#nhl #hockey #torontomapleleafs Despite an Auston Matthews Hat-trick, we break down the Toronto Maple Leafs and their recent struggles in the defensive zone. Sportsnet Article by Justin Bourne: www.sportsnet....
As a leaf fan, there’s always the standard “just get a defenceman!” Talk in the media. You broke it down perfectly as to how it’ll take much more than just 1 solid D man. It’s a team ideology that likely needs to change. Best break downs on RU-vid.
@esvignettes7592 if youhear something from Toronto's media, just ignore it. They are regularly bashed by hockey media in every market and by ESPN, TnT, Bally, etc. They're ignorant and they misinform the fans. "Beware the Toronto Media" - Borje Salming.
Simon Benoit has been amazing this season for the Leafs. He rarely makes any mistakes (if any), clears the front of the net and can dish out some heavy hits.
@@mayneeventgamer6505 so glad you brought that up... You're completely wrong by suggesting benot did anything wrong here and I'll tell you why. Now let me take you to school young man. After reading this - go to the highlight of this goal (on another video - in a separate window so you can go back and forth to examine my breakdown) and maybe you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. 1 - this was at the end of a very long shift - all the Leafs were dog tired at this point. 2 - Reilly originally had McDavid from the boards to the net and abandoned him to chase McLeod behind the net - Rielly lost McLeod, stopped behind the net & did a 180 3 - while Matthews recognized this and took McDavid out front and they ended up screening Jones. 4 - all the while, Benoit was battling Hyman in front of the net for position 5 - Hyman lost that battle and retreated towards the boards to cover if the puck came around that side of the boards - to give McLeod offensive puck support options 6 - Benoit was covering that side of the net in case Hyman snuck back in to the play - great defensive zone coverage by Benoit. 7 - Rielly who chased McLeod behind the net on Benoit's side should've stayed out front to track him and block him from coming out front with the puck on the other side 8 - Instead Rielly did the 180 and came in after from behind the net to bunch the 2 d-men on the 1 side of the net 9 - Rielly should've been where Matthews was if he tracked McLeod properly to prevent him from coming out front with the puck. In short: RIELLY'S FAULT - he lost his man around the net after he and Matthews switched assignments. Benoit was doing his job by protecting his side of the net in case Hyman snuck back in. TEXTBOOK HOCKEY MY LAD.
I’ve been a panthers fan for years, the leafs this year reminds me of the high flying circus act we had with Q/ brunette. It was all about having talented guys in space and beating them in rushes with limited zone control and dmen coming up into the play. Produced great regular season offensive numbers but we got thumped in the playoffs
Apt comparison. Marner must be Huberdeau then, right? Guy who racks up the points in the regular season but can't do the same in the playoffs because there isn't the same time and space/ opportunities on the rush
This coverage is so easy to access and still respects long time fans. MY biggest concern with this channel: it's going to get purchased by SN because they cannot get their heads out of asses to create content.
This was Edmontons problem they weren’t patient with their play and tried to force a lot of plays. Since Knobs arrived he’s got them playing a more patient game.
We need to see a video about the improved play of the Oilers during their winning streak because it's insane how fast they've climbed up the standings. Keep up the great content!
I watch this video as a guy without a horse in the race, see the talent and the stupid execution, and have to assume this is coaching. EDM to their credit figured out they had the same problem.
"Skinner finally started making saves" There, I made the video for you. Advanced stats during their first month showed they should have been better, but their goalies were the 2nd worst in the league, coming in a close 2nd to Ottawa lol.
The last couple of years and the start of this year, the Oilers almost always gave up a goal within 1-2 minutes of scoring. Battling back only to give it away again. Under the new coach this is not happening like it was. I guess they are learning to play defence.
I recall Gretzky saying after losing to the Islanders in '83 - that when the Oilers walked past the Islander dressing room after they lost the final he noticed that they were all bruised and bloodied while celebrating. Not a direct quote, but close. He knew then that to win the Stanley Cup you have to give everything and more. The Leafs don't have that in their dressing room and ownership could give a poop about the Cup as long as they have a product that sells out every home game during the regular season. The Oiler's also realized that defence wins championships and without a balanced team you will not win. Seems to me that this is something that continues to bypass the minds of the Blue and White brass.
Oilers suck on defence too. Both teams are top heavy and that’s not how you win cups. You can’t score your problems away forever. Doesn’t work like that.
