Why does having US teams in the division make a difference?
PrailinesNDick
We leave too many points on the table vs shitty teams, while our divisional rivals clean up.
The Habs, Sens and Sabres are always jazzed up to play us and I don’t think they care about Tampa or Florida in the same way. Meanwhile our guys couldn’t give a fuck about beating Ottawa on a Tuesday in February.
urasmisis
look at how the leafs play games. i swear like 50 games of the regular season can be summed up like this:
start the first period strong, pressure is applied early and by the half way point, leafs begin to let go of the gas. other team starts getting momentum. score is probably 1-0 leafs by now.
the goal deludes ppl into thinking it was a great first period.
second period starts incredibly slow for toronto, team allows a goal within the first 5 minutes. we play on the boards the whole period, chip and chase, PP does nothing. Opposing team plays physical and leafs can’t compete. score is probably 2-1 for other team.
third period is just as weak. but leafs control the game, just get nothing offensively. PP still trash. Then in the final 10 minutes, leafs put it in high gear and attack like crazy, opposing team hangs on for dear life. we get a goal to tie it, if not win the game.
the fan base forgives the style of play because we won, but this leads to the leafs losing a lot of easily winnable games.
Slow-Juice-7257
The Boston Bruins have been an amazing regular season team
No_Influence_1376
Every team will take games off here and there over the season. But no team takes a game off against the leafs. Ontario has too many NHL’ers that love to show up when they play at Scotiabank, or know that the media will be talking about them after the game if they bring their best. Leafs take off games against teams like ottawa or Buffalo, losing points there. I won’t say Arizona, as leafs played their ass off there the last few times, they just couldn’t buy a goal.
Additionally, a lot of the current leafs’ run has included a Tampa Bay dynasty, historic season by Boston, and a president’s trophy panthers team.
I watched a lot of hockey over the last few years and saw a good sample size of how other teams play when they take games off. I’ve never seen a team come into Toronto and be lackadaisical, they’re always charged up to start.
kingex11
Leafs core is overrated. Plus, Boston and Tampa have had Vezina level goaltending with Vasi, Rask, and Ullmark, not to mention their stellar defense. You can’t win a division with offensive talents alone. Leafs need better defense and goaltending to win those close games when the offense isn’t clicking.
TiredReader87
A lack of heart and killer instinct. They, too often, also take periods or games off.
Complacency
SpergSkipper
We have not had a proper division title since 2000, and before that?
1938.
Granted there were no divisions for a long time, but one division title between 1968 and today (2 if you count the Covid division) is probably worse than no Cups in that time. Or maybe not. Who knows anymore
8 Comments
Why does having US teams in the division make a difference?
We leave too many points on the table vs shitty teams, while our divisional rivals clean up.
The Habs, Sens and Sabres are always jazzed up to play us and I don’t think they care about Tampa or Florida in the same way. Meanwhile our guys couldn’t give a fuck about beating Ottawa on a Tuesday in February.
look at how the leafs play games. i swear like 50 games of the regular season can be summed up like this:
start the first period strong, pressure is applied early and by the half way point, leafs begin to let go of the gas. other team starts getting momentum. score is probably 1-0 leafs by now.
the goal deludes ppl into thinking it was a great first period.
second period starts incredibly slow for toronto, team allows a goal within the first 5 minutes. we play on the boards the whole period, chip and chase, PP does nothing. Opposing team plays physical and leafs can’t compete. score is probably 2-1 for other team.
third period is just as weak. but leafs control the game, just get nothing offensively. PP still trash. Then in the final 10 minutes, leafs put it in high gear and attack like crazy, opposing team hangs on for dear life. we get a goal to tie it, if not win the game.
the fan base forgives the style of play because we won, but this leads to the leafs losing a lot of easily winnable games.
The Boston Bruins have been an amazing regular season team
Every team will take games off here and there over the season. But no team takes a game off against the leafs. Ontario has too many NHL’ers that love to show up when they play at Scotiabank, or know that the media will be talking about them after the game if they bring their best. Leafs take off games against teams like ottawa or Buffalo, losing points there. I won’t say Arizona, as leafs played their ass off there the last few times, they just couldn’t buy a goal.
Additionally, a lot of the current leafs’ run has included a Tampa Bay dynasty, historic season by Boston, and a president’s trophy panthers team.
I watched a lot of hockey over the last few years and saw a good sample size of how other teams play when they take games off. I’ve never seen a team come into Toronto and be lackadaisical, they’re always charged up to start.
Leafs core is overrated. Plus, Boston and Tampa have had Vezina level goaltending with Vasi, Rask, and Ullmark, not to mention their stellar defense. You can’t win a division with offensive talents alone. Leafs need better defense and goaltending to win those close games when the offense isn’t clicking.
A lack of heart and killer instinct. They, too often, also take periods or games off.
Complacency
We have not had a proper division title since 2000, and before that?
1938.
Granted there were no divisions for a long time, but one division title between 1968 and today (2 if you count the Covid division) is probably worse than no Cups in that time. Or maybe not. Who knows anymore