Someday, probably no time soon, but someday the Leafs will be a decent hockey team. And it’ll be the most annoying thing on the planet. For now, they have about four players worth paying any attention at all to, and those players aren’t even that good. Auston Matthews is okay but would be a better roller hockey player. Always said JVR would look good in Pittsburgh. But Saturday night they proved again they’re still far and away the most undeservingly talked about team in the league, as the Pens used the Sullivan Template To Winning to keep cruising along.
The Leafs jumped out early but the Pens were right there, and even before they tied it in the second, they never really lost control. The formula works: use speed to wear your opponent down, pounce on them in the third. We just keep seeing it over and over. In the past, this might be a game the Country Club Boys wouldn’t take seriously. The Pens floor has been significantly raised with Mike Sullivan’s finger on the pulse, and this game was a perfect example. You just don’t see them blink as much anymore, and that’s something you can definitively say is a direct result of good coaching.
Doesn’t hurt the Leafs are still a joke.
OTHER STUFF:
- Big game from Murray. The first goal against him was bizarre, but the way he covers the bottom portion of the net, it’s possible he’s just susceptible to shit like that. Whatever.
- Lots of Leafs fans in attendance. The rumor they’d rather go watch their team on the road than be around all of them in Toronto is true.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
https://youtu.be/OaDz29TgfL4
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