Post-Game Talk: Habs shut out by Oilers, first losing streak.

[CrAzYNiNe]

It's actually 4-4-1 without the Vancouver's game......and it's still where this team should be.
You seems to think that we are winning/contending team with a new coach, and you are dead wrong about that.

I had hopped that the way they played out west could continue. I never for one ever thought a team built by MB and coached by CJ could be a contending team. I was pleasantly surprised, or relieved, to see Romanov play the way he has. I am definitely enjoying Anderson more than Domi. But even when things change, the atmosphere of this franchise is one that reeks of failure. I want the Habs to win, but it appears the universe wants me to continue to hate MB and his inability to build a winning team.

 

[angusyoung]

Sometimes I find they are related to one another. We'll get better, I'd rather go through this now. This team has to work, skate, hit, engage every night to be successful. When our forecheck is high intensity, and we move our legs / skate, we give teams fits, including TO and the Flames, we just to need to execute better and do it more consistently.

I'm actually going with Clod on this one, they have to execute and work harder, including Price, but I'm confident they will and we'll make the playoffs and we'll go from there. Maybe the boys got a little caught up in reading their press clippings, I know some posters on main boards did.

Well said That sums it up pretty much,it happens. On to the next game.

 

[ArtPeur]

I don't know and I don't think we should discarded games to make a points.
It's like me saying that our numbers gets a lot better if I take the Toronto's games out.

I meant that vs Vancouver, they scored 28 goals in 5 games (5-7-5-6-5). The Habs only scored 5 goals in a game beside those once vs Edmonton and 4 goals only twice (Toronto and Calgary).

56% goals scored vs Vancouver (5 games)
16% vs Edmonton (3 games)
12% vs Toronto (2 games)
8% vs Calgary (2 games)
8% vs Toronto (2 games)

In those 5 games, they scored more goals than they did in the other 9 games.
Toffoli has scored 8 goals (and 3 assists) vs Vancouver. Only one goal (Calgary) and one assist (Edmonton) vs all the other teams

 

[swimmer77]

Weber to Danno was supreme 'cept for one minor detail.

 

[Rapala]

If Clod would pair the D properly, we wouldn't look nearly as bad...

It's very hard to do with those redundant lefties. If one of them could play the right side on a 4th pairing it might work. It's sad we had no compunction using Mete with Weber out of the gate but haven't tried it once with Romanov it's clear to me the Kid is far far better than Mete. It's like signing Edmundson has left us 2 Dmen short. A puck moving leftie and a responsible 4th line rightie. I'm really not sure what MB was thinking. We can't try Romanov with Weber because it will expose the signing for what it is a huge over-payment for a 3rd pairing defender in one of either Chiarot or Edmundson. It's hard to believe a GM who spent a career as a Dman can f*** up our D so badly going back to the Alzner in Sergachev and Markov out. But hey I guess we all need to understand that when a Drouin becomes available you can't say NO.

 

[Rapala]

Or maybe the hype was too high? Really just comes down to expectations in the end.
Can't really speak to his performance as I haven't seen him. Just looking at stats, I'd be more disappointed in Kakko who's in his second year. I'd expect more production from him.
Zadina also just has 1g in 8gp..and he's two drafts back.
I don't remember where but I had read that we shouldn't expect Laf to come in and be very productive like other rookies have done, so maybe that's why I'm not overly surprised.
It can take some time.

I mean...this...for an 18yo, is never a good idea imo.

Kid was jus drafted and they light him up like he's the biggest star in NYC. Can you imagine the pressure just that put on him? Some do well, others will get raddled.

Anyways...it's just a dozen game into a career..so let's see.

He is in the tightest division which won't help his stats.

 

[JianYang]

Yes the Oilers played well and the habs played like clumsy uninspired buffoons with no recourse.

We've seems this for a string of games now, where the habs look uninspired, so I think it's more a case of the habs looking poor than the oilers looking good. I just think the oilers caught the habs in the right place at the right time more than anything.

When you see the majority of the team struggling with their own level of play simultaneously, and not many chances being created, it's usually a recipe for a seemingly endless losing streak, and we saw a couple of those last year, which ultimately buried them in the playoff hunt.

However, I think this team has what it takes out snap out of it before it gets to that point, so that's the good news.

 

[Saxon]

It's not hard to figure this team out, we have the least amount of elite talent, if we have any it's either over the hill or developing. They need to out work, and use physicality to close the talent Gap. They stopped doing that

 

[Schwang]

Armia protects the puck very well but his top end speed is not good enough. I'd actually try Mete at center to be honest.. in certain games. Wingers take the faceoffs and let Mete fly around with the puck where he can get creative with his skating. I think he could help with exiting our zone and creating time and space for his wingers.

