As I mentioned before other than the Sens I wouldn’t mind seeing Canadian teams win their series (I really don’t care tho just to be clear). However tonight I can admit I’d openly giggle if the habs lost in OT again and if the oilers fight their way back by 3 to tie it with a minute and a half to go only to give up the game winner with 40 seconds to go again hehehe

Leafs can beat a team like Ottawa doing this.

Doubt they beat Florida like this though.

That's the concern people have.
- Rare_Jewel

first, win the series.
then worry about your opponent then.

As I mentioned before other than the Sens I wouldn’t mind seeing Canadian teams win their series (I really don’t care tho just to be clear). However tonight I can admit I’d openly giggle if the habs lost in OT again and if the oilers fight their way back by 3 to tie it with a minute and a half to go only to give up the game winner with 40 seconds to go again hehehe
- Dozzer

go winnipeg though

first, win the series.
then worry about your opponent then.
- dmnted

gotta beat the best to be the best, doesn't matter who you gotta go through

So here's a fun little thingy:

https://www.nhl.com/gamec...tor/2025/04/22/2024030112

Do the "goal visualizer" for Domi's goal.

Not only do you get to see him skate through two Senators on his way to scoring, but the visualizer then shows Ullmark fire the puck to centre ice in frustration, and the Leafs pile off the bench and celebrate at centre ice.

You only brought one poop-bag didn't you ...
- The Law

Some neighbours get upset about the littlest things. This all boils down to knowing your property lines. I was gracious enough to avoid his front lawn, choosing the boulevard instead. Well this moron doesn’t know the boulevard is city property, so he gets all uppity and in my face. If he had done some research, this wouldn’t have escalated to the point it did. Some people…really. You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your neighbours. You can threaten them a bit, but in this day and age of woke ideology, the grief may not be worth it.
Moral of the story, and lesson learned. Always carry more than one poop bag.

After two games, Sens fans and some analysts are pointing to shot totals and saying that things are fine and that they should have won.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see them pointing to shot totals and saying they should have won at the end of the series.
- Canada Cup

I hear it too ..and here's why those Sens fans and talking heads need to read the charts better.

5v5 shots last night (even with the Leafs poopty 2nd period) were 18-18. The shot totals beyond that just reflected that the Sens had two unsuccessful PP's where they fired a bunch of unsuccessful shots.

The charts I've seen (and they're juicy good) ...show that with the score close (within a goal) the Leafs have absolutely crushed the Sens in chances, expected goals, and actual real life goals.

So when the game is tied or the Leafs are up by 1 - all Leafs.

When the Leafs are up by 2 or more - we predictably play conservative, safe, don't give up anything ..hockey. And, other than a mistake from OEL, it's worked.

After two games, Sens fans and some analysts are pointing to shot totals and saying that things are fine and that they should have won.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see them pointing to shot totals and saying they should have won at the end of the series.
- Canada Cup

I've never understood how people think that "expected goals" is a more relevant stat than "actual goals."

So here's a fun little thingy:

https://www.nhl.com/gamec...tor/2025/04/22/2024030112

Do the "goal visualizer" for Domi's goal.

Not only do you get to see him skate through two Senators on his way to scoring, but the visualizer then shows Ullmark fire the puck to centre ice in frustration, and the Leafs pile off the bench and celebrate at centre ice.
- Atomic Wedgie

go winnipeg though
- TheMussel

As I said, I’ll give them a little cheer so long as they’re not playing the leafs, but it won’t break my heart if St Louis fights their way back into that series either *shrugs*

I hear it too ..and here's why those Sens fans and talking heads need to read the charts better.

5v5 shots last night (even with the Leafs poopty 2nd period) were 18-18. The shot totals beyond that just reflected that the Sens had two unsuccessful PP's where they fired a bunch of unsuccessful shots.

The charts I've seen (and they're juicy good) ...show that with the score close (within a goal) the Leafs have absolutely crushed the Sens in chances, expected goals, and actual real life goals.

So when the game is tied or the Leafs are up by 1 - all Leafs.

When the Leafs are up by 2 or more - we predictably play conservative, safe, don't give up anything ..hockey. And, other than a mistake from OEL, it's worked.
- The Law

that oel giveaway was pretty bad

I've never understood how people think that "expected goals" is a more relevant stat than "actual goals."
- Atomic Wedgie

These stats are relevant over the course of a season, because expected goals usually end up meaning it's going well for the team/line/player.

But in a playoffs series, expected goals don't matter. At all. The difference between winning and losing is more often than not a few bounces going your way.

Leafs can beat a team like Ottawa doing this.

Doubt they beat Florida like this though.

That's the concern people have.
- Rare_Jewel

Ya, but no matter what style you play ....every team in the league should be worried about whether they can beat Florida. They are as deep and talented as they come.

Leafs are 10 - 0 when they have a 2 game lead
Ottawa is 0 - 9 when they are down 2 games
- Fakepartofme

The real ? is how will the talking heads on Sportsnet, HNIC etc. spin these facts to ensure we all know the Sens are far from out of it, should feel good being down 2-0 and that the Leafs should fear the Sens and Brady Tkachuk.

