2017-18 Toronto Maple Leafs - Playoffs Edition

[herman]

You lose out on that surprisingly important powerplay faceoff specialist. Bozak is fine when he plays like he cares.

Bozak was fantastic last night. I thought he was pretty good in game 2 as well.

He?s critical to our playoff drive because he?s that next tier of depth after Matthews/Kadri. He?s a former 1C, as laughable as that is, and can be a huge overmatch against other teams? 3/4 lines when he?s engaged.

 

[rdowdall]

So if Plekanec does a good job on the second line in the next game, does that mean we ice a lineup in game 5 that has Kadri between Johnsson and Kapanen?  Cuz knee jerk reaction me thinks that would be awesome.

Problem is Babcock won't be controlling the match-ups in game 5, so he likely won't be able to get the Plekanec line up against Bergeron.

Right, but in that case, he has three lines that we would feel comfortable with on the ice against the Bergeron line.  I think that Kadri on a defacto 4th line with Kapanen and Johnsson, along with a rejuvenated Plekanac with Marner and Marleu, and then the first line with Matthews, Hyman and Nylander would all be able to hold their own for the most part against that line.  That really only leaves the Bozak, JVR, Brown line as the line you really don't want to have out there against them.  And even then, you just hope that Bozak can win the faceoff and they can get the puck out for a change in that case, because the only case where I see that happening is on an icing.

 

[Coco-puffs]

Likely he will have Kadri or Plekanec jump on when chasing the matchup rather than whole lines.

Hyman - Matthews - Nylander
Marleau - Kadri - Marner
JvR - Bozak - Brown
Johnsson - Plekanec - Kapanen

But I wouldn?t be surprised to see random situational mixes where Kadri/Plekanec jumps on with Bozak and Brown or with Matthews and Hyman, then you run Nylander up the middle with the follow up line after Bergeron sits.

I'm beginning to wonder if Marleau and Marner are better defensively than Hyman and Nylander.  As much as Kadri and Plekanec are quite good defensively, Matthews isn't that bad to be getting run over by Bergergon's line.  If anything, I noticed last night that Marleau and Marner kept the Bergeron line in their own end much more than the regular Matthews line does.    If Cassidy wants to put Bergeron line out against Matthews, maybe run:

Marleau - Matthews - Marner
Hyman - Kadri - Nylander
Jvr- Bozak - Brown
Johnsson - Plekanec - Kapanen

 

[bustaheims]

He?s critical to our playoff drive because he?s that next tier of depth after Matthews/Kadri. He?s a former 1C, as laughable as that is, and can be a huge overmatch against other teams? 3/4 lines when he?s engaged.

Yeah. I don't think the solution is to sit him, but, his even strength minutes may need to be limited, and never have him out against the Bergeron line, if possible.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Marleau - Matthews - Marner
Hyman - Kadri - Nylander
Jvr- Bozak - Brown
Johnsson - Plekanec - Kapanen

I think that's definitely worth a shot on the road.

 

[L K]

Marner to me is the deceptive kind of defensive player.  He's so small that I think he just default gets a reputation of being bad defensively but his stick is active and he's good at getting it in shooting lanes and stripping pucks.  I think that's pretty crucial when going up against guys like Pastrnak who can get shots off quickly.

 

[cabber24]

You lose out on that surprisingly important powerplay faceoff specialist. Bozak is fine when he plays like he cares.

Bozak was fantastic last night. I thought he was pretty good in game 2 as well.

He?s critical to our playoff drive because he?s that next tier of depth after Matthews/Kadri. He?s a former 1C, as laughable as that is, and can be a huge overmatch against other teams? 3/4 lines when he?s engaged.

I am not with you on this one. His defensive deficiencies versus offensive contributions are way out of balance.

 

[Coco-puffs]

I think the most deceptive thing about Marleau/Marner vs Hyman/Nylander is the former seem to be better at getting the puck out of the zone than the latter, especially when the d-man pinches down the boards.  As small as Marner is, he seems to anticipate and position his body in a way to make sure the puck gets by.
Those turnovers up high seem to cause us the most trouble.

 

[cabber24]

He?s critical to our playoff drive because he?s that next tier of depth after Matthews/Kadri. He?s a former 1C, as laughable as that is, and can be a huge overmatch against other teams? 3/4 lines when he?s engaged.

Yeah. I don't think the solution is to sit him, but, his even strength minutes may need to be limited, and never have him out against the Bergeron line, if possible.

That match up is what I'm terrified of.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

That match up is what I'm terrified of.