Only guy we got who is a puck possession beast is Petry. This is an area of concern of mine... in terms of going on a deep run

With the exception of Evans, maybe Suzuki, I wouldn't say our centers are any faster than Armia. I don't think Mete processes the offensive game quickly enough to be a forward.

 

[Schwang]

It's not hard to figure this team out, we have the least amount of elite talent, if we have any it's either over the hill or developing. They need to out work, and use physicality to close the talent Gap. They stopped doing that

The only way they're getting elite talent is by drafting it. The depth they have should actually be able to make up for that. They were playing so much more wide open hockey earlier. Its the system thats not working at this point. I think they tried to tighten things up and change certain things after the fire wagon games, and its just not working. I agree about the physicality too. Especially on D. It really hasn't happened game after game.

 

[Rapala]

Funny to say this, but it's my opinion that Jacques Martin's old system (where the unit of 5 was playing lower) would be better with this squad than Julien's

Absolutely this team needs that 5 men in every zone approach Martin had us playing in that playoff year when we took out two top tier teams. He explained it well he wanted to see 5 players in every camera shot.

 

[Rapala]

It's funny that other team's fans think our team is fast. It isn't. Aside from Evans and Byron, I can't see who's that fast up front. Drouin maybe? Anderson is fast on a straight line. But he's not a fast skater like the other two.

We had intensity, for sure. But I personally believe it's misplaced intensity. You get tired fast by playing this style. This is a team built more like the Kings of old than the Habs of old. Sort of (going to extremes here). It needs a short-pass game. Not this mumbo jumbo I'm seeing since teams have figured the Habs out.

Lehks is fast and skates miles. Too bad about his offensive shortcomings. I really thought he could bring more.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

You don't fire a coach because of 4 bad games either....

Yes, that's why I talk about the writing on the wall, because if the team doesn't pick-up pace, those 4 games will be the start of his end.

We're only playing 2/3 of a full season, so if this bad sequence goes any further, the pressure for change will be that much greater.

 

[GoodKiwi]

There's only one potential solution for the slump. We all know what it is.

 

[OldCraig71]

Yes, that's why I talk about the writing on the wall, because if the team doesn't pick-up pace, those 4 games will be the start of his end.

We're only playing 2/3 of a full season, so if this bad sequence goes any further, the pressure for change will be that much greater.

If we lose tomorrow night there will be a week between games, that will be when things start to heat up. There are only 56 games, we have spent to the cap and MB is expecting results, CJ's neck is on the line before his own and I would not be shocked to see Ducharme take over. This team looks like it lost it's soul, something is wrong.

 

[Wats]

Time to make some adjustments:

Drouin - Suzuki - Anderson (decent enough to keep. Drouin proven useless everywhere else in lineup)
Tatar - Kotkaniemi - Toffoli (move Toffoli back to RW and remove Tatar from the D-Zone heavy assignments)
Lehkonen - Danault - Gallagher (Super grind line, Lehkonen/Danault have chemistry on the PK and Gallagher usually just a one-man show)
Byron/Perry - Evans - Armia (Grind line, similar to above)

Romanov/Mete - Weber (Chiarot/Weber is way too slow. Romanov/Mete can give Weber some slack skating puck out)
Edmundson- Petry (pairing has been good enough to keep)
Chiarot - Kulak (ease up minutes on Chiarot, playing too much and is showing in quality)

 

[ahmedou]

 

[Goldenhands]

The reason why we dont fare well against Oilers and Toronto is our young center line... Suzuki and KK cant play against Mcdavid, Draisaitl or Matthews Tavares yet and Danault cant play against anyone so far this season... KK looks quite lost and tentative and we need Suzuki to play at a higher pace like he was doing earlier this season...

 

[Natey]

You’re in denial.

How am I in denial? If you legit take out a winning string of games from any team their record is going to be worse.

 

[Schwang]

Yes, that's why I talk about the writing on the wall, because if the team doesn't pick-up pace, those 4 games will be the start of his end.

We're only playing 2/3 of a full season, so if this bad sequence goes any further, the pressure for change will be that much greater.

Like I said as well, they're playing the same 5 teams, so every game is crucial. That amplifies it even more. An 8 game losing streak for example, would be a killer. MB would have no choice to make a coaching change.

 

[Deebs]

 

[jj cale]

No need to panic yet, just need to their heads screwed on straight that's all.

 

[AlexGretzchenvid]

Hockey is a business.

 

[Odie Cleghorn]

Hockey is a business.

And yet GM's are allowed to hang onto useless relic coaches and incompetent imbecile buddies while a team flounders

 

[HabsForHire]

Imagine an 8 game losing streak haha