The Toronto Solar welcomes former Toronto captain and three-time 50-goal winger Rick Vaive to our 2024 Maple Leafs playoff protection.
Rick will break down every recreation within the Toronto – Boston collection, beginning with Saturday’s one-sided 5-1 defeat.
As a lot as everybody appears to be like ahead to playoff hockey, the Leafs didn’t appear like they had been prepared for the puck drop.
Saturday was nonetheless a very good bodily recreation as everybody together with me anticipated, with greater than 50 hits for both sides. However my greatest takeaway, at first, was the Leafs taking a few dumb penalties which led to 2 energy play objectives. That hurts when Toronto’s penalty killing was fairly weak on the finish of the 12 months and wasn’t excellent Saturday.
I get how they had been attempting to return out and present they wouldn’t be pushed round in Boston’s rink. However Brad Marchand drew a few these calls, not due to something he’d completed to get the Leafs mad at him, however due to his popularity. They actually wished to go after him and so they did, particularly Max Domi. It looks as if that backfired.
The Leafs being 0-for-3 on the facility play, is one thing that has to harm, too. Which brings me to possibly Boston’s best energy which it confirmed final night time — goaltending. Yeah, Toronto had 36 photographs on Jeremy Swayman, however right here’s a workforce that has two goalies within the prime 10 of the Nationwide Hockey League with Swayman and Linus Ullmark. That’s no fluke.
And since this can be a workforce recreation, each these guys play in entrance of a defence that’s well-structured and takes away these good alternatives for different groups in entrance. So, the Leafs, although having a variety of good scorers, should take advantage of what’s given them. Lots of occasions I noticed Auston Matthews knocked down within the slot. He obtained in there, just a few occasions, however didn’t get many possibilities. You actually can’t blame him for the loss, I assumed he performed all proper.
On the different finish, there needs to be concern about Toronto doing a greater job defending Ilya Samsonov and the realm round their very own internet. I notice the Leafs made some modifications on defence this season, however taking a look at them as a complete, they’re not as huge and strong a corps as different groups.
Boston is nice at clearing out the important areas of the opposition’s finest forwards, as is Florida, so choose your poison on the opposite workforce Toronto would’ve performed this spherical. Boston scored some objectives proper within the crease, too. Toronto has greater guys than earlier than on its blueline, however on the finish of the day, didn’t defend the web to its capabilities.
The faceoffs informed us lots, too. Individuals will take a look at that stat, Boston 57% to Toronto’s 43, and say ‘what’s the massive deal’. What it means is you’re beginning with the puck that rather more and good issues are going to occur in a playoff state of affairs. Toronto went on to make some poor choices on the offensive blueline, unhealthy pinches and so forth, that led to odd-man rushes.
Maybe that’s going to be completely different with William Nylander within the lineup, although the humorous factor is that they mentioned nothing about how or why he didn’t play. We don’t know what it’s or what prompted it, however I’ve been in that troublesome place of deciding if I may play damage in playoffs or let a more healthy teammate take my spot.
Recreation 7 towards St. Louis in 1986, I had torn rib cartilage and the medics couldn’t freeze it. I took the warm-up and sat out. We misplaced 2-1. Did I make the suitable name? Who is aware of?
The subsequent 12 months towards Detroit, I used to be taking part in with a damaged hand from a battle after I’d unintentionally punched the glass. Our physician froze it for Recreation 6 in Toronto, however for Recreation 7 in Detroit, an intern travelled with us and he wouldn’t give me the needle. I needed to get Detroit’s physician to freeze it, however he didn’t do it correctly and it wore off after the primary interval.
I couldn’t maintain my stick and we misplaced Recreation 7. Possibly our common physician being there would’ve made the distinction.
We don’t know what’s flawed with Nylander, however my query is, if it was one thing bothering him on the finish of the season, why play him the final two video games?
It’s only one recreation. Let’s see how the Leafs reply and what lineup modifications could be made.
Vaive was captain of the Leafs for 4 years within the early Eighties, performed 16 NHL and WHA seasons, is writer of Catch 22, My Battles in Hockey and Life, and will be heard on the Squid and The Final Leafs Fan podcast with Mike Wilson and particular visitors.
