GDT: SCF Game 4: TB 3-0 series lead. BOLTS @ HABS July 5, 2021 – 8:00PM ET. CBC, SN, TVAS, NBC

[McGuires Corndog]

A few problems I've noticed...

1) Loosing too many puck battles
2) Not 1st to loose pucks
3) Not playing Tampa physical enough. Finish our checks to start with.
4) Gusta/Merrill vs Romanov/Kulak. We need better skates/physical players against Tampa

I don't like the coaching strategy against Tampa and I'm pissed that they are too late to make adjustments. Playoffs is all about adjustments.

I think your list of problems is pretty accurate, with that said I think TB is just that much more talented they can’t execute a lot of those things the way they did against other teams. It’s not entirely for lack of effort or coaching (some, for sure).

We are simply out matched and out classed in this round..

Hoping for a win tonight regardless as it would be nice if we made things atleast interesting

 

[Habs Halifax]

I think your list of problems is pretty accurate, with that said I think TB is just that much more talented they can’t execute a lot of those things the way they did against other teams. It’s not entirely for lack of effort or coaching (some, for sure).

We are simply out matched and out classed in this round..

Hoping for a win tonight regardless as it would be nice if we made things atleast interesting

Vegas: Big team with average skating
Tampa: Big team with great skating and intensity

Tampa is the Leafs on steroids. Habs tried to use the same strategy we had against Vegas and that is clear when they stuck with Merrill and Gusta

I don't feel we have been burned with Tampa's skill. I feel their depth and overall team speed has burned us

 

[Habs Halifax]

Toffoli / Suzuki / Caufield: Are a combined -13 against Tampa.

Armia / Staal / Perry: Are a combined -11 against Tampa.

Petry is -6 (worse on the team)

Gustafsson has 8.26 Giveaways/60 min. Merrill has 3.33 Giveaways/60 min. Two guys that are the worse in that area on our team

Habs total Giveaways: 27
Habs total Takeaways: 12
Tampa total Giveaways: 27
Tampa total Takeaways: 25

 

[Edgy]

Vegas: Big team with average skating
Tampa: Big team with great skating and intensity

Tampa is the Leafs on steroids. Habs tried to use the same strategy we had against Vegas and that is clear when they stuck with Merrill and Gusta

I don't feel we have been burned with Tampa's skill. I feel their depth and overall team speed has burned us

Tampa makes us pay for nearly every mistake. They skate and cycle really well, they're big, they protect the puck well and everyone shoots.

We're allowing them to shoot from the goal mouth, nearly unhampered and it has resulted in 6 goals against so far. That is our biggest issue, we're not boxing them out. We're playing handicapped with Gus and Merrill in the lineup. Our top 4 aren't as fast as theirs and they are able to pressure us into making fast decision with the puck that are leading to turnovers and high danger opportunities.

Tofu is pulling a Pacioretty and turned into a ghost, Ghallagher's line was fine as a containment lines vs the other teams because our 4th line was compensating for the production and the other teams did not have an answer for that, Tampa unfortunately does.

We need contribution from everyone and unfortunately we have passengers that are in for the ride, not the effort. I hope we see Romanov at this point, if for nothing else other than development, see what he's got. We're losing with Gus and Merrill in the lineup anyway.

 

[RationalExpectations]

The reason why we are down 0-3 has nothing to do with Price IMO.

I do agree that Kulak, Romanov should be in and Tatar too and I would have did that after game 1. They are too late to tinker

Well if any other goalie had a 0.83 save percentage, he would be blamed, why not Price ? Those are putrid numbers for any goalie. The first goal of each game he should have stopped (game 1 being arguably the most difficult but not unstoppable either for an elite goalie). If you consider he should display 0.92 save ppt as an elite goalie, that s 6 goals less in MTLs net, there is no way the habs are 0-3 without those 6 goals.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Tampa makes us pay for nearly every mistake. They skate and cycle really well, they're big, they protect the puck well and everyone shoots.

We're allowing them to shoot from the goal mouth, nearly unhampered and it has resulted in 6 goals against so far. That is our biggest issue, we're not boxing them out. We're playing handicapped with Gus and Merrill in the lineup. Our top 4 aren't as fast as theirs and they are able to pressure us into making fast decision with the puck that are leading to turnovers and high danger opportunities.

