Mastodon
@Toronto Maple Leafs

LFR17 – Game 34 – Scratch & Whiff – Hurricanes 3, Maple Leafs 2



Steve Dangle recaps and analyzes Game 34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs season against the Carolina Hurricanes.

SDPN: https://www.sdpn.ca/
SDPN DISCORD: https://discord.com/invite/MtTmw9rrz7
BOOK: https://bit.ly/2I9hmWP
AUDIOBOOK: https://bit.ly/2GIgYya
EASTER SEALS: https://t.co/DVbMNTS1IL

48 Comments

  1. Shanahan might as well be the President, GM, and Coach. Until he is gone this team is not winning anything. One of Nylander or Marner needed to be traded to improve the team. They failed doing that. It’s over for this era.

  2. Canes fan here. I've gotta say, you gotta do something with Mitch because he just isn't working with this team right now. I don't even think sitting him a game or two is gonna do it. It's clear he's just not good enough to play for a team with Cup aspirations since any sort of pressure makes him fold like a cheap suit, so you gotta just take an L on a deal and hope someone is willing to take his contract. If you're not willing to do anything, then you're not getting out of the first round and Willy is gonna walk somewhere else for absolutely nothing. I also still think Shanahan needs to be Shanacanned because it's clear the GM has no power over decisions in that organization with how Dubas got canned.

  3. There's two players on this team that play hard every night : Matthews and Benoit. The rest just float.

  4. I disagree that they can’t scratch Marner because of the role he plays. The Leafs have played great when Matthews has been injured. Just because you have a lot of cap shouldn’t shield you from discipline

  5. A little confused. One minute you criticize Marner but confirm couldn't trade him last year. Hummm. Criticizing for the sake of Criticizing? Let's remind ourselves, Marner was first over all on the team, and anyone was thinking to trade Marner? Then why not say "They should had traded Matthews"? Because Everyone would had lost their minds in trying to understand who would trade the highest scoring player on the team even arguably in the league. The core 4 is the core 4 because they are the top 4 on the team. There is no reason to question if the core 4 belongs on the team and for how much. They belong regardless of the price. The focus to improve the team is on defense, goalie and coaching staff. The coaching staff to teach plays, skills, pointing out errors, etc. Trying a new system Separating Nylander from Matthews and Marner was the problem (sabotage). Trying new things is ok but do it in practice to see if it works. Doing it in game time means if it doesn't work, you loose the habits and routine. The only hope is that the coach is playing decoy. Not show their best, try different things, do enough to enter the playoffs then fo their best. Somehow, I doubt it. Players still need their stats high for their resume. Leave the core 4 alone.

  6. Been A Leafs fan since the 80s but I've come to h8 them.I laugh when they get scored on and I mock them when they score. All hope is gone.

  7. these 2 losses mean for Sammy .. sing with me

    Na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye

    Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye
    Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye
    Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye

  8. I can't believe You ranted about Marner's performance? Marner is one guy, on a team that everyone at times has off nights. Marner seems to be the whipping boy whenever the team isn't doing well. What about all the good things that Marner does on a regular basis? Without this guy in the line up is absolutely insane! I could easily, and I do mean easily pick apart every single player on the team on given nights that they make mistakes. In fact there are a few I could pick apart on a nightly basis. For example, my friends and I have a chat group during every Leaf game, and we take a drink every time Brodie messes up; we're often drunk by the end of the 1st. Samsonov has been brutal all season long yet he still keeps getting chances to find his game, which cost the leafs points.
    The team is what it is, a pretty good team with weaknesses. Each player on this team needs to be better. Some of these players have more weaknesses than others, but Marner is hardly the reason the team isn't doing well!

  9. I know it can't happen(no trade clause), but the Tavares as Captain plan has run its course. He isn't the right fit for this team and market. Very steady, consistent, and professional. No fight in him, though. Does he even call out the team when they all keep verbalizing the same response after losing?! He's a very expensive toy that the team can't afford anymore. I see him as a complimentary player. Too many years of this "power house " top four, not meeting expectations and not taking accountability. No growth

  10. This is what you can expect when you have a bunch of players playing for themselves. According to moneypuck, 16 of their 28 contracted players on the active roster or IR/LITR are on the last year of their contract. Guys are either looking to pad their numbers for a better contract or looking for a trade. When things are going poorly, they're either pointing at each other and/or giving up. Utterly selfish.

  11. If Marner wants to resign and he wants the same or less it sucks to say but I think you gotta let him go clear up that cap and put some other players on the team

  12. I may be alone here but I really can't stand "Marlie Minute". I just don't like anything about it. I don't like the way the dude talks. I feel like I'm here for Dangle and I would rather hear Dangle deliver information about the Toronto Marlies.

