Is this team running out of gas?

[beowulf]

Only 2 things count right now, imo.

1. Player health
2. Carey getting 43+ wins and the Vezina

Gotta peak in April/May

Not March.

Don't forget June is also in that peak if you want the Cup

 

[HabsChik*]

Seems there's still a lot of delusion in terms of what this team is.

What we saw last night is what this team would look like with an average/mediocre goalie.

This team is Price. If Price doesn't play lights out. The team will lose. If he does play lights out....the team will most likely win.

It has been like this for a while.

Oh please don't make it sound any different than any other team and their super star. The Wings have troubles contending without Datsyuk, the Pens without Crosby, etc. Just so happens the Habs superstar is a goaltender.

 

[shawdowmaker]

Seems there's still a lot of delusion in terms of what this team is.

What we saw last night is what this team would look like with an average/mediocre goalie.

This team is Price. If Price doesn't play lights out. The team will lose. If he does play lights out....the team will most likely win.

It has been like this for a while.

Is Price not part of the Team?

 

[Andy]

Oh please don't make it sound any different than any other team and their super star. The Wings have troubles contending without Datsyuk, the Pens without Crosby, etc. Just so happens the Habs superstar is a goaltender.

The Pens finished 4th overall in the league in 2011-2012 when Crosby only played 22 regular season games. 2nd most points in the East.

In 2010-2011, The wings finished 6th overall with Datsyuk only playing 56 regular season games. 3rd in the West.

The Rangers kept winning games with Lundqvist injured. They are first in the league.

Stamkos played only 37 games last season and Tampa finished 8th overall, 3rd in the east.

Just saying.

 

[JLP]

Seems there's still a lot of delusion in terms of what this team is.

What we saw last night is what this team would look like with an average/mediocre goalie.

This team is Price. If Price doesn't play lights out. The team will lose. If he does play lights out....the team will most likely win.

It has been like this for a while.

This.

Goaltender is a qualitatively different from any other superstar position, that should be obvious.

 

[DenverHabsFan]

Sure but how many teams go from Vezina-level to AHL-level when they switch goalies?

 

[LaP]

I don't see why this team would be out of gaz. This team has been playing a very conservative game for a while now.

It's not rare to see teams sure to make playoffs struggling at the end of a season. The wings are getting destroyed lately too. As for TB this is a young team and they should be removing their feet from the gaz pedal. It might cost them in the playoffs.

 

[hersky77]

There is almost zero chance this team finishes lower then 3rd. They are taking it easy, no need to get hurt in a meaningless game against the jets. Just go out there on Saturday and clinch a playoff spot.

 

[LaP]

Sure but how many teams go from Vezina-level to AHL-level when they switch goalies?

More than you think. Look at the backup goalies record. Lot of them have bad record. I don't have the time to look at who's a backup and who's a first but let's take a look at the record of goalies who played between 8 and 25 games.

Here's the ones with a loosing record (ot lost considered as a lost i did not include backups of Buffalo, Edmonton and such)

Peters (WSH) 3-5-1
Nabokov (TBL) 3-6-2
Jones (LA) 4-4-2
Kinkaid (NJD) 5-4-3
Berra (COL) 3-3-1
Tokarski (MTL) 6-6-3
Hutton (NSH) 6-5-4
Pickard (COL) 6-7-3
Stalock (SJS) 6-7-1
Montoya (FLO) 5-7-2
Backstrom (MIN) 5-7-3
Johnson (NYI) 8-8-1
Lehner (OTT) 9-12-3
Bryzgalov (ANA) 1-4-1

Here's the ones with a winning or 500 record

Greiss (PIT) 8-5-3
Svedberg (BOS) 7-5-1
Vasilevskiy (TBL) 7-4-1
Raanta (CHI) 7-4-1
Darling (CHI) 7-3
Zeep (PHI) 5-2
Gibson (ANA) 12-7
Mrazek (DET) 14-7-1
Hammond (OTT) 14-1-1

