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Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

Welcome to the Neno's Place!

Neno's Place Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality


Neno

I can be reached by phone or text 8am-7pm cst 972-768-9772 or, once joining the board I can be reached by a (PM) Private Message.

Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

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Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

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    Toronto Maple Leafs in a ‘real good spot,’ coach says, but still no improvement in defensive zone

    jedi17
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    • Post n°1

    Toronto Maple Leafs in a ‘real good spot,’ coach says, but still no improvement in defensive zone Empty Toronto Maple Leafs in a ‘real good spot,’ coach says, but still no improvement in defensive zone

    Post by jedi17 Tue 15 Nov 2016, 8:04 pm

    Toronto Maple Leafs in a ‘real good spot,’ coach says, but still no improvement in defensive zone


    TORONTO — Connor Carrick didn’t know whether he would return to the Maple Leafs lineup on Tuesday night after sitting out on Saturday.

    The 22-year-old defenceman had one certainty in mind following practice on Monday at the MasterCard Centre, and on that, he wouldn’t get an argument.
    “As a ‘D’ corps, we are not happy with with where we are at, we know that,” Carrick said.
    “You take it very personally. We’re a defensive group and pucks are going in our net. It’s our fault.
    “We’re only going to get better and hopefully the sooner the better. It’s definitely a time-sensitive issue.”
    There’s no arguing that either, especially considering the way coach Mike Babcock breaks down the schedule. Fifteen games into the 2016-17 regular season, the Leafs, who play host to P.K. Subban and the Nashville Predators at the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday, have a 6-6-3 record, good for 15 points.
    Babcock would smile a bit more (well, maybe not) if the Leafs met his goal of six points in every five-game segment, and there’s a crucial point to consider from the view of the coach.
    Being in a playoff position, or within a point or two of being in one, by U.S. Thanksgiving is paramount.
    The Leafs were in 13th place in the Eastern Conference as of Monday afternoon. But, thanks to the logjam that is the National Hockey League standings, were just two points out of the final wild-card spot. The American holiday comes in nine days, during which the Leafs will have played another five games.
    “If you’re out (of the playoffs after 20 games), she is a long climb,” Babcock said. “I’m not talking one point or something like that, but if you have buried yourself, it’s a hard way to come back.
    “There are a lot of teams as you can see that are very competitive, and so it is going to be a battle, we understand that. But we also think our team is going to get better. We have to get better.”
    The Leafs won three times in their past five games and allowed 18 goals — the same total they gave up during their second five-game segment, and one more than their initial five-game stint to start the season. They scored 15 goals after scoring 11 in the second and 18 in the first.
    Though Babcock said he thinks the Leafs are in a “real good spot,” there hasn’t been an improvement in the defensive zone from the opening faceoff on Oct. 12 in Ottawa.
    The Leafs allowed 197 shots on goal in their third five-game segment, this after it was 167 against in games six through 10 and 151 against in one through five.

    “As a 'D' corps, we are not happy with with where we are at, we know that,” Connor Carrick said.
    While it comes down to a five-man cohesion in order to limit the opposition’s scoring chances, after the Leafs’ blue-line pair of Morgan Rielly and Nikita Zaitsev, there has been much moving around of parts.
    As the Leafs’ young players get adjusted to playing successful hockey at the NHL level, in a perfect world, the defence group would be set in stone.
    This isn’t to imply that if pairs were left together to find their way, the situation would be much better. Barring a trade, this is the group of eight the Leafs will have for the next several months.
    We can admire what the likes of Andrew Nielsen, Rinat Valiev, Travis Dermott and Viktor Loov, among others, have accomplished with the Toronto Marlies through 12 games, but none is ready to step in and make an impact in the NHL.
    “I think if the coaching staff really saw something they fell in love with, they would probably leave it,” Carrick said. “So it’s our job to give them what they want, make them happy.

    “I think there is certainly a pressure involved when there are readily available players at your position. When you line up you have to impress and there is not really time for (not doing well). Everybody knows you have to be good.”
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