Post-Game Talk: Habs lose 3-1 to Bolts

[habsfan891]

It's going to take new management for them to make a decision like that. This current management is all over the middle of the pack strategy where they are trying to make the playoffs so we can lose in the 1st round but they still keep their jobs. Who plays 3C if Kotkaniemi is in Laval? That's what they are thinking. They are not really thinking about Kotkaniemi playing 1st line in the AHL to work on his offensive game.... that's far from their minds.

They messed up IMO. There was opportunity to stay near the bottom for a few seasons but they consider that an embarrassment and were all over the pride/rebound year last year. What's the energy for this year? Playoffs in the one of the toughest divisions in the NHL?

I'm getting annoyed with this middle of the pack strategy. It's very dumb!

Didn't you see KK isn't even 3 c now he's 4th line left wing

 

[waffledave]

If Tavares had his best season -- by far -- because he switched teams and linemates, what do you think Domi did? Domi got 28 goals, Tavares got 47. That substantial gap is a good reflection of the different talent levels. Gallagher is a legit 30-goal scorer -- that's no fluke.

Looking ahead, there's no way to know which group of prospects will be better. Poehling, Caufield, Suzuki, Kotkaniemi could end up being better than anyone in Boston's group of kids. Or not -- no way to tell. The Bruins' past success was thanks to Bergeron, Chara and Marchand. I'm not anointing their upcoming youth with anything until they accomplish something. Same with our youth, by the way.

It's not magic. Marner by himself is easily an 80 pt guy. Matthews scored 44 goals as a teenager, a rookie. You are talking about elite level talents who can dominate by themselves. Add another elite talent in Tavares and what do you expect? Tavares has hit 80+ pts multiple times, by the way, without those guys.

Domi is a great player who needed a change. He thrives in the environment Montreal provides. I have no doubt what we have seen from him is something he can repeat. The difference is, I don't know if he can do better. Ditto with Gallagher. Neither will do better unless you add a Tavares or Marner or Pastrnak level talent to the team.

As for "our kids vs Boston's kids" there is nobody in our group on Pastrnak's level, I am pretty confident in saying that.

 

[Lshap]

So much for the "slowing down isn't a concern because he was never fast" argument I have seen 1000 times on here.

My personal take is that it's less about a drop-off in velocity than it is a regression of mobility. Weber looks less sure, less accurate, not as well positioned. I'm going to avoid overstating the problem until another few weeks, but yeah, it's been a creaky first two weeks for him.

 

[waffledave]

I don't know. McAvoyu, Carlo and Krug remains an okay top 3. I think when PB and Marchand will start to slow down it will hurt more. PB is 34 and Marchand 31 they are definitely getting older.

Krug is a beast, he's 28 and has had 3 straight seasons of 50+ points. Could really use a PP player like him in Montreal.

 

[Tighthead]

My personal take is that it's less about a drop-off in velocity than it is a regression of mobility. Weber looks less sure, less accurate, not as well positioned. I'm going to avoid overstating the problem until another few weeks, but yeah, it's been a creaky first two weeks for him.

And in the big picture guys like him are swimming upstream to begin with because the league is only getting faster every year.

 

[Lshap]

It's not magic. Marner by himself is easily an 80 pt guy. Matthews scored 44 goals as a teenager, a rookie. You are talking about elite level talents who can dominate by themselves. Add another elite talent in Tavares and what do you expect? Tavares has hit 80+ pts multiple times, by the way, without those guys.

Domi is a great player who needed a change. He thrives in the environment Montreal provides. I have no doubt what we have seen from him is something he can repeat. The difference is, I don't know if he can do better. Ditto with Gallagher. Neither will do better unless you add a Tavares or Marner or Pastrnak level talent to the team.

As for "our kids vs Boston's kids" there is nobody in our group on Pastrnak's level, I am pretty confident in saying that.

I agree that what we saw from all those young guys is probably accurate. Domi, Marner, Matthews, Pastrnak -- each should continue according to their respective talent levels. Domi's peak will be lower, naturally, but he should remain as impressive as he was last year, just on a lower tier than those other guys. And yeah, I've been repeating that Montreal has nobody with the elite talent of those other players. No question.

Tavares... honestly, I don't know. He's not old, but I have doubts that he'll jump up that high again. We'll see...

 

[Lshap]

Krug is a beast, he's 28 and has had 3 straight seasons of 50+ points. Could really use a PP player like him in Montreal.

