Leafs @ Lightning - Dec. 13, 7:30 pm EST - Sportsnet Ontario

[tomcom]

WE STINK!

 

[Bender]

LOL... Andersen with a .928 sv%, but he's not good enough to win for us... Riiiiight...
People are so knee jerk...

Team knows that just throw the puck towards the net and Andersen is gonna give up a soft one every once a while, not to mention that the Leafs defense is weak.

The first half is true of almost any goalie.  It's one of the reasons why the notion of 'just get the puck on the net' exists.
The second half has absolutely NOTHING to do with Andersen, so I have no idea why you'd make that point.

My point is Leafs defense gave up between 30-40 shot most game, including a lot of easy save, that balloon Andersen safe percentage to above .90 percent.

Andersen has always been a +.900 goalie throughout his career.

 

[AvroArrow]

This isn?t true.  They are playing a team directly ahead of them in the standings, this is more important than playing a western conference or Atlantic division team because it has the effect of a 4 point swing as it relates to playoff position. . 

Early in the year, over the course of a long season, a game here or there, regardless of opponent is not important.  There is plenty of time to adjust, improve, and make up points.

You?d go to the mattresses for Andersen?  Think he can steal a series?

I have no idea what your first sentence means.
As for your second one, yes, I believe he can steal a series.  In every year he's been here, he's stolen a chunk of games in a row while the team faltered in front of him.  He hasn't stolen a series for us yet, but that doesn't mean he can't.  And it's not like the team in front of him was gangbusters in the playoffs either.  The entire team was shit for half of the Washington and half+ the Boston series.

And, by the way, I wouldn't argue against the notion that Andersen was terrible in the Boston series, either.

 

[herman]

I?m guessing Babcock will have reasonably positive things to say tonight.

 

[AvroArrow]

My point is Leafs defense gave up between 30-40 shot most game, including a lot of easy save, that balloon Andersen safe percentage to above .90 percent.

So, your assertion is that when Andersen has a good sv% from a game, it's because he got all easy saves?

I see there's no point to continue a discussion here.

 

[AvroArrow]

Andersen has always been a +.900 goalie throughout his career.

More specifically, .910-.915 sv% is generally considered around average for goalies in the modern NHL, and throughout most of his career, he's been above that.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/PeteBlackburn/status/1073408778098434048

They don't teach this. Vasilevskiy looked really really good coming back from his broken foot tonight, but he kind of had to because the Lightning really didn't keep the Leafs from getting pucks to the net.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/SteveBurtch/status/1073358657755193346

Andersen has been the big reason the Leafs survived the 1-2 months without Matthews and Nylander.

 

[L K]

Wouldn?t mind it if the Leafs were able to play like this 85% of their games. Can?t remember the last time we generated 40+ shots.

I think on most other nights they'd be ahead. Tampa is like the Leafs a lot of the time. Two quick gaffes and the game's 4-1 instead of 2-1. We've done that to other teams as Tampa's doing that to us right now.

47 shots at time of writing this, but there were 4-5 posts that could?ve gone in. Matthews has a feed to a Tavares tap-in that just skimmed off his heel so that?s another potential goal that just missed. Easy to see the score and make very emotional assessments.

Especially when you see Vasilevskiy have, as you said, his most outlier of game performances.

Not to mention 3 or 4 Absurd saves by Vasilevskiy.  The Leafs were the better team tonight.  They have also won a few games when they have clearly not been the better team and Andersen has bailed them out.  He let them down tonight but this notion of every bad game being proof that player X sucks is getting really annoying

 

[AvroArrow]

but this notion of every bad game being proof that player X sucks is getting really annoying

This! So much this!

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/1073423861734096896

I don?t blame people for gauging the game by the score (and scoring circumstances), but there is too much data about how positive results eventually follow teams that control the puck as much as the Leafs are starting to lately.

 

[ZBBM]

Wow, missed the game but sounds like it was one of those games where the other goalie just stands on his head.

Also sounds like there was a fair bit of overreacting in here.  Understandable, you want to win games like this no matter when they fall on the schedule but come April this outcome will have no more significance than any other regular season loss.

 

[Strangelove]

That was some of the worst puck luck I can remember seeing. The NHL is a frustrating league.

Also I'm not totally convinced Matthews isn't still injured. He looks tentative.

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/1073423861734096896

I don?t blame people for gauging the game by the score (and scoring circumstances), but there is too much data about how positive results eventually follow teams that control the puck as much as the Leafs are starting to lately.

I'm not sure that I would have been much more satisfied with the exact opposite result tonight (thoroughly dominated but win 4-1 anyway) than with what happened tonight.  It's not a bitter loss to me; they played incredibly well against the supposed top team in the NHL, who looked pretty out-classed to me in this one.  The Leafs can beat these guys in the playoffs.

 

[Andy007]

That was some of the worst puck luck I can remember seeing. The NHL is a frustrating league.

Also I'm not totally convinced Matthews isn't still injured. He looks tentative.

It certainly looks that way. There were a lot of feeble plays and giveaways that were totally uncharacteristic too.

 

[Bill_Berg]

They hit three posts in the first two periods. I missed the third in case there were more. This game could have seen the Leafs blowing them out and the only difference would have been inches around both nets. The play between the nets was all Leafs.

 

[Guilt Trip]

https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/1073423861734096896

I don?t blame people for gauging the game by the score (and scoring circumstances), but there is too much data about how positive results eventually follow teams that control the puck as much as the Leafs are starting to lately.

I'm not sure that I would have been much more satisfied with the exact opposite result tonight (thoroughly dominated but win 4-1 anyway) than with what happened tonight.  It's not a bitter loss to me; they played incredibly well against the supposed top team in the NHL, who looked pretty out-classed to me in this one.  The Leafs can beat these guys in the playoffs.

Agreed. Leafs dominated the best team in the league. Nothing to be bitter about. Leafs actually match up well against them. If Vas doesn't stand on his head, the Leafs win easily.

As for the Matthews talk. I wouldn't say he looks feeble but he's still not back in "game shape". He did make a few great plays and did smack one of the post. I thought he looked good. Not great yet. Nylander's gaffe on the PP was very costly in this game but he is looking better every game.