Playoff Dark Horse?

[PricerStopDaPuck]

Are the Montreal Canadiens a dark horse this year?

-Re-invented Carey Price
-Subban lives for big games
-Daniel Briere a proven playoff performer
-Gallagher's grit and compete will likely rise
-Thomas Vanek adding depth through lineup
-Josh Gorges capable of a Hal Gill like performance
-Galchenyuk a relative unknown
-Travis Moen,Brandon Prust,Ryan White and Michael Bournival create a gritty 4th line capable to chip in on the score board

One of the only things that will hold us back is our poor defensive zone coverage. Do you think we could suprise other teams in a weak eastern conference? Discuss.

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[FrontierPsyCHiatrist*]

Might need to find a new username

 

[PricerStopDaPuck]

Might need to find a new username

Ugh I know. I couldn't figure it out how to change it on your phone.

 

[FrontierPsyCHiatrist*]

In all seriousness, the weak Eastern conference is going to help tremendously... For all the reasons you named I think we are a playoffs team and we know we can pretty much beat everyone in the East. The addition of Vanek convinced me that we have strong possibilities to reach the Stanley Cup final.

The only team I fear is Philly. Other than that I don't see us getting (at least) swept by any teams, which is a start.

Ugh I know. I couldn't figure it out how to change it on your phone.

You should wait a couple of weeks to see if it's worth changing it to 'galchenyuktovanek'

 

[Team_Spirit]

 

[Agnostic]

Are the Montreal Canadiens a dark horse this year?

-Re-invented Carey Price
-Subban lives for big games
-Daniel Briere a proven playoff performer
-Gallagher's grit and compete will likely rise
-Thomas Vanek adding depth through lineup
-Josh Gorges capable of a Hal Gill like performance
-Galchenyuk a relative unknown
-Travis Moen,Brandon Prust,Ryan White and Michael Bournival create a gritty 4th line capable to chip in on the score board

One of the only things that will hold us back is our poor defensive zone coverage. Do you think we could suprise other teams in a weak eastern conference? Discuss.

- Effect of Carey Price injury
- chemistry (or lack of)
- questions down the middle

 

[Scintillating10]

Tampa isn't the same without St.Louis. Letang is big loss for Pitt. At some point father time will catch up with Chara. We have as much chance as anybody else.

 

[FrontierPsyCHiatrist*]

The fact that we have 2 quaterbacks is a huge advantage that our rivals doesn't have. Our possession game (which also made Team Canada succesful at Sochi) is one of our strenght.

Tampa isn't the same without St.Louis. Letang is big loss for Pitt. At some point father time will catch up with Chara. We have as much chance as anybody else.

And Toronto has a poor defense core.

 

[PricerStopDaPuck]

In all seriousness, the weak Eastern conference is going to help tremendously... For all the reasons you named I think we are a playoffs team and we know we can pretty much beat everyone in the East. The addition of Vanek convinced me that we have strong possibilities to reach the Stanley Cup final.

The only team I fear is Philly. Other than that I don't see us getting (at least) swept by any teams, which is a start.



You should wait a couple of weeks to see if it's worth changing it to 'galchenyuktovanek'

Haha better yet add Capitals this time

 

[Teufelsdreck]

When I look at the Habs I see a playoff team, but one in the lower echelon. The best hope for advancing rests on Price, with the same help from his friends that Halak was fortunate to get in 2010. (When his friends were blunted in the ECF Halak was dead in the water.)

 

[FrontierPsyCHiatrist*]

Haha better yet add Capitals this time

gALCHENYUKtOvANEK?

 

[PricerStopDaPuck]

gALCHENYUKtOvANEK?

If it's not taken

 

[SirClintonPortis]

Not a Cup winner. Double-digit goal differential is highly correlated with Cup-winning teams.

 

[snakeye]

Eller, Bourque.

Uh to elaborate, don't count these two out. Iirc correctly, they did some damage last season.

 

[Plante]

I believe so.

We all know we can beat BOS and PIT (not saying its a sure thing), the other teams like NYR and TOR can go either way.

We can get hot, we just gotta get outta that first round, then anything is possible. I like our chances if we end up playing the Ducks in the end, other than that there would be a ton of luck involved.

