Leafs Beating Champs
The Leafs have just completed a wild back-to-back swing. Saturday morning, coming off an All-Star break and a bye week, the boys looked so flat in losing 3-2 to the Wings in Detroit. We were predictably sluggish out of the gate, but even accounting for all that rust and cobwebs, it was one of the worst games I've watched this season, effort-wise.
Then we came home, up against Sid the Kid and Co. Went down 2-0 early but fought back to win it 3-2. It was a polar opposite to the previous game. We were all over the other guys in the 2nd period while scoring twice. And keeping the Pens at bay and preserving the lead in the 3rd was just as impressive. Effort-wise, this was heck of a game.
So dating back to a gratifying W over the Caps before the break, we've now defeated the winners of the past 3 Stanley Cups on home ice.
A few observations:
Muzzin' 1st Game at Home
I stayed away from commenting on the Jake Muzzin trade because I didn't want to get too excited before the new guy even played a game for us. On paper, I must say it looked like a solid deal, bordering on a steal. We only had to give up our minor league prospects and a pick for an established D-man, just the type of deal I like. But again, I didn't want to get carried away with on-paper stuff. I needed to see more on-ice stuff.
I thought he looked steady against the Wings. Then in his home debut, Muzz looked more in sync with the D-corps. Had a solid hit on Jake Guentzel to draw loud cheers, too.
I can't find the video of that play, but it was seemingly an ordinary body check. Hits like that happen all the time in hockey. But we've had so few of them this season that when fans saw it, they probably had to pinch themselves. Holy cow, we finally have a defenseman who takes out an opposing forward!
Not a flashy guy by any means, but by advanced statistics, Muzz checks all the boxes. A player like him wouldn't have been as valued in the past, when people didn't have the resources to properly evaluate such players.
Anyway, I am glad he's on our team. I guess he's the left-handed, better version of Roman Polak on our blue line.
Effort Goals
I really liked how we scored the equalizer and the winner in the 2nd period.
Take a look at the tying goal.
Marleau beats Sid cleanly on the face-off, with Crosby gassed after an icing during an already extended shift. Textbook execution after the clean win, D-to-D pass, and Dermott beat Murray with the one-timer. Impressed that Marleau, who's not a center, won that draw so convincingly against such a good face-off man.
Then the winner was a great effort goal by Hyman.
A nifty give-and-go between Marner and Mo, and then Hyman kicks the loose puck to himself for a shot as he falls down. Battling Kris Letang, no less.
We need more of those. We have played somewhat down to the level of the competition (losses to Arizona, Florida, etc) but have now beat 3 straight quality opponents in Tampa, Caps and Pens.
A somewhat similar situation with the Raptors. During our recent loss to the Bucks, Matty D and Jack were talking about the Raptors' records vs. playoff teams as opposed to non-playoff teams. I don't recall the exact number, but we have been somewhat mediocre against teams not in playoff position.
But Jack Armstrong made a great point: You're not playing those guys come playoff time.
Now, tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday. The game starts at 8:30 a.m. my time. But it will just be "the day when the Raptors host the Clippers (a.k.a. Kawhi's future team) at 5 a.m." day for me.
Then we came home, up against Sid the Kid and Co. Went down 2-0 early but fought back to win it 3-2. It was a polar opposite to the previous game. We were all over the other guys in the 2nd period while scoring twice. And keeping the Pens at bay and preserving the lead in the 3rd was just as impressive. Effort-wise, this was heck of a game.
So dating back to a gratifying W over the Caps before the break, we've now defeated the winners of the past 3 Stanley Cups on home ice.
A few observations:
Muzzin' 1st Game at Home
I stayed away from commenting on the Jake Muzzin trade because I didn't want to get too excited before the new guy even played a game for us. On paper, I must say it looked like a solid deal, bordering on a steal. We only had to give up our minor league prospects and a pick for an established D-man, just the type of deal I like. But again, I didn't want to get carried away with on-paper stuff. I needed to see more on-ice stuff.
I thought he looked steady against the Wings. Then in his home debut, Muzz looked more in sync with the D-corps. Had a solid hit on Jake Guentzel to draw loud cheers, too.
I can't find the video of that play, but it was seemingly an ordinary body check. Hits like that happen all the time in hockey. But we've had so few of them this season that when fans saw it, they probably had to pinch themselves. Holy cow, we finally have a defenseman who takes out an opposing forward!
Not a flashy guy by any means, but by advanced statistics, Muzz checks all the boxes. A player like him wouldn't have been as valued in the past, when people didn't have the resources to properly evaluate such players.
Anyway, I am glad he's on our team. I guess he's the left-handed, better version of Roman Polak on our blue line.
Effort Goals
I really liked how we scored the equalizer and the winner in the 2nd period.
Take a look at the tying goal.
Marleau beats Sid cleanly on the face-off, with Crosby gassed after an icing during an already extended shift. Textbook execution after the clean win, D-to-D pass, and Dermott beat Murray with the one-timer. Impressed that Marleau, who's not a center, won that draw so convincingly against such a good face-off man.
Then the winner was a great effort goal by Hyman.
A nifty give-and-go between Marner and Mo, and then Hyman kicks the loose puck to himself for a shot as he falls down. Battling Kris Letang, no less.
We need more of those. We have played somewhat down to the level of the competition (losses to Arizona, Florida, etc) but have now beat 3 straight quality opponents in Tampa, Caps and Pens.
A somewhat similar situation with the Raptors. During our recent loss to the Bucks, Matty D and Jack were talking about the Raptors' records vs. playoff teams as opposed to non-playoff teams. I don't recall the exact number, but we have been somewhat mediocre against teams not in playoff position.
But Jack Armstrong made a great point: You're not playing those guys come playoff time.
Now, tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday. The game starts at 8:30 a.m. my time. But it will just be "the day when the Raptors host the Clippers (a.k.a. Kawhi's future team) at 5 a.m." day for me.
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