Post-Game Talk: Lightning Shock Habs - Film at Eleven...

[Kriss E]

I don't share W7's opinion that Bergevin has been terrible, but he's right that Bergevin inherited a team with strong pieces in place already. Plek-Markov-Price-Max-Gallagher-Eller-PK-Beaulieu-3rd overall pick who happened to be a a big skilled center (something we've been looking to draft for almost two decades), were all there for him. That is a very good group to inherit.
Then you add in the fact he comes into a situation where the Habs went through one of their worst years, so time is on his side as the expectations are very low and the fans/media have already accepted we were in a rebuild mode, so that removes some pressure had he come in to a team that's constantly a PO bubble one.
Finally, he gets support from his GM. He can spend to the cap every single season. More than that, he can even buy out players.

So ya, Bergevin didn't come into a mess. He did make some nice moves, ridding himself of Moen (which was his mistake as he re-signed him if I recall), Bourque, Gomez and Kaberle. Bringing in Prust and changing the culture of this team. It was good.
But he messed up this year. We still are using DD as the go-to center 3 years into his tenure. That to me is just inexcusable.
Three years ago, when Bergevin came in, we were discussing the top 9. Right now, we're back to a top 5. Having a difficulty creating a top 6. Bergevin didn't do good this year.

 

[Lshap]

It's not just our defensive system. It's everything. We're just being dragged along by our talent. This coaching staff just looks like useless figurines. Can't fix the PP, can't make our team play better defensively, can't make our team perform better offensively. If Patches didn't have this insane shot where he can score without even looking, and one of the best D tandem as well as goalie in the NHL, we'd be below the Bruins right now.
The last time we played such a poorly structured system was under Carbo, who I considered one of the worst coaches I had seen (until I saw Cunneyworth, wow, he was even worse). It was just disastrous under Carbs. After getting fired, he got an opportunity to coach the U-18 Team canada and lead them to their worse performance ever if I recall correctly.
Therrien isn't as bad, at least he's good at rallying the guys, but his systems are just terrible. He's just lucky to have a bunch of guys that are so keen on winning and playing together. So they listen and follow orders, but really, we're playing such poor hockey out there.

For what it's worth, we're a better team than last night's awful 2nd period. Unfortunately, we're also a worse team than our record. Beats the hell out of me which team shows up in the playoffs. As much as we worry about the offence, last night we still managed three goals and decent stretches of good chances. That's not bad on the plus side. What killed us was the minus side -- a combination of Tampa's undeniably elite forwards and our shaky defensive system that allowed 44 shots. I expect more from our back end than our offence. Nothing Therrien can do to turn our forwards into snipers, but I agree with you that there's a whole lot he and Daigneault can do to turn that group of talented dmen into a more effective unit.

Well if Therrien was actually good at developing talent and getting the most out of his young players, maybe we could have rookies or sophomores contributing more than they have.
Therrien's idea of development is using Andrighetto with Plekanec/Sekac for a few games where he puts up a few points, then move him down to the 4th line. Have him play with guys like Bournival-Thomas-Weise-Maholtra..
Oh, and what about Bournival, seems this kid was forgotten. Showed some good things when he was called up, again, with Plekanec last year. Therrien did the same damn thing. Moved him down for no real reason, moved Bourque back up. Then, he was cast aside, and this year even more.
People can say Sekac wasn't much of a point producer, but again, Therrien used this guy in a very defensive role, and cast him aside a bit. Barely gave him a sniff at the PP. He seemed like a great fit to play along Patches too as a big body that is good at fighting in the corners and gaining possession. But nope, not tried, and then we traded him for a guy that needed to work on his conditioning..
Therrien is terrible with these youngsters. Unless he gets pure raw talent, which will always develop, he's not helping them.

I have zero confidence in Therrien. You could not find a better example out there of a coach being pulled along by his players.

For Christ' sake, in his third year, with 10 games left in the season on a fully healthy roster, he was still using David Desharnais as his freaking go-to offensive center. Last year he thought using Bouillon or Murray over PK was a smart decision. He also though dressing both these guys against the Bruins was the way to go.
It's completely ridiculous. This guy is just terrible.

I'm not a big fan of Bournival. He's a decent 4th liner, but, at least on paper, Mitchell and Flynn are better. To be fair, Therrien's given tons of time to plenty of rookies and some have worked out well. Beaulieu, Pateryn and DLR have developed nicely, although I think DLR is slightly over his head right now. Likewise, the flashes of Andrighetto and Thomas were nice, but I doubt they would carry over well to the playoffs. My biggest issue with development goes back to defence, where I'm very worried about how Tinordi was handled. A well-developed, confident Tinordi who didn't feel obliged to fight every frikkin game would've been much more valuable now than another small, untested rookie winger.