    On the plus side, I am so glad that the "You Can Bet That" nonsense is over. There are so many ads for gambling right now and, call me "old fashioned", but if I want to waste my money I'll do it the old fashioned way: on hookers and cocaine.

  13. There's something that is seldom talked about, can they, should they bring in new coaching? I'm not saying fire anyone. Bring in someone who has a different style of getting through to whoever needs it.

  14. Funny how Steve admits that there is nothing to be mad about and then proceeds to pretend to be mad. It's actually getting kinda sad to see him have to "perform" and cater to the vocal minority. I wonder if he ever misses just being a fan and sharing his genuine feelings.

  15. That Russian goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs sucks so much send them back home to Russia. Maybe it’ll be useful as a soldier.😂😂🇷🇺

  16. Going from LA to Anaheim to play back to back isn't that big of a deal. You made it seem like they were playing in SJ and coming down here. It's a 45 minute bus ride from Staples to Honda Center at around midnight on a Tuesday.

    The biggest problem is going to be jetlag.

  17. The answer is Brodie. The Leafs defense should be:
    Reilly / New guy (big tough d-man that maybe can shoot the puck once in awhile)
    Benoit / McCabe
    Gio / Lagesson

  18. If Marner played anywhere else, he'd be sitting. But the leafs gave him a dump truck load of leaf teachers pension, so they will continue to lose games instead. The so called "core" is rotting the entire apple. It would be better to miss the playoffs rather than get bounced in the first round again.

  19. Why have the Leafs never tried running 3 scoring lines? Marner needs to be playing with a new set of guys instead of being able to defer to Matthews as a get out of jail free card. MM has become too undisciplined and not thinking well enough.

  20. You know why you can’t put a name on who is playing poorly defensively? Because it isn’t one player it’s all of them. Every line is showing poor positioning, every line is clumped together 5 feet apart instead of covering a man or blocking passing lanes, every line is allowing breakaways or odd man rushes because we are over extended and so focused on making the play in the other teams end that we allow their players behind us going the other way. And when it’s every line, that’s on the coach. Because either he’s allowed this defensive lapse spread to the point of rampancy across the team by not addressing it, or he’s pushing a system that is not working for this team.

    By the way, on that first goal if you back up a little bit, you’ll see Simon Benoit guarding the slot, in the exact spot where you needed a guy to stop that goal. But Simon decided that the best place for him to be in that moment was behind the net pressuring the puck carrier. He skated back behind the net, leaving Gregor to scramble because oh crap, the defenceman covering in front of the net just skated off and there’s a hurricane going in to take advantage. So it’s not just one players fault, it’s the entire line not being where they need to be.

    I will say though, I know everyone talks about his goal scoring, but can we take a second to appreciate how good Matthews is defensively. I think I’ve seen him prevent 4 goals in the last couple games by interrupting plays, stick lifting, and tonight bailing out the goalie.

  21. the offense was brutal. I am surprised they had that many shots on net…the offense has no structure. cant get it over the blue line and cant get it out over the blue line in there zone. letting teams walk into there end and get great chances. Marner looked really soft tonight and made tons of mistake giving up pizzas everywhere! not the first time seeing this from marner this year…

  22. Steve, your assessment of Marner is unhinged. Get a grip. If they had the opportunity to trade him when they could, the Leafs would have 2 middling players in their line up in stead of a star right winger. Wake up.

  23. fook the last time i went to a stanley cup parade was in toronto in 1967-fk-iam getting old—i need a cold canadian beer.

  24. Leafs need a culture change. No accountability. Take a risk and scratch the stars if called for regardless of cap hit. Look at the canucks we scratched kuzmenko who was a 39 goal scorer. Dont let the players call the shots

  25. It wasn’t a bad effort from the Leaf players in tonight’s game, they just got plain checked right into the ice by the Hurricanes. They couldn’t get an inch of space and a second of time to execute. When a team has you pegged, like the Canes had the Leafs tonight, in my estimation the only way to compete is either with jet engine speed and maybe some great stretch passes to blow the doors off the defenders, or to play physical as hell against the close checking to cause hesitation. The Leafs aren’t that physical team ever, and they couldn’t muster the speed to break free in this game. They have traded away many of their fastest guns over the last many years, … Kasperi Kapanen, Ilya Mikheyev, Sam Lafferty, Michael Bunting etc. From where I sit it appears as though most teams in the league have worked out the Leafs skill MO, and thus employ an very affective ‘in your face’ close checking with ‘zero time to execute’ or ‘space to breath’ game plan.

Write A Comment