GAME DAY: Toronto Maple Leafs @ Ottawa Senators - 7:00pm ET - SAT. Nov. 27, 2010

wprager wrote:

marakh wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I'm okay with yesterday's loss, but if we lose this one, there's no excuses and something has to happen (something has to happen anyway, but it would *really* have to happen).

If we play the same kind of game tonight that we did last night, we'll come out with a win. We got jobbed pretty bad last game and deserved a better fate. That's the sort of thing that gets a team mad and motivated. As long as we get good goaltending and fair officiating, we could be headed for a blowout, honestly.

I seriously expect a 3-0 lead in the first, no kidding.

Well, I hope Karma owes the two of you, because, you know ...

Number Twenty Nine wrote:

SDH89 wrote:Elliott starts - another great decision from Clouston.

WTF!!!!

Dash wrote:Yeah that was a very nice goal, great play, great patience, great deke.... I call it like it is, and Kovalev has really stepped up this year... contract year lol

CockRoche wrote:

Dash wrote:Yeah that was a very nice goal, great play, great patience, great deke.... I call it like it is, and Kovalev has really stepped up this year... contract year lol

Kovalev has always been good for us. Streaks aside, he makes space for others on the ice and is marvelous with our younger players both on and off.

Big Ev wrote:Wow, saying things like "Kovalev has always been good for us" is just silly. He has been below average, and is not worth his paycheck. He has been good this season for a few stretched, but still only has 14 points, and I'm not buying that re-hashed "creating space" argument either.

SpezDispenser wrote:If that Michalek/Fisher/Kovalev line showed up like that every night, we'd be an elite team. Nice effort for the 2nd straight game. Could this team be coming together finally?

CockRoche wrote:I'm very impressed with Elliott - actually, Leclaire as well. Our goaltending has been outstanding recently.

For Elliott to do what he did tonight though after sitting out 3 games is remarkable.

You have to remember, he just battled with his team through the most emotional time in his NHL career. His benching the last 3 games was strictly results based. Instead of being able to work out the rest of those feelings on the ice, he was left to internalize them. I wasn't sure how his mental game would be tonight.

Mentally, Elliott tracked the puck much better than I thought he would, he did lose sight of it a couple times when it was in the air tho'. Tracking the puck is 99% mental focus. He showed remarkable composure despite not seeing too much action early. His demeanor was surprisingly patient and consistent throughout the contest. When you are not mentally ready to tend to go and get the puck because you don't trust yourself, but Elliott let the puck come to him all night.

Elliott is improving every aspect of his game right in front of our eyes this season.

Big Ev wrote:Listen, there's a mulitquote button. USE IT. Nobody is that imporant to have 9 straight posts haha.

Big Ev wrote:Listen, there's a mulitquote button. USE IT. Nobody is that imporant to have 9 straight posts.

and yeah not everything is about points, but when you are an "artist" you are supposed to have more than 0.5 PPG...and when he isn't scoring, he isn't helping the team (blah blah blah but he created space for other players yadda yadda). One-dimensional players like Kovalev need to be scoring to be valuable to the team.

Big Ev wrote:and please, quit trying to be the new N4L...it's for your own good.

spader wrote:

Big Ev wrote:and please, quit trying to be the new N4L...it's for your own good.

What ever happened to Neely?

rooneypoo wrote:

CockRoche wrote:

Dash wrote:Yeah that was a very nice goal, great play, great patience, great deke.... I call it like it is, and Kovalev has really stepped up this year... contract year lol

Kovalev has always been good for us. Streaks aside, he makes space for others on the ice and is marvelous with our younger players both on and off.

Someone tell him that he's said something intelligent.

rooneypoo wrote:

CockRoche wrote:I'm very impressed with Elliott - actually, Leclaire as well. Our goaltending has been outstanding recently.

For Elliott to do what he did tonight though after sitting out 3 games is remarkable.

You have to remember, he just battled with his team through the most emotional time in his NHL career. His benching the last 3 games was strictly results based. Instead of being able to work out the rest of those feelings on the ice, he was left to internalize them. I wasn't sure how his mental game would be tonight.

Mentally, Elliott tracked the puck much better than I thought he would, he did lose sight of it a couple times when it was in the air tho'. Tracking the puck is 99% mental focus. He showed remarkable composure despite not seeing too much action early. His demeanor was surprisingly patient and consistent throughout the contest. When you are not mentally ready to tend to go and get the puck because you don't trust yourself, but Elliott let the puck come to him all night.

Elliott is improving every aspect of his game right in front of our eyes this season.

Another thumbs up.

Big Ev wrote:A one-dimensional scoring winger isn't earning his large paycheck when he only has 7 goals and 14 points in 24 games?

Like I just said, PPG isn't everything, but in this case it is insanely relevant. Kovalev has probably truly earned less than half of his $5+ million so far over the last season and a bit.