Post-Game Talk: Montreal 3 Detroit 2: a forward finally scores

[ImNeverWrong]

To me Hammer was a #2, and Markov later in his career. Those guys couldn't take on full loads over an entire season but they can handle their own.
Petry is a notch below imo. His defensive game isnt strong enough.

Roman NEVER had an offensive season as a hab like the one petry is having though. So yah as I said...being strong in one area (offense) and decent in another is enough to qualify as a first pairing dude imo

 

[AlexGretzchenvid]

Team needs an all day practice on how to pass pucks and any player that does a blind back pass needs to do 200 push ups.

Yes

 

[OB5]

Look at how open Petry was

 

[Kriss E]

Roman NEVER had an offensive season as a hab like the one petry is having though. So yah as I said...being strong in one area (offense) and decent in another is enough to qualify as a first pairing dude imo

Difference is Petry is decent defensively on the mid pair. You put him on the top one and he struggles.

 

[Schwang]

Got thoroughly outplayed...but how does that go again? Skill always prevails

And how many games should the Habs have won only to get stoned by a goaltender? What goes around comes around

 

[Jack Skellington]

Drouin is frustrating but he’s fine on the team. He can be the Kessel behind the Crosby/Malkin. He can’t be a corner stone. The hard part is getting the Crosby or Malkin. Domi is good but he’s not that type of consistent threat. Hopefully Kotkaniemi can become something like that. He reminds me of a weak ass Getzlaf which would be amazing if he can gain strength.

 

[OldCraig71]

Do you notice that Drouin have his best games when he put up point on the board early in the game?
When things are going his way he seems to be the good Drouin, but when things gets though, he seems to simply go through the motions.

His game needs a lot of maturity and he's still got time to do it but i don't see him as a cornerstones of this team.....i wouldn't be afraid to trade him if it what it took to get a real top players (Like Tarasenko for example).

Since he's here, he's been given everything. 1st offensive line, 1st PP units and best linesmates possible. What i'm scared about him is how will he react if a LW pass him by and he starts losing some ice-time, some 1st PP minutes and not getting the best linesmates?

Of course, one good example of that is how he reacted in Tampa...



He was also playing with Kucherov.....he makes me think too much of Pacioretty to feel confident about him being a beast in the PO when the games gets more physical.

The problem with Drouin is that he does not do much else to help the team in a positive manner whe he is not producing, it's either that he is suprisingly good or just as equally bad. He does not kill penalties like Pacioretty does and he is not really a sniper either, he can shoot the puck but he rarely gets himself to the areas on the ice that he can score from. When he is totally off his game like I have seen at least half of the time from him, you will see him make the Scott Gomez rush where he dances to the blueline and skates into at least 3 bodies attempting to dangle through them all. If he was traded it would not be a big loss, I would have definitely kept Sergachev, an actual need.

 

[Habs Icing]

Who are you getting in return that helps us contend?

Many posters are willing to trade Tatar but keep Drouin. I would trade Drouin for a younger version of Tatar. He may not score as much but will bring more to the team. Players like Drouin just friggin bother me.

 

[ahmedou]

There's any point to be excited on those type of opponents

 

[Runner77]

Some people just don't want a contender.

Nobody would watch the news if all they had were positive stories. People enjoy controversy and lot of it surfaces when the team loses.

 

[Runner77]

This.

Sometimes he looks like a top pairing guy, other times (like vs Minnesota) like a bottom pairing guy.

Outside of Weber, Markov was the last guy we had who was a true top pairing guy, even in his last legs, his offensive and defensive acumen/proficiency were what defines top pairing, and Petry don't come close to that. (even though he's most probably one of the top-10 best skating D in the league)

Petry has a lot of brain cramps for someone with his level of experience. He's got a disturbing on/off switch -- the type that can lead to coughing up the puck on a dumb play to lose a game and then resurface with a signature goal-scoring shot in the next. His lack of consistency is what is preventing from being a first pairing D.

 

[Runner77]

I'm divided on this. Drouin frustrates the hell out of me, so part of me wants to send him to his room without supper. Plus, the perception -- rightly or wrongly -- that he's pampered in this city adds to the desire to trade his ass outta here.

But on the other hand, he's got the single most coveted quality: Talent. We poke fun at Bergevin for choosing character over talent; well, Drouin's the poster boy for talent over character. He might be the perfect test case for how a player can be mentored into becoming a star.

We've had a ton of posts about this. Questions remain the same -- is it immaturity or is it his hockey IQ? Will his puck management and decision making abilities improve or is this as good as it gets?

Who within the Habs's organization, is monitoring Drouin's shortcomings and progress? There's going to be a point where Drouin either shows a level of play consistent with his talent on a regular basis or not. And if he can't or won't do it, better to cut bait early enough so that he can be flipped for maximum value.

FWIW, he was used in the closing segment of the game yesterday when Detroit pulled their goalie. And when Drouin gained possession within the Habs's zone, he smartly got rid of the puck without causing an offside instead of attempting to score in an empty net. Unfortunately, moments like these are all too often offset by a grenade-like tendencies.

 

[Kimota]

I suspect the same is true of most NHL teams. Heck, the Bruins had 5 of their regulars Dmen actually out for games at some point. Teams have played over 40 games of hockey in 3 months, that's almost one game very 2 nights on average, in a physical sport. So ya, normal and that's why you have teams that can keep up with effort earlier in the season but as fatigue starts to kick in, talent becomes so much more important.

True but at the same time Pasternak, Marchant and Bergeron are more regular at scoring than our top guys.

 

[Kriss E]

True but at the same time Pasternak, Marchant and Bergeron are more regular at scoring than our top guys.

That's why they are ahead.

 

[Yoor]

And how many games should the Habs have won only to get stoned by a goaltender? What goes around comes around

I know...was being sarcastic.. lots of people here would say after one of those games the habs should have won just as you mention was won by the other team only because they had better skilled players and skill always prevails. We are basically saying the same thing.

 

[Megaforce]

Drouin was good. Fun to watch. Great vision on the ice, good speed, always a threat to score or set up a goal.
Glad to see Deslauriers out. Hudon was nothing special. Niemi was solid. Good to see them win again.

 

[peate]

Drouin was good. Fun to watch. Great vision on the ice, good speed, always a threat to score or set up a goal.
Glad to see Deslauriers out. Hudon was nothing special. Niemi was solid. Good to see them win again.

You're almost 100% correct.