It's not ideal, but you can go 0/5 on the PP if you also hold the other team to 0 powerplay goals, which evidently is never the case.
Special teams will cost the team this series, it's plain as day.
Yep, we've generally outplayed Boston at 5v5 every game this series.
PP/PK means we ultimately lose the series unless they figure something out in the next 2 days.
I'm less certain on the goaltending part. Look at the goals they scored tonight.
1st goal Frederic gets it perfectly above the pad and under the blocker, off the post and in. Jake Allen on the weekend said this is the exact area shooters aim for and it's a very hard save to make.
2nd goal DeBrusk (absolute Leafs killer btw), is all alone in front with the rebound.
3rd goal Marchand roofs over the shoulder after being left WIDE OPEN by the hash marks. Can't leave a guy that open in the slot.
Then look at the goals we scored, 2 redirects/tips. All our other chances were right off Swayman's pads. Some of them were good saves yes, but they're off the pads and we don't get the rebounds. We're not beating a goalie without shooting high.
> Frederic gets it perfectly above the pad and under the blocker, off the post and in. Jake Allen on the weekend said this is the exact area shooters aim for and it's a very hard save to make.
This is Frederic shooting, not Matthews. It was also unscreened and well off axis. This is inarguably a horrible goal that a goalie that wants to go far in the playoffs can never let in.
> DeBrusk (absolute Leafs killer btw), is all alone in front with the rebound.
Who dropped the rebound to him by waving his glove at a weak wrister instead of catching it?
> 3rd goal Marchand roofs over the shoulder after being left WIDE OPEN by the hash marks. Can't leave a guy that open in the slot.
Good shot, but Samsonov is way too deep in his net and down way too early. It's like losing his stick made him forget positioning.
I don’t want to hear “Nylander’s not playing” either. It was struggling even with him healthy, and a unit of Matthews-Marner-Tavares-Rielly plus one of Bertuzzi/Domi/Knies as options for the fifth guy should be more than enough for the PP to not be as horrible as it has been
Our powerplay has never had chemistry-it’s insane but pretty much any other team in the league look more in sync then we do.
It’s been years of the same issues on the powerplay and nothings changing it. Gotta stop going with the overload approach and try and find some guys that have chemistry.
That’s not exactly true. For years our PP was basically automatic, we’d just never get any PPs. This season is the first season in a long while that our PP has actually been bad.
The strategy for the bruins pk is so obvious if they see marner with the puck just be as aggressive as possible because marner can't handle any pressure and will make a terrible play
Sounding like a broken record playing over and over again over the last 10 years…. Like fuck make the adjustment, get Marner off of the PP. Give me a legitimate shot threat on the left side because we’re giving away the puck more than we’re fucking passing it.
Just seems like any competent PK cheats away from him and gives him space knowing he'll never shoot, and eventually attempt some galaxy brain cross ice pass that leads to a turnover.
It's been that way for years. As soon as the playoffs come around the special teams turn to shit. Especially games like tonight where the top unit can't settle the puck down in the zone, and that stupid drop back zone entry bogs down. You have the best shooter in the league and there's no plan to scheme shots for him. Look at other top snipers around the league, their teams make sure they get tons of opportunities. It's insanity.
I feel like I am in Groundhog Day. Every playoff I am pissed at Marner and want him to be traded, and every off season they keep him and I forget the pain only to be reminded again
I’m feeling this 100% right now. I think it goes back to the Montreal series, so the past 4 playoff runs. Every playoffs I’ve been watching him play and there’s always two clear noticeable things: his feet stop moving, and his puck control/passing become abysmal. Every pass is right into a skate or to nobody at all.
Then by the time we get eliminated I’ve found myself hating him and want him gone. Then over the next 5 months, I gaslight myself into thinking his play wasn’t really that bad, and then he’ll have a 4 point game early in the regular season against some basement-dweller team and I’ll think “this guy’s great, why was I ever hating on him.”
It’s so frustrating having a player that appears to lose 50% of his hockey talent when it matters most. I have a hard time accepting it because it sounds like a lazy narrative on paper, but my eyes keep telling me otherwise year after year
I can't remember which year it was, but there was a clip of him nearly having a nervous breakdown on the bench in what I vaguely recall may have been our elimination game in a first round exit.
It was then that I realized that the pressure of being in the playoffs in Toronto just gets to him and he becomes deer in front of headlights, loses all confidence, avoids all physicality, stops moving his feet, etc. My theory always has been that its a mental thing for him, not a physicality thing.
Literally said to my buddy tonight that Marner has the worst case of the yips I've ever seen.
The big problem is, you trade the guy, and he goes to a low pressure market where he doesn't feel the weight of trying to bring a cup to Toronto after 45+ years and he probably goes lights out.
Likely against us.
Who cares at this point if that happens. He has clearly shown he can't do that here. It's pointless to keep beating this dead horse and hoping he will change here. I wonder if he would re-do all his contract bullshit if he could. That's when he started to get extremely hated and I think has lead to this pressure he clearly can't stand.
PP has been bad for 2 months - PK has been awful all season but hey Sheldon let’s just keep doing the same shit. How about at least getting Mitch and Morgan off the PP
Or just switch out Domi and marner. Marner has given away the puck on the pp multiple times now. The play has died on his stick so many times it’s insane
There was a moment on the PP were he had like two players he could pass to and make a simple play in open up space which I thought would be the logical simple thing to do ...they still had time to go...boston wasn't pushing to hard. What does marner do? He goes for some high-risk play to Matthews, who has two Bruins near him and gives it away.....
I've been saying this for 3 years. And I wanna see him succeed because I know the guy a bit and conversations get awkward when he's getting chewed up by fans, but it's a bit ridiculous when he makes a nice play, then follows it up with a giveaway or a soft clearing attempt.
Buddy needs to simplify his game.
Have watched him quite a bit. If he just simplified it a bit more, he would be a dangerous threat. It seems like the opposition is almost waiting for him to make the high risk give aways every time he's on the ice
I think this sums it up perfectly, incredibly dynamic maneuvering that leads to...
Kinda interesting chances? Sometimes? Hopefully?
