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GDT APR 16 2018 - Ali Bumaye

And I think this is actually the most appropriate clip for us:

[video=youtube;LstIgtkEe50]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LstIgtkEe50[/video]

We have to remember, these are kids that arguably overachieved a lot last year. We had no business being in the playoffs in their rookie year. We definitely deserve to be there this year, but the core players are still kids 20-23 years old who are just learning. They can benefit from being pounded so that they can hate it and learn to overcome it. Hopefully they learn that lesson right now and pick themselves right up after falling in Boston, but if not, they'll be better for the experience.
 
MindzEye said:
Johnsson-Matthews-Kapanen
Marleau-Nylander-Marner
JVR-Bozak-Hyman
Leivo-Plekanec-Brown

Rielly-Dermott
Jake-Zaitsev/Polak
Hainsey-Polak/Polak

Though if Zaitsev is going to continue being complete shite, I wouldn't even mind if we slotted Borgman in over him and reshuffled 4-5-6 with Hainsey on Jake's pairing.
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Zaitsev is fine.

The only thing I'd resist is moving Hyman down. He's played really well in both games.
 
If you are going to play Matthews against the Bergeron line give him help. Hyman-Matthews-Willy has been one of the best lines in the league this year when healthy in terms of goal production. You need the talent to play against the Bergeron line and have a chance to be the better line.
 
Honestly, I think in this series, if you can just cancel out that first line, we win.

I'd be fine having Matty, Hyman, and Kappy just try to keep things even, even if both first lines do nothing.

And then we have Willy and Marner doing damage against their second best, and JVR and Bozak getting some licks in on their third best.

But it all comes down to neutralizing that Pastrnak line (which by the way I feel is the more appropriate name for it). Cancel them out, and we for sure win. Pleks isn't the way to do it. Kadri would be. But Matty is the next best option. Just don't waste Willy's firepower on that line. Let Kappy skate in his place, and who knows, maybe he steps up and we don't skip a beat.
 
But we already know you can't neutralize that line. That is what we have tried to do for 2 games and they have like 10 goals. No one has done it all year. You have to out skill them or at the very lest play with them.
 
leafman101 said:
But we already know you can't neutralize that line. That is what we have tried to do for 2 games and they have like 10 goals. You have to out skill them.
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I don't think you can out skill that line either. But you can out skate them. Kappy/Johnsson are two blazing fast gud pros who Babcock doesn't trust as gud pros yet. I don't think they hurt Matthews at all, and allow us to split the speed and skill over two lines. Plekanec on the 2nd line isn't scaring anyone, and now probably neutralizes Marner by giving him no one with hands to play with.
 
leafman101 said:
But we already know you can't neutralize that line. That is what we have tried to do for 2 games and they have like 10 goals. You have to out skill them.
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I still have a hard time assigning too much importance to the first two games.

It was a luckfest. They never did that to us in the last two years of regular season games. No one did. We never lost by that wide a margin in any game this year, not to mention two playoff games in a row.

There's no way it persists. It was an anomaly. If the Leafs come out flying tonight and get a couple of quick goals (and hey, scoring first and dominating first periods is our thing, not theirs), then the wind will be let out of their sales, and Pastrnak isn't going to be putting up ****ing six point nights. They'll be wondering if it's a home ice thing, and the Leafs getting momentum off a couple of wins here and going back will change the dynamic in game 5.

While their first line is great, it's not this good. We have to structure our game plan around that basic premise.
 
Happy to see moore in, actually. SPEED SPEED SPEED and more SPEED is the answer here.

And don't be surprised to see all sorts of line shuffling depending on game situation.
 
LeafOfFaith said:
I still have a hard time assigning too much importance to the first two games.

It was a luckfest. They never did that to us in the last two years of regular season games. No one did. We never lost by that wide a margin in any game this year, not to mention two playoff games in a row.

There's no way it persists. It was an anomaly. If the Leafs come out flying tonight and get a couple of quick goals (and hey, scoring first and dominating first periods is our thing, not theirs), then the wind will be let out of their sales, and Pastrnak isn't going to be putting up ****ing six point nights. They'll be wondering if it's a home ice thing, and the Leafs getting momentum off a couple of wins here and going back will change the dynamic in game 5.

While their first line is great, it's not this good. We have to structure our game plan around that basic premise.
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I do agree that there is no chance whatsover the Bruins get all the bounces and calls. The 4-0 in the first with us playing better won't happen again.
MUST GET THE 1ST GOAL!!
 
Yup. The first goal is crucial tonight

They also need to get in Rask's grill. He's the biggest hot head on the ice. Try anything and everything to throw him off his game

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk
 
zeke said:
The numbers say zaits has probably been our best dman so far (ducks).
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No need to duck. It confirms the eye test.

Hainsey has been the worst, Polak next, and Rielly and Gardiner about the same after them. Dermott the best.
 
yeah you keep Matthews on Bergeron. what good would sheltering do for him longterm?

he's our best and he has to get used to head to head matchups with the same on the other team in the playoffs

this is part of him learning to be a great player. he's got the ability now he's getting the experience.
 
Volcanologist said:
yeah you keep Matthews on Bergeron. what good would sheltering do for him longterm?

he's our best and he has to get used to head to head matchups with the same on the other team in the playoffs

this is part of him learning to be a great player. he's got the ability now he's getting the experience.
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Yeah, I agree with this.

Let's sink or swim with our best player, not Tomas ****ing Plekanec.

And if it ends with the team getting dumped out of the playoffs in a premature and highly embarrassing fashion, at least it's a learning experience for said franchise player.
 
LeafOfFaith said:
No need to duck. It confirms the eye test.

Hainsey has been the worst, Polak next, and Rielly and Gardiner about the same after them. Dermott the best.
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numbers say Rielly's been the worst by far.

numbers say Dermott and Polak have both been good, but in much easier usage than the other 4.
 
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