Posts

Posted on

2018 Boston Round 1

2018 Round 1 Boston

The Boston Bruins finished second in the Atlantic Division earning 112 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs earned 105 points to finish third in the Atlantic Division. Toronto won three of the four games in this year’s regular season series.

The Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs in seven games.

Tuukka Rask made 26 saves for the Bruins in game one, winning the game 5–1.[ During the game, Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri was given a five-minute major for a charging penalty for his hit on Tommy Wingels; he would later be suspended for three games. This is eerily similar to Kadri’s performance in the following year. He is a good player but completely out of control.

In game 2, David Pastrnak had a hat trick and three assists in a 7–3 victory for the Bruins in game two, becoming the first player since Claude Giroux in 2012 to score a hat trick and three assists.[16]

In game three, Patrick Marleau scored twice for the Maple Leafs in a 4–2 victory.

Game 4 went to the Bruins, 3-1, giving them also a series lead of 3-1.

In game five, Toronto prevented a come-back by Boston, fending off the Bruins 4–3 as Frederik Andersen made 42 saves for the Maple Leafs.[19] Nikita Zaitsev assisted twice in a 3–1 Maple Leafs victory, forcing a seventh game in the series.

Where have we seen this before? Game 7 in Boston, In game seven, Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron scored a goal and recorded two assists in a 7–4 victory to advance his team to the second round.[21]

 

 

Posted on

Boston Round 1 2019

The Boston Bruins finished second in the Atlantic Division, earning 107 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs earned 100 points to finish third in the Atlantic Division. This was the sixteenth playoff meeting overall, and second consecutive, between these two teams, with Toronto winning eight of the fifteen previous series. They last met in the previous year’s Eastern Conference First Round, which Boston won in seven games. Boston won three of the four games in this year’s regular season series.

The Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs in seven games. Mitch Marner scored twice in Toronto’s game one victory, the final score of which was 4–1.[9] Game two saw controversy in officiating, with Bruins players becoming more physical, to the point where Boston forward Jake DeBrusk collided with Toronto forward Nazem Kadri, who was skating hard out of the penalty box, resulting in a knee-on-knee collision, injuring the Maple Leafs forward.[10] No penalty was called on the play. Kadri would return to the game, but retaliated against DeBrusk, cross-checking the forward in the head, resulting in a major penalty for the Toronto forward.[11] Kadri was suspended for the remainder of the series.[12] The Bruins ended the game 4–1.[13] In game three, Auston Matthews and Andreas Johnsson scored a goal and notched an assist, leading the Maple Leafs to a 3–2 victory.[14] In game four, the Bruins held on for a 6–4 victory, keeping the Maple Leafs from tying in the closing minutes after leading by three goals in the third period.[15] The Maple Leafs scored twice in the third period of game five and held onto a one-goal lead late in the game to give Toronto a 2–1 victory and a 3–2 series lead.[16] In game six, Brad Marchand had two goals and an assist in a 4–2 Bruins victory to push the series to a seventh game.[17] In the seventh game, Boston goalie Tuukka Rask made 32 saves to defeat the Maple Leafs 5–1 and advance to the second round.[18]

Posted on

Columbus 2000 Not Even Round 1

This series was not even a playoff series. It was a “qualifier” to determine which team may make the playoffs.

Leafs came in with plenty of goal scorers, finishing 3rd overall in this category while the Jackets were definitely bottom feeders at 28th out of 31 teams.

This was a best 3 out of 5 series, in which the much vaunted Leafs offence was shut out twice, most critically in the final game, with the final score as 3 to not so much, as in zero.

Toronto had the home game and hence the series opened in TO. The first game Leafs lost 2 0  and they won the second 3 0.

In the third game, roughly half way done, Leafs were up 3 0. Somehow they yet again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and lost 4 3 in OT. Freddy looked very weak on the winner. (8:20 below)

Game four was the reverse theme. Leafs were down 3-0 and yet, somehow tied it up with three goals with Freddy out and won in OT. (4:50 below)

Game 5 in TO again saw the Leafs put up a big goose egg on the scoreboard. Goal 1 for the bad guys was a deflected at least once (0.4) and goal 2 (3.00) showed Freddy as simply horrible. Goal 3 was an empty netter. All that said, it is very hard to win when you do not score one goal.

Posted on

Montreal Round 1 2021

Leafs v Montreal Playoffs 2021

The H stands for Hockey by the way, not Habitants, and the C stands for Club, not Canadiens.

Montreal Canadiens

W-L: 24-21-11, .429

SRS: -0.14 (19th of 31)

Goals: 159 (17th of 31)

Goals Against: 168 (18th of 31)

Toronto Maple Leafs

W-L: 35-14-7, .625

SRS: 0.60 (5th of 31)

Goals: 187 (6th of 31)

Goals Against: 148 (7th of 31)

Looks like a walk in the park, right? 35 wins against 24?

 Leafs lost the first game 2-1. They won the second game convincingly 5-1.

