Speculation: What to do for Goals?

[Brainiac]

Maholtra is going to help rise the face off %. That should help drive possession up... From possession to scoring chances and from scoring chances to more goals. The team is also bigger, so maybe we can either end the freaking dump and chase or actually make it work for a change.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

Since the puck is turned over multiple times per shift, faceoff % has actually little to no influence on puck possession.

And Maholtra will be on the 4th line. So even if his FO ability led to more puck possession (which it doesn't anyways), it wouldn't result in a significant increase in scoring chances for our top lines.

 

[vokiel]

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

Since the puck is turned over multiple times per shift, faceoff % has actually little to no influence on puck possession.

And Maholtra will be on the 4th line. So even if his FO ability led to more puck possession (which it doesn't anyways), it wouldn't result in a significant increase in scoring chances for our top lines.

You think all face offs begin on the middle ice button?

 

[Brainiac]

You think all face offs begin on the middle ice button?

I don't see how that's relevant to my point?

I agree it's nice to have a good FO guy. But thinking it will automatically lead to better puck possession is a fallacy.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

a) Don't tell Bourque it is the regular season

b) Don't tell Pacioretty when you are in the playoffs

c) Don't ever play Prust/Moen/Weise above the 4th line

d) Don't play The Cube on the PP, PK, or ES

e) Remind MT Galchenyuk was drafted 3rd overall

Fixed that

 

[Blood On The Ice]

Fixed that

Accepted!

 

[vokiel]

I don't see how that's relevant to my point?

I agree it's nice to have a good FO guy. But thinking it will automatically lead to better puck possession is a fallacy.

You're thinking puck possession over time which is a garbage stat. (Same as time of possession in the NFL, it's crap anyway.) I'm thinking, and others are thinking, keeping possession of the puck when it matters, such as after an important face off in the defensive or offensive zones. With that respect having a good button crew matters a lot.

 

[Miller Time]

a) cross fingers that Galch stays healthy and has a strong season (healthy and used properly, he should be good for a 50+ point season)

b) hope that Eller gets used properly (another guy who could be 50+pts if used well)

c) hope that Gilbert's bounce back year was no fluke, and he provides solid offensive support/creation from back end/2nd pp unit

d) hope we get playoff bork

e) parenteau backs up his talk and shows he's a solid top6 offensive player

f) sekac adapts quickly and is as good as advertised


if all those things go right, we'll be a very good offensive team…

if a few of them go right, we'll be solid

if only 1-2 pan out and the rest fall short, it will be a long year

 

[JuicyHam]

d) hope we get playoff bork

if we get playoff bork we will have two of the best goal scorers in the league on our team.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

if we get playoff bork we will have two of the best goal scorers in the league on our team.

He has all the tools to be a 20 goal 50 point guy. Its just a shame that he doesn't show up most of the time.

 

[kingdok]

heard there's that Gomez guy that can possibly be available in Florida. Maybe for Beaulieu or Galchenyuk.

 

[vokiel]

heard there's that Gomez guy that can possibly be available in Florida. Maybe for Beaulieu or Galchenyuk.

I just heard your mom, she wants you to stop typing on HF.

 

[Habaddict]

It wouldn't surprise me if both Galchenyuk and Subban scored
more than 20 goals. But mostly if Galchenyuk stays on the wing.
I think it would be expecting a little much if he's learning to play
center.
As to Subban, I'd love to see him follow the play as the late guy
without the puck more often. I think he'd be more dangerous then
if he keeps carrying the puck himself. In any case, I can see him
getting 20 most years.
And it's hard to predict what happens with Eller, but 20 goals
isn't out of the question either.
There, I'm an optimist.

 

[Price is Wright]

Subban scored at a .12 last season. In 2012-2013, he was scoring at .26, which might be high.

If he can get it up to a 0.2 that alone could do a lot for the team.

 

[madhi19]

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

Since the puck is turned over multiple times per shift, faceoff % has actually little to no influence on puck possession.

And Maholtra will be on the 4th line. So even if his FO ability led to more puck possession (which it doesn't anyways), it wouldn't result in a significant increase in scoring chances for our top lines.

It not just his own contribution that going to make the overall team faceoff % rise it having him train with everybody else that going to do that. The best way to get better at anything is to train, train, train. Preferably with somebody who better than you at it.

 

[Nicko999]

1. Name Pacioretty captain
2. Play him the full 60 minutes
3. ?????
4. Profit

 

[CGG]

Vanek scored 6 regular season goals for Montreal last year. I think that can be replaced. Upgrading Briere to Parenteau more than covers the loss of Vanek.

 

[Sorinth]

Vanek scored 6 regular season goals for Montreal last year. I think that can be replaced. Upgrading Briere to Parenteau more than covers the loss of Vanek.

Briere scored 13 goals, Vanek 6. Parenteau's career high is 20. So maybe that's a wash but you still have Gionta's 18 that you need to make up for.

And besides we had a pretty terrible offence last season (21st in GF) so it's something we need to improve on not just stay the same.

I think our best hope is Beaulieu and Gilbert providing a much better transition game and coaching which allows all our forwards to produce more.

 

[Dagistitsyn]

Briere scored 13 goals, Vanek 6. Parenteau's career high is 20. So maybe that's a wash but you still have Gionta's 18 that you need to make up for.

