Post-Game Talk: Habs lose to Stars. Xhekaj nets first NHL goal. That's pretty much it. #FireBurrows

[HabzSauce]

Mailloux shoots Right...

My bad I was confusing your reply with another conversation haha.

 

[habsfan891]

Very true but do we want him developing on the right side depends how much time he spends there i guess. Get some reps in for the experience but primarily I'd prefer him playing LD this year

He's the number 1 RD for London

 

[LesHabitants]

Habs just simply don't have a PP quarterback. If only we got a Markov or a prime Subban, things would look different.

I thought that's what Wideman was for ;-)

 

[Belial]

I thought that's what Wideman was for ;-)

He's fine at moving/passing the puck around but the problem is that he's not a shot menace so teams cheat on him because they know he has a muffin shot or that he's just not gonna shoot...

He should fire a couple of one-timers just for the sake of it... To show he can do it.

 

[Adriatic]

Lolol at people obsessing over the pp. Do you realize If we had a decent power play we would probably be 6-0. Is that what we really want?? This is perfect, play hard, kids play well but we lose against the better teams because of special teams. Just stay the course.

 

[habsfan891]

He's fine at moving/passing the puck around but the problem is that he's not a shot menace so teams cheat on him because they know he has a muffin shot or that he's just not gonna shoot...

He should fire a couple of one-timers just for the sake of it... To show he can do it.

The worst part is Lane Hutson would be our best pp defenseman right now we need a quarterback badly

 

[HabzSauce]

He's the number 1 RD for London

I was mixing him up with Xhakej

 

[le_sean]

Lolol at people obsessing over the pp. Do you realize If we had a decent power play we would probably be 6-0. Is that what we really want?? This is perfect, play hard, kids play well but we lose against the better teams because of special teams. Just stay the course.

But they are trying to win so throwing the same players out there with the same strategy just makes them look idiotic.

Allen seemed like he was sleep-deprived.

All I know is, our 3 worse defensemen are not on the left side.

None of Xhekaj, Guhle or Harris should lose their spot when Eddy and Matheson come back. Eddy and Harris would have to move to the right side.

Xhekaj could use more seasoning I’d say. He brings a different element which helps the NHL team, but he’s running around not really doing much defensively a lot of the time.

 

[Belial]

But they are trying to win so throwing the same players out there with the same strategy just makes them look idiotic.


Xhekaj could use more seasoning I’d say. He brings a different element which helps the NHL team, but he’s running around not really doing much defensively a lot of the time.

It's not like they have better options and are not using them...

 

[HabzSauce]

But they are trying to win so throwing the same players out there with the same strategy just makes them look idiotic.


Xhekaj could use more seasoning I’d say. He brings a different element which helps the NHL team, but he’s running around not really doing much defensively a lot of the time.

A more steady Douglas Murray in the D zone I would say but he has been impressive offensively at times. Joining the rush and backhand chipping it to Evans was beautiful.

 

[le_sean]

It's not like they have better options and are not using them...

Well tonight no. But Slafkovsky is better than like 5 players currently on the PP. Heck I’d rather Jake Evans out there than Hoffman.

 

[Belial]

Well tonight no. But Slafkovsky is better than like 5 players currently on the PP. Heck I’d rather Jake Evans out there than Hoffman.

You have no idea how a locker room works.

 

[le_sean]

You have no idea how a locker room works.

How does it work? Please enlighten me. Giving undeserving icetime and opportunities is popular?

 

[Beendair Donedat]

@Runner77 T-bone time

“English side ruined… must use French instructions. LE GRILLE!!!?? What the hell is that????

 

[Belial]

How does it work? Please enlighten me. Giving undeserving icetime and opportunities is popular?

Coaches will never stick an 18-year-old kid with no track record in the NHL right away on the PP.

Slaf has to earn it.

That's how you keep your locker room under control.

The PP is not producing with Hoffman on the ice and without him so why are you targeting him in particular?

Pretty sure MSL will try and make things work instead of pissing off guys,

 

[le_sean]

Coaches will never stick an 18-year-old kid with no track record in the NHL right away on the PP.

Slaf has to earn it.

That's how you keep your locker room under control.

The PP is not producing with Hoffman on the ice and without him so why are you targeting him in particular?

Pretty sure MSL will try and make things work instead of pissing off guys,

You’re overthinking it. Slaf is a young player that is clearly more talented than the other players on his team with time and space, which is what a PP offers him. He’s the 1st overall pick, I think guys would understand. And if they don’t, then prove that you deserve it more.

Hoffman is pure garbage on both the PP and at ES. He’s one of the problems. If he didn’t have the contract that he does, he’d play himself to the pressbox. Gallagher we know sucks on the PP and so does Anderson. Two guys that cannot make a simple pass even with infinite time and space.

 

[Natey]

You’re overthinking it. Slaf is a young player that is clearly more talented than the other players on his team with time and space, which is what a PP offers him. He’s the 1st overall pick, I think guys would understand. And if they don’t, then prove that you deserve it more.