Agree 100%. I've liked him from his first season. Fast, tough, smart and skilled. Damn.

 

[peate]

There was a play last night that reflects the trouble this team has at scoring. Habs PP, Tatar receives a pass behind TB net, but instead of one-timing a pass to Domi in the slot for a sure goal, he stopped the puck and stick handled it for a second, long enough for the goalie to get set and no more chance at a goal. Happens all the time, just no killer instinct.

 

[The Real Timo]

On a hunch, I think that's bogus.

Over 900 posts in ~4 months, from mid June to mid Oct when it's generally nice outside.

Posts throughout the day, sometimes in the middle of the night. Nothing lengthy, mostly short ones.

Goes to the gym right around family time and on game night to 'get some endorphins'.

"Needs" booze.

...so I think your kids never happened. I'm a dad and I think you should be shamed.




GHG.

I think I want your psychic powers. What an analysis. Good for you. Almost jealous.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I don't know. McAvoyu, Carlo and Krug remains an okay top 3. I think when PB and Marchand will start to slow down it will hurt more. PB is 34 and Marchand 31 they are definitely getting older.

McAvoy, Carlo, Krub, Pasta, Marchand, Dubrusk, Rask... And a aging vet in Bergeron. Not saying they will suck but I think they will miss Chara and a Bergeron in his prime.

 

[angusyoung]

There was a play last night that reflects the trouble this team has at scoring. Habs PP, Tatar receives a pass behind TB net, but instead of one-timing a pass to Domi in the slot for a sure goal, he stopped the puck and stick handled it for a second, long enough for the goalie to get set and no more chance at a goal. Happens all the time, just no killer instinct.

That's a common theme with the Habs,no one can do a 1 timer it seems.

 

[ahmedou]

Teams in our division made moves, but it remains to be seen if they became stronger. Which doesn't change our situation, of course. Last night was a perfect example of the gap between the Habs and the upper tier teams competing for the Cup. Possession? Check. Set ups? Check. Shot quantity? Check. Quality chances? Um....

It's been the same story for years. We can set 'em up, but we can't bury them. Does this sound familiar: another chance lost because the puck had to be carefully settled on the stick before shooting; another soft lob at the net; another missed shot; another whiff on a rebound or redirect -- all these bad Hab-its are symptomatic of a roster that lacks the high end talent to shoot quickly, decisively and dangerously. "Their goalie stoned us!" should replace "No Excuses" as our official slogan, because our roster chronically pumps up the opposing goalie's SV% with a flurry of easy to track shots. Last night, it looked like we were coming close on multiple occasions, but inevitably, the opportunity died on someone's tentative stick.

Lots of words. But really, it comes down to two: Scoring talent.

Man our wheels of excuses still never end. You've it. Or you don't have it. Period... This glorification. Their evaluation. These disillusions. Problems over problems.

 

[Kent Nilsson]

What the hell are you talking about? Read the conversation and get back to me. Or don't bother.

lol, I must be too stupid to go back two posts deep on the brilliant argument you are gracing us with. I’ll follow your advice.

 

[Mrb1p]

That's a common theme with the Habs,no one can do a 1 timer it seems.

Theres one kid that can one time it but they dont use him on the PP

 

[swimmer77]

Me thinks Weber is slower than his slower before. Aside from that, he is getting knocked off of the puck and losing puck battles in general more than I have ever seen.

This team has some heart and soul (Tatar, Domi, Gallagher, some others maybe) but just lacks raw talent in general. There are some good pieces for sure but a talented team like Tampa Bay turned it on for a few minutes to win and then played around the rest of the game. Bet they got another earful from their coach too.

Sergy was impressive to me last night. He looked calm and poised. What could have been. Not that there isn't hope for Drouin, it's just that nothing was really gained. Improve the forwards at the expense of the D. Poor Petry - he's gotta rush the puck, throw some hits, unleash his wicked shot and play D too. He'll be dead by about February.

Lots of work to do for a GM here.

Hate to weigh in on the coaching when there isn't much raw talent to assemble but the overuse of some of the plugs last night wasn't Weal fun to watch. Maybe the coaching staff is readying for tank mode and we just don't know it yet.

 

[Rapala]

Agreed about their D, although that's not saying much.

LOL I was actually thinking who came up with the Wheel of excuses again?
It's possible you hate the Bruins more than I do which would be quite a feat in itself.

 

[azcanuck]

It shows where we are right now. And its far behind a team like the Bolts. They are bigger and more talented and it's not even close.

