Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs - Jan. 21st, 7:00pm - CBC, TSN 1050

[Guilt Trip]

That's just unacceptable by Tavares.  Everybody else managed their time well.  Goddamit.

I am not going to trash him but he is a liability at this point in OT.  Doesn't have the horses and his whole game is about in-close, in-tight.  Keefe needs to make the tough decision and not send him out in OT.

No bitching about Mariner's drop pass that turned it over?

None of them were great but why are you defending Tavares?

Because you're laying blame on him for the goal and it isn't on him, regardless of the change.

[Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate]

The bottom line is they played down to a team they should have wiped the floor with.  Same old same old.

[Britishbulldog]

G'night folks!  Long flight back to Moncton for my boy and his girl.

[Guilt Trip]

Tavares stayed on ... WHY?  Didn't do anything to stop Pitlick.  Terrible management by him, he could have gotten off.

And he's too slow for all that open ice.

C'mon that's on Samsonov. He kept him outside, stoppable shot.

He had nothing in the tank.  Didn't do anything to disrupt the shot. 

Stoppable shot...End of story

Allowed by exhausted "defender."  Story amended.

Yeah, stoppable shot.

[gunnar36]

For the love of God, please stop deploying Tavares in OT! Unless it is to win a faceoff and get off, he has no business out there against other teams best skaters.  Him trying to play man to man and close gaps on that much open ice is a tall order.
I would much rather see guys like Kerfoot and Engvall get worked into the rotation.

[Bill_Berg_is_less_sad]

Yes! F-u Montreal and your hope for Bedard.

[Zee]

I was at a lunar new year celebration dinner last night so only followed the score updates. Another one of those Leafs playing down to their opponents game and the opponent playing like it's the Stanley Cup Final?

Also, I hope that whatever amount of points the Habs get playing the Leafs this year is the exact number of points they miss Bedard by. "oh, had Montreal not won those X games against the Leafs they could have finished where Arizona did and won the lottery instead!"

[Guilt Trip]

I was at a lunar new year celebration dinner last night so only followed the score updates. Another one of those Leafs playing down to their opponents game and the opponent playing like it's the Stanley Cup Final?

Also, I hope that whatever amount of points the Habs get playing the Leafs this year is the exact number of points they miss Bedard by. "oh, had Montreal not won those X games against the Leafs they could have finished where Arizona did and won the lottery instead!"

I don't think they played down to them. Leafs owned periods 1 and 3 where they outshot then 29-10. A bad pinch in the 2nd period and the Habs scored and got life. Both goalies made some huge/lucky saves. They recently beat NYR and the Jets so they do win games. Like you said I hope they keep winning to lessen their chances at Bedard.

[Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate]

from MLHS

The Leafs' top line of Michael Bunting – Auston Matthews – William Nylander was on the ice for that shift with the Rasmus Sandin – Conor Timmins pairing, and they were standing around flat-footed in the defensive zone as the Habs aggressively attacked the net with little resistance. When the top line got back to the bench, Keefe gave them a death stare and chewed them out as they hung their heads. He seemed to be staring at Nylander, in particular — possibly because he let Josh Anderson skate right by him untouched to get to a loose puck in front.

It was a case of going through the motions for the Leafs' stars at points in that middle frame.

There you go, azzurri.  I didn't see this in the telecast but more of that from Keefe is OK with me when it's deserved.

[Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate]

also from MLHS

9.    Three-on-three OT started according to plan with David Kampf winning the opening faceoff, the Leafs possessing the puck, and Kampf getting off the ice for Auston Matthews. Matthews had one semi-dangerous curl-and-drag in the left circle that Montembeault stopped, but the majority of the chances afterward went to the Habs before the Rem Pitlick game-winner. It was a longer shift for John Tavares, who was playing defense against the fresher legs of Pitlick and didn't do much to disrupt the winning shot, which was well-placed into the top corner.

Not trying to rub it in, GT.  Now that I have had a chance to calm down I agree that Samsonov could've/should've stopped it.

My main point remains, though.  Tavares makes his copious money in-tight, where he is all world (as in the faceoff dot).  Elsewhere, not so much.  3-on-3 OT is exactly the worst time to deploy him.  I hold my breath every time they put him out there.

Here's a case IMO where the coach has to take charge and make a decision that could tweak a star's ego.  Keefe gets paid to do what's best for the team.  He should sit JT down and tell him he won't be part of the 3/3 rotation.  Shootouts, yes.  It's not real hockey anyway and the point becomes moot in the playoffs.

[OldTimeHockey]

also from MLHS

9.    Three-on-three OT started according to plan with David Kampf winning the opening faceoff, the Leafs possessing the puck, and Kampf getting off the ice for Auston Matthews. Matthews had one semi-dangerous curl-and-drag in the left circle that Montembeault stopped, but the majority of the chances afterward went to the Habs before the Rem Pitlick game-winner. It was a longer shift for John Tavares, who was playing defense against the fresher legs of Pitlick and didn't do much to disrupt the winning shot, which was well-placed into the top corner.

Not trying to rub it in, GT.  Now that I have had a chance to calm down I agree that Samsonov could've/should've stopped it.

