Leafs @ Flyers, October 2nd 2013

Hello my friends (I like this board so much more than skimming SBR's hockey forum, too much namecalling there. I love the respect people have for each other here, it's my kinda place)

Hit a nice one tonight to start the season nailing 8u with TOR ML and the over for the game. Now I'm switching to tomorrow night as the Leafs, after exhausting themselves by defeating their arch rivals on the road in an emotional win, travel to Philadelphia to face the Flyers tomorrow night in their home opener and 1st game of the season.

The leafs in the 1st period tonight looked a bit tired and considerably slower than MTL. And what they seem to be making a habit of, they score a timely goal to switch momentum and cruise to a win behind timely goaltending despite being outplayed over the first half of the game. And no doubt players took doses of 5-hour energy drink during the 1st intermission (this is very common in the NHL) because their legs looked dead in the 1st period (and to begin the 2nd).

The Leafs just played a Montreal team that was very well rested. The Habs shut down last Thursday night and spent 4 days resting and preparing for their home opener tonight. Meanwhile, the Leafs have had a hectic schedule playing the red wings in a back to back set over the weekend. The game against the Flyers tomorrow night will be Toronto's 4th game in 6 days, while the Flyers are well rested and looking for a good start to their season tomorrow night.

Moreover, during the CBC broadcast tonight, they mentioned how coach Randy Carlyle busted the team this morning with a hard practice. So not only did the leafs play an emotional game tonight vs their arch rival, and feel satisfied and complacent with the win, but they also had a hard practice early this morning before the game (and will play a 4th game in 6 nights tomorrow in Philly, plus its on a roadtrip and travel can take its toll as well).

Bernier will see his first start in a leaf uniform tomorrow night in Philly. I don't think the Leafs will have their legs tomorrow night after a very hard practice this morning (it wasn't just an easy morning skate, but a full hard team practice as the broadcasters said), and a very emotional win over their arch rivals tonight on the road, that they were happy to escape from in the final minute.

I have Philly tomorrow and like this spot for the Flyers .

Flyers ML -135 (2u)
Flyers -1.5 +205 (2u)

One other note, the Leafs were quite poor last year in the 2nd game of a back-to-back when travel was involved. If they won 15% of those games I'd be very surprised.

Furthermore, the Flyers are much better down the middle at the center position with Giroux, Lecavalier, and Couturier. Teams with high talent at center with center depth have given Leafs problems.

The Leafs are on a plane flight now talking about the eventful game they just had in MTL, and will be checking in a hotel late tonight. They are not focused on the Flyers, they're talking about all that happened in the MTL game. Coach Carlyle just came out and said that the Leafs haven't practiced much with the hectic preseason schedule lately (why they needed a hard practice early this morning). While the Flyers are well rested and have been focusing on the Leafs for their home opener for a week, looking to have a hot start after a poor year last year, and new edition Vincent  Lecavalier having a nice opening night on his new team (he has been a Leaf killer in the past)

I lean flyers in this one too

Adding Flyers ML and Red Wings ML parlay (1u) $100 to win $170

New poster here, but lifelong hockey fan. Follow the entire league. I agree with your write up regarding the Leafs, especially with a back-to-back right out of the gate. I likely stay away there until I see a pattern develop/teams all start playing games.

yeah, Philly had alot of injuries to their defense last year. They just signed Hal Gill, another pylon but he he is good at the PK and in front of the net.

Adding:

TOR OVER 5.5 (2u)

Bryzgalov was the cause for bad goaltending last year. He was a sieve last year. They're hoping the addition of Emery curves that. Emery knows Toronto and gets up for the Leafs from his days in Ottawa..

If this game was on neutral ice and the leafs were fresh, I'd go Toronto. but the Leafs looked gassed tonight for long stretches from the hard practice they had early in the morning and the hectic schedule. Back to back tomorrow on the road, after a back to back with the Red Wings over the weekend.

Eye - Really like your write up and couldn't agree more.  After the first in the Tor game against the Habs I thought it was going to be an embarrassment.  Then half way through the second the whole feeling of the game changed.

Great insight, Third. I'm on the Flyers as well, and feeling better about the pick now. Generally, I'm a fan of playing the opposite side when a team has a B2B on the road. GL tomorrow.

