Oilers @ Leafs - Jan. 20th, 7:00pm - SN, Fan 590

[dekedastardly]

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.

[BrownRolo]

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.

[Chris]

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).

[CarltonTheBear]

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.

They could call up Engvall with just Robertson going on LTIR. That seems to make the most sense, especially if the Leafs choose to keep a checking line. Mikheyev could go up to the Matthews-Marner line and Engvall could join the Kerfoot-Hyman line. Definitely a slight downgrade but Engvall does have the tools to make it work, just needs to figure out how to use them.

The one small issue is that Engvall is just 7 games away from losing his waiver exemption.

[Guilt Trip]

Best move cap-wise is the Emergency Recall, but they'd have to play Friday with 17 skaters. Then they could recall Barabanov ($925k) for $0 on the cap until Thornton is back.

This would allow the Leafs to accrue on about $500k daily, for a bigger trade deadline budget. pic.twitter.com/bK9ew17Lco

— Earl Schwartz (@EarlSchwartz27) January 21, 2021

[Guilt Trip]

Oh and just read they took Mariner's assist away on Matthews' goal and gave it to Brodie.

[BrownRolo]

Next game I guarantee there will be a buttload of penalties called and they will give the Leafs one more than Edmonton. That's how they will atone for their shoddy officiating from tonight.

[Andy]

I feel I'm a pretty neutral fan when it comes to Reffing but the way the Leafs are continually jobbed by the refs is so frustrating.

Yea, I'm not sure if it's the embarrassingly weak calls (ie. Marner, Hyman), the made up calls (ie. Muzzin) or lack of calls (ie. Nylander enduring multiple cross checks from behind by Larsson) that are the most frustrating but this seems to be a constant battle for the Leafs.

It's certainly making it difficult for me to watch, anyway. 

[OldTimeHockey]

Officiating aside, that was a very difficult game to watch.
Nothing was clicking. Passes were slightly off, timing was off. The focus didn't seem to be there.

[CarltonTheBear]

Matthews suggests maybe there was too much emphasis on the pre-scout, playing too safe: "We gotta play to win, not to contain two guys."

— Justin Cuthbert (@jccuthbert) January 21, 2021

Hopefully Coach Matthews makes some changes for the game tomorrow.

[L K]

Just because I'm bitter and never good at letting things go.  Why was that hit where the Oiler player tried to take out Muzzin's leg in the last minute not a penalty?  He didn't flop to the ice so therefore it wasn't a penalty but he completely whiffed on a check and tried to take out his leg.

[cabber24]

Matthews suggests maybe there was too much emphasis on the pre-scout, playing too safe: "We gotta play to win, not to contain two guys."

— Justin Cuthbert (@jccuthbert) January 21, 2021

Hopefully Coach Matthews makes some changes for the game tomorrow.

Really? He feels the need to say this to the media? Talk to the coach, not the reporters. I welcome some defensive structure to their game. We have had no success without it.

[herman]

Really? He feels the need to say this to the media? Talk to the coach, not the reporters. I welcome some defensive structure to their game. We have had no success without it.

Full quote:

?When we go through the pre-scout, obviously we key in on those two guys,? Matthews said of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. ?They?re extremely dangerous. Two of the top two players in the world. We can?t get away from our game, (though). We?ve got to go out there and play our game and try to produce offence. We?ve got to play to win ? not play to contain two guys.

?I think we?ve got to regroup as a team, do a good job of watching video and learning from some mistakes and trying to apply some stuff to this next game because we?ve got these guys in another day here.?

[OldTimeHockey]

Really? He feels the need to say this to the media? Talk to the coach, not the reporters. I welcome some defensive structure to their game. We have had no success without it.

Full quote:

?When we go through the pre-scout, obviously we key in on those two guys,? Matthews said of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. ?They?re extremely dangerous. Two of the top two players in the world. We can?t get away from our game, (though). We?ve got to go out there and play our game and try to produce offence. We?ve got to play to win ? not play to contain two guys.

?I think we?ve got to regroup as a team, do a good job of watching video and learning from some mistakes and trying to apply some stuff to this next game because we?ve got these guys in another day here.?

Yeah, absolutely nothing wrong with what Matthews said.

[Highlander]

I never blame officiating, this game was different, the call on Marner highly questionable, on Muzzin complete BS.  Marner was like a pinball machine with pucks bouncing off him, some of those passes have to stick Mitch. Lots of bad bounces but overall a very good Defensive effort that I think we all have been longing to see. Good shutdown of McDavid and the other guy named D.
I want to see Vesey skate with his hair actually on fire, perhaps some BBQ  starters would work.  I am really disappointed and expected a lot more. Simmons on the real edge of his career.   
Time to get Hyman back on the top line and move Souperman to line 2.  Let Barbanov fill in on line three as he is supposed to be Hyman lite.  Someone please teach Spezza how to score goals