Love the "Studs and Duds" feature of the points to consider.
This is a stellar recap and something to look forward to after every game.
The icing on the cake is the fantasy implications.
Can't wait to see more!
GMG
okay, before my post-game wrap up just want to say one thing: any questions you have about the leafs, post in this thread if you like. I'll answer all questions as soon as possible.
Now to the post game of the Sens vs. Leafs:
After 2 periods of boring hockey, 1 period of average hockey, 1 very exciting overtime, and an anti climatic shootout, the Leafs got the short end of the stick on a very close game, losing to the Senators 1-0. Reimer made 22 saves for the shutout. Armstrong and Giguere were both out due to injury. The line combinations were:
Lupul-Bozak-Kessel
Kulemin-Grabovski-Macarthur
Sjostrom-Boyce-Hanson
Rosehill-Brent-Crabb
Aulie-Phaneuf
Gunnarsson-Schenn
Lebda-Komisarek
Leafs played a well rounded game. Not fantastic, nowhere near one of their best. Just average. The scoring chances were abundant, the defense came to play tonight, and the forwards backchecked. Rating out of 10: 6
Now, every single post game, I'll have a couple regular components. One will be the points to consider. This will consist of anywhere between 3-5 posts on anything that happened during the game that was noteworthy: here are the points to consider:
-Craig Anderson stood on his head tonight for the Sens. Without him, the game would have been over well before overtime. His most notable save was on Kessel in overtime with 3 minutes to go. A little lucky, but nonetheless beautiful.
-No clip on youtube yet, but Lessard and Rosehill got into what could be the fight of the year. During the second period, the two squared off for a solid minute, with no blocks and dodges and breaks. Just a minute of haymakers to the faces of the two heavyweights. A link will be up ASAP.
-The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Kaberle Friday. One thing fans thought would falter was the Powerplay...and were all those fans proved right. The powerplay was atrocious, getting no goals in 6 opportunities. Expect the backfields of the PP units to constantly being switched up.
Next segment is the top 3 leafs, and the not top 3 leafs. Quite self-explainatory. I name who I feel were the top 3 leafs, and the worst leafs were of each game:
top 3:
1st-Reimer-Helped the Leafs remain in the game, despite only saving 22 stops.
2nd-Phaneuf- Solid hits, solid defense, good shot opportunities.
3rd-Komisarek- Arguably his game as a Leaf defensively.
not top 3:
1st-Lebda- to say he was brutal on the PP is an understatement.
2nd-Gunnarsson- just not very solid defensively, cause of a couple odd man rushes.
3rd-Hanson- nearly took a dumb unsportsmanlike penalty, not a very solid game overall.
Final component is the fantasy implications. Here, I give the 3 players that fantasy value will likely increase due to observations from this game:
1st- Schenn. More ice time, and more PP time in the near future.
2nd- Lupul. 7 shots, and tons of great scoring chances. Looking better every game.
3rd- Lebda. Despite his incompetence tonight, he will continue to see time on the top unit likely.
If you have comments or questions, feel free to leave a message or send me a PM.
Until next time,
TK
"We've had a couple shakers in this place. This year we haven't had the time. We had a couple good ones last year, right?" - Phil Kessel
Love the "Studs and Duds" feature of the points to consider.
This is a stellar recap and something to look forward to after every game.
The icing on the cake is the fantasy implications.
Can't wait to see more!
GMG
Great stuff TK! Love the format, ...and as always, the insight! Thanks!
CBS 8 team keeper(5-8) - Points only
C: Tavares, Duchesne, Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins
LW: Parise, Benn, Neal
RW: Kessel, Giroux, Stewart
D: Green,Karlson, Carlson, Whitney, Edler, White
G: Rinne, Lundqvist
2LW,2C,2RW,4D,1G pts.= G=2, PPG=3, SH=5, A=1, W=3, S=.2, GA=-1, SO=4,
(Tired of watching today's trophys pass you buy? Waiting for a tomorrow that may never come? Why not win NOW? ...Ask about our "Pre-owned vets for prospects" program, and start winning TODAY!)
