Game 23: Flyers at Leafs; 11/24 @ 7 PM

[Howie58]

I am worried that losing may become a habit for this squad.  Seeing Provy and Ghost become turnover machines is sad.

 

There is no doubt a goalie who can make a few tough saves a game will make a difference.  We need to find that person quickly.  Signing and resigning Neuvy has hurt that "discovery" process.  We are making up for lost time.

 

I still have concerns with this team--are the youngins as good as we've believed?  Another twist--are the parts better than the whole.  A lot of us here felt that a team put together primarily through the draft would gel and play better than one assembled through trade or free agency.  We've had the draft model for the past few years, and we don't have much to show for it. OK, we fire the coaching staff.  Are Chris Pryor and his team providing us with "best of breed?"  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

I am not looking to 'pile on', but I watched most of this game, and the fact of the matter is, the Flyers, as one analyst put it best, simply weren't ready to play.

 

Yea, I know the Leafs have many weapons the Flyers simply aren't equipped to deal with on most nights and yes, we ALL KNOW the issues in goaltending the Flyers have, but even if the Leafs were to come away with a win here regardless, it SHOULD NOT have been a 6-0 wipe.

For whatever reason.... Flyers. Just. Weren't. Prepared.

And without actually knowing for a fact, one could argue THAT is on the coaching staff perhaps losing the ears of the players, or even the vet players not prioritizing the real danger of blowout the Leafs represented.

[WordsOfWisdom]

Analyzing the goals your team gave up:

 

1. Although your defender #8 was out of position, that's on the goalie to make that save.
2. Horrendous turnover by #26 lead to a breakaway.
3. Total coverage breakdown on the third goal and where on earth is your goalie on that one?
4. Total pick pocket on #6 led to full net access on the fourth goal. Goalie "should" stop those, but bad things happen when you let a player get to the front (even from a bad angle) without any resistance.
5. Terrible pass by Provarov leads to the odd-man rush the other way. 
6. Terrible overplay by the defenceman on Marner allowed Marner to deke in. Everyone else got caught puck watching.

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

6 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Yea, I know the Leafs have many weapons the Flyers simply aren't equipped to deal with on most nights and yes, we ALL KNOW the issues in goaltending the Flyers have, but even if the Leafs were to come away with a win here regardless, it SHOULD NOT have been a 6-0 wipe.

 

I was kind of disappointed the Leafs took the third period off. On the same night where Laine scored five goals, I really wanted them to make it 10-0. Keep pushing and try to break a few records rather than coast to the finish. Oh well. The Flyers were really taking it to them in the third and I was worried they were going to lose the shutout and walk away with an ugly win like 6-4 or 6-3 but they kept it together.  

[Podein25]

4 minutes ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

 ... I really wanted them to make it 10-0.

 

Savage.

[OccamsRazor]

1 hour ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

 

Between Ed Belfour in 2004 and Frederik Andersen in 2017 there were a LOT of horrendous goalies that the Leafs went through. About one per year. Raycroft, Toskala, Bernier, etc....  OMG who remembers Toskala? lol!  

 

Thank goodness for Andersen solidifying that position, and thank goodness Sparks is continuing to develop nicely.  The goaltender position is finally a non-issue for Toronto. 

 

 

Oh I know as I mentioned it a few posts back about Belfour maybe you missed it.

[ruxpin]

1 hour ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

 

I was kind of disappointed the Leafs took the third period off. On the same night where Laine scored five goals, I really wanted them to make it 10-0. Keep pushing and try to break a few records rather than coast to the finish. Oh well. The Flyers were really taking it to them in the third and I was worried they were going to lose the shutout and walk away with an ugly win like 6-4 or 6-3 but they kept it together.  

Record or not, you kind of want them to learn to not take the foot off the pedal. You want that to be the muscle memory rather than the period they were able to just skate around and let their goalie do the work. 

[WordsOfWisdom]

1 hour ago, Podein25 said:

 

Savage.

 

Not so much to beat down on the other team but to play a full 60 minute game. I can remember numerous occasions where the Leafs were on the wrong end of these games and the other team didn't take a period off. They would enter the 3rd period up 6-0 and next thing you knew it was 7-0, 8-0, 8-1, then 9-1.  The Leafs have lost a lot of games by 7 or more goals in their history yet they never do it to anyone else.

 

I get that not running up the score is all part of the code, and the game would probably descend into a line brawl if the Leafs tacked on another goal or two, but it's a moment Leafs fans rarely get to experience. Why not just go for it? Perhaps we could have seen Johnsson get five goals just like Laine. That would have been even more of a career moment for him.