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About last night ...
posted by Mike Boone at 0h08 EST on Oct 18
You can't knock the goaltending.
Carey Price is 2-4, and you can maybe nit-pick his technique on a couple goals here and there. But the kid has to be damn near perfect, as Price was in Toronto and Buffalo, for the this team to win.
Just once I'd like to see the Canadiens give their goaltender a cushion. I'm still a believer in Price's ability and mental toughness. Let's see what he can do with a 3-1 lead.
The D?
Probably as good as could be expected without team MVP Andrei Markov and Most Improved Player (on the basis of training camp) Ryan O'Byrne. Roman Hamrlik, Jaroslav Spacek and Josh Gorges can't play any better than what we're seeing. Shawn Belle seems to be an adequate NHLer.
Which brings us to Paul Mara and Hal Gill. Bob, did you really need BOTH of them. It's like having two Chieftains CDs.
Up front, again you're geeting the maximum from several players.
Tomas Plekanec can't play any better. Andrei Kostitsyn can ... and there are signs he's starting to work harder.
The top line played its most dominant shift of the season to start last night's game. Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta and Mike Cammalleri had the Ottawa D back on their heels as they buzzed Pascal Leclaire.
But they didn't score – until Cammalleri finally popped his CH cherry with a fluke that bounced in off Leclaire's shoulder on the line's final shift of the period.
The Canadiens had 13 shots on goal in the first 20 minutes. The Senators blocked 16 (about 10 of which occurred during a 1:55 5-on-3 PP), and nine shots were wide. That's 38 attempts to score. The Ottawa numbers were three SoG, two blocked and one wide.
You can't get more dominant than that. Yet Ottawa scored first, and the Canadiens didn't break through until there were 27 seconds left in the period.
Big indicator: over the last 40 minutes, the Senators didn;t take a single penalty. That means they weren't pressured into fouls ... just like the Flames weren't when they went THE WHOLE #$%^ING GAME without taking a penalty.
The Canadiens don't pressure anyone. They don't scare anyone. And they don't score on anyone.
Since popping four in an opening night OT win against the hapless Leafs – man, that seems like a long time ago – the Canadiens have scored 11 in six games.
Alexander Ovechkin has nine.
Again, what's disturbing is that the top line, Plekanec and Kostitsyn, lately, are not dogging it. They're busting their butts, but the goals aren't coming.
Are they too small? And is lack of physicality a fatal flaw, since the refs seem to be letting a lot more go this season?
Are we back into the conundrum that has plagued the Canadiens for what seems like decades: the skilled guys aren't tough, and the tough guys have no skill.
Certainly the latter seems true ... again.
I love Travis Moen's grit and work ethic. But unless God drops all His other preoccupations, like starving children in Darfur, Travis Moen is not going to score 15 goals.
Moen is what he is: an honest, hard-working hockey player who can be a valuable component of a winning team ... which the Canadiens – at least to date, and maybe for many dates to come – are not.
Likewise two players who are off to stuttering starts: Maxim Lapierre, a revelation last season but not so revelatory so far, and Guillaume Latendresse, the Canadiens anwer to Tomas Holmstrom. The Two Amigos have been .. what's a poite way to put it? .. crap. But even if they were firing on all cylinders, Max and Gui! are third-line energy guys. They aren't difference-makers.
The player who makes a difference – on the PP, the PK, against the opponent's best forwards – is out until February. Canadiens suffered a crippling blow when Andrei Markov went down.
We saw what he meant to the team during the bitter end of last season. The Koivu/Kovalev/Komisarek/Higgins Canadiens couldn't win a single game without Markov.
Well, guess what? With the exception of an OT miracle in Buffalo, neither can the Gomez/Cammilleri/Gionta/Spacek Canadiens.
On the CKAC postgame show, Martin Lemay was beating the drum for call-ups: Marc-André Bergeron for sure, but also Sergei Kostistyn and Tom Pyatt.
I've always been a Sergei K fan. Two goals and an assist for the Bulldogs last night. At this stage of their careers, he's a better hockey player than Max Pacioretty.
Pyatt was excellent at training camp. Small, but a great skater and tenacious defender, he'd probably be an upgrade on Kyle Chipchura.
Repeat after me: It's too early to panic.
But 4-1 Atlanta – which has scored five more goals than the Canadiens (in two fewer games) and allowed 11 fewer – are at the Bell Centre on Tuesday.
The booing we heard last night was a muffled overture to the crescendo of catcalls that wil engulf this team if the L streak hits six.
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"The Canadiens don't pressure anyone. They don't scare anyone. And they don't score on anyone."
Wrong, Mr. Boone. They scare ME!
Actually, for once you are correct -- they're trying really really hard. But they can't score. It's like watching your bad high school team playing against the provincial champions. You cheer really hard for them and you know they're really trying hard but you also know they're just going to get steamrolled. We need a natural goal scorer or at least a tough guy...
