Playoffs: Habs vs Lightning

[PricePkPatch*]

Um. He said price was the only one that played well.

I can understand if someone reads quickly, he'd see "but Price played a bad game yesterday", and just completely miss the start of the sentence.

Wording could lease to confusion. Let's not blow this out of proportion, mkay?

 

[Habskrieg]

Um. He said price was the only one that played well.

Err, yea, I totally misread that :S
Derpness and a cold. My bad, sorry.

 

[Wats]

Let us be faire. THEIR scoring record against us hasn't exactly been stellar either.

Carey Price
34 shots against/game
1.41 GAA
0.956 SV%


By comparison, Habs averaged 26 shots/game vs Bishop.

 

[hockeyfan2k11]

I can understand if someone reads quickly, he'd see "but Price played a bad game yesterday", and just completely miss the start of the sentence.

Wording could lease to confusion. Let's not blow this out of proportion, mkay?

 

[hockeyfan2k11]

Err, yea, I totally misread that :S
Derpness and a cold. My bad, sorry.

Happens to the best of us

 

[HABSonaroll]

HABS have to be more creative when scoring on Bishop and for turnovers - no fancy cute play's like passing back to a phantom player - MAKE SURE

 

[Smokey Thompson]

HABS have to be more creative when scoring on Bishop and for turnovers - no fancy cute play's like passing back to a phantom player - MAKE SURE

I noticed Bishop has pretty average rebound control. Habs should just try to put as many shots on goal as possible and try to tap in rebounds.

Therrien's dump and chase won't work for our top 2 lines as the Bolts' defensemen are too big and will win most puck battles down low. The top 2 lines need to focus on controlled zone entries and goals off the rush, as well as strong puck possession play.

If Weise can make it back for the playoffs, we'll have good speed on the 4th line with him and Bournival and they should be able to chip in for some clutch goals.

Hopefully Eller can pick it up as well because if we win this series, it'll be with our goaltending, defence, and depth scoring.

 

[Ohashi_Jouzu*]

I noticed Bishop has pretty average rebound control. Habs should just try to put as many shots on goal as possible and try to tap in rebounds.

And when he starts "feeling it", he challenges shots a bit more, which exposes something else I consider somewhat of a weakness of his in lateral movement and ability to maintain angles on the move. He's a big goalie who uses initial positioning to make a lot of his stops (you can screen him and the puck usually still hits him), so I think the key is going to be moving the puck around to make him move. Should get even more rebounds that way, too. Having a Vanek quality sniper for those tight angle shots in front and on the far side of the net could be very key. Gotta outwork a pretty sizable TB defense in front too, though.

 

[Habsfan2731]

I believe Montreal will be fine against the Lightning in the first round however one big factor will be if the Lightning's rookies can perform under the pressure in the playoffs & how Carey Price plays for Montreal.

With that being said I believe it comes down to game 7, home-ice advantage wins IMO.

 

[HABSonaroll]

All good points - Yes Eller gotta get going - he scores

 

[Rapala]

And when he starts "feeling it", he challenges shots a bit more, which exposes something else I consider somewhat of a weakness of his in lateral movement and ability to maintain angles on the move. He's a big goalie who uses initial positioning to make a lot of his stops (you can screen him and the puck usually still hits him), so I think the key is going to be moving the puck around to make him move. Should get even more rebounds that way, too. Having a Vanek quality sniper for those tight angle shots in front and on the far side of the net could be very key. Gotta outwork a pretty sizable TB defense in front too, though.

Bishop has struggled with pucks in his feet.
usually cross crease stuff.
unfortunately we weren't able to test that theory as we were never in their zone.
and when we were it was pretty much perimeterish....

 

[Devourers]

My playoff lineup:

Patch-DD-Vanek (Primary offense)
Prust/Moen-Plek-Gionta (Shutdown line)
Gally-Eller-Gally (Secondary offense)
Prust/Moen-White-Wiese
extras: bork, bournival, etc

Alternating Prust/Moen depending on situation.

One thing we do have on this team, a lot of guys who tend to step up defensively in the post season. If Price can keep playing the way he has and we can roll with this:

Markov-Subban
Emelin-Gorges
Beaulieu/Tinordi-Weaver
extras: Murray, Bouillon, etc

I think we could actually beat Tampa. I must admit though, Cooper has done an excellent job, Stamkos scares the crap out of me and so does Bishop.