In games 1 and 2 Bozak played a combined 2:32 against Bergeron. Boston isn't chasing that match-up on the road because they want Bergeron going head to head against Matthews. So it's not really something to be that worried about.

 

[Coco-puffs]

That match up is what I'm terrified of.

In games 1 and 2 Bozak played a combined 2:32 against Bergeron. Boston isn't chasing that match-up on the road because they want Bergeron going head to head against Matthews. So it's not really something to be that worried about.

And I bet those minutes came after the Bozak line iced the puck.  Seems to be the only time Cassidy targets the Bozak line with the Bergeron one.

 

[herman]

Marleau - Matthews - Marner
Hyman - Kadri - Nylander
Jvr- Bozak - Brown
Johnsson - Plekanec - Kapanen

I think that's definitely worth a shot on the road.

Those top two lines happened at times during the season when they were doing road matches with just the centres. It?ll come up again in game 5. Now we have the added benefit of rolling out Plekanec as an option with Kadri?s line if there is a shuffle for whatever reason.

 

[herman]

I think the most deceptive thing about Marleau/Marner vs Hyman/Nylander is the former seem to be better at getting the puck out of the zone than the latter, especially when the d-man pinches down the boards.  As small as Marner is, he seems to anticipate and position his body in a way to make sure the puck gets by.
Those turnovers up high seem to cause us the most trouble.

Hyman playing the off-wing is harder defensively. He can?t seal the boards and make an optimal play.

Marleau?s positioning is one of Babcock?s favourite things for a reason. Marner noted Plekanec?s ability to also be routinely on top of his check after the game as well.

 

[Coco-puffs]

I think the most deceptive thing about Marleau/Marner vs Hyman/Nylander is the former seem to be better at getting the puck out of the zone than the latter, especially when the d-man pinches down the boards.  As small as Marner is, he seems to anticipate and position his body in a way to make sure the puck gets by.
Those turnovers up high seem to cause us the most trouble.

Hyman playing the off-wing is harder defensively. He can?t seal the boards and make an optimal play.

Marleau?s positioning is one of Babcock?s favourite things for a reason. Marner noted Plekanec?s ability to also be routinely on top of his check after the game as well.

Absolutely.  I've lobbied for Hyman to play RW mostly from the offensive side of his game, where he's very limited with the puck on his stick playing on his off wing.  But defensively this would help too. 

Unfortunately, we have 5 RW's and 4 spots.  Unless Nylander moves to the middle next year, that isn't changing either.

 

[rdowdall]

Marleau - Matthews - Marner
Hyman - Kadri - Nylander
Jvr- Bozak - Brown
Johnsson - Plekanec - Kapanen

I think that's definitely worth a shot on the road.

Those top two lines happened at times during the season when they were doing road matches with just the centres. It?ll come up again in game 5. Now we have the added benefit of rolling out Plekanec as an option with Kadri?s line if there is a shuffle for whatever reason.

The thing is, what made Plekanec effective?  Was it his linemates, his renewed enthusiasm because he felt useful, the fact that he hates Marchand?  I think that is the question that needs to be answered, because if he isn't as effective if he is centering Johnsson and Kapanen, then he shouldn't be put back there.  The Leafs need him to be more effective than he was in games 1 and 2.  They need him to be as effective as he was in game 3, and hope that it wasn't just a one time thing.

 

[mr grieves]

So if Plekanec does a good job on the second line in the next game, does that mean we ice a lineup in game 5 that has Kadri between Johnsson and Kapanen?  Cuz knee jerk reaction me thinks that would be awesome.

I was wondering about this. Since there's no match up game to play on the road, maybe it's best to have no line that can get really taken advantage of and just roll em. Also lets you signal to Kadri that he's been bad.

 

[Coco-puffs]

Marleau - Matthews - Marner
Hyman - Kadri - Nylander
Jvr- Bozak - Brown
Johnsson - Plekanec - Kapanen

I think that's definitely worth a shot on the road.

Those top two lines happened at times during the season when they were doing road matches with just the centres. It?ll come up again in game 5. Now we have the added benefit of rolling out Plekanec as an option with Kadri?s line if there is a shuffle for whatever reason.

The thing is, what made Plekanec effective?  Was it his linemates, his renewed enthusiasm because he felt useful, the fact that he hates Marchand?  I think that is the question that needs to be answered, because if he isn't as effective if he is centering Johnsson and Kapanen, then he shouldn't be put back there.  The Leafs need him to be more effective than he was in games 1 and 2.  They need him to be as effective as he was in game 3, and hope that it wasn't just a one time thing.

