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2020/21 Leafs Game Day Threads / Re: Oilers @ Leafs - Jan. 22nd, 7:00pm - TSN4, TSN 1050

« on: Yesterday at 01:58:45 PM »

I've always thought Marner and Tavares look more dangerous together.

And Willy and Matthews always had good chemistry.

I've never liked Matthews with Marner but maybe the stats say different?

I have the same thoughts. I think Matthews and Nylander together is deadly.

Add me to the list.

Solid game for the most part. Freddy saved them early in the first period but I thought otherwise the Leafs played well. Engvall remains a mystery to me, he looks like a solid NHL player. So why is he on the outside looking in? Contract? Trying to save him for the expansion draft? The Leafs are a better team with him in the lineup. And Barabanov...he certainly isn't making a case for playing time but I don't know how much we can expect from him if he's stuck on the 4th line.

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2020/21 Leafs Game Day Threads / Re: Oilers @ Leafs - Jan. 22nd, 7:00pm - TSN4, TSN 1050

« on: January 22, 2021, 08:14:07 PM »

Hyman has been a beast with the puck deep tonight.

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2020/21 Leafs Game Day Threads / Re: Oilers @ Leafs - Jan. 22nd, 7:00pm - TSN4, TSN 1050

« on: January 22, 2021, 07:43:48 PM »

Engvall has probably been the most noticeable Leaf this period.  He?s definitely trying to show something

I don't get why he's in the dog house.

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2020/21 Leafs Game Day Threads / Re: Oilers @ Leafs - Jan. 22nd, 7:00pm - TSN4, TSN 1050

« on: January 22, 2021, 07:27:37 PM »

Ray was right in the pregame: This is Wednesday again, except not as good.

Really? There's been quite a few chances already. Unfortunately most of them have been against the Leafs.

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2020/21 Leafs Game Day Threads / Re: Oilers @ Leafs - Jan. 22nd, 7:00pm - TSN4, TSN 1050

« on: January 22, 2021, 07:21:54 PM »

Can anyone tell me anything that Vesey does well? Stone hands.

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2020/21 Leafs Game Day Threads / Re: Oilers @ Leafs - Jan. 22nd, 7:00pm - TSN4, TSN 1050

« on: January 22, 2021, 02:21:52 PM »

Let's try again

Hyman - Tavares - Nylander
Mikheyev - Kerfoot - Marner
Vesey - Brooks - Spezza
Barabanov - Engvall - Simmonds

eh...

Mikheyev - Tavares - Hyman
Vesey - Nylander - Marner
Engvall - Kerfoot - Barabanov
Brooks - Spezza - Simmonds

I don't hate this that much

I really don't know what I'd do in terms of line combos. Definitely an opportunity for some fringe players to step up and make a statement.

Mikheyev - Tavares - Marner
Hyman - Kerfoot - Nylander 
Vesey - Engvall -  - Barabanov
Brooks - Spezza - Simmonds

Why...first line, Tavares and Marner have worked well together. Tavares is a shooter, Mikheyev also and is fast enough to get in on the forecheck.

Second line, give Kerfoot a chance to see if he can make a consistent impact in a more offensive role. Nylander is the shooter here, all 3 are quick and Hyman does the board work.

Third line, Engvall is a good skater. This is where Vesey belongs IMO even when everyone is healthy. Barabanov - who knows. I wouldn't mind seeing him given a shot higher  up in the lineup but I don't think anyone has a clue what he might be able to provide. Maybe switch him and Hyman to even out the 2nd/3rd lines a bit,

Fourth line, probably won't play much so meh. The slow line. Spezza could be subbed in on other lines when offense is needed. Brooks might be a "safer" bet to play a bigger role on line 3 if Barabanov isn't up to the job.

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Main Leafs Hockey Talk / Re: 2020-2021 Toronto Maple Leafs General Discussion

« on: January 21, 2021, 12:20:44 PM »

Keefe will have lots of options. If he thinks Hyman is the only guy who could/should replace Thornton then that's fine, but the Tavares line will need to take on more match-ups. Maybe that requires Mikheyev replacing Vesey on it, and that's fine too. This option stacks our top-6 but leaves our bottom-6 looking a little weak.

He could also keep the checking line in tact and throw in a guy like Barabanov or Simmonds on the top line just to see if they could fill that role temporarily.

Or maybe the middle ground option is to take Mikheyev off the checking line to replace Thornton and have Barabanov or Engvall take the spot on the 3rd line. While I like Mikheyev I don't think his presence is as essential to the line's success as Hyman's so that might work.

There's lot of options that I'd be open to seeing Keefe try... except the Hyman-less checking line one.

Yep, lots of options. I'm somewhat hesitant to move Mikheyev up for the same reason as you. There needs to be some offensive threat on the third line.

I might actually try Simmonds or even Spezza on the top line. Spezza's got the mind for it.

He may have the mind for it but what else? Thornton obviously has the mind for it but had nothing else to offer and was a drag on the line. They need someone who can at the least keep up with Matthews and Marner in terms of skating. Spezza? Sure, try it but I don't think it'll work. Same with Vesey, too slow. Better chances of meshing with someone like Engvall, Milkheyev, Hyman (obviously). I'd even consider trying Barabanov (see what he's got) or Brooks, though I'm not sure if Brooks is quick enough either.

Anderson is interesting but I've never really seen him play.

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2020/21 Leafs Game Day Threads / Re: Oilers @ Leafs - Jan. 20th, 7:00pm - SN, Fan 590

« on: January 20, 2021, 10:19:18 PM »

I feel like this is the kind of game a good team finds ways to win. It shouldn't have been close enough for the bad bounces and calls against to make a difference. It could have been pretty well sewn up in the first, with the zone time they had.