Tofu is pulling a Pacioretty and turned into a ghost, Ghallagher's line was fine as a containment lines vs the other teams because our 4th line was compensating for the production and the other teams did not have an answer for that, Tampa unfortunately does.

We need contribution from everyone and unfortunately we have passengers that are in for the ride, not the effort. I hope we see Romanov at this point, if for nothing else other than development, see what he's got. We're losing with Gus and Merrill in the lineup anyway.

When you factor in the confidence/momentum builder, it has become too easy for Tampa. We had them on the ropes in the 2nd period of game 2 but left them off the hook with a stupid mistake causing a goal that pretty much flattened any momentum we had.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Well if any other goalie had a 0.82 save percentage, he would be blamed, why not Price ? Those are putrid numbers for any goalie. The first goal of each game he should have stopped (game 1 being arguably the most difficult but not unstoppable either for an elite goalie). If you consider he should display 0.92 save ppt as an elite goalie, that s 6 goals less in MTLs net, there is no way the habs are 0-3 without those 6 goals.

Habs have made too many critical mistakes. This is not on Price with me. He's the victim of bad play in front of him and also a bad coaching strategy IMO.

We are getting our ass handed to us in the coaching area of the game.

 

[the]

Just win 1 game please?

I don’t care how bad of a ass-kicking we get from Tampa Bay. I just want to spit in their face before they finish us.

 

[Mike Towers]

Price has a .835% save percentage vs Tampa which is god awful....Varlamov vs Tampa a .918% save percentage last year in the finals Khudobin a .910% save percentage vs Tampa.

 

[bobholly39]

The reason why we are down 0-3 has nothing to do with Price IMO.

I do agree that Kulak, Romanov should be in and Tatar too and I would have did that after game 1. They are too late to tinker

I mean it doesn't have nothing to do with Price....he's largely responsible for game 3 at the very least. He let in 2 quick goals at start of first, and then second period, and probably could have had at least a couple of those. That broke the game for us. It's true defensive errors were made on many of those, but the saves were still stoppable.

This isn't the time to blame Price - he's the reason we've made it this far - but it's ok to acknowledge that he had a bad game and that yes, he is partially responsible for us being down 0-3.

As for the changes - i'd like to see some too, but I tend to agree with you that it's a bit late in the game to do so. Seeing Romanov could be fun, he might deliver a big hit or two - but I can't imagine he'd be a game changer. My wanting to see Romanov in is more about getting Merrill or Gust (or both) out, since they're struggling.
I think the only 'x-factor' we have we could slot in are: Tatar or Drouin

Tatar: He's not played in so long, and there must be a reason coaches aren't playing him. Is he going to be ready to go? He's talented enough to be able to bring some offense, so i'd be open to the change if it's made, but he has a really horrible reputation/track record in playoffs, so odds are if he comes in in such a critical game, he won't be a factor

Drouin: This is more of a hypothetical of course, since he's obviously nowhere near the team/not playing. If he had been available and in-game shape, he could have been a very intriguing addition. Combination of talent + playing former team. Again - merely hypothetical, as it's not happening

I think the biggest impact change we can do is probably less about roster changes than line adjustments. Many of our lines simply aren't clicking, and re-shuffling could be welcome.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Price has a .835% save percentage vs Tampa which is god awful....Varlamov vs Tampa a .918% save percentage last year in the finals Khudobin a .910% save percentage vs Tampa.

This is a reflection of Price's up/down overall stats over the last few seasons. Good goalies need good D and good D needs a good goalie. Habs are back to our old ways at critical mistakes in key areas of the game which caused ripple effects.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I mean it doesn't have nothing to do with Price....he's largely responsible for game 3 at the very least. He let in 2 quick goals at start of first, and then second period, and probably could have had at least a couple of those. That broke the game for us. It's true defensive errors were made on many of those, but the saves were still stoppable.

This isn't the time to blame Price - he's the reason we've made it this far - but it's ok to acknowledge that he had a bad game and that yes, he is partially responsible for us being down 0-3.