Yes, slow motion analysis is easy. However, this channel is the absolute best, honest breakdown analysis there is. Fantastic. Learn something every time. Massive hockey IQ.
The Leafs since 1967 have only had short periods of time when they had a solid team defense. Most of the time they act like a group that is unsure of assignments when they don't have the puck.
This was an incredible video. No one else breaks down hockey like you do, and I just wanna say that I am loving the way you make these videos and please never stop lol
It’s so frustrating to know that the 24-25 season is a wash because they need the Tavares contract gone before they can construct their roster more effectively
@@BrandonAdams1010 “can” and “will” are two different things, sadly. I’ve never doubted the team on paper, but they’ve underachieved for years so… but happen to be proven wrong
one big factor in the leafs is when their in possession of the puck in their own end. the forwards instantly blow the zone - all of them. they don't have any gap control, and because of this the D-man has nowhere to move the puck and often times it results in a turnover or an icing. its like their system in their own end, when they have possession, is "GO DEEP" and hope someone touches it so it isn't icing, then they can try it all over again. they need better gap control in order to move the puck out of their end so they can attack. but im sorry, if this is their system....shows why they never do anything in the playoffs. this type of thing works great in regular season stuff, but this is not playoff hockey and never will be. i hope they end up getting a coaching staff which can implement an incredible system, like you know...philly, winnepeg, vancouver, boston for so many years, florida etc. if you inject the skill of the leafs into a rock solid system, i imagine they'd be untouchable. instead they're playing this system which is essentially forcing them to play perfectly or they get trashed. this is a bad system. this is in the NHL and you're playing vs teams that will absolutely make you PAY for your mistakes, especially come playoff time. thus you should never be playing a system which demands you play it perfectly or you're screwed. but this answers the question as to why and how often they get screwed.
They are terrible.. I'm not a Leaf hater saying that - Just a realist. It's going to take a lot more change and will likely need to address it in the offseason. Can't defend and the worst O zone possession in the league. This is the most accurate assessment of what's wrong with them I've seen anywhere. They can't handle heavy teams pressuring down low offensively and turn the puck over way too much with weak D coverage - Same problems they have had forever now - Not close to being cup contenders still
Great video breakdown, as usual. But Jason Bourne? Oof. Well, broken clocks are right twice a day. As for defense. Are we going to have breakdowns about Colorado's D? Or the Isles? Devils? The way people talk about Toronto's D, you'd think they have given up the most goals this season? Nope, not close. Or have the worst GAA? Nope.
The ironic thing is the leafs really don’t need to play this way too generate offense. Most teams who manage offense collectively don’t have the best offensively skilled players, but I think Toronto lives and dies by this up and down style of play.
Regardless of the analysis being done by "enter name here" - and yours was spot on - the Leafs have been running this system for years and it hasn't worked - ever. That's the bottom line. Tavares is getting slower, so is Reily, so is Brodie - The system they try to use didn't work when these player's legs were fresher and it's only getting worse - whats the common denominator? A flawed system that has become less and less valuable in the regular season , and an outright disaster in the playoffs. Year after year after year. The Leaf organization brain trust keeps spit balling the same tactics against the rest of the NHL - who can't quite fathom the hubris of the boys in blue - or the core four's fancy paycheques, for that matter. It will be quite something if a hungrier Red wings or Lightning team supplants the Leafs for a playoff spot - leaving the Leafs with a top of league goal scorer and no playoffs to show for it.
Rielly-Brodie as D1 - That's issue 1 and 2 McCabe-Liljegren as D2 - Issues 3 and 4 Benoit-Lagesson - Not really an issue in the 5-6 slot, Benoit especially has proved himself beyond capable as another member of the Anaheim Ducks Defenseman Factory (Lindholm, Vatanen, Theodore, Montour, Manson, etc etc etc).
I love your videos... but "amazing coaches challenge"?? Really?? That was a shit call. Coleman didn't "directly bat" the puck to his teammate, it deflected off his hand... these kind of calls come down to who is the highest bidder. The NHL is corrupt.
That stat chart raises questions. They're upper middle on offense. So my question is, who is top three, and how do they defend and support leads? I'm guessing a lot better.
