The Maple Leafs dropped their fourth straight game after blowing another lead, while the Oilers comeback marked their 11th straight win. That’s Hockey discusses both teams and who’s a pretender and who’s the contender. #7ElevenThatsHockey
@Toronto Maple Leafs
37 Comments
Marner says we are a great team, we have played great hockey lately really Marner ,up next Calgary, Vancouver, Seattle, Winnipeg back to back you are so great easy 5 game win streak ,i hope you don't eat your words
Beyond Keefe, which is obvious, what is Tavares doing as captain to put the team on his shoulders?
He is invisible.
The Oilers are finally playing a team commitment to defense. You don’t need a Makar to have a good defense, you just need a system that’s right for your team. When you have a high powered offense the goals (on most nights) will come. Your best players have to play like your best players. If you play for Edmonton and you see 29&97 working hard it should make you work hard. The core 4 in Toronto don’t seem to have that work ethic.
Problem is this goes much higher than Keefe. He called guys out publicly last year. The very next day he was out in front of the media walking it all back. Someone told him he couldn't do that. It wasn't Dubas. Dubas wanted to trade one of the core four. When he couldn't he left.
The D core and goal tending have been glowing issues with this team from the start of the season. Woll was looking good until injury and Jones until recently has held down the fort. The lack of focus smart play making on majority of the defense has been frustrating to watch. I'd have to say the AHL guys they've brought up have been doing their best. Benoit has been reliable. Firing the coach is not the answer, he's working with what he's got. This is on the players and the management! The guys on the ice that need to shape up or ship out, and the people who can make the necessary moves to improve their current situation via trades and signings. Treeliving needs to start making some hard decisions and give Sheldon all the ingredients in order to bake the cake. You can't build the big picture if your missing pieces. The players can't make moves, Sheldon can't either, the only guy that can help fix this team is the GM, and he needs to start GM'ing right now, not in March before the deadline when it'll be too late, now! So they get 37-40 games to gell and find chemistry. They have the offense, now they need some mutants on the back end as Biz from spittin chicklets said today. And we should definitely be seeing if Hildaby can perform at the nhl level should Sammy, Jones or Woll are not available. He's a mutant, 6'7" monster that apparently plays very similar to a guy who wears 88 down in Tampa Bay. They need to right the ship before it sails into the rocks.
Leafs defence & goaltending isn’t good enough. Incredible talent up front. At times I thought Toronto’s effort wasn’t there (look at offensive zone time Played).
This is the first time I have watched Toronto all year.
Words being spoken about Edmonton are that they look like a mature team, and that was not said in past years. McDavid and Draisaitl set the tone, and they are gamers.
The leafs have literally never been contenders. No one outside Toronto has ever thought they were
If a dozen sweaty terrorists, none of them women, hockey-taped me without my clothing to a cold metal chair in a dark moldy basement with the terrible plan to mail an untraceable ransom letter to the Oilers organisation and all the media explaining that if the Oil didn't win the cup this year I would be brutally eliminated, I would calmly respond, "Do I or do I not get to eat, drink, relieve myself, stretch my legs once a day, and may I please watch a little hockey, between now and then?" But if their terrible plan were to approach MLSE with the same ultimatum… I'd likely respond in slow motion, NOOOOOOOO!!!"
Before I was born my grandfather and his son, my uncle, watched the Maple Leafs win it all many years ago but in my lifetime I've followed the Oilers on their Stanley Cup journeys from my residences in Ontario and will always have a warm feeling in my heart for the Edmonton Oilers, Canada's team!
As I see it the Maple Leafs have three defensemen (without mentioning names), who are logging MAJOR ice time—all the time—but who are playing below the NHL level. And that is their chief concern. Otherwise I generally like the team, its coach and its GM. They certainly have a lot of growing to do in terms of physical play and supporting each other and I hope this will come about sometime, now or later, and I wish them the best of luck with it. But their defense is so obviously killing them!
PS: I might add, since I contribute like this so infrequently, that Gino Reda has always been my favourite sports guy.
It will take some courage for Leafs management to part ways with one of the 10+ million dollar forwards, to better allocate talent across the roster.
as a oilers fan both teams will make the finals. CANADA FOR THE CUP!
I find it insane how Nylander was playing literally amazing right up until the contract got signed.
Is that just a coincidence?
