Leafs' Regular Season Recap, and More...
The Leafs ended the 2018-2019 regular season with a 6-5 shootout loss to the Canadiens in Montreal today.
I had to be in the office for a weekend shift. Had the game on but couldn't really pay full attention to the game.
Did manage to watch most of the first period on my way to work. It was a contest between a team bound for the playoffs and a team that just missed out, and predictably, it was pretty loose and wide open from the start. Plenty of pucks going into the net on either end.
In a game like this, the best you can hope for as a fan of the team going to the playoffs is for your players to stay on their feet. All game long, I was too distracted by this lingering thought, "Please, don't get hurt." At least we rested four D-men for this one.
It's too bad you can't "bench" your top guns in garbage time in hockey. In basketball, you can kill the last whatever minutes of a blowout by sending your scrubs to the floor. In hockey, you can play your fourth line all you want, but no single line can play an entire period alone. Unless you call up a bunch of guys from the minors, you still have to play your top dogs in these meaningless, late-season games.
Speaking of meaningless contests, it's really difficult to get worked up about them. That's why I didn't mind missing a big chunk of this particular game.
Rather than discussing the game, I am going to give my recap of the regular season this time. The playoff preview will come in a couple of days.
Another 100-point Season But...
By securing that one point in the loss to Montreal, we finished the season at exactly 100 points. This is the first time in franchise history that the Leafs have reached the century mark in points in consecutive seasons.
That should count for something. Obviously, playoff success is what ultimately matters, but you have to play those 82 games and do well to even get to the postseason, right? And collecting 100 points in back-to-back seasons is no mean feat.
While I am at it, I looked things up and learned that seven teams have done it these past two seasons, five of them in the Eastern Conference. (Tampa, Boston, Washington, Pittsburgh, Nashville and San Jose are others. You're welcome.)
Expectations for the Leafs were far higher for this season than the last, the biggest reason being we signed John Tavares, only the most sought-after free agent last summer, to a long-term deal. Plus, the young nucleus of Matthews, Marner and Nylander were all entering their third season (for Nylander, third full season after appearing in 22 games in 2015-2016) and it seemed like the sky would be the limit as far as their offensive production.
To sum the season, though, I'll have to resort to the cliche: it was an up-and-down year.
Up, as in the fast start to the season, with the Leafs occupying the first place in the NHL after 20 games (14-6-0) even without Nylander, who missed the early part of the season with a contract dispute.
Down, as in, pretty much the rest of the season, most notably the mid- to late-March swoon when we were giving up goals in every way possible. Losing to Tampa 6-2, 'Hawks 5-4, Ottawa 6-2, Nashville 3-0, Flyers 5-4 and Senators again 4-2... Ugh, just typing these scores makes me want to puke.
As a team, just looking at not-so-advanced numbers, we scored more and also gave up more goals than last season. Both our power play and penalty kill were worse than the previous season, for what it's worth.
We have seven 20-goal scorers this season, with Kapanen hitting the mark in the season finale, and no other team can boast that claim. (Tampa has five, but three of them are 40-goal scorers!)
We closed out losing three out of four games in April. Granted, some of these late games had little playoff implications for us, but it's not ideal to be losing so much heading into the playoffs. I am not a big believer in Big Mo, but losing has been too frequent for these Leafs lately.
Memorable Moments
I don't know if I should feel proud of it, but I reckon I've watched anywhere between 75 and 80 games this season.
Since the calendar turned to 2019, I don't think the Leafs have had too many wins over quality opponents. I came up with these three: beating the Capitals 6-3 on Jan. 23, 6-3 over Vegas on Feb. 14 and pounding the Flames 6-2 on March 4.
But my favorite game of the season came quite early: Game No. 3, in fact, a 7-6 OT win over Chicago.
Tavares had his first hat trick as a Leaf, and Rielly scored the OT winner. But they weren't even the biggest stars of the game.
The show belonged to Auston Matthews and Patrick Kane, who combined for the last three goals in regulation in
It was such an insane, intense finish to regulation. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED Matthews' celebration, the "I can't hear you" gesture with his hand cupped around his ear. I ALSO LOVED Kane's mocking of that celly in response with his equalizer just moments later to send the game to OT.