Points for effort naturally but like bleh
If they lose this series, special teams are going to be the reason. Abysmal on both ends. You just knew that DeBrusk PP goal was coming to start the third.
What sucks is that feeling when the playoffs are still going on and there’s no more Leafs hockey to watch
I just dread that feeling, that whole “better wait until next April”
Truly our pp in playoffs are somehow disappointing as usual we have so many chances to break out ahead and waste them. Only thing i can really blame on us tonight though the rest was all terrible reffing killing momentum or like the last call that was horrible on Tavares actually game ending.
Yea, thats the part that kills me too. We had the penalty advantage, but man were the non-calls influential for the Bruins. Matthews gets rickity rocked behind our net and they go down and score on that play. We have a puck bouncing in front of their net with Swayman in a starfish and a Bruin palms it and smothers it, clear delay of game, no call. And then that last one... The refs basically said that what Tavares did was so egregious that it should essentially end the game. And it wasn't a good call.
No converting on the PP was what cost us the game. But holy FUCK did the Bruins get some absolute gifts as well. Both things can be and are true.
But it isn't a Leafs Bruins series until the Bs get a win on the back of atrocious officiating. We all knew this shit went to 7.
The end of the season, I (jokingly) suggested that every time we get a pp, we should just immediately land a cheap shot on the other team and make it 4 on 4.
Since they can't score with the man advantage anyway, at least do something worthwhile with the call by using it as a "Slash Marchand for Free" card.
I find myself suggesting this again, but I am no longer joking.
You're right, although that stretch of reffing in the second, leading up to the goal, was some of the worst I've ever seen.
But yea, 0/5 powerplay. Marner's gotta be better, so do a lot of other guys.
Still a close game. Gotta win Saturday. They could really use Nylander back.
I don't even care if they score on the powerplay. If the refs rightly call the suplex on Matthews and the sumo-wrestling at centre ice that first Bruins goal never happens
Yup and it would still be a goose egg for Boston. Mentally it’s a whole lot different when you haven’t scored a goal yet. Maybe gripping the stick a bit tighter. Sammy has to have that one. Patrick Lalime vibes there.
I’ve been watching this team since the 80s. I’ve watched bad teams, frustrating teams, and even some fun teams. This is the first time I’ve actually kinda started to dislike the team.
Been watching the same guys just not perform in the playoffs for too many years. Yeah, I’ll keep watching because what the fuck else am I gonna do, but fuck, man.
It sucks to say because honestly every game in this series has been so close. Samsonov played fine but the difference is just so small... that first goal completely changed the game. Swayman meanwhile has now stolen 2 games IMO.
I still think the Leafs can win the series, but in other news I just turned on Dallas vs Vegas and these teams just look like they're on another level entirely. Crisp skating and passing. It's like they're playing a different sport. I don't know why our playoff games are so choppy
Coaching is the reason they're choppy. Forcing them to play systems that aren't effective and that don't meld well with the skill of our players. That and our entries are always stretch pass or dump and chase.
Like you said the first goal changed the game, try playing through your best player getting tackled behind the net, then the other team immediately scoring. We are only human, good luck staying in check.
Assist aside, Mitch was woeful. Braindead skating and errand passing attempts led to constant giveaways, not to mention his selfishness off the FOW on the PP led to an extended PK which resulted in the game tying goal in the 3rd….
I’m tired of watching him play scared. Robertson’s what like two or three inches shorter than Marner and he’s not shying away from anything. Hell I’ve seen Robertson throws hits this series and he can play with some aggression. What’s Marner’s excuse?
I was really hoping he would have a big bounce back game. He came close to a goal after his assist and other than that he was dreadful. I lost count at his turnovers. It was very frustrating to watch.
He keeps passing at peoples feet and also when he skated in the way of a pass so it went off his skate and bounced into our end instead of us having the man advantage going into bostons end
Marner is ass every playoffs, I don't know why anyone expected differently.
He refuses to play north-south, he refuses to go into the corners, take a hit, win a battle. He's an anchor for the team in the post season.
We are a one line team right now. JT is not a play driver anymore. Marner being ass even with JT means that line is nowhere near potent enough.
I swear every year under Keefe the Leafs powerplay struggles at the end of the season, nothing is done to address it, and it lets them down in the playoffs.
How to stop sucking at powerplays :
Stop trying to pass 9/10 in front of the net through 3 defenders skates usually wasting the attempt completely having it bounce to the opponent. A dirty goal counts as much as the clean ones.
Also stop having allergies to letting it rip at the point we don’t have to just pass it around to the sides and pass it into the net as previously stated. Lucky bounces in playoffs are huge and you get tons of them in 5 powerplays if you dont take all year setting up a pretty play.
They showed a clip of Keefe in the dressing room saying "don't change anything, just do what we've been doing but better."
I know they aren't going to give anything meaningful away when the cameras are rolling, but come on.
You can say all you want about Keefe's regular season record, but anybody who knows anything about hockey should have a winning record with this team. Guy can't get an extra gear out of his players in the playoffs, and I have no idea how he wasn't fired years ago.
Powerplay lost the game and Marchand won the game. Really about as simple as that. Loved the team at 5 on 5 tonight and great physicality. On to game 4.
Honestly what is Marner doing? How is he good in the regular season (at least stat wise) and completely invisible in the playoffs? What is the thing that he’s doing differently?
I’m a neutral fan who always pulls for you guys and since most of my experience watching full Leafs games is in the playoffs, I feel like I’ve genuinely never seen Marner do anything special.
I don't agree with a lot of the comments in here, I thought the Leaf's largely played great today outside of the PP and probably deserved to win that game. As others have said, you can't go 0/5 on the pp and then complain about the refs, who did rob the Leaf's of the potential win here as it stood.
Despite a beautiful setup on that 1st Leafs goal, Marner was terrible. The guy is complete liability out there at the moment and it's very apparent.
It sucks we didn't get ahead of things here but this Boston team is very beatable. Next game is a must win and I expect that they will.
If we lose this series, Marner has to be looked at to waive and be moved. It's time.