As for the changes - i'd like to see some too, but I tend to agree with you that it's a bit late in the game to do so. Seeing Romanov could be fun, he might deliver a big hit or two - but I can't imagine he'd be a game changer. My wanting to see Romanov in is more about getting Merrill or Gust (or both) out, since they're struggling.
I think the only 'x-factor' we have we could slot in are: Tatar or Drouin

Tatar: He's not played in so long, and there must be a reason coaches aren't playing him. Is he going to be ready to go? He's talented enough to be able to bring some offense, so i'd be open to the change if it's made, but he has a really horrible reputation/track record in playoffs, so odds are if he comes in in such a critical game, he won't be a factor

Drouin: This is more of a hypothetical of course, since he's obviously nowhere near the team/not playing. If he had been available and in-game shape, he could have been a very intriguing addition. Combination of talent + playing former team. Again - merely hypothetical, as it's not happening

I think the biggest impact change we can do is probably less about roster changes than line adjustments. Many of our lines simply aren't clicking, and re-shuffling could be welcome.

I'm not blaming Price for this. Not when our coaches have a bad strategy against a big team that skates well. And especially when we are loosing the battles in the trenches. This has ripple effects. In game 3, Rutta throws one on net in a screen and it goes top corner. Then we let Hedman wire one in the slot on a PP where Staal throws it over the glass with little pressure. Price should have got the 2nd one but it was a system failure when we expected Price to safe our ass again.

Habs have not scored 1st and gained momentum from it which has been a strength all playoffs. This is problem #1 against Tampa

And I would be curious to see what kind of value both Drouin and Tatar could provide. We are already turning it over too much so why not eh? At least they can provide some offense

I feel Tampa is too tough of a match-up for us. Especially when their depth is out performing our depth.

 

[Fenwick McCorsi]

I don't get those saying it's on Price. He's let in a few stinkers but the poor bastard is getting shelled from everywhere on high danger chances. Whether it's off a face-off loss in our own zone leading to a nice clean shot in the slot for Kucherov over and over, or bad changes giving up 2 on 0's, or defensive brain farts doing the same, there's not much he can do. The rest are mostly crafty redirects or rocket point shots with good screens. We've seen this before from Price: the team shits the bed in front of him badly so he tries to cover for them but there's too many holes and threats everywhere so he gets out of position/less set/puts more pressure on himself and it's too much for any net minder to handle. Not to mention until last game Montreal could barely score a single goal against a powerhouse offense, that was never going to be enough.

Montreal has been notorious for believing in "doing what worked" whether it was a week ago or a few years ago, and being very stubborn about changing it. You'd think in this situation we'd see Evans draw in somewhere to add some speed and a counter attacking threat. Romanov's puck moving, physicality and ability to not crap the bed whenever an opposing player puts a little pressure on him would be welcome. I'd even consider Tatar but I still think his lack of a playoff gear may simply render him unplayable in all but the easiest playoff series, but he may help our issue with too many guys being so slow at doing anything with the puck on their stick that chances turn into turnovers. I really hope they find a way, change something, make the finals at least a little bit entertaining but I fear they'll just say "we got this far doing what we've done, even if we're down 0-3 and don't look like we even belong, we'll do it again though because you don't stop doing what worked" and tonight will be a whimper of an end to a ridiculous playoff run.

Try to win one at home by any means necessary. I don't want to hear over and over how they aren't giving up, we know that and aren't critiquing it, they wouldn't be here otherwise, but at some point they must use their brains and at least try something, and today's the last day to do more than hope hard work will magically take down a super team. Good luck to them and if it ends here, it was a fun run.

 

[RationalExpectations]

Habs have made too many critical mistakes. This is not on Price with me. He's the victim of bad play in front of him and also a bad coaching strategy IMO.

We are getting our ass handed to us in the coaching area of the game.

Oh I am not saying there have not been any bad plays (see 3rd goal from last game for example) and mistakes, but come on with such a save % it s not a surprise the team is behind… Cirelli and Rutta s goal are typically goals he needs to stop !

 

[Habs Halifax]

Oh I am not saying there have not been any bad plays (see 3rd goal from last game for example) and mistakes, but come on with such a save % it s not a surprise the team is behind… Cirelli and Rutta s goal are typically goals he needs to stop !

I'm not looking at Price's numbers when the players are making critical mistakes and how that can spin and ruin team confidence/momentum.

