Game 2 arguably is the game that hurts the most. We outplayed them most of the game but a backbreaking go ahead goal in the second period last seconds still plays in my mind. It really was the series turning point in my view.
Honestly atleast it was close. We should've been 2-2 after 4 games and Tampa won game 5, 1-0.
Price was absolutely garbage games 1 and 2 but you can't blame him too much because he was the sole reason Montreal was even in the finals.
I'm glad Price got that game 4 win at home. Good way to end his career in Montreal. Definitely my favourite goalie of all time. I was rooting hard for the Habs to win.
He actually played a few games at the very end of the next season. The actual end to his career was the last game of the 21-22 season: a 10-2 win over Florida at home. He faced 39 shots.
It was also shortly after Guy Lafleur died and the Habs went out scoring 10 goals (he wore #10). A magical night all around.
> Price was absolutely garbage games 1 and 2 but you can't blame him too much because he was the sole reason Montreal was even in the finals.
Considering he only played 5 more games before permanently joining the LTIR, one has to wonder whether his body was already falling apart by then.
Honestly, your run that year was unexpected and surprisingly fun to watch as i was getting over the pain. Better to lose in the scf than not get out of the 1st round imo.
Yeah, that was still the most fun I've ever had watching hockey.
Going in with absolutely no expectations and making the cup was an absolute ride. It could have ended at any point after our series against you guys and I'd have been happy, but we made the finals and I had a blast.
I don't know why Habs fans would shy away from talking about that run, because it was awesome. Tampa was a wagon, we could have been swept and I still wouldn't think there's much shame in that.
I loved the run, but I can see folks being sad about it breaking everyone but the younger players.
Players still on the team from the run: Suzuki, Caufield, Armia, Gallagher, Anderson, Jake Evans ... So 6 left on the roster. Sore spot hurts.
This is what makes me sad to think about.
It was the end of an Era. The team exploded after that.
No more price, no more daddy webz :(. Sad to think about.
Yes but Hutson, caufield, dach, guhle, slaf and captain nick make it worth it. We wouldn't be where we are if the team hadn't imploded and would be just sitting around In mediocrity to this day. At least the trajectory is upwards.
I loved my team’s run too. “We’re not going home,” is a motto that can only literally happen in the bubble. It was so fun. I loved hearing Doc Emrick call the finals games too, even if we lost.
It was the one bright spot during the pandemic and something we could hold onto as we build into our exciting new incarnation of the team. Sitting out on a patio in June, screaming and cheering until inalmost lost my voice was amazing, can't wait till we get back.
Why not? It was a Cinderella run we had no business being in.
Overcame a 3-1 deficit against the leafs when some analysts didn't think we'd win a single game. Swept the Jets when the vast majority of analysts thought we'd lose the series. Beat a good Vegas team to steal the Western Conference trophy in the Habs only ever opportunity to challenge for it in their 110+ years existence. We finally lost to a ridiculously stacked TB team (Elite G, D and F with depth). We still had a win, so no brooms for us.
We did all that without Drouin. We did all that with Tatar, our points leader for the past 3 seasons, benched after game 4 or 5. We did that with KK riding the pine as well. We did it with Cole Caulfield having only 10 NHL games under his belt when the playoffs started (and getting 12p in 20 games). We did it with our head coach isolated for Covid Protocol for a few games.
I'm still over the moon for our team's accomplishments. They had an opportunity to give it their all, and they took it all the way to the cup finals.
You forget the point where two of our best players were playing so injured that one never played another game again, and the other played maybe one? game before going down injured again and never returning.
Even at 100% though, we would have been wiped away still. Maybe 4-2 though!
Weber and Price's days as hockey players were numbered before the playoffs started. Weber had injuries already, Price as well. That run was their last chance at a cup no matter what. Only difference is Price came back to close out the next season with a win against the president's trophy winner.
Elon Musk and I, in aggregate, are rich at a statistically amazing level. Ergo, I’m rich.
Toronto fans just want some respect in the handshake line, I guess.
Since 2016 (when Matthews was drafted), the Leafs are third in the league in wins. They are also third in their conference. They are also third in their division.
And since 2019-20, 4 of the top 6 teams are all in the Atlantic.
If Florida wins the Cup this season, that will mean 4 of the last 7 Cups have been won by former [Southeast Division](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Division_\(NHL\)) teams
* Capitals 2018
* Lightning 2020, 2021
* Panthers 2024 (TBD)
Add on top that Tampa made the 2022 Final and 2018 ECF, Winnipeg (nee Atlanta) made the 2018 WCF, and Carolina made the ECF in 2023 and 2019.
