Cursebreaker (Toronto Maple Leafs NHL20 - Fun Only)

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LEAFS LOOK TO CLOSE SERIES AT HOME

2021 Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals Game 6

Philadelphia Flyers @ Toronto Maple Leafs
[TOR Leads 3-2]


The Toronto Maple Leafs will try again to eliminate the Philadelphia Flyers, this time at home. They lead the series 3-2 after dropping game 5 by a score of 4-3

Head Coach Jacob Smaby focused on passing and puck work in yesterday's practice; the team was at just 74% during game 4s loss

Another change is the PowerPlay strategy; the Umbrella formation just wasn't working against the Flyers tough defense. The Coach had the players running an Overload playbook this time; combined with a new diamond Penalty Kill strategy should give the Special Teams advantage to Toronto.

2021 Eastern Conference Finals Game 6
Game Lineups

Philadelphia Flyers @ Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs

Nylander-Tavares-Marner
Kerfoot-Matthews-Tuch
Bratt-Compher-Vanek
Nygard-Steen-Korshkov

Reilly-Liljegren
Brodin-Hamonic
Bouwmeester-Sandin

Starter: Frederik Andersen
Backup: Henrik Lundqvist

Philadelphia Flyers

Van Riemsdyk-Couturier-Voracek
Baerstchi-Giroux-Konecny
Lindbolm-Stepan-Simmonds
Farabee-Patrick-Saad

Provorov-Gostisbehere
Sanheim-Spurgeon
Hagg-Myers

Starter: Carter Hart
Backup: Eric Comrie

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THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS WILL COMPETE FOR THE STANLEY CUP

The Toronto Maple Leafs haven't been to the Stanley Cup Finals since 1967, so it would only be fitting for the win to involve a 3rd period and potentially record breaking collapse and a critical overtime period

Austin Matthews would score two goals, Frederik Andersen finished with 25 saves and the Toronto Maple Leafs would defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-5 in overtime to take the series 4-2.

The Leafs were up 4-2 with just 2 minutes to go in the third period, but 3 goals in the span of 1:20 saw the Leafs down 5-4 with just 40 seconds in the third. The Leafs would pull the goalie and conveniently have an offensive Zone faceoff, when Auston Matthews would score his second of the game with 25 seconds left to tie the game

Travis Hamonic would get the scoring started in the first period at 6:34 on a brilliant solo effort. Tomas Vanek would add another at 11:51 to take the lead 2-0. Jakub Voracek would get the Flyers on the board at 17:03.

The second period saw the Flyers pushing and the Leafs basically clinging for life, being outshot 10-4.


The third period is where the Leafs should have buried it. But fate had other plans

First a defensive turnover by the penalty Kill sent Jakub Voracek and Travis Konecny on a 2-on-0 breakaway. Poor Andersen never stops a chance as Konecny would score. Auston Matthews would score his first at 7:23 and Rasmus Sandin would add another at 11:36 for the 4-2 lead.

With 2 minutes to go and the Flyers seemingly running out of gas, at 18:13 Mitch Marner did the one thing that could spark the Flyers: he would score an own goal which waa Credited to Jakub Voracek. So the Leafs are ahead 4-3

Well 28 seconds later, Oskar Lindbolm would tie the game courtesy of a Claude Giroux pass.

The Leafs at this point are reeling and take a timeout.

Well it didn't work. Travis Konecny would take another Claude Giroux pass and score at 19:25 to unbelievably take the lead 5-4.

Leafs fans were silent. You could hear a pin drop.

15 seconds later, an offensive Zone faceoff was the site of the most important play of Leafs playoffs so far. With the net empty, and Auston Matthews on as the Extra Attacker, John Tavares would win the face-off and pass it to Timothy Liljegren. Only the puck was intercepted - by linemate Mitch Marner who would no-loook backhand pass back to a fully wound up Auston Matthews who would blast the puck past Carter Hart who had no chance to react.

After the most monumental collapse of Leafs history, they would recover to make it to Overtime. But would they win?

