Step in the Right Direction
As in news writing, context is important when judging a sports team's performance in a particular game.
The Leafs lost to the Predators 3-0. If you didn't watch the Leafs stumble their way through a recent four-game stretch, in which the boys served up 23 goals, you'd be tempted to conclude, "Oh, jeez, we got shut out. What a terrible game."
And this is where context comes in. After watching us lose to the Ottawa Senators 6-2 (FREAKIN' OTTAWA SENATORS!@#$) and going down by three, four, five goals to every opponent over the past week, I was at least somewhat encouraged by the Leafs' defensive effort in this game.
And no, it's not just a matter of lowered expectations or the cynical fan in me rising to the surface. The boys, short on D-men et al, really put in a solid defensive effort. Held the Preds to just 20 shots, including two in the air-tight second period. The last goal was an empty-netter.
It wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing game to watch, to be honest. But I also understand this is the type of game the Leafs and virtually every other team will play in the playoffs (quite often, if not in every game and every series). In other words, it's not the brand of hockey that the Leafs had been playing recently before traveling to Nashville.
The biggest takeaway for me is that we showed we're at least capable of playing this type of hockey. That we lost this one doesn't really matter to me. Sure, it would have been nice to keep pace with the Bruins, who shut out the Isles 5-0 to move 6 points clear of the Leafs. But this was a step in the right direction. Two of our top-four defensemen, Gardiner and Dermott, are still sidelined. I don't think we can say with confidence that their presence would have prevented the debacle of a week we just had (really, it was a total team effort in the worst possible way, and two D-men alone wouldn't have made much of an impact) but it would have been certainly nice to have either of them in the lineup.
The first goal came after a terrible giveaway by Jake Muzzin, who has put up some decent offensive numbers but has otherwise been terrible in his own zone in recent games. This wasn't the first Muzzin turnover that resulted in an goal in games this month. With Gardiner and Dermott out, maybe Muzz is putting a lot of pressure on himself and is trying to do too much when he has the puck deep in the D-zone. He isn't the same D-man that he had been when he first arrived. Any goal or assist from him is a bonus; he's being paid to stop others from scoring.
Ozhiganov and Hainsey botched their coverage on the second goal by Simmonds. We could have easily cleared the puck out of the zone before Ellis got a hold of it on the right wing and just flung it toward the top of the crease. Freddie was hung out to dry on that one.
Rinne made some great saves at the other end, including one on JT that would have tied the score at 1-1. Not much you can do when you run into a hot goalie.
Now, on a closing thought... Pre-game, Kadri said, "Oh, this is nothing, this is nothing. I've been around for much darker days."
I can see why he's saying these things to the media. Seems to be his attempt to lift some pressure off himself and his teammates. To put himself in a more positive/optimistic mindset, etc.
But if this is what he's really thinking, I am not sure if it's the right mindset for the longest-tenured player on a team trying to win the damn championship.
Call me old school, but I'd rather hear someone in Kadri's position say things like, "Man, we've been terrible. We've got to get our acts together. This is no time to be playing like this. I've told the guys we have to be better than this."
I don't have the pulse of that dressing room. I don't know what things have been said behind those doors. But I have a feeling more than a few Leafs fans would agree with me here.
No, Naz, this wasn't "nothing." This only sounds like you weren't treating these defeats seriously. Not saying those were life or death, but with the playoffs just around the corner, that stretch was the last thing we fans wanted to see.
We'll get Buffalo, Rangers, Florida, Flyers and Ottawa to close out March. If I may get greedy, that should be a five-game winning streak for us. If we don't win at least three of those five games, I'll be really mad.
The Leafs lost to the Predators 3-0. If you didn't watch the Leafs stumble their way through a recent four-game stretch, in which the boys served up 23 goals, you'd be tempted to conclude, "Oh, jeez, we got shut out. What a terrible game."
And this is where context comes in. After watching us lose to the Ottawa Senators 6-2 (FREAKIN' OTTAWA SENATORS!@#$) and going down by three, four, five goals to every opponent over the past week, I was at least somewhat encouraged by the Leafs' defensive effort in this game.
And no, it's not just a matter of lowered expectations or the cynical fan in me rising to the surface. The boys, short on D-men et al, really put in a solid defensive effort. Held the Preds to just 20 shots, including two in the air-tight second period. The last goal was an empty-netter.
It wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing game to watch, to be honest. But I also understand this is the type of game the Leafs and virtually every other team will play in the playoffs (quite often, if not in every game and every series). In other words, it's not the brand of hockey that the Leafs had been playing recently before traveling to Nashville.
The biggest takeaway for me is that we showed we're at least capable of playing this type of hockey. That we lost this one doesn't really matter to me. Sure, it would have been nice to keep pace with the Bruins, who shut out the Isles 5-0 to move 6 points clear of the Leafs. But this was a step in the right direction. Two of our top-four defensemen, Gardiner and Dermott, are still sidelined. I don't think we can say with confidence that their presence would have prevented the debacle of a week we just had (really, it was a total team effort in the worst possible way, and two D-men alone wouldn't have made much of an impact) but it would have been certainly nice to have either of them in the lineup.
The first goal came after a terrible giveaway by Jake Muzzin, who has put up some decent offensive numbers but has otherwise been terrible in his own zone in recent games. This wasn't the first Muzzin turnover that resulted in an goal in games this month. With Gardiner and Dermott out, maybe Muzz is putting a lot of pressure on himself and is trying to do too much when he has the puck deep in the D-zone. He isn't the same D-man that he had been when he first arrived. Any goal or assist from him is a bonus; he's being paid to stop others from scoring.
Ozhiganov and Hainsey botched their coverage on the second goal by Simmonds. We could have easily cleared the puck out of the zone before Ellis got a hold of it on the right wing and just flung it toward the top of the crease. Freddie was hung out to dry on that one.
Rinne made some great saves at the other end, including one on JT that would have tied the score at 1-1. Not much you can do when you run into a hot goalie.
Now, on a closing thought... Pre-game, Kadri said, "Oh, this is nothing, this is nothing. I've been around for much darker days."
I can see why he's saying these things to the media. Seems to be his attempt to lift some pressure off himself and his teammates. To put himself in a more positive/optimistic mindset, etc.
But if this is what he's really thinking, I am not sure if it's the right mindset for the longest-tenured player on a team trying to win the damn championship.
Call me old school, but I'd rather hear someone in Kadri's position say things like, "Man, we've been terrible. We've got to get our acts together. This is no time to be playing like this. I've told the guys we have to be better than this."
I don't have the pulse of that dressing room. I don't know what things have been said behind those doors. But I have a feeling more than a few Leafs fans would agree with me here.
No, Naz, this wasn't "nothing." This only sounds like you weren't treating these defeats seriously. Not saying those were life or death, but with the playoffs just around the corner, that stretch was the last thing we fans wanted to see.
We'll get Buffalo, Rangers, Florida, Flyers and Ottawa to close out March. If I may get greedy, that should be a five-game winning streak for us. If we don't win at least three of those five games, I'll be really mad.
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