MICHAEL DISTEFANO
@mickey_canuck
·
11h
Justin Holl (16% xGF) really struggled in his own zone tonight. He was on the ice for 6GA, outshot 19-5, and gave up 21 scoring chances-- 12 of which were high-danger. Granted, Holl did lead the team with over 7 mins of PK time... but gotta wonder if Lilly enters the chat in G2.

________________________

If Liljegren isn't in next game, Keefe needs to be (frank)ing smacked.
- GreatGigInTheSky

Holl is giving a press conference right now. He has been promoted to 1D.

They didn't look nervous - they were nervous. The negativity is born out of the fans' experiences with this team. Honestly - what in the blue (frank) do you expect from fans? It may just be, Wedgie, that these 'nice things' you're always going on about - that are fun for you to watch razzle dazzle on a Tuesday in November - are not really as nice as you think they are come playoff time.
- fifty__missions

Man you're one of the annoying fans. You're always on the side of "being right". You were super negative when the team loses but when the team wins you all of a sudden believe. Which is it? Like if the leafs win a series I don't want to see you say 'I had faith all along!' because you clearly don't and think this team doesn't have the ability.

MICHAEL DISTEFANO
@mickey_canuck
·
11h
Justin Holl (16% xGF) really struggled in his own zone tonight. He was on the ice for 6GA, outshot 19-5, and gave up 21 scoring chances-- 12 of which were high-danger. Granted, Holl did lead the team with over 7 mins of PK time... but gotta wonder if Lilly enters the chat in G2.

________________________

If Liljegren isn't in next game, Keefe needs to be (frank)ing smacked.
- GreatGigInTheSky

all I know, is all the juggling wont work

TB in 4

I'm convinced our reaction to last night's game is why Leafs fans (and all Canadian teams' fans) can't have nice things.

They stunk. They looked far too nervous, imho.

But we lost the first game of a game of 7, and the pitchforks are out and the torches have been lit.

FFS, the crushing negativity in this town is at an all-time high.
- Atomic Wedgie

……well it’s not just that they lost the 1st game of game of 7!! It’s years and years of the same old crap, and here we go again. That’s what it is! On top of that if the Leafs play like last night there is going to be no game 7, there’s going to be 4 games! The way Sammy looked last night we need Woll to come up and do a Ken Dryden to have a chance.

MICHAEL DISTEFANO
@mickey_canuck
·
11h
Justin Holl (16% xGF) really struggled in his own zone tonight. He was on the ice for 6GA, outshot 19-5, and gave up 21 scoring chances-- 12 of which were high-danger. Granted, Holl did lead the team with over 7 mins of PK time... but gotta wonder if Lilly enters the chat in G2.

________________________

If Liljegren isn't in next game, Keefe needs to be (frank)ing smacked.
- GreatGigInTheSky

I hope you brought your boxing gloves

Not sure what you're supposed to expect to see when you jump onto a Leafs forum after a game like last night. Thoughtful discourse and a pragmatic critical breakdown of the loss?

Fan forums are always dumpster fires.
- mjones242

Unless you talk to other fan bases. They think/say it's only leaf fans. No one else.

MICHAEL DISTEFANO
@mickey_canuck
·
11h
Justin Holl (16% xGF) really struggled in his own zone tonight. He was on the ice for 6GA, outshot 19-5, and gave up 21 scoring chances-- 12 of which were high-danger. Granted, Holl did lead the team with over 7 mins of PK time... but gotta wonder if Lilly enters the chat in G2.

________________________

If Liljegren isn't in next game, Keefe needs to be (frank)ing smacked.
- GreatGigInTheSky

Could've been worse eh

The idea of a team being able to ban a ref from their games due to a “suspected” biased attitude towards them is so (frank)ing stupid.

Every team in the league would start whining about refs in any way they could to try to control who refs their games.

Team: he’s buddies with the guy who sharpens the skates for the opposition

League: oh well we better pick someone else then, how about this guy?

Away team: oh he openly critiqued one of our sponsors on Twitter

League: oh, better get another guy then

They guy is either an acceptable ref for 32 teams or 0 of them. That’s how it works folks.

