Ducks: I'm a sucker for team toughness and truculence. With that being said, waaaaayyyy too undisciplined. I love the rough stuff, but they absolutely killed themselves tonight.
Offensively this team is extremely gifted. The first line looked great in the offensive zone.
2nd line: Did Koivu play? LOL Obviously he did, but man was he invisible.
Powerplay: Liked what they did, moved the puck, got the shots, just didn't get enough of them early.
Hiller: He hung in there until the end. The first Hagman goal was a beauty. I know some may say it was soft, but he got that puck up so fast. Hiller uses his big body low and makes you beat him witha great shot high, which Hagman did.
I still think the Ducks will be just fine. They have such a great mix of grit and skill. Their leadership is phenomenal, and the goaltending will be there too.
BTW, the first Ducks goal should have been called back. That was obvious goalie interference. Terrible officiating tonight.
Leafs
PP: Leafs did well on the many gift PP's. It was interesting watching Stempy on the point. Is he being showcased? Stempy played well...did I just say that? He did, he took the body as much as he can, and put shots towards the net.
Gus: GREAT. I'm going to argue that he really let two goals in, as the first should not have counted. The last goal was an unstoppable tip. He was solid the rest of the game, but started to wear towards the end. I love to watch him play. He mixes athleticism with high percentage angle playing. He challenges the shooter and has a competitive spirit. One game does not a season make, but I'm sure glad he's on our side.
D: Still have a LONG way to go. They suck way too far him, still don't clear the puck well enough and look a little lost. I'm hoping the lack of cohesion has to do with people still learning their partner's tendencies.
PK: Not good. The end of the game produced way too many good shots. They play such a passive box. There is limited pressure. When you play a skilled set like the Ducks, you have to be active and disciplined with your pressure. It was nonexistent and is a HUGE issue. At least they stayed out of the box tonight.
Stajan: The guy better watch it. Again, the Leafs are building momentum in the 1st, he gets drilled and retaliates with a stupid cross check. Selfish. For some reason the ref took them both off which was a Godsend. Sure he had a big assist, but I'm not impressed.
Overall a good win for the Buds, but man, they really let down when they were up. They don't have a killer instinct, which is understandable when you haven't won all year.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing Kessel play. The Leafs are too small and soft in their top six, and must just kill Burkie. I'm sure he'd love a guy like Horton. I just can't see how you can swing a deal for him.
BTW, Has Ian White been the best Leaf so far? Not saying much, but he blocked shots tonight, which is a rarity for a Leaf, and has been consistent all year. Very interesting. Is he playing himself into a trade? Right now, I hope not as he's likely been our best all around D man.
Anyway, it feels good to win.
Posted on 10/26 10:11 PM | IP: 75.85.59.56
I'm not sure how the first one could not have been counted though. The puck was already well in the net before Marchant made contact with Gustavsson.
Anyway, yay Leafs! I loved the entertainment, but it was a horrible game. The officials lost control of it. The Ducks did not play well at all, and most of their penalties were just, but the Leafs got away with a few hooks.
Despite Anaheim's poor play, the endless amount of PPs for the Leafs, including a bunch of 5 on 3s, Hiller's average performance..............the Leafs still did not pull a convincing win.
Still, a win's a win and they earned it by playing it smart. The Ducks retaliated with poor taste and acted like a bunch of whiney beecthez.
The only bright part for tonight's messed up game was Gustavsson. He's got skills, but there is a whole lot more to show to have a career in this league as a goalie.
Posted on 10/26 10:41 PM | IP: 98.77.176.175
Peroni, you are wrong my friend. That should not have been a goal. New NHL, old NHL, no goal. He was in the blue paint nuzzling up against him. Exelby (I think) did his best to mess with Jonas as well. He should have moved out of the way, or gone aggressively at Marchant.
This is not me whining about a non-call against the Leafs, but it was a bad call and set the stage for many bad calls all night by the officiating crew.
Posted on 10/26 11:00 PM | IP: 75.85.59.56
I think the Leafs smallness starts and begins at the center ice. Stajan and Grabovski strike no fear in anyone. Burke needs to find a way to keep one and remove the other. I believe that Stajan is the man on the way out based on contract status. (that would be step one) Then as you pointed out they need to find a way to add some muscle up front. Poni is pretty much the only bigger player in the top 6 and he strikes no fear in anyone either.
A top line center or a big strong 2nd line center is the Leafs highest priority right now.....Stajan and Grabovski are below average 2nd line centers at this point and perhaps even 3rd liners.
Posted on 10/27 7:01 AM | IP: 76.75.95.232
But he did not interfere with him until after the puck was in the goal. If we call that interference then we may as well bring back the rule of no skates in the blue crease, or else no goal.
Posted on 10/27 8:31 AM | IP: 98.77.178.137
I guess the Leafs plan is almost totally physical after last night, but what really shows this aspect is when even Hagman goes after somebody.
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