I really liked Sekac, but I'll wait another month before having an informed opinion on the trade.

As for line combinations... I don't know man... I'm hopeful Pacioretty and Plekanec will eventually stick and Therrien has some strategy he's planning to unveil in round-one. All I have is optimism.

 

[Rapala]

The playoffs once again will depend on what strategy MT decides to employ.
Last year we pulled out the old playbook with a higher tempo forecheck and force.
The problem being we hadn't played that style the entire year and made some monumental gaffes.
Fortunately the goaltending differential was sufficient enough in the first round to allow for the sweep.

I think we have the legs to play a 5 man press but we sure as hell don't practice it much.
There is no way in the world our current game plan gets us past round one IMO...

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

A shot wide or a complete flub with an open net is not a shot on goal. I've seen that a million times this year LG. I've been seeing it for 20 years. Come on LG, I used to watch Lafleur and Lemaire score live from rinkside at the Forum. I know what finishing is. Habs can't finish.

We spend way too much time in our own zone. We are constantly chasing the puck and we don't generate any offense. For the amount of shots we've taken, we've been average at putting it in the net. Finishing isn't the problem, getting chances is.

Is it just me or is this place getting worse and worse in terms of negativity even though the team is #1?

Imagine if the club had real problems...

Like I said, I've never seen a worse playing team be at number one. I've also never seen a coach of a number one team get ripped the way Therrien does.

Yes, we have real problems... we're just lucky enough to have the best goalie in the league cover them up for us.

 

[Kriss E]

For what it's worth, we're a better team than last night's awful 2nd period. Unfortunately, we're also a worse team than our record. Beats the hell out of me which team shows up in the playoffs. As much as we worry about the offence, last night we still managed three goals and decent stretches of good chances. That's not bad on the plus side. What killed us was the minus side -- a combination of Tampa's undeniably elite forwards and our shaky defensive system that allowed 44 shots. I expect more from our back end than our offence. Nothing Therrien can do to turn our forwards into snipers, but I agree with you that there's a whole lot he and Daigneault can do to turn that group of talented dmen into a more effective unit.

I don't put much wait on the record. So many things influence standings so they're a little irrelevant to me. I like to compare rosters more and have a ball park idea of where we should be.
I don't think we're a top 5 team in the NHL, but definitely top 10. However, we have the best goalie, so I can see us beat any team.

Ya, we produced 3 goals yesterday, two of them were off special teams. Yea, we're not as bad as we were yesterday, but our systems are terrible regardless.

I'm not a big fan of Bournival. He's a decent 4th liner, but, at least on paper, Mitchell and Flynn are better. To be fair, Therrien's given tons of time to plenty of rookies and some have worked out well. Beaulieu, Pateryn and DLR have developed nicely, although I think DLR is slightly over his head right now. Likewise, the flashes of Andrighetto and Thomas were nice, but I doubt they would carry over well to the playoffs. My biggest issue with development goes back to defence, where I'm very worried about how Tinordi was handled. A well-developed, confident Tinordi who didn't feel obliged to fight every frikkin game would've been much more valuable now than another small, untested rookie winger.

I'm not the biggest fan of Bournival either, but he was playing well, then removed. Seems to be a trend with Therrien. Would you like him more if he had been kept next to Plek and kept improving? Instead of being cast aside and barely seeing any action this year?? Even at the beginning of this season, after healing from his injury, he just kept Bourni in the press box for a full month.

Beaulieu was playing great last year, then he was cast aside, until the POs where Therrien was desperate and finally realized he couldn't play Bouillon-Murray.
Same happened this year. Everybody was praising Beaulieu's play and then he was scratched...
Pateryn, he did play well, and I said it was just a matter of time until Therrien tells him to stop with the hits. Yesterday he made a bad read, lead to a goal. I expect him to start hitting less and less, just like Therrien did with PK and Emelin. When that happens, we'll see how good Pateryn looks.
DLR is playing like a 4th liner, yet he was favored over Eller in a 3rd line role. Made no sense.

It's not just with the defense. Galchenyuk-Gallagher-Eller are all producing less or the same than three years ago. They are talented enough to produce more.

I really liked Sekac, but I'll wait another month before having an informed opinion on the trade.

Ya sure we can wait to see how DSP does in POs because he put up 5 goals last year. Right now though he's shown nothing and it doesn't look like Therrien is heping him improve.

As for line combinations... I don't know man... I'm hopeful Pacioretty and Plekanec will eventually stick and Therrien has some strategy he's planning to unveil in round-one. All I have is optimism.

Well, one can only hope..
I'll be the first to applaud Therrien if he gets his head out of his ass come PO time.