Ilya Samsonov not deterred by Sergei Bobrovsky’s strong play through two games: “I don’t give a f***”

The Leafs find themselves down 2-0 in their second round series against the Panthers despite the solid play offensively by the team.
A big reason why Toronto has fallen in a big hole is due to the strong play of Sergei Bobrovsky. Through the first two games, he has limited the Leafs to just four goals despite facing 36 high danger chances against and saving over five goals above expected. The goaltending matchup was going to play a key factor in this series, and Bobrovsky has decided to return to his 2019 form thus far.
On the other end, Ilya Samsonov has made some saves when his team asked him to do it but also gave up a few back breaking goals. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine who is currently winning the goalie battle as the series shifts to Southern Florida.
After Game 2, Samsonov was asked about his fellow countrymen’s strong showing up to that point and he did not hold back.

Samsonov on Bobrovsky playing well: “I don’t give a fuck.”
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) May 5, 2023

There are two ways to look at a hilarious quote like this one.
On one hand, Samsonov has the right attitude about it and is not deterred. He knows he has a job to do and won’t let what Bobrovsky has done thus far weigh on him mentally.
On the other hand, what else was Samsonov supposed to say? He has his own things to deal with and should instead be more preoccupied with finding ways to be better the rest of the series.
Either way, Leafs fans needed a quote like this to make them smile for a moment, which is Samsonov’s speciality with the media. A brief distraction won’t erase the fact that the Leafs had so many chances to score but only have four to show of it, bu …

Read More

Author: Michael Mazzei / The Leafs Nation

3 free agents Raptors should have signed over Otto Porter Jr.

3 free agents Raptors should have signed over Otto Porter Jr.

The Toronto Raptors have found themselves mired on the fringes of the play-in tournament rather than challenging for 50 wins. This came as a result of unreasonably betting on the team’s core and making Otto Porter Jr. the team’s marquee offseason addition. Porter was fresh off a season in which he helped the Golden State […]
3 free agents Raptors should have signed over Otto Porter Jr. – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Read More

Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Leafs special teams are a strength but also a potential area for improvement

Leafs special teams are a strength but also a potential area for improvement

One of the predictors that teams often use to size themselves up against the competition around the league is special teams performance. Teams might only spend around 10 minutes of a game on special teams, but it is an important section of time. The Leafs average 3.37 goals per game and 0.79 of that are powerplay goals (23%). Similarly, 23% of the Leafs goals against come when they are shorthanded. It’s in that spirit that it seems like it’s worth diving into the team numbers around special teams, just a little and seeing how Toronto measures up to their most immediate competition.

Leafs
Bruins
Lightning
PP%
25% (7)
25.1% (5)
26.4% (3)
PP% Net
22.6% (7)
22.9% (6)
21% (10)
PK%
79.4% (16)
85.8% (1)
80.5% (13)
PK% Net
83.1% (13)
88.1% (1)
81.8% (17)
Combined%
104.4% (7)
110.9% (1)
106.9% (5)
Combined Net%
105.7% (8)
111% (1)
102.8% (12)
Net Goal Dif
10 (6)
19 (1)
6 (14)
When looking at the Leafs immediate competition it’s clear that the top of the Atlantic Division thrives on special teams. The Bruins in particular are dominant, only conceding the advantage to the Lightning on raw powerplay percentage. The second that short handed goals against are factored into the Lightning’s situation, they become the worst of the trio, with only 21% of their powerplays being measured as truly successful.
The Lightning again struggle in similar fashion against on the PK, having a stronger penalty kill than the Leafs do, but being less capable of coming up with short handed goals for, something that Toronto has continued to do successfully with their aggressive penalty kill. It closes the gap nicely and from a Leafs perspective having the Lightning frequently give up shorthanded goals …

Read More

Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Auston Matthews stands up for himself and shows his winning smile, chaos ensues

Auston Matthews stands up for himself and shows his winning smile, chaos ensues

The Leafs desperately needed a good result to get themselves back on track and they got exactly that on Wednesday night.
While it was against a Flyers team who played the previous night, Toronto did almost everything you could ask of them throughout the 60 minutes. Ilya Samsonov made some quality saves when he had to, John Tavares put the team on his back with an inspiring performance, and the bottom six played well while also getting rewarded with a goal from Zach Aston-Reese.
The power-play showed signs of being more creative and they turned it into two tallies. Although the Leafs took six infractions on the night, they killed off five of them and were much more sound down a man.
It was a game that was desperately needed with the temperature in the fanbase at a boiling point, which should help the team feel better about themselves as they prepare to take on the red-hot Bruins on Saturday. Theoretically, should be nothing to complain about with a game in which the Leafs were clearly the better team all night long.
As is always the case, people will find something to nitpick with the Leafs. In this case, many were upset at Auston Matthews for not really engaging with Travis Konecny near the end of the game.

Mark Giordano didn’t like that 🥊 pic.twitte …

Read More

Author: Michael Mazzei / The Leafs Nation

3 reasonable goals for Raptors OG Anunoby to hit in 2022

3 reasonable goals for Raptors OG Anunoby to hit in 2022

As the Toronto Raptors try to establish themselves as a contender in the Eastern Conference, the play of stud wing OG Anunoby is something that this franchise will have to analyze closely. There is a direct correlation between Anunoby playing well and the Ws piling up in the standings. Anunoby was a reliable scorer on […]
3 reasonable goals for Raptors OG Anunoby to hit in 2022 – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Read More

Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

3 reasons Raptors could be East favorites with Kevin Durant

3 reasons Raptors could be East favorites with Kevin Durant

The Toronto Raptors have themselves set up nicely for success in the future, thanks to their strong starting five and potential for rapid growth. However, Masai Ujiri could supercharge that rebuilding effort if they manage to acquire Kevin Durant via trade with the Brooklyn Nets. The Raptors have reportedly not offered Scottie Barnes in trade […]
3 reasons Raptors could be East favorites with Kevin Durant – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Read More

Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Raptors reportedly won’t trade Scottie Barnes for Kevin Durant

Raptors reportedly won’t trade Scottie Barnes for Kevin Durant

The Toronto Raptors are keeping themselves implanted in the Kevin Durant trade race, as they are always willing to bring on one of the most individually talented players the game has to offer. However, Brooklyn may have their eyes set on Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes in a return package. With Barnes fresh off […]
Raptors reportedly won’t trade Scottie Barnes for Kevin Durant – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Read More

Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