4-2 win with Hyman empty net
Win first real round, if confidence builds ???
Matthews and Willie are solid but CBJ focus on them defensively. They may score on PP. 5 on 5 scoring comes from JT and and 3rd lines.

Stock advice and polling analysis also available
- Canada Cup

Please do hold the polling analysis.
Thx!

I will take an afternoon nap so I am well rested for tonight's game.
- RogerRoeper

Natural stat trick has you covered if you over sleep and miss the game.

There’s going to be a lot of bridges wondering where their trolls went.

Fwiw, I think the Leafs take this series easily. I personally think the Leafs are a top 3-4 team in the league, even with the atrocious defence. They just never got it going this year. With the injuries and Babcock firing, a lot went wrong and they never hit their stride. But they had almost a month to get it all back on track and work out any issues. Mikheyev is a massive addition, we’ll see what Robertson brings, I have a feeling he’ll excel. Some teams seem to be taking this post season more seriously than others, and the Leafs seem to be humming along like a finely tuned sports car.

Will they win the race, or crash and burn on the final lap?
- Arctic_AARDVARK

I think having their top D not broken all season will help too....

Also not having your top 2 D for parts of the season.

I think the leafs D is better than perceived.

CBJ is probably at tad better at scoring as well, but without Anderson I don’t see them as a threat.

Natural stat trick has you covered if you over sleep and miss the game.
- Garnie

Natural fish sticks dot com is Jimmy Tan Tan's go to hockey source.

They're currently at 30/1 on one site I checked out. That could radically change depending on how (and if) they dispatch CBJ.
- mjones242

Well after that Pens stinker I'd have to say they're no worse than 4th pick in the east.
TB / Bos / Wash- Leafs.. then the rest.

Really the only team in the west that would concern me is my Covid cup pick Vegas. I know a lot of people say Blues but a sorry Dallas team came within a whisker of eliminating them.

Obviously this is predicated on if Leafs bring their A game. If not all bets are off.

Well after that Pens stinker I'd have to say they're no worse than 4th pick in the east.
TB / Bos / Wash- Leafs.. then the rest.

Really the only team in the west that would concern me is my Covid cup pick Vegas. I know a lot of people say Blues but a sorry Dallas team came within a whisker of eliminating them.

Obviously this is predicated on if Leafs bring their A game. If not all bets are off.
- dozerD10

The 2 teams that met in the finals last year I think will not do well this year.

The 2 teams that met in the finals last year I think will not do well this year.
- RogerRoeper

I don't think the Blues get past the Avs myself.

The 2 teams that met in the finals last year I think will not do well this year.
- RogerRoeper

Hawks/Habs SCF. Oilers get Lafreniere.

I think having their top D not broken all season will help too....

Also not having your top 2 D for parts of the season.

I think the leafs D is better than perceived.

CBJ is probably at tad better at scoring as well, but without Anderson I don’t see them as a threat.
- Santo_44

It's going to be interesting. I'm hoping the Leafs' D can prove that to me, because I'm still not sold.

The narrative, and for that matter, just general observation showed that the Leafs tended to wilt under sustained physical pressure. Columbus plays that style of game.

The Leafs team-D is weak and is often caught out of position and running around and is physically strong, so breaking up the cycle isn't their strength. Columbus likes to cycle the puck.

Columbus' only 20 goal scorer was Werenski, and the Leafs collapse to the middle frequently leaving the points available for "low chance" shots.

That said, the Leafs have the better goaltender, if Freddy plays to his ability. They have more speed. They have more offensive capability and weaponry that they can roll out over 3 lines. They have a small amount of pushback in Clifford and Muzzin if needed, and they have upper echelon gamebreakers in Matthews, Marner and Kapanen.

In some ways this series could break the narrative or confirm it. If it confirms it, they're going to need to make a couple of significant changes.

Hawks/Habs SCF. Oilers get Lafreniere.
- gergeswillems

Taylor Hall plays for Arizona. We already know where the #1 pick is going!

Really if the Leafs win either game 6 or 7 last year against Boston none of this narrative exists. For me it makes zero difference. They never lost because of hitting or grit.

And they were horribly outcoached, which is why I could care less about Torts having more experience.

“It was intentional,” said Maurice. “It was a filthy, dirty kick to the back of the leg. You can’t see it on the program feed, but take the blue-line feed and you zoom in. He went after the back of the leg. He could have cut his Achilles (tendon). He could have ended the man’s career. It’s an absolutely filthy, disgusting hit.”

To say he's unhappy is the understatement of the year.

Tkachuk just can't stay away from bad incidents.

Natural fish sticks dot com is Jimmy Tan Tan's go to hockey source.
- gergeswillems

I don’t think he’s the only 1, it seems a lot don’t watch and just log on to the the stat sheet the next day.

