GDT: Leafs @ Sens - Saturday, Mar 21st 7:00pm, SN, TVA2

Since the pre-gameday thread worked so well for the Boston game, I figured I'd put it up for the Leafs game tomorrow night.

Jonathan Bernier made 38 saves in a loss to the Sharks on Thursday, so maybe we see Reimer tomorrow night...he plays pretty well against Ottawa too. This is another game we really need to win...the Bs play Florida on Saturday evening in another huge game.

I can't imagine we see any lineup changes from last night's win, which means I don't think Cowen is getting back in the lineup.

We need to continue burgling hams.

I can imagine it given we gave up 4 goals. Gryba will probably come out

I can imagine it given we gave up 4 goals. Gryba will probably come out

Ev wrote:I can imagine it given we gave up 4 goals. Gryba will probably come out

I think because of the 6 we scored, he will stay in.

more to come

It wasn't all Gryba's fault but he did take the high-sticking penalty that led to the 5-on-3 goal, and the other goal was scored just as he was getting out of the box. The first penalty to him should have been a 4-on-4 with embellishment on that pirouette by the Bruins player. But Gryba did put his hand on the shoulder and you can't do that.

Is Cowen better? Who knows. They could put in Phillips and it still shouldn't matter against the Leafs. At least with Gryba we have a leftie/rightie on each pairing and that's not nothing.

Of the four goals last night, two were deflections, one came on the 5-on-3 (absolutely brutal, awful, horrible, inexcusable call on Turris -- that should have been just 2 for embellishment) and one just as Gryba's penalty expired. Hammond played well the rest of the time and you can't really blame him on at least two of those goals (Spooner's deflection of a shot going wide, that goal in-close where Karlsson interfered with him). And the other Spooner goal was a cross-crease pass on a five on three, so not much you can do about that one.

Still the Hamburglar.

It'd be nice if the ZBad line stepped up. Hoffman got demoted to the 4th line last night, and then once Puempel was bumped up in his place, they scored the GWG.

tim1_2 wrote:It'd be nice if the ZBad line stepped up.  Hoffman got demoted to the 4th line last night, and then once Puempel was bumped up in his place, they scored the GWG.

End of the line for The Hoffer?

SeawaySensFan wrote:

tim1_2 wrote:It'd be nice if the ZBad line stepped up.  Hoffman got demoted to the 4th line last night, and then once Puempel was bumped up in his place, they scored the GWG.

End of the line for The Hoffer?

Back to the AHL with the bum!

In all seriousness, though, this may well be what's in store for next season. He's leading the team in goals, his name is circled on the bulletin board. The going will get tougher. Would be awful nice if the refs would do the right thing and call the penalties that are already in the rule book (and maybe if Hoffman gets close to 30 he will start getting more of those calls).

Seriously, they are talking about modifying the face off rule to let the team closest to the offensive zone to have the face off advantage just to squeeze a goal or two out, yet they have a ton of calls that are not getting called every game. And I'm not talking about the ticky-tack ones, stick parallel to the ice crap in neutral territory. I'm talking about plays where a legitimate scoring chance is taken away. Maybe the NHL should come down hard on those ones and that will increase scoring. Last night, forget who it was, but skating to the crease waiting for a pass from the wing, and the Bruins player is all over him -- you could call it hooking or holding but the truth of the matter is it was interference, plain and simple. If the guy doesn't have the puck you can't have more than incidental contact. Water-skiing should not be allowed.

I'd still try and move Hoffman this summer. His value will never be higher

Ev wrote:I'd still try and move Hoffman this summer. His value will never be higher

He's RFA. Need to sign him to get any trade value.

wprager wrote:

Ev wrote:I'd still try and move Hoffman this summer. His value will never be higher

He's RFA.  Need to sign him to get any trade value.  

You can trade him before you sign him.

Yeah, no need to sign him to trade him...that said, I imagine we'll sign him to something reasonable and then hope he continues to improve.

Ev wrote:I'd still try and move Hoffman this summer. His value will never be higher

Again, unless there's a star player coming back no.

Flo The Action wrote:

Ev wrote:I'd still try and move Hoffman this summer. His value will never be higher

Again, unless there's a star player coming back no.

You'd probably have to add "Cows" Cowen.

Flo The Action wrote:

Ev wrote:I'd still try and move Hoffman this summer. His value will never be higher

Again, unless there's a star player coming back no.

Of course it would be an upgrade coming back.

personally with the way Michalek is playing, I don't know where to put hOffman once MacArthur comes back.