Pre-Game Talk: Habs-Flames Pt. II Saturday 7pm EST

[Edgy]

Darryl Sutter

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Markstrom starts tomorrow get ready for a loss.

 

[Rapala]

Darryl Sutter

Are we going to have to go through another Darryl Sutter lovefest this time on HNIC.

 

[Rapala]

Markstrom starts tomorrow get ready for a loss.

There is no way he wasn't starting win or lose. Unless he got injured.

 

[rik schau]

There are players on this team that need to take a long hard look at their performances up to this point in the season. There have been too many passengers on this roster and they need to wake up because time is slipping away.

Can you supply some names as I have not seen that much.

 

[rik schau]

It's hard enough wining games without having your own players sabotage your every effort. That penalty Byron took late when we were fighting for the tying goal was inexcusable. He should be stripped of his letter and sent to Laval, or at the very least, the taxi squad.

Bad timing but a bit of a weak call at point of the game. Way worse infraction often don't get called.

 

[OldCraig71]

Can you supply some names as I have not seen that much.

1. Danault
2. Chiarot
3.Byron
4.Tatar
5.Weber
6.Evans
7.Suzuki
8.Drouin
9.Price

These players have all been different levels of bad and need to step up if this team is to have a chance at being competitive.

 

[BLONG7]

We win tonight...........4-2

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Hope to see a stronger effort.

The last game was a write off. Totally stupid to have them playing two games in less than 24 hours.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

It's a must win.

Calgary is mostly the only threat right now to the top 4 in the north division.
Must not let them breathe and come too close to us.

Last night, the Habs were an easy target.
Ducharme has been doing some change to his line-up last game, but we need to find some stability.

There's only 2 forwards without a goal under Ducharme : Evans and Drouin
There's only 2 players in the minus under Ducharme : Chiarot and Drouin

Kotkaniemi is 50.6% down the middle and Danault is 50.7% since Ducharme is here.
Suzuki is 43.9% and Evans is at 37%

KK has 6 points in 8 games but he's also only +0 during that stretch.
He has 3 points on the PP and Tatar has 4 points, leading the Habs forwards.

So base on all this, I would like to see this line-up being tried.

Toffoli - Suzuki - Anderson
Tatar - Kotkaniemi - Gallagher
Drouin - Danault - Armia
Byron - Evans - Perry

I like those lines. And if they don't seem to work and we're behind, we could always reunite KK, Anderson and Taffoli.

Only thing is, Drouin on the 3rd. Not sure how that works with the defensive responsibilities.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

1. Danault
2. Chiarot
3.Byron
4.Tatar
5.Weber
6.Evans
7.Suzuki
8.Drouin
9.Price

These players have all been different levels of bad and need to step up if this team is to have a chance at being competitive.

Not sure if you're ranking them but if you were I'd have Price higher on the list. He's been strong lately but the early run was so inconsistent with bad goals. He's supposed to be the best player on the team. Glad he seems to have turned it around for now though.

Kinda sad to see Suzuki there but he belongs on the list. Started out so great. I think we need to give him our best wingers and some easy ice. Get his confidence back.

Tatar... man. Been so good the past few years and he's just dropped right off.

Weber, I think he's just getting old.

And... where would we be without the Taffoli and Anderson pickups?

 

[Milhouse40]

I like those lines. And if they don't seem to work and we're behind, we could always reunite KK, Anderson and Taffoli.

Only thing is, Drouin on the 3rd. Not sure how that works with the defensive responsibilities.

That's why I would try Drouin on the 3rd......cause he need a reliable center defensively with him.
KK and Suzuki are growing but they can't babysit Drouin defensively, it's hard enough as it is for them.

 

[Habs Icing]

That's why I would try Drouin on the 3rd......cause he need a reliable center defensively with him.
KK and Suzuki are growing but they can't babysit Drouin defensively, it's hard enough as it is for them.

I've been the biggest Drouin detractor on this board but I can't understand how you can say that. Aside from 3 or 4 smelly brain farts, Drouin has been excellent defensively this season. It's his offensive game that has gone dodo.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

Price is staring to look good...I assume he gets the start tonight?

 

[OldCraig71]

Not sure if you're ranking them but if you were I'd have Price higher on the list. He's been strong lately but the early run was so inconsistent with bad goals. He's supposed to be the best player on the team. Glad he seems to have turned it around for now though.

