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[W:279]NHL 2021

Another nice, solid win for the Leafs tonight, expanding their lead in the division. I'm not impressed with Montreal - not sure how they are/were the highest scoring team in the league but I guess having 11 goals from the defense is a big help. Still early, but Leafs sure look like the class of the Canadian division and with all their injuries their depth is showing.

Who's up for a Leafs/Flyers Stanley Cup final!!!
 
Another nice, solid win for the Leafs tonight, expanding their lead in the division. I'm not impressed with Montreal - not sure how they are/were the highest scoring team in the league but I guess having 11 goals from the defense is a big help. Still early, but Leafs sure look like the class of the Canadian division and with all their injuries their depth is showing.

Who's up for a Leafs/Flyers Stanley Cup final!!!

I'd rather see a leaf/boston final and finally beat the boogiemen.
 
Oskar Lindblom, the left winger who beat a rare bone cancer last year, and center Scott Laughton were added to the Flyers’ COVID-19 protocol list released by the NHL Friday evening.
The Flyers now have seven players on the list, including Justin Braun, Morgan Frost, Claude Giroux, Travis Sanheim, and Jake Voracek.

Bummer...
 
Credit Montreal with one good period of hockey and a win and the Leafs with perhaps their worst game of the year - can't win'em all.
 
Isles take out Boston for the 2nd time. Pageau looks really good. I would like to thank the Rangers for softening them up a bit. Pretty rare they give up 42 shots on goal.
 
My Yotes finally finish their 7 game series with the Blues. Jesus.
 
My Yotes finally finish their 7 game series with the Blues. Jesus.
I saw the highlight, they won 1 - 0. Isles faced the Sabres who are short guys due to Covid. Typical grinder but Buffalo had nothing left in the 3rd, no shots on goal including most of a power play. Nice 3-1 victory for Trotz!
 
Leafs have suddenly returned to their old characterless, don't give a damn, attitude. Ottawa a lousy team so why put in any effort to beat them, just show up and win.

Too bad Wayne Simmonds is injured - if he was on the ice, he may have started some fights with his own teammates.
 
Usually Leaf hick-ups this time of year last longer than a couple of games - good to see them post a couple of wins, even if against Ottawa, although games against the Leafs are like the Stanley Cup final for Ottawa and their fans.

Once again, I note that three of the four new divisions are being led by former Atlantic Division teams - Toronto, Boston, Florida - and two others, Tampa and Montreal, are in second in their divisions. More proof that the old Atlantic division was the toughest in the NHL. Will be interesting to see if the NFL reverts back to the old divisions after this year - some (not me) are quite happy with an all Canadian team division and I'm guessing the TV networks, both here in Canada and in the US, are happy with the set up. NBC, if they re up their contract with the NHL may insist on it.
 
A lot can change in a week in the new divisions. Montreal looked poised to challenge the Leafs for first and now they're looking for a new coach as they fall out of the playoff picture.

Tough week for the Leafs coming up - three straight in Edmonton then two more in Vancouver, all while they don't have their number one or number two goalies and other key injuries slowing them down. Good thing they've built up a cushion with good play in the first third of the season.

And what's going on in the East? Seems like playoff seeding is going to be key in the East - so many of the teams have a nemesis they can't seem to beat. Winner of the East will be the lucky one who avoids the team that kills them regularly.
 
A lot can change in a week in the new divisions. Montreal looked poised to challenge the Leafs for first and now they're looking for a new coach as they fall out of the playoff picture.

Tough week for the Leafs coming up - three straight in Edmonton then two more in Vancouver, all while they don't have their number one or number two goalies and other key injuries slowing them down. Good thing they've built up a cushion with good play in the first third of the season.

And what's going on in the East? Seems like playoff seeding is going to be key in the East - so many of the teams have a nemesis they can't seem to beat. Winner of the East will be the lucky one who avoids the team that kills them regularly.
Tough games my behind. Play in the east, no easy games. Boston feeling the loss of Chara & Krug. Smoked on consecutive days by the Isles and Rangers. First time since 89 Isles have scored 5 in a period against them. First time since I think 2007 since the Ranges beat them by 4 or more.
 
Flyers getting Covid players back and shut out Sabres today.

Can they ever figure out how to beat Bruins?

