Post-Game Talk: McElhinney 2 - Habs 1

[Schwang]

If we were losing every game like we did versus NJ there would be a problem, but even in their last 3 losses they've came back and had chances to win or even grab a point. The biggest issue this team has had all year has been defensively, adding Weber and not having Benn on the top pair helped a lot last night and they played one of their better defensive games all year. Also, Kulak has been a pleasant surprise and looked good with Petry.

The offence has dried up the last few games, maybe the PP will finally improve with Weber now back and getting Byron back will help as well.

It’s tough to blame the offence though when you get 48 shots (and not Pacioretty shots) . There were fantastic scoring chances. The goalie was totally in the zone. Price played well too. I think all 3 goals in the game were deflections or tips.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Wrong thread. I thought someone was going to call me out for my affectionate Danault nickname which is no longer relevant: the one goal wonder, or Phillip one goal.

I feel like I did it with my mind.

What we saw last night was the event horizon

 

[De Montreal]

his 4 points in 20 games and -8 tells me that hes not that good

yeah, he's not thar good and he struggle playing top 6, but I think he's decent on the bottom lines with some PP time. But I totally see him getting traded this year

 

[1909]

yeah, he's not thar good and he struggle playing top 6, but I think he's decent on the bottom lines with some PP time. But I totally see him getting traded this year

When Byron and Armia will be back, Habs will have hard decisions to make about Hudon, Peca and Scherbak.

 

[OnTheRun]

True true.....and the graphs were right, it just fits the narrative here that if the data is to show management doing the right thing, it won’t be posted.

We had cap friendly contracts a few years back and a poor corsi and the corsi graphs were shoved down our throats.

Now that the graphs would show us as a good team, but the focus is the Shaw, Price and Alzner contracts.

Don’t get me wrong, some of those contracts are bad, but why the shift in focus from graphs to contracts?? (That’s à rhetorical question btw)

Our play is dominating and that should be the focus......I honestly don’t care about results right now, or bad contracts.

The corsi issue was one of the easiest thing to fix, yet it took them 4 f***ing years to figure it out. The breakout system (the good ol Hail Mary pass) was the driving force behind theirs poor numbers. It was obvious, it was easy to fix and it dragged on and on and on... So yeah no one got a round applause when it was finally fixed.

"Doing the right thing" doesn't happen in a vacuum, Firing Lefebvre is doing the right thing, yet you don't get a thumb up when it took you 6 years and 2 extensions to figure that one out. And yes, before you ask hiring Bouchard and Ducharme were good things but it doesn't give you back the time you wasted by not fixing problems that were obvious.

So why the focus change from X to Y? Because it take forever to fix the simplest thing and by the time something get fixed one or two new problems surfaced, so the team find itself in a constant state of unresolved issues and the focus will automatically shift toward what is preventing the team to complete its most important objective, which is being a real contender.

 

[Adriatic]

Dynamite game last night. Great game by the boys, insane 3rd period. With a few tweaks future looks bright.

 

[jaffy27]

The corsi issue was one of the easiest thing to fix, yet it took them 4 ****ing years to figure it out. The breakout system (the good ol Hail Mary pass) was the driving force behind theirs poor numbers. It was obvious, it was easy to fix and it dragged on and on and on... So yeah no one got a round applause when it was finally fixed.

"Doing the right thing" doesn't happen in a vacuum, Firing Lefebvre is doing the right thing, yet you don't get a thumb up when it took you 6 years and 2 extensions to figure that one out. And yes, before you ask hiring Bouchard and Ducharme were good things but it doesn't give you back the time you wasted by not fixing problems that were obvious.

So why the focus change from X to Y? Because it take forever to fix the simplest thing and by the time something get fixed one or two new problems surfaced, so the team find itself in a constant state of unresolved issues and the focus will automatically shift toward what is preventing the team to complete its most important objective, which is being a real contender.

It’s easy to fix once you have the right players. Playing high octane hockey with Plekanec and DD centering your first 2 lines is a recipe for disaster.

Trading for players is not easy when you have no assets to give. Every asset we had had to be used in our lineup cause we were poorly constructed for years. Only now we see an abundance of talent at certain positions that if we traded them, we have someone who can replace them.

Then there’s Therrien....we fire him....good....now who??

There really wasn’t much available out there....the two coaches who were available are both out of the nhl now....the real issue here was the self imposed criteria they set out for themselves in regards to language. Major mistake in my opinion.

