Game 25: Bruins @ Leafs 7:00PM TSN

[Deebo]

I enjoyed that game...same people complaining I see.

Another loss to the Bruins tonight, and, apparently, it's all over but the crying. How they played tonight, or over the past few games or their record on the season is, apparently, meaningless. They can't beat the Bruins so far this season, therefore, everything they've done so far is crap. Or, at least, with the way some people are going on, it feels that way.

Context doesn't exist at all with some.

 

[Tigger]

Hopefully the leafs can bouce back on Saturday.  They're saying that Optimus Reim will be on the bench.

I didn't get to see the game tonight, but I gather that the refs didn't help matters and Gus let in at least one soft goal.

With Reimer I think that the leafs are a different team.  Gus is proving himself to be unpredictable and unreliable, unfortunately.

I didn't think Jonas had a real softy, it was a tough play but how would you know as you didn't see the game, he wasn't the problem tonight or recently either.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

I thought the Leafs showed progress.

Chiarelli had one mean crystal ball at work to pull off that kind of swindle, get a top two pick and then win the cup, what a wizard... oh wait we have Colborne...

The Leafs have a player who's being touted as mvp right now, you'd rather not have him?

So trade our picks to a team and we're making progress on being able to beat them one day?

We beat them like 4 times last season.

 

[ZBBM]

Hopefully the leafs can bouce back on Saturday.  They're saying that Optimus Reim will be on the bench.

I didn't get to see the game tonight, but I gather that the refs didn't help matters and Gus let in at least one soft goal.

With Reimer I think that the leafs are a different team.  Gus is proving himself to be unpredictable and unreliable, unfortunately.

I didn't think Jonas had a real softy, it was a tough play but how would you know as you didn't see the game, he wasn't the problem tonight or recently either.

Gustavsson wasn't quite as good as in the past 3 wins, but he definitely wasn't the problem.  Far from being unreliable, he's rounding into a goalie who gives the team a chance to win most nights, and the same was certainly true tonight.

 

[Kin]

Obviously you're disappointed by the results here but with the way the Bruins are going right now they're not getting beat by anyone. They own the Leafs right now and as frustrating as that can be, in the grand scheme of things it's just a loss.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Obviously you're disappointed by the results here but with the way the Bruins are going right now they're not getting beat by anyone. They own the Leafs right now and as frustrating as that can be, in the grand scheme of things it's just a loss.

 

[Bonsixx]

Hopefully the leafs can bouce back on Saturday.  They're saying that Optimus Reim will be on the bench.

I didn't get to see the game tonight, but I gather that the refs didn't help matters and Gus let in at least one soft goal.

With Reimer I think that the leafs are a different team.  Gus is proving himself to be unpredictable and unreliable, unfortunately.

I didn't think Jonas had a real softy, it was a tough play but how would you know as you didn't see the game, he wasn't the problem tonight or recently either.

Gustavsson wasn't quite as good as in the past 3 wins, but he definitely wasn't the problem.  Far from being unreliable, he's rounding into a goalie who gives the team a chance to win most nights, and the same was certainly true tonight.

Not sure if five goals against constitutes as "giving the team a chance to win", even if the majority of the goals weren't necessarily his fault. It was basically the typical Gustavsson game ? some big saves, mixed with some pulse-raising moments of awkwardness.

 

[BrownRolo]

I thought the Leafs played well. Not much to complain about. Their forecheck was strong and Boston had trouble with the Leafs speed the whole game. Against a team like Boston I think having Armstrong in the lineup would make a difference. If they play the same way on Saturday they will win.

 

[BC Buds Fan]

I thought it was a pretty entertaining game, myself.  I love the speed at which this team operates, and they actually had Boston running around for a bit there.  The combo of those short passes to one another and the speed these guys have allows a quick attack/counterattack that should make most teams wary.  Kessel and Lupul on that rush to tie the game were pure gold.

If they play like this regularly, I think they can beat anybody...except Boston, apparently.  I never really appreciated how strong the B's are on the puck.  All they have to do is get the puck to the net and out muscle the Leafs D for the rebound.  Gus is never going to win a goalie duel with Tim Thomas.

 

[Tigger]

Down a goal with 14 minutes to go counts as keeping your team in it.

Thomas had the biggest softy of the night...

 

[Hockey_gal]

Down a goal with 14 minutes to go counts as keeping your team in it.

Thomas had the biggest softy of the night...

Leafs played well. I'm surprised at the whining Leafs played the Bruins not the Islanders.