Wow thanks for the kind words. I am not looking for people to tail me, I just give my reasoning for certain selections. Bet at your own discretion (I know you already know that since you've been here awhile, just mentioning to any newbie observing this thread). I've done well betting against back-to-back traveling teams who look tired the night before, so I'm just riding that situational spot train again.

PS- I just got home from work and found out Mason is starting for Philly. I was hoping it would be Emery, I am going to just ride it out. BOL tonight everyone

BOL Third

GL! Jumped on Philly for a small play. Not a big NHL guy but you seem to know your stuff. Is that change that was made a big one? Nevertheless, on FLYERS -125.

GOOD LUCK 

NO one disagrees??? 

Emery is the veteran. He's slower than Mason and not as good of a stickhandler. Emery went 17-1 with the cup champion Blackhawks last year so he has some championship pedigree in his soul somewhere (lol).. He was signed for a good price and they're hoping he mentors Mason. If he plays as he's capable of, some people in hoickey circles have said he could be the bargain of all free agency this summer because their former goalie Bryzgalov was so putrid last season.

Mason is more mobile and quicker, a better stickhandler which can come in handy to move the puck up ice to the defense. The Flyers want Mason to be their guy because of age and because he will be a "restricted" free agent (not unrestricted). In a game versus the Leafs in London Ontario during this preseason, Mason gave up 3 goals , all the goals were impossible to save as he had no chance on any of them.

The Flyers looked poor in preseason, but I don't place much stock in preseason games as they are mostly split-squad games without full lineups.

I agree with your writeup completely. The Leafs didn't even look too great yesterday, they got a bit of luck (Bozak and Raymond goals) and Reimer made some big saves throughout the game. They really fizzled out in the last 5 mins of the game as well.

The biggest factor to me is that Bernier has only played 30 NHL games in the past 2 years, mostly as a backup for Quick so you can say they were mostly not the biggest games. He hasn't been on a stage like this since he was the Kings' starter in 2008 before spending a few years in the AHL. I have no idea why the Leafs are playing him and creating a goaltending battle when Reimer is clearly much better and the reason for much of their success last season.

Flyers 5 Leafs 2

Mason is also from Toronto. He's from Oakville which just a 25-minute drive west from downtown Toronto.

I cannot tell you how many times over the years goalies in the NHL from Toronto would kill us (yes, I'm a lifelong Leaf fan). All of a sudden they would look like Ken Dryden or Patrick Roy against us. they hit a zone and cant wait to play the team they grew up with from their hometown. It didnt matter if Kevin Weekes was having a .830 save % type of month before playing the Leafs when he was playing on Carolina. He would play Toronto and shut em out stopping 40 shots. It was surreal. Longtime Leaf fans know exactly what I'm talking about.

Hope the same theory applies tonight. lol

BOL T--E  

The Philadelphia Eagles also suck.


How did they look in their first game of the season ??

Good Luck

Flyers up 1-0 and they dominated the 1st period. Bernier was very good in net for TOR or the score would be higher.

The Leafs are very well known for this. They play a rope-a-dope style and pick things up 2 notches in 2nd periods (as they did last night, and last season).

Keep those 5-hour energy drinks away !!! 

Lets go over!

I have absolutely no idea how the Leafs do it. How they find ways to win when they look dead in the water. This is how they played most of last year. Controlling the tempo later in games, backed by strong goaltending, when they had no business being in the game.

How do they have such energy to move and get their sticks in the way of every Flyer powerplay early in the third? Something about that 2nd pperiod makes them pplay like crazed dogs in the 3rd.

And coach Randy Carlisle, everything he touches turns to Gold. He's a master of "feeling" the game and momentum. He double shifted the Kessel line in the 2nd per and the leafs got life, Kessel scores. To start the 3rd period he stuck Bolland to center the 2nd line and dropping Kadri. Instant magic and Bolland scores. Timely goals + timely goaltending while getting outplayed. Carlisle has a magic wand.

You know who this Leafs team reminds me of ? They remind me of the  1994 Florida Panthers. They played the exact same way the Leafs play. Unreal how they found ways to win, ousting the heavily favored Lindros-Leclair Flyers in the playoffs in one round, and defeating the heavily favored Jaromir Jagr Penguins in another playoff round on their way to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance.

Told ya!!!

It's the coaching!!! They wouldn't know what a puck was even if you shoved it up their azz!!!