 

[missthenet]

Are the Montreal Canadiens a dark horse this year?

-Re-invented Carey Price
-Subban lives for big games
-Daniel Briere a proven playoff performer
-Gallagher's grit and compete will likely rise
-Thomas Vanek adding depth through lineup
-Josh Gorges capable of a Hal Gill like performance
-Galchenyuk a relative unknown
-Travis Moen,Brandon Prust,Ryan White and Michael Bournival create a gritty 4th line capable to chip in on the score board

One of the only things that will hold us back is our poor defensive zone coverage. Do you think we could suprise other teams in a weak eastern conference? Discuss.

No, too small up front, and dman coverage is one of the worse I have ever seen. Price may give us a couple of wins but against Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Toronto, even Tampa or Philly I don't see much hope. Unless we somehow change our system and actually forcheck for 60 minutes and learn coverage and clear our zone never going to happen. We need a new coach and if anyone thought we were contenders before without Price back there keeping the habs in games the results will be much like they were on this last road trip.

 

[Be a Hab]

No, too small up front, and dman coverage is one of the worse I have ever seen. Price may give us a couple of wins but against Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Toronto, even Tampa or Philly [/B]I don't see much hope. Unless we somehow change our system and actually forcheck for 60 minutes and learn coverage and clear our zone never going to happen. We need a new coach and if anyone thought we were contenders before without Price back there keeping the habs in games the results will be much like they were on this last road trip.

Really !? These's teams are worst in there own end than Montreal. The teams that scare me are Boston Pittsburgh and NYR. ( I think the NYR are the team that improved the most at the deadline. Adding a guy like MSL is huge, especially for a team like NYR that have a hard time scoring goals. MSL makes there powerplay a hole lot better.)
The rest of the teams i beleive Montreal can /will beat in a 7 game series. We also have good depth in are line up and well.. we have Price.

 

[uiCk]

more like Dark Poney

 

[Born in 1909]

Tampa isn't the same without St.Louis. Letang is big loss for Pitt. At some point father time will catch up with Chara. We have as much chance as anybody else.

True.

Like all teams, Habs need 3 things:

1. Get hot/peak at the right moment

2. Remain injury free (yeah right)

3. Get top level goaltending

 

[Finnhabs]

True.

Like all teams, Habs need 3 things:

1. Get hot/peak at the right moment

2. Remain injury free (yeah right)

3. Get top level goaltending

Yup, anythin can happen in the best of seven series if we have those things mentioned, at least two of them. We just need to get there first and not get into any lengthy slumps.

 

[missthenet]

Really !? These's teams are worst in there own end than Montreal. The teams that scare me are Boston Pittsburgh and NYR. ( I think the NYR are the team that improved the most at the deadline. Adding a guy like MSL is huge, especially for a team like NYR that have a hard time scoring goals. MSL makes there powerplay a hole lot better.)
The rest of the teams i beleive Montreal can /will beat in a 7 game series. We also have good depth in are line up and well.. we have Price.

how many times have we beat, Philly, Tampa or Ottawa this year. How different are we this year compared to last year if we had to play Ottawa in the first round again?

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

...some one plan on releasing The Black Plague in a bunch of NHL dressing rooms??...no??...then don't plan the parade...remember, we have Therrien...

 

[Be a Hab]

how many times have we beat, Philly, Tampa or Ottawa this year. How different are we this year compared to last year if we had to play Ottawa in the first round again?

Well first off, Carey Price. Carey has elevated he's game to a different level this year.
Gallagher and Galchenyuk have progressed since last year and we aquired a guy by the name of Thomas Vanek at the deadline, someone who we didn't have last year. A nd if i'm not mistaking we didn't exactly get out played last year in the playoffs, we ran into a hot goalie. I wouldn't mind facing them again in the first round this year and get some revange !

 

[Gally11]

I'd like to see how tinordi will play this year too... He's getting pretty intimidating on D... Wonder if beaulieu will be up too since there's no cap rules in playoffs

 

[MasterDecoy]

actually i think with the east looking like a clown car, we have a fairly god chance of going to the stanley cup final and then get promptly dismantled by a western team.