Across the League - Montreal Goes 9-0 to Start. Annnd By Christmas Gave it Right Back

[Gary Batman]

Wow. So much lack of information on this page. Habs have lost not just because Price is out, but other goalies are ******** the bed and they've had poor puck luck.

In last 7 games, they've outshot opponents 245-164 and are 1-6. Even with average goaltending and average shooting %, that can easily turn in to a winning record. Don't need Price for that.

 

[ULF_55]

Canadiens #2 PPG is Gallagher and one of their driving forces.

So Price and Gallagher are 2 key players for the Habs.

21 year old Galchenyuk is doing okay, has a 53% face-off rating, and is 3rd. in face-offs taken for the Habs. His 21 points are higher than any Leafs player at any position at any age.

Looks like the majority of their best players are in their prime, but teams don't win much without a good keeper.

Leafs' fans should recognize this!

 

[PJJ]

And a good defense makes a good goalie

 

[Menzinger]

Not sure why people are criticizing the Habs struggling without Price. You remove any teams best player and there's gonna be a huge adjustment and the team is likely gonna struggle without him. It's only more magnified in Montreal because their best player happens to play the most important position on the ice as well as being the best goaltender in the world right now.

It's a fair point - but I do feel this Habs team is getting exposed . It's natural that they wouldn't do as well without price but I do think the team is not close to being a contender, and their recent lacklustre play seems to enforce that.

 

[mikebel111*]

And just like that

The Habs look horrible without Price




Shocking

 

[garce]

Everything changes without the true elite goaltender, high risk offensive plays aren't bailed out, neither is weak defensive zone play. Man that hit by Benn on Petry,,, what a power forward that guy has become.

 

[deletethis]

Pittsburgh sent back Sprong. Not exactly a genius move to burn a year on his ELC for 14 games.

Starting to see some grumbling towards Kessel on the Pens' board:

Anyone still think Kessel has any chemistry with Malkin?

Kessel doesn't have chemistry with the team in general let alone with a individual player.

Never wanted him at any cost. He is a sniper and that is great when he is "sniping" but when he is not he is the most uninspiring player in the NHL. He is a paycheck collector, and guy with immense talent who looks like he would rather be doing anything else. He barely reacts when he scores and looks gassed ALL THE TIME.

I don't care what they gave up, it was too much.

 

[canadon]

Pittsburgh sent back Sprong. Not exactly a genius move to burn a year on his ELC for 14 games.

Starting to see some grumbling towards Kessel on the Pens' board:

Doesn't look like we are getting the Pittsburgh's first this year

 

[garce]

Greg Millen is extremely aggravating I'm switching to the Islanders game.

 

[Menzinger]

I like Sprong but he shouldn't have been with the big club at all this year.

Such a waste on an ELC year.

 

[garce]

The 3 stars in Arizona is great . The howling while the stars give away a 5$ stick makes for awkward theatre.

 

[TMLegend]

Phil Kessel in Pittsburgh

http://thehockeywriters.com/phil-kessel-he-is-who-we-thought-he-was/

The most common scapegoats in Pittsburgh, Defenseman Rob Scuderi and Head Coach Mike Johnston, are gone. The team is 0-2 under newly promoted bench boss Mike Sullivan and Kessel is on pace for 25 goals, which is obviously far less than what was expected. The Penguins are struggling as a team but there always has to be a fall guy, right? Lately, Kessel has earned that attention by many in the Pittsburgh media.

Terms that we’ve heard so often throughout Kessel’s career have resurfaced. Lazy, sluggish, gun-shy and uninterested can be found in print and blaring across Pittsburgh airwaves as everyone asks; Was the Toronto media, who seemed to go out of their way on a daily basis to insult Kessel, more accurate in their analysis than others assumed? Is Kessel, predicted by so many to score 40-plus goals alongside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, doing enough offensively to excuse his defensive deficiencies and complete disregard for the physical aspect of the game?

Wasn't sure whether to make a new thread for this or not. Since it's out of town talk, I assume it goes here.

 

[sxvnert]

Was the Toronto media, who seemed to go out of their way on a daily basis to insult Kessel, more accurate in their analysis than others assumed?

Maybe the Kessel fanatics on this board will finally wake up and realize why the entire Leaf management group shipped him out of TO asap.

Second bullet dodged (First Clarkson).

 

[cookie]

Maybe the Kessel fanatics on this board will finally wake up and realize why the entire Leaf management group shipped him out of TO asap.

Second bullet dodged (First Clarkson).

As a winger Kessel can only affect the game so much. The glaring weakness from the day the season started has been and it continues to be the Penguins' defense and their ability to transition the puck. If you cannot feed your forwards they won't score. We keep hearing about Maatta and Letang but where have they been this season?