As for f*** Face down in Laval.....ya, he should’ve been fired a while back, that was a major mistake....but seems he’s redeemed himself with the best one out there (Bouchard)

 

[Doc McKenna]

It's very possible also that by our next game we are in the bottom of the conference.

You've gotta think Pittsburgh gets it back as Washington has finally found their groove.

Games in hand aren't sure things but no one is too far behind. The only team I would wager as terrible all year is LA.

 

[admiralcadillac]

It’s easy to fix once you have the right players. Playing high octane hockey with Plekanec and DD centering your first 2 lines is a recipe for disaster.

Trading for players is not easy when you have no assets to give. Every asset we had had to be used in our lineup cause we were poorly constructed for years. Only now we see an abundance of talent at certain positions that if we traded them, we have someone who can replace them.

Then there’s Therrien....we fire him....good....now who??

There really wasn’t much available out there....the two coaches who were available are both out of the nhl now....the real issue here was the self imposed criteria they set out for themselves in regards to language. Major mistake in my opinion.

As for **** Face down in Laval.....ya, he should’ve been fired a while back, that was a major mistake....but seems he’s redeemed himself with the best one out there (Bouchard)

Considering how terrible Laval is yet again this year maybe shitface wasn't the only issue

 

[Tyson]

I missed the game due to work but the numbers say that the Habs deserved better. Efforts like that will result in many more wins than losses in the long run

 

[Habby4Life]

When Byron and Armia will be back, Habs will have hard decisions to make about Hudon, Peca and Scherbak.

Simple, either trade or waive Hudon and Sherbak.

 

[JianYang]

I missed the game due to work but the numbers say that the Habs deserved better. Efforts like that will result in many more wins than losses in the long run

They had some good games early last year too, but they had nothing to show for them, and eventually, their spirit was crushed. From that point, they were a chore to watch.

I'll be interested to see how this team repsonds if they keep playing hard, and have no results for it this year. We could be back to the soul crushing hockey from last year. So far, the pride and spirit is still there, though.

 

[Rapala]

Considering how terrible Laval is yet again this year maybe ****face wasn't the only issue

No he certainly didn't help though. Plenty of posters and posts questioning the talent pool for years now.

 

[Rapala]

I missed the game due to work but the numbers say that the Habs deserved better. Efforts like that will result in many more wins than losses in the long run

Yeah great effort but once again getting down early. Two goals I hated in our last two games were inoffensive tips from the high slot both of which Price never saw. We have to find a way to stop allowing the opposition to take away his eyes. He struggles enough with them lately.

 

[admiralcadillac]

No he certainly didn't help though. Plenty of posters and posts questioning the talent pool for years now.

Yup, I think we take it out on coaches too often when they really have to work with what's there. It's shocking how well Julien made the team play this year to be honest, the personnel just isn't there.

That being said, anyone with Lefebvre's record of failure needed to move on.

 

[Hins77]

I only watch maybe 5 min of this game ok. But is going to break montreal is the lack of skills. I saw many scoring and they miss the net. To much time. Thats ridiculous

 

[Kriss E]

Getting away from the semantics of what's high end versus elite; I'd like to see what a top 9 full to the brim of players as good as Gallagher and Tatar can do. I have skinner in that category, Perron and his 67 points on the lower end, and Duclair as someone who could become one one day.

They wouldn't do much of anything without being lead by high end players and with the insulting excuse of a D group we have.

 

[Kriss E]

Waddell is on record saying he talked to every single team in the league and the Buffalo offer was the best one. Bergevin didn't try to top.


Hurricanes trade Jeff Skinner to Sabres

"
As for the Hurricanes, their desire to move Skinner has been no secret. General manager Don Waddell admitted he was getting calls on Skinner in mid-June, and a few weeks earlier The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported that the Canes were seeking a first-round pick and a prospect in exchange for Skinner. It appears Waddell was unable to get the return he originally wanted.
"However, with Jeff becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer, this was the right time for us to move on, and to provide Jeff with a fresh start in Buffalo," Waddell said in the team's announcement. "We talked to every team in the league over the past four months, and ultimately the Sabres were the team that provided us with the best value in return, including three picks and a prospect we like in Cliff Pu." "


Easy why you give up a 4th for Sheary - because 4th's only 8% of the time pan out and as I stated if you have depth at forward you can trade for a d.

