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Pretty marque match up. Tampa going for the three peat and Toronto going for not being a total embarrassment.

Toronto losing to Tampa should not be the end of the world but for Toronto and there past few playoffs that is where they are. That said they do have a far stronger looking team than they ever had so yeah win now or else. Marner is the guy under the microscope if he fails again in the playoffs he will have to go off grid for a while as the media/social media world will want a pound of flesh. The D went from the biggest concern to dare I say it a strength? Just not anything close to the amount of gong show run around events in their own end. Think the turnovers are still the same with their fast pace push system but they negate the effects of that much better with getting the puck back again much quicker than they would last few seasons

Tampa is still Tampa and they have pretty much most of the same core and team, still calling them the favourites. If the all world goaltender shows up think the Leafs are cooked.

Due to playing myself only watched first two periods, obviously pleasing being a Leaf fan and Marner, Matthews, and Campbell all played great which is a good sign.

Great to see the speedy wingers looking to jump hard every chance they get penalty kill was working wonders. Giordano a couple of times joined the rush a couple of times shorthanded as well but the two times I noticed Marner had the puck so would not be surprised that is a trigger for the D in that situation.

Started out thinking great the Leafs have taken two penalties in the first half of the first period with one being a 5 minute and both call totally deserved thinking the Leafs would give up the lead early. But after they killed them seemed the Refs felt they had now committed to calling a tight game which in the end favours the Leafs so maybe it worked out, maybe if the Leafs don't take a few all the later chippy stuff that is not the Leafs game doesn't get called and it is a slower and grindy playoff game full of small hooks, holds. and cross checks as it seems the NHL in the past wants it's playoffs to look like.

Best start the Leafs could have hoped for especially with that 5-minute kill. I started watching in the 3rd and they came out absolutely flying despite already being up 4-0.

I'm not one to ever say shoot pucks at people or try to hurt them but if you're on a long PP when you have a healthy lead like the Leafs did after scrum, just start fucking blasting the puck away. Don't get fancy and cute with the passing, don't go for screens, just start launching clappers and see if Tampa wants to get in front of them and by all means let them if they do.

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Thanks Chuck, E.L. and Harmy!

By the way got tickets for my son and I to go Wednesday.

Oh wow, that's awesome! Have fun!

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Thanks Chuck, E.L. and Harmy!

Nice! The old girl is desperately trying to drag me along to see the Avs tonight and all week but I've already declined.

Even though I picked Tampa in 7 it was nice to see the Leafs not be the Leafs. With this team its all about show me before I will even begin to believe. There's just been too much baggage over the years. I am not sure how you and Butch do it (well yes I do...I am a Red Sox fan pre 2004 and to a certain degree the pre-2011-12 Bruins).

If these guys can get it done with the top pairing from Calgary 5 years ago and Jack Campbell.....so be it!

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I keep my fandom very unemotional that is how I do it, but I have always been a stiff upper lip kinda guy being British born. From how much I got to know Butch's online presence I doubt he is one to suppress his emotion so no idea how the hell he does it.

I think he would tell you it has something to do with IPAs and some Blazing!

We've all mellowed quite a bit as we've gotten older!

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How many times have the Leafs gone to a Game 7 in recent years? Seems like every year.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

LOL..Butch has gone dark again after threatening to demount his Samsung in a fit of rage. Maybe he is watering his trees for game 7.

Kerfoot the heel!

These games have been pretty good. I thought game 5 was the best of the playoffs. Hope its not heartbreak in Toronto once again but I am sure the panic is very real and the pucker factor is off the chart!

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My Son and I had this convo today.

me: "game seven tonight"
Him: glum tone..."Yeah"
Me: what? you sound like they are going to lose already.
Him: "Yeah"
Me: "I'm sorry I made you a Leaf fan"

Ummm. Well. This one's on the players I reckon. They had the components but should have closed it out in game 6.

Sorry Hounsy, lousy feeling. A few more tweaks and they're there.

Felt bad for the Leafs this time around. They put out a solid effort.

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What would Mad Max be like with EVs?

I felt bad too...for about 30 seconds. Bring on another summer of turmoil.

Anyone run the buyout calculator on John Tavares?

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Agreed.

As a fan of a team that hadn't won a playoff round for a full generation, I feel for Leafs fans. As a parent who made my kids Isles fans during that time, I especially feel for you Hounsy.

As an Islanders fan who took a lot of shit from Leafs fans before Tavares left ("he's wasting his career on this loser team!") and took a ton of shit after he left in favor of the Leafs, I have to say I'm laughing my ass off at him personally. And at those Leafs fans who gave Isles fans shit. They still don't get that it's not that he left, but the way he went about it. Is he being blamed yet? Called out for his contract keeping them from being able to bring in better D? I know I sound like a dick, but I hope so. Just being honest.

And yeah, I was also conflicted by kind of hoping the Bolts would win. I don't want them getting anywhere near a 3-peat, but I don't want to see Tavares win even one round during his time with the Leafs.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

I understood the allure of JT at the time, but he's not ageing well. He's become a pretty one-dimensional scorer who skates in quicksand. But they also don't have a capable 2C if they were to find a way to dump his contract. I just don't know how they can do anything other than audition another goalie, move some cap to sign Gio and try again with a similar roster. Moving Marner or Nylander would be disastrous, they would never get back what they truly need.

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What actually hurt this time is my Son was getting into this series and going out of his way to watch and I think the win would have hooked him for good. As far as I go this is nothing to me anymore for me and my emotions, as soon as they drew Tampa I knew 50/50 was an at best expectation and fully expect the bolts to waltz to the final now.

Good for him! Fantasy hockey and now this! This is a good lesson because this is what 29 out of 30 teams do every year (and 99% of the humans). I remember watching the 1986 Sox lose to the Mets....and of course the Bruins lose continuously to the Habs when I was a kid. Just remind him they may have their day.....someday.....and it will be all the sweeter (Cubs and Sox fans can attest!). And when he gets older he can chuck bottles and coloring books at the TV!

We've been fans and involved with hockey in different flavors for a long time and i thought the Leafs were poised to make a good run UNTIL they drew the Bolts. Surprised we don't have our own video segment with 6 zoom screens and analysis that we do on a regular basis. We can easily be better than TBS but would probably be dismissed as boomers.

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For Chris

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/nhl/si ... 37#image=3

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