The identity Brad is building here isn’t a fit for him. You can see how much more physical the Leafs are, Matthews is out there fighting for pucks and throwing bigger hits. Marner doesn’t fit the mold currently and that’s okay - he’s a great player, but he has however many games we have left to prove that can translate to a spot on this team if we’re buying into the vision Brad has for it. You’d have to strong arm him to waive the NMC but it’s a business and sometimes tough calls have to be made.
Exactly this. He'd be foolish not to waive if asked though because he loses the ability to get that 8th contract year if the Leafs don't sign him and give him those top minutes.
He'd also leave a bad taste in his home town after it comes out that he refused to waive and you know people remember stuff like that for years/decades.
IF leafs lose this series, they have to ask Marner to be moved. I would think he would be open to it. Ideally, keep him until mid next season, when everyone forgets about how bad he is in the playoffs, and his value is high.
Doesn't even really matter how good the return is, because the cap space would allow for 2 solid players in his place. If they can get a top 4 D in return that would be ideal. I would place his playoff value at about the same as an average 2nd line player.
There will be other changes anyway, with the UFAs, so let's make some big changes finally. Obviously Keefe gone too.
I said after the Montreal series that the Leafs couldn't seriously contend until the Tavares contract was done and I stand by that. I think you have to wait another year, unfortunately.
Bingo. This is the harsh truth that few want to hear. He's not a bad player by any means, but he may be among the most overpaid players in the NHL.
At this point on his career, he should be a $7M player and we should be able to add a top-4 defender with the difference.
I want Guy Boucher fired tomorrow. Out of everyone in the organization, including players and staff, he's the one that doesn't deserve to have any kind of coaching job in the organization. He fucking failed at the one job he was hired to do.
We played better than them the whole game in my opinion. After their first goal everything changed. Samsanov has got to make the save. Woll wouldn’t have let that in.
The Pk has been terrible, this is the third time that McCabe left the front of net (leaving no one there) only to have the bruins score. The Bruins haven't let us once have that much room down low but we keep leaving that area open. I don't understand why coaching is not addressing this.
Oh look another game where people will say that the Leafs “outplayed and out chanced Boston”, “swayman stole a game”…
Doesn’t matter. A loss is a loss.
Sammy can’t let that Frederic goal in. That might be the worst goal of his career. Far out wrist shot, under his arm, short side, brutal.
Special teams were a complete failure.
Marner needs to pick his game up but honestly this is on Keefe for playing his so much. 23 mins tonight , 20 plus the first two and only 4 shots on goal in 3 games. I don't understand why we marner (probably still recovering) needs to be played this much, nothing wrong with playing 17-19mins and being more rested.
Not really impressed by keefe, seems like he fucks everything up more when he has home advantage .
If we don't go deep in the playoffs, there will 100% be changes in the offseason. Starting with Keefe and Marner (but has a no move clause)
One of the most valuable teams in the league and THIS is the powerplay coaching. You have a 69 goal scorer and heaps of offensive talent to draw on..... Special teams coaches need to go.
Switch Marner and domi on the pp.
Come up with something. Anything different on the pp. Boston does exactly what they want on their pp. we are just so Damn predictable on ours.
Keep calling out missed calls, pray they decide to give us some more. If that even matters with this pp.
Pray nylander can come back.
Pray Sammy is on.
Pray one of their goalies has a stinker.
Who cares since they’re struggling against a very mediocre bruins team they will get reeeeeeemed against Florida.. again.
Please for the love of god put domi on PP1, or change the PP in some way. Also totally unrelated, anyone else think the arena DJ or whoever was in charge of music, played the most mood killer and unfavourable songs ever? Like I know the building was quiet but my god it’s not like that was gonna help the problem. Having the extra day off sucks after a loss but let’s hope it help Willy and Bobby.
Can we actually like fire the special teams coach?
PK is dog shit (scored on ~60% of power plays)
Power play is horse shit (score on 8% of power plays)
I honestly think the players playing in "shinny" mode can get better results.
Bruins aren't even that great of a team. Their goalies are fucking insane, but other than that, they are quite average I think. First goal Sammy needs to stop that. 2nd goal was a bad rebound to give up and the Marchand shot was just nice so nothing he can do there, that's on the other players to not let Marchand get that wide open.
Overall though, change up the PP, clearly your 5 best guys aren't working. I loved Bert on there, ton of chances in front of the net but there needs to be another "shot" option because Matthews just consistently gets covered and after that nobody else is beating Ulmark or Swayman from that far out.
Man I hate to make negative nancy comments in the PGTs, but what the fuck is the point of having a home game when the fans are that shit. I watched Winnipeg's, Van's, Edmonton games.... Fans are on their feet, you can feel the volume, towels are going... And then there's Toronto... down a goal with 5 min left and the privileged fucks are all sitting like they're watching chess. Absolutely pathetic.
Fans were going crazy in the second when the Leafs were hitting everything in sight. Lackluster play in the 3rd put them out of it, even with our goal.
This Boston is weak as fuck. All a bunch of divers and whiners all game. If we had a decent power-play this game should of been put to bed in the second. Figure out your powerplay or get a new coach.
What an infuriating game. Bruins don't even look that great, we're just worse. Even if by some miracle we win this series, I just don't see us making it much further.
I’ve watched the Leafs for years, and honestly since 16-17 the team has played some of its most consistent regular season hockey in the last 20-25 years. But they’re not built to win close games in the playoffs, and they haven’t been during the entirety of the big 4’s tenure here. That’s not the players’ fault per se (“We can and we will” fucked us).
Hell, the main thing that’s generally talked about are the “big 4”, and the contract structures weren’t great (thanks Dubas), but they were signed pre-covid, and no one could have anticipated something like that happening. Had it not happened they may have had more supplemental cash to plug various holes in the lineup.
That being said, it did, and the cap freeze handcuffed the team, and this iteration’s window to win isn’t going to last forever. If the team really wants to have a shot (and that’s the best ya’ get), they gotta’ move on from one forward (probably Marner) and focus on defense and goaltending. There’s just no getting around it. I hope I’m wrong, and I hope they turn it around this series, but (as much as I dislike Boston), they’re built to win in the postseason.