Is Elliott now the #1 goal tender?

Can Konecny ever return to last years production? (Once he returns from Covid )
 
Tough games my behind. Play in the east, no easy games. Boston feeling the loss of Chara & Krug. Smoked on consecutive days by the Isles and Rangers. First time since 89 Isles have scored 5 in a period against them. First time since I think 2007 since the Ranges beat them by 4 or more.
What are you talking about? Boston hasn't had Chara and Krug all season and has led the East from start until now - feeling their loss? nonsense - if so, they wouldn't be leading the division. Like most teams every year, they're just having a mini slump. Is Rask injured? Their top defenseman injured? Their top forward? All at the same time?

The tough schedule I was referring to was having to travel to Edmonton and stay there for almost a week to play three straight games in their building - anyone in the East have to do that this year? - and then go to Vancouver for two games in their building. Your guys could take a bus to all of your games and not have to stop for gas or eats and be home in their own beds every night - furthest your guys have to travel is Buffalo and still in the same time zone. Really tough.

But I appreciate you're still sore that Tavares decided to leave your sad franchise and come to a city where his play and his team are fully supported by the best fan base in the league, where the fan base is always loyal and yet always demanding their best.

I'll credit you with one disadvantage - that being that no team in Canada has had any COVID issues - no player losses or games cancelled due to COVID - at least to date and good on them for keeping themselves safe and secure and following all the league protocols to do so.
 
Big advantage the Islanders have this year - with no fans allowed in the stands, Islanders feel like every game is a home game.
 
Big advantage the Islanders have this year - with no fans allowed in the stands, Islanders feel like every game is a home game.
That is an extremely dopey and bitter post from someone who hasn't seen their team win a cup in over 50 years. The "Barn" rocks and was filled to capacity for many games and now they have a brand new stadium in a better location with some public transportation. If the leafs were playing the Isles, Flyers, Caps, Pens and Bruins every night you guys would be crying.

All bent out of shape because I said the east was a lot tougher? What a thin skinned whinner. Enjoy the regular season. Can't wait until the loafs have to face a team other than those in Canada.
 
That is an extremely dopey and bitter post from someone who hasn't seen their team win a cup in over 50 years. The "Barn" rocks and was filled to capacity for many games and now they have a brand new stadium in a better location with some public transportation. If the leafs were playing the Isles, Flyers, Caps, Pens and Bruins every night you guys would be crying.

All bent out of shape because I said the east was a lot tougher? What a thin skinned whinner. Enjoy the regular season. Can't wait until the loafs have to face a team other than those in Canada.
Not "bent out of shape" at all by anything you said - I posted a comment and you made an idiotic response to it that ignored the gist of the comment - if anyone is all bent out of shape, it would be you. Leafs haven't won a Cup in 54 years but the team has sold out every game in those 54 years and the Leafs have a fan base that spans this entire country and parts of yours as well. Might be the only team in the league that made money in the pandemic year because of that fan base. The biggest thing keeping the Leafs from winning a Cup is the league's salary cap that keeps a rich and successful team like the Leafs tied down so that teams like the Islanders can survive and compete.

Just to refresh - I made three points in my original post that you responded to - one, things change fast in this new division system where every game is critical in the standings - doesn't matter how "tough" one perceives the competition - two, the Leafs have a tough schedule this week, playing three straights games in Edmonton then two in Vancouver, all while having significant injuries and while Edmonton is/was on a roll and had moved into second place in the North division - and three, that the teams in the East all seem to have trouble beating one team and that the final standings will be critical to those teams success when the playoffs start - an example would be if the Flyers make it and have to play the Bruins, whom they haven't beaten all year. Islanders have trouble with the Penguins as another example and the Bruins having trouble with the Islanders another. All of those points are legitimate, fair comment, and you decided to attack them with some whiny ass complaints you have about the Islanders.

And as for every game in the East being "tough", having looked at the record, seems like the Islanders have had a majority of their wins against basically the Bruins and Buffalo - Sabres, other than on Long Island, aren't considered a league juggernaut.
 
