here’s what happened last night:

torts got the heavy players fired up and they imposed their will on the loafs🤦‍♂️

they took the puck from our overpaid little teeny bopper fashion plates at will and controlled the game in the 3rd and ot 🤦‍♂️

i know that this is an unpopular opinion but, deep down, you know it’s true🤦‍♂️

the lead fashion plate should have traded greedy willi and b!tch for another legit dman like jones and some grownups like poon jenner, atkinson or even foligno 🤦‍♂️

i feel bad for the snake, muzzin and glassthews🤦‍♂️ maybe even riley 🤦‍♂️

there supposed to be leaders on this team but nobody in their “supporting cast” can hit, play d or chuck knuckles 🤦‍♂️

Naw, it wasn't on him. I'm just not a fan.
- Aetherial

It shows.

So far this year, Moore has been the biggest positive surprise for the Leafs.
I really feel he deserves to stay in the top9 when Hyman is back.

Hyman - Moore - Marner for me three wingers for top 2 lines for sure.


Hyman - Tavares - Marner
Mikheyev - Matthews - Moore
Kerfoot - Nylander - Kapanen
Johnsson - Gauthier - Timashov

Would be my lines when everybody's healthy again.
- MaximusAurelius

Moore ahead of Nylander, Timashov and Johnsson?

You truly drink (frank)ing windex!

I get that the Leafs don't use a shutdown line, but moving Nylander from 1 RW to 3C, won't help anyone.. All it will do add fuel to the fires that his detractors are burning..

I like the line combinations you have come up with, but in saying that, your 3rd line with Mikheyev and Kapanen, both are good defensively and Kerfoot is getting better at his role now as well.
- PatC80

Definitely. If we can trust that 3rd line defensively, it would be a huge bonus.

I expect defensive gaffes like we see from these guys as often as we see them. It's still frustrating, but 22 - 25 year old kids are often still learning defense. Look at the Selke winners from the lockout onwards - only Toews at 24 won it under age 25 (Kesler and Bergeron both won it at 26). Defense is rarely a young man's game; it's about reading the play, thinking ahead of the game, making smart decisions in lieu of risky offensive ones and effort. You see that Matthews has the skills and hockey IQ to get there. So does Marner. I don't know enough about Kerfoot to say for sure, but as you say - my initial impression is also that he looks like he can.

One of those - I think Goat's - the guy was falling on his own, but the stick was there, so whatever. Spezza's was just lazy play. I don't understand how Kerfoot's is a penalty. Was he expected to sense the player skating towards him while he was down on all fours, and barrel roll out of the way?

I agree though that similar plays were ignored.

What I do find more curious is that of late interference is being a little more ignored. Not just Chara who is the human manifestation of interference, but in a lot of other plays. Some interference is minor, and that's fine - you expect picks or whatever - but some is more obvious and the refs are just ignoring it. But touch a guy's glove with your stick, and that's a penalty.

Maybe that's a good thing? The Leafs have not shown a lot of resilience at fighting through interfering teams. If they want to be successful, they'll need to play through that.
- Monkeypunk

Jones should have had 3 penalties in one shift in the last 5 minutes, 2 obvious cross checks on the goat and a trip on someone else. Shift before for the forth line Timashov is standing at his own blueline and a guy comes in behind and just drives his stick into the back of his skates and no call. Like how can a guy skate into a guy on sitting on the ice and trip over his stick and get a call but the play on Timashov is nothing lol.

And yea the call on the goat that led to the tying goal was phantom, Milano was falling on his own and freddy barely touched him. Reffing was brutal.

Johnsson's call was pretty weak too, everytime a guy shakes his hand is a penalty now. He barely touched Dubois.

I'm fine with calling the poop on the leafs but there has to be consistancy and there isn't right now

What happened with Barrie in ot? I think he must have dropped his stick and skated after it on puck drop. He completely took himself out of the play and left the guy on a brake away. I just laughed because it looked like he skated himself right out of the play.

I've been scoffing at the Fire Babcock train from a distance... I give him 10 more games and if he's still line matching in OT and/or playing Marincin then I'm hopping on and taking the controls.

Does anyone know how much right wing Mik played in the K? He is listed as a RW in his K stats and on NHL.com. I'm sure he could play it anyone but just curious as he would be a better fir with AM. Babs always talks about one guy to go get the puck, and he is more that guy than Nylander.

What happened with Barrie in ot? I think he must have dropped his stick and skated after it on puck drop. He completely took himself out of the play and left the guy on a brake away. I just laughed because it looked like he skated himself right out of the play.
- bryant

He is a tire fire defensively and thinks he's worth 8 a year.

Definitely. If we can trust that 3rd line defensively, it would be a huge bonus.