Of course, hockey being such an uptight sport with emphasis on "respecting" the game et al, Matthews, um, heard a few things about that celebration. He toned it down and we never saw another celly like that again the rest of the season.
That's a loss for hockey, if you ask me. One of the game's brightest young stars showing his emotions in the heat of the competition... And two great American players going at it, too. That's really should have been a signature moment on both sides of the border. Instead, we get folks like Don Cherry screaming, "This stuff has no place in hockey!" or things to that extent. Hockey needs to relax.
Some other memorable moments... Andreas Johnsson's hat trick against the Flyers in a 6-0 win at home, which spelled doom for their front office... Tavares scoring his first goal against the Islanders at Nassau to silence the hostile crowd in his second trip there... A bunch of Matthews' OT winners... Putting on a power play clinic against the Golden Knights... Marner working his magic with Hyman and JT night in and night out... Kapanen getting his 20th goal in the regular season finale... Muzzin landing a big body check, drawing a retaliatory penalty and scoring on the ensuing power play in his first home game as a Leaf...
Well, I guess there have been quite a few.
Stars
Tavares set career highs in goals (47) and points (88) and was by far the most consistent Leaf this season. Never went through a slump. Always reliable.
Marner had the most assists (68) and points (94) on the team. You may say playing with JT helped with his point total, but I'd say it's the other way around! JT was able to score 47 because he played with Marner, and JT scored 37 of those goals at even strength (NHL best), meaning on most of them, Marner was on the ice with him, either getting an assist or getting involved in the scoring play in some way.
A bit of a mixed bag for Matthews, because he was injured again and missed 14 games. He was on a crazy roll before he got hurt. It wasn't going to be sustainable, but he surely would have threatened the 50-goal mark if he had played the full season. He ended up with 37 in 68 games.
Morgan Rielly led all D-men with 20 goals and had 72 points to rank third overall. He's an ideal blue liner in today's NHL: someone who can make that outlet pass to relieve pressure or carry the puck out through the neutral zone to make plays. He won't win Norris this year, but I hope he will someday soon.
Also on defense, Travis Dermott had a nice first full season, though Babs has kind of protected him and not given him tough assignments all that much. Still, he's a really good skater who has potential to develop into someone in Rielly's mold.
I've been a fan of lesser-known wingers like Kapanen, Johnsson and Ennis all season. I think what they bring to this team is really underappreciated: speed, skills and some physical edge. These guys can be feisty when they have to.
Scrubs
Nazem Kadri had back-to-back 30-goal seasons but some form of regression was expected because JT's arrival would push Naz down to the third line. Reduced minutes and some horrible luck (bunch of shots going off posts and crossbar) held him to just 16 goals.
Nylander sat out the entire training camp and the first couple of months of the season, and never once reached the level that he's capable of the rest of the season. A full season from him progressing at the rate he was last season would have made this Leafs team extremely dangerous. He and Marner would have given us perhaps the best one-two punch at RW in the NHL. Instead, this was a lost season for Nylander (7-20-27 in 54 games). Hopefully, he'll get it together in the playoffs, but I ain't holding my breath over that.
Nikita Zaitsev got a seven-year, $31.5 million extension under Lou a couple of years ago, and that deal looks worse by the day. I wonder what Lou saw in him that fans like myself aren't seeing. He just isn't a viable top-four defenseman in the NHL. He's only in the top-two pairing on the Leafs because, well, he shoots right-handed and Babs insists on having a right-handed shooting D-man on the right side! (That's also mostly why Igor Ozhiganov got into the regular rotation on the blue line before the Muzzin trade.)
I liked what I saw from Justin Holl and Calle Rosen in their limited opportunities late in the season. Plus, we have a couple of big-time D prospects in the minors. That should really make Zaitsev expendable, except that I don't know if teams would be willing to take on that contract for a player of his caliber.
You know the term "jack of all trades, master of none?" Zaitsev is jack of nothing, and master of nothing! Zaitsev doesn't do anything well. He's not particularly talented offensively. He doesn't throw his body around. He's horrible at clearing. There doesn't seem to be anything he can do at an NHL level.
I am going to wrap things up with my picks for the Leafs' MVP and LVP, and quick playoff predictions for all matchups except for Toronto-Boston series (I'll have a detailed preview for that one later this week).
