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Leafs Vs Blues

MindzEye said:
I think the mix isn't good right now. Marleau has been pretty useless on the top line, and Lindbrown have been good, but I don't know if there's an ounce of offensive danger between the two of them. Kadri is alone on an island there as the only one with consistent offensive ability. While this happens though, two offensively talented wingers are grinding away on 4th line shifts that are shit kicking the opposition for 7 minutes a night.

It reminds me a lot of the 1st half of last season, where we scored tons of goals until Babcock got the team playing "the right way", we stopped scoring goals for a month or more until he put the right pieces in the right places and we played like a 115 point team in the second half.

I don't think we played bad against the Penguins, but to me it's getting a bit old that it's the game we were the least creative offensively in (until tonight), but the game where Babcock had the fewest negative things to say about the team's performance. He's legitimately a great coach I think, but he seems to prefer a team of plow horses to a team of thoroughbreds and he seems intent every year to try to turn his thoroughbreds into plow horses until it fails miserably.
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Yup. And I wouldn't mind brown on the third line as much if you plop an offensive skill on the other wing. I'd personally go

Leivo-Matthews-Kapanen
Hyman-JT-Marner
Marleau-Kadri-Brown
Johnsson-goat-lindy

Clearly this Matthews line isn't working and kadri is CLEARLY on an island with his line. Maybe him and marleau re-kindle their chemistry.. or maybe marleau is done and you have to plop Johnny in there. Either way, this isn't working and won't work anytime soon. This team is way too talented to ever look like this. If they don't progress this season, I'm putting that on babdick.
 
Anybody that really thinks a team with Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Mitch Marner is going to struggle offensively for any length of time needs their head examined.

It's not going to happen.

And the Nylander thing is going to be resolved within a month.
 
Volcanologist said:
Anybody that really thinks a team with Auston Matthews, John Tavares and Mitch Marner is going to struggle offensively for any length of time needs their head examined.
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A team with Matthews, Marner, Kadri, Nylander, & JVR struggled offensively for an extended stretch last season. Marner had 2 goals in the first half man.
 
Rielly and Dermott lose a 2 on 1 battle for the puck and Connor Brown is in between the passer and shooter, but basically forgets that he has a stick and opens his legs to allow the pass through.

Dermott is having one of his worst games in the NHL tonight.
 
This is the second game in a row where players usually incredible at creating space and chances literally can't do anything right with the puck. Just watched Mitch and JT fumble **** two zone entries in a row.
 
MindzEye said:
A team with Matthews, Marner, Kadri, Nylander, & JVR struggled offensively for an extended stretch last season. Marner had 2 goals in the first half man.
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And he's been incredible since then. Tavares alone will replace the lion's share of JVR/Bozak's combined points, and not be a total joke defensively. I'm also anticipating an offensive step forward from the likes of Dermott, Kapanen and Johnsson this season on top of that. although to be fair that remains to be seen.

finally, the Nylander thing is done inside a month. if he wants to play in the NHL he'll be back in that timeframe.

I don't think we'll struggle to score to any great degree this season. too much talent.
 
Volcanologist said:
I don't think we'll struggle to score to any great degree this season. too much talent.
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This isn't what you said though. This I generally agree with, but I don't put it past Babcock's preferred style of play and deployment to try to turn this into a team of plowhorses again and see the offense dry up for an extended period of time when with the personnel available, it shouldn't.
 
7 shots. Maybe it's time to put the gud pros all on one line and sit 'em for the third.

Leivo has been dominant every shift he's had tonight ... nothing but fourth line duty for you.
 
Montreal. Anyone see this coming besides me? I don't recollect saying on the board, so not taking any serious credit, but I kinda was impressed when I watched them in exhibition.

We coulda had Alex Debrincat. Ole Mark Hunter super scout lol.
 
BeLeafer said:
Marleau looks like he'd struggle on the Marlies. Nary a thought to reducing his ice time.
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Marleau is on a line with 2 players leading the team in primary (5 on 5) points. Kappy with 8, Matthews with 7.

Marleau has 2 primary points on the season. He's getting buried possession and xGF% wise as well, easily, easily the worst results on that line. Clearly not working. That 3rd line is also clearly not working.

Which of course means the obvious to Babcock. Put Connor Brown on the 1st line. Probably in Kappy's place though.
 
Montreal. Anyone see this coming besides me?
Click to expand...

Might want to revisit this around Christmas before giving any credit to anyone for "seeing" anything. They're faster and playing a lot harder than last year, but there is still a distinct lack of high end talent there.
 
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