There's a fair share of backups with a losing record. But one thing is sure not a lot of teams goes from AHL with their #1 to SNHL (super NHL) with their 2nd backup like Ottawa did

Honestly Tok is 1 win away from a good record as a backup with average stats (2.81 and 910 are nothing to write home about even for a backup). I think he actually blew up twice a 2 goals lead in the 3rd this season right? It could be better but it could be worse. He should be the least of our concern right now. How many teams won a cup with their backup in the net? If Price is injured it is over doesn't really matter which backup we have in the net. My main concern right now is our inability to score 3 goals more than once a week. That's a problem even with Price in the net.

 

[Natey]

More than you think. Look at the backup goalies record. Lot of them have bad record. I don't have the time to look at who's a backup and who's a first but let's take a look at the record of goalies who played between 8 and 25 games.

Here's the ones with a loosing record (ot lost considered as a lost i did not include backups of Buffalo, Edmonton and such)

Peters (WSH) 3-5-1
Nabokov (TBL) 3-6-2
Jones (LA) 4-4-2
Kinkaid (NJD) 5-4-3
Berra (COL) 3-3-1
Tokarski (MTL) 6-6-3
Hutton (NSH) 6-5-4
Pickard (COL) 6-7-3
Stalock (SJS) 6-7-1
Montoya (FLO) 5-7-2
Backstrom (MIN) 5-7-3
Johnson (NYI) 8-8-1
Lehner (OTT) 9-12-3
Bryzgalov (ANA) 1-4-1

Here's the ones with a winning or 500 record

Greiss (PIT) 8-5-3
Svedberg (BOS) 7-5-1
Vasilevskiy (TBL) 7-4-1
Raanta (CHI) 7-4-1
Darling (CHI) 7-3
Zeep (PHI) 5-2
Gibson (ANA) 12-7
Mrazek (DET) 14-7-1
Hammond (OTT) 14-1-1

There's a fair share of backups with a losing record. But one thing is sure not a lot of teams goes from AHL with their #1 to SNHL (super NHL) with their 2nd backup like Ottawa did

Honestly Tok is 1 win away from a good record as a backup with average stats (2.81 and 910 are nothing to write home about even for a backup). I think he actually blew up twice a 2 goals lead in the 3rd this season right? It could be better but it could be worse. He should be the least of our concern right now. How many teams won a cup with their backup in the net? If Price is injured it is over doesn't really matter which backup we have in the net. My main concern right now is our inability to score 3 goals more than once a week. That's a problem even with Price in the net.

Record is not awful, but could it be that we usually can pull out points in-spite of him?

Tokarski ranks 54th in SV% and 59th in GAA.

That's just not good.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting some blowaway goalie. But something in the 45ish range, combined, would be nice.

 

[Born in 1909]

At this time of year, it is apparent that the NHL season is 10 games too long.

The top teams have little to play for at this point, other than personal stats... and fine-tunning details in their systems.

... And the occasional statement game against a rival.

Every Hab player has another gear in them...

But the same can be said for the other teams also.

 

[LaP]

Record is not awful, but could it be that we usually can pull out points in-spite of him?

Tokarski ranks 54th in SV% and 59th in GAA.

That's just not good.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting some blowaway goalie. But something in the 45ish range, combined, would be nice.

He definitely has been awful his last 11 games. In the last 11 games his GAA is 3.22 (approx), his % is 901 and his record is 3-5-3. The only reason his stats are still borderline ok is because he was goaling like Price his first 5 starts.

But still i don't see a bad backup as a really big problem. He is not supposed to goal in the playoffs anyway.

 

[HabsDieHard*]

Why do people keep acting like the Habs played so great last night?

The Jets gave up lots of low percentage shots and played possum with them, waiting for prime scoring opportunities.

Sound familiar?