All about risk management at the NHL level. Got to manage the the risk of reducing mistakes. It is impossible to eliminate the mistakes on the ice as the game speed is so fast. The best result is to reduce the severity of the mistakes and that comes with experience and training. Hopefully the Leafs and start to figure that out more before burning out all of their goalies.
Leafs need a goalie and min two top tier defensemen but it ain’t happening until next summer. Trust me as a leafs fan there is NO parade in our near future.
The Gretzky Oilers didn’t care if the opposing team scores 5 goals on them, because they would just score 8 goals, big difference in offensive skill and goaltending.
As a Leafs fan, the cup parade will never be on until we're 1 second away from a 4th win in a cup final series. But it is a good joke. But seriously, thank you for covering how vulnerable the Leafs are to counter attacks and why.
There is no denying they are poor defensively, that being said it was 4-5 games.. EVERY team goes through stretches like this during the season and to think the Leafs are the only ones is just down right foolish. The Leafs are a puck possession team and have been since Babcock and THATS what teams have picked up on, so all they gotta do is pressure them cause they know the Leaf is going to try and hold it if there is no pass available which leads to mistakes and chances against. Watch other teams very closely, while the attacking player is pressuring the Leaf with the puck the others are taking away any possible pass. It's not so much a defense issue as it is a puck possession issue, if the Leafs just air mailed the puck out of the D-zone like other teams and hope your team collects it again in the neutral zone they wouldn't look so bad defensively like most teams.
Hockey players know the psychology of the game, all sports, especially hockey, when you have a lead you tend to think of protecting a lead, more so with 2/3 goal lead, it's the nature of the game, even though you know it, these thoughts come into play.
Biggest problem in their own zone is an inability to separate puck carriers on the cycle from the puck. They have a group that predominately stick checks due largely to a lack of size on D. This leads to extended shifts and tired players which then leads to even less physicality. My guess is if they dont add at least 2 Dmen soon, this team is not.making the playoffs. Even if they do, it will be a one and done scenario again.
@@johnlocke_1 Yep. Any money that could have been allocated to adding a few solid d-men during this coming offseason will be going to Nylander and Matthews.
When we watch the Leafs together, I sarcastically look over to my 9 year-old son and say “Plan the Parade.” every time they score. We both know it’s a joke and start laughing. Poor kid is in for a lifetime of disappointment - good for building up resilience in life. 😂
Why can’t they defend? Blame the previous GM. He had his chance the Fall of 2018 to get a True #1 D man but he didn’t. What’s the most important part of a team in the playoffs? Defence. Look at the last dozen or so Cup winners. Never mind analytics BS. One stat from last season is important, shows the Leafs were the 2nd worst team in the NHL for giveaways in their own end . Their problem has always been defence, for well over a decade. Why sign Tavares to $11 plus million contract when the Leafs were 3rd in scoring in the NHL? To make a splash as a New GM. What did Dubas do in Pitt? Made a big splash and sign Karlsson.
I mean the team "ideology" has been fine defensively up untill this year. This was a good defensive team the prior 3 or 4 years. This year brodie is playing his worst hockey by far, signing domi, bertuzzi and klinberg were all defensive downgrades and so far bertuzzi is not bringing what was expected despite not playing awful. The leafs need brodie to wake up if it's still possible, atleast one more good defensive d man and probably a solid bottom six forward. Goaltending is a coin toss unfortunately
MY MANTRA from now on if I'm going to somehow keep watching hockey is this: *COACH'S CHALLENGE DECISIONS MUST BE SIGNALED WITHIN 3 SECONDS MAX* if they intend on proceeding with one. I can't be the only one seeing these challenges being abused. Every team has a DEDICATED REPLAY REVIEW DEPARTMENT now. _"Great job by our video replay department tonight in the 2nd period...etc" ~ John Tavares vs MTL_ Coaches are WAITING, ESPECIALLY ON POWER PLAYS, to see if the other team will score before issuing a coaches challenge on an offside. If the shorthanded team successfully defends the the challenge is pocketed, no hard done. THIS IS BULLSHIT, and an ABUSE of the SYSTEM. You have players playing their hearts out for upto 1+ minute trying to tie a game when the opposing coach KNOWS that if they score, he has a 95% positive chance of having it overturned. THAT challenge should be notified RIGHT AWAY. PERIOD. Otherwise this sport is fucking DOOMED LIKE BASEBALL! I AM SICK AND TIRED OF THESE DAMNED CHALLENGES SUCKING THE LIFE OUT OF THE GAME, THE PLAYERS, AND THE FANS. YOU PLAN ON CHALLENGING, SIGNAL IT IT RIGHT AWAY JERK OFFS!
