5th in the East

[SeriousHabs]

Keep in mind that we played against 4 unacceptable teams that deserve relegation to the German third division. Winnipeg is bad, Toronto is worst, Washington is just awful and the Panthers are proud to select Seth Jones. New Jersey is legit

Need more Boston, Rangers, TB and Pittsburgh!

 

[Born in 1909]

Inserting Subban and Maxpac in the lineup is like

Let Cole warm up too...

even DD will (likely) start to make nice offensive plays soon.

 

[ECWHSWI]

I expect it to come tomorrow, or at latest this week end. At the very least, you won't be tortured by the suspense of waiting for it.

meh, Ottawa will be playing their 2nd game in two nights just like us, will probably be sloppy on both ends.

 

[sharks9]

Keep in mind that we played against 4 unacceptable teams that deserve relegation to the German third division. Winnipeg is bad, Toronto is worst, Washington is just awful and the Panthers are proud to select Seth Jones. New Jersey is legit

Need more Boston, Rangers, TB and Pittsburgh!

While I agree with that, we've been playing without Pacioretty and Subban as well and we're obviously a better team with those 2 in the line-up.

Ottawa will be a huge test tonight! Budaj will need to come up big for us to win.

 

[optimus2861]

I can't shake the feeling we're riding a hot streak and we will regress. I'm not sure how big a believer I am in advanced stats, but I did take a gander at ours this morning. We've got ten guys who are currently playing at or above 1050 PDO, and five of those are above 1100! That situation will not hold (for reference, nobody on last year's Habs finished the year above 1027; the stat, which is the sum of a player's on-ice shooting % plus on-ice save %, tends to regress to 1000 over the long run).

We are still in the "small sample size" phase of the season and can't draw any firm conclusions.

 

[Kingbobert]

i dont know if we'll be able to keep it up for the season, but i dont see a reason we cant atleast make the playoffs

We're definitely playing like a top 8 team but the margin of error is very small

I think we're better than NYI, the Jets, Florida, Toronto, Washington and Philly (they've lost too many pieces) and atleast as good as Carolina, Buffalo, Tampa and NJD.

I think the Rangers, Bruins, Ottawa and Pens are better than us but not unbeatable so we have a very realistic shot at making the playoffs

 

[Monctonscout]

Keep in mind that we played against 4 unacceptable teams that deserve relegation to the German third division. Winnipeg is bad, Toronto is worst, Washington is just awful and the Panthers are proud to select Seth Jones. New Jersey is legit

Need more Boston, Rangers, TB and Pittsburgh!

Winnipeg was 3-1-1 when we played them.

I think the REAL season begins on the weekend, after two weeks of preseason.

 

[zzoo]

The Habs had a favorable schedule to start and they took advantage. Hopefully they can keep it up.

Agree. Habs had a very favorable so far.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

I'm not surprised.

The tankards held on to the belief that a new environment wouldn't change anything, that 78 points for the 15th place was the equivalent of 60 points for the 15th place, that a -7 total was just normal for a 15th place team, that Markov wouldn't change a thing.

Like I said several months ago, this team could go both ways, and much of that hinged on how Markov would play and for how long, and how well Therrien could change their outlook.

People are a product of their environment. It was a matter of providing the right environment and the right circumstances.

Players aren't bots in a video game with static ratings (talent).

 

[sharks9]

I can't shake the feeling we're riding a hot streak and we will regress. I'm not sure how big a believer I am in advanced stats, but I did take a gander at ours this morning. We've got ten guys who are currently playing at or above 1050 PDO, and five of those are above 1100! That situation will not hold (for reference, nobody on last year's Habs finished the year above 1027; the stat, which is the sum of a player's on-ice shooting % plus on-ice save %, tends to regress to 1000 over the long run).

We are still in the "small sample size" phase of the season and can't draw any firm conclusions.

Obviously we're not going to win 4 out of every 5 games, but anywhere from 5th to 8th in the East is definitely reasonable if our PP stays good and we get PK and Pacioretty back in our line-up.

 

[Dr Gonzo]

This thread came way too early. Reminds me a little of prom night.

 

[Et le But]

This is a jinx thread if I ever saw one.

 

[bigtimehockeyfan999*]

hope we can jump up to 4th tonight. gonna be a good game home crowd atmosphere in ottawa always is

 

[dutchy29]

standings mean nothing this early in the year, however they mean a bit more considering the shortened season. I'm more excited with the way Therrien is coaching, pleasent surprise. also love the added grit, depth at D, overall team chemistry, and of course the gally's. I wasn't too excited at the beginning of the year but this team is showing promise.
I hope PKs transition back on the team is smooth and not disruptive, some of the interviews pre-Winnipeg game were a little "chilly" unsure why?

 

[bigtimehockeyfan999*]

we could very well be facing off against boston next wednesday with 1st in the NE, maybe even the eastern conferecne on the line. i doubt boston will lose to toronto on saturday so we're gonna need these wins here.

 

[Tuggy]

we could very well be facing off against boston next wednesday with 1st in the NE, maybe even the eastern conferecne on the line. i doubt boston will lose to toronto on saturday so we're gonna need these wins here.

Slow your role man. One game at a time.

 

[Nicko999]

Boston has 2 shootout wins so we actually have more ROWs than them.

 

[bigtimehockeyfan999*]

Boston has 2 shootout wins so we actually have more ROWs than them.

good to know...we shall smite them on wednesday

 

[Gamimenos]

A regulation win tonight would be beyond perfect when it comes to standings.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

I don't remember the last time we were this high in the standing table. Hopefully our guys continue playing the same way and keep collecting points. In such a short season, every single game is important.

Its seriously only been 2 years...

 

[HabsFan1689]

It's great to see them so high in the standings. I hope it lasts.

 

[Trist and Sea]

We were first overall during a day or two at the start of the 2010-11 season

 

[Lshap]

This thread came way too early. Reminds me a little of prom night.

Okay, this one deserves some recognition! Great line!

Let's hope the team continues to get lucky.

 

[Kylington]

aaaaaaaand it's jinxed!

 

[Lshap]

I think the word of the week is "Validation". We Habs fans have had a year of humility and excuses, followed by a pre-season of predictions that saw us repeating as bottom-feeders. Screw that -- we're playing like winners, and even knowing we'll probably dip it still feels great to be validated (there's that word) as a quality team right now.