In Montreal for games three and four, Leafs took both 2-1, and 4-0.

That would make the series 3-1, against the rag tag Canadiens, obviously this one is a lock, much like game 7 in Boston in 2013 when they were up 4-1 in game 7 with nine minutes left. Did someone say cursed?

This is the corona virus year so all they need to do is beat the Canadian teams and they are rocking into the semi finals.

Hmm

Leafs then lose 4-3 in OT, 3-2 and 3-1 for another first round collapse.

Game 6

This one stands out. The third period opens with a scoreless tie.

Early in the 3rd, Montreal scores for a 1 0 lead. Watch the clip at 2:00 below and ask if this looks a goaltender interference call. It does seem to require a penalty and a no goal call. Shelly Keefe was of the same view. The unsuccessful decision to challenge the call caused a two minute penalty. The clip below fails to show an important second penalty.

https://youtu.be/ZSXh16SmBNg (1)

If you asked yourself who would be the most reliable player for the Leafs, chances are 99 out of 100 fans would say Mitch Marner. Yep, the same guy who tossed the puck over the glass while killing this penalty for a bench minor. Did I say cursed yet? The video is below.

https://youtu.be/X_tNe4ydeWg (2)

So make the score now 2-0 on the resulting two man advantage. What really should have been a disqualified goal and a zero zero tie has now become a two goal disadvantage.

Spezza scores with 8 minutes left (5:09 game clip 1 above). Brodie scores with 3 minutes left on a fortunate deflection and it is 2-2. (5:50 clip 1).

In OT, Travis Dermott gets stripped ( that is said charitably, as he coughed it up big time) in his own end and the game is done. Cursed ? This was just an incredibly inane play. Dermott picked a somewhat inopportune moment in which to reveal his inner Bobby Orr. A spinarama play, really, in OT in game 6, up 3-2, in your own end yet? Bobby Orr, he is most definitely not. Simply incroyable. (7:22 clip 1)

Game 7

I can barely relive this. Goal 1 goes to Montreal. Marner gets stripped of the puck, a very rare event and Campbell, who has played extremely well all series, flubs a big one. (1:57 below)

Montreal makes it 2-0 on a power play with a deflection off Perry’s knee (3:50) in later part of period 2. Cursed indeed. Montreal scores in the empty net, now 3-0. Leafs score late for 3-1 with 1 minute and a half left.

https://youtu.be/15Lk5FsFct0

Montreal wins the Canadian division beating Winnipeg 4 games to 0, beats Vegas 4 to 2 and gets blown out in the Stanley Cup final against Tampa 4 to 1.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Tampa Round 1 2022

Leafs vs Lighting 2022

The Maple Leafs had a franchise record regular season in 2021-22, setting high water marks for wins (54) and points (115). They finished second in the Atlantic Division, seven points behind the Florida Panthers, the Presidents’ Trophy winner, and five points ahead of the third-place Lightning.

The first two games were in TO. Leafs won 5-0 and lost the second 5-3.

In Tampa, Leafs won 5 2 and lost 7 3.

Back in TO for game 5, Leafs won 4 3, which then led to game 6 in Tampa, with Leafs up 3 2 in games and in a position, dare I say, to win the series.

Then Kerfoot does what he does best. At 50 seconds below, he makes a nifty blind drop pass, albeit regrettably to the Tampa player, Palat, who makes the easy score. Quite the play for Kerfoot. Wait there is more.

As the third period opens, Leafs are up 3-2.

 

About midway through the third period, with Leafs killing one penalty, and yet winning 3-2, a-hole Kerfoot takes a dumb high sticking call against Victor Hedman, in their zone, nevermind. That makes 2 men down against the two time Stanley Cup champions. Good luck. The tying goal followed.

In OT, Austin Matthews, of all people, loses an edge, resulting in a Tampa rush for the OT goal. Cursed? Perhaps.

Tampa goes on to the final game seven in TO 2-1. Tavares’s tying goal for 1-1 was rescinded due to a penalty to Justin Holl for interference immediately prior. Yes, cursed. (3:30 below) Rielly ties it 1-1 ( 5:10 below). Late in the second, Tampa makes it 2-1 on a rush in which Muzzin fell down, but a good play follows from Nick Paul, make it 2-1. (6:42 below) It was an entertaining game, but Leafs really deserved to win game 6. Thanks Kerfoot, you moron.

 

 

 

 

Posted on

2002 Playoffs Carolina semi-finals

2002 Playoffs

Round 1 Leafs beat Islanders 4 games to 3.

Round 2 Leafs beat Ottawa also 4 games to 3.

Round 3 Leafs vs. Carolina

We all knew that the winner of this series would lose to Detroit, but that it is beside the point. Leafs really should have won this series. They lost 4 2 with three games going to OT. Leafs lost all three OT games. Carolina had the home game advantage.

Games 1 and 2

The first two games in Carolina were split. Each team won 2-1. The second game won by Carolina was in OT.

