I was listening to the radio yesterday afternoon before the game and they played a clip of Bruce Boudreau. He basically said that Toronto is a difficult team to play against because they do work very hard each and every shift throughout the whole game. He also mentioned that he has watched every Leaf game this year and that our record is no indication to how well we actually play and that we've been very unlucky this year.
He said last night wasn't going to be a "gimme" game for the Caps....and he was right.
Maybe yesterday's game was the turning point of the season?
Lets hope.
I guess I would like to see this talk of firing Wilson cease. We all recognize the Leafs as a team on the short end of the talent stick, but for another coach (coaching one of the top teams in hockey) to come out and praise the team for their work ethic says a lot about the preparation that goes into every game by the coaching staff.
The hard work will eventually pay off. We have seen what this team can do with a bit of confidence (Washington, Detroit wins) they just need to learn not to fold when they get a bad break.
Yes we won yesterday. Yes I'm very happy about it. BUT, I hope to God they continue to show effort and I hope everyone who's been playing badly isn't absolved of their sins, persay
they definitely work hard...that Lance Armstrong training in the off season must've given them lots of endurance
most of the games have been pretty close...and 2 games ago we had some bad fortune with the phantom Ian White call, and the other play where the puck was in the net but they didn't count it...
whenever we get solid goaltending we either win or get a point it seems...
generally when you hear players/coaches from teams we just played, they comment on how hard we play...
also, our lack of finishing talent at forward has hurt us a bit...
but it's like we're just a hair away from winning most of these games...
Don't confuse shots on goal with quality chances. They throw the puck on net a lot but do not have anyone to capitalize on tip-ins or rebounds. How many open nets did we miss alone last night? Posted via Mobile Device
We've been the better team in at LEAST half the games we've lost this season. The problem is either our offense isn't clicking or our goaltending isn't clicking. Last night it was the offense, but we managed to get the 2 points.
Another problem is out lack of true goalscorers. We've created numerous scoring oppertunities but lack the player depth that has the skillset of finishing. Hopefully Burke can address this.
Last nights game really was the first, complete 60 minute effort.
Most games its a 10-20 minute stretch where our guys take it a little easy. Yesterday we kept up the forecheck, kept up the sideboard pinches, and we controlled the game in their end.
I don't know why they get all jacked up for games against the better teams, but we need that type of effort every game.
We had Carolina, no doubt they were done. Then we laid back in the 2nd period. They simply can't do that. Yesterday's game was so much fun to watch, every shift had the effort, and it showed.
And in usual Leaf fan fashion, instead of crediting our team, we got lucky, or they were tired. How about we won? We had a tonne of chances and Varlamov stood on his head, but we still got the 2 points. We kept Ovechkin out of the game, limited their chances, and Vesa made the key saves.
I hope this is the turning point. Not necessarily for a playoff push, that would be tough. But I hope we can FULLY compete in every game from now on. A 60 minute effort will give us a chance to win every night, doesn't matter what team it is.
The Leafs are a dangerous team because they have nothing to lose.
I'm one of the many who is pushing for some kind of coaching change during these dark days as a leafs fan but the one thing I must say is that Wilson is well aware that the only way the leafs can win is through outworking the other team. In terms of individual talent, we are probably the worst team in the league with one top six forward.
What I would like to see is a leafs team WITH TALENT that outworks the other team night in night out....oh boy would that ever be something.
ill use the same excuese CBC/TSN analysts used for our habs/caps game: Ovechkin was not 100% healthy and semin wasnt there. hows it feel now? (i wont mention they played night before'0
ill use the same excuese CBC/TSN analysts used for our habs/caps game: Ovechkin was not 100% healthy and semin wasnt there. hows it feel now? (i wont mention they played night before'0
Boudreau said the the same thing about the Habs? Good for you guys
Don't confuse shots on goal with quality chances. They throw the puck on net a lot but do not have anyone to capitalize on tip-ins or rebounds. How many open nets did we miss alone last night? Posted via Mobile Device
The thing is, we do get a high amount of quality chances every night. We just dont have the finishing skills (asides from Kessel and maybe Poni and Hagman) to bury enough to win. Most other teams can capitalize an a lot fewer chances and get a lot more timely saves in order to pull out the win. We don't consistently have either, so we don't win.
ill use the same excuese CBC/TSN analysts used for our habs/caps game: Ovechkin was not 100% healthy and semin wasnt there. hows it feel now? (i wont mention they played night before'0
Yeah, yeah, we know; MLSE owns CBC, and TSN, and Sportsnet, and the referees, and Bettman, etc, etc.
(i wont mention they played night before'0