“It was intentional,” said Maurice. “It was a filthy, dirty kick to the back of the leg. You can’t see it on the program feed, but take the blue-line feed and you zoom in. He went after the back of the leg. He could have cut his Achilles (tendon). He could have ended the man’s career. It’s an absolutely filthy, disgusting hit.”

To say he's unhappy is the understatement of the year.

Tkachuk just can't stay away from bad incidents.
- dozerD10

What else would you expect from a family of bumholes?

I don’t think he’s the only 1, it seems a lot don’t watch and just log on to the the stat sheet the next day.
- Garnie

Seems that way.

Smoked pork shoulder carnitas tonight

Taylor Hall plays for Arizona. We already know where the #1 pick is going!
- Monkeypunk

Maybe. Coyotes are Gary's favourite team.

“It was intentional,” said Maurice. “It was a filthy, dirty kick to the back of the leg. You can’t see it on the program feed, but take the blue-line feed and you zoom in. He went after the back of the leg. He could have cut his Achilles (tendon). He could have ended the man’s career. It’s an absolutely filthy, disgusting hit.”

To say he's unhappy is the understatement of the year.

Tkachuk just can't stay away from bad incidents.
- dozerD10

Matthew Tkachuk is an excellent hockey player. But he's also a dirt bag, scum wad, mouth breathing rat of the highest order cut from the same dirt bag, scum wad, rat, mouth breathing cloth as Marchand and Tom Wilson.

“It was intentional,” said Maurice. “It was a filthy, dirty kick to the back of the leg. You can’t see it on the program feed, but take the blue-line feed and you zoom in. He went after the back of the leg. He could have cut his Achilles (tendon). He could have ended the man’s career. It’s an absolutely filthy, disgusting hit.”

To say he's unhappy is the understatement of the year.

Tkachuk just can't stay away from bad incidents.
- dozerD10

I don't see it and I've seen the blue line feed

I don't see it and I've seen the blue line feed
- Canada Cup

I think Tkachuk knew exactly what he was doing. Some players have that dirt bag DNA in them. It's no coincidence incidents like this keep happening to Tkachuk.

I think having their top D not broken all season will help too....

Also not having your top 2 D for parts of the season.

I think the leafs D is better than perceived.

CBJ is probably at tad better at scoring as well, but without Anderson I don’t see them as a threat.
- Santo_44

Agreed. Just the team defense as a whole is awful.

Really if the Leafs win either game 6 or 7 last year against Boston none of this narrative exists. For me it makes zero difference. They never lost because of hitting or grit.

And they were horribly outcoached, which is why I could care less about Torts having more experience.
- RogerRoeper

I don't know. They'd have played Columbus in the second round and it may have started the narrative all over again!

I will say that under Keefe they seem to be more in the game and less intimidated by physical play. But certainly for the start of this season, they did not look interested in playing when the other team was bringing physical play.

They also don't have a lot of players who respond positively to that type of play (Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares, Rielly and Barrie come to mind). As a Leaf fan, it's always easy to think back to the fire that Gilmour or Clark would get from getting hit. I feel these guys may be missing that level of response.

That's why they play the games!

It's going to be interesting. I'm hoping the Leafs' D can prove that to me, because I'm still not sold.

The narrative, and for that matter, just general observation showed that the Leafs tended to wilt under sustained physical pressure. Columbus plays that style of game.

The Leafs team-D is weak and is often caught out of position and running around and is physically strong, so breaking up the cycle isn't their strength. Columbus likes to cycle the puck.

Columbus' only 20 goal scorer was Werenski, and the Leafs collapse to the middle frequently leaving the points available for "low chance" shots.

That said, the Leafs have the better goaltender, if Freddy plays to his ability. They have more speed. They have more offensive capability and weaponry that they can roll out over 3 lines. They have a small amount of pushback in Clifford and Muzzin if needed, and they have upper echelon gamebreakers in Matthews, Marner and Kapanen.

In some ways this series could break the narrative or confirm it. If it confirms it, they're going to need to make a couple of significant changes.
- Monkeypunk

We really could use a heart n soul grit grinder on the team, like a Tucker or Clark. In hindsight, wish we still had Kadri and traded Kap and or Johnsson instead, especially with Mikheyev and Robertson coming. But hindsight....

I don't see it and I've seen the blue line feed
- Canada Cup

sportsnet had a good shot of it


he when into board with the hit with his skate blade up.

we'll see what the league does which will be nothing me thinks.

I think Tkachuk knew exactly what he was doing. Some players have that dirt bag DNA in them. It's no coincidence incidents like this keep happening to Tkachuk.
- gergeswillems

That he was trying to slice his leg open? End the career of his friend? There's a big leap from saying someone extended his leg to make contact to saying he tried to slice open his leg which is what Maurice is saying. I don't buy the second option and don't think there is any history of that level of scumbuggery. To me, that is worth lifetime expulsion