Perron wanted to come here last time he was a UFA, but MB said no. He would increase his celebrity status across Quebec and have more post-career options, as a member of the Canadiens Alumni.

And Duclair wanted to come here but a MB never submitted him even the most minimum of the minimum offers, which he signed for in Columbus.

1- It doesn't mean Skinner would actually have accepted to come here, and giving up a Poehling+ for an upcoming UFA when we are in a rebuild mode seems quite stupid.
2- Who cares..Sheary and Duclair..they are bottom 6 guys..we don't need them, we are rebuilding, we have plenty of kids to try. He got Armia and Peca. Like them or not, but getting adding those guys to our group made no sense.
3- I don't buy that Perron wanted to come here but I wanted no part of him anyways. He was for sure going to drop his play and signing him at 30, for a rebuild team, doesn't make much sense.

The Habs are closer to being a bottom placed team than anything else. Getting the guys you mentioned and moving picks for mediocre guys makes no sense. Maybe in a couple of years, but this past summer?..No.

 

[ECWHSWI]

It’s easy to fix once you have the right players. Playing high octane hockey with Plekanec and DD centering your first 2 lines is a recipe for disaster.

Trading for players is not easy when you have no assets to give. Every asset we had had to be used in our lineup cause we were poorly constructed for years. Only now we see an abundance of talent at certain positions that if we traded them, we have someone who can replace them.

Then there’s Therrien....we fire him....good....now who??

There really wasn’t much available out there....the two coaches who were available are both out of the nhl now....the real issue here was the self imposed criteria they set out for themselves in regards to language. Major mistake in my opinion.

As for **** Face down in Laval.....ya, he should’ve been fired a while back, that was a major mistake....but seems he’s redeemed himself with the best one out there (Bouchard)

in nets ? not really
on LD ? lol
RD maybe ? enough to build a nice RD side, no extra though
at C ? yeah sure, Julien plays Dnault as 2nd C just for giggle
at LW/RW ? sure, when everyone's back... but then, who will be available Lehkonen ? Armia ? (not Armia, he does all the invisible things a coach like CJ loves)

 

[Cole Caulifield]

What's truly sad atm is that we have decided to move away from the successful offense first style which saw us win more games than we lost.... in order to try and save Price and Niemi.... Still doesn't provide more wins and it kills the entertainment value. Good job coaching staff. Habs management will never learn.

 

[David Suzuki]

What's truly sad atm is that we have decided to move away from the successful offense first style which saw us win more games than we lost.... in order to try and save Price and Niemi.... Still doesn't provide more wins and it kills the entertainment value. Good job coaching staff. Habs management will never learn.

Uhhh I'm not sure that's true. They had 48 shots last night and a lot of good scoring chances.

 

[Tuggy]

What's truly sad atm is that we have decided to move away from the successful offense first style which saw us win more games than we lost.... in order to try and save Price and Niemi.... Still doesn't provide more wins and it kills the entertainment value. Good job coaching staff. Habs management will never learn.

What game did you watch last night?

 

[Cole Caulifield]

Uhhh I'm not sure that's true. They had 48 shots last night and a lot of good scoring chances.

What game did you watch last night?

Just look at Danault's comments last game...



Interviewer : "You've tightened up the D side of the game over the past 3 games, do you think this is going in the right direction ?"

"We learned a lot from our defensive system, and we pay more attention to details defensively, and we are succeeding in getting closer games and this is what we must do. We're headed in the right direction".

"We're happy with the defensive system we got"


WRONG! f*** that shit.

Also it's not just last game, it's ever since we went out west.

 

[admiralcadillac]

Just look at Danault's comments last game...



Interviewer : "You've tightened up the D side of the game over the past 3 games, do you think this is going in the right direction ?"

"We learned a lot from our defensive system, and we pay more attention to details defensively, and we are succeeding in getting closer games and this is what we must do. We're headed in the right direction".

"We're happy with the defensive system we got"


WRONG! **** that ****.

Also it's not just last game, it's ever since we went out west.

Their D was noticeably better against Carolina than the prior games. Carolina regularly outshoots opponents and yesterday they had maybe one or two good scoring chances all game and scored on deflections. It was a really dominating performance most of the game for the habs.

 

[jaffy27]

Simple, either trade or waive Hudon and Sherbak.

That’s where I’m at....and I like both players