The loss of Tavaras is enormous, but the Maple Leafs can still win without him. They have several options, the first one being simply putting Keerfoot up as the second centre. I know this is probably the best option, but bear with me for a minute. I would like to see if they could move Spezza up in the slot. Spezza has been the go-to man in the past.
The Leafs have been playing pretty solidly without the services of Tavaras. The main reason is the emergence of Matthews. He has taken the load of this team and carried them. He is proving he is one of the best players in the game.
The defence has been weak at best. They are still allowing too many scoring chances. The Maple Leafs are making it way too easy for opposing teams to enter into their zone. They are making blind passes in the defensive end, panicking because of pressure. They must be more organized and better prepared in their end of the rink.
The forwards have to come back and help the defence. The must give the defencemen a target to pass the puck to and come back in the defensive zone. No more cherry-picking. We can't afford to be outnumbered in our end of the rink.
But generally, when you think of the disaster of what has happened with the injury to John Tavares, they have not done so bad. The Leafs have to keep their heads above water until John comes back. If they can still stay in the playoff hunt while John is injured, they will be a better team at the end of the season.
Randy
No comments:
Post a Comment