Price is playing very well. The forward lines are not because they are playing as individuals. They don't seem to be covering opponents in our end. The defence is not bad. This team will probably end up out of the playoffs. It was a mistake to let AK-27 and Saku go. They need a leader.
Price is playing very well? You can't be serious? His save percentage of around .886 is in the same zone as C. Huet and Luongo. Both those goalies are being crucified in their respective cities for their LOUSY play. And you say Price is playing well? What games have you been watching? In what universe is a save percentage UNDER .900 classified as playing well?
Do you know the last time the Habs have won a home game? Over TWO HUNDRED days ago in March. Playing well dude?
For the Price Bashers:
When Halak gets lit up like a Christmas Tree, & pucks pass him like Price in his F-150 would pass Clay, River V., Triple X on their motor scooters, who will they call for then?
You sound like the true fan you really are. Unlike you, I want the team to succeed. I care about the TEAM not some individual player. If Halak is the better player, play him. Is that so difficult to comprehend?
Halak is NOT the better player! Is that so difficult to comprehend? Hey, is it?
lalalalalalala......your boring.
Ok, I know the sky is clearly falling, hell in a hand-basket, the end of days and all such stuff. I know I'll be going against the general tide, likely to have some of you call me a Pollyanna, or a rose coloured glass wearing fool, or far worse, but I do think a little perspective could be helpful here.
Look, I ain't happy about the start either. Sucks rocks, really. In addition, I am under no illusions that this is a Stanley Cup team, even if things were going better. But, for those of you who think you can write the script of this season, a miserable sad one at that, based on the first seven games, you're kind of... full of... well... questionable assumptions at best.
Exhibit 'A': 2008-09 Flyers started their season 0-6 and were 5-10 in their first 15 games before they turned things around. And guess what? They had all played together the previous season. Exhibit 'B' 'C' 'D':08-09, Chicago started 1-4, as did Calgary and Anaheim. Exhibit 'E': 08-09, The big bad bruins started 2-5(ooooh myyyy goodness!!!)
The point is? We don't know shineola... yet.
(psstt. there aren't any awards distributed for being the first or most vocal proponent of doomsday)
With the end of days apparently being in 2012, we best git to rebuildin' in a hurry...
Put an L for the game against Atlanta, they are a better team than Montreal. Bob will do something after the month of october. I see maximum 2 wins this month (both against the Islanders) unless they get a french goaltender.
What will he do? Trade Gomez for Ovechkin and Green?
He won't move now...he's pretty much made his bed.
He'll go get a new suit
... from Bucky Gleason / Buffalo News ..... Hawks cut their costs - The Blackhawks, nudged against the salary cap, had third-line winger Jack Skille commuting between Chicago and their affiliate in Rockford for five consecutive days in an effort to save space. He was practicing with the AHL Wolves, driving an hour and playing with the NHL Hawks................... Quotable - Wings coach Mike Babcock on the Sabres’ team defense: “If you are going to give [Ryan] Miller 22 shots all year long, he will be the best goalie in the league.” ....................... Coach Ron Wilson is battling with the media, a sign he’s feeling the heat in the Center of the Hockey Universe. He stormed out of a news conference three words into the first question after a 7-2 loss to the Rangers....................... Columbus is without Jan Hejda for four to six weeks after he bumped knees with ex-Jacket forward Curtis Glencross, now with the Flames. Hejda was tied for the league lead with a plus-8. Since the start of the 2007-08 season, Hejda’s was plus-51. Only Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk (plus-73) and Chicago’s Duncan Keith (plus-64) were better..................... The Senators are having second thoughts about keeping 19-year-old Swede Erik Karlsson in the NHL for a full season. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound defenseman is talented but was overmatched in his first six games.............................. now from Jeff Z.Klein ..... Tampa Bay’s Vincent Lecavalier has not scored in 14 straight games, by far the longest goal drought of his illustrious career. He hasn’t lighted the lamp in seven games this season after going goalless in the last seven games last season.
Can our season really rest on the calling up of SK74? IF they call him up that is!
My only consolation is that the Leafs are worse....for now.
No, our season rests on us finding a way to break out of our zone against an aggressive forecheck. We'll now see how much of a coach JM is.
The Leafs sucking is no consolation as the Bruins will benefit from it. If the Habs don't finish at least 8th they'll need to finish at best 14th otherwise it'll more of the same old same old.
... RDS is reporting that Marc Andre Bergeron (D) will be called up in a few hours. ..... http://www.cyberpresse.ca/sports/hockey/200910/18/01-912459-le-canadien-rappelle-bergeron-en-renfort.php ..... Source: Aviation expert for the La Presse - Francois Gagnon................................................. from TSN , BlackHawks claim Andrew Ebbett (C) of waivers from Anaheim.
Hey this is my first real post, though I've been reading for quite a while and really enjoy what everyone has to say and the passion with which they say it. Here's my 2 cents.