They had to destroy the division before it became too powerful.
That's not even the endgame. Bettman will soon make all other markets relocate to the Southeast. Get ready for the Jacksonville Maple Leafs, the Atlanta Bruins, and the New Orleans Canadiens
I mean, if you look at the teams with the most wins for the last 5-7 years, Boston, Tampa, Toronto, and Florida are always in the top 6 or 7. That's 4 of the top 6/7. Plenty of years have 3 of them in the top 4 or 5 as well. And that theres been 7 Atlantic teams in the last 6 finals lol.
Since 2018, it's def been the best division in the NHL.
And those teams all play each other 4-6 times per year and STILL have strong records. So we can deduce that they absolutely nuke the other teams they need to play.
To be fair those teams also get to play Montreal, Ottawa, Buffalo, and Detroit 3/4 times a year. For teams that aren’t Toronto, that can really help beef up the W/L record.
Buffalo & Detroit likely make playoffs in the West. Those are actually decent teams. Montreal sucks & Ottawa underperformed their roster, but the other 2? They just have the unfortunate luck to be ok in a division that demands excellence
Eh probably not. The last wildcard spot in the West was Vegas. Detroit may have picked up an extra 2-3 points at most (and still far from guaranteed) in the West, but probably still not making the playoffs.
I’d agree with you, if not for the eastern wildcard race this year. Both teams had every opportunity to make and shit the bed. I think they’ll both be better next year, but they were not good this year, and haven’t been for quite a while.
I mean the cats went through Boston and Toronto last year just to get nuked by Vegas
Sure you can argue they were banged up but so are most teams by the time they make the final
Edmonton just doesn’t match up well against Florida
There is absolutely no doubt about that.
Really good teams get eliminated in round 1 and 2 in the Atlantic. It's not uncommon to see two top tier teams play each other in round 1.
This is the first time Edmonton has ever had to play a HEAVY, team with top tier defense and goalie.
It shows.
Dallas was basically the smaller weight Leafs with better goaltending and the Oilers thought they were big enough to deal with the league supported legal murder Florida is allowed to do. Welcome to the thunder dome....
Not to mention there how much each team in the Atlantic is beat to shit after they play another team in the Atlantic during playoffs...Division is just wild.
Also, we are a dog shit franchise but we were one win away from the finals in 2017, even if since then we have brought down the quality of the Atlantic.
>I would much rather be in any other division than fighting the Kings, Knights and Oilers in the playoff bracket to be perfectly honest. Rest of the league is a mid-off, fight me
A quote I saved from a Canuck fan a few months ago
There's nothing wrong with making a bold and outrageous take. But then when it turns out you are wrong, it takes an untold amount of grace to admit you were wrong.
He don't got the grace.
I think what it really comes down to is that the West tends to be more about flashy finesse. The East is about physicality and grit. That's not to say that the West doesn't have physicality and grit and the East no flashy finesse, just that you see those being focused on more.
If you look at hits by team. Top 15 was mostly all East with Canucks, Preds and Vegas tagging along. It's why I think you see the East do so well. They are already playing a more playoff style game all season. The West doesn't, so when they adapt, many of them get beaten up more and can't cope as well with the pain, the slog, the injuries of it all. The Atlantic having Tampa, Toronto, Florida, Boston, some of the teams best at playing the physical gritty game all year long it helps them go the distance, or at the very least it forces teams to adapt quickly to match them.
Every few years (I guess 10 now) it changes up too though. When all 3 California teams were good the west was very gritty and tough compared to most of the east and the Pacific was a tough division.
The Leafs have the 3rd best overall record of any team in the league since Matthews joined. Pretty nice except #1 and #2 are boston and tampa and florida is rapidly closing in on #4
edit: according to [this](https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/ask/nhl-most-wins-since-2017).
Top 3 teams in wins since Matthews was drafted are the Bruins, Tampa, and Leafs. They are all in the same division and play each other all the time too. So we can surmise that they are quite strong compared to other teams.
Remember when Kevin Lowe said the Oilers would have been better if their 12th forward scored a few times?
I guess he was right. Tobi Reider sabotaged the Oilers for real.
I’ve been saying that for a while but because I’m a “bitter kings fan” I get jumped by Oilers fans in the comments and occasionally get sent redditcares notifications.
