Eastern Conference First Round: (2) Toronto Maple Leafs vs (3) Tampa Bay Lightning

[Invictus]

As it did...

[rataylor22]

It is funny to me when people can’t admit Matthews is one of the best defensive forwards in the league, which he absolutely is. Dude should be a perennial Selke contender for the majority of his career.

[Feenom]

Ok now the Leafs need to stop taking dumb penalties.

[Invictus]

Always a blowout...

It is funny to me when people can’t admit Matthews is one of the best defensive forwards in the league, which he absolutely is. Dude should be a perennial Selke contender for the majority of his career.

Marner > Matthews

[rataylor22]

Defensively? It’s not even close

[Invictus]

Defensively? It’s not even close

Matthews isn't that far behind.

[rataylor22]

Always a blowout...

Marner > Matthews

Matthews isn't that far behind.

I’d love you to find a model that backs this up. I mean I know you cannot, but at least try.

[Invictus]

I’d love you to find a model that backs this up. I mean I know you cannot, but at least try.

I mean I can't right now... I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out why a top team in the league would use Marner on PK1 when they have a vastly superior option in Matthews. :S

[doulos]

Leafs shit the bed. Mike Smith shutout. The hockeyverse is healing.

[rataylor22]

I mean I can't right now... I'm still scratching my head trying to figure out why a top team in the league would use Marner on PK1 when they have a vastly superior option in Matthews. :S

Draisaitl is a mess defensively and plays PK. I thought our intelligence as a hockey collective had moved past those weak ass arguments but I guess that’s the best you’ve got. There’s lots of reasons you’d use a W over your elite franchise 1C on the PK, including but not limited to the fact that even with the SHTOI Marner and Matthews averaged the same total TOI/g, meaning Matthews is playing more in more high leverage situations.

You could provide some tangible evidence to back up your point (I mean as stated earlier you cannot but you could at least try), but SHTOI as evidence is just….the height of lmao.

[doulos]

Draisaitl's defense has actually come around a lot and only someone who doesn't watch him play would say he is a mess defensively any more.

[2014olympicgold]

Draisaitl's defense has actually come around a lot and only someone who doesn't watch him play would say he is a mess defensively any more.

Draisaitl's issue to me is extending shifts in the offensive zone and getting hurt when it goes the other way. Which isn't a new thing for a young star heavily leaned on for their offense.

[PinchingD]

Leaf fans can calm the **** down now.

[PenguinHunter]

Draisaitl's defense has actually come around a lot and only someone who doesn't watch him play would say he is a mess defensively any more.

Well said doulos.

I love how some people in our collective grouping think that they always know better than the coaches that are hired to coach in the most significant league in the world.

Is a penalty kill not included in the defensive portion of hockey? If a coach puts a player on the penalty kill unit, if a coach wants to keep his job he must trust that player is defensively responsible.
I don't know of many coaches that create a penalty kill unit expecting them to score every time they are on the ice.

[rataylor22]

Draisaitl's defense has actually come around a lot and only someone who doesn't watch him play would say he is a mess defensively any more.

I will trust the public models, all of which rate him as a negative defensive player, over your personal eye test, but thank you.

Well said doulos.

I love how some people in our collective grouping think that they always know better than the coaches that are hired to coach in the most significant league in the world.

Is a penalty kill not included in the defensive portion of hockey? If a coach puts a player on the penalty kill unit, if a coach wants to keep his job he must trust that player is defensively responsible.
I don't know of many coaches that create a penalty kill unit expecting them to score every time they are on the ice.

There is no greater groupthink than appealing to authority. No surprise at all that you're a constant victim of it.

The skills required to be a good penalty killer and the skills required to be a consistently good 5v5 C are significantly different. They're not even in the same realm of skillset, other than they both occur on skates. Jonathan Huberdeau is also a disaster defensively and plays PK.