Everyone worth trading on the Leafs has a no move clause, meaning even if they did agree to get moved it has to be to a contender I would assume.
No idea how you move forward and not waste this year.
I think we fire Keefe and see if we can salvage it this year, and finally give in to make big moves in the Summer.
Chin up, Toronto! You'll get there….. someday. LMAO!
Mariner needs a reality check and Keefe needs to go back to the AHL.
The contrast in attitude between the Leafs and the league leading Jets is wild. After losing 4 straight in embarrassing fashion Marner says "we're playing the right way."
Meanwhile, and a 5-0 win over Columbus, Jets head coach Rick Bowness says "that was one of our worst games of the year. We need to play better."
One coach is training his players to look for details that boost their self esteem. The other is looking for details that win Stanley Cups.
If you picked Toronto to be a cup favourite your not an experts. It’s the same team but older and older doesn’t mean more experience it means won nothing but older. Shitty built team.
Keefe still the coach???
When your making over $10 million a year, it sure doesn't feel like your a loser.
Mitch is delusional
Look this game was a hard fought, entertaining and competitive. If Toronto scores on one or two of their chances when ahead this game could have easily gone the other way. As a Canuck fan in BC I can't believe I have to stand up for the Leafs. It is a long season of ups and downs. The Leafs will be in the hunt for Lord Stanley come April and a lot of things can change by then including the line up. Don't worry in January, be happy in April…..maybe. Canuck Nation is feeling the same. Half a season to go yet so everyone calm down.
Idk why u guys want Keefe gone, you all talk about how shit there defence is so why don’t u complain about the defence coach and get rid of him
it's like you people have never watched hockey before.
you win some and you lose some, sometimes several in a row.
it was only a minute ago the leafs were lighting it up and the oilers were dogshit.
The Oilers know how to win big games, they have better depth, they are relentless on the puck, they are way faster, and have better goaltending! There is no comparison here.
Two Pretenders
The ‘Make Beliefs’ need the ‘Chief’ behind the bench!
McLovin it !!
LET'S GO OILERS !!!
Stephen A Smith said it best – The Toronto Maple Leafs are the Dallas Cowboys of the NHL, the Dallas Cowboys of Canada. Just failures, on an epic level, every year.
We all know who the pretender is. What is the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and over and over and over and expecting a different result. The problem is the WOKE media and ADVERTISERS wont let it go. The ENTIRE world is laughing at the LAUGHS but the wokies are to stupid too stupid too see it
The Oilers from 97 on down seem to have something they haven't had in previous seasons. A really big chip on their shoulders.
Unless the Oilers beat themselves, they can have a perfect January. Haven't lost in 2024, yet. It's doable & pretty damn cool too …
you media hacks are so terrible. these guys play as hard as they can. they hit 3 posts (2 by Nyl). they have their goalies all injured as well as their #2 Dman. they lost 3-2….. a very close and entertaining game. this hak and button think they are entitled to their hockey team somehow magically being entitled to 1st place all the time for their emotional high… but what advantage do they have to support being #1`of 32 when no advantages – just disadvantages; hi taxes so far less CAP, more media haks, less draft picks as do make Playoffs each yr. another adult baby. yes disappointing to L4…. all close.. but team is a few wins from 2nd – doing what they can w the players they have….. & coach that will put up w the haks
I certainly don't think that the Oilers winning is a fluke; losing so badly across the beginning of the season was more of a surprise to me. The surprise for me is that the defense has stepped up, and Skinner's played really well. They've also gotten great offensive support from players like Hyman and Bouchard. I am only worry that they have peaked too early. They just got into the wild card slot, and if the Oilers run out of gas they are in trouble.
As a leafs fan its almost a relief to see that the leafs are expected to be MID. Finally everyone sees them for what they are
Maple Leafs
Speculative
Over valued
Just like the housing market 😂
Edmonton is 22-6-0 since Nov. 11, with 17 of those wins coming in regulation That's too large of a sample to just be a fluke, this is who this team is. Conversely, in the same time frame Toronto is 14-8-6.
Fire the leafs coach f/f,sakes
Leafs have been pretenders for years and years. Please fire Keefe immediately to save the season. He's done absolutely nothing since he's been here and now in his 5th season the team is going nowhere fast.
The characters of the top 4 is the problem. This team is not going anywhere.