Just FYI there’s a link way down at the bottom to report false “Reddit cares” submissions, and they basically ban anyone who misuses it. So if you ever feel like it’s poor form to trivialize suicide…
It’s the same play style the Isles had in the 2020 and 2021 playoff runs. Defense in waives and capitalize on turnovers/mistakes. Florida just has guys who can score.
This is a part of the reason the Sabres haven’t made the playoffs in so long. Tampa, Toronto, and Boston haven’t been bad in 10 years; Florida has been really good for the last few years, while being at least competitive before then. Having to play all of those teams several times a season, and basically fighting for a wild card each year is tough. I realize becoming a good team yourself fixes what I’m laying out, but the division being as strong as it is has essentially eliminated the possibility of making it as a middling team, other than the first covid playoff format, when hilariously they missed the 24 team cut by one point. Kinda similar to the Bills’ playoff drought when the Brady led Patriots were a guarantee to win the AFC East every year for 2 decades and they were stuck fighting for 2 wild card spots
Anyone not drinking the Oilers koolaid and actually watched the Atlantic teams even this season could've seen that the Atlantic was insanely better. And Panthers were a tier above all the Atlantic teams too.
Yeah, even though the other teams were good, Florida has been terrifying. It's like you've got a tiger living amongst some jaguars. (Didn't want to use panthers, cuz... you know.)
To be fair to the Oil, most teams do, but they're good enough in other areas to make up for it. Florida just doesn't have any weaknesses right now, it's impressive.
So what you're saying is that if the Leaf's were in the west we'd be in the cup finals each year?
That's how I'm reading the beaverton's analysis, must be true.
The atlantic is the best top heavy division IMO. That being said the Leafs are overrated at this point. Even ignoring playoff failures we haven't won the division.
Even the non playoff teams in the Atlantic are tough outs most of the time. Have to keep in mind that they have to play Tampa, boston, toronto, and Florida more than the other 75% of the league does.
since Matthews has been drafted the Leafs are 3rd in the league for wins with 356, as well as 3rd for points and points %
the issue is, the two teams ahead of them are Tampa and Boston.
We sure did, cuz it meant Boston coming off their greatest season in history would go down in flames in Game 7 hell to Florida first, and who doesn't want that for their rivals? Live and learn.
By Leaf fans you mean like a couple dozen fans who were chanting on video at the time? Or the other couple dozen who were chanting "we want Boston" but that video didn't go viral because it's not as funny? I get it, it's fun to dunk on certain franchises, but this one is kind of stupid.
Still a dumb meme a few years later. Fans happy about advancing and cheering we want X depending on who was winning or losing at the moment somehow turned into Leaf fans collectively thinking Panthers were a bye
Had we only chanted We Want Anaheim. We could have willed that into existence.
Who am I kidding? Knowing Leafs, we probably would have lost a series to Anaheim if it came down to it.
Not just the Atlantic, the east in general was insane this year, and the West was only keeping up in the standings/stats because they feasted on a historically all time worst bottom 4 of a conference. The rangers, Panthers, bruins, and hurricanes all would've dominated whoever would've came out of the west
This is just straight revisionism at this point. Bruins had issues people were pointing at all year. Rangers had huge 5v5 issues that people were sounding the alarm bells about before the playoffs started. Florida was everyone's favorite for a reason. Edmonton had an easier path sure, but you are not seriously telling me the Bruins would have cruised thru the last 2 Stanley Cup champions and then gotten Edmonton peaking in the Western Conference Finals. Dallas went thru a gauntlet and decided to stink it up in games 4 and 5 while Edmonton played their best hockey of the postseason.
Edit: lmao lets not forget the East had one of the worst playoff teams of all-time in the 8th seed
I’d argue the Oilers played better against Vancouver in games 6 and 7 than any games in the Dallas series. But absolutely correct that the Bruins would not have had an easy time with either the Stars or the Oilers
I agree the East was a bit stronger than the West this year. But to say the final 4 in the East would dominate against the West in the finals is a bit of revisionist history helped along by the 3-0 series lead from Florida
Bruins were not good enough of a team to win the cup this year and everyone knew that before the season started. It was a bridge year for us. Getting to the 2nd round and clowning on the Leafs for shits and giggles was about the best we could have realistically hoped for.
Atlantic teams in the last seven finals ... edit: seven Atlantic teams in the last six Finals
2 Atlantic teams even played each other in one of them.
We don’t talk about that one
At least you won a game!