Leafs' MVP: Mitch Marner
<The rare winger who can drive a line. When he has the puck, you get the feeling something good will happen. Creative and dynamic playmaker. Kills penalties now, too.>
Leafs' LVP: Nikita Zaitsev
<See above.>
Playoff Picks
Eastern Conference
Tampa Bay vs. Columbus: Tampa in 4
<I don't know if any team can push this Lightning team to beyond 5 games at most in any series this year.>
Washington vs. Carolina: Washington in 6
<The defending champs should have less trouble getting through the first round than a year ago.>
Islanders vs. Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh in 7
<The Isles got this far with superb goaltending but Sid will still have some magic left in him and I don't think NYI will have an answer.>
Western Conference
Nashville vs. Dallas: Dallas in 7
<This is my biggest upset pick, a wild card entry beating the Central Division winners. I like the Stars' D and goaltending and I think Nashville has missed their contending window.>
Winnipeg vs. St. Louis: St. Louis in 6
<Another lower seed pick, but the Jets have played some uninspiring hockey of late and the Blues have been among the league's very best in the calendar year.>
Calgary vs. Colorado: Calgary in 7
<I am predicting this series to go the distance because of Calgary's question marks in goal. They will have enough fire power to get by the Avs, but maybe not so much beyond.>
San Jose vs. Vegas: San Jose in 7
<Oh boy, this should be a dandy. When East Coast games are over, this is the Western series that I'll try to follow closely. Really tough to pick but I'll take the Sharks because of their scoring depth. But if Fleury stands on his head in net, look out for these Knights.>
REALLY finally, saying good-bye to Bob Cole, who called his final game on Hockey Night in Canada and wrapped up his 50-year broadcasting career. I have criticized Cole for essentially being washed up at this play-by-play thing, but now that I think about it, it was harsh.
Cole was the voice behind some of my favorite hockey memories, be it the Olympics, Stanley Cup playoffs, Leafs games, World Cup, etc, etc. I got chills watching highlights of some of his greatest calls.
I think it was fitting his final game went all the way to the OT and shootout. Hockey just didn't want to let him go.
I had to be in the office for a weekend shift. Had the game on but couldn't really pay full attention to the game.
Did manage to watch most of the first period on my way to work. It was a contest between a team bound for the playoffs and a team that just missed out, and predictably, it was pretty loose and wide open from the start. Plenty of pucks going into the net on either end.
In a game like this, the best you can hope for as a fan of the team going to the playoffs is for your players to stay on their feet. All game long, I was too distracted by this lingering thought, "Please, don't get hurt." At least we rested four D-men for this one.
It's too bad you can't "bench" your top guns in garbage time in hockey. In basketball, you can kill the last whatever minutes of a blowout by sending your scrubs to the floor. In hockey, you can play your fourth line all you want, but no single line can play an entire period alone. Unless you call up a bunch of guys from the minors, you still have to play your top dogs in these meaningless, late-season games.
Speaking of meaningless contests, it's really difficult to get worked up about them. That's why I didn't mind missing a big chunk of this particular game.
Rather than discussing the game, I am going to give my recap of the regular season this time. The playoff preview will come in a couple of days.
Another 100-point Season But...
By securing that one point in the loss to Montreal, we finished the season at exactly 100 points. This is the first time in franchise history that the Leafs have reached the century mark in points in consecutive seasons.
That should count for something. Obviously, playoff success is what ultimately matters, but you have to play those 82 games and do well to even get to the postseason, right? And collecting 100 points in back-to-back seasons is no mean feat.
While I am at it, I looked things up and learned that seven teams have done it these past two seasons, five of them in the Eastern Conference. (Tampa, Boston, Washington, Pittsburgh, Nashville and San Jose are others. You're welcome.)
Expectations for the Leafs were far higher for this season than the last, the biggest reason being we signed John Tavares, only the most sought-after free agent last summer, to a long-term deal. Plus, the young nucleus of Matthews, Marner and Nylander were all entering their third season (for Nylander, third full season after appearing in 22 games in 2015-2016) and it seemed like the sky would be the limit as far as their offensive production.
