Mike Augello: Leafs on the verge of North title with win over Habs

1th

Leeefs r da best

good results, setting up Leafs vs Habs

Leeefs r da best

good results, setting up Leafs vs Habs
- senstroll

Series we've all been waiting for!!

4th 😔

I think this PP needs to get ironed out before the playoffs.

The games will get tighter, and they'll have less opportunities with the man advantage.

What I see happening is that they're gaining the zone and getting a lot of zone time. The movement with the puck is fine, without it, it's too slow.

Could be confidence/galaxy braining, but what I've noticed is that all the shooters rely on a wrister too much: there is no one-time threat any where, not even Matthews, as he will (and can usually score) with his deadly quick release from almost anywhere.

Marner should be QBing the PP from up top and Nylander should be in Ovi's office with a one-time presence.

tl;dr:

Gravy's Hawt Take: grab a stick with a flex higher than your age for starters when you're on the PP and hammer it.

I think this PP needs to get ironed out before the playoffs.

The games will get tighter, and they'll have less opportunities with the man advantage.

What I see happening is that they're gaining the zone and getting a lot of zone time. The movement with the puck is fine, without it, it's too slow.

Could be confidence/galaxy braining, but what I've noticed is that all the shooters rely on a wrister too much: there is no one-time threat any where, not even Matthews, as he will (and can usually score) with his deadly quick release from almost anywhere.

Marner should be QBing the PP from up top and Nylander should be in Ovi's office with a one-time presence.

tl;dr:

Gravy's Hawt Take: grab a stick with a flex higher than your age for starters when you're on the PP and hammer it.
- gravyface

Seems simple to me

Simmonds in front of the net

Koskinen 😆

4 goals on 4 shots 😳

They should stop practicing the PP. Like Johnny Ramone on guitar.

They should stop practicing the PP. Like Johnny Ramone on guitar.
- Zezel

They should try to not score.

Reverse psychology.

Seems simple to me

Simmonds in front of the net
- mr.sir

and Hyman when back.


PP1

Tavares - Hyman - Thornton
Matthews - Marner

PP2

Kerfoot - Simmonds - Spezza
Rielly - Nylander

(frank)ing Matthews. Imagine if he didn't hurt his wrist for like 10-12 games?

Now imagine if our PP wasn't full retard?


- gravyface

I was listening to leafs lunch earlier this week, and they were saying matthews wrist was so bad he wasn’t even able to grip his stick with the bad hand. They said they had experiment with different size knobs just so he could hold it.

I think this PP needs to get ironed out before the playoffs.

The games will get tighter, and they'll have less opportunities with the man advantage.

What I see happening is that they're gaining the zone and getting a lot of zone time. The movement with the puck is fine, without it, it's too slow.

Could be confidence/galaxy braining, but what I've noticed is that all the shooters rely on a wrister too much: there is no one-time threat any where, not even Matthews, as he will (and can usually score) with his deadly quick release from almost anywhere.

Marner should be QBing the PP from up top and Nylander should be in Ovi's office with a one-time presence.

tl;dr:

Gravy's Hawt Take: grab a stick with a flex higher than your age for starters when you're on the PP and hammer it.
- gravyface

They should make Rielly have a different stick for the powerplay. One that he can take a slap shot with.

They should make Rielly have a different stick for the powerplay. One that he can take a slap shot with.
- bryant

How many slap shots was he taking when they had the best PP in the League?

I think this PP needs to get ironed out before the playoffs.

The games will get tighter, and they'll have less opportunities with the man advantage.

What I see happening is that they're gaining the zone and getting a lot of zone time. The movement with the puck is fine, without it, it's too slow.

Could be confidence/galaxy braining, but what I've noticed is that all the shooters rely on a wrister too much: there is no one-time threat any where, not even Matthews, as he will (and can usually score) with his deadly quick release from almost anywhere.

Marner should be QBing the PP from up top and Nylander should be in Ovi's office with a one-time presence.

tl;dr:

Gravy's Hawt Take: grab a stick with a flex higher than your age for starters when you're on the PP and hammer it.
- gravyface

The first thing is that the passes are usually the easy ones that the other team is giving you and they're usually relatively slow and telegraphed. If they want to make it work, they have to operate like they do in 5 on 5 and move the puck more quickly and move it to where the other team doesn't want it. I mean it's a pretty captain obvious answer, but they move the puck around the perimeter slow enough that the goalie and defense can adjust and make sure someone is getting in the way of Matthews and the goalie, and get sticks in the cross-seam lanes.