The point is that they are playing the same way in the playoffs that they have all year: getting outshot and winning.
- Canada Cup

There's a challenge in all of it.

You can play a strong puck possession style of game - like Keefe's style - that emphasizes the collective use of everyone on the ice to try and retain control of the puck and move it up ice as a unit. It can look dazzling and it can produce really nice metrics - and for the most part it wins hockey games. The challenge is that when it breaks the safety net isn't as strong - guys are potentially moving in the wrong direction or there's a lack of secondary coverage in the event of a lost battle and so on. In my opinion this is what undid a lot of our playoffs under Keefe.

You can also play a more fundamental style of hockey which is very safe - dump it in, dump it away, clog the middle, block shots and hope to capitalize on your opportunities. It's a lot uglier and frankly doesn't leave you feeling very comfortable a lot of the time. Stolarz and Woll have been called on to make fewer high danger saves than teams of the past few years - by a noticeable margin (1.5 fewer than last year, which was the best year the Leafs had under Keefe, excluding the COVID season) - and while they have both been excellent, the team is actually playing a style that's more successful in the playoffs.

I would rather they have a hybrid where they control the puck more, forecheck harder, and collapse better in the D-Zone - but invariably in there you have to create gaps as well that the other team can exploit (but if Carolina had better offensive gamebreakers, I think their style might just be a winning combination).

So I found Keefe's system too porous and risky and I find Berube's system a little too risk averse and dysfunctional. What's is the realistic happy medium?

So here's a fun little thingy:

https://www.nhl.com/gamec...tor/2025/04/22/2024030112

Do the "goal visualizer" for Domi's goal.

Not only do you get to see him skate through two Senators on his way to scoring, but the visualizer then shows Ullmark fire the puck to centre ice in frustration, and the Leafs pile off the bench and celebrate at centre ice.
- Atomic Wedgie

I love this. Watched it five times, lol.

So here's a fun little thingy:

https://www.nhl.com/gamec...tor/2025/04/22/2024030112

Do the "goal visualizer" for Domi's goal.

Not only do you get to see him skate through two Senators on his way to scoring, but the visualizer then shows Ullmark fire the puck to centre ice in frustration, and the Leafs pile off the bench and celebrate at centre ice.
- Atomic Wedgie

I assume Batherson and Cozens were ripped new ones after that "defending". That can't ever happen.

These stats are relevant over the course of a season, because expected goals usually end up meaning it's going well for the team/line/player.

But in a playoffs series, expected goals don't matter. At all. The difference between winning and losing is more often than not a few bounces going your way.
- Scabeh

Over the course of the season, actual goals are still more relevant, because actual goals usually end up meaning the team won the game.

gotta beat the best to be the best, doesn't matter who you gotta go through
- TheMussel

true but you gotta go through first before getting to the best of the best

Over the course of the season, actual goals are still more relevant, because actual goals usually end up meaning the team won the game.
- Atomic Wedgie

Yes, but it usually ends up balancing itself where these expected goals turn into actual goals and wins.

So if you're team is off to a bad start, but is performing well in expected goals, you can be cautiously optimistic they will turn things around.

I assume Batherson and Cozens were ripped new ones after that "defending". That can't ever happen.
- The Law

That was brutal. Didn’t take the man
or puck.

The real ? is how will the talking heads on Sportsnet, HNIC etc. spin these facts to ensure we all know the Sens are far from out of it, should feel good being down 2-0 and that the Leafs should fear the Sens and Brady Tkachuk.
- Cush29

No offence, Cushie, but you need to start showing Brady Tkachuk more respect.

The guy was (Wedgie checks notes) 104th in the league in scoring this year.

Every time he steps on the ice, he's (Wedgie checks notes) Ottawa's 4th highest scorer.

And don't forget the intangibles - he's got (Wedgie checks notes) two games of playoff experience, which he can draw upon to rally his teammates.

I wish the Leafs had a guy who averaged about 3/4 of a point every game or better. Unfortunately, we (Wedgie checks notes) only have five of them.

Over the course of the season, actual goals are still more relevant, because actual goals usually end up meaning the team won the game.
- Atomic Wedgie

expected coitus vs actual, only 1 matters ..but if you keep at it, you may turn some of the expected into actual.

After two games, Sens fans and some analysts are pointing to shot totals and saying that things are fine and that they should have won.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see them pointing to shot totals and saying they should have won at the end of the series.
- Canada Cup

I seem to recall Leaf fans doing that exact thing more than once against teams they lost series to in the playoffs.......hmmmmmmmmm

I assume Batherson and Cozens were ripped new ones after that "defending". That can't ever happen.
- The Law

He skated through them.

I'm unsure how they didn't end Domi's life. It reminded me of when I was coaching kids, and you had to be really careful to not accidentally hit them while skating through a drill.