 

[ZBBM]

Hopefully the leafs can bouce back on Saturday.  They're saying that Optimus Reim will be on the bench.

I didn't get to see the game tonight, but I gather that the refs didn't help matters and Gus let in at least one soft goal.

With Reimer I think that the leafs are a different team.  Gus is proving himself to be unpredictable and unreliable, unfortunately.

I didn't think Jonas had a real softy, it was a tough play but how would you know as you didn't see the game, he wasn't the problem tonight or recently either.

Gustavsson wasn't quite as good as in the past 3 wins, but he definitely wasn't the problem.  Far from being unreliable, he's rounding into a goalie who gives the team a chance to win most nights, and the same was certainly true tonight.

Not sure if five goals against constitutes as "giving the team a chance to win", even if the majority of the goals weren't necessarily his fault. It was basically the typical Gustavsson game ? some big saves, mixed with some pulse-raising moments of awkwardness.

Down 4-3 with what, 5 minutes left?  That most certainly is giving your team a chance to win.

I don't know where you get the "pulse-racing moments of awkwardness" thing.  Like I said, he wasn't quite as good as in the previous 3 but he was hardly shaky.  The only goal I felt he was a bit weak on was Chara's -- and that was just a weird-looking goal anyway.

 

[Tigger]

Gus is never going to win a goalie duel with Tim Thomas.

What's the over under on recent, two time Vezina winners anyways?

 

[Tigger]

The only goal I felt he was a bit weak on was Chara's -- and that was just a weird-looking goal anyway.

It was a hard enough shot though, the refs had a time prying it out from under the back of the net, well placed too.

 

[bustaheims]

The only goal I felt he was a bit weak on was Chara's -- and that was just a weird-looking goal anyway.

It was a hard enough shot though, the refs had a time prying it out from under the back of the net, well placed too.

Yeah. I mean, the most I could really get on him for that one is that, maybe, he had his blocker out a weird angle that allowed the puck the bounce down and past him instead of away from the net, but, that feels like it's needlessly critical - and I tend to be needlessly critical of Gustavsson.

 

[Tigger]

Fwiw the one I thought he could have been a little stronger on was the Bozak own goal and that's probably in the same ball park of minute criticisms.

 

[bustaheims]

Fwiw the one I thought he could have been a little stronger on was the Bozak own goal and that's probably in the same ball park of minute criticisms.

Probably. I mean, truth be told, I think the worst I could really say about him tonight is that he looked like a back up goalie . . . and, well, he is a back up goalie.

 

[Rebel_1812]

Hopefully the leafs can bouce back on Saturday.  They're saying that Optimus Reim will be on the bench.

I didn't get to see the game tonight, but I gather that the refs didn't help matters and Gus let in at least one soft goal.

With Reimer I think that the leafs are a different team.  Gus is proving himself to be unpredictable and unreliable, unfortunately.

I didn't think Jonas had a real softy, it was a tough play but how would you know as you didn't see the game, he wasn't the problem tonight or recently either.

Gustavsson wasn't quite as good as in the past 3 wins, but he definitely wasn't the problem.  Far from being unreliable, he's rounding into a goalie who gives the team a chance to win most nights, and the same was certainly true tonight.

Not sure if five goals against constitutes as "giving the team a chance to win", even if the majority of the goals weren't necessarily his fault. It was basically the typical Gustavsson game ? some big saves, mixed with some pulse-raising moments of awkwardness.

I had a similar impression.  He had some good games lately, but this one wasn't good.  The leafs defense can't seem to contain the bruins.  It surprising with some many big defensive dman they can't handle a big forward like lucic.

 

[maplesyrup]

Great game... Until Schenn coughed up the puck in the third. Apart from that, I thought we (Schenn included) had a good game.

 

[Kin]

Not sure if five goals against constitutes as "giving the team a chance to win", even if the majority of the goals weren't necessarily his fault.

But of course it does. Saying tha a goalie gave his team a chance to win is really just saying that a goalie was good enough that the determining factor in whether the team won or not wasn't his play. If the Leafs had thoroughly outplayed Boston last night and scored 3 or 4 on Thomas and Gus had given up multiple terrible goals than the Leafs would have had no real chance to win the game. As it was Gus was good enough that the Leafs could have won the game if they'd outplayed the Bruins. They didn't and, as a result, they didn't.

Saying a goalie gave his team a chance to win the game is usually pretty faint praise. The difference here is that expecting a whole lot more out of the team's back-up goalie against the hottest team in the league isn't reasonable.