To sum the season, though, I'll have to resort to the cliche: it was an up-and-down year.
Up, as in the fast start to the season, with the Leafs occupying the first place in the NHL after 20 games (14-6-0) even without Nylander, who missed the early part of the season with a contract dispute.
Down, as in, pretty much the rest of the season, most notably the mid- to late-March swoon when we were giving up goals in every way possible. Losing to Tampa 6-2, 'Hawks 5-4, Ottawa 6-2, Nashville 3-0, Flyers 5-4 and Senators again 4-2... Ugh, just typing these scores makes me want to puke.
As a team, just looking at not-so-advanced numbers, we scored more and also gave up more goals than last season. Both our power play and penalty kill were worse than the previous season, for what it's worth.
We have seven 20-goal scorers this season, with Kapanen hitting the mark in the season finale, and no other team can boast that claim. (Tampa has five, but three of them are 40-goal scorers!)
We closed out losing three out of four games in April. Granted, some of these late games had little playoff implications for us, but it's not ideal to be losing so much heading into the playoffs. I am not a big believer in Big Mo, but losing has been too frequent for these Leafs lately.
Memorable Moments
I don't know if I should feel proud of it, but I reckon I've watched anywhere between 75 and 80 games this season.
Since the calendar turned to 2019, I don't think the Leafs have had too many wins over quality opponents. I came up with these three: beating the Capitals 6-3 on Jan. 23, 6-3 over Vegas on Feb. 14 and pounding the Flames 6-2 on March 4.
But my favorite game of the season came quite early: Game No. 3, in fact, a 7-6 OT win over Chicago.
Tavares had his first hat trick as a Leaf, and Rielly scored the OT winner. But they weren't even the biggest stars of the game.
The show belonged to Auston Matthews and Patrick Kane, who combined for the last three goals in regulation in
It was such an insane, intense finish to regulation. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED Matthews' celebration, the "I can't hear you" gesture with his hand cupped around his ear. I ALSO LOVED Kane's mocking of that celly in response with his equalizer just moments later to send the game to OT.
Of course, hockey being such an uptight sport with emphasis on "respecting" the game et al, Matthews, um, heard a few things about that celebration. He toned it down and we never saw another celly like that again the rest of the season.
That's a loss for hockey, if you ask me. One of the game's brightest young stars showing his emotions in the heat of the competition... And two great American players going at it, too. That's really should have been a signature moment on both sides of the border. Instead, we get folks like Don Cherry screaming, "This stuff has no place in hockey!" or things to that extent. Hockey needs to relax.
Some other memorable moments... Andreas Johnsson's hat trick against the Flyers in a 6-0 win at home, which spelled doom for their front office... Tavares scoring his first goal against the Islanders at Nassau to silence the hostile crowd in his second trip there... A bunch of Matthews' OT winners... Putting on a power play clinic against the Golden Knights... Marner working his magic with Hyman and JT night in and night out... Kapanen getting his 20th goal in the regular season finale... Muzzin landing a big body check, drawing a retaliatory penalty and scoring on the ensuing power play in his first home game as a Leaf...
Well, I guess there have been quite a few.
Stars
Tavares set career highs in goals (47) and points (88) and was by far the most consistent Leaf this season. Never went through a slump. Always reliable.
Marner had the most assists (68) and points (94) on the team. You may say playing with JT helped with his point total, but I'd say it's the other way around! JT was able to score 47 because he played with Marner, and JT scored 37 of those goals at even strength (NHL best), meaning on most of them, Marner was on the ice with him, either getting an assist or getting involved in the scoring play in some way.
A bit of a mixed bag for Matthews, because he was injured again and missed 14 games. He was on a crazy roll before he got hurt. It wasn't going to be sustainable, but he surely would have threatened the 50-goal mark if he had played the full season. He ended up with 37 in 68 games.
Morgan Rielly led all D-men with 20 goals and had 72 points to rank third overall. He's an ideal blue liner in today's NHL: someone who can make that outlet pass to relieve pressure or carry the puck out through the neutral zone to make plays. He won't win Norris this year, but I hope he will someday soon.
Also on defense, Travis Dermott had a nice first full season, though Babs has kind of protected him and not given him tough assignments all that much. Still, he's a really good skater who has potential to develop into someone in Rielly's mold.