This team, I'm sure most of us will agree is revolves around Andrei Markov. The team has no one to start the rush from the back end. No one to man the point. The Habs (and,apparently Mr. Gainey) were doomed the moment Markov went down. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that our winning percentage since the lockout, minus our best defenceman, has been .222. What we are going through is not unprecedented except this time we are going to get 50 games worth. I did some number crunching for fun (yes I have a dark sense of humour...) and if you punch in that .222 winning percentage for 50 games and then say we go .500 the rest of the way, we are looking at about 27 wins and a lottery pick.
I just think it's sad that we won't get to see what Gainey really had in mind when he made those moves last summer.
[carvingaturkeywithabigassknife]Welcome to the Wiserhood Society of Unreasoning Men[/carvingaturkeywithabigassknife]
Thanks for this first post and please don't feed the trolls.
AND BOYS!
Interesting first post. Keep them coming.
Just some stats that speak for themselves:
Tomas Plekanec 1 Mike Cammalleri -1 Paul Mara -5 Scott Gomez 0 Roman Hamrlik 0 Brian Gionta 2 Travis Moen -1 Andrei Kostitsyn -1 Glen Metropolit 0 Jaroslav Spacek 2 Josh Gorges 2 Georges Laraque -4 Maxim Lapierre -2 Guillaume Latendresse -1 Max Pacioretty -1 Hal Gill -4 Andrei Markov 0 Shawn Belle -2 Ryan O'Byrne 1 Kyle Chipchura -6 Gregory Stewart -2 Matt D'Agostini -1 Yannick Weber -4This is crap Boone.
YOu build chemistry in training camp. If it hasn't materialized by Halloween, it likely never will. Keep pouring oil and water together, shake as much as you want, and it'll never mix.
Can we stop crying over Markov's injury? He's out. Plain and simple. A smart GM would have at least some sort of contingency plan. Instead, we lost the likes of Souray, Streit and even Schneider to free agency. We lost Ron Hainsey on RE-ENTRY waivers in what can only be attributed to a BONE-HEAD move. Hell, Craig Rivet is a HUGE part of the reason the Sabres are doing so well. He's their captain, blue-line anchor, and PP quarterback. (but I'd still rather have Gorges)
Tom Pyatt is certainly not the answer. How is a guy who'll log 10 minutes max of ice time in a checking role going to help us score goals?
It pains me to think that our only hope is Sergei.
Remember back in June when Gainey said us fans would have to be patient, that it might be September or October by the time he finds that top offensive player to help the team. Well it is now October and we need that top offensive player to get this team scoring. It is time to make this happen.
I'm depressed. I just want a win. This team is supposed to be built on speed but all I saw last night was Ottawa's players sticking to the Habs like glue. And the passing is just terrible. I don't see how this bunch can stay close to the pack until Markov comes back.
I agree. One of the glaring faults in our game last night was our breakout. We could not execute a proper one all game. The passes were almost always ahead or behind the player. I think that as the chemistry develops, this problem will solve itself, but who knows with this team.
I think the only thing we can really do right now to try and turn things around is bring up MAB and SK74, no trades or more free agents or firings its just too early. What these 2 can do for us I'm not sure, but that gaping hole on our 2nd line and our lack of point shot on the PP are two things they can atleast try to fill. But when it comes down to it, we can't exactly expect 2 mediocre players to show up and turn us into a top in the east team. I think the best we can hope for now is that Gainey swallow his pride and bring Sergei up with Bergeron, and hope that gets us to the point where we can win atleast 50% of our games. It'll be a whole lot easier for our guys to develop some chemistry on the top line if we're winning half the time rather then losing all of it. At least by playing .500 hockey we can buy time for the return of the much needed Markov.
wake me up when Sergei is home!
It's quite simple. In today's salary crap era the only way to build a winner is to build a loser first. BG is doing an excellent job of that. We're 2-3 top 5 draft picks away from contending. The team has to stink for a while before it can come up smelling like roses.
"In today's salary crap era the only way to build a winner is to build a loser first." Ummm...see Red Wings, Detroit.
I did see the Red Wings stink throughout the whole of the 80's and a better part of the early 90's. Thanks for proving my point!!!
None of their current roster is the result of high draft picks from "tanking". It is a result of developing draft picks from later rounds. Which first round draft pick from the 80's or early 90's helped Detroit win their last cup? Answer: Not one.
Hey guys! I wasn't able to watch the game last nite as something came up in the family and I had to attend to it. I did get texts from friends who helped me keep score but I didn't watch the game. Looks like I didn't miss much because most ppl told me it was pretty uneventfu;...my cousin even called it the Ottawa trap. I have tickets to the Atlanta game and will be going. I realy hope they call up Sergei. He is light years better that D'Ags. And he can also center the fourth line.I'm a believer in Sergei and there is no panic yet.
"All you need in hockey is good character, luck and skills" - Ovie
The team remains in remsission without Sergei.
Why bring the putz back?
He' ll just bring the cancer back on the team.
Definitely not my type of guy I would bring back.
Trade the guy Bobby, we don't need whiners on our team.
"We will win the Cup one day only with a mature Carey Price in the nets"
I'll second that.
