[Sportsnet] Systems Analyst: Leafs stop making plays on breakouts when they’ve got the lead in the third. Give up more shots than any team in the league in those spots.

12 comments

1. Playing to not lose instead of to win

2. For sure. D-zone breakouts in the 3rd were very October-y.

3. Anyway you want to look at it, we play much better without the lead than with it. We have blown so many leads this season I didn’t think it could get worse, but blowing 4, 2-Goal leads against Vegas proved me wrong once again.

4. They’ve been playing like this for years. They take their foot off the gas when they have the lead.

5. Berube masterclass.

6. So you’re saying don’t lead into the third

7. It’s almost like turtling for 20 minutes isn’t a viable strategy 

8. This has been the core’s main problem the entire damn time.

9. It must be a coaching problem. They must be asking the players to play differently defending a lead. Why change the style that got you the lead in the first place. That’s insane. If you play to defend, then you will be doing that all night, and that’s obviously not what they’re good at.

10. This matches the eye test we literally turtle and park the bus

11. Our D-men don’t move the puck well- especially with Tanev out… OEL is the only one you can trust to consistently break the puck out with a clean pass. Rielly and Stecher can skate it out but have no skills with the puck. McCabe is usually handcuffed on his off-side. Benoit and Myers are useless…

    Picking up another defenseman who can make plays in his own end would help this team out so much

12. I am once again asking Brad to acquire a competent defenseman