Well a late penalty by none other than Auston Matthews with 14 seconds certainly didn't help. The Leafs would start the Overtime shorthanded; usually a death sentence.

Fortunately Philadelphia would toss them a lifeline by taking a penalty themselves with just 1 second left

The ensuing 4-on-4 OT was probably the fastest seen in the league this year. But nothing would become of it, or the short 15 second PowerPlay the Leafs would get after theirs expired.

Well it seems the Flyers weren't quite done shooting themselves - they would take another penalty, this time a tripping and the Leafs PowerPlay went to work.

The top line would get chance after chance but couldn't find twine. With just 20 seconds left in the Penalty, the second unit of Bratt-Kerfoot-Vanek would end it at 8:51 with Alex Kerfoot taking a Tomas Vanek cross ice pass and rifling it past Carter Hart for the 6-5 victory

The Toronto Maple Leafs await the winner of the Dallas-Winnipeg series

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Eastern Conference Champions: Toronto Maple Leafs

Regular Season Record: 54-22-6
Playoff Record: 12-6-0

How they got here:
EC Quarter-Finals: 4-3 vs Tampa Bay Lightning
EC Semi-Finals: 4-1 vs Florida Panthers
EC Finals: 4-2 vs Philadelphia Flyers

Playoff Goal Leaders:
Alex Tuch: 12
Mitch Marner: 9
Jesper Bratt: 8
Alexander Kerfoot: 6

Playoff Points Leaders:
Mitch Marner: 23
Alex Tuch: 19
Kerfoot/John Tavares: 17
Auston Matthews: 16
William Nylander: 14

Injury Report:
•Tomas Vanek, Minor (Playable)

The Skinny: At long last. The Toronto Maple Leafs have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1967 and they have home ice advantage to boot.

The Leafs depth has carried them this far. Alex Tuch, acquired by the Maple Leafs at the trade deadline, has been a god send to the second line, finding instant chemistry with linemates Alexander Kerfoot and Auston Matthews. The 24 year old forward leads the team in goals and is second in points.

Another surprise is Timothy Liljegren. Pairing him on the the top pair with Morgan Reilly was a risky move, given the apparent lack of defensive and physical play with that pairing. But Liljegren turned it into an opportunity to shine and he leads all defensemen in points with 11 (1 goal). Linemate Morgan Reilly has 9 (4 goals). Fellow rookie defenseman Rasmus Sandin also has 9 points (5 goals)

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2021 Western Conference Champions: Dallas Stars

Regular Season Record: 38-34-10
Playoff Record: 12-7

How They Got Here:
•WC Quarter-Finals: 4-1 vs Vegas Golden Knights
•WC Semi-Finals: 4-3 vs Vancouver Canucks
•WC Finals: 4-3 vs Winnipeg Jets

Playoff Goal Leaders:
•Tyler Seguin: 13
•Jamie Benn: 7
•Jordan Martinook: 6
•Julius Honka/Joe Pavelski: 5

Playoff Points Leaders:
•Tyler Seguin: 24
•Jamie Benn: 20
•Miro Heiskanen: 13
•Joe Pavelski: 11
•Anthony Duclair: 10

The Skinny:

Anyone else have the Dallas Stars, the first Wildcard team, making the Stanley Cup Finals? No? Neither did Vegas, Vancouver or Winnipeg

In the first round, Dallas did the unthinkable and upset the regular season Conference Champions Vegas Golden Knights in just 5 games. They then faced off against the Vancouver Canucks, who finished second in the Pacific, only to knock them out in 7.

Then they went up against the powerhouse of the Central Division, the Winnipeg Jets. Despite going down 3-1 in the series, the Stars refused to give up. Lead by Tyler Seguins 23 points, the team would make the comeback and beat the Winnipeg Jets in 7 games to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

One surprise is the play of newcomer Nicolas Baptiste. The 25 year old has 9 points in 19 games, a bit of a surprise given his limited icetime

Whatever happens in this series, the fact that the Stars made it this far is impressive

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2021 Stanley Cup Finals Series Preview

Toronto Maple Leafs

Vs

Dallas Stars

The Skinny:

The Toronto Maple Leafs came into the playoffs looking to win it all and despite a few hiccups, look poised to do just that. The offense has been clicking lately and the defense is limiting offensive chances as much as possible.