You don't get to defend the job Therrein does constantly by creating a narrative that fits your agenda and then pretend it doesn't exist when it goes the other way with the opposition.

Tokarski has been subpar most of the season, and there is no back to back situation. No reason for him to play last night.

The power play, as DenverHabsFan says, is pathetic. It has been for a long time. The on ice personnel deployment is shockingly inept, as is the strategy. A competent power play and things might go different last night.

Eller, who is the type of big, fast, player you need against Winnipeg played just 10:33, he had 3 shots in that time. Desharnais played nearly 20 minutes and had just 2 shots.

Desharnais was absolutely abysmal defensively on 2 of the goals against, his floating "effort" on the 5th goal, in the immediate aftermath of the goal to make it 4-2, was one of the most pathetic thigns I've ever seen, yet he was just back out there for his next shift like nothing happened. His inept play in his own end directly caused one of the earlier goals as well.

There is no accountability on this team for certain players.

Prices' all world play, and the play of a small handful of players has carried this team.

 

[lamp9post]

A lot of the top teams have stepped off the gas lately so it's not like we've been losing ground. I think it is a natural reaction of having practically clinched a playoff spot. The good news is that the team still has 8 games to kick it back into gear, although I have to say I like what I've seen the past two games despite the losses.

 

[HabsDieHard*]

The Pens finished 4th overall in the league in 2011-2012 when Crosby only played 22 regular season games. 2nd most points in the East.

In 2010-2011, The wings finished 6th overall with Datsyuk only playing 56 regular season games. 3rd in the West.

The Rangers kept winning games with Lundqvist injured. They are first in the league.

Stamkos played only 37 games last season and Tampa finished 8th overall, 3rd in the east.

Just saying.

There are literally multiple examples every year of a top team losing a very important player for a long time and still performign well.

Alos, as many have pointed out countless times, you don't need to replace Price with no one for a catastrophic drpo off, you give him Howard/Niemi numbers on the season and things get awkwardly close to resembling a non playoff team.

As well, this Montreal Canadiens team has had arguably the best fortune/luck for ANY team in the league in the last 2 seasons for injuries.

So not only do other teams regularly have to play (and do well) without stars, but this team has pretty much not had to deal with losing one for any significant length of time.

Price missed the last 5 games of the ECF last year and a handful of games after the Olympics, and Galchenyuk missed 20 or so games last year.

Markov, Subban, Pacioretty, Plekanec---basically have had a clean bill of health since 2012/2013.

 

[Saintpatrick*]

2 out of the last 3 seasons now we've backed into the playoffs. This is nothing new. However I believe some players tanks are on empty. We'll see if they can turn it up a notch for the playoffs like they did last year. I have a bad feeling about this year's playoffs though.

 

[sandysan]

The Habs outplayed and out shot the Jets who are fighting for a playoff birth with 8 games remaining. Tokarski played like **** stopping only 17 of 22 shots. I think its time to give M Condon a game before the playoffs. I just don't see it in Tokarski.

And btw the Habs are just trying to stay healthy for the playoffs.
Watch the Rangers fizzle out in the playoffs. '
And imagine the Sens if they make it, they will be spent.

that is absolutely the exact same as rearranging the chairs on the titanic. If we have to play anyone other than price in the playoffs ( it doesnt matter who) the ship is STILL going down.

Neither Condon, Tokarski are serviceable backups. they are just mechanisms to give price a break every once in a while. but if we have to play tokarski in the playoffs, if he has a budaj-like game you might as well roll the dice and kill his confidence publically and bring up condon, because that's what we do, isnt it ?

 

[sandysan]

2 out of the last 3 seasons now we've backed into the playoffs. This is nothing new. However I believe some players tanks are on empty. We'll see if they can turn it up a notch for the playoffs like they did last year. I have a bad feeling about this year's playoffs though.

after the nashville game and last nights game, you think the players are running on fumes ? It looked to me they were running on 91-octane last night, we definately had the jump and took it to the jets. they got the goaltending, we didnt.

