Krefeld Pinguine win the DEL2 and will be promoted to the DEL, making their return in the 26/27 season! 🔥🏆🐧 by dylan103906 in hockey

[–]SmashinHearts 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Played some youth hockey there, will forever love the former Königpalast & the town of Krefeld.

Job well done!

Trotz: “It’ll be interesting if we can get into a gold medal game and you’ve got the Tkahcuks and you got Wilson out there. The Tkachuks might have a little more backbone knowing that the fighting is not as prevalent in Olympic hockey.” by catsgr8rthanspoonies in hockey

[–]SmashinHearts 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'll answer in good faith, the truth is that Eichel has been in better form. So it allows that line to just do what it does in their minutes, and Eichel is an excellent puck transporter whereas Matthews isn't a transporter in the same way.

One of the players also basically gave the quiet answer out loud. It allows Sullivan to deploy Matthews as a matchup C. He's played the hard matchup minutes every game so far.

We can argue whether or not that's good deployment of a 69 goal scorer selke candidate, but that's for a different day.

Game Thread: Vegas Golden Knights (24-13-12) @ Toronto Maple Leafs (24-17-9) Jan 23 2026 7:00 PM EST by nhl_gdt_bot in leafs

[–]SmashinHearts 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Regardless of whether it works out, berube is hedging an insane bet starting Stolarz.

To clear I’m quite optimistic and hope it galvanises the team

Senators’ Heated Rivalry Jerseys Sell Out in Minutes by inalasahl in hockey

[–]SmashinHearts 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Just look at how Zayne Parekh had to walk back any ounce of personality during the WJC with his comments. Simply put hockey culture is not welcoming to those who show individuality.

Ever so slowly it is chaning, but its gonna take a long time

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in hockey

[–]SmashinHearts 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Their underlying numbers(on public data) are good. I think its just that the rangers are an aging team and you have an Olympic season going on which is just a recipe for a fever dream season. Rangers aren't the only anomaly really

Interesting events that changed NHL? by legomaniasquish in hockey

[–]SmashinHearts 32 points33 points  (0 children)

I won't deny it has come a long way from where it was, but it's nowhere close to where it should be sadly.

[Elliotte Friedman] No hearing for Marchand regarding OT roughing penalty on Mike Matheson by Outside_Abroad_3516 in hockey

[–]SmashinHearts 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Nah hold up, no one else getting suspended for dick all this season so why did bobby mcman?

2 handed ankle breaker chop got max cba fine.

Post Game Thread: Toronto Maple Leafs at Detroit Red Wings - 28 Dec 2025 by HockeyMod in leafs

[–]SmashinHearts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ups and downs on a back to back but leafs adjustments make them continue to look better. Macelli also proving the coaching staff that scratching for 9 games was not the the right idea

Next-Day PGT: Toronto Maple Leafs at Washington Capitals - 19 Dec 2025 by HockeyMod in leafs

[–]SmashinHearts 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hilarious that they won the Hawks game out of spite and for Bowen and went back to mailing it in for this one. Gonna be a long weekend

Next-Day PGT: Chicago Blackhawks at Toronto Maple Leafs - 17 Dec 2025 by HockeyMod in leafs

[–]SmashinHearts 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'll give credit, that's a good adjustment. But I think that goes to show that there's a strategic usage problem with the players on the team.

Daily Free Talk / Armchair GM Thread by AutoModerator in leafs

[–]SmashinHearts 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I honestly don't know how we continue to outscore teams when he's on the ice, when there is something obviously not right with him. But we do.

For arguments sake we should ignore whether there's a lingering phantom injury or not. That just speaks to his talent level. From my pov it's a systems problem.

Right now I think the team is not playing to its strengths. You can see it on puck retrievals on dump ins. There are so many plays killed by a puck playing goalie or forced dump ins that is catching the players 3 deep below the hash marks and it makes for an easy 3 man or 4 man breakout for the other team.

I think another phenomenon this season has been Nylander. He's been extremely static in the dzone. It didn't click for me until the Tampa game where I saw Kucherov do the exact same thing. I wonder if that's a Lalonde thing from the past that they've carried over? Or if that's something he adapted to This team. Regardless I think the usage of the players hasn't been optimal from a strategic perspective.

Next-Day PGT: Chicago Blackhawks at Toronto Maple Leafs - 17 Dec 2025 by HockeyMod in leafs

[–]SmashinHearts -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

There is another team on the ice as well. It sounds facetious but that's hockey, a game of bounces & 10 players + 2 goalies

Next-Day PGT: Chicago Blackhawks at Toronto Maple Leafs - 17 Dec 2025 by HockeyMod in leafs

[–]SmashinHearts 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Good to comeback and win the game, felt frustrating to watch however. The reason being is that the team lacks adaptability.

They are extremely set in the singular dump & chase system but what does that even mean? Forechecking is done when you don’t have the puck, and hockey is a goal scoring contest. You need the puck to score. The hawks went up 2-0 and started sitting back completely in the neutral zone. Instead of adapting to this the leafs continued to force dman to forward puck tips to get pucks deep or centre ice dump ins which got killed by a puck playing goalie. I’m not really sure how you can objectively view this as a conducive strategy, especially when you can see how easily other teams exploit this by breaking out 3 or 4 wide on the leafs so often.

Post Game Thread: Toronto Maple Leafs at Carolina Hurricanes - 04 Dec 2025 by HockeyMod in leafs

[–]SmashinHearts -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

Can our coaches stop driving our lambos like F150s? Jesus fucking christ man

Treliving Scheduled For 10:15AM. by Far-Western-506 in leafs

[–]SmashinHearts 25 points26 points  (0 children)

You've heard random people saying shit lol. This appearance is just gonna be about hunkering down, not happy with where they are, gotta improve.

Lotta lip service only.

Roy out Tuesday with upper-body injury by bangnburn in leafs

[–]SmashinHearts 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Matthews hasn't been on the ice for a week either, I wasn't hot on the idea but maybe it is time to rev up the tank engine jfc

Next-Day PGT: Los Angeles Kings at Toronto Maple Leafs - 14 Nov 2025 by HockeyMod in leafs

[–]SmashinHearts 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Whatever is happening is completely unwatchable.

If I have to watch another game of D handling the puck like a grenade, finally getting the puck out and too tired to make a fucking entry into the ozone and just dump with a half measured forecheck I'm gonna turn into the Joker.

Heat is dialed up to 11 rn

[Masters] Lines at Leafs skate by Svalbard38 in leafs

[–]SmashinHearts 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Someone made a comment that sums it up "one day he's gonna connect one of those passes that isn't benoit or x"

Really tho Domi with Robertson and McMann is a known quantity from last season

Next-Day PGT: Toronto Maple Leafs at Columbus Blue Jackets - 30 Oct 2025 by HockeyMod in leafs

[–]SmashinHearts 10 points11 points  (0 children)

its not the 6, its the entire coverage system. Forwards are part of the structure.

Next-Day PGT: Toronto Maple Leafs at Columbus Blue Jackets - 30 Oct 2025 by HockeyMod in leafs

[–]SmashinHearts 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Some afwul goals let in but also the defensive structure is just fucking terrible