But on the other side, the Dallas Stars have played with the best and somehow managed to find a way to win. Something about their system works for them. That is something the Leafs will need to adapt to quickly

X-Factors

Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews
5 Goals, 16 Points, +15, 28 PIM

The second line center has some of the best wingers he has had in recent years not named Mitch Marner or William Nylander and for some odd reason lacks behind in points. It's possible it's because of how often he's been in the sin bin; he leads the team in that state as well

Dallas Stars: Ben Bishop
12 Wins, 1 Shutout, .912 Save %, 2.61 Goals Against Average

The 34 year old goalie has shown he still has what it takes, but the Stars goalie will need to be at his best against a Leafs offense that's not afraid of scoring goals by the boat loads

Prediction:

The Dallas Stars have made an excellent run. They did what most would consider undoable. Unfortunately this is one of the times where something is undoable. The top notch high speed offense will be too much for the Dallas Stars rather weak defensive corps and Ben Bishop to handle. {Leafs in 5}

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Personal Update:

I apologize for the sporadic updates. My work schedule has been a little wacky lately; I've done a few overnight shifts for the first time in my life and it's messed with my sleeping schedule.

Thing is I can't play NHL20 when I'm tired. The big losses that I've posted in the past? And a few of this playoffs collapses were a result of me playing a game I shouldn't have and it cost me.

To prevent that I've taken a little more time to rest and let my body get used to the change in routine.

I will get back to this series soon (potentially later today, Oct 4). Thank you.

I'd love to hear from you of what you think so far. Dallas eh? Both in real life and in video games, they seem to have a knack for Cinderella stories

[SENS_AK27]

Re: Cursebreaker (Toronto Maple Leafs NHL20 - Fun Only)

Personal Update:

I apologize for the sporadic updates. My work schedule has been a little wacky lately; I've done a few overnight shifts for the first time in my life and it's messed with my sleeping schedule.

Thing is I can't play NHL20 when I'm tired. The big losses that I've posted in the past? And a few of this playoffs collapses were a result of me playing a game I shouldn't have and it cost me.

To prevent that I've taken a little more time to rest and let my body get used to the change in routine.

I will get back to this series soon (potentially later today, Oct 4). Thank you.

I'd love to hear from you of what you think so far. Dallas eh? Both in real life and in video games, they seem to have a knack for Cinderella stories

Take your time dude. We've all been there. Life first. I think on Paper this year Dallas was pretty stacked. They have been in the mix in a lot of Sims.

Good Luck with the Finals.

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2021 Stanley Cup Finals Game 1

Toronto Maple Leafs

Vs

Dallas Stars

82 Regular Season Games. 18 Playoff Games. That's what it took for the Maple Leafs to get here. They take on the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It is a true David vs Goliath. The Leafs have scored a tremendous 78 goals in 18 games (4.33 per game) compared to Dallas 57 (3 per game)

Leading them onto the ice will be second line forward Alex Tuch; the forward leads the team in goals and is second in points.

On the injury front, veteran forward Tomas Vanek is dealing with a minor knee injury he suffered in the last game against Philadelphia. He was originally slated to return this game, but a setback will keep him out.

Instead David Backes will slot in the lineup; the forward has struggled in the playoffs; he has 1 goal and 3 points in 8 Games to go with a -1

Dallas is dealing with injuries as well. Radek Faksa is out for the playoffs; the forward is out with a concussion. In addition, backup goalie Jake Oettinger has a minor herniated disc. The problem is Dallas doesn't have another backup goalie so he is dressing through injury. The team's starter is Ben Bishop.

