Okay? Kerfoot is a capable backup to JT at 2C. It doesnt mean that it makes the Leafs worse if it happens.
- Santo_44

I would argue that the Leafs replacing Tavares with Kerfoot at 2C is substantially more devastating than the Canes replacing Freddie with Raanta.

And it needs to be said:

Some of you gentlemen are franking horrid at formatting your prediction posts.

Unfortunately it is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If the Leafs lose the first game, the media - and especially the social media - will roll out the crushing negativity.

Players can say all they want that they don't pay attention to the noise, but if they are anything like all the other 20-somethings in North America, they are on their phones 24/7.

At the risk of being called a troll for having a non-popular opinion, I agree that the importance of tonight's game is greater than any other first round series.

Tampa's the franking 2-time defending Stanley Cup champions. They have built a reputation of not giving 100% during the regular season because they feel they can beat anyone in the playoffs.

I'm scared poopless. Let's hope Johnny T and the boys still have some poop.
- Atomic Wedgie

Bingo.

Keefe's "borderline violent" prediction says it all: he thinks Cliffy is a necessary cog in the wheel tonight.

I'm with you though: I'd rather have Spezza in there.
- mjones242

I think Keefe is posturing. He want the NHL to make it a really tight call refereeing experience. He'd rather fight Tampa with his Powerplay and Penalty Killing, then a war of attrition. By putting that out there, he's inviting a tightly called game from the officials, putting pressure on Tampa to not take liberties.

Tredeau and Ford in Windsor today, to take credit for an LG/Stellantis project.
- Drapz

Dr Trans there too?

I would argue that the Leafs replacing Tavares with Kerfoot at 2C is substantially more devastating than the Canes replacing Freddie with Raanta.
- mjones242

Oh for sure.

Exactly.
Win and you've earned the cup contender title.
Lose....and you're still nothing. A good reg season team and playoff bust...similar to the Ottawa senators from 2000 - 2003/2004

Go leafs go.
- Fakepartofme

Leafs are (frank)ed. Ek predicts they win in 6…

There's a poop-ton of seats still available for tonight on Ticketmaster.

Interesting.
- Atomic Wedgie

I tried selling some tickets near the end of the season and had difficulty unloading them. I chalked it up to end-of-the-season / last minute ticket sales as the reasoning why I couldn't get rid of them for a decent price.

Available seats for Game 1 is pretty incredible. Perhaps some lingering COVID anxiety?

Super weird.

Unfortunately it is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If the Leafs lose the first game, the media - and especially the social media - will roll out the crushing negativity.

Players can say all they want that they don't pay attention to the noise, but if they are anything like all the other 20-somethings in North America, they are on their phones 24/7.

At the risk of being called a troll for having a non-popular opinion, I agree that the importance of tonight's game is greater than any other first round series.

Tampa's the franking 2-time defending Stanley Cup champions. They have built a reputation of not giving 100% during the regular season because they feel they can beat anyone in the playoffs.

I'm scared poopless. Let's hope Johnny T and the boys still have some poop.
- Atomic Wedgie

I was in on the Marner hate for about a month after last playoffs. I wanted him traded for Echiel or something...I thought about it and realized I was just falling into the media and the negative sides of sports fandom. I am glad they did not trade him and after watching Marner last season if you don't think Marner is a better and different player then you are not drinking enough koolaid.

Unfortunately or fortunately the NHL is an absolute poop show. We are a few years removed from every single WC team winning in the 1st round and 10 months removed from a team that did not even finish in the top 16 in the league make the cup finals.

I am over the bs narrative storylines that are supposed to effect teams. I do not believe in it.

Every team is different every year and faces different teams every year. I am proud of the Leafs season and I think they are all heading into this playoffs pretty damn confident after half the team smashed their personal career highs as well as the franchises.

Fans can do whatever they want, it is their fandom and their entertainment. At the end of the day you either win or lose and the worse team loses all the time.

