Pre-Game Talk: Habs/Sens Tomorrow

[Nico Cauzuki]

Mete on the first d line for ottawa....

 

[Captain Mountain]

Who are the good line-mates?

Toffoli, Armia, Tatar, Anderson, Gallagher, Perry and Byron.

Most of these are small sample sizes though, since KK doesn't have large sample size line, since he's gotten no consistency at all.

 

[BLONG7]

Toffoli, Armia, Tatar, Anderson, Gallagher, Perry and Byron.

Most of these are small sample sizes though, since KK doesn't have large sample size line, since he's gotten no consistency at all.

KK first in the blender.....last out...
I think Phil is the guy using the blender!! lol Keeps himself out of the blender....
Have their been any official announcement on tonight's lineup?

 

[Captain Mountain]

KK first in the blender.....last out...
I think Phil is the guy using the blender!! lol Keeps himself out of the blender....
Have their been any official announcement on tonight's lineup?

Danault's been blended too. Everyone has. DD likes to mash that pulse button.

The one think that has spared Danault is that he's part of a line that has been one of the better ES lines for the last few seasons. But he gets good players because he guarantees minutes by being one of, if not the best shutdown D in the NHL.

 

[angusyoung]

Toffoli, Armia, Tatar, Anderson, Gallagher, Perry and Byron.

Most of these are small sample sizes though, since KK doesn't have large sample size line, since he's gotten no consistency at all.

Well you can forget about BG and Tatar while PD is still with the Habs as that line has been good for a long time,makes no sense to break that up. He has played with those other players in various combinations and some of those lines were catastrophic.

 

[OnTheRun]

What is incorrect? He never played well enough long enough to warrant getting whom BTW?

Uh yes he did. The opportunities were not given however.

he had JD and Anderson for a bit, is that not an acknowledgement of some sort?

Got 2 demoted guys. Great way to hit the ground running! The line wasn't awful or anything. They just didn't get much time to gel and get the offensive production going.

He had recently got a promotion to the top line with PD and Anderson.

Not a promotion, not an opportunity to shine either.

The dynamic KK is stuck in mostly due to the org unwillingness to commit rather than the other way around.

 

[BLONG7]

Danault's been blended too. Everyone has. DD likes to mash that pulse button.

The one think that has spared Danault is that he's part of a line that has been one of the better ES lines for the last few seasons. But he gets good players because he guarantees minutes by being one of, if not the best shutdown D in the NHL.

Agreed.......but putting offensive players with him, is a waste....as a coach in no way do I put offensive players with my best checking centre at the NHL level.

 

[malcb33]

Its a team game........maybe , just maybe they all helped each other?

Yeah, that’s kinda the point I was making…but thank you for spelling it out

 

[McGees]

Danault's been blended too. Everyone has. DD likes to mash that pulse button.

The one think that has spared Danault is that he's part of a line that has been one of the better ES lines for the last few seasons. But he gets good players because he guarantees minutes by being one of, if not the best shutdown D in the NHL.

Danault was blended for like 1 game after an absolute horrible 30 games or something

 

[Vachon23]

That's the type of game we will loose right ?

 

[WeThreeKings]

Who's against whom on the ice when this happens? Guess you'd prefer KK with Tatar and BG right?
I don't scrutinize TOI or opposition that much BTW but NS probably has more TOI and plays against more top tier players

No, that line works and its the last time both Danault and Tatar will be with the organization. But I think we know who drives that line and it isn't Danault.

 

[Tuggy]

That's the type of game we will loose right ?

Got to play in Toronto tomorrow against a rested Leafs team, so 2 points needed tonight.

 

[sandviper]

Got to play in Toronto tomorrow against a rested Leafs team, so 2 points needed tonight.

Yeah, plus Winnipeg is playing Calgary and I expect the Jets to finally snap out of their slump tonight. Winning gives us another 2 points on Calgary and the idle Canucks, and keeps us on pace with Winnipeg. That said, Calgary and Vancouver are done mostly so we need the points for that 3rd place finish.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Yeah, plus Winnipeg is playing Calgary and I expect the Jets to finally snap out of their slump tonight. Winning gives us another 2 points on Calgary and the idle Canucks, and keeps us on pace with Winnipeg. That said, Calgary and Vancouver are done mostly so we need the points for that 3rd place finish.

Gotta win so we can finish 3rd.

A Leafs series is going to be hearing about refs on both boards.

 

[Habs Icing]

This is correct, but I was specifically referencing the lines with which he spent the most of his season which. Though I guess you can make an argument for that line as well, because as you can see on the chart. He hasn't been with many lines for a long period of time, despite there being a few lines with some really good early returns.

I want to be very clear again that I do think there's an onus on the player too but the fact that you can see that he hasn't had really any steady line combinations, it's not helping anything either.

It's a chicken or egg problem. He's not producing so they're moving him. Or he's not producing because they're moving him.

 

[BLONG7]

It's a chicken or egg problem. He's not producing so they're moving him. Or he's not producing because they're moving him.

Always curious as to why some players get moved when not producing, but others don't get moved for not producing....interesting eh...it's only been going on for 3-4 years now...