It sure feels.like they have the same problem as they did against the BJs last year. Just can't get goals.

Lots of zone time, lots of fancy skating and passing, but mostly kept to the outside. Not even seeing Matthews getting into the prime shooting areas very often. Not sure how much is the design of the offense/how other teams are countering, and how much is due to the lines being suboptimal due to personnel (Thornton and Vesey).

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2020/21 Leafs Game Day Threads / Re: Oilers @ Leafs - Jan. 20th, 7:00pm - SN, Fan 590

« on: January 20, 2021, 10:01:42 PM »

I don't really pay much attention to the cap but if Thornton is going to be out for a while I'd like to see Engvall. Not sure if that would work cap-wise but I think he would make the biggest impact. Maybe they could give Barabanov a shot in the top 6. He hasn't shown much but hasn't really been given much time. Brooks would probably be safe but wouldn't be much of a threat offensively.

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2020/21 Leafs Game Day Threads / Re: Oilers @ Leafs - Jan. 20th, 7:00pm - SN, Fan 590

« on: January 20, 2021, 09:35:23 PM »

They look out of sorts on offense. Lots of bobbles, poor decisions and passes. Partly due, I think, to "forcing" Thornton and Vesey onto the first 2 lines. Neither belong in those positions. The Thornton issue might be solved by injury but Vesey needs to give way to Mikheyev.

At least, that's how it looks to me.

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2020/21 Leafs Game Day Threads / Re: Oilers @ Leafs - Jan. 20th, 7:00pm - SN, Fan 590

« on: January 20, 2021, 09:21:51 PM »

Hyman looking great.

Not that I'm happy to see Thornton injured but...the Matthews line is immediately more effective with Hyman there.

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Non-Hockey Chatter / Re: The Donald

« on: November 12, 2020, 01:09:54 PM »

Trump is "very aware there is not a path to victory," but he believes the 72 million who voted for him "deserve a fight" so he's battling as a form of "theater" for them, a top White House aide tells me.

— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) November 12, 2020

This is most certainly bilking money from his base to support the legal proceedings while skimming off at least half for himself (like a televangelist).

Meanwhile, the country burns as coronavirus rages completely out of control.

If only we only had a real adult in charge, instead of an obese orange toddler. Instead of delaying the transition he could be encouraging his followers to take covid seriously, follow health recommendations, stop the spread and save hospitals from being overwhelmed.

Assuming Biden takes office in Jan, what a mess he will be walking into. No leadership from the top for 2 months during a raging, accelerating pandemic...what could go wrong.

The negative effects of this presidency will echo in this country for generations.

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Non-Hockey Chatter / Re: The Donald

« on: October 29, 2020, 04:22:20 PM »

Can anyone envision a scenario where Trump actually concedes if he loses? I can?t. I figure he won?t say anything and just leave, or put up the biggest of fights until jan.

Man November is going to suck. And I am not even American. I just want this lunatic gone.

My son was arguing with me saying that Biden is a poor candidate and I said I do not care, at this point if they put a goat wearing a hat in the White House as president it would be an improvement over this lunatic.

As flawed as Biden may be, at least he appears to have empathy and act like a normal human being. The White House can go back to the back room shenanigans and whatever deals they do, it?s better than this quasi dictator.

And many some of our American friends here can help me understand something. Why is social health care so evil? I don?t get it at all.

Born and raised (and now living in) in NY state.

Lots of people in this country don't trust the government to run a national health care system because they see all the waste and fraud in other government programs (medicare/medicaid for example), and they hear the horror stories that come out of the V.A. Plus among about half the population there is a strange aversion to "social" anything, despite the fact that they all plan to collect their "social security" payments, they all drive on roads paid for and maintained by tax dollars, etc. There's a ton of hypocrisy in this country.

My belief is that we're going to have to go to a national healthcare system someday and may as well start now. I don't have a great deal of confidence about how it will work out, but the current system is unsustainable for most.

As for Trump, I don't see him conceding unless the results are truly a landslide. If it's close, and it probably will be in many of the battleground states, he's going to challenge everything he can. I voted for the first time in like 30 years. There hasn't been much reason to vote, since I live in NY which is so overwhelming democrat-supporting, the electoral college system makes my vote really kind of pointless. But this year, I want the margin of victory to be as large as possible.

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Non-Hockey Chatter / Re: The Donald

« on: October 05, 2020, 10:32:48 PM »

It's not as if it needs to be said, but especially in the US, your average meatbag isn't getting the same level of care that the president does, likely including experimental antivirals and whatever else they pumped in him under a team of 20 specialists or however many were assigned to every aspect of keeping his hamburger ratios replaced.

Ya think? 

I've had a number of people tell me their doctor told them to stay home and not go to the hospital unless their fingers/lips turned blue. That's the reality for most.

Another Trump supporter said "if  you get covid, just call  your doctor and they'll arrange for you to pick up all the meds at your pharmacy." I said "Oh, so my pharmacy is going to send me home with monoclonal antibodies and remdesivir (both requiring IV administration) and a super high dose of steroids...sure, no doubt!"

I agree with those who commented about Trump appearing to be having breathing difficulty after climbing those stairs. I think he'll be back in the hospital before long. Foolish, foolish man.

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Non-Hockey Chatter / Re: The Donald

« on: October 05, 2020, 11:48:09 AM »

The Trump campaign is now attacking Biden for...not contracting coronavirus.

“He has experience — now — fighting the coronavirus as an individual. Those firsthand experiences, Joe Biden, he doesn’t have those." pic.twitter.com/Qk0Qc8l6q9

— Tim Hogan (@timjhogan) October 5, 2020

Well, they have to spin it somehow - can't just admit the truth and say "look, our guy is a reckless fool who downplayed the virus and got himself and a bunch of others infected."