Successful powerplays are moving the puck quickly in and out and spreading out the defense to create room for a cross seam pass. Most PK defenses want to collapse into a diamond or a box, but it's still a collapsed position protecting the front of the net, and the seams. The Leafs haven't been moving the puck in such a way as to break that collapsed box. Partially because no one fears a shot from the point, so you don't need to expand to pressure the points if you don't want to, but also because the puck is moving so slowly around the the outside, that repositioning isn't drawing people away.

Matthews, Nylander and Tavares are all talented shooters who, with room, opportunity and a quick pass will score more than the average rate.

They should stop practicing the PP. Like Johnny Ramone on guitar.
- Zezel

They should put the Biebs on the point

How many slap shots was he taking when they had the best PP in the League?
- Canada Cup

I'm not going to, but I'd like to see someone take a look at the PK against us early in the year and see if adjustments were made. I would bet you that earlier in the year the PK alignment was stretching out to the points to pressure Rielly and protect against the threat of a shot. As they realized this was less of an option, the pressure on Rielly became more passive allowing them to keep the cross-ice seams tighter.

Another thing we do is we try and get the puck to Matthews for the shot. Maybe they should make Matthews secondary and try and get the puck to Tavares for a bit and make him the primary shooter and see if Matthews can pull guys out of alignment and leave room for JT or even Nylander. But if I'm the opponent, I've recognized that Matthews is the danger, having scored 30% of our Power Play goals, and I'm adjusting my PK to key on him.

if the PP gets going, they might not lose again

The first thing is that the passes are usually the easy ones that the other team is giving you and they're usually relatively slow and telegraphed. If they want to make it work, they have to operate like they do in 5 on 5 and move the puck more quickly and move it to where the other team doesn't want it. I mean it's a pretty captain obvious answer, but they move the puck around the perimeter slow enough that the goalie and defense can adjust and make sure someone is getting in the way of Matthews and the goalie, and get sticks in the cross-seam lanes.

Successful powerplays are moving the puck quickly in and out and spreading out the defense to create room for a cross seam pass. Most PK defenses want to collapse into a diamond or a box, but it's still a collapsed position protecting the front of the net, and the seams. The Leafs haven't been moving the puck in such a way as to break that collapsed box. Partially because no one fears a shot from the point, so you don't need to expand to pressure the points if you don't want to, but also because the puck is moving so slowly around the the outside, that repositioning isn't drawing people away.

Matthews, Nylander and Tavares are all talented shooters who, with room, opportunity and a quick pass will score more than the average rate.
- Monkeypunk

I think that’s partly true about collapsing the box but there’s no reason why only the fear of shots from the point will counter this. You can pull defenders out with shooters (willie and Matthews) high in the slots but they need to shoot from there to be taken seriously.

The other thing that will help is movement without the puck. It’s amazing how even the most disciplined PK breaks down against steady puck and player movement.

never seen odds so favorable to the Leafs

http://moneypuck.com/predictions.htm

Habs tanking for the Leafs

never seen odds so favorable to the Leafs

http://moneypuck.com/predictions.htm
- senstroll

Yes.

It will be the most epic 1st round collapse ever

never seen odds so favorable to the Leafs

http://moneypuck.com/predictions.htm
- senstroll

Best non-legit contender ever.

Next 2 games, rest one or more of Matthews, Marner, JC and the Sunshine Band, JT, and....there’s no more and’s, I don’t think...maybe.

Dirty Habs will try to wreck one or more of the above. Auston has 40 and the Richard locked up, he doesn’t need to play either of those games.
Can’t trust the Sens either, they may be pissy with the Leafs.

Next 2 games, rest one or more of Matthews, Marner, JC and the Sunshine Band, JT and....there’s no more and’s, I don’t think...maybe.

Dirty Habs will try to wreck one or more of the above. Auston has 40 and the Richard locked up, he doesn’t need to play either of those games.
Can’t trust the Sens either, they may be pissy with the Leafs.
- Woderwick

Or maybe
Sabourin-Matthews-Simmonds line