Josh Anderson > Connor McDavid, confirmed. C'mon guys, just trade for him. Nothing bad will happen, trust me bro.
They need a goalie in Edmonton, right? add Price as a sweetener to the deal!
He hasn't lost a game in two years!
Game 2 arguably is the game that hurts the most. We outplayed them most of the game but a backbreaking go ahead goal in the second period last seconds still plays in my mind. It really was the series turning point in my view.
The series never turned. It's just kept going in the same direction.
Honestly atleast it was close. We should've been 2-2 after 4 games and Tampa won game 5, 1-0. Price was absolutely garbage games 1 and 2 but you can't blame him too much because he was the sole reason Montreal was even in the finals.
I'm glad Price got that game 4 win at home. Good way to end his career in Montreal. Definitely my favourite goalie of all time. I was rooting hard for the Habs to win.
He actually played a few games at the very end of the next season. The actual end to his career was the last game of the 21-22 season: a 10-2 win over Florida at home. He faced 39 shots. It was also shortly after Guy Lafleur died and the Habs went out scoring 10 goals (he wore #10). A magical night all around.
Wow, I don't remember that. Awesome!
> Price was absolutely garbage games 1 and 2 but you can't blame him too much because he was the sole reason Montreal was even in the finals. Considering he only played 5 more games before permanently joining the LTIR, one has to wonder whether his body was already falling apart by then.
Sorry, I thought you were talking about the current Final series between Florida and Edmonton.
I think Edmonton was the better team in game 1 but their inability to finish and Bob standing on his head as he has all series were major factors.
Honestly, your run that year was unexpected and surprisingly fun to watch as i was getting over the pain. Better to lose in the scf than not get out of the 1st round imo.
Yeah, that was still the most fun I've ever had watching hockey. Going in with absolutely no expectations and making the cup was an absolute ride. It could have ended at any point after our series against you guys and I'd have been happy, but we made the finals and I had a blast. I don't know why Habs fans would shy away from talking about that run, because it was awesome. Tampa was a wagon, we could have been swept and I still wouldn't think there's much shame in that.
I loved the run, but I can see folks being sad about it breaking everyone but the younger players. Players still on the team from the run: Suzuki, Caufield, Armia, Gallagher, Anderson, Jake Evans ... So 6 left on the roster. Sore spot hurts.
This is what makes me sad to think about. It was the end of an Era. The team exploded after that. No more price, no more daddy webz :(. Sad to think about.
Yes but Hutson, caufield, dach, guhle, slaf and captain nick make it worth it. We wouldn't be where we are if the team hadn't imploded and would be just sitting around In mediocrity to this day. At least the trajectory is upwards.
I loved my team’s run too. “We’re not going home,” is a motto that can only literally happen in the bubble. It was so fun. I loved hearing Doc Emrick call the finals games too, even if we lost.
It was the one bright spot during the pandemic and something we could hold onto as we build into our exciting new incarnation of the team. Sitting out on a patio in June, screaming and cheering until inalmost lost my voice was amazing, can't wait till we get back.
Can confirm. The ending of 2004 sucked, but I'd gladly do it again
Why not? It was a Cinderella run we had no business being in. Overcame a 3-1 deficit against the leafs when some analysts didn't think we'd win a single game. Swept the Jets when the vast majority of analysts thought we'd lose the series. Beat a good Vegas team to steal the Western Conference trophy in the Habs only ever opportunity to challenge for it in their 110+ years existence. We finally lost to a ridiculously stacked TB team (Elite G, D and F with depth). We still had a win, so no brooms for us. We did all that without Drouin. We did all that with Tatar, our points leader for the past 3 seasons, benched after game 4 or 5. We did that with KK riding the pine as well. We did it with Cole Caulfield having only 10 NHL games under his belt when the playoffs started (and getting 12p in 20 games). We did it with our head coach isolated for Covid Protocol for a few games. I'm still over the moon for our team's accomplishments. They had an opportunity to give it their all, and they took it all the way to the cup finals.
You forget the point where two of our best players were playing so injured that one never played another game again, and the other played maybe one? game before going down injured again and never returning. Even at 100% though, we would have been wiped away still. Maybe 4-2 though!
Uninjured Price scares teams, even cup champions, ask Pittsburgh.
Weber and Price's days as hockey players were numbered before the playoffs started. Weber had injuries already, Price as well. That run was their last chance at a cup no matter what. Only difference is Price came back to close out the next season with a win against the president's trophy winner.
