leafs played not to lose than trying to win. Instead of trying to attack and get Bruins to make a mistake by being aggressive on them, they waited until the other team makes a mistake out of their violoation, to create opportunity.
laughland
This article really gets to the heart of what’s wrong with this team and why our playoff games can look so lifeless.
13jsw
Extremely well-written. Biggest takeaway from the whole thing is “lack of identity”. Leafs win games 5-4 all season long, but as soon as game 82 ends they flip a switch and play like a totally different team with a totally different mindset.
Still think the team benefits from a Marner trade, but I’m very curious to see what these guys look like playing under a coach not-named Babcock/Keefe.
LtColumbo93
Playing to try and win games 2-1 is a great recipe to lose games 2-1. Idk why the mindset isn’t to go out and win every game 5-0. Obviously it’s not going to happen in real life but why not just strive to dominate all the time?
Business_Employer_10
They didn’t start playing “the right way” until game 5. That didn’t kill them. Special teams did.
DougFordsGamblingAds
My narrative for the series is that we tried to play our own way for games 1-4, and that didn’t work against Boston/Swayman. You can’t play a high scoring game and get absolutely nothing from your PP, and frankly little everywhere else.
So then we switched to low event hockey, and had a goaltender in games 5-6 who does really well on low danger chances. He got injured, and we played the same style in game 7, but Samsonov isn’t the goalie for that style since he is worse at ‘easy’ shots. He did let a bad one in, and we go to OT.
That’s not to say it’s not on coaching – the fact that our style didn’t work for 4 games is bad enough and Keefe has to go – but I don’t think switching to defensive hockey against Boston was the wrong call.
CMDRShepardN7
They didn’t build a core 4 to play defensive low event hockey.
I have no doubt the team tried their best, but it’s not working because it is not who they are.
mikesully374826
Trying to force a high offense team in a defensive low scoring playoff structured team didn’t work? I’m shocked I tell you.
Some more grit and defensive defensemen will fix this! I’m sure of it!
theGurry
The problem isn’t that they played “The Right Way”
The problem is that this team isn’t built to play “The Right Way” – They’re built to play all-out offense, and as the saying goes… “a leopard never changes its spots”
The team needs to be re-tooled, and the entire team philosophy changed, in order to have any success.
AfterAd7618
Great article. This org needs to decide what kind of team they are or want to be, make it happen and play to those strengths.
Strangle1441
A 20% powerplay wins this series
But who cares, this team isn’t close to a cup
Sideshift1427
Canucks changed their game and won their series, albeit against Nashville. Keefe didn’t invent something new.
BackTo1975
I don’t get how this was a choice. It’s not like the Leafs go out and intentionally change the way they play in the playoffs. It’s more like the Leafs get shut down when the games get tighter and tougher.
This idea that the Leafs fail because they get away from what they do best is idiotic. I mean, that’s true. But it’s not like they do this as some sort of gameplan, like Keefe is over on the bench drawing up plays for the Leafs to just spin around the perimeter and never go into heavy traffic.
fakebob1
Watching other good teams play is a reminder that the leafs rarely score with a deflection or a screen.
jimmymeeko
The leafs went from being a high possession team throughout the season to a dump and chase team in the playoffs. Then on certain plays, such as the game 5 OT winner, instead of dumping a puck, Tavares drives the net and creates a good bounce which leads to a goal.
It just felt like the bruins D was not challenged anywhere near enough to actually defend a guy rushing down on them because every time there was an opportunity, the puck was just dumped into a corner for a board battle to ensue.
Tarquin11
This article is doing a whole lot of analysis about an issue that doesn’t exist.
We lost this series on special teams. A below average powerplay would’ve won this series. We didn’t even get that.
A below average PK might have also won this series even without the powerplay. We also didn’t even get that.
Both would’ve guaranteed it.
T2Funky
You know, every year we have a similar conversation that leaves me kind of baffled now. If only Tavares didn’t get kneed in the head. If only foligno didn’t go down in game one. If only Kadri could keep a cool head. If only our starting goaltender could have stopped just one of those sloppy goals.
If only if only if only.
You know that should be this teams mantra at this point. I don’t get the apologists who revisionist history every year and say if this went that way or that went this way we should have won. Maybe we should look at it for what it is at this point. 8 years is such a long time to continue trying something with almost nothing to show for it. Something isn’t clicking, maybe it’s Sheldon’s coaching style, maybe it’s the group not gelling when it matters, maybe it’s the structure of our roster that doesn’t work, maybe we need to invest in more mid tier players and stop being top heavy.
Whatever is the case just change something up cause we know what this iteration of the leaf’s already are. I don’t need another what if anymore. And I think I speak collectively for a majority of fans when I say we are exhausted. Exhausted of the excuses and exhausted of the failure. I’m ready to see something new.
Darkhorse089
Lazy and uninspired is the “right way”?
Johnny-Edge
I feel like there’s diminishing returns on offence. You are not going to pump teams for 5 to 7 goals every game. We averaged about 3.7 goals the game this year. One less superstar isn’t going to bring that number down significantly and one more superstar isnit going to bring it up at all.
But defence or a Goalie could bring our goals against average down significantly.
clapperssailing
Meh..
There is exceptional skill and exceptional will.
