8 panicked giveaways by the Leafs, I was only counting because I'd seen so many before that minute. I thought it was a horrible game for TO and it was a goaltending battle that Rask lost.

 

Once the refs got the Bruins back into it, I agree. It turned into a **** show. But that's only because the Bruins had something like 6 or 7 power plays, including a 5-on-3. The penalties killed Toronto's momentum, and they never got it back. It just became a case of "survival mode". 

 

9 hours ago, hobie said:

I would summarize this game as panic by the Leafs but it seems thru most of the games in this series panic is TO's one true constant.

 

Certainly. I'd be panicked too if I knew the opposition was going to spend half the game on the power play.  

 

9 hours ago, hobie said:

I think it's interesting that CBC and others list whatever line Matthews is on as #1 even when Matthews starts the game with TO's 4th liners, it's an obvious and earned demotion for Matthews.

 

One could argue that it's Marner and Kadri who leads this Leafs team. Kadri was everywhere last night, and a physical force for the Leafs. He was dangerous every time he was on the ice. 

 

Many of the goals the Bruins scored were either lucky bounces (where the puck came off the boards in a strange way) or power play goals that were unstoppable. Toronto had some skilled goals in this game. The Kadri to Johnsson goal. The JVR goal. The Bozak goal. All good stuff. 

 

 

[Kings Redeem LA]

15 hours ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

Best game the Leafs have played in this series by far. Bruins spent half the game on the power play because of one cheap **** call after another and the Leafs still won, so I completely throw out the SOG total for this game. Bruins were dead and buried after the first period so the refs lit a fire under them. Bruins began to respond and the Leafs struck back, again putting the game out of reach and extinguishing the Bruins. The refs decided they would use gasoline and a blow torch to get the Bruins going and it finally worked halfway through the second. "Game management" 1-on-1 as they say. 

 

By all accounts, this was a 5-1 or 6-1 win for Toronto. It was only close because it was a 7-on-5  (5 Bruins + 2 refs vs the Leafs). Anything to keep it from being a rout. Total BS officiating. 

 

 

 

 

Missed this game, WoW. But I'm glad the Leafs  

are still in it. I'm already getting annoyed with the 

many professional hockey organizations that are 

wantonly disrespecting my bracket predictions.  

 

 

 

[Kadri43]

The refs last night should be fired because a) They were paid off to help the Bruins win or b) they are so incompetent that they shouldn't ref a minor league game. They were the worst refs I've seen in my life. Gardiner got 2 minutes for Chara punching him in the face. Marner got 2 minutes because Zaitsev tripped someone. Johnson got 2 minutes for a blatant Pastranak dive. And Bozak got 2 minutes because Nash broke his stick on a shot. 

 

And how isn't Marchand getting a penalty on Marner. Marner didn't have the puck and Marchand slammed his head (not too hard to be fair) against the ice a few times. I don't understand how that isn't a penalty. 

 

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

6 hours ago, thenewestlights said:

Missed this game, WoW. But I'm glad the Leafs  

are still in it. I'm already getting annoyed with the 

many professional hockey organizations that are 

wantonly disrespecting my bracket predictions.  

 

LOL.  Who did you pick to win? 

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

1 hour ago, Kadri43 said:

The refs last night should be fired because a) They were paid off to help the Bruins win or b) they are so incompetent that they shouldn't ref a minor league game. They were the worst refs I've seen in my life.

 

Agreed. They called chintsy crap that would never be called a penalty in a regular season game let alone a playoff game, and it all went against Toronto.

 

The Leafs had no reason to take penalties. They were ahead by a mile and the Bruins had mailed it in. The refs actively tried to screw over Toronto last night and it was sickening.