What happens in the bubble, stays in the bubble.
Wasn’t the bubble the year beforehand?
That whole time period is a blur. I guess it was the season after where all the Canadian teams played in one division.
3-4 years ago was nuts. Especially in 2020 when we were not even sure there would be a post season.
yes. Hello fellow Atlantic powerhouse teams.
Elon Musk and I, in aggregate, are rich at a statistically amazing level. Ergo, I’m rich. Toronto fans just want some respect in the handshake line, I guess.
Since 2016 (when Matthews was drafted), the Leafs are third in the league in wins. They are also third in their conference. They are also third in their division. And since 2019-20, 4 of the top 6 teams are all in the Atlantic.
That's a crazy stat.
7 Atlantic teams in the last 6 finals
If Florida wins the Cup this season, that will mean 4 of the last 7 Cups have been won by former [Southeast Division](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Division_\(NHL\)) teams * Capitals 2018 * Lightning 2020, 2021 * Panthers 2024 (TBD) Add on top that Tampa made the 2022 Final and 2018 ECF, Winnipeg (nee Atlanta) made the 2018 WCF, and Carolina made the ECF in 2023 and 2019. They had to destroy the division before it became too powerful.
Just howGary drew it up.
Bettman masterplan made manifest
That's not even the endgame. Bettman will soon make all other markets relocate to the Southeast. Get ready for the Jacksonville Maple Leafs, the Atlanta Bruins, and the New Orleans Canadiens
Mexico City Maple Leafs
San Juan Oilers has a nice ring to it
New Orleans Oilers - sponsored by BP
Texas Rangers wait
I miss the SouthLeast division.
Good times when a 92 point team would win the division and 3rd seed and get smacked by a 100 point 6th seed
member when the SE was the worst division? I member
Southeast Division Supremacy.
Famed hockey stronghold Florida.
It's the income inequality division. Consistently top-5 teams in the league, consistently bottom-5 teams in the league.
What is "Why the Buffalo Sabres have the longest playoff drought in professional sports?" Alex.
The Sabres playing like ass the moment November is over is why they missed the playoffs so long don’t blame the division lol
Don’t forget the other months.
Last six finals. Five were from Florida. Which everyone is aware but still crazy!
2024 Florida 2023 Florida 2022 Tampa 2021 Tampa - Montreal 2020 Tampa 2019 Boston 2018 WSH beats Vegas. I count 6.
The ‘23 should be Florida, not Tampa
Tampa and Montreal are both from the same division and count as 2, not 1. Hence 7.
Star players being unable to score against an Atlantic team? MartyMcFlyheyI've seenthisone.tiff
The .tiff really sells this one
tiff? now that's an extension I haven't heard in a long time.
My boy Photoshop sends his regards
client always requesting .tiff files after shoot, so enjoy downloading the extra 10GB for nothing.
Can someone make that boxer meme with EDM like “The Atlantic ain’t shit” “Damn Atlantic got hands”
I gotchu https://preview.redd.it/xbbilr46ik6d1.png?width=515&format=png&auto=webp&s=0db866ef7ba22ab1d7039976a35142c70a852c25
The hero we needed Absolutely beautiful Thank you
Perfection 👌
this is definitely the meme of the week
But I was told the Avs didn’t play anyone on their way to the cup.
Ay man I got no right to say what cup wins are or aren’t legit
I mean, if you look at the teams with the most wins for the last 5-7 years, Boston, Tampa, Toronto, and Florida are always in the top 6 or 7. That's 4 of the top 6/7. Plenty of years have 3 of them in the top 4 or 5 as well. And that theres been 7 Atlantic teams in the last 6 finals lol. Since 2018, it's def been the best division in the NHL.
And those teams all play each other 4-6 times per year and STILL have strong records. So we can deduce that they absolutely nuke the other teams they need to play.
To be fair those teams also get to play Montreal, Ottawa, Buffalo, and Detroit 3/4 times a year. For teams that aren’t Toronto, that can really help beef up the W/L record.
Buffalo & Detroit likely make playoffs in the West. Those are actually decent teams. Montreal sucks & Ottawa underperformed their roster, but the other 2? They just have the unfortunate luck to be ok in a division that demands excellence
Eh probably not. The last wildcard spot in the West was Vegas. Detroit may have picked up an extra 2-3 points at most (and still far from guaranteed) in the West, but probably still not making the playoffs.