My main point remains, though.  Tavares makes his copious money in-tight, where he is all world (as in the faceoff dot).  Elsewhere, not so much.  3-on-3 OT is exactly the worst time to deploy him.  I hold my breath every time they put him out there.

Here's a case IMO where the coach has to take charge and make a decision that could tweak a star's ego.  Keefe gets paid to do what's best for the team.  He should sit JT down and tell him he won't be part of the 3/3 rotation.  Shootouts, yes.  It's not real hockey anyway and the point becomes moot in the playoffs.

In Tavares' defence, the turnover that led to the goal actually occurred at 3:35, an ill advised drop pass by Marner into a very tight triangle where Tavares had no chance to do anything with the puck. He handcuffed him. The Leafs never regained control of the puck. Marner managed to get off. Tavares got stuck on in a defensive position. While you'd like Tavares to be able to control the gap better, he forced Pitlick to wide and gave up the shot from outside the house. Exactly what you'd want a forward to do in that instance. It was a really good shot, but Samsonov should have stopped it. You'd then have a change of possession and Tavares would finally get the change he badly needed.
The two errors I see on the play are:
-Marner's cute drop pass in the middle of the house
-Tavares and Sandin giving up too much gap to allow speed into the zone.

[Guilt Trip]

also from MLHS

9.    Three-on-three OT started according to plan with David Kampf winning the opening faceoff, the Leafs possessing the puck, and Kampf getting off the ice for Auston Matthews. Matthews had one semi-dangerous curl-and-drag in the left circle that Montembeault stopped, but the majority of the chances afterward went to the Habs before the Rem Pitlick game-winner. It was a longer shift for John Tavares, who was playing defense against the fresher legs of Pitlick and didn't do much to disrupt the winning shot, which was well-placed into the top corner.

Not trying to rub it in, GT.  Now that I have had a chance to calm down I agree that Samsonov could've/should've stopped it.

My main point remains, though.  Tavares makes his copious money in-tight, where he is all world (as in the faceoff dot).  Elsewhere, not so much.  3-on-3 OT is exactly the worst time to deploy him.  I hold my breath every time they put him out there.

Here's a case IMO where the coach has to take charge and make a decision that could tweak a star's ego.  Keefe gets paid to do what's best for the team.  He should sit JT down and tell him he won't be part of the 3/3 rotation.  Shootouts, yes.  It's not real hockey anyway and the point becomes moot in the playoffs.

In Tavares' defence, the turnover that led to the goal actually occurred at 3:35, an ill advised drop pass by Marner into a very tight triangle where Tavares had no chance to do anything with the puck. He handcuffed him. The Leafs never regained control of the puck. Marner managed to get off. Tavares got stuck on in a defensive position. While you'd like Tavares to be able to control the gap better, he forced Pitlick to wide and gave up the shot from outside the house. Exactly what you'd want a forward to do in that instance. It was a really good shot, but Samsonov should have stopped it. You'd then have a change of possession and Tavares would finally get the change he badly needed.
The two errors I see on the play are:
-Marner's cute drop pass in the middle of the house
-Tavares and Sandin giving up too much gap to allow speed into the zone.

Marner has a habit of those cute lil drop passes in OT.

[Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate]

also from MLHS

9.    Three-on-three OT started according to plan with David Kampf winning the opening faceoff, the Leafs possessing the puck, and Kampf getting off the ice for Auston Matthews. Matthews had one semi-dangerous curl-and-drag in the left circle that Montembeault stopped, but the majority of the chances afterward went to the Habs before the Rem Pitlick game-winner. It was a longer shift for John Tavares, who was playing defense against the fresher legs of Pitlick and didn't do much to disrupt the winning shot, which was well-placed into the top corner.

Not trying to rub it in, GT.  Now that I have had a chance to calm down I agree that Samsonov could've/should've stopped it.

My main point remains, though.  Tavares makes his copious money in-tight, where he is all world (as in the faceoff dot).  Elsewhere, not so much.  3-on-3 OT is exactly the worst time to deploy him.  I hold my breath every time they put him out there.

Here's a case IMO where the coach has to take charge and make a decision that could tweak a star's ego.  Keefe gets paid to do what's best for the team.  He should sit JT down and tell him he won't be part of the 3/3 rotation.  Shootouts, yes.  It's not real hockey anyway and the point becomes moot in the playoffs.

In Tavares' defence, the turnover that led to the goal actually occurred at 3:35, an ill advised drop pass by Marner into a very tight triangle where Tavares had no chance to do anything with the puck. He handcuffed him. The Leafs never regained control of the puck. Marner managed to get off. Tavares got stuck on in a defensive position. While you'd like Tavares to be able to control the gap better, he forced Pitlick to wide and gave up the shot from outside the house. Exactly what you'd want a forward to do in that instance. It was a really good shot, but Samsonov should have stopped it. You'd then have a change of possession and Tavares would finally get the change he badly needed.
The two errors I see on the play are:
-Marner's cute drop pass in the middle of the house
-Tavares and Sandin giving up too much gap to allow speed into the zone.

This horse is probably dead enough but one reason I was pissed last night is that before all this unfolded he had a chance to get off and didn't.  Anyhow, none of them covered themselves in glory.