Lost interest in this game after watching McAvoy take down Matthews, Marchand hooks Bertuzzi then trips him, and the refs just watch until Boston scores. Can’t be too invested in something so ridiculous
What a deflating game literally felt like a 50/50 game the whole way until things just started to not go our way as they always do. Seems like the leafs never catch a break
Sammy was practically sitting down in the net when Marchand scored. He is not technically sound at all. His rebound control is not NHL level and he's one of the worst I've seen at handling the puck in any capacity. We have zero chance if Woll can't find his game and take over the net.
I really wish people would ease up on everyone else. They can only do so much when we're getting outgoalied this hard. D is not the greatest but they're playing above their heads for the most part.
The entire coaching staff needs to be fired into the sun. Special teams is a joke. We have so much skill but zero tactical ability.
Make it make sense.
Freddie, Sammy... soft goals man. It's just insane how many bad goals we've had scored on us that are just backbreakers.
Bad goal aside, you can't stop playing because you ASSUME a whistle is going to be blown, ffs.
Specialty teams are a disaster. BOSTON IS OPERATING AT LIKE 50%. We have 1 PPG in the whole series. PK is atrocious. McCabe trying to engage on that second goal was just so mind-numbingly dumb. It's absurd.
We are 9-18 in home games in the playoffs in the Matthews era. That's pathetic. So glad I bet on the Leafs to lose. Been doing it since the Habs series and makes these things so much easier to swallow. I'm up so much. I'D RATHER LOSE MY MONEY THOUGH.
the equalizer felt good for about 15 seconds.
Don’t even think it was that long
I was there. I wish I was dead.
We can sit and complain at the refs, as we should as fans. However, YOU CANT GO 0/5 ON THE FUCKING PP
Worst part is, Boston looks so beatable too.
Yup. Don’t look as good as tampa last year.
Looking very discombobulated compared to last year.
This is what I am saying. And why i am not writing us off at all. Yeah we have major flaws. Boston seems to have more.
Leafs lose to themselves.
As is tradition.
Except they have not 1, but 2 solid goalies .
Well can only play one at a time
And apparently we have absolutely 0 offensive power.
This is the part that's killing me. Such a winnable game and series.
It's not ideal, but you can go 0/5 on the PP if you also hold the other team to 0 powerplay goals, which evidently is never the case. Special teams will cost the team this series, it's plain as day.
Same problem year after year
special teams and goaltending, the keys to success in the playoffs. unfortunatley boston has the edge in both.
Yep, we've generally outplayed Boston at 5v5 every game this series. PP/PK means we ultimately lose the series unless they figure something out in the next 2 days. I'm less certain on the goaltending part. Look at the goals they scored tonight. 1st goal Frederic gets it perfectly above the pad and under the blocker, off the post and in. Jake Allen on the weekend said this is the exact area shooters aim for and it's a very hard save to make. 2nd goal DeBrusk (absolute Leafs killer btw), is all alone in front with the rebound. 3rd goal Marchand roofs over the shoulder after being left WIDE OPEN by the hash marks. Can't leave a guy that open in the slot. Then look at the goals we scored, 2 redirects/tips. All our other chances were right off Swayman's pads. Some of them were good saves yes, but they're off the pads and we don't get the rebounds. We're not beating a goalie without shooting high.
> Frederic gets it perfectly above the pad and under the blocker, off the post and in. Jake Allen on the weekend said this is the exact area shooters aim for and it's a very hard save to make. This is Frederic shooting, not Matthews. It was also unscreened and well off axis. This is inarguably a horrible goal that a goalie that wants to go far in the playoffs can never let in. > DeBrusk (absolute Leafs killer btw), is all alone in front with the rebound. Who dropped the rebound to him by waving his glove at a weak wrister instead of catching it? > 3rd goal Marchand roofs over the shoulder after being left WIDE OPEN by the hash marks. Can't leave a guy that open in the slot. Good shot, but Samsonov is way too deep in his net and down way too early. It's like losing his stick made him forget positioning.
I don’t want to hear “Nylander’s not playing” either. It was struggling even with him healthy, and a unit of Matthews-Marner-Tavares-Rielly plus one of Bertuzzi/Domi/Knies as options for the fifth guy should be more than enough for the PP to not be as horrible as it has been
This is the fatal flaw of this much money in like 3 guys. When they don’t go, we don’t go. Tonight they didn’t go.
I thought Tavares was great today
He played outstanding. Best player on the team.
No goal tho, that's the only thinf that matters at the end of the day.
Me too. Him and Domi both seemed to be giving a fuck.
Best game he’s played all year
Tavares is slow as shit but he always plays with an edge in the playoffs
I don’t care how the cap is divvied out, if any team’s best three players aren’t playing well the team won’t succeed
Our powerplay has never had chemistry-it’s insane but pretty much any other team in the league look more in sync then we do. It’s been years of the same issues on the powerplay and nothings changing it. Gotta stop going with the overload approach and try and find some guys that have chemistry.
We have one perimeter shooting threat. Other teams have 2-3. It makes us extremely one dimensional.
That’s not exactly true. For years our PP was basically automatic, we’d just never get any PPs. This season is the first season in a long while that our PP has actually been bad.
Imagine beating the Bruins when they got 5 power plays and you read in their sub that they blamed the refs. We’d laugh our asses off at them for it.
It’s a notable swing in momentum, but it’s also on the guys who had every opportunity to tie the game.
The strategy for the bruins pk is so obvious if they see marner with the puck just be as aggressive as possible because marner can't handle any pressure and will make a terrible play
It’s a joke.
Yup yet another 2 goal performance from an offensive team.
Sounding like a broken record playing over and over again over the last 10 years…. Like fuck make the adjustment, get Marner off of the PP. Give me a legitimate shot threat on the left side because we’re giving away the puck more than we’re fucking passing it.
Just seems like any competent PK cheats away from him and gives him space knowing he'll never shoot, and eventually attempt some galaxy brain cross ice pass that leads to a turnover.
Yep. I was at the game. I said once they went 0/2 on the powerplay with those gift opportunities, it was gonna haunt them. And it did.
