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Our wingers are nearing the pathetic state Terrible. Conacher isn't doing it consistently. Michalek tries but can't do it. The bottom six I can live with I guess, but Greenings not scoring and Neil rarely contributes offensively.

This game is about scoring as much as it is about defending and hitting. We suck if Turris and his line isn't going.

Per DB:

Don Brennan ‏@SunDoniB 1m

Looks like Michalek and Zibanejad will be Spezza's wingers tonight. And that Da Costa will return to the lineup, flanked by Condra, Conacher

Michalek has been skating much better of late. I'd still prefer Zibanejad at center but what can you do. Spezza can take the draws and Zibanejad can do all the skating to forecheck and backcheck - stuff centers do; might actually work out.

Our wingers are nearing the pathetic state Terrible. Conacher isn't doing it consistently. Michalek tries but can't do it. The bottom six I can live with I guess, but Greenings not scoring and Neil rarely contributes offensively.

This game is about scoring as much as it is about defending and hitting. We suck if Turris and his line isn't going.

Paul Maclean hasn't been good.  What was the need to put in kassian and take out Dacosta on saturday?  Kassian sure kept kadri honest.

Did I mention I hate losing to the mother fukcking leafs?

SpezDispenser wrote:Our wingers are nearing the pathetic state   Terrible.  Conacher isn't doing it consistently.  Michalek tries but can't do it.  The bottom six I can live with I guess, but Greenings not scoring and Neil rarely contributes offensively.  

This game is about scoring as much as it is about defending and hitting.  We suck if Turris and his line isn't going.

Dude you are ignoring the issue if you are blaming the wingers right now. Conacher I agree with, he's pretty well useless on the 4th line and the only time he looked ok was with Zibanejad playing in the middle.

When the games matter and are more intense Greening and Neil both show up. I can live with that considering they make a combined 3 mil (little less) this season and they have had games where they were game changers. Both in the top 10 in hits as well. Smith is a nice center for that line. The issue is 5 on 5 play right now... PP goals happen, shorty's are sometimes an issue but w/e they happen, 5 on 5 while the same line gets dominated and kills momentum is the biggest issue in the world and getting wingers for Spezza isn't going to change that because the NEVER have the puck.

Fact of hockey, playing defense takes a lot more energy than being on offense. That hurts the D, goaltender, and forwards.

Sounds like I am laying most of it on Spezza and I am because 5 on 5 he is getting 15 mins a night and 12 of those 15 are usually in his own zone.

Michallica wrote:Paul Maclean hasn't been good.  What was the need to put in kassian and take out Dacosta on saturday?  Kassian sure kept kadri honest.

Did I mention I hate losing to the mother fukcking leafs?

What's MacLean to do? Kassian has been fine all year and truth is for some reason the Sens play well with him in the lineup. If the Sens end up winning that game then MacLean looks like a genius. When you are down by 1 or are tied and you are trying to win the game, yah, Kassian is pretty much useless because he can't take a penalty to send a message.

MacLean has kept the Turris line together because it's amazing. The Smith line with Greening and Neil have been solid as well. Condra is a 4th line winger who does his job on the PK and Conacher is pretty much the guy that's just kind of there that he throws out there. He's tried every combination in the world with Spezza and NOTHING WORKS. The D? Well easy decisions with Phillips out and the youth showed on Saturday night for sure but that happens with a group which I can personally accept because it's part of the curve... be it Cowen letting Kessel get to the net or Gryba's turn over, it happens.

What I can't except? Well everyone knows so I won't say it again in this little rant.

Corvo and Kassian appear to be the scratches vs Pens. #sens

shabbs wrote:Corvo and Kassian appear to be the scratches vs Pens. #sens

Automatic loss. Scorevo would have tallied about 6 - 8 points v. the Pens.

NEELY wrote:

Michallica wrote:Paul Maclean hasn't been good.  What was the need to put in kassian and take out Dacosta on saturday?  Kassian sure kept kadri honest.

Did I mention I hate losing to the mother fukcking leafs?

What's MacLean to do?  Kassian has been fine all year and truth is for some reason the Sens play well with him in the lineup.  If the Sens end up winning that game then MacLean looks like a genius.  When you are down by 1 or are tied and you are trying to win the game, yah, Kassian is pretty much useless because he can't take a penalty to send a message.

MacLean has kept the Turris line together because it's amazing.  The Smith line with Greening and Neil have been solid as well.  Condra is a 4th line winger who does his job on the PK and Conacher is pretty much the guy that's just kind of there that he throws out there.  He's tried every combination in the world with Spezza and NOTHING WORKS.  The D?  Well easy decisions with Phillips out and the youth showed on Saturday night for sure but that happens with a group which I can personally accept because it's part of the curve... be it Cowen letting Kessel get to the net or Gryba's turn over, it happens.

What I can't except?  Well everyone knows so I won't say it again in this little rant.

Well Maclean lost and messed with a winning lineup. Oh and I don't know what our record is but I don't think we've won a single game against the leafs with kassian in there. Yes, 100% maclean deserves blame. If he won, I'd sing his praises but bottom line is he coached a team that LOST. Hence he deserves blame as well.

Kassian or not, they would have lost the way they played. This isn't on the coach.

Michallica wrote:

NEELY wrote:

Michallica wrote:Paul Maclean hasn't been good.  What was the need to put in kassian and take out Dacosta on saturday?  Kassian sure kept kadri honest.