1.  I'm sure being moved up in the lineup made him more engaged, for sure
2.  I hate Marchand too, and would love to be on the ice pestering him if I was Plekanec.
3.  Plekanec with Kapanen and Johnsson has actually been decent, regular season and in game 2.  Game 1 he had Komarov on his left wing, and they got buried.  Plekanec also got buried when playing with Komarov in the regular season.  I see a familiar pattern here.

 

[rdowdall]

Marleau - Matthews - Marner
Hyman - Kadri - Nylander
Jvr- Bozak - Brown
Johnsson - Plekanec - Kapanen

I think that's definitely worth a shot on the road.

Those top two lines happened at times during the season when they were doing road matches with just the centres. It?ll come up again in game 5. Now we have the added benefit of rolling out Plekanec as an option with Kadri?s line if there is a shuffle for whatever reason.

The thing is, what made Plekanec effective?  Was it his linemates, his renewed enthusiasm because he felt useful, the fact that he hates Marchand?  I think that is the question that needs to be answered, because if he isn't as effective if he is centering Johnsson and Kapanen, then he shouldn't be put back there.  The Leafs need him to be more effective than he was in games 1 and 2.  They need him to be as effective as he was in game 3, and hope that it wasn't just a one time thing.

1.  I'm sure being moved up in the lineup made him more engaged, for sure
2.  I hate Marchand too, and would love to be on the ice pestering him if I was Plekanec.
3.  Plekanec with Kapanen and Johnsson has actually been decent, regular season and in game 2.  Game 1 he had Komarov on his left wing, and they got buried.  Plekanec also got buried when playing with Komarov in the regular season.  I see a familiar pattern here.

And maybe that's it.  Maybe it's just he and Komarov don't play well together.  They'll have one more game to evaluate the situation.  If Plekanec has a solid game in game 4, then I think they'll have some decision making to do.  I guess there is nothing stopping them from going back to the original line up, and if stuff isn't working well, try something different mid game in game 5.

 

[Zee]

Marleau - Matthews - Marner
Hyman - Kadri - Nylander
Jvr- Bozak - Brown
Johnsson - Plekanec - Kapanen

I think that's definitely worth a shot on the road.

Those top two lines happened at times during the season when they were doing road matches with just the centres. It?ll come up again in game 5. Now we have the added benefit of rolling out Plekanec as an option with Kadri?s line if there is a shuffle for whatever reason.

The thing is, what made Plekanec effective?  Was it his linemates, his renewed enthusiasm because he felt useful, the fact that he hates Marchand?  I think that is the question that needs to be answered, because if he isn't as effective if he is centering Johnsson and Kapanen, then he shouldn't be put back there.  The Leafs need him to be more effective than he was in games 1 and 2.  They need him to be as effective as he was in game 3, and hope that it wasn't just a one time thing.

I think Marner changes the dynamic of that line.  The opposition has to respect Marner so much because he can create plays and it gives Plekanec a bit more leeway out there.  If Plekanec is playing with Kapanen and Johnsson they're not as concerned about the wingers as much as when it's Marner.  Marleau also had a strong game which just propped up the entire line. 

 

[Guilt Trip]

Marleau - Matthews - Marner
Hyman - Kadri - Nylander
Jvr- Bozak - Brown
Johnsson - Plekanec - Kapanen

I think that's definitely worth a shot on the road.

Those top two lines happened at times during the season when they were doing road matches with just the centres. It?ll come up again in game 5. Now we have the added benefit of rolling out Plekanec as an option with Kadri?s line if there is a shuffle for whatever reason.

The thing is, what made Plekanec effective?  Was it his linemates, his renewed enthusiasm because he felt useful, the fact that he hates Marchand?  I think that is the question that needs to be answered, because if he isn't as effective if he is centering Johnsson and Kapanen, then he shouldn't be put back there.  The Leafs need him to be more effective than he was in games 1 and 2.  They need him to be as effective as he was in game 3, and hope that it wasn't just a one time thing.

Pleks played almost 18 minutes last night. Most games with the Leafs he's played 10. That's a huge difference. Maybe it is as simple as feeling needed but he was a pain in their ass last night. Marchand absolutely hates him and that's a good thing. If, and I say if, it goes the same next game I'd be tempted to leave him with the Mars bars and put Kadri with the 4th line guys. It might actually be a very good fit as Kadri has a little more finish then Moore. We'll have to see what happens Thursday tho. One thing very clear is Leo has no place in this line up unless someone is hurt. Unfortunately we all know, Leo will be back in if he's healthy and the 4th line will be less effective again.