Games 3 and 4

Oddly enough, Carolina won both games in TO, 2-1 in OT and 3-0 in game 4. That made the series 3 1 for the bad guys.

Game 5

Leafs won this one 1 0 to make the series 3 2.

Game 6

I know that you know what happened. Leafs lost in OT 2-1 to end their season. Carolina got blown out by the Red Wings 4 1 as likely would have happened to the Leafs.

Tomas Kaberle, usually an excellent player, gives the puck away to O’Neill for goal one at the mid-point of period 3. (1:32) ughh

Miraculously, Leafs tie the game as Matts Sundin scores with 20 seconds left ! (1:53) Looks like Leafs are ordained by a higher power.

Regrettably, the devil was in charge. (2:09) It hurts much more when it is so close.

As unbelievable as this may sound, this was the last time Leafs were even close to advancing to the Stanley Cup finals. This was 2002. Make that, well, you do the math.

 

 

Posted on

1993 Playoff Series Semi-Finals vs LA

1992-1993 Playoffs

This was the team of Doug Gilmour, Wendell Clark, Glen Anderson, Dave Andreychuk and Potvin.

In Round 1, Leafs beat Red Wings 4 games to 3. Leafs came back after losing the first two games.

In Round 2, Leafs beat St. Louis also 4 games to 3.

Round 3 vs LA Kings

The winner of this series was to play Montreal in the Stanley Cup finals. Toronto had the home game advantage.

You must watch the video below, just to see the hockey hair of Barry Melrose, the LA coach. What a horror show !

Game 1 in Toronto Leafs win 4 1

Game 2 in Toronto LA wins 3 2

Game 3 in LA  LA wins 4 2

Game 4 in LA Leafs win 4 2

Game 5 in Toronto Leafs win 3 2 in OT

This puts Leafs up 3 games to 2 with the series headed back to LA for game 6

Game 6 in LA LA wins 5 4 in OT

The big issue in game 6, in OT yet, was the failure of the one referee to call a high sticking penalty on Gretzky, which if called, would have resulted in Gretzky being tossed from the game.  A minute later, Gretzky scores and the game is over. Huge miss.

Kerry Fraser, the referee, did later admit that he blew the call:

After the game, the NHL’s director of officiating Brian Lewis came into the referee’s room and said, “Good job tonight, guys.” We really thought we got it right. There weren’t all the slow-motion cameras like they have today. It wasn’t until the next day that I saw another angle of the play on television. You could clearly see Gretzky high-sticking Gilmour.

That was quite big of him, actually, to admit it. Gretzky never did own up.

Game 7

Hence game 7 in Toronto for the series winner. Apart from the usual sell out crowd at MLG, there were 40,000 people watching the game at the Skydome. (as it then was) Harry Neal and Bob Cole announcing the game were simply fabulous. This was one of the most exciting games in recent, well, in the last 30 years or so.

Early in the third period, the score was tied 3-3.

With less than 4 minutes left, Kings’ journeyman Mike Donnelly scored on a rebound to make it 4 3.

This is at 1:43 of the clip below.

Shortly after this goal, Gretzky, coming around from behind the net, banked a shot off the skate of defenceman Dave Ellett, to make it 5 3. This one was, as admitted by Gretzky, a total fluke. (1:44 below)

Leafs scored to make it 5 4 with one minute left. (1:47). A great game but, alas, in vain. It could have, should have, been a Montreal Leafs final. Hard to imagine.

 

Posted on

Interesting Clips

 

Keon Returns to Toronto October 1979

Dave Keon won 4 Stanley Cups with the Leafs. Ballard then determined that he was dead wood after 15 years with the team. In 1979 Ballard refused to sign Keon after the expiry of his contract. Under the then rules of the NHL, he set the compensation he demanded for a new team to sign him as prohibitively expensive. Keon went to the WHA and signed with Hartford Whalers.

He returned to Toronto on October 31, 1979 at 35 years of age with the 51 year old teammate of Gordie Howe.

Keon scored a goal and an assist. Howe scored once. Leaf fans cheered on the Keon and Howe goals as if they had won the Stanley Cup.

Brad in Tears

In 2019, Leafs were winning the Bruins series 3-2 with what should have, could have, been the decisive game 6 in Toronto.

Boston again advanced to the Stanley Cup final. It was not comforting to see Boston lose game 7, in Boston yet, to St. Louis, nor to see Brad Marchand in tears watching St. Louis celebrate its only Stanley Cup victory. (well, maybe a tad) We all know that schadenfreude leads to bad karma, so there will be no joy taken in Mr. Marchand’s misery.

Our sympathies to Brad…

Gotttttta love the Beebs: (after 3 game loss in March 2021)

He was actually a good goaltender and played not only for North Toronto in the GTHL but also De La Salle high school.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sivIxRVM4Ko

 

 

Leave a Reply

Logged in as dqh. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked *

Proudly powered by WordPress

StatCounter - Free Web Tracker and Counter