Pre-Game Talk: McDrai's vs Stanley Cup Fav's Saturday @ 5pm

[ujju2]

Man some of the folks on the Habs board are completely out to lunch... I really hope we put them in their place tomorrow.

 

[ujju2]

Don't really understand the hype with MTL... additions of Anderson and Toffoli are supposed to make them contenders?? Lol

McDavid and Drai going to feast

I think the hype is the additions plus the fact that their young centres played well in the playoffs. If Suzuki and Danault can keep it up they're probably the deepest team in our division, but without the high-end firepower of us or Toronto for example. All of the teams in our division except Ottawa are pretty competitive in their own ways. Montreal's strength is depth at forward, defence, and a good goalie.

That being said, I do believe we are the best team in our division and I fully expect to crush the Habs tomorrow

 

[bone]

Didn’t we lose to Ottawa twice last season? I think we struggled against Red Wings and Buffalo too.

Only played them once and lost during the prolonged slump. I think we've been splitting with them the last couple years. A big loss I remember two years ago was Anderson stoning us after finding out about his wife. Most of us couldn't even be mad about losing to a poor team that night.

 

[ujju2]

I see things like this:
Tier 1: Calgary Edmonton Toronto
Tier 2: Vancouver Montreal Winnipeg
Tier 3: Ottawa

That said, no game is a gimme. We have already lost to a tier 2 team!

Super interesting. I would switch Vancouver and Calgary, I simply like Vancouver's team much, much more than the Flames (bias aside).

 

[bone]

I think the hype is the additions plus the fact that their young centres played well in the playoffs. If Suzuki and Danault can keep it up they're probably the deepest team in our division, but without the high-end firepower of us or Toronto for example. All of the teams in our division except Ottawa are pretty competitive in their own ways. Montreal's strength is depth at forward, defence, and a good goalie.

That being said, I do believe we are the best team in our division and I fully expect to crush the Habs tomorrow

I've long been a critic of the hype of Montreal, but looking closer at their lineup, they are built a bit like early Vegas where they don't really have a star, but don't have many real boat anchors and they are backed up by goaltending that can win games on their own. They've just been inconsistent the last couple years, if the new additions help them play to their potential more often than not they'll be in the race, I just can't buy the hype about winning the division.

 

[ujju2]

I've long been a critic of the hype of Montreal, but looking closer at their lineup, they are built a bit like early Vegas where they don't really have a star, but don't have many real boat anchors and they are backed up by goaltending that can win games on their own. They've just been inconsistent the last couple years, if the new additions help them play to their potential more often than not they'll be in the race, I just can't buy the hype about winning the division.

Yeah this is exactly how I feel. I can't see them winning the division at all. I honestly don't even know if they'll make the playoffs, just because there are so many decent teams in our division. They're right in the mix. But I do think if their centres can hold their own that they're the deepest team in our division and significantly better then they have been in past years. Early Vegas is a good comparison.

 

[bone]

Yeah this is exactly how I feel. I can't see them winning the division at all. I honestly don't even know if they'll make the playoffs, just because there are so many decent teams in our division. They're right in the mix. But I do think if their centres can hold their own that they're the deepest team in our division and significantly better then they have been in past years. Early Vegas is a good comparison.

A wild card with them is that they have 14 picks in next years draft including 6 in the first three rounds. If they are in the hunt at the deadline, they are in a position of strength to add guys for the final drive to the playoffs and beyond.

 

[ujju2]

A wild card with them is that they have 14 picks in next years draft including 6 in the first three rounds. If they are in the hunt at the deadline, they are in a position of strength to add guys for the final drive to the playoffs and beyond.

Wow didn't realize that. I guess either they're really lucky or Bergevin isn't the idiot I and many others thought he is... That team is shaping up well.

 

[DropTheGloves]

Early Vegas is a good comparison.

Early Vegas had a 40-goal center though plus a group that had unreal chemistry. Montreal looked okay against T.O. but it's wayyyy too early to start comparing them to a Cup finalist. If they can beat us in regulation I'll maybe change my tune a bit but at the end of the day they still lost to a team with Joe Thornton and Jimmy Vesey in the top six.