D'Ags is good, look who he is playing with, not exaclty the creme of the crop...Sergei should not be wasted on the bottom two lines, he has too much offensive talent to be wasted down there. We need Pyatt, Chips needs to be gone as well, he has had his chances. For once I would like to see Lats and/or Lapierre benched for a couple of games. Too many free rides for these two guys.
Nathan Horton might be on the trading block.
4 mil a year tho.
he could be a very good fit as a top 6 forward but can't imagine whom the habs could trade for him.
i would take horton...he can score 30, and he can win faceoffs...
at 4 million per year that's fair.
- we need a MARKOV.
Hmm...Horton back with Jacques Martin? That could be Very Interesting. Didn't Martin call him out at one point for his anti-social behavior? We definitely need secondary scoring from somewhere, but I'm not sure about Nathan Horton. If I wanted anyone from Florida it would be Michael Frolik to play with Plekanec. The dollars would be right, too.
Last year, we all complained when the team was doing poorly, and wished we had some guys with some heart and hustle. Now we have that, and they aren't winning. Continue to boo? Continue to complain? Find something else to be unhappy with? I'm convinced that too many people simply enjoy complaining, instead just being a fan of the team. Try sticking with them through anything. I can understand frustration, but praise them for their effort. Nobody said this team would be a contender. All we wanted was more heart than last year. Be a fan. If you're team is giving it their all and falling short, then keep supporting them. Be a fan! We're turning on our team faster than Canucks fans. No wonder people hate the Habs.
"... too many people simply enjoy complaining."
Like the koolaid guy below.
Are you serious? Heart? There are hundreds of players in the minor leagues with heart. Gainey spent untold millions and morgatged our future for the next five years for heart?
Sorry that does not do it for me. I want talented and creative players that know how to WIN. I want a GM that has foresight and a realistic plan to move this franchise forward.
Nobobdy expected this team to be a contender? Then were is the logic in gutting the team and bringing in expensive free agents?
Heart?
Exactly, heart, a team cannot win with 12 Tom the Bombs, but he plays with heart right? That is BS, these guys are talented players and that is what we ALL wanted. Price deflates this team with his poor goaltending, come on already 2 goals on 4 shots!!??
I want a contending team that plays with heart for sure, some players are playing their asses off, but they are just not good enough. Something has to give.
Like I posted yesterday before the game, the top line (Gomez, Camms, and Gionta) need to be demoted (it may light a fire under their asses), and Pleks needs to be the top guy, AK is looking better and yes, it is time to bring up Sergei, he has more talent than most players dressing every night. Chips is not an NHLer, Maxwell would be an improvement, hey maybe even bring up Desharnais. Anything would be better than what I have been watching lately, Lapierre and Lats are terrible and have been terrible all season thus far. They are making whoever plays with them SUCK!
Price POOR goaltending? Yeah right!
The booing only started when people saw that the team gave up. I believe our first line got pinned in our zone for a good minute against their third or fourth line. I was there and it was on my end of the ice. Our guys were totally coasting and we couldn't get the puck out for our lives.
I agree with you bud, we need to call up Sergei.
Price sucked last night, plain and simple. Leclaire was stopping everything.
We are both painfully aware that Price is a sacred cow on this site and among many posters. Every goal scored is not his fault either because it was deflected or the always insightful, no goalie could have stopped that. Really? The Habs should concentrate on deflections rather than direct shots on opposition goalies, since they have so much trouble scoring.
Leclaire was very good and allowed the Senators to survive a horrendous first period. Price mad some excellent saves, but when it counted he failed. Any momentum the team and the crowd had was deflated when he allowed the first goal. Is it fair to put all the pressure on one man? Who said pro sports is about fairness? It is about winning.
Looking for excuses or worse for POSITIVES is a game for losers and also rans. NOT for the Montreal Canadiens. Until we open our collective eyes and see this team for what it is, how can we expect changes. This is unacceptable, and management has to take the fall.
Obvious changes any bonehead would have made by now. Plecaneks on the first line, SK called up and Chips sent off to Siberia. Most importantly, give Halak the next six games to start.
Chicago was down 5-0 after Huet allowed 3 and then Niemi allowed 2 in under 6 minutes, Chicago didn't sit down and die, they stormed back and made Calgary look like fools by scoring 6 goals with the winner coming in Overtime.
Neither Jaroslav Halak, Carey Price, Dominic Hasek, Patrick Roy or Martin Brodeur could keep this team afloat when they haven't scored more than 2 goals in five of their engagements, you are all expecting a shutout each night or a 1.00 GAA and that's nuts.
Carey Price stole the first two wins for Montreal, Jaroslav Halak did not dominate against Calgary and the goalposts rung several times with him in nets to my recollection so Calgary could have even ended worse, he wasn't good enough to save the Iginla goal which every Halak-supporter here would have decried had Price been in nets and failed to stop it. This team needs the goalie to keep it down to 1 goal a game, they will lose. This team needs to start notching 3 goals a game minimum to realistically have any hopes of having a decent season, no goalie will prevent so many goals and have so many shutouts that they can win scoring a 1-2 goals at a time.