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Re: Cursebreaker (Toronto Maple Leafs NHL20 - Fun Only)

2021 Stanley Cup Finals Game 1

Toronto Maple Leafs

Vs

Dallas Stars

82 Regular Season Games. 18 Playoff Games. That's what it took for the Maple Leafs to get here. They take on the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. It is a true David vs Goliath. The Leafs have scored a tremendous 78 goals in 18 games (4.33 per game) compared to Dallas 57 (3 per game)

Leading them onto the ice will be second line forward Alex Tuch; the forward leads the team in goals and is second in points.

On the injury front, veteran forward Tomas Vanek is dealing with a minor knee injury he suffered in the last game against Philadelphia. He was originally slated to return this game, but a setback will keep him out.

Instead David Backes will slot in the lineup; the forward has struggled in the playoffs; he has 1 goal and 3 points in 8 Games to go with a -1

Dallas is dealing with injuries as well. Radek Faksa is out for the playoffs; the forward is out with a concussion. In addition, backup goalie Jake Oettinger has a minor herniated disc. The problem is Dallas doesn't have another backup goalie so he is dressing through injury. The team's starter is Ben Bishop.

2021 Stanley Cup Finals Game 1
Game Lineups

Toronto Maple Leafs

Nylander-Tavares-Marner
Kerfoot-Matthews-Tuch
Bratt-Compher-Nygard
Steen-Backes-Korshkov

Reilly-Liljegren
Brodin-Hamonic
Bouwmeester-Sandin

Starter: Frederik Andersen
Backup: Henrik Lundqvist


Dallas Stars

Benn-Seguin-Duclair
Hintz-Pavelski-Gurianov
Martinook-Komarov-Baptiste
Bourque-Lewis-Kunhackl

Heiskanen-Klingberg
Lindell-Goligoski
Weber-Honka

Starter: Ben Bishop
Backup: Jake Oettinger [emoji856]

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LATE PENALTY NEARLY PROVES FATAL; LEAFS ESCAPE WITH OT WIN

Alex Tuch would score the game tying AND OT winner as the Leafs would overcome a 3rd period collapse (ring a bell?) to defeat the Dallas Stars 4-3 in Game 1

Dallas would score first, just 7:18 into the game. But Toronto would get that back quickly at 17:51 courtesy of Johnny Tavares

The second period was mostly quiet. Rookie Yegor Korshkov would score his 4th of the playoffs at 11:13.

Early in the third is when the trouble would start. Auston Matthews would take an interference penalty at 1:06, and Timothy Liljegren would add to it 40 seconds later with a charging call. Well Dallas wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. John Klingberg & Gabriel Bourque would each see powerplay goals and see the lead change hands.

The Leafs would push and push but it looked like Dallas would scrape a victory. But Alex Tuch would be the hero with 45 seconds left and tied it.

Overtime would prevail. But that too looked like it wouldn't be enough as both goalies made highlight reel save after save. Until the 16:00 mark. Alex Kerfoot found a streaking Alex Tuch and made the easy one time pass. Tuch easily rifled it past Ben Bishop

The Toronto Maple Leafs clearly underestimated the style of play Dallas plays. Andersen would finish with 27 saves, whilst Bishop would have 32

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2021 Stanley Cup Finals Game 2 Preview

Dallas Stars @ Toronto Maple Leafs
[TOR Leads 1-0]

Tomas Vanek will return to the lineup as the Toronto Maple Leafs host Dallas Stars for game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The 38 year old forward missed game 1 with a minor knee injury

Head Coach Jacob Smaby preached patience and a team effort after giving up the lead on the PowerPlay and nearly losing game 1.

Dallas Stars backup goalie Jake Oettinger aggravated his injury during practice. He will not be able to dress for game 2; Andrew Hammond has been recalled from the Texas Stars on an emergency basis

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2021 Stanley Cup Finals Game 2 Preview

Dallas Stars @ Toronto Maple Leafs
[TOR Leads 1-0]

Tomas Vanek will return to the lineup as the Toronto Maple Leafs host Dallas Stars for game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The 38 year old forward missed game 1 with a minor knee injury

Head Coach Jacob Smaby preached patience and a team effort after giving up the lead on the PowerPlay and nearly losing game 1.

