State of the (Leafs) Nation
Just had hell of a week, work-wise. As far as my day job getting in the way of my fan-blogging, the past week or so has been the worst. It's almost the new baseball season around these parts. I went out to some preseason games, interviewing about 20 players and coaches this past week for stories of varying depths and lengths.
I am an introvert. Talking to strangers and getting them to say something mildly interesting is a big part of my job, and it can be mentally draining for people like me. A lot of the players I interviewed were either rookies or first-year imports from the U.S. that I had obviously never met before. In these settings, even a five-minute conversation can take its toll on me. Extroverts would never be able to relate.
Anyway, by the time the kids were asleep at night and I finally had some moments on my own, I was too exhausted.
In all honesty, given the way the Leafs have been playing of late, it's perhaps a good thing for my mental health that I haven't had time to follow the boys.
The Raptors haven't played as many games. Had a stinker against the Cavs, which I missed and chose not to re-watch for obvious reasons. The win over the LA LeBrons was kinda meh.
As for the Leafs, I wrote in my previous post about how I felt we were in cruise control because we were virtually guaranteed a playoff spot out of the division.
After starting the month of March by winning three out of four, maybe some complacency has indeed crept its way into the dressing room.
We were absolutely schooled by the Lightning 6-2 on Tuesday. As I was watching the Bolts methodically pick apart our defense, I kept going to back to an earlier blog post where I wrote something to the extent... "I don't think we can beat the Bruins but we're matched up better against the Lightning in a seven-game series."
So much for that. I don't know if we can beat either team in a playoff series the way we're playing now.
We went down 4-0 in that game at home. The built-in excuse was that we had just come home from a Western Canada trip. I don't know about that, 'cause we had one day off before playing Tampa.
After such a disheartening loss, you'd think the Leafs would come out with a better effort the next game, which came two days later against Chicago. And you'd be wrong.
We got into a 4-0 hole again, all four goals coming in the opening period. We fought back and ended up losing only by one goal at 5-4.
The boys played some inspired hockey in the third period, but the question begs: Why couldn't have they played that type of hockey from the opening puck drop? Do you have to be down by three, four goals to start skating?
We got outplayed by Tampa. We beat ourselves against the Blackhawks.
Freddie Andersen started both games and got pulled in both. That was the first time in his career he was yanked in two straight starts. He may have been in some Vezina conversation (the race seems particularly wide open this season) but these stinkers this late in the season don't help his case at all.
Freddie got another start against the Flyers and ended up letting in six goals on just 29 shots. His teammates bailed him out with seven goals from 51 shots in a wild victory on home ice.
If nothing else, that game was fun to watch. Purists will always say that type of firewagon hockey won't win you games in the playoffs. I beg to differ. Anytime you can score seven goals on an opponent, I think you have a strong chance of winning a few games in the playoffs.
This Leafs team isn't built to engage teams in a grinding, defensive game. Even with Gardiner and Dermott back in the fold, the 2018-2019 Leafs will never be mistaken for a strong defensive team of yore, like the turn-of-the-century Devils or Stars. Scoring six, seven goals and giving up six, seven goals is who we are.
Granted, it's one thing to put up a seven-spot on the Flyers, who had a 5-2 lead at one point. It's another to try to do the same on the Bruins or the Bolts. Our defense isn't going to improve overnight, but competing with more effort wouldn't hurt. For me, losing itself isn't as frustrating as looking terrible while losing. And that's exactly what's happened this week.
The big blow for me was the loss to thereally bad guys Ottawa Senators. I hate the Sens even more than the Habs, and I understand "hate" is a strong word. Giving up six goals to those guys is absolutely unacceptable.
This is far from ideal, playing so poorly with only 10 games left in the regular season. Forget talks about trying to get past the Bruins for the home ice in the inevitable first round series. We've been so terrible at home lately that it just won't matter if we even have the home ice advantage in that series. We'll probably get swept!!