The team can't come back from the goalie absorbing a single bad goal they do not deserve to win. Hockey is a 60-minute game, bad breaks happen, bad goals occur but you have to be willing to come back, that's what Chicago did in the last playoff run, that's what they do now, they get down, they get right back up and bleed you dry for the win. Gionta/Gomez/Cammalleri/Pleks/AK46 have to find the back of the net more often, it's as simple as that.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu.
The cornerstone of your arguement is the Hawks comeback last week. THE GREATEST COMEBACK IN HAWKS HISTORY! DUH!
Why do i even respond to such inane comments.
Look at the save percentage of Carey Price dude. That is not a once in generation comeback, that is fact. Confidence is the most difficult thing to obtain and the easiest to lose. Great goalies give thier teams confidence that they will make the key save, and that every mistake will not end up as a goal. Halak has played ONE game, let him play five in a row before judging him.
But whatever. I am tired of trying to explain why and how this franchise has become a mirror of the Laffs.
R U stupid or just dumb?
So, a goalie allows 2 goals on 8 shots. All 8 shots the player was left wide open alone, that makes that goalie crap?
5 of the 7 goals Price allowed in Vancouver were not bad goals.
Price has played good so far. His D hasn't. Sure 1 or two goals may have not been good. I guess U haven't seen Dryden or Roy let in softies. I've seen Roy let in MANY softies, much worst than Price!!!
So, when Halak gets another start & the usual 2-3 pucks pass him & hit the posts & if he sucks, who U going to call for then, Sanford?
They also tend to come back from 2-3 goal deficits more often than anyone else, they did that a lot in the 08-09 playoffs and only after the injury of Havlat and Khabibulin did they go down to the more experienced Red Wings team but they will be back. The team stays motivated, they get their chances in and don't expect the goalie to be their patron saint on every given night, they score goals to win the game even when the goalie's letting them down, Montreal can't do that, they don't deserve to win a Cup, let alone have a decent season.
Save percentage is a less useful number than GAA in my experience, Save % just tells you the goalie faced a lot of shots but if you're being hit by guys like Higgins and Latentless all night long, stopping shots that go straight to your chest isn't a huge thing. GAA is a better measurement of what goes on for a goalie, you take the Vancouver game out of the equation when the D was useless, his GAA is better than Luongo's is to start the season and probably close to Brodeur's, two Franchise goaltenders as most would say and they're off to no better starts really, despite being behind better teams.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu.
Look up the meaning of GAA vs Save Percentage. Then call me. OMG!!!
I'll do you one better, let's take Wins, Save % and GAA from 2008-2009.
Top 5 Wins
Mikka Kiprusoff - 45 wins on 76 games - .903% with 2.84 GAA
Evgeni Nabokov - 41 wins on 62 games - .910% with a 2.44 GAA
Cam Ward - 39 wins on 68 games - .916% with a 2.44 GAA
Henrik Lundqvist - 38 wins on 70 games - .916% with a 2.43 GAA
Niklas Backstrom - 37 wins on 71 games - .923% with a 2.33 GAA
Top 5 Save Percentage
Tim Thomas - .933%, with 36 wins on 54 games and a 2.10 GAA
Tomas Vokoun - .926%, with 26 wins on 59 games and a 2.49 GAA
Craig Anderson - .924%, with 15 wins on 31 games and a 2.71 GAA
Niklas Backstrom - .923%, with 37 wins on 71 games and a 2.33 GAA
Roberto Luongo - .920% with 33 wins on 54 games and a 2.34 GAA
Top 5 GAA
Tim Thomas - 2.10 GAA, with a .933% and 36 wins on 54 games.
Steve Mason - 2.29 GAA, with a .916% and 33 wins on 61 games.
Niklas Backstrom - 2.33 GAA, with a .923% and 37 wins on 71 games.
Nikolai Khabibulin - 2.33 GAA, with a .919% and 25 wins on 42 games.
Roberto Luongo - 2.34 GAA, with a .920% and 33 wins on 54 games.
What it means:
Wins - The first four goalies on the list appeared in the playoffs, then followed by Thomas, Fleury at 6 and 7 and by Steve Mason and Luongo at 9 and 10, only Backstrom and Miller failed to appear there.
Save % - The #2, #3 and #4 leaders in Save percentage did not appear in the playoffs, neither did Ryan Miller at #8 or Pekka Rinne at #9, 5 of 10 the league's leaders in save percentages were not good enough goalies to put their teams in the playoffs.
GAA - 8 of 10 of last season's leaders in GAA appeared in the playoffs, including 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10, Pekka Rinne and Backstrom being the odd men out.
I subbed in Lundqvist for Clemmenson because he didn't finish the season in the NHL.
I'd say GAA was the better indicator for a succesful season by a 30% margin in 08-09.