Don't really feel like making a new topic, but expect MacArthur to be either signed or traded pretty soon.
"Burke also told the fans in attendance that the team’s leading scorer, Clarke MacArthur, will be moved by the trade deadline next Monday if his salary demands are too high.
The Leafs GM will sit down with MacArthur’s new agent, Don Meehan, for contract talks this week.
“If he doesn’t agree to something that makes sense, then we’re going to listen [to offers],” Burke said. “It’s not a guarantee that he’s not going to be here, but we’re certainly going to listen.”"
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sport...rticle1915465/
The Ultimate Fantasy Hockey League. (Keep 17)
3C 3LW 3RW 6D 2G 6BE.
G,A,+-,PIM,PPP,SHP,GWG,SOG,FW,HIT; GS,W,L,GAA,SA,SV, SV%,SO
(C) Kopitar, Kuznetsov, O'Reilly, Karlsson, Roslovic, Zacha
(LW) Ovechkin, Forseberg, Bertuzzi(RW),
(RW) Rantanen, Bratt(LW), Radulov
(D) Josi, Burns, Pietrangelo, Karlsson, Heiskanen, Dunn, Boqvist
(G) Gibson, Quick, Hart, Petersen
(IR) Domi
10 Person Farm: (<200GP for F, <100GP for G)
(C) Zegras(LW), Bourque
(LW) Kaliyev(RW)
(RW) Glass(C), Raymond(LW)
(D) Power
(G) Ingram, Knight, Levi, Primeau
"We've had a couple shakers in this place. This year we haven't had the time. We had a couple good ones last year, right?" - Phil Kessel
Hey guys just read that the Leafs will likley have both Brown and Armstrong back for tonights game and that Lebda is questionable after being hit in the leg with a puck....I know, I know just questionable DAMN!!! the hole left by Kabby only worries me becuase I see WAY too much of Lebda on the ice I am hoping that Burke can get someone lined up soon!!! and whos with me when I say they should give Schenn a shot on the PP??
A few quick notes for tonights tilt with the Islanders.
Riemer to start in goal
Tim Brent will be on the other point with Dion on the PP....something they worked on during yesterdays practice
Scrivens to back up if JSG isn't ready to go
No sign of Hanson, so like JD mentioned...Brown and/or Armstromg likely to return
....
I would love to see Schenn on the first PP unit, at least see how he does.
I would also love for the leafs to call up Gysbers...he has looked pretty good over the last 20 Marlie games or so, and why not try to help the situation from within the organization before trading an asset?
wow....Tim Brent on the point for the PP? I can see why Burke wants to make a deal before the game for a dman.
Get working the phones Burke.
Better than Lebda thats for sure.....but I just read that the Leafs are targeting J.M. Liles as one of five potential D-Men. Not sure how I feel about this? its just that his contract is worth pretty much the same as what Kabby's was and I know Kabby may have wanted more but I still think thats a lot on the backend. That said if he can get him cheap then go for it I suppose he is only 30 and is a solid offensive blueliner?? To me it all depends on the cost
"We've had a couple shakers in this place. This year we haven't had the time. We had a couple good ones last year, right?" - Phil Kessel
Tuesday, Feb 22:
Leafs were at home to the surging New York Islanders. After a hard-fought game with plenty of chances for each side, Leafs came out on top, winning 2-1. Not the Leafs' best game of the year, not even close. Plenty of turnovers and dumb penalties. Reimer saved their asses in this one. Rating out of 10:5
Points to Consider:
-For the second straight game, an opposing goaltender nearly stole points from the Leafs. Al Montoya, who has recorded a 3-0-0 record with a 1.53 GAA since joining the Isles, stood on his head to make 23 saves on 25 shots. Of those 23 saves, approximately 8-10 of them were near scoring chances. No over exaggeration.