Man you're one of the annoying fans. You're always on the side of "being right". You were super negative when the team loses but when the team wins you all of a sudden believe. Which is it? Like if the leafs win a series I don't want to see you say 'I had faith all along!' because you clearly don't and think this team doesn't have the ability.
- Aaron_85

I'm saying I have no (frank)ing clue. All I know for a fact with this group is a history of catastrophic failure.

Unless you talk to other fan bases. They think/say it's only leaf fans. No one else.
- Aaron_85

Large fanbase have a tendency of being emotional. The people on HB tend to be very passionate so you don't get a lot of "neutral" opinions, it's black or white depending on the situation. No different with the Habs really.

Sheldon Keefe tweaking top three lines this morning in anticipation of a Bunting suspension:

Järnkrok – Matthews – Marner
Kerfoot – Tavares – Nylander
Knies – O'Reilly – Acciari
Aston-Reese – Kämpf – Lafferty

McCabe – Brodie
Giordano – Holl
Rielly – Schenn

https://twitter.com/lukef...&t=xdbwDZlJpKsy8vg5wHUWXg


Don’t like kerfoot in the top 6. Other than that the forward line looks fine.

Holl should come out for liljegren
- bryant

All world stupid that this isn't happening.

Holl on for 6 goal…

And I’m still trying to figure out how Schenn gets a penalty for a one-armed shove. Literally happens 30 times a game. Not sure what the refs were looking at…

The idea of a team being able to ban a ref from their games due to a “suspected” biased attitude towards them is so (frank)ing stupid.

Every team in the league would start whining about refs in any way they could to try to control who refs their games.

Team: he’s buddies with the guy who sharpens the skates for the opposition

League: oh well we better pick someone else then, how about this guy?

Away team: oh he openly critiqued one of our sponsors on Twitter

League: oh, better get another guy then

They guy is either an acceptable ref for 32 teams or 0 of them. That’s how it works folks.
- Dozzer

A serious court case is not the same as making a tweet.

No one is banning anyone, its a simple idea that you choose one of the 16 other refs approved for playoffs.

It was 3-2, and we had all the momentum. The building was rocking.

And then Bunting pulled a Bunting.
- Atomic Wedgie

Wasn't that after the "slash" and the "crosscheck" penalties?

Or did I drink too much and not remember the order things happened in last night? (very possible)

The idea of a team being able to ban a ref from their games due to a “suspected” biased attitude towards them is so (frank)ing stupid.

Every team in the league would start whining about refs in any way they could to try to control who refs their games.

Team: he’s buddies with the guy who sharpens the skates for the opposition

League: oh well we better pick someone else then, how about this guy?

Away team: oh he openly critiqued one of our sponsors on Twitter

League: oh, better get another guy then

They guy is either an acceptable ref for 32 teams or 0 of them. That’s how it works folks.
- Dozzer

I agree with you 100% on the point that having teams trying to whine about bias - but this was a legit out of the nhl legal messed up case that actually took place. It’s different than a coach or GM feeling like the ref doesn’t like them

But why not? If they are short officials sure ...but they're not. Don't create a concern where none is necessary.

You might be the most impartial judge in all of the land but you'll never sit in front of your kiddo and hold court. There's just no need to create the questions.
- The Law

Ok, I give in. (Just saw the Keefe/McCauley numbers)

I agree with that, yes, the momentum had shifted.

But that also is my point. They came out flat, fell behind quick, and then had to play catch up. That's not a good template to win games, whether the refs are for/against you or not.

Leafs have a better roster and team on paper. Blaming the refs is warranted. But giving up a goal like Bellemare's less than 90 seconds into the game was not on the refs.
- PDO-Speedwagon

Frankly, again I've defended Holl a lot, but that wasn't on the Leafs as much as it was on him. ZAR's turnover was poop but that happens to a team dozens of times a game. Leafs had them covered. Just play the body and control Perry behind the net ..easy stuff. Nope ..whiff.

Down 1 early was so Leafy ....that had to contribute to the nerves that lead to the next goal.