Also, in 07-08, only 4 of the top 10 save % leaders posted more than 30 wins, while 7 of the top 10 GAA posted 30 wins or more. The last two NHL seasons, GAA has been a better indicator for a superior goalie compared to Save %, which is why I hold the GAA over the Save %.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu.
Interesting stats, which i enjoyed reading. Having said that, let me try to make this clear. We were discussing the relative performance of one Carey Price. GAA is a product of the goalie and the teams defensive abilities. Save percentage is a direct result of the performance of the goalie as an individual. In other words a goalie on a terrible defensive team can still have a sparkling save percentage, conversely a terrible goalie on a great defensive team may have an impressive GAA.
The only accurate measure of a goalie is the save percentage. In rating the relative merits of a goalie the experts ALWAYS refer to the save percentage. A save percentage UNDER .900 is not an indication of an elite goalie. SORRY.
Yes Halak deserves to play now...and he needs to be in the nets for a few games, Price has been given his chance...time for a new approach. Price enjoy the pine for a while.
That will surely get the offence going.
----- "Come on, let's keep a little optimism here." -- Han Solo, Return of the Jedi
Well they certainly aren't winning anything with "The Franchise" in the net.
The D is working better, as you have noticed, we are not being blown away by the shot count...so it MUST have something to do with the quality of goaltending, at least some of the responsibilty must lie on his shoulders. Yes the team is lacking scoring and I suggested that the current top players be demoted to light a fire.
Even though the shot count has gone down the quality of those shots really hasn't, and thats whats important. Think of it this way, every goal ott scored last night was from a man left compeltely alone in the slot with plenty of time and space to let his shot go, how often did we get guys open in the slot with time and space, if I recall correctly, never. Its been multiple games in a row now where this has occured. Now I'm not completely absolving Price, I really think he should have had atleast one of the first or third goal, but I can't exactly pin the loss on him either. Its our forwards really, not only do they not score, but they also leave guys WIDE open in the slot and/or give the puck away, what was Chipper doing on the first goal.
As a goalie I can tell you I feel for price a bit because it can be very hard to play when you face fewer shots that are of excellent quality. Its tough to get warmed up and tough to get a rythmn going. Just look at Lecalire, he played very well, but we also peppered him with a bunch of useless and terrible shots, that warmed him up and really got him into the game, now I'm certainly not saying we should shoot less, but for the love of god shoot better.
Mostly because all of our shots hit Leclaire right in the Roman Guard's face.
Not every shot was right on him, he came up with some big saves, he WAS THE BETTER GOALIE, Price is not playing like a #1 goalie.
We did not get a single scoring chance that even matches what the Sens got. I don't think we got even one shot from the slot as 99% of the shots were from angles. We had a few scrambles where Leclaire was at our mercy, but once again, we could not finish. On Neil's and Kovy's goals, they had a good 1-2 seconds to unleash a quality shot, undisturbed. I'm not saying that Price should or should not have stopped them, but they had time to get accurate shots while we did not. Our 5 on 3 is a prime example. We did not get a single oppurtunity to get a good shot in almost 2 minutes of two-man advantage.
Dave - I"m really looking forward to the trip to Montreal in November. I'll be wearing a Hab jersey that may have your boys scratching their heads. I hope to make better use of the Friday night and feel that being at the same pub for both nights will be beneficial. As for Detroit, that game will be our 23rd of the season so it should be a good a time as any to evaluate where our new team is at this year.
It's been a rough go on the site this weekend with the poor start but I can't see the Habs losing to Atlanta and the Islanders. That should help turn things around, at least fo now.
EDIT: This was a reply to Dave's (Mr. Habby) post further down the page. Sorry for the mistake.
have a great time and a few pints for us ..my boys are already scratching there heads. still some time to sort this out..but the whole markov/ob injury thing just plain bad luck. a perfect storm someone said earlier....arghhhh....lol
cheers.
And hopefully Streit and Hainsey won't come back to burn us in both games. Every player in the league from top end stars to fourth line enforcers always seem to show up against Montreal.
The sub-par defensive units of Atl + NYI should hopefully allow some of our guys to have some big games, and start firing, and hopefully be the catalyst for the rest of the season
One benefit of heading in the wrong direction.... a legitimate shot at Taylor Hall; thus allowing a new GM to roll-out a five year plan to build a team around him.
I woke up today thinking how much the Habs suck and how little hope they have making the playoffs this season. Then I looked at my kiddo smiling and cooing in her crib, we got downstairs, made some coffee, sat down and had a brekkie together and discussed the Habs. What we conculded that there are far much more important things in like - like baba, soosie, jumparoo and Sophie the giraffe... the whole Habs thing is just a joke in comparison and just as a joke it will be funny to see how many more games are they going to go without a win? Me thinks until Markvo comes back. Wouldn't that be something? I am dying of curiosity to see the Bell Center reaction to the suckfest game #27 and straight loss # 25.
Yawwwn... I bore myself. Time to go give that 5 months old jumpin' thing some baba.