Just have to enjoy the ride and enjoy the highs and the lows. I didnt invest this much time into watching my favourite team to sit in the middle to protect myself from the lows.

Who’s in for Engvall, I member that some said he wouldn’t be on the playoff roster.

Anyone else member?


- Garnie

Engvall has become an integral part to the leafs depth.

So has Mickey, the play no longer always dies on his stick. I was definitely not a fan of his prior to this year.

I think Keefe is posturing. He want the NHL to make it a really tight call refereeing experience. He'd rather fight Tampa with his Powerplay and Penalty Killing, then a war of attrition. By putting that out there, he's inviting a tightly called game from the officials, putting pressure on Tampa to not take liberties.
- PrinceLH

I think you're right on the money. Get it out there and play some mind games with TBL and put the NHL/officiating on notice.

Keefe with some pre-series PSYOPS.

Leafs are (frank)ed. Ek predicts they win in 6…
- TurdFergeson

Crap.
Sir Charles did the same.
Dammit.

It IS easier to hit when you don't have the puck I guess.
- Scabeh

It’s called forechecking. Wear down their D. Not that complicated

I tried selling some tickets near the end of the season and had difficulty unloading them. I chalked it up to end-of-the-season / last minute ticket sales as the reasoning why I couldn't get rid of them for a decent price.

Available seats for Game 1 is pretty incredible. Perhaps some lingering COVID anxiety?

Super weird.
- mjones242

Maybe because people are realizing you can get your in game fun atmosphere for 30$ at the rogers center.

It IS easier to hit when you don't have the puck I guess.
- Scabeh

oh man, leafs being accused of dressing to much toughness


is this real life

I think Keefe is posturing. He want the NHL to make it a really tight call refereeing experience. He'd rather fight Tampa with his Powerplay and Penalty Killing, then a war of attrition. By putting that out there, he's inviting a tightly called game from the officials, putting pressure on Tampa to not take liberties.
- PrinceLH

Oh stop. They are going to call the games the same way they always do. Leafs need to be ready to play through it and throw the body themselves. All this Jedi mind trickery is silly

Maybe because people are realizing you can get your in game fun atmosphere for 30$ at the rogers center.
- Santo_44

Yeah, good point. Ticket prices are absurd and the SBA is not where the parties are at.

Oh stop. They are going to call the games the same way they always do. Leafs need to be ready to play through it and throw the body themselves. All this Jedi mind trickery is silly
- Canada Cup

So then what was the point of Keefe bothering with the hyperbolic "borderline violent" comment? Is he being silly or are we reading too much into it? (honest question)

Game 1 is crucial. You can't fall behind the 2 time defending Stanley Cup Champions and chase the series. The psychological aspect of this will fall into play. The pressure from the press and the fans, in this market, is destructive. Win game 1 and try to build momentum. Lose and be ready for the aftershock. Leafs reality check time is tonight. Watch on Wokenet, Communist Broadcast Corporation(CBC TV), and ESPN2. TSN1050 Radio.

I was in on the Marner hate for about a month after last playoffs. I wanted him traded for Echiel or something...I thought about it and realized I was just falling into the media and the negative sides of sports fandom. I am glad they did not trade him and after watching Marner last season if you don't think Marner is a better and different player then you are not drinking enough koolaid.

Unfortunately or fortunately the NHL is an absolute poop show. We are a few years removed from every single WC team winning in the 1st round and 10 months removed from a team that did not even finish in the top 16 in the league make the cup finals.

I am over the bs narrative storylines that are supposed to effect teams. I do not believe in it.

Every team is different every year and faces different teams every year. I am proud of the Leafs season and I think they are all heading into this playoffs pretty damn confident after half the team smashed their personal career highs as well as the franchises.

Fans can do whatever they want, it is their fandom and their entertainment. At the end of the day you either win or lose and the worse team loses all the time.

Just have to enjoy the ride and enjoy the highs and the lows. I didnt invest this much time into watching my favourite team to sit in the middle to protect myself from the lows.
- Santo_44

I'm still terrified, PTSD to the max after almost 40 years of this, but this team is different this year.