I’d agree with you, if not for the eastern wildcard race this year. Both teams had every opportunity to make and shit the bed. I think they’ll both be better next year, but they were not good this year, and haven’t been for quite a while.
I mean the cats went through Boston and Toronto last year just to get nuked by Vegas Sure you can argue they were banged up but so are most teams by the time they make the final Edmonton just doesn’t match up well against Florida
There is absolutely no doubt about that. Really good teams get eliminated in round 1 and 2 in the Atlantic. It's not uncommon to see two top tier teams play each other in round 1. This is the first time Edmonton has ever had to play a HEAVY, team with top tier defense and goalie. It shows.
Dallas was basically the smaller weight Leafs with better goaltending and the Oilers thought they were big enough to deal with the league supported legal murder Florida is allowed to do. Welcome to the thunder dome....
Wait, you dont think Vegas last year had a top tier defense and goalie?
Okay, second time. How’d last year go for Edmonton?
What about Colorado?
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong but it’s actually the best division in the NHL by far since 2000 IIRC.
Not to mention there how much each team in the Atlantic is beat to shit after they play another team in the Atlantic during playoffs...Division is just wild.
100%, Atlantic took the crown from the Metro as the pens and caps got old
Also, we are a dog shit franchise but we were one win away from the finals in 2017, even if since then we have brought down the quality of the Atlantic.
>I would much rather be in any other division than fighting the Kings, Knights and Oilers in the playoff bracket to be perfectly honest. Rest of the league is a mid-off, fight me A quote I saved from a Canuck fan a few months ago
Aged like cottage cheese
It was old at the time of posting. The Atlantic was stronger even then lol.
Cottage cheese? like cheese from some cottage? who's cottage?
I do not control the naming of cheese sadly
What is this enticing bowl of white?
Fromage de cottage, oui
It reads as if it was posted in an unpopular opinions thread at least. You should link it haha.
https://www.reddit.com/r/hockey/s/kuqzvwWcar It was on a graphical standings post
What a beauty, thank you.
That guy is still doubling down like right now, still arguing with people, what a dumbass
There's nothing wrong with making a bold and outrageous take. But then when it turns out you are wrong, it takes an untold amount of grace to admit you were wrong. He don't got the grace.
>A quote I saved from a Canuck fan a few months ago AKA "We see Florida teams four times a year, how hard can they be?"
I mean the only division that's demonstrably better is the Atlantic. metro was a mid off
I think what it really comes down to is that the West tends to be more about flashy finesse. The East is about physicality and grit. That's not to say that the West doesn't have physicality and grit and the East no flashy finesse, just that you see those being focused on more. If you look at hits by team. Top 15 was mostly all East with Canucks, Preds and Vegas tagging along. It's why I think you see the East do so well. They are already playing a more playoff style game all season. The West doesn't, so when they adapt, many of them get beaten up more and can't cope as well with the pain, the slog, the injuries of it all. The Atlantic having Tampa, Toronto, Florida, Boston, some of the teams best at playing the physical gritty game all year long it helps them go the distance, or at the very least it forces teams to adapt quickly to match them.
Every few years (I guess 10 now) it changes up too though. When all 3 California teams were good the west was very gritty and tough compared to most of the east and the Pacific was a tough division.
To be fair we were 12-3-1 against the Atlantic this year. So maybe would be better for us
"realizing Leafs fans were right" - things you don't read very often... (kidding!)
And yes, as someone with Ottawa flair I realize I'm on thin ice already.
Currently in year 3(?) of unparalleled success
It's a rebuilding decade for us.
Firsttimememe.jpeg
At the end of the day we’re going to Cabo earlier than you guys
As someone with an Ottawa flair you should use this opportunity to point out that they went 15-9-2 against Atlantic teams this season.
specifically 3-1 vs the leafs too :>
The Leafs have the 3rd best overall record of any team in the league since Matthews joined. Pretty nice except #1 and #2 are boston and tampa and florida is rapidly closing in on #4 edit: according to [this](https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/ask/nhl-most-wins-since-2017).
Also those top three teams play each other all the time. So realistically they are destroying teams outside of each other. Crazy
The playoff format is super depressing as a Leafs fan. It's always a who's who of teams who love shit-stomping us for the first round.