You're too hard on yourself.
You bore the rest of us, too.
/\\ike
GO HABS GO!
"Which brings us to Paul Mara and Hal Gill. Bob, did you really need BOTH of them. It's like having two Chieftains CDs." That's too funny! Great line.
Ooh... that must be something from the umm... 50's? I don't know who Chieftains are :(
Ooh... ummm, could it be that you don't know them because they ain't country, Alberta-boy?
You dazzle me with your wittiness and knowledge of the world. Tell me what else we are missing out on here in Alberta?
I do not like where we are headed in our franchise. Trevor Timmins is overrated by the media and fans as our saviour in the scouting department, baloney! Lucy....ooops Bobby you got a lot of explaining to do!
Pretty boy SK74 is not the answer to our team.
Just think, we are only 3 points ahead of the Laffs in the standings and we should be up by at least a dozen or so points.
Wait 25 games to see if this team has improved? What about other team as well?
I don't get it, it's all there to see for everyone, we will not make the playoffs with this team of ours with or without Markov.
Bobby has gambled this summer and failed. Better be negative now than wait 25 games Habs fans! Now is the time to panic.
"We will win the Cup one day only with a mature Carey Price in the nets"
SK74 may not be the answer, but his is one of our only viable options right now. Plus he's somewhat proven at the NHL level. Moreso then any of the other options down on the farm. It's still far too early to call this chemistry experiment a failure. There's too many factors counting against us right now - learning a new coach, adapting to new players, remember we lost essentially 1/2 the team, and of course injuries. We will adapt. Good play starts from our own end, and outside of Gill, our guys have been improving. Bergeron (as much as I think it was a bad signing, but prove me wrong) will help our defensive zone breakouts, which in turn will help our transition game. We scored a lot of goals last year that way, and we have similar styled players this year (hopefully more consistant). He will help kickstart our offense. Remember, we don't need to the dance in 1st. We just need to show up.
Of come on... aren't you even a little bit curious to see whether they will lose 23 straight?
Hell hath no fury like a Habs fan whose Habs are tanking.
Relax people! Give it time and look at the positives. The # of shots against has come down substantially, as have scoring chances allowed. We still have defensive zone lapses, especially on the PK, but it's happening less and less. The defensive system is starting to take hold.
There still is no cohesion amonsgt the forwards though. Look at the number of offsides. Players are still trying to adapt to each other which can be difficult enough, let alone attempting to learn a new system. Everyone is just a little bit out of step. We're generating shots, yes, but most aren't good scoring chances. Look at Cammy. A crapload of shots, but are any of them high quality? They're manufacturing shots by work effort alone right now (which is a good sign, because once everyone is on the same page, we'll be more then just alright). Everyone is saying we keep running into hot goalies. Ever stop to consider that we are the ones making the goalies look good?
Goaltending hasn't really been an issue. Carey has been adequate, and not costing us any games, and giving us a chance to win them all. It's the offense that's letting him down.True, he has let in a few soft goals, but it's no where's near like last year.
A few more tweeks of the lines, and a little bit more time, and we'll be alright. With the players we have acquired, we ARE better then last year, we just have to manage to get through these growing pains before we fall to far back. It's still early, but we should be playing at leasat .500 hockey.
I would really like to see Pleks put back together with gio. They seemed to play well in the pre-season. And maybe some of Gio's work ethic will rub off on Andrei (who is getting better...but still can do far more). Why not try Cammy/Gomez/sk74. I know people still don't think his attitude warrants a call up, and it doesn't. But recognize at the same time, he did report, and he is playing well, and more importantly with our offensive issues he deserves a call up, because Maxpac sure isn't getting the job done.And at least that way, we have 2 play makes with 20 + goal potential each, feeding a sniper who can still get 35+ this year.
A thought I had earlier today, while speaking to a Calgary fan. What about some sort of deal to send Pleks for Jokinen. The latter clearly isn't fitting in with Calgary, and as much as I love Pleks and his play this year, he would unfortunately have to go the other way to satisfy Cgy's need for a playmaking centre. It would have to be tweaked with picks, or lesser known players, but this would give us our big centre (he does play surprisingly physical), and would give us options if we put him on the wing and go with gomez/cammy as our centres, if it doesn't pan out as expected. Thoughts anyone???
What annoys me the most is the selectivity of some fans.
When the habs have a great shift, or Price makes a great save or Hall Gill breaks up a play guys like Timo, Habrsmurfs and whoever else are as quite and invisible as a pig in a synagogue.
However the second there is ONE breakdown in the defensive zone, one mistake by Hall Gill or Price let's in a goal that maybe they should of stopped it's just non stop: Fire Gainey! Fire Martin! our guys are to small they lose veery battle on the boards. Hall Gill sucks!!! Gainey is a loser!
i mean common... overall the canadiens aren't that bad. right now the boucnes are really not going our way... we are missing the net by milimeters. Some of you fans should stop seeing what you expect to see, and actually look at the team objectively.
