Out of Town Thread 2021: Part 4

[OldCraig71]

Are the other divisions playing a similar style of hockey like the North games have been? The North games I've seen have pretty much been shinny hockey with little to no contact.

I hope the intensity of these North games pick up the closer we get to the playoffs because this isn't really all that interesting to me anymore. Yawn..

The answer is yes. I have watched quite a few games and the intensity level is almost curling like. It's just a speed game now, the playoffs will be different but so far, it's as vanilla as it gets.

 

[Rapala]

Sergachev with 16 points in 19 games.

Would be nice to have him along with Romanov going forward for our d-core.

But apparently he's not a good defender. pfffft. Talk about a false narrative. He was just fine in the Playoffs and received accolades from his coach. It's sad to think back to the anticipation I had for his start with the Habs and at least 1 year of Markov as a mentor.

 

[sheed36]

Watching the Leafs depresses me. We keep talking about depth on the Habs the Leafs are the team with depth.

I still think the Habs are the deeper team in their bottom 6 forwards. The difference is the Leafs have some high end top offensive talent in their top 6 that can't carry them to wins and the Habs don't. That's how I see it anyway.

 

[Doc McKenna]

I still think the Habs are the deeper team in their bottom 6 forwards. The difference is the Leafs have some high end top offensive talent in their top 6 that can't carry them to wins and the Habs don't. That's how I see it anyway.

Game breaking clutch talent is overall better than depth, unless you have at least a great top line(65-70 pointers) in which case you are doing fine. Our best players might hit 55 points in a good year. That is second line numbers and our second line never does that good.

If it was 65
55
35
30

Thats would be depth, we still don't have that.

 

[sheed36]

The answer is yes. I have watched quite a few games and the intensity level is almost curling like. It's just a speed game now, the playoffs will be different but so far, it's as vanilla as it gets.

I haven't watched many games outside of the North but this style of hockey isn't very entertaining to me. I figured with teams playing the same few teams so many times the meanness and intensity would be crazy but it's been anything but. Even the battle of Alberta which is probably the only rivalry in the North as been like the ice capades.

I hope the meanness and intensity picks up nearer the playoffs to keep me from checking out.

 

[Rapala]

I still think the Habs are the deeper team in their bottom 6 forwards. The difference is the Leafs have some high end top offensive talent in their top 6 that can't carry them to wins and the Habs don't. That's how I see it anyway.

I don't agree. Spezza has been very very good for them on a fourth line. We only dream of having hands like that on our fourth. The Hyman Engvall and Mikheyev line are super annoying to play against fast fast fast. Simmonds Boyd and Barabanov not to mention Scott Sabourin. I don't think it's close.

 

[Max2]

Carey Price needs to take a few goalie lessons from Jack Campbell.

 

[Rapala]

Carey Price needs to take a few goalie lessons from Jack Campbell.

Standing up with his stick on the ice is where I'd start.

 

[Max2]

Standing up with his stick on the ice is where I'd start.

for sure....the dude sucks

 

[sheed36]

I don't agree. Spezza has been very very good for them on a fourth line. We only dream of having hands like that on our fourth. The Hyman Engvall and Mikheyev line are super annoying to play against fast fast fast. Simmonds Boyd and Barabanov not to mention Scott Sabourin. I don't think it's close.

And that's fine. What's making it look far worse right now is that the Habs as a team have fallen flat on their faces while the Leafs have been steamrolling the rest of the North of late. The first 10 games of the season the Habs bottom 6 looked far better than what they do now.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Sergachev with 16 points in 19 games.

Would be nice to have him along with Romanov going forward for our d-core.

The usual assinine response is that he won't be a Norris winner

Would still be by far our best left D

 

[Rapala]

And that's fine. What's making it look far worse right now is that the Habs as a team have fallen flat on their faces while the Leafs have been steamrolling the rest of the North of late. The first 10 games of the season the Habs bottom 6 looked far better than what they do now.

I am very much afraid it was all smoke and mirrors.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

Sergachev with 16 points in 19 games.