Dallas Stars backup goalie Jake Oettinger aggravated his injury during practice. He will not be able to dress for game 2; Andrew Hammond has been recalled from the Texas Stars on an emergency basis

2021 Stanley Cup Finals Game 2
Game Lineups

Dallas Stars

Benn-Seguin-Duclair
Hintz-Pavelski-Gurianov
Martinook-Komarov-Baptiste
Bourque-Lewis-Kunhackl

Heiskanen-Klingberg
Lindell-Goligoski
Weber-Honka

Starter: Ben Bishop
Backup: Andrew Hammond

Toronto Maple Leafs:

Nylander-Tavares-Marner
Kerfoot-Matthews-Tuch
Bratt-Compher-Vanek
Nygard-Steen-Korshkov

Reilly-Liljegren
Brodin-Hamonic
Bouwmeester-Sandin

Starter: Frederik Andersen
Backup: Henrik Lundqvist

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TRAVIS HAMONIC SCORES GAME WINNING GOAL; TORONTO LEADS SERIES 2-0

Once again it needed overtime but the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Dallas Stars 4-3 to take a 2-0 series lead

Travis Hamonic would score the game winning goal while on a breakaway and would bang in his own rebound after his first shot was saved

Morgan Reilly got the games first goal at 7:15 of the first during a penalty to Dallas forward Hintz.

Denis Gurianov would tie the game at 5:58 of the second and Hintz would score a powerplay goal of his own at 15:00 to take the lead John Tavares would score to make it 2-2, but Dallas leading scorer Tyler Seguin would score again to make it 3-2


The third period saw the Leafs tie the game early on a brilliant play by William Nylander and John Tavares (Nylander got the goal). The period would end tied despite both teams pelting shots at both goalies

In overtime, both teams made play after okay and both goalies made save after save. The overtime was in its final minute when Travis Hamonic would take a Jonas Brodin pass and just run with it on a breakaway. His initial shot would be stopped but the rebound went right back to him.

The Leafs look to take a stranglehold on the series in game 3

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2021 Stanley Cup Finals Game 3

Toronto Maple Leafs @ Dallas Stars
[TOR Leads 2-0]

The Toronto Maple Leafs have an opportunity to take a stranglehold on the series when they travel to Dallas for game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals

After games 1 & 2 finished in overtime by identical 4-3 scores, the Leafs look to be a little more consistent.

On that end, a lineup change has occured. William Nylander will play on the second line with Matthews and Alex Tuch, whilst Alexander Kerfoot will play on the top line with John Tavares and Mitch Marner

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2021 Stanley Cup Finals Game 3

Toronto Maple Leafs @ Dallas Stars
[TOR Leads 2-0]

The Toronto Maple Leafs have an opportunity to take a stranglehold on the series when they travel to Dallas for game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals

After games 1 & 2 finished in overtime by identical 4-3 scores, the Leafs look to be a little more consistent.

On that end, a lineup change has occured. William Nylander will play on the second line with Matthews and Alex Tuch, whilst Alexander Kerfoot will play on the top line with John Tavares and Mitch Marner

2021 Stanley Cup Finals Game 3
Game Lineups

Toronto Maple Leafs @ Dallas Stars

Toronto Maple Leafs:

Kerfoot-Tavares-Marner
Nylander-Mathews-Tuch
Bratt-Compher-Vanek
Nygard-Steen-Korshkov

Reilly-Liljegren
Brodin-Hamonic
Bouwmeester-Sandin

Starter: Frederik Andersen
Backup: Henrik Lundqvist

Dallas Stars:

Benn-Seguin-Duclair
Hintz-Pavelski-Gurianov
Martinook-Komarov-Baptiste
Bourque-Lewis-Kunhackl

Heiskanen-Klingberg
Lindell-Goligoski
Weber-Honka

Starter: Ben Bishop
Backup: Andrew Hammond