I've been a fan of lesser-known wingers like Kapanen, Johnsson and Ennis all season. I think what they bring to this team is really underappreciated: speed, skills and some physical edge. These guys can be feisty when they have to.
Scrubs
Nazem Kadri had back-to-back 30-goal seasons but some form of regression was expected because JT's arrival would push Naz down to the third line. Reduced minutes and some horrible luck (bunch of shots going off posts and crossbar) held him to just 16 goals.
Nylander sat out the entire training camp and the first couple of months of the season, and never once reached the level that he's capable of the rest of the season. A full season from him progressing at the rate he was last season would have made this Leafs team extremely dangerous. He and Marner would have given us perhaps the best one-two punch at RW in the NHL. Instead, this was a lost season for Nylander (7-20-27 in 54 games). Hopefully, he'll get it together in the playoffs, but I ain't holding my breath over that.
Nikita Zaitsev got a seven-year, $31.5 million extension under Lou a couple of years ago, and that deal looks worse by the day. I wonder what Lou saw in him that fans like myself aren't seeing. He just isn't a viable top-four defenseman in the NHL. He's only in the top-two pairing on the Leafs because, well, he shoots right-handed and Babs insists on having a right-handed shooting D-man on the right side! (That's also mostly why Igor Ozhiganov got into the regular rotation on the blue line before the Muzzin trade.)
I liked what I saw from Justin Holl and Calle Rosen in their limited opportunities late in the season. Plus, we have a couple of big-time D prospects in the minors. That should really make Zaitsev expendable, except that I don't know if teams would be willing to take on that contract for a player of his caliber.
You know the term "jack of all trades, master of none?" Zaitsev is jack of nothing, and master of nothing! Zaitsev doesn't do anything well. He's not particularly talented offensively. He doesn't throw his body around. He's horrible at clearing. There doesn't seem to be anything he can do at an NHL level.
I am going to wrap things up with my picks for the Leafs' MVP and LVP, and quick playoff predictions for all matchups except for Toronto-Boston series (I'll have a detailed preview for that one later this week).
Leafs' MVP: Mitch Marner
<The rare winger who can drive a line. When he has the puck, you get the feeling something good will happen. Creative and dynamic playmaker. Kills penalties now, too.>
Leafs' LVP: Nikita Zaitsev
<See above.>
Playoff Picks
Eastern Conference
Tampa Bay vs. Columbus: Tampa in 4
<I don't know if any team can push this Lightning team to beyond 5 games at most in any series this year.>
Washington vs. Carolina: Washington in 6
<The defending champs should have less trouble getting through the first round than a year ago.>
Islanders vs. Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh in 7
<The Isles got this far with superb goaltending but Sid will still have some magic left in him and I don't think NYI will have an answer.>
Western Conference
Nashville vs. Dallas: Dallas in 7
<This is my biggest upset pick, a wild card entry beating the Central Division winners. I like the Stars' D and goaltending and I think Nashville has missed their contending window.>
Winnipeg vs. St. Louis: St. Louis in 6
<Another lower seed pick, but the Jets have played some uninspiring hockey of late and the Blues have been among the league's very best in the calendar year.>
Calgary vs. Colorado: Calgary in 7
<I am predicting this series to go the distance because of Calgary's question marks in goal. They will have enough fire power to get by the Avs, but maybe not so much beyond.>
San Jose vs. Vegas: San Jose in 7
<Oh boy, this should be a dandy. When East Coast games are over, this is the Western series that I'll try to follow closely. Really tough to pick but I'll take the Sharks because of their scoring depth. But if Fleury stands on his head in net, look out for these Knights.>
REALLY finally, saying good-bye to Bob Cole, who called his final game on Hockey Night in Canada and wrapped up his 50-year broadcasting career. I have criticized Cole for essentially being washed up at this play-by-play thing, but now that I think about it, it was harsh.
Cole was the voice behind some of my favorite hockey memories, be it the Olympics, Stanley Cup playoffs, Leafs games, World Cup, etc, etc. I got chills watching highlights of some of his greatest calls.
I think it was fitting his final game went all the way to the OT and shootout. Hockey just didn't want to let him go.
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