I expect defensive gaffes like we see from these guys as often as we see them. It's still frustrating, but 22 - 25 year old kids are often still learning defense. Look at the Selke winners from the lockout onwards - only Toews at 24 won it under age 25 (Kesler and Bergeron both won it at 26). Defense is rarely a young man's game; it's about reading the play, thinking ahead of the game, making smart decisions in lieu of risky offensive ones and effort. You see that Matthews has the skills and hockey IQ to get there. So does Marner. I don't know enough about Kerfoot to say for sure, but as you say - my initial impression is also that he looks like he can.
- Monkeypunk

Kerfoot's been better than I thought he was.. I agree the defensive side will improve, we saw that yesterday. Dubois goal was because Matthews let him go, but when he tried a similar move on Matthews in the 2nd period, Matthews didn't make the same mistake again.. Problem is there is still a lot of room to grow.

Marincin is 27 years old, what's his excuse? lol

Definitely. If we can trust that 3rd line defensively, it would be a huge bonus.

I expect defensive gaffes like we see from these guys as often as we see them. It's still frustrating, but 22 - 25 year old kids are often still learning defense. Look at the Selke winners from the lockout onwards - only Toews at 24 won it under age 25 (Kesler and Bergeron both won it at 26). Defense is rarely a young man's game; it's about reading the play, thinking ahead of the game, making smart decisions in lieu of risky offensive ones and effort. You see that Matthews has the skills and hockey IQ to get there. So does Marner. I don't know enough about Kerfoot to say for sure, but as you say - my initial impression is also that he looks like he can.
- Monkeypunk

Chicago also had a very deep and good defence core.

I've been scoffing at the Fire Babcock train from a distance... I give him 10 more games and if he's still line matching in OT and/or playing Marincin then I'm hopping on and taking the controls.
- markmark

We'll always blame the coach when things aren't going well and ignore him when things are. I don't love Babcock, and I wish he'd do a lot of things differently, but in NHL history only 28 coaches have coached more than 1000 games, and Babcock has the 2nd best winning percentage among them.

I agree about Marincin; he's been a dumpster fire the last couple of games. He needs to sit out and we should see if Gravel brings anything better than giveaways, icings, lost battles, and weak attempts at pokechecks.

Kerfoot's been better than I thought he was.. I agree the defensive side will improve, we saw that yesterday. Dubois goal was because Matthews let him go, but when he tried a similar move on Matthews in the 2nd period, Matthews didn't make the same mistake again.. Problem is there is still a lot of room to grow.

Marincin is 27 years old, what's his excuse? lol
- PatC80

There isn't one.

Marincin is the best example of a tweener I've ever seen. He's fantastic at the AHL level and completely outclassed at the NHL level.

Honestly the best thing for him would be to go to the KHL - it's probably right where he fits in. I don't say that to be a jackass, just trying to think of the pace of the game, and what would suit him best.

What happened with Barrie in ot? I think he must have dropped his stick and skated after it on puck drop. He completely took himself out of the play and left the guy on a brake away. I just laughed because it looked like he skated himself right out of the play.
- bryant

Well some of us did warn you Barrie had a tendency to have some brain farts defensively....

We'll always blame the coach when things aren't going well and ignore him when things are. I don't love Babcock, and I wish he'd do a lot of things differently, but in NHL history only 28 coaches have coached more than 1000 games, and Babcock has the 2nd best winning percentage among them.

I agree about Marincin; he's been a dumpster fire the last couple of games. He needs to sit out and we should see if Gravel brings anything better than giveaways, icings, lost battles, and weak attempts at pokechecks.
- Monkeypunk

- markmark

- markmark

That image almost looks like Marincin is hooking Andersen's stick..

- markmark

On that play, Dubois showed lots of strength going around Matthews and pushing through to the net.

On that play, Dubois showed lots of strength going around Matthews and pushing through to the net.
- Scabeh

Bullpoop. Matthews was thinking about Chipotle at the time.

On that play, Dubois showed lots of strength going around Matthews and pushing through to the net.
- Scabeh

Dubois plays a man's game. He's 21.

I don't like Nylander at all now vs opposing toplines.
He lacks urgency and does not work hard enough.
Maybe as a 3rd line centre he'll do better.
If not, trade him.
- MaximusAurelius

I agree he lacks urgency sometimes and is easily knocked off the puck. But putting him on 3rd line C is not a solution. Keep him at wing.

- markmark

Wow, just wow...

Freddy cant even do a proper butterfly with Marty's rear end in his face...

Unbelievable...

Go Babcock!

- markmark

Man that’s terrible. I can only imagine Andersen’s reaction....

Marincin showed a lot of courage and proved to be a real team player. Andersen is obviously taking a poop, Marincin went in the dirty area and took one for the team to try to prevent a goal on his goalie too busy dropping a deuce in his equipment.

- markmark

And of course, Nylander is completely invisible in this photo...