No pressure Sekac

Also, there is no way Bourque hits another 20 posts this year.. some of those gotta go in.. right?

 

[Sorinth]

No pressure Sekac

Also, there is no way Bourque hits another 20 posts this year.. some of those gotta go in.. right?

Counting on Bourque to produce seems like a plan destined to fail.

 

[Andy]

Briere scored 13 goals, Vanek 6. Parenteau's career high is 20. So maybe that's a wash but you still have Gionta's 18 that you need to make up for.

And besides we had a pretty terrible offence last season (21st in GF) so it's something we need to improve on not just stay the same.

I think our best hope is Beaulieu and Gilbert providing a much better transition game and coaching which allows all our forwards to produce more.

My guess is that MB and Co. are depending on internal improvement from Gallagher, Eller and Galchenyuk to make up for the lost offense.

The potential for a higher scoring club is there, but it rests on several question marks: the three players just mentioned, Bourque, Sekac and the effects of a more mobile/puck-moving defensive core.

The chances off all these scenarios going right is not very high, but the potential is there. Nevertheless, I am still concerned with the Habs' ability to produce goals this season. We'll see what happens.

Another question one needs to ask: Does Pacioretty score 39 again? What if he only scores 28 this season? When you finished 21 in GF the season before, your goal shouldn't just be to make up for loss goals to break even, but to improve. I only see potential for improvement, no certainty.

 

[Sorinth]

My guess is that MB and Co. are depending on internal improvement from Gallagher, Eller and Galchenyuk to make up for the lost offense.

The potential for a higher scoring club is there, but it rests on several question marks: the three players just mentioned, Bourque, Sekac and the effects of a more mobile/puck-moving defensive core.

The chances off all these scenarios going right is not very high, but the potential is there. Nevertheless, I am still concerned with the Habs' ability to produce goals this season. We'll see what happens.

Another question one needs to ask: Does Pacioretty score 39 again? What if he only scores 28 this season? When you finished 21 in GF the season before, your goal shouldn't just be to make up for loss goals to break even, but to improve. I only see potential for improvement, no certainty.

The potential is there, and we saw it during the lockout season where we had a top offence. Virtually the entire team regressed offensively last season, whatever caused that regression needs to be addressed before we can really talk about replacing player X with player Y.

For me that regression was coaching and becoming tougher at the expense of skill. This offseason we certainly seemed to go back to make an effort to replace the skill we lost so I think Bergevin learnt from his mistakes. The question is has Therrien?

 

[le_sean]

I expect the team to struggle a bit in scoring goals. I don't expect Max to his 39 goals again, but I do expect more from Galchenyuk. Also, we're replacing a 30ish point Briere with 60ish point PAP. The unknown is Gionta vs. Sekac. Gionta did kill a lot of plays with his terrible shot, but he also scored ~20 goals a season, I don't expect Sekac to hit that mark.

Also, Beaulieu/Gilbert/Emelin is going to be much more effective for a 2nd unit PP than Gorges and Bouillon. But the 1st unit does usually play 1.5 mins a PP, so the results might only be slightly more positive.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I expect the team to struggle a bit in scoring goals. I don't expect Max to his 39 goals again, but I do expect more from Galchenyuk. Also, we're replacing a 30ish point Briere with 60ish point PAP. The unknown is Gionta vs. Sekac. Gionta did kill a lot of plays with his terrible shot, but he also scored ~20 goals a season, I don't expect Sekac to hit that mark.

Also, Beaulieu/Gilbert/Emelin is going to be much more effective for a 2nd unit PP than Gorges and Bouillon. But the 1st unit does usually play 1.5 mins a PP, so the results might only be slightly more positive.

Our backend will be infinitely better for sure. That alone will make a world of difference.

If we want more goals, MT has to give more offensive opportunities to Eller and Galchenyuk. If it's the DD show again, we could run into trouble offensively. With the improvements on the D though, I think we'll be no worse than last season and have the upside to be a lot better.

 

[Roulin]

One of a few factors that makes it difficult to compare apples to apples, is Malhotra's addition, in that it looks like the Habs will have a different kind of 4th line than last season. Last season it was mostly a soft minutes line, leaving Plekanec with the dirty work (again). Plek's ozone start % was 38, lowest among Hab centers. I think the plan is for Prust-Malhotra-Weise (or something similar) to do the grunt work this season, hopefully creating more offensive opportunities for the Plek line. Malhotra's ozone start % the last 4 seasons has been 25, 13.2, 25.5 and 21. He's been an extreme dzone faceoff specialist since joining Vigneault.

If Galchenyuk progresses and Plekanec gets more favorable playing conditions, Sekac/whoever might not need to be all that good for the middle six to get better results.

Plus, as has already been mentioned already in this thread, a deeper d-corps should mean better results as well, even if they aren't the last ones to touch the puck before it goes into the net. I still think the team would do well to add Penner or trade for another middle-sixer, but even as is, I'm optimistic.

 

[WhiskeySeven*]

Gionta, Gorges and Bouillon killed a lot of plays and momentum. Addition by subtraction when those sub-talented guys are gone - but I still have major doubts that Galchenyuk can pull any sort of weight, and even though we wouldn't like it, it's going to be the DD show... so brace for THAT yet again.