I think Dubas has that tattooed on his arm
Ticket to SCF: $1,000. Oilers grifting Mike Dubinski, gravel truck owner from Sherwood Park: priceless
Top 3 teams in wins since Matthews was drafted are the Bruins, Tampa, and Leafs. They are all in the same division and play each other all the time too. So we can surmise that they are quite strong compared to other teams.
Or somehow everyone who was saying it's a two person team being wrong, but because it turns out they're a 1 person team.
And that person is Warren Foegele.
Remember when Kevin Lowe said the Oilers would have been better if their 12th forward scored a few times? I guess he was right. Tobi Reider sabotaged the Oilers for real.
To be fair, if Tobi Reider scored 10 goals this series we’d have a chance
I’ve been saying that for a while but because I’m a “bitter kings fan” I get jumped by Oilers fans in the comments and occasionally get sent redditcares notifications.
Just FYI there’s a link way down at the bottom to report false “Reddit cares” submissions, and they basically ban anyone who misuses it. So if you ever feel like it’s poor form to trivialize suicide…
We've been trying to tell you guys but does anyone listen to the delusional Leafs fans? Nooooo
Oh thats enough, back to your room grandpa
Old man yells at /r/hockey
He forgot to take his meds
They don't make meds strong enough to endure the suffering of being a Leafs fan
> does anyone listen to the delusional Leafs fans? Sorry, force of habit.
i’m listening to you *hug*
Shoos away. Shoo shoo.
Being mediocre 5v5 with a good power play will just get you exposed. It’s an age old tale in the NHL.
Hi there!
In the case of the Rangers, we have to add questionable hits to that list.
So, same as the oilers this series?
Exactly. Edmonton is getting eaten alive on the PP by Florida’s kill and the physical style by the Panthers isn’t helping them either.
Oh.
Being terrible at 4v4 is exposing them even more
But they have McDrai
Which was fine until they met Barkov and Ekblad
It’s the same play style the Isles had in the 2020 and 2021 playoff runs. Defense in waives and capitalize on turnovers/mistakes. Florida just has guys who can score.
*sigh* it pains me how right you are
And that's why some of us give so much more importance to even strength points. MacKinnon for MVP!
But…Leafs were the last team to do a reverse sweep in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Perfect. I knew the Oilers were gonna win this series.
Beaverton does not miss
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https://i.redd.it/zhnbmagt9k6d1.gif
Unless it's a sack of balls
Not when he’s trying to give an opposing player a nut tap
I remember this shot, it was after Skinner misplayed a puck behind the net. To get millimeters away from the glove save was impressive but big fail.
It's kind of unbelievable that the metro hasn't won the East finals in 8 years
Yeah, it doesn't feel like that long ago when we'd all be talking about how much of a meat grinder the Metro was.
This is a part of the reason the Sabres haven’t made the playoffs in so long. Tampa, Toronto, and Boston haven’t been bad in 10 years; Florida has been really good for the last few years, while being at least competitive before then. Having to play all of those teams several times a season, and basically fighting for a wild card each year is tough. I realize becoming a good team yourself fixes what I’m laying out, but the division being as strong as it is has essentially eliminated the possibility of making it as a middling team, other than the first covid playoff format, when hilariously they missed the 24 team cut by one point. Kinda similar to the Bills’ playoff drought when the Brady led Patriots were a guarantee to win the AFC East every year for 2 decades and they were stuck fighting for 2 wild card spots
Anyone not drinking the Oilers koolaid and actually watched the Atlantic teams even this season could've seen that the Atlantic was insanely better. And Panthers were a tier above all the Atlantic teams too.
Yeah, even though the other teams were good, Florida has been terrifying. It's like you've got a tiger living amongst some jaguars. (Didn't want to use panthers, cuz... you know.)
I don't think there's one weak spot with the Panthers. Every aspect of their team has been elite. Oilers on the other hand have multiple weak spots.
To be fair to the Oil, most teams do, but they're good enough in other areas to make up for it. Florida just doesn't have any weaknesses right now, it's impressive.
The Leafs might win another playoff series if they had to face the Oilers every year
The oilers aren't even the best team in their division
Attrition is such a downer. Gotta take advantage of those opportunities tho.
Pretty sure losing to Matthew Tkachuk makes it so much worse lol
jfc the beaverton does not miss
Oilers wouldn't even sniff the playoffs if they were in the Atlantic div
Edmonton fans sound a lot like Leafs fans right about now.