Holl might still be the right decision going forward but Keefe and the staff had better sit him down and watch that lowlight a dozen times with him. It's the playoffs ...take the body ...make the simple play. Every (frank)ing time.

I sit in that end so I was watching the play build and I see Perry ..I see Holl ...I start to rise cuz I expect the hit (I'm sure most people in the building did) ..I put my hand on my beer so I don't spill on the guy in front of me while celebrating Perry's heavy landing .....and then whiff ...he's past him and it's in the net. Uggh

Holl knew it was all on him ...he had his head down skating off and sitting on the bench for quite a while. Fack!

Doesn't matter, the head is the principal point of contact. I'm not saying he wanted to hit him in the head, but the end result doesn't look pretty.
- Scabeh

No it isn't and you know it. His head snaps back because of the weight (energy) transfer through his chest; whiplash basically. I've watched a bunch of angles and that was a clean hit.

I don’t know that I’d have a blanket no McCauley-Keefe games. Is there any pattern/complaints in the games he’s reffed previously? I do think the league should have exercised better judgement in having him ref the first game of this series. (He did game 7 last year lol)
- Canada Cup

Keefe got fined $25,000 earlier this season because of him.

Daughter had a hockey tryout (sorry, not a tryout - just a skate!) so I punted the tix to a friend, and made arrangements to go to game 2.

20 minutes after I did that, got word that a woman who has been friends with my wife and I for 40 years lost her fight with cancer. Her celebration of life is Thursday night, and it's more important than any Leafs game.

Frank cancer.
- Atomic Wedgie

Sucks, man.

Agreed. (frank) cancer.

MICHAEL DISTEFANO
@mickey_canuck
·
11h
Justin Holl (16% xGF) really struggled in his own zone tonight. He was on the ice for 6GA, outshot 19-5, and gave up 21 scoring chances-- 12 of which were high-danger. Granted, Holl did lead the team with over 7 mins of PK time... but gotta wonder if Lilly enters the chat in G2.

________________________

If Liljegren isn't in next game, Keefe needs to be (frank)ing smacked.
- GreatGigInTheSky

I was prepared for a Lilly sighting but this guy using PK stats to make his point is pretty weaksauce.

Keefe got fined $25,000 earlier this season because of him.
- GreatGigInTheSky

or Keefe got fined because of the actions of Keefe

So apparently Wes made the game 7 ‘pick’ call last year??? LOLOLOL

The idea of a team being able to ban a ref from their games due to a “suspected” biased attitude towards them is so (frank)ing stupid.

Every team in the league would start whining about refs in any way they could to try to control who refs their games.

Team: he’s buddies with the guy who sharpens the skates for the opposition

League: oh well we better pick someone else then, how about this guy?

Away team: oh he openly critiqued one of our sponsors on Twitter

League: oh, better get another guy then

They guy is either an acceptable ref for 32 teams or 0 of them. That’s how it works folks.
- Dozzer

...said nobody ever.

Keefe got fined $25,000 earlier this season because of him.
- GreatGigInTheSky

The elephant in the room is that the NHL reffing is terrible and they don't have a plan to fix it. It's one of the reasons why this is a bush league and will always be that way.

If players, coaches, and long-time fans who have watched 1000s of hours of hockey can't tell what a penalty is or isn't any more, then you have a major problem.

Teams are literally trying to test the waters early on in games (hell, even periods), to see how the game is going to be called: tight, loose, lopsided?

Spin the Wheel of Justice and (frank) around and find out.

Like they should just fully embrace the game management and make sure the calls are even at the end of the game. Tit for tat, because if they're going to call a Schenn shove a cross-check and a Kampf phantom slash (followed by another "slash" that wasn't called), surely they can find something else to call to even it up.

Just go with it. What have you got to lose? We're at rock bottom right now, nowhere to go but up.

What pisses me off is the media -- they have no problem poopting all over the Leafs, but can't write a story and question the refs or Bettman about the lopsided penalty differential the Leafs have had for years now? But they have no problem selling their souls to the gambling empire who are just printing money off the backs of their fans.