 

[ujju2]

Early Vegas had a 40-goal center though plus a group that had unreal chemistry. Montreal looked okay against T.O. but it's wayyyy too early to start comparing them to a Cup finalist. If they can beat us in regulation I'll maybe change my tune a bit but at the end of the day they still lost to a team with Joe Thornton and Jimmy Vesey in the top six.

Of course I'm not saying they're a cup finalist, I even said I'm unsure if they'll make the playoffs. I'm just saying I think the team is built in a similar way.

 

[Drai Fi]

I was reading over the Habs GDT and I really don’t understand why when criticizing our team other fans go straight to our goaltending and the idea that we’re a 2 man team, when our most obvious hole is our defence. Kosko is more than fine and our forward depth is the best it’s been in years. We have 2 legitimate top 6 lines (maybe even first lines) and a 3rd line that we have a decent amount of players we can plug into. Our D is questionable but we just need Koskinen to play like he did last year and Smith to tread water and we should be a playoff team. I don’t see no reason why not. A lot of people seem to forget we were a good team last year.

 

[Cypress]

I was reading over the Habs GDT and I really don’t understand why when criticizing our team other fans go straight to our goaltending and the idea that we’re a 2 man team, when our most obvious hole is our defence. Kosko is more than fine and our forward depth is the best it’s been in years. We have 2 legitimate top 6 lines (maybe even first lines) and a 3rd line that we have a decent amount of players we can plug into. Our D is questionable but we just need Koskinen to play like he did last year and Smith to tread water and we should be a playoff team. I don’t see no reason why not. A lot of people seem to forget we were a good team last year.

Because they don't know anything about the team.

 

[mcdingdong]

I was reading over the Habs GDT and I really don’t understand why when criticizing our team other fans go straight to our goaltending and the idea that we’re a 2 man team, when our most obvious hole is our defence. Kosko is more than fine and our forward depth is the best it’s been in years. We have 2 legitimate top 6 lines (maybe even first lines) and a 3rd line that we have a decent amount of players we can plug into. Our D is questionable but we just need Koskinen to play like he did last year and Smith to tread water and we should be a playoff team. I don’t see no reason why not. A lot of people seem to forget we were a good team last year.

I checked it out too, and a staggering proportion of posters there seem to believe that McDavid and Drai are still stapled together every shift. Bedtime is pretty early around Montreal I guess.

 

[yukoner88]

They only one I'm concerned about is Anderson but once Kassian steps up, he will back down.

Your avatar made me do double take lol

 

[bone]

Early Vegas had a 40-goal center though plus a group that had unreal chemistry. Montreal looked okay against T.O. but it's wayyyy too early to start comparing them to a Cup finalist. If they can beat us in regulation I'll maybe change my tune a bit but at the end of the day they still lost to a team with Joe Thornton and Jimmy Vesey in the top six.

Before Game 1 of that season, would anyone have thought those same guys would have produced the way they did (Karlsson had 6 goals the previous year). We knew a lot of the players were decent, but not that good.

By all means, I don't think they are a cup contender, just well balanced. If they gel and have some chemistry and get rid of their prolonged slumps that happened the last couple years, they are a legit playoff contender, but I definitely don't think the Division champ hype is warranted.

 

[Stoneman89]

Few occurrences I've been noticing the past couple of games.
Nurse and Bear keep losing the puck or fanning on passes with very little pressure on them. Hope it's just some rust they need to work off.

I've noticed that as well. Nurse has been doing it for a while, but maybe Bear has caught that virus from playing with him.

 

[FlameChampion]

Don't really understand the hype with MTL... additions of Anderson and Toffoli are supposed to make them contenders?? Lol

McDavid and Drai going to feast

I predicted Montreal to finish 5th but think they are a wild card. Anderson did look really good. So did Suzuki and Romanov. McDavid and Draisaitl should feast on them but Sometimes it feels like Edmonton has trouble getting up for the Montreals, Ottawas.