Not "bent out of shape" at all by anything you said - I posted a comment and you made an idiotic response to it that ignored the gist of the comment - if anyone is all bent out of shape, it would be you. Leafs haven't won a Cup in 54 years but the team has sold out every game in those 54 years and the Leafs have a fan base that spans this entire country and parts of yours as well. Might be the only team in the league that made money in the pandemic year because of that fan base. The biggest thing keeping the Leafs from winning a Cup is the league's salary cap that keeps a rich and successful team like the Leafs tied down so that teams like the Islanders can survive and compete.

Just to refresh - I made three points in my original post that you responded to - one, things change fast in this new division system where every game is critical in the standings - doesn't matter how "tough" one perceives the competition - two, the Leafs have a tough schedule this week, playing three straights games in Edmonton then two in Vancouver, all while having significant injuries and while Edmonton is/was on a roll and had moved into second place in the North division - and three, that the teams in the East all seem to have trouble beating one team and that the final standings will be critical to those teams success when the playoffs start - an example would be if the Flyers make it and have to play the Bruins, whom they haven't beaten all year. Islanders have trouble with the Penguins as another example and the Bruins having trouble with the Islanders another. All of those points are legitimate, fair comment, and you decided to attack them with some whiny ass complaints you have about the Islanders.

And as for every game in the East being "tough", having looked at the record, seems like the Islanders have had a majority of their wins against basically the Bruins and Buffalo - Sabres, other than on Long Island, aren't considered a league juggernaut.
I didn't attack any of this and you are probably correct. I also didn't denigrate the leafs in any way shape or form in my original post nor did I mention Taveras. YOU are the one who brought up Taveras and took a swipe at the Isles. My thrust was that the competition is better in the east than the Canadian division. Yes they travel more but like you said have less Covid issues. In addition as has been pointed out there are 2 MLB teams, 2 NFL teams, 3 NHL teams, 2 NBA teams and 2 MLS teams in the NY Metro area. (and 3 horse race tracks). I know its sacrilege to Canadians but there is more to life than hockey. I went to 3 Isles games the last season of the Coliseum, the place was packed each time and was rockin, especially against the Rangers. Brooklyn was a poor choice for a team from the Island and a poor building for viewing hockey. Fortunately their home building next year will awesome!
 
Flyers.
Two games back to back against Sabres in Buffalo.
Two different goalies.
Two 3-0 shut-outs.
Good weekend.
 
Flyers.
Two games back to back against Sabres in Buffalo.
Two different goalies.
Two 3-0 shut-outs.
Good weekend.
I want to see a rematch after 2 ot losses. Nice 2 - 0 shut out of the pens with Sorokin in goal. 20 shots allowed. Should have won yesterday but it's fun to watch. Every game is a nail biter.
 
Pretty dominating series for the Leafs in Edmonton, outscoring the Oilers 13-1 in three games in their building, using three different goalies. Edmonton came into the series on an 11-2 win run and the Leafs pretty much shut out the league's two leading scorers.

It's still early, not yet half way through the season, but hard to argue against the Leafs as the best team in the league, to date, regardless of what you may think of the opposition. Number one offense, top five defense, 14 games over .500, best record on the road, number one power play on the road, winning record against every team in their division. Fun team to watch so far.
 
Pretty dominating series for the Leafs in Edmonton, outscoring the Oilers 13-1 in three games in their building, using three different goalies. Edmonton came into the series on an 11-2 win run and the Leafs pretty much shut out the league's two leading scorers.

It's still early, not yet half way through the season, but hard to argue against the Leafs as the best team in the league, to date, regardless of what you may think of the opposition. Number one offense, top five defense, 14 games over .500, best record on the road, number one power play on the road, winning record against every team in their division. Fun team to watch so far.
We will see. Hard to declare a best team when you don't face 75% of the opposition.
 
We will see. Hard to declare a best team when you don't face 75% of the opposition.
It's not hard at all, if you examine the facts. There isn't a professional sports league in North America that has a balanced schedule for all teams, and yet observers are able to view the available data and make such judgements. As many state, you can only take care of the games on your schedule, and how you handle them determines your relative ability and standing within the league. Playoffs, clearly, determine who is playing the best at the time it counts most, but playoff victories don't necessarily indicate which team is the best team, just which team is playing the best and many times luckiest, including health of the players, at that particular time.

Clearly, you have a bug up your ass as it relates to the Leafs, and that's fine - you're entitled to your irrational biases.
 
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