Have all your Core guys too skewed one-way and it’s a no go.
quickboop
Fantastic example of starting with a narrative and then picking and choosing numbers to support it.
Leafs didn’t choose to play safe, they didn’t choose to not be aggressive.
22 Comments
More like having a 4% powerplay lost the series.
leafs played not to lose than trying to win. Instead of trying to attack and get Bruins to make a mistake by being aggressive on them, they waited until the other team makes a mistake out of their violoation, to create opportunity.
This article really gets to the heart of what’s wrong with this team and why our playoff games can look so lifeless.
Extremely well-written. Biggest takeaway from the whole thing is “lack of identity”. Leafs win games 5-4 all season long, but as soon as game 82 ends they flip a switch and play like a totally different team with a totally different mindset.
Still think the team benefits from a Marner trade, but I’m very curious to see what these guys look like playing under a coach not-named Babcock/Keefe.
Playing to try and win games 2-1 is a great recipe to lose games 2-1. Idk why the mindset isn’t to go out and win every game 5-0. Obviously it’s not going to happen in real life but why not just strive to dominate all the time?
They didn’t start playing “the right way” until game 5. That didn’t kill them. Special teams did.
My narrative for the series is that we tried to play our own way for games 1-4, and that didn’t work against Boston/Swayman. You can’t play a high scoring game and get absolutely nothing from your PP, and frankly little everywhere else.
So then we switched to low event hockey, and had a goaltender in games 5-6 who does really well on low danger chances. He got injured, and we played the same style in game 7, but Samsonov isn’t the goalie for that style since he is worse at ‘easy’ shots. He did let a bad one in, and we go to OT.
That’s not to say it’s not on coaching – the fact that our style didn’t work for 4 games is bad enough and Keefe has to go – but I don’t think switching to defensive hockey against Boston was the wrong call.
They didn’t build a core 4 to play defensive low event hockey.
I have no doubt the team tried their best, but it’s not working because it is not who they are.
Trying to force a high offense team in a defensive low scoring playoff structured team didn’t work? I’m shocked I tell you.
Some more grit and defensive defensemen will fix this! I’m sure of it!
The problem isn’t that they played “The Right Way”
The problem is that this team isn’t built to play “The Right Way” – They’re built to play all-out offense, and as the saying goes… “a leopard never changes its spots”
The team needs to be re-tooled, and the entire team philosophy changed, in order to have any success.
Great article. This org needs to decide what kind of team they are or want to be, make it happen and play to those strengths.
A 20% powerplay wins this series
But who cares, this team isn’t close to a cup
Canucks changed their game and won their series, albeit against Nashville. Keefe didn’t invent something new.
I don’t get how this was a choice. It’s not like the Leafs go out and intentionally change the way they play in the playoffs. It’s more like the Leafs get shut down when the games get tighter and tougher.
This idea that the Leafs fail because they get away from what they do best is idiotic. I mean, that’s true. But it’s not like they do this as some sort of gameplan, like Keefe is over on the bench drawing up plays for the Leafs to just spin around the perimeter and never go into heavy traffic.
Watching other good teams play is a reminder that the leafs rarely score with a deflection or a screen.
The leafs went from being a high possession team throughout the season to a dump and chase team in the playoffs. Then on certain plays, such as the game 5 OT winner, instead of dumping a puck, Tavares drives the net and creates a good bounce which leads to a goal.
It just felt like the bruins D was not challenged anywhere near enough to actually defend a guy rushing down on them because every time there was an opportunity, the puck was just dumped into a corner for a board battle to ensue.
This article is doing a whole lot of analysis about an issue that doesn’t exist.
We lost this series on special teams. A below average powerplay would’ve won this series. We didn’t even get that.
A below average PK might have also won this series even without the powerplay. We also didn’t even get that.
Both would’ve guaranteed it.
You know, every year we have a similar conversation that leaves me kind of baffled now. If only Tavares didn’t get kneed in the head. If only foligno didn’t go down in game one. If only Kadri could keep a cool head. If only our starting goaltender could have stopped just one of those sloppy goals.
If only if only if only.
You know that should be this teams mantra at this point. I don’t get the apologists who revisionist history every year and say if this went that way or that went this way we should have won. Maybe we should look at it for what it is at this point. 8 years is such a long time to continue trying something with almost nothing to show for it. Something isn’t clicking, maybe it’s Sheldon’s coaching style, maybe it’s the group not gelling when it matters, maybe it’s the structure of our roster that doesn’t work, maybe we need to invest in more mid tier players and stop being top heavy.
Whatever is the case just change something up cause we know what this iteration of the leaf’s already are. I don’t need another what if anymore. And I think I speak collectively for a majority of fans when I say we are exhausted. Exhausted of the excuses and exhausted of the failure. I’m ready to see something new.
Lazy and uninspired is the “right way”?
I feel like there’s diminishing returns on offence. You are not going to pump teams for 5 to 7 goals every game. We averaged about 3.7 goals the game this year. One less superstar isn’t going to bring that number down significantly and one more superstar isnit going to bring it up at all.
But defence or a Goalie could bring our goals against average down significantly.
Meh..
There is exceptional skill and exceptional will.
Have all your Core guys too skewed one-way and it’s a no go.
Fantastic example of starting with a narrative and then picking and choosing numbers to support it.
Leafs didn’t choose to play safe, they didn’t choose to not be aggressive.