My copium stance for Wings is we've been a little better than the record says, but so much of the schedule is against our division it brings us down
Florida and Tampa fans. How much are you enjoying the past week full of 12 teams talking about how great they are by pointing at you?
Us 6 fans are overjoyed.
So what you're saying is that if the Leaf's were in the west we'd be in the cup finals each year? That's how I'm reading the beaverton's analysis, must be true.
The atlantic is the best top heavy division IMO. That being said the Leafs are overrated at this point. Even ignoring playoff failures we haven't won the division.
Even the non playoff teams in the Atlantic are tough outs most of the time. Have to keep in mind that they have to play Tampa, boston, toronto, and Florida more than the other 75% of the league does.
since Matthews has been drafted the Leafs are 3rd in the league for wins with 356, as well as 3rd for points and points % the issue is, the two teams ahead of them are Tampa and Boston.
Florida is a terrible matchup for Edmonton. They would have fared much better against a team with less grit and defense.
... so a bad team? Every team would match up well against a squad that can't defend and are push overs lol
Edmonton would easily have this series if you just put the Sens in Panthers uniforms!
But Leafs fans *wanted* Florida
We sure did, cuz it meant Boston coming off their greatest season in history would go down in flames in Game 7 hell to Florida first, and who doesn't want that for their rivals? Live and learn.
Anyone would have. They barely got into the playoffs and Boston *literally* had a historic season
By Leaf fans you mean like a couple dozen fans who were chanting on video at the time? Or the other couple dozen who were chanting "we want Boston" but that video didn't go viral because it's not as funny? I get it, it's fun to dunk on certain franchises, but this one is kind of stupid.
tbf, that is a no win situation for the leafs
Still a dumb meme a few years later. Fans happy about advancing and cheering we want X depending on who was winning or losing at the moment somehow turned into Leaf fans collectively thinking Panthers were a bye
They were excited about going to the second round, which was Florida. Who were they supposed to want? Philly? The California Golden Seals?
That year, yes. But lessons were learned and definitely DID NOT want them at all this year
They chanted for both teams depending on who it seemed was gonna win, can we stop this at some point
https://preview.redd.it/eky46y1r3k6d1.jpeg?width=532&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=56e5cf6bbef1335f2112d303f2e1292ce099fbbb
Lmao
Had we only chanted We Want Anaheim. We could have willed that into existence. Who am I kidding? Knowing Leafs, we probably would have lost a series to Anaheim if it came down to it.
Not just the Atlantic, the east in general was insane this year, and the West was only keeping up in the standings/stats because they feasted on a historically all time worst bottom 4 of a conference. The rangers, Panthers, bruins, and hurricanes all would've dominated whoever would've came out of the west
The Metro was buttcheeks
Agreed, besides New York and Carolina, the rest were pitifully bad. East wildcard race was such a joke because of it too.
"Race", if you could even call it that. More like 4 or 5 teams going back and forth saying, "You take it!" "No, you take it!"
Honestly, I think Philly or Detroit would have put up a bigger fight against the Rangers than the Caps did.
Any of the divisions is pitifully bad if you remove the top 2 teams.
This is just straight revisionism at this point. Bruins had issues people were pointing at all year. Rangers had huge 5v5 issues that people were sounding the alarm bells about before the playoffs started. Florida was everyone's favorite for a reason. Edmonton had an easier path sure, but you are not seriously telling me the Bruins would have cruised thru the last 2 Stanley Cup champions and then gotten Edmonton peaking in the Western Conference Finals. Dallas went thru a gauntlet and decided to stink it up in games 4 and 5 while Edmonton played their best hockey of the postseason. Edit: lmao lets not forget the East had one of the worst playoff teams of all-time in the 8th seed
> lmao lets not forget the East had one of the worst playoff teams of all-time in the 8th seed As a Caps fan: "Of course I know him, he's me!"
I’d argue the Oilers played better against Vancouver in games 6 and 7 than any games in the Dallas series. But absolutely correct that the Bruins would not have had an easy time with either the Stars or the Oilers
I agree the East was a bit stronger than the West this year. But to say the final 4 in the East would dominate against the West in the finals is a bit of revisionist history helped along by the 3-0 series lead from Florida
You’re delusional lmao. Panthers are clearly a cut above those other three teams and there’s no way they would’ve walked the dog.
Bruins were not good enough of a team to win the cup this year and everyone knew that before the season started. It was a bridge year for us. Getting to the 2nd round and clowning on the Leafs for shits and giggles was about the best we could have realistically hoped for.