Player Discussion Eric Staal

[No More Subban]

Apologies to Staal! I wanted to scratch him for Lehkonen.. lol. He's still a cup winner after all.

 

[Miller Time]

wether it's MB or DD, it's just silly. He's been useless all series long, should be either in the press box, or stappled to the bench the way gustafsson has been.

outside of a few nice passes in the first game, he's done nothing of value that would explain keeping him in the lineup.

Put evans at C and get Tatar back in... while Tatar is also underwhelming, he at least can skate, play ok in the dzone, support the transition and sometimes extend possession in the offensive zone. Staal does none of that.

well... i'll eat my crow sandwich...

gotta hand it to him, largely ineffective but has the instincts, game sense, confidence and skill to make high-impact plays... almost as if he's playing rope-a-dope, conserving energy just waiting for that one seam or that on chip that leads to a great opportunity.

i would've put Tatar in, but in hindsight, zero expectation that Tatar would've contributed what Staal did to the win.

Jets C's are nasty, he'll be in tough playing the same way against them, but here's hoping he can keep being opportunistic.

 

[calder candidate]

He played a great game today

 

[le_sean]

Good game but there were two obvious non calls that could have really hurt the team. He had a lot of leeway tonight.

 

[Archijerej]

His play to me is a humbling reminder of the value of experience and why the coaches rely on players like him. He looks slow, he got lucky on two penalties, but he just instinctively understands the correct play to be made. He looked like a corpse of a player in the regular season and here we are, he's among our best point producers.

 

[Kojo]

I'm still not sold on him. He exceeded every expectation so far, but with little time to rest before the next game he might not be able to keep the pace.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Always knew he could do it

Bashed him lots and he deserved ever word of it for the way he played but happy to see him turn it around last couple of games and hope he keeps it up cause he’s not coming out of the lineup no matter what at this point.

 

[Redux91]

Great game 1 and 7, only 1-4 on the dot tonight , but his big frame helped us so much too
Great poke on the gallagher goal, and on the Toffoli goal I'm like how in the HELL did he successfully pull off the galchenyuk suicide pass?..watched the replay from a different angle, he actually CHECKS over his shoulder first before making that pass to Toffoli for the dagger, 2 big points tonight, and I thank him

Hope he can be useful vs the jets, they're an animal too

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

I liked Staal's play all series long. He's a handful down low, he's got good offensive instincts and he's very reliable in the d-zone outlets. The pass to Toffoli was a beauty and the epitome of a veteran play.

I was critical of the acquisition, but I don't think the Habs win that series without Staal. He also allows Evans to play LW on Danault's line, where Evans has been very useful.

I am officially conceding that it was a good trade and that winning that series was a great experience for the kids as well so having Staal will have helped them mature as players.

 

[Adam Michaels]

4 pts in 6 GP for Staal in this series. All assists.

 

[cave troll]

Well, he did show his experience and did 2 crucial plays.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

Like Perry, he found ways to adapt his game around his limitations and diminishing skill. I wouldnt want him on the ice 20 minutes every night but he can be an effective role player with the right linemates. Plus, he takes some of the faceoff load off Danault, which has been a key factor .

 

[cave troll]

I don't know. He was a main bashing target since he came, but I really started to think that when you come out of Buffalo you're not ready for a competitive hockey and you need some time to get back your hockey skills. IMO, that's what happened to Staal. Hall adjusted quicker cause he's much younger.

 

[BaseballCoach]

Like Perry, he found ways to adapt his game around his limitations and diminishing skill. I wouldnt want him on the ice 20 minutes every night but he can be an effective role player with the right linemates. Plus, he takes some of the faceoff load off Danault, which has been a key factor .

Our two best guys in the dot were Evans 55% and Kotkaniemi 54%.

Danault and Stall were 50%.

Suzuki struggled at 43%.

 

[salbutera]

well... i'll eat my crow sandwich...

gotta hand it to him, largely ineffective but has the instincts, game sense, confidence and skill to make high-impact plays... almost as if he's playing rope-a-dope, conserving energy just waiting for that one seam or that on chip that leads to a great opportunity.

i would've put Tatar in, but in hindsight, zero expectation that Tatar would've contributed what Staal did to the win.

Jets C's are nasty, he'll be in tough playing the same way against them, but here's hoping he can keep being opportunistic.

Most importantly of all, don’t forget size...size up the middle, which played a huge role this series, and like Weber & Perry these vets get away with non-calls vs other players.

Also, Dom Dom deserves credit for usage of Staal, his 10-11 TOI have been very carefully & strategically managed.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

Our two best guys in the dot were Evans 55% and Kotkaniemi 54%.

Danault and Stall were 50%.

Suzuki struggled at 43%.

It's still some pressure taken off from the group, especially on the road where we don't control the matchups.

 

[llamateizer]

The good thing is you can scratch him in one of the b2b games. Lehkonen can still prove himself and put pressure on Evans and other guys.

Staal and Perry are important to the team.

I'm glad that Staal found his spot

 

[Kimota]

VERY impressed by him. A real leader, a warrior, a winner. You can see him on the ice constantly talking to the other Habs. I heard he and Perry talked the other players before Game 5 and it motivated them. They know how to win.

Toronto got Thornton, a proven choker, we got Staal and Perry. BIG difference.

 

[Sorinth]

Good game but there were two obvious non calls that could have really hurt the team. He had a lot of leeway tonight.

Yeah had he got called on those plays and Toronto scores on the PP then Staal would be getting crucified and rightfully so. He brought some good things but he got really lucky with the refs.

 

[SnapVirus]

Staal is playing above expectations. Hes old and slow, but a winner!

 

[19VJ17]

Go Habs GO Habs win it in 5

 

[frapp10]

Armia 4 points in 8 games
Staal 5 points in 7 games
Perry 5 points in 8 games

Amazing production from the 4th line

 

[CoopersFalls]

Armia 4 points in 8 games
Staal 5 points in 7 games
Perry 5 points in 8 games

Amazing production from the 4th line

6 for Staal. Assist on the empty netter too

 

[The Great Weal]

6 points for Staal in 7 games which is the team lead. If you told me that Staal would be leading the Habs in points after the Habs win 5 playoff games, I would have laughed you out of the room. I'll eat my crow, he along with the rest of the 4th line has been stellar. Little to no ice time and no PP too...

 

[417]

Not even sure how he's doing it to be honest lol but hope it continues.