Yeah, no penalties would be good then lol
- bryant

Didn't Boston torch us on the PP last year?

Yeah, no penalties would be good then lol
- bryant

I would be shocked if the Leafs went from the least penalized team to the most penalized team this playoff run.. Mainly because we no longer have Roman Polak.

Also, I really hope Marincin doesn't play another game as a Maple Leaf.

I would be shocked if the Leafs went from the least penalized team to the most penalized team this playoff run.. Mainly because we no longer have Roman Polak.

Also, I really hope Marincin doesn't play another game as a Maple Leaf.
- PatC80

yes

Didn't Boston torch us on the PP last year?
- Aetherial

On home ice they did.. to be fair, it's because they were on the PP for about half the games

Your first line was really the biggest difference. Your two best players are playoff-experienced veterans, matched with a fantastic young winger.

Compare what they did to the Matthews / Nylander line (while they were together). That was the whole series, right there.

They might do it again this year. There is nothing to suggest the Leafs are the better team and MMN are still very young.

Idiot fans of other teams need to learn the definitions of "choke" and "upset" as they apply to sports. It will be no choke or upset if Boston beats Toronto.
- Aetherial

It’s about a 50/50 series in my opinion. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

It’s about a 50/50 series in my opinion. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
- RickJames77

I think on paper the teams seem to line up about 50/50 ... but the way this season was played out, there is no question Boston was the better team.

It’s about a 50/50 series in my opinion. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
- RickJames77

This series and the Jets v. Blues series are both a toss up, IMO.

It’s about a 50/50 series in my opinion. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
- RickJames77

Yea man..

Leafs fans see our high powered offence and go, “oh (frank) we got this.”

But they don’t give enough credit to guys like Debrusk who would play in our top 6, or McAvoy who’d be a top pairing guy here. No one in Boston is the least bit worried about Nylander. I can’t believe we though Pasta was a fair comparison to Willy, that’s how far he’s fallen.

I think on paper the teams seem to line up about 50/50 ... but the way this season was played out, there is no question Boston was the better team.
- Aetherial

Boston had a really good stretch of 20+ games, when they didn't lose in regulation. They did come back down to earth though... We'll see what happens.

Yea man..

Leafs fans see our high powered offence and go, “oh (frank) we got this.”

But they don’t give enough credit to guys like Debrusk who would play in our top 6, or McAvoy who’d be a top pairing guy here. No one in Boston is the least bit worried about Nylander. I can’t believe we though Pasta was a fair comparison to Willy, that’s how far he’s fallen.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Or how much Pasta has risen since he signed that contract.

But yeah, I've spent a while trying to convince some around here that Pastrnak was at another level....

Great deal for the Bruins.

Yea man..

Leafs fans see our high powered offence and go, “oh (frank) we got this.”

But they don’t give enough credit to guys like Debrusk who would play in our top 6, or McAvoy who’d be a top pairing guy here. No one in Boston is the least bit worried about Nylander. I can’t believe we though Pasta was a fair comparison to Willy, that’s how far he’s fallen.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Tavares - Bergeron
Marner- Marchand
Matthews - Pastrnak
Kadri- Krejci
Nylander - DeBrusk
Rielly- Krug
Andersen - Rask.


It's pretty franking close.

Or how much Pasta has risen since he signed that contract.

But yeah, I've spent a while trying to convince some around here that Pastrnak was at another level....

Great deal for the Bruins.
- Scabeh

Some of us never thought Nylander was anywhere near Pastrnak.

I wanted them to trade him.

Some of us never thought Nylander was anywhere near Pastrnak.

I wanted them to trade him.
- Aetherial

Of course. Not everyone was in the same boat.

And Nylander is a very talented player, he can do much better than he has this year.

Of course. Not everyone was in the same boat.

And Nylander is a very talented player, he can do much better than he has this year.
- Scabeh

No question, we need Nylander to up his game this playoff.

Tavares - Bergeron
Marner- Marchand
Matthews - Pastrnak
Kadri- Krejci
Nylander - DeBrusk
Rielly- Krug
Andersen - Rask.


It's pretty franking close.
- PatC80

Top 3 cancel each other out.

Krejci had a great year, I’d give him the edge over Naz, who hasn’t been given the same duties this season. DeBrusk all week long and twice on Sundays. Rielly > Krug, but McAvoy-Krug-Carlo-Gryzlyk-Chara >> Rielly-Gards-Dermott-Hainsey-Zaitsev.

Less need a huge effort from Freddy and they need to score 5 goals a game.

It’s doable.

Yea man..

Leafs fans see our high powered offence and go, “oh (frank) we got this.”

But they don’t give enough credit to guys like Debrusk who would play in our top 6, or McAvoy who’d be a top pairing guy here. No one in Boston is the least bit worried about Nylander. I can’t believe we though Pasta was a fair comparison to Willy, that’s how far he’s fallen.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Pastrnak has grown as a player very quickly and very well.