I'm actually liking the tempo and the play recently, I think its what we are going to need in the playoffs. even the largely ineffective PP looks a lot better even if its not producing as we would like but we had really long stretches of possession against the jets who are not terrible defensively.

and I'd rather keep playing like this and not getting any injuries.

 

[HabsDieHard*]

A whole lot of excuse making and praising of "effort" in losing results here.

 

[missthenet]

Why do people keep acting like the Habs played so great last night?

The Jets gave up lots of low percentage shots and played possum with them, waiting for prime scoring opportunities.

Sound familiar?

You don't get to defend the job Therrein does constantly by creating a narrative that fits your agenda and then pretend it doesn't exist when it goes the other way with the opposition.

Tokarski has been subpar most of the season, and there is no back to back situation. No reason for him to play last night.

The power play, as DenverHabsFan says, is pathetic. It has been for a long time. The on ice personnel deployment is shockingly inept, as is the strategy. A competent power play and things might go different last night.

Eller, who is the type of big, fast, player you need against Winnipeg played just 10:33, he had 3 shots in that time. Desharnais played nearly 20 minutes and had just 2 shots.

Desharnais was absolutely abysmal defensively on 2 of the goals against, his floating "effort" on the 5th goal, in the immediate aftermath of the goal to make it 4-2, was one of the most pathetic thigns I've ever seen, yet he was just back out there for his next shift like nothing happened. His inept play in his own end directly caused one of the earlier goals as well.

There is no accountability on this team for certain players.

Prices' all world play, and the play of a small handful of players has carried this team.

agree 100%, DD is almost always the last guy back and is the first one out of the zone. The PP continues to suck! why not try DPS in front of the goal on the PP? why not try 4 forwards? why not try anything without DD starting the PP?. Looking at the teams we would need to beat in the East and the record this year I do not feel confident beating either Tampa, Pittsburgh, Rangers or Washington in a 7 game series because of lack of scoring and I do not think Price can stand on his head for that many games. Why the habs picked up the two fourth liners from Buffalo is head scratching when we needed scoring.

 

[DangerDave]

Nah just unfortunate the last couple games. I think they outplayed their opponents the last 2 games but had some bad breaks like the Petry deflection and Tokarski having a really off night.

Overall play was excellent but sometimes you just can't catch a break.

 

[Smokey Thompson]

Not running out of gas. The team actually played well the past two games. The same coaching ineptitudes continue to handicap the team though... namely the PP formation (why the **** is Subban still on the right side on the PP?), player usage (Patch's goal production has gone out the window since being reunited with the golden midget, Galchenyuk's production and confidence has disappeared since being put on the wing), and the aspects of the system.

 

[blarneylad]

Considering I think we played two of our best games of the season the last two nights.... no.

Not everybody watches hockey. They just watch the stats.

 

[optimus2861]

Record is not awful, but could it be that we usually can pull out points in-spite of him?

Tokarski ranks 54th in SV% and 59th in GAA.

That's just not good.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting some blowaway goalie. But something in the 45ish range, combined, would be nice.

What were his numbers before last night's debacle tanked them, though? Probably right around 40-ish, I'm guessing? (Didn't he hit .917 briefly? That would be above league-average) That's a problem with small sample sizes. It only takes one bad game to ruin a backup's numbers.

We've been spoiled absolutely rotten by Price's play this year. It's unreasonable in the extreme to expect any backup goaltender to come anywhere close to Price's level. Tokarski had a bad night last night. It happens. He's been a serviceable backup goalie this season and that's all he's expected to be on this team. I severely doubt Condon or anyone else would post significantly better numbers.

 

[BLONG7]

As mentioned,staying healthy, and fixing the PP...........they are in the playoffs, so it seems they have taken their foot off the gas so to speak...April 15th is when the show starts...