--- we need a kovalev
Kovalev [ka-va-leov]: A player who makes you jump out of your seat with a wicked deke or a sick shot and makes you say: "Did you see that!!"
I am looking at the team objectively.
I see a very weak, disorganized team. I see a GM that is fumbling around without a plan.
I see an uninspiring coach who can't get his message across. I see a barren farm system where players don't develop properly.
I don't see the playoffs this year. I don't see a long playoff run anytime within the next five years.
I see a team that is the hockey equivalent of the Expos. Eliminated from serious contention in the first month of the year.
I feel like I'm in an online version of a funeral home lounge.
On one level, it's a losing streak to start a season - on another, it looks like more. The guys are playing extremely well, in most cases, to the peak of their talent. It looks like Chipchura, Pacioretty, Gill, Stewart, and D'Agostini are not front line NHLers. Price may be a star some day, as might Pacioretty. The others are probably just versions of Gaston Gingras that pass in the night. Maxwell isn't nearly ready: Sergei is an **** (but a needed one).
Umm, I do like Belle. He looks like an NHLer out there. I hope he can keep that going, as it would help to find a way to let Subban, Weber (and hopefully) Pacioretty and D'Agostini develop skills in hamilton. Latendresse and Price were rushed, and it has hurt tremendously. At least protect the prospects, as thin as the crop may be!
Gentlemen, there is one thing that is being overlooked. The role of the officials in last night's game.
They have a nasty habit of "evening things out" whatever way they can.
A case in point was the game-changing bad call on Josh Gorges. It came when Alfredson skated to his right to avoid contact with Gorges who was in front of him. In doing so, Alfredson's knee came into contact with Gorges' before he fell onto the ice.
This created a 5-on-3 man advantage (a real gift from the officials to the Sens) for almost two minutes because Spacek was in the box too.
Consequently, Alfredson scored on Kovi's laser-like pass and the Sens took a 2-1 lead which took the wind out of the CH's sails.
Thanks refs!
All in all, I would not say it was a bad effort and the Sens were lucky to escape with 2 points.
Shame on all the boo-birds who jeered their home team and cheered the visitors. They are not true fans.
Things will turn around. Keep the faith. Go Habs Go!
People pay big money to watch the Habs in person. They have the right to boo.
Admonishing them for freely expressing their opinions is rather childish and churlish.
Kind of like blaming the fans for the team's down fall or calling them gutless yellow bastards.
Those are words that come from someone trying to cover up their failures as GM.
The sooner the media starts hammering Gainey the better.
He needs to answer for his rotten tenure as Habs GM, not hide behind some ancient history as a great player 30 years ago.
Blaming the referees is the loser's excuse. Yes that was a bad call that left us short-handed 5-on-3 for two minutes. There were 58 other minutes in which offence could have been generated and wasn't. If a single goal is all it takes to take the wind out of the team's sails, as you posit here, then they're no better than the crew that was "soft between the ears" that has largely been unloaded.
Simply put, they were not the best team on the ice last night. End of story.
----- "Come on, let's keep a little optimism here." -- Han Solo, Return of the Jedi
RGM, you are quite correct in saying they were not the best team on the ice last night. The only point I was trying to make is the officiating has become a factor. And you have to admit when up against a hot goalie (as was the case with Pascal Leclair) those bad calls can swing the outcome of a game. Not trying to make excuses or sound whiny. I agree it's up to the team to pick up the pace in spite of it all and play hard for 60 minutes. But I still don't think they are as horrible as some are making them out to be.
60 minutes would be nice. They were flying for the first period, and that was it. There was precious little offence in the 2nd and 3rd periods - sure the refs did play a role in slowing down the momentum, but at some point the players need to motivate themselves to do more and to instigate something of a pushback.
Wait, I mean, it's Carey Price's fault.
----- "Come on, let's keep a little optimism here." -- Han Solo, Return of the Jedi
TSN has the broadcast Tuesday so Im sure Mcguire will be in full "I told you so" mode about the Habs poor start...
Im sure he wont mention that he called the Leafs to have a great start and season...he wants Bob's job and he has not missed any opportunity to take a shot at him...
The guy has flip flopped on Price just about every broadcast too
I read posts talking about tanking or just missing the playoff, etc...
I am the kind of fan who wants to focus on one game at a time and on how our team can improve with what's available?
I would like to see MAB played on our PP and also limited time in the 4th line or defense. He has a low, hard but accurate point shot. But we also need someone to get in front of the net or position themself for the rebound or tip in.
Pacioretty is good when we don't have the puck but is lost when we have the puck. Unfortunately, we are missing a top six offensive NHL player. We could try Latendresse since there is nothing to lose. If Latendresse would go in front of the net and draws the defense to him, it could open up room for his limemate. Still worth to try it out.
Gomez should not play like what he did in the 3rd period last night. Each time he gained the zone, he shot the puck towards the net. He should try to skate to the back of the net and pass. The same applied to Plekanec. It seems that once we are losing, everyone wants to shoot.