Hoffman is pure garbage on both the PP and at ES. He’s one of the problems. If he didn’t have the contract that he does, he’d play himself to the pressbox. Gallagher we know sucks on the PP and so does Anderson. Two guys that cannot make a simple pass even with infinite time and space.

Oh yeah? That's why he had 3 points in 50+ minutes of PP time last year in Finland? I'm a huge Slaf fanboy. I wanted him in the draft long before he became the consensus #1 or even #2.

But there's multiple reasons that he's not there. Confidence... when he gets put on there and doesn't produce, you're stunting his development. And guess what? He's unlikely to produce with this shit roster here. There's a reason most kids are put lower in the line-up and have to earn their ice-time. Both at ES and on the PP.

Hoffman has sucked for Montreal, sure. But he's still got a history. If you have to use him, you're going to use him where he's got the best chance to do something positive. And on top of that, not only does Hoffman suck... so do Anderson, Drouin, Gallagher, Dvorak, etc at this point. We have two players who are capable of producing on the PP - Caufield and Suzuki. Maybe Monahan, but even that's probably a reach. The bigger problem is we have one defenseman capable, at this point, of running a PP. And he's better served to run a second unit at best.

 

[the]

Good on Hoffman for getting his first goal of the season and against a good hockey team.

 

[Stive Morgan]

I'd waive Wideman over sending down Xhekaj

I'd trade Wideman with a pick for future considerations lmao

 

[OldCraig71]

i like how , during the PP, the players just stand motionless in a box passing the puck around, resulting in nothing. Awesome stuff, exciting.

That's why it's struggling, too much standing still and trying to always get the shot through Caufield. The Stars just took away space from CC because they knew what we were doing and it looked easy for them.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

A more steady Douglas Murray in the D zone I would say but he has been impressive offensively at times. Joining the rush and backhand chipping it to Evans was beautiful.

Xhekaj showed that offensive flair throughout the OHL playoffs last year. He is no one trick pony and like both Harris and Ghule, has already shown enough against the highest level of competition to confirm that he is here to stay.

 

[Milhouse40]

Well tonight no. But Slafkovsky is better than like 5 players currently on the PP. Heck I’d rather Jake Evans out there than Hoffman.

Hoffman as the vision of a blind man

 

[Tyson]

Tough night which was expected vs a big, fast, aggressive team

Jake Allen has been great but tonight he really looked lost. I found he had no clue where the puck was quite often

Vet depth is awful. Dvorak, Dadonov, Hoffman despite the goal are all just passengers. Almost no effort.

The young D are the most impressive. The maturity they show already


FIRE BURROWS. Please

The current group of vet forwards are horrible.
Between
Dadonov, Dvorak, Hoffman, Gallagher and Drouin you have 2 goals combined while Dvorak and Dadonov have produced zero points in 6 games.
Habs also have one goal from the back end and Wideman who is on the 1st PP wave has zero points in 6 games.
Alot of passengers.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

The problem is the same as it is for every bad power play.....it is stationary and entirely predictable. There either should be a strong side triangle rotation and/or more aggressive attempts by the puck carrier to break down coverage and force the defence to over commit and leave their coverage. It is also imperative that the point man is more of a shooting threat than Wideman has shown. The bumper position also needs to make more of an effort to exploit the high slots as opposed to being stationary in the middle.

Without moving bodies the passing lanes are static and easily covered and you are left with the typical struggling PP that just dishes around the perimeter until they eventually force a bad pass into traffic or take a low percentage shot.

I would prefer to see Guhle or Xhekaj as the point man but in a scheme where they rotate with Suzuki on the right boards and at the top of the umbrella. Suzuki, when rotating to the top has forced the opponents PKF1 to move his feet which will either provide an attempt to breakdown the penalty killer or go back to the LHD who is now in a position to one time the puck which begins to open up many other options as open one timers tend to get the pk scrambling which then begins to open space for Caufield on the left dot. This is obviously a very simplified excerpt of this strategy but because Suzuki is right handed the defence can give him space on the right side when he doesn't have the puck and they can cheat on Caufield.

I could babble on forever about strategy and I won't bore you guys with much more but watching that stationary pitch and catch in Burrow's brain dead system was killing me.

Thanks for tolerating me guys......I feel a little better now that I got some of that out.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

The current group of vet forwards are horrible.
Between
Dadonov, Dvorak, Hoffman, Gallagher and Drouin you have 2 goals combined while Dvorak and Dadonov have produced zero points in 6 games.
Habs also have one goal from the back end and Wideman who is on the 1st PP wave has zero points in 6 games.
Alot of passengers.

Dvorak and Gallagher are playing well but Hoffman and especially Drouin have been very bad. Dadanov has been ok as well and has made a number of very impressive plays mixed with some not so impressive plays but that is exactly what we expected from him.