The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to even up their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning but it will go in without Michael Bunting. Mike DiStefano and David Morassutti give their thoughts on the three-game suspension for Bunting and whether it was too much or just enough when going through all the factors. They discuss the response from Nazem Kadri as his name was brought up in comparison to Bunting. Mike and Dave move on to the changes to the lineup made at practice and whether Sheldon Keefe is going in the right direction. Mike and Dave also discuss the lack of changes on the blue line and whether it is the right choice considering some of the struggles the Leafs had in Game 1 and why it was a no-brainer to have Ilya Samsonov get the net for Game 2.
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17 Comments
Tampa's defense is THIN now !!!
Three games is WAY high…. Brutal
bunting playing and acting the way he does shows not only his immaturity but lack of leadership on this team,, that falls on tavares he is not a leader
Going by the playoff pattern outcomes of this Leafs core – Toronto should beat Tampa this game. If not – then they are really regressing. Hope they play Bruins.
Bunting can’t even do what Bunting does effectively , just stfu and play hockey man
3 games was fair for Michael Bunting. Repeat offender. Every ref knows him now.
As a Bolt Fan…Toronto will win game 2. They don't have the GUTS to lose it. They wouldn't make it out of ScotiaBank alive if they did! Toronto Media/Fan base is ALREADY in total meltdown mode…after ONE LOSS! Canada might split in half if the Leaf's lost game 2! LMAO! Would be a darn shame if y'all got Vasy'd in game 2…
Leafs are stuck in the movie ground hog day, Tampa in 7 games.
The fan base ran kadri out of town ?? I didn't know we had that kind of power Mike DiStefano if I knew that I would have ran that clown Holl out of town 3 years ago.
I think the Leafs are better without Bunting. The refs will stop calling penalties on the Leafs.
My question is why is Holl playing at all ? He was a -6 last game and for a Defensive D he plays very badly ! Liligren is good on D but has an offensive flair why is he not playing? Does Holl have compromising pictures or something?
They are making an example out of bunting for the playoffs. Now they have precedence to start giving other players these sentences, and I think they are hoping that it deters other players.
As for bunting not playing? Why should the leafs put themselves in a spot that they would need to play short handed. I honestly don't care if it's knies in or Simmons in but bunting on the top linebis excessive.
I honestly think bunting doing this is sort of a coaching failure of a Keefe. If you know as a coach your yapper is getting called left right and center, and you play him top line minutes, how could you act all shocked pikachu face when he does something boneheaded.
Bunting should have been playing lower in the lineup, plain and simple. Not because he's bad but because it would give him more time in between shifts to cool his head.
I actually like the lines toronto is rolling out, the only thing I would want flipped out is maybe flip Nylander with marner. Toronto has played better when Nylander plays with matthews and marner plays with tavares, it makes tavarss have to choose a line to shut down because they are more balanced
The nhl player safety department is a dam JOKE.
I'm happy that Bunting is out. He's a liability for the whole team. I like tonight's lineup. I might swap MM and WN for maximum performance. Go LEAFS!
In the playoffs, if you show intent to injure another player, which Bunting did, he should be suspended until the injured player is able to return. You can’t head hunt to give your team a chance.
If Cernak was able to return for game 2, which we know he isn’t, I would be okay with Bunting getting 1 game. But since we know Cernak can’t return, Bunting should sit until he can. Be it 2, 3, 4, etc… Games.
And that goes for all players. Not just Bunting. I know you Leafs fans wear your tinfoil helmets thinking everyone is out to get you. If Kucherov took a cheap shot on one of Torontos players, I’d be saying the same thing. Intent to injure is not cool.
HEY. WHERE IS WAYNE SIMMONDS
The Bunting suspension is a joke. The Leafs need to start putting financial repercussions on the League for this shit. Arizona doesn't have a real NHL rink. Maybe the Leafs should forfeit games there for player safety reasons.
Player wise, Bunting is replaceable. Both in the playoffs and in the future.
There was nothing wrong with trading Kadri. The problem was the return. Dubas gave away a gritty second line center for nothing.
For Keefe to put a question mark next to Samsonov's name as starting goalie was mind numbingly stupid.
Nylander on a shutdown line. LMAOROTF
Matthews and Marner should be split up. Cooper is getting the matchups he wants against them regardless of what Keefe does and it is painful to watch. It is like watching McDavid with Danault haunting him like a ghost. Make Cooper choose.
I mean Holl was bad, but really who was good on the defense? And where was the pushback. Where were the scrums? Where were the fights? The game was lost. Send a message.
Marner had two hits, Matthews had five. Acciarri had 7. The only players with no hits were Bunting, who did have a hit, just not a clean one and Nylander. But yea, there should have been so much more especially in the third.