Your still saying Come April be competitive. I just looking will they even be playing. They on the verge of blowing it. I'd consider replacing Keefe only for that reason and while there is time to get a new coach and a new system that might save this season
1:30 'ONE OF the most dangerous teams in the NHL'. ??? I've been a Fan since 21...... teams. I've been away for awhile and I know, the league is much bigger now but ill be honest. I expected them to be much higher than, Goals 6th. Shots on goal 7th. Powerplay 6th. Shooting % (10th). Face-Off% (T6)!!! Whoa! I figured the offense side would be in the top 5, all the way, with most T3 or better! Full disclosure. I'm from Montreal but I'm also 47. So I'm looking at this, as if these were my (Offense first), Favorite team's stats. And without knowing any of the defensive side...I would be worried! Sorry. I wish for the Leafs sake, that would be good enough and it actually IS. Until THE PLAYOFFS. The Good thing, is that everyone knows it!! So, Al long as your G.M. Is not Marc, (I like to throw away numerous seasons, by not filling in the needed pieces-at the deadline-Bergivin(BINH) Toronto can still make it through the conference. Time will tell. Great content as always Cheers from Montreal.
Being a Toronto native... I totally understand but if we look @ the whole season... The Leafs have only blown leads this & last week... The rest of the season they've been very solid at holding them. City already has tons of pressure and expectation... With all the negativity must be tough. I get it, it's a what have you done for me lately sport but jeeez. Remember how the Oilers were looking at the start & here we are now. I have faith in the boys in blue.
That's incorrect. They blew a 2-0 lead at home to the Sens last month and lost. They blew 3-1 lead to the Hawks and lost in OT. They blew 4-1 and 3-1 leads at home to the Flames and Kraken, and had to rely on the skills competition to get those wins. And don't forget the 5-2 collapse against Columbus in late December. So holding leads has been an ongoing problem for this team this season.
Keefe will be fired before or at the end of this season, especially if they go out early or don't make the playoffs. The Leafs can't play defense and while Jones has been okay as their current goalie,he is an emergency measure, and wasn't even supposed to be in the NHL this year.Matthews could get 70 hoals this year but that won't matter if Toronto can't play defense.
I think Dubas sold this teams soul in hopes of one last chance at winning a cup before leaving for Pittsburgh. Now that hes gone, Toronto's on the hook for the bill. I dont think a rebuild is in order, but definitely a shakeup/restoration.
And the only realistic shake up they could have is to move on from Marner and Tavares after next season. And of course, that will be another year wasted just to get to that point.
Been saying this all year. And sorry to say the Leafs need an elite goalie that can make 12 elite plays the way they play right now. They have good tenders, but if you want to go 100, your goalie has to make elite levels, and the Leafs don't have that.
And the Leafs will never be able to afford such a goalie. Just like with defensemen, they'll be shopping the bargain bins because their cap is being strangled by these huge $10M+ contracts.
I understand the narrative is they can't defend. They are using 3rd and 4th string goalies while being almost dead average in goals allowed. I guess we can be lazy i guess.
The team has been like this for... years. It's not a suprise. Leafs have had weaker defense for a decade. They take a good situation and turn it to a bad one somehow and sink every year. Yes the Leafs are my favorite team but my critism is actual fact.
Live by the sword, you die by the sword. That's the Leafs. Total offense is why they'll never EVER win a cup until they geta system like the Flyers have. Shot blockers sacrificing for the team and stellar goal tending. Which the Flyers have both. Score all you like, but defense wins cups. Flyers made a huge change and they are built for the playoffs. They finally learned their lesson. Leafs will be 1 and done in the playoffs. Again.
Die hard leaf fan since 1985. I rarely missed watching or listening to a game until last year and now this year i barely pay attention. I don’t care. The core is great, Matthews is sick to watch but they are unwatchable as a team, to be fair hockey in general is unwatchable. No rivalries, no heat, just teams skating and playjng the same way. No characters, no real home ice advantage. It feels like exhibition hockey for most of the season. As for theLeafs, it boggles my mind Keefe is still here……and why fans are seemingly ok with that. Going to go watch some mike Bossy highlights now. Cheers!
