R1, G2: Lightning @ Maple Leafs - Apr. 20th, 7:00pm - SN, Fan 590

[Zee]

Good rebound game boys. Play anywhere near tonight and they'll take the series quiet all the haters who say we can't get out of the first round.

That's the thing though, we see this every year in the playoffs,  they're able to bounce back with a great effort after a crappy loss, but ultimately they crap the bed when the series is on the line.  Hope they change that this year but i'm in the "prove it to me" category right now.

The series won't even be "on the line" as such. Leafs in 5 games.


Well, maybe.

They could just as easily lose the next game 8-4 then win the one after 10-3

A Leafs team that was not as good as this one, took Tampa to seven games and lost by a goal last year. 

Tampa to me looks pretty gassed.  They came out hard in game one, scored a couple quick goals and then got into shenanigans. 

Vasilevskiy looks very ordinary.

Tampa knew last year they were lucky to get out of the first round, Leafs were oh so close.

This year I think Tampa knows they are in tough, and they can't beat the Leafs without the shenanigans, which to me looks like the refs had a pretty good handle on last night.

Leafs played a garbage Habs team and blew a 3-1 series lead.  Don't put anything past this team.

Anything can happen.
If Vasilevskiy heats up like Price did and/or a key player gets hurt like Tavares did, thems the breaks. That's why they only had a 10% chance of winning.

There are only 9 players left from that 24 man roster that lost to the Habs.
It is not the same team.

The most important players are the same though.  The team wins and loses around the core 4 (and throw in Rielly's play as well)

[bustaheims]

[Bill_Berg_is_pissed_off]

Good rebound game boys. Play anywhere near tonight and they'll take the series quiet all the haters who say we can't get out of the first round.

That's the thing though, we see this every year in the playoffs,  they're able to bounce back with a great effort after a crappy loss, but ultimately they crap the bed when the series is on the line.  Hope they change that this year but i'm in the "prove it to me" category right now.

The series won't even be "on the line" as such. Leafs in 5 games.


Well, maybe.

They could just as easily lose the next game 8-4 then win the one after 10-3

A Leafs team that was not as good as this one, took Tampa to seven games and lost by a goal last year. 

Tampa to me looks pretty gassed.  They came out hard in game one, scored a couple quick goals and then got into shenanigans. 

Vasilevskiy looks very ordinary.

Tampa knew last year they were lucky to get out of the first round, Leafs were oh so close.

This year I think Tampa knows they are in tough, and they can't beat the Leafs without the shenanigans, which to me looks like the refs had a pretty good handle on last night. 

Leafs played a garbage Habs team and blew a 3-1 series lead.  Don't put anything past this team.

One glass, two views. I think game 3 will tell us a lot about which way the series is inclined to go.

Call me jaded but I'm not turning the page until I see the 4th win.  I've earned the right

For sure. I mean anything can happen at 3-1. But I'll be an optimist if they play game 3 like they played game 2, and a pessimist if they play game 3 like they played game 1.

[Guilt Trip]

Good rebound game boys. Play anywhere near tonight and they'll take the series quiet all the haters who say we can't get out of the first round.

That's the thing though, we see this every year in the playoffs,  they're able to bounce back with a great effort after a crappy loss, but ultimately they crap the bed when the series is on the line.  Hope they change that this year but i'm in the "prove it to me" category right now.

The series won't even be "on the line" as such. Leafs in 5 games.


Well, maybe.

They could just as easily lose the next game 8-4 then win the one after 10-3

A Leafs team that was not as good as this one, took Tampa to seven games and lost by a goal last year. 

Tampa to me looks pretty gassed.  They came out hard in game one, scored a couple quick goals and then got into shenanigans. 

Vasilevskiy looks very ordinary.

Tampa knew last year they were lucky to get out of the first round, Leafs were oh so close.

This year I think Tampa knows they are in tough, and they can't beat the Leafs without the shenanigans, which to me looks like the refs had a pretty good handle on last night. 

Leafs played a garbage Habs team and blew a 3-1 series lead.  Don't put anything past this team.

The thing that kills me about this though is the Habs made it to the final which people conveniently forget. They had a crazy Cinderella run and literally swept the Jets and took out Vegas in 6 while Carey Price put up a .924. Not excusing it, but they weren't the only ones that should've beat the Habs.

It is a game of chance and happenstance, so yes could the Leafs lose this series? Yes of course, nobody is going to guarantee anything. 

Leafs looked like garbage game 1, last night they looked like world beaters.  Last night the Leafs looked more like they did the entire season than they did in game 1.

I understand as Leafs fans, it has been more than suggested the Leafs are a bunch of losers, and by extension, the fans are a bunch of losers.  The only safe thing to do as a Leafs fan is to half heartedly cheer for the Leafs, guard your optimism and temper any expectations with a negative expectation. 

I've been a Leafs fan for many, many years.  They are not a perfect organization, but I love this team, win or lose and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

At the end of the day, it's all just a game. 

At the end of the day, it's all just a game. 

Exactly.

Win, lose or draw (well, you can't draw) we'll be back again for more.

These Leafs are fun and entertaining to watch. They make a couple of hours every few days during the winter more palatable. Even when they're frustrating.

Absolutely Arn. If you keep that mindset the games are so much more enjoyable. I used to get "too" wrapped up in the results but now it sucks when they lose but the sun will come up tomorrow. I have zero impact on the outcome so why get so bent on something where I have no control? Last I checked, my name will not be going on the cup when/if they win and I won't be getting paid to play the game.
Doesn't mean I don't want them to win but because I do and they'll always be my team, but my summer will be just as good either way.
No get out there and win this f#cking thing!
GLG!

[Zee]

Stamkos has been trash so far so he's starting to try greasy things like last night bringing Matthews into a fight so he wouldn't be available. It's a great trade off for Tampa cause Stamkos has been ineffective.  Hope the Leafs finish this series, can't stand Tampa, they have quite a few dicks on the team, led by Kucherov and Perry