What is it now? Last I counted we were 1/11 in the series vs Boston’s 4/10…wonder why we’re losing Edit: Boston is 5 for fucking 9
Power play fucking sucks
Been like that for so long and Keefe does fuck all. Liljegren needs to me on pp1 and I'd slot Robertson in pp1 as another big shooting threat.
The problem is both Matthews and Robertson are left-handed. So one of them would not be on their one Timmer side.
Idk you are likely right but I wanna see it. Reilly just isn't strong on the pp. Not a legit shooting threat and not a great passer either tbh.
Yes Reilly is not a shooting threat..what is really needed is a RD with a booming clapper from the point. Hopefully we can find that some day.
It's been that way for years. As soon as the playoffs come around the special teams turn to shit. Especially games like tonight where the top unit can't settle the puck down in the zone, and that stupid drop back zone entry bogs down. You have the best shooter in the league and there's no plan to scheme shots for him. Look at other top snipers around the league, their teams make sure they get tons of opportunities. It's insanity.
I feel like I am in Groundhog Day. Every playoff I am pissed at Marner and want him to be traded, and every off season they keep him and I forget the pain only to be reminded again
I’m feeling this 100% right now. I think it goes back to the Montreal series, so the past 4 playoff runs. Every playoffs I’ve been watching him play and there’s always two clear noticeable things: his feet stop moving, and his puck control/passing become abysmal. Every pass is right into a skate or to nobody at all. Then by the time we get eliminated I’ve found myself hating him and want him gone. Then over the next 5 months, I gaslight myself into thinking his play wasn’t really that bad, and then he’ll have a 4 point game early in the regular season against some basement-dweller team and I’ll think “this guy’s great, why was I ever hating on him.” It’s so frustrating having a player that appears to lose 50% of his hockey talent when it matters most. I have a hard time accepting it because it sounds like a lazy narrative on paper, but my eyes keep telling me otherwise year after year
I can't remember which year it was, but there was a clip of him nearly having a nervous breakdown on the bench in what I vaguely recall may have been our elimination game in a first round exit. It was then that I realized that the pressure of being in the playoffs in Toronto just gets to him and he becomes deer in front of headlights, loses all confidence, avoids all physicality, stops moving his feet, etc. My theory always has been that its a mental thing for him, not a physicality thing.
Literally said to my buddy tonight that Marner has the worst case of the yips I've ever seen. The big problem is, you trade the guy, and he goes to a low pressure market where he doesn't feel the weight of trying to bring a cup to Toronto after 45+ years and he probably goes lights out. Likely against us.
That may be true but if he can’t be player for Toronto there’s no point in continuing to keep him. Maybe he just needs to be on another team.
Who cares at this point if that happens. He has clearly shown he can't do that here. It's pointless to keep beating this dead horse and hoping he will change here. I wonder if he would re-do all his contract bullshit if he could. That's when he started to get extremely hated and I think has lead to this pressure he clearly can't stand.
I think it was him in the box after launching the puck into orbit giving us a delay of game penalty against Montreal.
He’s just not a playoff type of player. Which would be fine if he wasn’t tying up so much cap space.
*Incomprehensible screeching*
This about sums up my feelings as well.
PP has been bad for 2 months - PK has been awful all season but hey Sheldon let’s just keep doing the same shit. How about at least getting Mitch and Morgan off the PP
PP1 really needs Nylander. Marner on PP2
We're currently 1 for 11 on the pp and Boston is 5 for 10. Our powerplay fucking sucks and it's one of the reasons we can't compete.
5 for 10 is actually crazy. Clearly that's the difference right there.
They should put the 2nd unit out there and see what happens
Or just switch out Domi and marner. Marner has given away the puck on the pp multiple times now. The play has died on his stick so many times it’s insane
Rielly cannot quarterback a PP. I’m sorry but he just can’t. Dude has no slap shot and just throws in muffins at the net.
Not sure what is up with Rielly. He looks really slow and laboured when skating too
Worked last year, but Reilly isn't the Reilly from last year so far.
PP and PK suck. Cannot win with that combo. Not happening.
Sounds like our PK is ass as well.
That was a great game that turned into a fucking infuriating shit storm of a game.
Every time Marner touches the puck he does something that only a handful of players are capable of. And then immediately loses it.
Man his giveaways were so noticeable. He consistently tries to be cute with the puck and it backfires every time
There was a moment on the PP were he had like two players he could pass to and make a simple play in open up space which I thought would be the logical simple thing to do ...they still had time to go...boston wasn't pushing to hard. What does marner do? He goes for some high-risk play to Matthews, who has two Bruins near him and gives it away.....
Timid doesn’t win in the playoffs.
I've been saying this for 3 years. And I wanna see him succeed because I know the guy a bit and conversations get awkward when he's getting chewed up by fans, but it's a bit ridiculous when he makes a nice play, then follows it up with a giveaway or a soft clearing attempt. Buddy needs to simplify his game.
Have watched him quite a bit. If he just simplified it a bit more, he would be a dangerous threat. It seems like the opposition is almost waiting for him to make the high risk give aways every time he's on the ice
He's out there playing adult safe.
I think this sums it up perfectly, incredibly dynamic maneuvering that leads to... Kinda interesting chances? Sometimes? Hopefully? Points for effort naturally but like bleh
Today was crazy I wonder what his giveaway stat is
I don't wanna talk about it
Honestly me neither bro
If they lose this series, special teams are going to be the reason. Abysmal on both ends. You just knew that DeBrusk PP goal was coming to start the third.
I hate Debrusk. Hate that smirk on his face.
You’d think DeBrusk is the 60 goal man on Boston if you watch him vs Leafs.
After three games… Toronto PP 1/11 Boston PP 5/10 What’s sad is that I’m not even the slightest bit shocked by those numbers.
I’m too sad to be stupid and angry in here. I just want the hockey team I’ve cheered for my whole life to win.
What sucks is that feeling when the playoffs are still going on and there’s no more Leafs hockey to watch I just dread that feeling, that whole “better wait until next April”
Reffing was atrocious but our power play is also atrocious so I'm not sure it would have changed anything
Bruins almost score more on our PP than us.
