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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.
imagine having JvR and Bozak on your 4th line?
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, that's right, I'm still on #TeamMarty.
I thought it was #TeamMarMar
Quote from: Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate on October 31, 2017, 12:46:55 PMLook, 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).
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
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.
Leafs practice linesHyman-Matthews-NylanderKomarov-Kadri-LeivoJvR-Marleau-BrownMartin-Bozak-Marner Kapanen, Moore— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 31, 2017
Leafs practice linesHyman-Matthews-NylanderKomarov-Kadri-LeivoJvR-Marleau-BrownMartin-Bozak-Marner Kapanen, Moore
Leafs practice DRielly-Hainsey Gardiner-Carrick Borgman-ZaitsevPolak— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 31, 2017
Leafs practice DRielly-Hainsey Gardiner-Carrick Borgman-ZaitsevPolak
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.
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, 2017Praise beMoore and Polak are the odd-men out.