On paper, everybody thinks we're soft, but I don't really see that.

How do you define a soft team?

If the Leafs game plan is aggressive puck pursuit, possession, quick transitions from D to O and they're doing that despite a team's best efforts to thwart that with violence (scrums after whistles, dirty plays, etc.), are the Leafs still soft?

To me a soft team is a team that can't execute for fear of violence; I don't think I've seen that once this year, despite playing against (and winning) those kinds of games.

We've had soft teams in the past, but I don't think this team is this year.

It’s called forechecking. Wear down their D. Not that complicated
- Canada Cup

I remember how the Flyers beat the Bruins back in the '70's. They threw the puck into the corner where Bobby Orr would pick it up and try to skate it out. They just kept hitting him. Over the series, he started slowing down from having to skate with the puck and taking the punishment. The Leafs should take a lesson from this and do the same to Hedman. The Bolts top 4 defenders are better than ours, but we may have better depth from top to bottom. Work over their top pairing physically and wear them down.

Engvall has become an integral part to the leafs depth.

So has Mickey, the play no longer always dies on his stick. I was definitely not a fan of his prior to this year.
- Fakepartofme

Ya, I wanted him launched into space.

He's definitely picked it up a lot and proven me wrong. I'll take that all day!

Maybe because people are realizing you can get your in game fun atmosphere for 30$ at the rogers center.
- Santo_44

That does look like fun. Inside the building is a perfect storm for Covid spreading also. Especially with the leafs scoring at will and all the cheering that comes with it.

I'm still terrified, PTSD to the max after almost 40 years of this, but this team is different this year.

On paper, everybody thinks we're soft, but I don't really see that.

How do you define a soft team?

If the Leafs game plan is aggressive puck pursuit, possession, quick transitions from D to O and they're doing that despite a team's best efforts to thwart that with violence (scrums after whistles, dirty plays, etc.), are the Leafs still soft?

To me a soft team is a team that can't execute for fear of violence; I don't think I've seen that once this year, despite playing against (and winning) those kinds of games.

We've had soft teams in the past, but I don't think this team is this year.
- gravyface

The Leafs are 15-3-2 in their last 20 GP.

Why did I choose 20 GP? Mark Giordan's tenure (who has 2g10a in those games).

Coincidence? 🤔

Cool.
All isnt lost for sure, but game 1 is crucial for the leafs, better for them not to get behind the 8 ball against Tampa...and yes I (and most) have more confidence in tampa coming back to win the series than the leafs after being down 1-0. But that's not to say the Leafs cant do the same, they totally could. But the core of the teams hasnt proved anything in the playoffs yet.

The shanaplan began 8 years ago.
The leafs have had the 3 out 4 past seasons of 100 + plus points (2019 is the outlier), and played two inferior teams in the first round.
Rebuild was over years ago.
- Fakepartofme

It's not 8 years until after this season is over, Shanny was brought in in 2014 and the 5 year plan was put in place then, which was 2019. What happened right about then???? Oh nothing just the global pandemic and a flat cap which was definitely not planned for in this 5 year rebuild.

Rebuild was over 2 seasons ago, when the world went sideways so in my opinion judging the success or lack thereof in the past 2 seasons doesn't mean they are doomed to fail again this year.

Game 1 is crucial in any series - until it's not.

Tampa can come back from losing game 1 more positively than the Leafs? Maybe but I'm not sure I feel the same, the core in Tampa got swept a year before the won the cup but all that means jack.

Yes the Leafs core needs to get success to validate them being the right core, but that's why they play the games and I do think this year is different. I am fully acknowledging I'm seeing the glass half full but it's far more enjoyable for me to view it that way vs the alternative and I personally don't think it's any less accurate or unrealistic to do so.

I also wont' proclaim the Leafs will win the cup if they get past Tampa, I just want to see them play a good hard series and win one game at a time and hopefully do what I do believe they have the ability to do which is win this series & move on.

We shall see!