 

[Captain Mountain]

Well you can forget about BG and Tatar while PD is still with the Habs as that line has been good for a long time,makes no sense to break that up. He has played with those other players in various combinations and some of those lines were catastrophic.

The ONLY lines on that chart that were "catastrophic" had Drouin or the Finnish line. If Montreal is fully healthy, it is not difficult to give KK good wingers. I'm repeating myself, but the issue has been injuries and that some of Ducharme's line-up decisions have been ... interesting.

 

[Adam Michaels]

Thomas Chabot and Josh Brown are both done for the season. So they won't be in the Sens' line-up tonight.

 

[26Mats]

Habs can clinch tomorrow (Thursday). But for them to do so:

- Habs need to win tonight
- Calgary needs to lose tonight, whether regulation or OT/SO. They face Winnipeg.
- Vancouver needs to lose tomorrow, whether regulation or OT/SO. They face Edmonton.

So if these things happen tonight and tomorrow, Habs clinch tomorrow.

What we can know tonight is if Calgary is officially eliminated from the playoffs. If Habs win and Calgary loses in any fashion, Flames are mathematically out.

But then, do we care about the Flames at this point? They're not catching up. So maybe the best thing is for Habs to win tonight and Flames to beat the Jets. That way, Habs take 3rd place.

Yeah, the maximum number of points the Canucks can get is 59. If we win tonight, we're at 59. I was thinking if we're tied with the Nucks we get in because we took the season series. But actually the tiebreaker first goes by regular or overtime wins ROW, and they can still catch us in ROW.

So, the magic number is 3 points for both Calgary and the Canucks. So, we can't clinch tonight by getting the 2 points and Calgary losing. We also need to get a point tomorrow or have the Canucks get 1 point or fewer tomorrow.

 

[AlexGretzchenvid]

Wasn't KK suppose to be a play maker? most centers are.

I’ll use my own example.

I’ve played hockey since I was 14.. I played goalie til I was 20, I switched to player and it took me a couple years to really get my skates underneath me.. I kept improving and improving and was eventually invited out to skates where ex NHL players would play.. along the way I always played better when I had players around me that were very skilled, it would boost my skills instead of having to do a lot of the work myself.. especially when you are young and progressing, playing with similar players that accompany your skills helps you grow.. playing with players that don’t suit your style doesn’t have the same positive effect.

 

[OB5]

 

[Wats]

Habs can clinch tomorrow (Thursday). But for them to do so:

- Habs need to win tonight
- Calgary needs to lose tonight, whether regulation or OT/SO. They face Winnipeg.
- Vancouver needs to lose tomorrow, whether regulation or OT/SO. They face Edmonton.

So if these things happen tonight and tomorrow, Habs clinch tomorrow.

What we can know tonight is if Calgary is officially eliminated from the playoffs. If Habs win and Calgary loses in any fashion, Flames are mathematically out.

But then, do we care about the Flames at this point? They're not catching up. So maybe the best thing is for Habs to win tonight and Flames to beat the Jets. That way, Habs take 3rd place.

Flames and Nucks have to play each other 4 times too. I'd say it's pretty impossible for Montreal to miss, only question mark is 3rd or 4th with Jets free falling.

 

[tooji]

i hope KK has a big game tonight. Put the doubters to rest for a bit

 

[Kriss E]

It's not even about that.. look.

Suzuki has had two line combos this entire year for more time than Kotkaniemi
View attachment 430041

Philip Danault with 1
View attachment 430042

Jakes Evans with 2
View attachment 430043

Then you get to Kotkaniemi and he's had one line for 13% of his ice-time. It's clear he's had more volatility than any other center on the team.
View attachment 430044

You literally can't find a player in the top 9 with more volatility in their lines. Yet you can't say its about the lines performance because you can see the 2 top lines for Kotkaniemi are all positive corsi, and they are performing at a GF/GA better than Anderson-Drouin-Suzuki, the same as Toffoli-Armia-Suzuki (in less ice time).

Again - this isn't to deflect any blame off Kotkaniemi who hasn't been good lately at all (since being moved to the wing again). But it's to underscore a bigger point here that consistency is tough for young players and when you are constantly playing with different line combinations, especially with a guy like KK who is a passer first and foremost, it's hard to get into a rhythm where you know where your line-mates are going to be and what they are going to do.

The Lars Eller spécial.

 

[Yoor]

Interesting to see Caufield and Anderson as wing mates, with Anderson on the left. When Gally and Tatar are back, many have it:

Tatar Danault Gallagher
Toffoli Suzuki Armia
Anderson KK Caufield
Staal Evans Perry

I'm not convinced Anderson's bull in a china shop game will mesh with Caufield's soft hands and make plays type of game. But what matters is how they do on the ice. I personally think Anderson is best suited for playing with Tatar and Danault, and Caufield with Gallagher and KK.

I would switch Caufield and Armia (even though Armia has been good on that line)

Tatar-Danault-Gally
Toffili-Suzuki-Caufield
Anderson-KK-Armia
Lehkonen-Evans-Perry

Staal has been pretty bad...his line with Perry and Frolik has been better-but he sits nonetheless.