-Konopka and Phaneuf exchanged words in the warmup, much to the dislike of Dion. Konopka was involved in an altercation with Phaneuf during the game, and even caused a near-brawl at the end with a "discussion" with Jay Rosehill
-Colby Armstrong and Mike Brown returned to the lineup, while Hanson and Crabb were taken out. Armstrong was big in his return after missing 4 games with an eye injury, which included a thunderous (and clean) hit on Haley. Must see on youtube.
-The amount of penalties the Leafs took was beyond bad. 6 times the Leafs were shorthanded. Luckily, the Islander's PP was atrocious, going 1 for 6.
- The Leafs also had their highs and lows in regards to turnovers. While they took advantage of the Islander's puck possession woes, the Leafs were way too sloppy with the puck tonight. Against most teams, that would've killed them.
- Yet again, the Leafs PP was blanked out, going 0 for 3, with some nice chances. I love Timmy Brent, but he does not belong on the 1st line PP as the set-up man.
The Top 3 Stars (Studs):
1st:Reimer- This guy is the real deal. 28 saves on 29 shots, including some HUGE saves to keep the Leafs in it.
2nd: Armstrong- I missed Armie. Colby played 17 minutes in his return, including 4 minutes shorthanded. Solid defensively, got some chances, and played physically. Perfect game for him.
3rd: Kessel- He was flying tonight, made some dangles, some sweet passes, and notched the GWG on a solo end-to-end effort.
The Not Top 3 (Duds):
1st: Komisarek- After I name him 3rd star of the game, he goes and plays bad defensively and takes a dumb penalty.
2nd: Lebda- Yet again, a sub-par game from Brett, with defensive lapses.
3rd: Brent- Inability to catch some passes on the PP, not a great game or noticeable at all.
Fantasy Implications:
- Expect Kessel's scoring habits to continue, when he's on his hot streaks he's dangerous. Looks like one is heating up.
- Lupul will explode soon, just as soon as he can find the back of the net.
- Don't expect Brent back on the PP. Expect Schenn and Gunnarsson to see more ice time on the PP.
-Macarthur, Kulemin, Grabo continued to look dangerous, and will likely remain that way.
Leafs play next in Montreal on Thursday.
"We've had a couple shakers in this place. This year we haven't had the time. We had a couple good ones last year, right?" - Phil Kessel
I wasn't able to catch the leafs game (Damn LeafsTV) but I caught the highlights and it was nice to see that Kessel actually cut into a scoring area to score that goal. For the most part this season, Kessel has been shooting from the perimeter and that is not how he finds success in his game. Keep going to the scoring areas Kessel and us leaf fans will be happy.
"We've had a couple shakers in this place. This year we haven't had the time. We had a couple good ones last year, right?" - Phil Kessel
Love the break down TK. Its great to have a safe place for us leaf addicts to get our fix, without the ridicule from observers hahaha.
All kidding aside, I only caught the last half of the game, but you were dead on with your observations. Leafs didn't play a good game overall and if it werent the lonely Islanders I think it could have been a horrorshow for the leafs.
I really don't know what to think about Reimer. I watched him play a few games for the Marlies the last few years, and I was really impressed with his play. Now seeing him this year, I seem to concur with my initial observations... he can be a legit #1 goalie in the league?
But then the side effects from my Leaf addiction come to the forefront, and I am unsure if I think he can be a #1 because he's having a lil hot streak, or if he actually has the skill to be a top goalie. Any thoughts?
There is one thing I can tell right away without a doubt though. He's a gamer who will compete at a high level. Be battles along the crease, jumps out to cover rebounds and has the right psyche for a goalie. And thats something you CAN'T teach.
11 GM Keeper League, 10F, 4D, 2G
G,A, SHG, +/-, W, SO, S%
F: J. Iginla, E. Staal, M. Richards, J. Spezza, B. Ryan, T. Hall, N. Zherdev, J. Hudler, S. Gagner, C. Kunitz
D: D. Keith, A. Goligoski, P. Martin, R. Sutter
G: MA. Fluery, S. Mason