 

[FlameChampion]

I was reading over the Habs GDT and I really don’t understand why when criticizing our team other fans go straight to our goaltending and the idea that we’re a 2 man team, when our most obvious hole is our defence. Kosko is more than fine and our forward depth is the best it’s been in years. We have 2 legitimate top 6 lines (maybe even first lines) and a 3rd line that we have a decent amount of players we can plug into. Our D is questionable but we just need Koskinen to play like he did last year and Smith to tread water and we should be a playoff team. I don’t see no reason why not. A lot of people seem to forget we were a good team last year.

At this point Koskinen is underated. He had a solid year last year. He gets treated like hes a bottom 5 goalie in the league where he’s probably closer to 10-15 best. He had the same save percentage as Vasi last year. He’s arguably the second best goalie in the north division. I don’t think a lot of people outside of fans have a good grasp on the Oilers. I am sure thats the case for most teams but it really seems true for the Oilers.

 

[Drai Fi]

I checked it out too, and a staggering proportion of posters there seem to believe that McDavid and Drai are still stapled together every shift. Bedtime is pretty early around Montreal I guess.

People in the mains somehow criticized Drai for having a 4 assist game because he plays with McDavid? It’s so clear that they don’t watch the games but it certainly doesn’t stop them from voicing their uneducated opinions. It’ll make it all the sweeter when we make the playoffs again this year. At least I hope so.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

Habs and Rangers are like the Hurricanes from a few years ago. People see the potential of the group's young players and rather than let them develop, already assume they'll all be good right awaym

 

[Messrules11]

I think we’ll win but anyone that hopes we face Price is about as stupid as Habs fans that think McD and Draisaitl play on the same line.

 

[FlameChampion]

I was reading over the Habs GDT and I really don’t understand why when criticizing our team other fans go straight to our goaltending and the idea that we’re a 2 man team, when our most obvious hole is our defence. Kosko is more than fine and our forward depth is the best it’s been in years. We have 2 legitimate top 6 lines (maybe even first lines) and a 3rd line that we have a decent amount of players we can plug into. Our D is questionable but we just need Koskinen to play like he did last year and Smith to tread water and we should be a playoff team. I don’t see no reason why not. A lot of people seem to forget we were a good team last year.

I was reading Vancouvers GDT and it was pretty similar. RNH got some credit but very little and Yamamoto wasn’t even a mention. I hope Kahun and Puljujarvi have good seasons to shut up others a bit more.

 

[Snipes45]

I can't figure out how any of them watched the game last night like they said and came to the conclusion that Koskinen is terrible.

Truth be told I don't know how anyone could come to that conclusion based on his entire body of work. He might not be a world beater but he has to at least be average, which is still miles ahead of terrible.

The general human population does not think for themselves or research thing. It's all parroting and water cooler talk. Lazyness. It's just how most people are. It's like those people who always say, "Ohhhh, I don't want to eat there or go there, I heard it sucks". Without trying it for themselves.

 

[OfCorsiDid]

I was reading Vancouvers GDT and it was pretty similar. RNH got some credit but very little and Yamamoto wasn’t even a mention. I hope Kahun and Puljujarvi have good seasons to shut up others a bit more.

Yamamoto is going to fly under the radar similar to Draisaitl. Then he’s gonna have a breakout year and everyone will have to find another reason to doubt us.

 

[OfCorsiDid]

I was reading over the Habs GDT and I really don’t understand why when criticizing our team other fans go straight to our goaltending and the idea that we’re a 2 man team, when our most obvious hole is our defence. Kosko is more than fine and our forward depth is the best it’s been in years. We have 2 legitimate top 6 lines (maybe even first lines) and a 3rd line that we have a decent amount of players we can plug into. Our D is questionable but we just need Koskinen to play like he did last year and Smith to tread water and we should be a playoff team. I don’t see no reason why not. A lot of people seem to forget we were a good team last year.