Hey Leafman - is it safe to come in here?
- LeftCoaster

Everybody is welcome as long as there is no obvious attempts at trolling.

benched vs buff? cmon you should know better than that.
- Lucas Neilson

Meh it's for the whole week.... after seeing him getting crushed the game before... and the Avs scoring 7 goals.... I got carried away and put Varly back in.

At least he got a point from going in the shootout.

Colin, you're partly right. It was a can't win; can only lose game: lose and they're absolutely pathetic, win and of course they did - it was the Sawbrays.

I'm not sure about the 1st two periods though - there were tons of quality chances, a couple posts, Kadri squeezing his stick too tight or they would have put 2 or 3 in and it would be a 6-0 drubbing. I'm also not sure how you can be critical of a defense that gives up a total of 10 shots over 60 minutes and barely any quality chances I can remember.

That being said, it was the Sawbrays.
- 1979AD

I watched that game and I thought the Leafs dominated. I thought Enroth was the only reason it wasn't 15-0 I guess Leaf fans just are programmed to be negative!

I watched that game and I thought the Leafs dominated. I thought Enroth was the only reason it wasn't 15-0 I guess Leaf fans just are programmed to be negative!
- James_Tanner

Oh for sure the Leafs dominated the game.... Good for them, they did what they had to do.

But the Sabres are pretty pathetic right now.... 10 shots? Wow.

I don't think the players are losing on purpose. I think management just assembled a roster that is so bad that its just not possible to win.

The players are demoralized.
- twiztedmike

gm's tank not the players

you got guys who are going to be ufa's, rfa's and others looking to get traded at the deadline for a shot at the playoffs. Playing like shiit on purpose lowers their value and will cost them money in the long run. No doubt guys will take nights off from time to time but over the course of a season they will still try and win and play hard

I watched that game and I thought the Leafs dominated. I thought Enroth was the only reason it wasn't 15-0 I guess Leaf fans just are programmed to be negative!
- James_Tanner

they played better than expected and beat a team they were supposed to beat. I'm good with that.

I watched that game and I thought the Leafs dominated. I thought Enroth was the only reason it wasn't 15-0 I guess Leaf fans just are programmed to be negative!
- James_Tanner

Neuvirth you mean, and yeah he was pretty damn good through the first 2.

I watched that game and I thought the Leafs dominated. I thought Enroth was the only reason it wasn't 15-0 I guess Leaf fans just are programmed to be negative!
- James_Tanner

it's just them playing to what the team was built to produce. Good enough to beat the bottom dwellers, but missing the major pieces and leadership to be anywhere near the elite teams.

Meh it's for the whole week.... after seeing him getting crushed the game before... and the Avs scoring 7 goals.... I got carried away and put Varly back in.

At least he got a point from going in the shootout.
- Scabeh

understandable.

leafs are unpredictable.

it's just them playing to what the team was built to produce. Good enough to beat the bottom dwellers, but missing the major pieces and leadership to be anywhere near the elite teams.
- vermie22

the toronto maple leafs are the 3.5L mustang of the NHL

they can beat your topaz, but not a viper

the toronto maple leafs are the 3.5L mustang of the NHL

they can beat your topaz, but not a viper
- Dozzer

weak trolling attempt

weak trolling attempt
- the_eye

i wasnt trolling

IS this the general consensus from around the league by most fans?

From Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun: "In order not to enrage our friends on the other side of the Peace Bridge, let’s make one thing clear — we have far too much respect for the Buffalo organization to suggest that they are losing on purpose.

"But man, the optics surrounding this once-proud franchise certainly are so bad, there surely will be allegations from the outside that, yes, that’s exactly what they are doing.
- ImThatGuy

Depends what you mean by "losing on purpose"

Do we think they are throwing games? No

But they are icing a team that can't possibly won 30 games this season, and doing so with the goal of rebuilding through high draft picks. So yes, that's losing on purpose.

understandable.

leafs are unpredictable.
- Lucas Neilson

I didn't even know if Reimer was gonna get the Sabres.

God dammit I need the Avs to start winning again.

You bench a goalie playing the Sabres. Real smart.

- KesselRules

Regardless of the opponent I still noticed way, way, WAY!!! too many times in all 3 zones that Leaf forwards and D's did not finish checks on Buffalo players after they made passes, essentially giving them free passes.
The best teams, or even good middle of the road teams don't do that. It doesn't require talent it just requires desire and should be done right from the drop of the puck in hopes that it pays dividends in the latter stages of close games.
Maybe I'm blind but i didn't see nearly enough of it.
My 2 cents.

Regardless of the opponent I still noticed way, way, WAY!!! too many times in all 3 zones that Leaf forwards and D's did not finish checks on Buffalo players after they made passes, essentially giving them free passes.
The best teams, or even good middle of the road teams don't do that. It doesn't require talent it just requires desire and should be done right from the drop of the puck in hopes that it pays dividends in the latter stages of close games.
Maybe I'm blind but i didn't see nearly enough of it.
My 2 cents.
- Wendel_Rocked

1st period they did. Foot came off the gas everywhere but offence in he third

1st period they did. Foot came off the gas everywhere but offence in he third
- Big_Lightnin

It's not like the competition made it an intense game....

So I bench Bernier he gets a shutout?

(frank) this.
- Scabeh

Deserved.

So I bench Bernier he gets a shutout?

(frank) this.
- Scabeh

welcome to what its like to be a leaf fan

i'm dead serious.. your post summarizes it perfectly

Tarasenko got 31 points last night

I watched that game and I thought the Leafs dominated. I thought Enroth was the only reason it wasn't 15-0 I guess Leaf fans just are programmed to be negative!
- James_Tanner

Was Enroth enticing them from the bench?

I agree that there was some hesitation in the first and partway through the second period. The Leafs seemed a little unsure of where they were supposed to be and what their responsibilities were. I think this comes from essentially shuffling the lines. Once they began to get the feel for it though, there was clearly no stopping them. I would prefer that Carlyle kept these lines together for a while, and that we used the same ones on the powerplay. It drove me crazy seeing him go back to the same forward lines on the pp. I think that these new lines will be very good and that the offense will come from using Clarkson in a scoring role, giving the team a legitimate top 6. The third line still did what they have been and there was a distinct improvement in the offensive chances from the top 2 lines.

So I bench Bernier he gets a shutout?

(frank) this.
- Scabeh

Of course.

Despite all the effort put in by everybody else, the lazy (frank)er only made 10 saves. Staple his ass to the bench until he figures out what work ethic is.

I agree with you Colin. This game should have been OVER after the first period. Hopefully the scoring touch is coming around, but I think it was more of a factor of Buffalo tiring as opposed to the Leafs turning it on.