This is not on Price. I'd put more blame on the coaches for sticking with the same strategy we had against the Knights. Gusta has made way too many mistakes and his giveaways/60 min's are absolutely horrible. Both Gusta and Merrill have been exposed and I noticed it game 1. I was OK with them against the Knights but not Tampa. Different match-up for us

Tampa has too much free space and we are not playing them hard enough. Even a guy like Gourde goes along the walls and comes out with the puck.

I expected Tampa to out skill us but not outwork us.

 

[Habs10Habs]

Thank you for another gem of a GDT @Conflicted Habs fan

Stick with the system. Quick shifts, solid fore checking, limit turnovers. Take advantage of any opportunity the Bolts provide. Hope Price brings his A game. Most important, believe as a team that this isn't over.

 

[Seb]

Sorry for the eternal optimists but my body and my mind are ready to lose tonight.

 

[Laurentide]

Habs have made too many critical mistakes. This is not on Price with me. He's the victim of bad play in front of him and also a bad coaching strategy IMO.

We are getting our ass handed to us in the coaching area of the game.

He's also done his part by allowing softies. No one on this team is blameless except for Romanov and Kulak, and only because they haven't been dressed. No one who has dressed for any of the first 3 games of this series has been good enough. This self-immolation has been a team effort from the goalie on out. No point blaming this guy or that guy. They are all equally to blame.

 

[Laurentide]

Sorry for the eternal optimists but my body and my mind are ready to lose tonight.

I'd like to think that they can win tonight just to salvage a shred of dignity before going quietly in Game 5 but I wouldn't bet money on it.

 

[Habs Halifax]

He's also done his part by allowing softies. No one on this team is blameless except for Romanov and Kulak, and only because they haven't been dressed. No one who has dressed for any of the first 3 games of this series has been good enough. This self-immolation has been a team effort from the goalie on out. No point blaming this guy or that guy. They are all equally to blame.

Fair. The overall team effort is not there. I agree with that. Our success has come from scoring 1st and riding that defensive 1st system where we make the other team pay for their mistakes.

Basically, we are being beat like how we beat the Jets. Hope we can show up tonight but I feel they do need to insert Kulak and Romanov over Gusta/Merrill. I also feel Lehkonen is playing hurt and I'd try Tatar in his spot.

 

[Laurentide]

Fair. The overall team effort is not there. I agree with that. Our success has come from scoring 1st and riding that defensive 1st system where we make the other team pay for their mistakes.

Basically, we are being beat like how we beat the Jets. Hope we can show up tonight but I feel they do need to insert Kulak and Romanov over Gusta/Merrill. I also feel Lehkonen is playing hurt and I'd try Tatar in his spot.

Given that Petry replaced Gus on the poweplay during practice I'd say that one of either Romanov or Kulak will draw in tonight. Aside from that I expect no changes. The Habs are determined to lose with the guys that brought them here. To make wholesale lineup changes would be seen as desperation and an admission that they were wrong, which is something that this front office will never admit. They'd rather lose than admit to being wrong.

 

[McGuires Corndog]

He's also done his part by allowing softies. No one on this team is blameless except for Romanov and Kulak, and only because they haven't been dressed. No one who has dressed for any of the first 3 games of this series has been good enough. This self-immolation has been a team effort from the goalie on out. No point blaming this guy or that guy. They are all equally to blame.

One exception to this would be Nick Suzuki, his game 1 wasn’t very good but the guy has pretty much had the other 20 guys on his back for game 2 & 3. Guy’s been a beast

 

[Habs Halifax]

Given that Petry replaced Gus on the poweplay during practice I'd say that one of either Romanov or Kulak will draw in tonight. Aside from that I expect no changes. The Habs are determined to lose with the guys that brought them here. To make wholesale lineup changes would be seen as desperation and an admission that they were wrong, which is something that this front office will never admit. They'd rather lose than admit to being wrong.

Well said.

 

[BarracudaMtl]

 

[Laurentide]

So would I.

It's really the only thing that we can ask of the Habs at this point. Just win this one game. Help the fans salvage a bit of dignity by not allowing the Cup to be won by the visiting team in our barn. It's the least they can do. Just this one game. Just this once.

"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."