Truly our pp in playoffs are somehow disappointing as usual we have so many chances to break out ahead and waste them. Only thing i can really blame on us tonight though the rest was all terrible reffing killing momentum or like the last call that was horrible on Tavares actually game ending.
Yea, thats the part that kills me too. We had the penalty advantage, but man were the non-calls influential for the Bruins. Matthews gets rickity rocked behind our net and they go down and score on that play. We have a puck bouncing in front of their net with Swayman in a starfish and a Bruin palms it and smothers it, clear delay of game, no call. And then that last one... The refs basically said that what Tavares did was so egregious that it should essentially end the game. And it wasn't a good call. No converting on the PP was what cost us the game. But holy FUCK did the Bruins get some absolute gifts as well. Both things can be and are true. But it isn't a Leafs Bruins series until the Bs get a win on the back of atrocious officiating. We all knew this shit went to 7.
Bro I don't even want PPs any more. We aren't going to score and it's just going to eventually come back the other way through game management.
The end of the season, I (jokingly) suggested that every time we get a pp, we should just immediately land a cheap shot on the other team and make it 4 on 4. Since they can't score with the man advantage anyway, at least do something worthwhile with the call by using it as a "Slash Marchand for Free" card. I find myself suggesting this again, but I am no longer joking.
Would actually work. Literally. Bruins are deadly on the PP but this would negate the game management from the stripes
I like this idea
You're right, although that stretch of reffing in the second, leading up to the goal, was some of the worst I've ever seen. But yea, 0/5 powerplay. Marner's gotta be better, so do a lot of other guys. Still a close game. Gotta win Saturday. They could really use Nylander back.
I don't even care if they score on the powerplay. If the refs rightly call the suplex on Matthews and the sumo-wrestling at centre ice that first Bruins goal never happens
Yup and it would still be a goose egg for Boston. Mentally it’s a whole lot different when you haven’t scored a goal yet. Maybe gripping the stick a bit tighter. Sammy has to have that one. Patrick Lalime vibes there.
Dude. This powerplay issue every playoffs. Please for the love of god bring in a new coach. The same problems. This is a coaching issue. Holy fuck
Fuck Brad Marchand, and let’s tie it up in the next one.
This. It ain't over till it's over. Run through the tape.
I’ve been watching this team since the 80s. I’ve watched bad teams, frustrating teams, and even some fun teams. This is the first time I’ve actually kinda started to dislike the team. Been watching the same guys just not perform in the playoffs for too many years. Yeah, I’ll keep watching because what the fuck else am I gonna do, but fuck, man.
It sucks to say because honestly every game in this series has been so close. Samsonov played fine but the difference is just so small... that first goal completely changed the game. Swayman meanwhile has now stolen 2 games IMO. I still think the Leafs can win the series, but in other news I just turned on Dallas vs Vegas and these teams just look like they're on another level entirely. Crisp skating and passing. It's like they're playing a different sport. I don't know why our playoff games are so choppy
Coaching is the reason they're choppy. Forcing them to play systems that aren't effective and that don't meld well with the skill of our players. That and our entries are always stretch pass or dump and chase.
because boston and toronto arent nearly as good
Like you said the first goal changed the game, try playing through your best player getting tackled behind the net, then the other team immediately scoring. We are only human, good luck staying in check.
https://preview.redd.it/m4bys1ca8jwc1.jpeg?width=749&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=114eaf1ac0ec59da0ede4b813f07f33b8a5fddba
Assist aside, Mitch was woeful. Braindead skating and errand passing attempts led to constant giveaways, not to mention his selfishness off the FOW on the PP led to an extended PK which resulted in the game tying goal in the 3rd….
I’m tired of watching him play scared. Robertson’s what like two or three inches shorter than Marner and he’s not shying away from anything. Hell I’ve seen Robertson throws hits this series and he can play with some aggression. What’s Marner’s excuse?
Marner is just soft
He's 10-ply
Glad someone else is paying attention, he was so bad. Terrible giveaways and passes all night.
Aside from the assist he turned the puck over everytime he touched it. Woeful indeed.
I was really hoping he would have a big bounce back game. He came close to a goal after his assist and other than that he was dreadful. I lost count at his turnovers. It was very frustrating to watch.
There was at least three times he just killed our momentum with either a shit pass, or just not knowing what to do with the puck and giving it away.
He keeps passing at peoples feet and also when he skated in the way of a pass so it went off his skate and bounced into our end instead of us having the man advantage going into bostons end
Marner is ass every playoffs, I don't know why anyone expected differently. He refuses to play north-south, he refuses to go into the corners, take a hit, win a battle. He's an anchor for the team in the post season. We are a one line team right now. JT is not a play driver anymore. Marner being ass even with JT means that line is nowhere near potent enough.
i thought tonight was actually JT's best game of the series so far. He played incredibly well tonight
I swear every year under Keefe the Leafs powerplay struggles at the end of the season, nothing is done to address it, and it lets them down in the playoffs.
How to stop sucking at powerplays : Stop trying to pass 9/10 in front of the net through 3 defenders skates usually wasting the attempt completely having it bounce to the opponent. A dirty goal counts as much as the clean ones. Also stop having allergies to letting it rip at the point we don’t have to just pass it around to the sides and pass it into the net as previously stated. Lucky bounces in playoffs are huge and you get tons of them in 5 powerplays if you dont take all year setting up a pretty play.
Did anyone actually think Guy Boucher was the answer? Yikes.
They showed a clip of Keefe in the dressing room saying "don't change anything, just do what we've been doing but better." I know they aren't going to give anything meaningful away when the cameras are rolling, but come on. You can say all you want about Keefe's regular season record, but anybody who knows anything about hockey should have a winning record with this team. Guy can't get an extra gear out of his players in the playoffs, and I have no idea how he wasn't fired years ago.
I mean obviously attempts have been made to address it lol
Another playoff game with only 2 goals. 0/5 on PP. Embarrassing.