Kinda sad to see Suzuki there but he belongs on the list. Started out so great. I think we need to give him our best wingers and some easy ice. Get his confidence back.

Tatar... man. Been so good the past few years and he's just dropped right off.

Weber, I think he's just getting old.

And... where would we be without the Taffoli and Anderson pickups?

I actually remembered Price at the end of compiling my list and that's why he ended up near the bottom, he has to be in the top 3 if we were actually ranking players that have been somewhat disappointing. The Tatar we are seeing now is the throw in player in the Pacioretty trade and yeah, Weber, I hope that he has too much pride to play out the remaining years of his contract, he is declining hard. At this stage of his career, he needs to be the stay-at-home presence on D like Marc Methot was in Ottawa with Karlsson, he needs help and Ben Chiarot is not it.

 

[OldCraig71]

I've been the biggest Drouin detractor on this board but I can't understand how you can say that. Aside from 3 or 4 smelly brain farts, Drouin has been excellent defensively this season. It's his offensive game that has gone dodo.

Drouin has two goals despite being firmly a part of our top 6, he has played for the most part with Josh Anderson and Nick Suzuki and should have more. He has been better this year but why is the bar so low for him while others are expected to do more?

 

[Milhouse40]

I've been the biggest Drouin detractor on this board but I can't understand how you can say that. Aside from 3 or 4 smelly brain farts, Drouin has been excellent defensively this season. It's his offensive game that has gone dodo.

This season Drouin has 14 points at even strenght. 2nd best forward on the Habs.
Yet, he's only at +1 on the season, which makes him the 2nd worst forward.
Not surprising, he's been on the ice for 17 goals against at ES, leading the Habs forward.

Not crying wolves there.....but in the last 10 games, it got worst.

In the last 10 games, he's been on the ice for 10 goals against at ES....he's not only leading the forwards, but the entire team. Most forwards are around 5 or 6.
More than D like Petry and Edmundson who are playing way more than him. That's not normal.

He's the only forward (who played then entire 10 games) in the minus....and he's -3.
I know plus/minus are not a way to judge a player, but those numbers are way off course compare to the rest of the entire team
And Drouin's number have been like that for years, so it's not something new either.

 

[OldCraig71]

Are we going to have to go through another Darryl Sutter lovefest this time on HNIC.

No, That was all Craig Button. Throughout listening to all of that I wondered if Button was pitching hard for a job with Calgary, come to think of it, he talked right through the whole game, it was an incredibly pejorative slur experience.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

That's why I would try Drouin on the 3rd......cause he need a reliable center defensively with him.
KK and Suzuki are growing but they can't babysit Drouin defensively, it's hard enough as it is for them.

Babysit Drouin, lol, that's a good one!
Laughting is a good therapy.

 

[Habs Icing]

Drouin has two goals despite being firmly a part of our top 6, he has played for the most part with Josh Anderson and Nick Suzuki and should have more. He has been better this year but why is the bar so low for him while others are expected to do more?

Craig, we agree. I said his offense has disappeared but the original poster was saying his defensive game was lacking and it is very evident that his defensive game is very strong this year.

 

[Rapala]

Craig, we agree. I said his offense has disappeared but the original poster was saying his defensive game was lacking and it is very evident that his defensive game is very strong this year.

Drouin has NOT been excellent defensively this year he's been adequate. It may seem like Excellence to some but it's a direct reflection on just how bad he's been in the past. I'm curious to see our line up this evening because we absolutely need to get inside Calgary like we did in our last game against Winnipeg. This should circumvent the Markstrom factor like it did the Demko factor. If we come out and trap again I'll be very disappointed because we would be just playing into their hands. One of the reasons I liked some of the guys our GM picked up was I felt they would be able to break checks (trap) much better than we've done in the past. Byron should sit and Drouin should be used differently. It's not okay to take shots at Suzuki for lack of production but give Drouin a free pass because we think he's been better defensively. Particularly when the lions share of defensive responsibility is on another player.

 

[OldCraig71]

Craig, we agree. I said his offense has disappeared but the original poster was saying his defensive game was lacking and it is very evident that his defensive game is very strong this year.

Really?

 

[peate]

Bad timing but a bit of a weak call at point of the game. Way worse infraction often don't get called.

That's true, but you don't even want to give the ref the slightest reason to call you on something. A rookie I can understand, but Byron is a vet and should know better. How do you think Scotty would haver reacted?