If it sounds like I am panicking, that's because I am. Actually, more so than panicking, I just feel resigned: that we will lose to Boston in the opening round again and that we're in for another long summer and that the drought will continue, etc, etc.
There's this sense of, "Ugh, here we go again..." Got Nashville coming up for the first game of this week. Could be ugly.
I am an introvert. Talking to strangers and getting them to say something mildly interesting is a big part of my job, and it can be mentally draining for people like me. A lot of the players I interviewed were either rookies or first-year imports from the U.S. that I had obviously never met before. In these settings, even a five-minute conversation can take its toll on me. Extroverts would never be able to relate.
Anyway, by the time the kids were asleep at night and I finally had some moments on my own, I was too exhausted.
In all honesty, given the way the Leafs have been playing of late, it's perhaps a good thing for my mental health that I haven't had time to follow the boys.
The Raptors haven't played as many games. Had a stinker against the Cavs, which I missed and chose not to re-watch for obvious reasons. The win over the LA LeBrons was kinda meh.
As for the Leafs, I wrote in my previous post about how I felt we were in cruise control because we were virtually guaranteed a playoff spot out of the division.
After starting the month of March by winning three out of four, maybe some complacency has indeed crept its way into the dressing room.
We were absolutely schooled by the Lightning 6-2 on Tuesday. As I was watching the Bolts methodically pick apart our defense, I kept going to back to an earlier blog post where I wrote something to the extent... "I don't think we can beat the Bruins but we're matched up better against the Lightning in a seven-game series."
So much for that. I don't know if we can beat either team in a playoff series the way we're playing now.
We went down 4-0 in that game at home. The built-in excuse was that we had just come home from a Western Canada trip. I don't know about that, 'cause we had one day off before playing Tampa.
After such a disheartening loss, you'd think the Leafs would come out with a better effort the next game, which came two days later against Chicago. And you'd be wrong.
We got into a 4-0 hole again, all four goals coming in the opening period. We fought back and ended up losing only by one goal at 5-4.
The boys played some inspired hockey in the third period, but the question begs: Why couldn't have they played that type of hockey from the opening puck drop? Do you have to be down by three, four goals to start skating?
We got outplayed by Tampa. We beat ourselves against the Blackhawks.
Freddie Andersen started both games and got pulled in both. That was the first time in his career he was yanked in two straight starts. He may have been in some Vezina conversation (the race seems particularly wide open this season) but these stinkers this late in the season don't help his case at all.
Freddie got another start against the Flyers and ended up letting in six goals on just 29 shots. His teammates bailed him out with seven goals from 51 shots in a wild victory on home ice.
If nothing else, that game was fun to watch. Purists will always say that type of firewagon hockey won't win you games in the playoffs. I beg to differ. Anytime you can score seven goals on an opponent, I think you have a strong chance of winning a few games in the playoffs.
This Leafs team isn't built to engage teams in a grinding, defensive game. Even with Gardiner and Dermott back in the fold, the 2018-2019 Leafs will never be mistaken for a strong defensive team of yore, like the turn-of-the-century Devils or Stars. Scoring six, seven goals and giving up six, seven goals is who we are.
Granted, it's one thing to put up a seven-spot on the Flyers, who had a 5-2 lead at one point. It's another to try to do the same on the Bruins or the Bolts. Our defense isn't going to improve overnight, but competing with more effort wouldn't hurt. For me, losing itself isn't as frustrating as looking terrible while losing. And that's exactly what's happened this week.
The big blow for me was the loss to the
This is far from ideal, playing so poorly with only 10 games left in the regular season. Forget talks about trying to get past the Bruins for the home ice in the inevitable first round series. We've been so terrible at home lately that it just won't matter if we even have the home ice advantage in that series. We'll probably get swept!!
If it sounds like I am panicking, that's because I am. Actually, more so than panicking, I just feel resigned: that we will lose to Boston in the opening round again and that we're in for another long summer and that the drought will continue, etc, etc.
There's this sense of, "Ugh, here we go again..." Got Nashville coming up for the first game of this week. Could be ugly.
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