Match ups:

Subban vs Hedman
Plek vs Filupula
Pacioretty vs Stamkos
Vanek vs Callahan
Price vs Bishop
Markov vs Carle

It's going to be an interesting matchup. We have some young guns who have struggled offensively, but the playoffs is a chance to rebound. They have some guys who came together and put together a great season offensively, both these teams match up very nicely against each other.

Regular season match up they killed us, but the games weren't blowouts.

This series is scary but uber exciting, and since I don't despise Tampa, at least it isn't so bad if we do lose to them, even though it would suck.

 

[Scriptor]

Who is 'they' and why does it matter what they say? I'll take logic and rationality over clichés and common platitudes every day. I invite you to rewatch that 10 game winning streak we had earlier in the year, where we got outplayed by such juggernauts as buffalo and new jersey. Sometimes the better team doesn't win on a given night. Hockey is a sport where lots of lucky bounces occur and they often have a big say on who wins. And fortunately for the habs this year, the opposite hasn't occurred very often.

A lot of leaf fans responded with ' good teams make their own luck' when everyone was telling them they were getting outplayed and geting undeserved wins.

How about considering that the difference might well be that Jacques Martin had run out of capital with his players and there were too many passengers on board by the time Cunneyworth took over. Not to mention Cunneyworth just continued the old regime's same system.

Perhaps Big Bad Therrien hasn't completely lost control of his team yet and that is a difference, with players not just giving up, even when they don't play very well on some nights. That helps create some of their luck. If they mail the games in completely, there's never a chance they turn a bad game around mid-way through it.

 

[Scriptor]

Bishop has struggled with pucks in his feet.
usually cross crease stuff.
unfortunately we weren't able to test that theory as we were never in their zone.
and when we were it was pretty much perimeterish....

Against Bishop, you need lateral passes to make him move and open up some of the net he naturally covers since he is a beast. If not lateral passes, low shots form rebounds with one or two forwards near and around the net to make the G move.

 

[Rapala]

Against Bishop, you need lateral passes to make him move and open up some of the net he naturally covers since he is a beast. If not lateral passes, low shots form rebounds with one or two forwards near and around the net to make the G move.

Yup.
Now what are we going to do about getting the zone time?
If we don't get a forecheck going Price is going to need to duplicate his Sotchi numbers.

 

[Alexdaman]

Tampa vs Montreal is a coin toss. Impossible to make a prediction.

 

[habtastic]

I think our series with Tampa is a perfect matchup. Two teams that play hockey, and not gooning. Plus there are so many similarities in terms of the success behind these teams.

Things I worry about:

- Our scoring ceases to be creative. DD's line has been providing that, but they have also tried to play Harlem Globetrotters at the blueline, which has cost us on horrible turnovers that have led to goals. They're obviously doing great, but I hope they're careful in these close games. Anyway, the other lines, at least ONE other line needs to stop playing dump and chase. Strong forecheck à la Prust's last game would be terrific.

- Chucky/Gallagher/Eller (not that they'll be playing together...but maybe they will be if Pleks gets reunited with Gio and Moen). They've gotta elevate their games to playoff level. Ftm, Chucky and Eller need to elevate their games period. Use their shots.

- D...I think I'm happy with everyone except mayyybe Boullion/Murray. I honestly think they both have roles, but at some point in the game they break down and unless Carey bails them out, they get burned. I also don't enjoy seeing PK with Cube, but maybe that will change with the return of yard dog.

- Cooper is a great coach. MT is...MT. He got outcoached last season by the Walrus and to date has pretty much screwed us in the playoffs if not for José Theodore (1x).

Price vs Bishop is a coin toss. They could both play lights out, both let in softies, both play average. Here's hoping we get a little more punch to our attack and that means puck moving. I think Markov will be huge in this series.

I'm not sure what the most valuable pickup at the trade deadline was (honestly), Vanek or Weaver. Both fill gaping holes. If things play out the way they have lately wrt to those players -- call MB a deadline genius.

Who's got money on Gudas taking out one of our players? I realize Murray just did the opposite and it was terrible, he deserves the suspension if not more. Still, I have a feeling Radko is going to lay a dirty hit that will cost us a key player.


MOAR Stamkos stick snapping!

 

[Ivan13]

Bishop has struggled with pucks in his feet.
usually cross crease stuff.
unfortunately we weren't able to test that theory as we were never in their zone.
and when we were it was pretty much perimeterish....

A lot of the bigger goalies do that.

Quite honestly I believe the Habs will come out on top in the series.