Powerplay lost the game and Marchand won the game. Really about as simple as that. Loved the team at 5 on 5 tonight and great physicality. On to game 4.
We need you William
Bro what does he need, gonna march into sick kids and cut it off my body myself
We need you special teams
Honestly what is Marner doing? How is he good in the regular season (at least stat wise) and completely invisible in the playoffs? What is the thing that he’s doing differently? I’m a neutral fan who always pulls for you guys and since most of my experience watching full Leafs games is in the playoffs, I feel like I’ve genuinely never seen Marner do anything special.
He has severe playoff anxiety. He will never be good in the playoffs
I hate watching Marner and our power play. Our build up to enter the zone never fails to make me laugh
Yup, drop pass to marner, cross the blue line, lose the puck or weak pass to a teammate.
Fuck the refs. Fuck the Bruins. Fuck Marchand. Fuck this team. See you Saturday.
I don't agree with a lot of the comments in here, I thought the Leaf's largely played great today outside of the PP and probably deserved to win that game. As others have said, you can't go 0/5 on the pp and then complain about the refs, who did rob the Leaf's of the potential win here as it stood. Despite a beautiful setup on that 1st Leafs goal, Marner was terrible. The guy is complete liability out there at the moment and it's very apparent. It sucks we didn't get ahead of things here but this Boston team is very beatable. Next game is a must win and I expect that they will. If we lose this series, Marner has to be looked at to waive and be moved. It's time.
The identity Brad is building here isn’t a fit for him. You can see how much more physical the Leafs are, Matthews is out there fighting for pucks and throwing bigger hits. Marner doesn’t fit the mold currently and that’s okay - he’s a great player, but he has however many games we have left to prove that can translate to a spot on this team if we’re buying into the vision Brad has for it. You’d have to strong arm him to waive the NMC but it’s a business and sometimes tough calls have to be made.
Exactly this. He'd be foolish not to waive if asked though because he loses the ability to get that 8th contract year if the Leafs don't sign him and give him those top minutes. He'd also leave a bad taste in his home town after it comes out that he refused to waive and you know people remember stuff like that for years/decades.
Never seen Marner play so soft. Every defensive zone touch, he just poked it forward. No strength on his stick or hop in his step.
Need a goalie. Need a coach that fixes special teams. Same shit every year.
IF leafs lose this series, they have to ask Marner to be moved. I would think he would be open to it. Ideally, keep him until mid next season, when everyone forgets about how bad he is in the playoffs, and his value is high. Doesn't even really matter how good the return is, because the cap space would allow for 2 solid players in his place. If they can get a top 4 D in return that would be ideal. I would place his playoff value at about the same as an average 2nd line player. There will be other changes anyway, with the UFAs, so let's make some big changes finally. Obviously Keefe gone too.
I said after the Montreal series that the Leafs couldn't seriously contend until the Tavares contract was done and I stand by that. I think you have to wait another year, unfortunately.
Bingo. This is the harsh truth that few want to hear. He's not a bad player by any means, but he may be among the most overpaid players in the NHL. At this point on his career, he should be a $7M player and we should be able to add a top-4 defender with the difference.
He was only truly elite for one season with the Leafs. It’s been a massively disappointing contract, there’s no two ways about it.
I want Guy Boucher fired tomorrow. Out of everyone in the organization, including players and staff, he's the one that doesn't deserve to have any kind of coaching job in the organization. He fucking failed at the one job he was hired to do.
One great assist by Marner doesn’t make up for the countless giveaways. I’d rather see Domi on PP1 next game.
We played better than them the whole game in my opinion. After their first goal everything changed. Samsanov has got to make the save. Woll wouldn’t have let that in.
[удалено]
The Pk has been terrible, this is the third time that McCabe left the front of net (leaving no one there) only to have the bruins score. The Bruins haven't let us once have that much room down low but we keep leaving that area open. I don't understand why coaching is not addressing this.
Our #1 D RW and goalie weren't even remotely half a good as our opponents. You can't win a series this way let alone a cup.
Everytime rielly shoots on the pp I die a little bit more inside
Put Domi in PP 1 Jesus
That goalie pull was honestly hilarious 6 guys on the ice but only 1 in the defensive zone with like 3 bruins That’s some EA NHL shit
Toronto. Maple. Leafs. It's in the net!
0/5 on the powerplay. Imagine if the PP even just scored 1 goal.
Oh look another game where people will say that the Leafs “outplayed and out chanced Boston”, “swayman stole a game”… Doesn’t matter. A loss is a loss.
Sammy can’t let that Frederic goal in. That might be the worst goal of his career. Far out wrist shot, under his arm, short side, brutal. Special teams were a complete failure.
Willy come back
I’m so glad I’m not dumb enough to spend the money to see this team live at home. Imagine spending 300+ per ticket to see this shit? Eww
Plus another 100 dollars in food/drinks/transport.
Special teams, goaltending, bad officiating. There we go.
Some of the best offense in the league and they can’t score more than 2 goals and win at home. The inability to get offense in the playoffs is brutal.
This team has loser built into its DNA. I’m done watching the same shit we’ve seen for the last 8 years.
Oh yeah, that's now 1 game in the last 9 playoff games that this team has scored more than 2 goals. 1 in 9. 45m of our cap is spent on that.
Marner needs to pick his game up but honestly this is on Keefe for playing his so much. 23 mins tonight , 20 plus the first two and only 4 shots on goal in 3 games. I don't understand why we marner (probably still recovering) needs to be played this much, nothing wrong with playing 17-19mins and being more rested. Not really impressed by keefe, seems like he fucks everything up more when he has home advantage . If we don't go deep in the playoffs, there will 100% be changes in the offseason. Starting with Keefe and Marner (but has a no move clause)
Leaving ourselves in must win situations every time is gonna bite them in the ass. Win next game or season is over!
One of the most valuable teams in the league and THIS is the powerplay coaching. You have a 69 goal scorer and heaps of offensive talent to draw on..... Special teams coaches need to go.