Did I mention I hate losing to the mother fukcking leafs?

What's MacLean to do?  Kassian has been fine all year and truth is for some reason the Sens play well with him in the lineup.  If the Sens end up winning that game then MacLean looks like a genius.  When you are down by 1 or are tied and you are trying to win the game, yah, Kassian is pretty much useless because he can't take a penalty to send a message.

MacLean has kept the Turris line together because it's amazing.  The Smith line with Greening and Neil have been solid as well.  Condra is a 4th line winger who does his job on the PK and Conacher is pretty much the guy that's just kind of there that he throws out there.  He's tried every combination in the world with Spezza and NOTHING WORKS.  The D?  Well easy decisions with Phillips out and the youth showed on Saturday night for sure but that happens with a group which I can personally accept because it's part of the curve... be it Cowen letting Kessel get to the net or Gryba's turn over, it happens.

What I can't except?  Well everyone knows so I won't say it again in this little rant.

Well Maclean lost and messed with a winning lineup.  Oh and I don't know what our record is but I don't think we've won a single game against the leafs with kassian in there.  Yes, 100% maclean deserves blame.  If he won, I'd sing his praises but bottom line is he coached a team that LOST.  Hence he deserves blame as well.

Again I have a hard time blaming MacLean right now because of the players he currently has. Everyone understood the Kassian move whether they agreed or disagreed with it, the move was transparent. Was Da Costa the difference there? No. Did Kassian do what he was supposed to do? Yes.

Blaming MacLean for the lack of response IMO is 100% accurate, that's his job to get his team focused. That said it wasn't because of the Kassian move.

Only thing that MacLean really screwed up this year IMO was taking Lehner out of the net and putting Anderson is when Lehner was playing incredible. Other than that he has done well with a crowded blueline and a questionable captain.

Hoags wrote:Kassian or not, they would have lost the way they played.  This isn't on the coach.

I think the lack of response is partly to do with MacLean, he needed to get the group to focus at the task at end. At the end of the day though it was 3-3 with about 5 mins left and Gryba choked with the puck. They were trying to win the game and knocking out Kadri wasn't going to help with the 2 points.

Next game though there better be a clear messaged sent at home because it's a little sickening having the Leafs beat and push around the Sens time after time. Hopefully the Sens are either in or out for sure in that game in April because it's about damn time they stand their ground.

NEELY wrote:

Michallica wrote:

NEELY wrote:

Michallica wrote:Paul Maclean hasn't been good.  What was the need to put in kassian and take out Dacosta on saturday?  Kassian sure kept kadri honest.

Did I mention I hate losing to the mother fukcking leafs?

What's MacLean to do?  Kassian has been fine all year and truth is for some reason the Sens play well with him in the lineup.  If the Sens end up winning that game then MacLean looks like a genius.  When you are down by 1 or are tied and you are trying to win the game, yah, Kassian is pretty much useless because he can't take a penalty to send a message.

MacLean has kept the Turris line together because it's amazing.  The Smith line with Greening and Neil have been solid as well.  Condra is a 4th line winger who does his job on the PK and Conacher is pretty much the guy that's just kind of there that he throws out there.  He's tried every combination in the world with Spezza and NOTHING WORKS.  The D?  Well easy decisions with Phillips out and the youth showed on Saturday night for sure but that happens with a group which I can personally accept because it's part of the curve... be it Cowen letting Kessel get to the net or Gryba's turn over, it happens.

What I can't except?  Well everyone knows so I won't say it again in this little rant.

Well Maclean lost and messed with a winning lineup.  Oh and I don't know what our record is but I don't think we've won a single game against the leafs with kassian in there.  Yes, 100% maclean deserves blame.  If he won, I'd sing his praises but bottom line is he coached a team that LOST.  Hence he deserves blame as well.

Again I have a hard time blaming MacLean right now because of the players he currently has. Everyone understood the Kassian move whether they agreed or disagreed with it, the move was transparent. Was Da Costa the difference there? No. Did Kassian do what he was supposed to do? Yes.

Blaming MacLean for the lack of response IMO is 100% accurate, that's his job to get his team focused. That said it wasn't because of the Kassian move.

Only thing that MacLean really screwed up this year IMO was taking Lehner out of the net and putting Anderson is when Lehner was playing incredible. Other than that he has done well with a crowded blueline and a questionable captain.

I also question moving Z-Bad to Spezza's wing. He should have left the Michalek-Z-Bad-Conacher line together and just put Spezza with the leftovers.
MacArthur-Turris-Ryan
Condra-Spezza-DaCosta (until Stone comes back)
Michalek-Zibanejad-Conacher
Greening-Smith-Neil

Some of this is on Murray for calling up a centre instead of a winger, but whatever, it's the coach that lines them up.

MacLean shouldn't have to do much to get the team to emotionally respond.  This is the Leafs, everyone in that room knows what it means and there's players there who've experienced it for years.

It falls on leadership to set an example and inspire the relatively young, inexperienced team that we do have.  As soon as things go south, their fragile confidence, focus falls apart and the turnovers, passive play begins in fear of making another mistake.

Some of this is due to the young blue line they decided to go with and to try and develop it for the future. This isn't a lineup that will be competing for a Cup anytime soon. The pieces are sort of there but they're not at that level yet.

JG Pageau's girlfriend looks like a bimbo