Leafs @ Sharks - Oct. 30th, 10:30pm - SNO, TSN 1050

[Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate]

Look, playing around with the forward lines is fine and all but the defense is the crying need.  Rielly and Gardiner are inconsistent at best and probably always will be, Zaitsev is going through a similar patch, and as a top 3 they are not going to play a shutdown game.  Hainsey is OK on the bottom pairing, Polak looks done, Borgman needs seasoning.  At the very least Carrick should be in for Polak.  The fact of the matter is that, even when the offense is flying, Doughty is right.

[Coco-puffs]

I will continue to say that Komarov is our best defensive forward, and having him on our fourth line is a waste.  Why have him out there trying to "stop" the other team's 4th line from scoring? 

And as much as Hyman lacks the passing skill and finish to be considered a top-6 forward, he really does create a ton of space for our skill players out there.  My lines, if I were given the reins behind the bench.

Marleau - Matthews - Marner
Komarov - Kadri - Brown
JvR - Nylander - Hyman
Leivo - Bozak - Kapanen

Was really tempted to swap JvR and Leivo too... imagine having JvR and Bozak on your 4th line?

[bustaheims]

Look, playing around with the forward lines is fine and all but the defense is the crying need.  Rielly and Gardiner are inconsistent at best and probably always will be, Zaitsev is going through a similar patch, and as a top 3 they are not going to play a shutdown game.  Hainsey is OK on the bottom pairing, Polak looks done, Borgman needs seasoning.  At the very least Carrick should be in for Polak.  The fact of the matter is that, even when the offense is flying, Doughty is right.

The forwards are a big part of the issue with the defence, though. They're not doing their part in the defensive end well enough, they're not providing quality passing options to help them get out the zone with the puck, etc. Obviously, that's not all about the line combinations, but, there are certain groups who are worse than others, and they need to be split up and put on lines with forwards who understand the importance of defensive responsibility.

Honestly, changing the makeup of the backend isn't going to make a significant difference at this point. They're the lesser of the two evils right now - though, I agree that Polak needs to be removed from the situation. That would probably be the extent of the changes I'd make right now.

[bustaheims]

imagine having JvR and Bozak on your 4th line?

Those two need to separated until they both learn how to be defensively responsible. I don't care what line they're on, if they're together, it's not going to be pretty when the puck ends up in the Leafs' end.

[Andy]

Okay, JVR to Philly for their 1st; Philly's 1st, Our 2019 1st, Brooks and Dermott to Fla for Ekblad. Carrick in for Polak, Hainsey to the bottom pairing. Done.

[CarltonTheBear]

I've posted some of my preferred forward combinations lately, so here's what my defence would look like:

Gardiner-Rielly
Hainsey-Zaitsev
Marincin-Carrick

Yeah, that's right, I'm still on #TeamMarty.

[CarltonTheBear]

Honestly, changing the makeup of the backend isn't going to make a significant difference at this point. They're the lesser of the two evils right now - though, I agree that Polak needs to be removed from the situation. That would probably be the extent of the changes I'd make right now.

Yeah, I think that we're all focusing more on the forwards right now because there's nothing that can really be done with the defence right now. I think we all recognize the need for another top-4 righty, and I imagine/hope the Leafs do too, but until that happens no amount of shuffling is going to make our top-6 defence elite.

We should have the best forward group in the entire league though as far as I'm concerned. Or at least top-5. So they have to start playing like it.

[herman]

Yeah, that's right, I'm still on #TeamMarty.

I thought it was #TeamMarMar

[CarltonTheBear]

I thought it was #TeamMarMar

I'll put that up for debate at our next council meeting.

[Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate]

Look, playing around with the forward lines is fine and all but the defense is the crying need.  Rielly and Gardiner are inconsistent at best and probably always will be, Zaitsev is going through a similar patch, and as a top 3 they are not going to play a shutdown game.  Hainsey is OK on the bottom pairing, Polak looks done, Borgman needs seasoning.  At the very least Carrick should be in for Polak.  The fact of the matter is that, even when the offense is flying, Doughty is right.

The forwards are a big part of the issue with the defence, though. They're not doing their part in the defensive end well enough, they're not providing quality passing options to help them get out the zone with the puck, etc. Obviously, that's not all about the line combinations, but, there are certain groups who are worse than others, and they need to be split up and put on lines with forwards who understand the importance of defensive responsibility.

Honestly, changing the makeup of the backend isn't going to make a significant difference at this point. They're the lesser of the two evils right now - though, I agree that Polak needs to be removed from the situation. That would probably be the extent of the changes I'd make right now.

Points taken but I still think the skill level of the D is not going to get us where we need to go.  The top 3 are not good enough (at least not consistently so).

EDIT: and just read Carlton's post.  Yeah.

[bustaheims]

Points taken but I still think the skill level of the D is not going to get us where we need to go.  The top 3 are not good enough (at least not consistently so).

There's probably some truth there. I'm just not having a great time evaluating them fairly when the forwards are putting them in bad positions and not shouldering their share of the load defensively. It's having a negative impact on their performance - and especially on their ability to be consistent.

[herman]

Based on line rushes, Josh Leivo and Connor Carrick are set to re-enter the #leafs lineup.

Marleau as 3C with JVR/Brown, Bozak as 4C.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 31, 2017

Praise be

Moore and Polak are the odd-men out.

So they are:

Leafs practice lines

Hyman-Matthews-Nylander
Komarov-Kadri-Leivo
JvR-Marleau-Brown
Martin-Bozak-Marner
Kapanen, Moore

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 31, 2017

Leafs practice D

Rielly-Hainsey
Gardiner-Carrick
Borgman-Zaitsev
Polak

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 31, 2017

[herman]

Leivo getting the matchup line duties over Marner/Brown is quite a sight. Probably has something to do with a back to back against ANA/LA bruisers.

[CarltonTheBear]

Leivo getting the matchup line duties over Marner/Brown is quite a sight. Probably has something to do with a back to back against ANA/LA bruisers.

Most of that stretch last year where Leivo racked up points came on the Kadri and Komarov line.

[bustaheims]

Based on line rushes, Josh Leivo and Connor Carrick are set to re-enter the #leafs lineup.

Marleau as 3C with JVR/Brown, Bozak as 4C.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 31, 2017

Praise be

Moore and Polak are the odd-men out.

1.5 out of 3 ain't bad, I guess.