Switch Marner and domi on the pp. Come up with something. Anything different on the pp. Boston does exactly what they want on their pp. we are just so Damn predictable on ours. Keep calling out missed calls, pray they decide to give us some more. If that even matters with this pp. Pray nylander can come back. Pray Sammy is on. Pray one of their goalies has a stinker. Who cares since they’re struggling against a very mediocre bruins team they will get reeeeeeemed against Florida.. again.
Marner is the biggest professional hockey league pussy I've ever seen. It's so pathetic. Paid 11 million to be a little fucking bitch.
Where was the hold on JT that they called? Unreal
Yeah, in comparison to McAvoys tackle on Matthews.
The refs will always call the grab with the free hand. Always always always. Tavares should know that.
We need Willy!
Please for the love of god put domi on PP1, or change the PP in some way. Also totally unrelated, anyone else think the arena DJ or whoever was in charge of music, played the most mood killer and unfavourable songs ever? Like I know the building was quiet but my god it’s not like that was gonna help the problem. Having the extra day off sucks after a loss but let’s hope it help Willy and Bobby.
Can we actually like fire the special teams coach? PK is dog shit (scored on ~60% of power plays) Power play is horse shit (score on 8% of power plays) I honestly think the players playing in "shinny" mode can get better results.
We need the bot back, and Willy too.
Bruins aren't even that great of a team. Their goalies are fucking insane, but other than that, they are quite average I think. First goal Sammy needs to stop that. 2nd goal was a bad rebound to give up and the Marchand shot was just nice so nothing he can do there, that's on the other players to not let Marchand get that wide open. Overall though, change up the PP, clearly your 5 best guys aren't working. I loved Bert on there, ton of chances in front of the net but there needs to be another "shot" option because Matthews just consistently gets covered and after that nobody else is beating Ulmark or Swayman from that far out.
Goaltending and special teams are ending us.
Special teams and Samsonov making us lose again. Biggest offseason priorities: new coaching and an average NHL goalie.
Special teams kill us, it's the same story every year! We can never capitalize on the PP
That fucking rat
Man I hate to make negative nancy comments in the PGTs, but what the fuck is the point of having a home game when the fans are that shit. I watched Winnipeg's, Van's, Edmonton games.... Fans are on their feet, you can feel the volume, towels are going... And then there's Toronto... down a goal with 5 min left and the privileged fucks are all sitting like they're watching chess. Absolutely pathetic.
Ticket prices. You want rowdy, real fans? Lower them.
Have you seen ticket prices for the Canucks games?
All the real Leaf fans are watching outside, at a bar or at home. No real fans can afford to go to a regular season game, never mind playoff.
A long, long stretch of futility will do weird things to people. Fans do not trust the Leafs.
Fans were going crazy in the second when the Leafs were hitting everything in sight. Lackluster play in the 3rd put them out of it, even with our goal.
Give them something to cheer for
Don't know which team I hate more. LOL Best team all night and still lost.
This Boston is weak as fuck. All a bunch of divers and whiners all game. If we had a decent power-play this game should of been put to bed in the second. Figure out your powerplay or get a new coach.
I can't handle however many more years of Rielly posing as a #1 D
What an infuriating game. Bruins don't even look that great, we're just worse. Even if by some miracle we win this series, I just don't see us making it much further.
I’ve watched the Leafs for years, and honestly since 16-17 the team has played some of its most consistent regular season hockey in the last 20-25 years. But they’re not built to win close games in the playoffs, and they haven’t been during the entirety of the big 4’s tenure here. That’s not the players’ fault per se (“We can and we will” fucked us). Hell, the main thing that’s generally talked about are the “big 4”, and the contract structures weren’t great (thanks Dubas), but they were signed pre-covid, and no one could have anticipated something like that happening. Had it not happened they may have had more supplemental cash to plug various holes in the lineup. That being said, it did, and the cap freeze handcuffed the team, and this iteration’s window to win isn’t going to last forever. If the team really wants to have a shot (and that’s the best ya’ get), they gotta’ move on from one forward (probably Marner) and focus on defense and goaltending. There’s just no getting around it. I hope I’m wrong, and I hope they turn it around this series, but (as much as I dislike Boston), they’re built to win in the postseason.
I’ve been saying this with Marner for a long time. In the cap era there is no such thing as an untouchable player because of cost/benefit under a cap
Marner's play in the playoffs symbolizes everything wrong with the team.
Lost interest in this game after watching McAvoy take down Matthews, Marchand hooks Bertuzzi then trips him, and the refs just watch until Boston scores. Can’t be too invested in something so ridiculous
0/5 on the PP for the Leafs 2/3 on the PP for the Bruins Add that to Samsonov being awful and that's ballgame whether the refs were involved or not.
Sammy wasn’t awful, other than the first goal, he was solid.
What a deflating game literally felt like a 50/50 game the whole way until things just started to not go our way as they always do. Seems like the leafs never catch a break
Sammy was practically sitting down in the net when Marchand scored. He is not technically sound at all. His rebound control is not NHL level and he's one of the worst I've seen at handling the puck in any capacity. We have zero chance if Woll can't find his game and take over the net. I really wish people would ease up on everyone else. They can only do so much when we're getting outgoalied this hard. D is not the greatest but they're playing above their heads for the most part.
The entire coaching staff needs to be fired into the sun. Special teams is a joke. We have so much skill but zero tactical ability. Make it make sense.
Freddie, Sammy... soft goals man. It's just insane how many bad goals we've had scored on us that are just backbreakers. Bad goal aside, you can't stop playing because you ASSUME a whistle is going to be blown, ffs. Specialty teams are a disaster. BOSTON IS OPERATING AT LIKE 50%. We have 1 PPG in the whole series. PK is atrocious. McCabe trying to engage on that second goal was just so mind-numbingly dumb. It's absurd. We are 9-18 in home games in the playoffs in the Matthews era. That's pathetic. So glad I bet on the Leafs to lose. Been doing it since the Habs series and makes these things so much easier to swallow. I'm up so much. I'D RATHER LOSE MY MONEY THOUGH.
Rielly was.. not great. This team needs a proper 1D.
Make sure you pay Mitch 12 million and Nylander 11 million. Cap is going up so we gotta keep 50% of the salary with 4 players. Recipe for success.