Would be nice to have him along with Romanov going forward for our d-core.

22 years old is usually when the gold comes out of a Dman or not. And it's coming out of Sergachev, and he has to share with Hedman to boot.

 

[OldCraig71]

I haven't watched many games outside of the North but this style of hockey isn't very entertaining to me. I figured with teams playing the same few teams so many times the meanness and intensity would be crazy but it's been anything but. Even the battle of Alberta which is probably the only rivalry in the North as been like the ice capades.

I hope the meanness and intensity picks up nearer the playoffs to keep me from checking out.

It's pretty tough to have the intensity with empty arenas, it has to feel really weird for them. The game has also changed over the last few years, the league is trying everything possible to create goal-scoring. We are seeing officials that call everything, some nights the penalty calls are ridiculous and players are aware of it and it takes intensity out of the games as well.

 

[HabsMD97]

leafs win a game 4-0 with their hart trophy level player on the sidelines while the habs are...well the habs

 

[Rapala]

It's pretty tough to have the intensity with empty arenas, it has to feel really weird for them. The game has also changed over the last few years, the league is trying everything possible to create goal-scoring. We are seeing officials that call everything, some nights the penalty calls are ridiculous and players are aware of it and it takes intensity out of the games as well.

True very few players have that inborn competitiveness that will supersede the lack of a normal environment. I never had a problem when I played. I could get up for a game of tiddlywinks.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

But apparently he's not a good defender. pfffft. Talk about a false narrative. He was just fine in the Playoffs and received accolades from his coach. It's sad to think back to the anticipation I had for his start with the Habs and at least 1 year of Markov as a mentor.

Defensemen are not pre-made. They need to develop both physically, mentally, cerebrally.

The ones that have an elite career are usually not going to dominate or even play in the NHL from 18-20 years of age. Early bloomers like Del Zotto or Tyler Myers wind up underwhelming. But the monsters that have ravaged the league, both past and present, all broke out at 21-22 years old, having finally grown into their body and acclimated to the NHL speed and "tricks of the trade".

 

[CheldishGamibno]

leafs win a game 4-0 with their hart trophy level player on the sidelines while the habs are...well the habs

I'm getting more of more afraid that this year may be theirs

 

[HabsMD97]

I'm getting more of more afraid that this year may be theirs

if the leafs win the cup, i will have to stop watching hockey. They have the easiest path towards the final four.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

I'm getting more of more afraid that this year may be theirs

Lol.. they'll get destroyed outside the division having been lulled into a false sense of superiority, getting too used to attack weak defenses.

 

[CheldishGamibno]

Lol.. they'll get destroyed outside the division having been lulled into a false sense of superiority, getting too used to attack weak defenses.

Not sure about this year, Brodie is a huge upgrade over Barrie and Thornton + Spezza still performing well, this is serious veteran presence. This year they clearly have improved. I DO hope I'm wrong though!

 

[Fisticuffer]

I haven't watched many games outside of the North but this style of hockey isn't very entertaining to me. I figured with teams playing the same few teams so many times the meanness and intensity would be crazy but it's been anything but. Even the battle of Alberta which is probably the only rivalry in the North as been like the ice capades.

I hope the meanness and intensity picks up nearer the playoffs to keep me from checking out.

I think there are just so many meetings in a compressed schedule that it’s having the opposite effect.

 

[Adam Michaels]

 

[MasterDecoy]

if the leafs win the cup, i will have to stop watching hockey. They have the easiest path towards the final four.

They’ve stumbled into a division with a bunch of middling and rebuilding teams. Lucky them

 

[Wats]

if the leafs win the cup, i will have to stop watching hockey. They have the easiest path towards the final four.

If there ever was a year for them to go all in, this is it. None of the other teams in the division come close (as much as some salty fans might hate to admit).

The teams that usually can out them might not make the final 4. Kucherov out, who knows whether Tampa will be 100%. Shame Habs tanking it, in theory they could be one of those teams that give them trouble if it wasn't for bad D/G.