Nylander definitely was stunted by this year. Maybe he has a good playoff. But realistically, Nylander's measure occurs starting next year when he has a real camp and grows with the team properly. I'm not thrilled with his lack of success this year either, but I've been encouraged by his play of late.

No question, we need Nylander to up his game this playoff.
- PatC80

I think we could see Nylander be effective if the turn it into pond hockey shinny.. Tire out the defence and get cycling the puck.. That’s when he’s most dangerous..

Pastrnak has grown as a player very quickly and very well.

Nylander definitely was stunted by this year. Maybe he has a good playoff. But realistically, Nylander's measure occurs starting next year when he has a real camp and grows with the team properly. I'm not thrilled with his lack of success this year either, but I've been encouraged by his play of late.
- Monkeypunk

Gud Pros are always ready to step in and play. Why does Nylander get 53 games to get back into shape? We all know how skilled he is, but so what, perform or sit. The Leafs record with him in the lineup is not good.

Tavares - Bergeron
Marner- Marchand
Matthews - Pastrnak
Kadri- Krejci
Nylander - DeBrusk
Rielly- Krug
Andersen - Rask.


It's pretty franking close.
- PatC80

Zaitsev-McAvoy

Top 3 cancel each other out.

Krejci had a great year, I’d give him the edge over Naz, who hasn’t been given the same duties this season. DeBrusk all week long and twice on Sundays. Rielly > Krug, but McAvoy-Krug-Carlo-Gryzlyk-Chara >> Rielly-Gards-Dermott-Hainsey-Zaitsev.

Less need a huge effort from Freddy and they need to score 5 goals a game.

It’s doable.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

We need Ander2en to show up this series, and guys like Hyman, Moore/Ennis to chip in offensively.

It's a different feel than last year.. I think we can beat the Bruins this year.

Top 3 cancel each other out.

Krejci had a great year, I’d give him the edge over Naz, who hasn’t been given the same duties this season. DeBrusk all week long and twice on Sundays. Rielly > Krug, but McAvoy-Krug-Carlo-Gryzlyk-Chara >> Rielly-Gards-Dermott-Hainsey-Zaitsev.

Less need a huge effort from Freddy and they need to score 5 goals a game.

It’s doable.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Definitely.

Why have the career 0.678 PPG guy when you can have the career 0.616 PPG guy? Especially as Debrusk is bigger.

*checks notes*

Well, I guess he's not. But at least he tops out as a better winger.

*Rechecks notes*

poop. Hmm. Perhaps his ability to play centre, and the fact that he has cracked 60 points a couple of times?


*looks down*



Hmm. Guess it's time to throw these notes away and just go with feelings instead...

No question, we need Nylander to up his game this playoff.
- PatC80

Will he accept to receive a bodycheck in the corners?

That'd be a start.

Definitely.

Why have the career 0.678 PPG guy when you can have the career 0.616 PPG guy? Especially as Debrusk is bigger.

*checks notes*

Well, I guess he's not. But at least he tops out as a better winger.

*Rechecks notes*

poop. Hmm. Perhaps his ability to play centre, and the fact that he has cracked 60 points a couple of times?


*looks down*



Hmm. Guess it's time to throw these notes away and just go with feelings instead...
- lumlums

I guess?

I mean, I’ve been saying this since you guys all decided you know more about hockey than everyone else because you like looking at graphs. Why do you try to make hockey sound like an exact science? It’s not.

We need Ander2en to show up this series, and guys like Hyman, Moore/Ennis to chip in offensively.

It's a different feel than last year.. I think we can beat the Bruins this year.
- PatC80

I think the Leafs fan and will beat the Bruins. I like how Babs is putting Kappy with Matthews instead of floatlander. I think Kadri would hold him accountable if he starts missing too many assignments.

If you take all of the series' teams and you break down their head-to-head measure at 5v5 as a comparable average (ie, CF vs CA, HDCF vs HDCA, and so on), the Leafs and Bruins are the most evenly distributed series out there.

Out of what I considered 13 measurable categories, Boston edges Toronto 7-6. To put that in contrast with other "tight" series, Vegas outmatches SJS 7-4 (2 ties); Nashville over Dallas 10-2-1. Most are pretty lopsided when contrasted against one another. I'd say the largest factor that goes against numerical analysis is the one that shows Carolina with a 10-3 advantage here - but to be honest, Washington is consistently outplayed and Carolina consistently outplays their opposition.

I also thought that you could have style to goalie mismatches (some teams generate a larger portion of their shots/changes in High Danger Areas, and some goalies are weaker in high danger areas). In those measurements, Toronto and Boston are only 0.04 goals/game apart, again with Boston having the slightest of edge.

The two teams are so very close in most aspects. At their best, they are elite.

As much as it's been said, and it is a standard adage, I doubt the series is "won" by the players; goaltending or special teams is going to be the story of this series one way or the other. The two teams are too close.