Rutherford screwed up royally trying to get the sexy name into the roster where he should have better spent the money retaining his defensemen. I also question why they haven't brought up Pouliot among other things such as the media and fans making assumptions on the new coach based on a handful of games played and the fact that though the Pens are having trouble scoring, the season is young enough for them to make the playoffs.

 

[soulie]

I watched the vast majority of last nights Penguins v 'Canes game and it is shocking how bad the penguins are playing. The pittsburgh defense has terrible gap control which makes zone entry super easy for the canes... The breakout pass from pittsburgh defense to offense is esssentially to regroup behind their own net and pass it up to the center circling in-zone or play it to the winger on the half-board in their own zone... Sidney Crosby must make 2 or 3 no-look passes every period - just one problem most of the time no one is there, second problem everyone else on the team seems to think they can make a better no-look pass so the whole team is doing it: no-look passes to nowhere ending any possible offensive threat arg... Kessel looks even more disengaged than when he was with us probably because Malkin and Hornqvist are playing some crappy buddy-buddy 2v5 game - even when kessel is open the team is looking to force-feed Malkin or Crosby the every time... oh there is so much more but noone wants to read a wall of text hehe

 

[Warden of the North]

Kessel shouldnt be taking the blame for Pitt. That team has far bigger issues then him.

 

[Cor]

Kessel shouldnt be taking the blame for Pitt. That team has far bigger issues then him.

Hes certainly not an answer though.

Thank God we got rid of him when we did. The decline is starting already

 

[deletethis]

Hes certainly not an answer though.

Thank God we got rid of him when we did. The decline is starting already

The decline probably started last season but most everyone including his most rabid supporters assumed it was disinterest.

 

[Warden of the North]

Hes certainly not an answer though.

Thank God we got rid of him when we did. The decline is starting already

Indeed. Thats the point. Hes not the answer to Pitts problems so he shouldnt be the focus of the ire.

 

[OvenMittz*]

I like Sprong but he shouldn't have been with the big club at all this year.

Such a waste on an ELC year.

This. This is also why you over rippen your prospects, not only will this might hurt sprongs confidence but it burned a year off his ELC.

When people were kicking and screaming for Nylander to play with the big club and now glad they can see an example of what rushing a player can do.. As if they haven't learned enough

 

[deletethis]

I don't know why the Pens didn't sign some cheap vet help instead of putting an 18 year old into their lineup. It smacked of desperation of the form "look we traded a bunch of draft picks and prospects but look what we did with this one pick". It's very reminiscent of when Nonis played draft picks like Leivo, Broll and Percy so soon after the 2011 draft.

 

[Trapper]

I don't know why the Pens didn't sign some cheap vet help instead of putting an 18 year old into their lineup. It smacked of desperation of the form "look we traded a bunch of draft picks and prospects but look what we did with this one pick". It's very reminiscent of when Nonis played draft picks like Leivo, Broll and Percy so soon after the 2011 draft.

Pittsburgh never recovered from losing Orpik/Niskanen and Martin.
There cap would be much better used there than on Kessel. That's half your D gone.

 

[gabeliscious]

not that i can rgue that kessel isnt slugish, uninterested, etc,etc, but he is the 5th best player on the team. on toronto it was a problen because he was suppose to be the franchise player. on the penguins he is basically a depth forward who isnt producing. wtf. it would be as if people were blaming boyes or grabner for the leafs sucking this season.

kessel needs to do better for the pens but he is one of many issues. if i was pens i would start with finding a proper long term coaching solution followed by trying to find a proper defenseman.

 

[LaPlante94]

Kessel shouldnt be taking the blame for Pitt. That team has far bigger issues then him.

Kessel was suppose to go there and help with scoring. That wasn't a big need for Pittsburgh but Kessel hasn't done what he was brought in to do. The excuses for Kessel when he was here was that he had no C to play with so everyone went with that and blamed Bozak. Now Kessel has 2 elite centers and he hasn't done anything with both of them and I think he even got demoted to the 3rd line(I might be wrong there). Bozak is playing his best hockey now that Kessel is gone and Kessel is playing his worst. People need to stop making excuses for Kessel and why he doesn't produce. He's not that hard to shut down because all you have to do is be physical with him and then he'll disappear. Skates across the blue line and then stops and just kills every rush because every back checker gets time to get back into the play. imo he is overpaid for what he brings to your team.

 

[sda]

Wow. So much lack of information on this page. Habs have lost not just because Price is out, but other goalies are ******** the bed and they've had poor puck luck.

In last 7 games, they've outshot opponents 245-164 and are 1-6. Even with average goaltending and average shooting %, that can easily turn in to a winning record. Don't need Price for that.

These things have a way of evening out. Habs were twice dominated by the leafs and won both games