Weber and Mete were on the ice for two very long productive shifts by the Bolts. The forwards both times were KK, Armia and Drouin.

I think if the playoffs are not in the books this year it's time to trade Weber for younger assets/picks. If he has much value. he looks slow out there. He's had some solid games but inconsistent. I dont buy he's hurt. .He's old and slow.

 

[Lshap]

LOL I was actually thinking who came up with the Wheel of excuses again?
It's possible you hate the Bruins more than I do which would be quite a feat in itself.

I made the Wheel of Excuses when we had a real rivalry with Boston and their team was full of turds like Lucic. Most of those dudes are gone now, and their current crop is neither big nor unusually dirty. I don't really hate them that much anymore; in fact, I even like some of their players. There's no hate in predicting this is the tail-end of their era that pivoted around a core of over-30 players, most of whom are likely on the way down. I said the same about San Jose and a few other teams.

 

[Lshap]

There was a play last night that reflects the trouble this team has at scoring. Habs PP, Tatar receives a pass behind TB net, but instead of one-timing a pass to Domi in the slot for a sure goal, he stopped the puck and stick handled it for a second, long enough for the goalie to get set and no more chance at a goal. Happens all the time, just no killer instinct.

Bingo. I'm sure our players train and practice one-timers, but their effectiveness is limited by their individual levels of natural talent. Despite all the practice and coaching, our roster simply can't do what Tampa and so many other teams do with the puck. And our GM can't seem to acquire the talent that so many other GMs have managed to acquire. So we're stuck with a team of Unnatural-born-killers.

 

[Runner77]

I made the Wheel of Excuses when we had a real rivalry with Boston and their team was full of turds like Lucic. Most of those dudes are gone now, and their current crop is neither big nor unusually dirty. I don't really hate them that much anymore; in fact, I even like some of their players. There's no hate in predicting this is the tail-end of their era that pivoted around a core of over-30 players, most of whom are likely on the way down. I said the same about San Jose and a few other teams.

Would you consider making a new wheel for the Leafs that we could use next game?

Only one twist: let us all contribute excuse suggestions and you’ll pick the best ones.

 

[Lshap]

Would you consider making a new wheel for the Leafs that we could use next game?

Only one twist: let us all contribute excuse suggestions and you’ll pick the best ones.

Deal. Make 'em funny!

 

[Runner77]

Deal. Make 'em funny!

Ha, great! Can you give us a thread for us to make our submissions please?

 

[Saundies]

Weber and Mete are a trainwreck right now. Both of them. Neither one is dragging the other down, they're both just bad separately and combine to be a whirlwind of crap.

Julien took about 50-60 games last year to turn back into "muh vets, let's sit tha kids" and he's taken that strategy early into this season. I remember being pissed off last year when KK was sitting for Weal and Thompson and was told on here "it's only a game or two.. it'll be good for him." Yeah, well, Weal has literally taken his place in all facets, including PP time. Still good for him? To be randomly benched in the third, in favour of Suzuki for some reason, who literally cost us a goal himself with a dumb icing? To be called out after the game in the media?

Speaking of Weal-meister, this guy ISN'T ANY GOOD, CLAUDE. He must be the best practice player in the world because we play him on the PP, down a goal, when we need an extra attacker or an important faceoff taken on the right side and shoot outs. He is literally the David Desharnais of this group; way overused for how much talent he actually has. Any other team in the league, he's playing 4th line or sitting in the pressbox every second game (and he was doing that for a while, until we scooped him up out of the bargain bin). When we're 40 games in and this guy has like 6 goals and 15 points, I wonder if they'll actually see that he's just not very good. By then it'll probably be too late.

Sigh. The frustration of two seasons ago is already setting in and it's game 6. Last year I expected us to absolutely suck, but we bubbled out and we were at least in the race. The team surprised and fought valiantly. Watching this year, it's just becoming pure frustration again.

 

[OldCraig71]

I might have to reconsider my take that some old head GMs out there would still give a 1st for Weber. He looked absolutely done last night.

This is the problem with waiting so long to sell rapidly diminishing assets.

Marc Bergevin is the architect of all of this by the way.

 

[OldCraig71]

So much for the "slowing down isn't a concern because he was never fast" argument I have seen 1000 times on here.

Yeah but Nashville got rid of PK . They leave out the fact that Nashville got rid of Weber as well. I always get a kick out of that.