Season Preview: Coming Back to Earth?

[Monctonscout]

Well.. let's compare the top 9.

Pacioretty-DD-Briere
Bourque-Plekanec-Gionta
Galchenyuk-Eller-Gallagher

vs.

Scott Hartnell-Claude Giroux-Jakub Voracek
Brayden Schenn-Vincent Lecavalier-Wayne Simmonds
Danny Cleary-Sean Couturier-Matt Read

vs.


James van Riemsdyk-Tyler Bozak-Phil Kessel
Joffrey Lupul-Nazem Kadri-David Clarkson
Mason Raymond-Dave Bolland-Nikolai Kulemin


So you think our top 9 is that much superior compared to the Flyers and Leafs?

Cleary is in Detroit, not Philadelphia.

 

[rafal majka]

The Leafs went further because Reimer played very well.

That and the Leafs regressed to their norm in the last 10 min of the series.

 

[Adriatic]

The Leafs went further because Reimer played very well while Price crapped the bed and we finished with 5-6 regulars out of the lineup.

The Flyers don't even look like a playoff team let alone "playoff tested".

Their forwards lack depth, their defense is slow and their goaltending is a huge question mark.

Leafs also went further because their forwards played better and scored more against a better team than Sens.

Flyers forwards have proven in the past the can deliver in the playoffs which is not the case for Habs yet.

If Flyers forwards lack depth then Habs do as well and I can say the same thing about the Habs goaltending...huge question mark in the playoffs.

 

[Rosso Scuderia]

Cleary is in Detroit, not Philadelphia.

Yep, my bad.

 

[CGG]

For the last time, Price was just as good last year as he was the previous season..... at even strength. Better, actually, his save percentage improved from 2011-12 to 2012-13. The only issue last year was our miserable penalty kill, something that should be easily fixed with a full training camp and the fully exposed concept that our penalty kill sucked last year.

The problem was never Price. It's the penalty kill. Look at the stats. Murray should help with that. Giving PK some ice time on the PK should also help.

Face it - we have a good team, as much as fans hate to admit that, for some reason.

 

[HTTP 400]

I too was under the impression Price wasn't exactly great last PO. But having been drunk for most of it, I can't talk much about it.

So I decided to watch it all again. Here's the result.

==================================
Game 1 :

- goal 1 : 0-0
Karlsson pass the puck inside the blue line, skates through the dmen, tip the puck behind Price. You can ask for miracle, but blame the D.

- goal 2 : leading 2-1
Direct shot by Silfverberg between the legs from just just inside the blue line. Habs lose their 2-1 lead early in the 3rd despite dominating 41-19 on shot on goals. That one hurts!

- goal 3 : tied 2-2
Absolute confusion in the D-zone with almost every player out of position. Shot comes from the blue line with 4 players hiding Price and enters top net.

- goal 4 : trailing 3-2
Shot from the blue line. Sort of a big rebound given by Price, but he's then pushed inside his own net by Subban and the puck enters after hitting Latendresse.

Only 1 really bad goal given by Price and far from a bad performance. But that goal came at a very bad moment as the Habs were dominating the game.

=============================================

GAME 2 - Habs win. Blame Price?

=============================================

GAME 3

goal 1 : 0-0
Power play goal on a great play. Can't really blame anyone there. That happens.

goal 2 : 1-1
Pageau brakes through Habs D after a great pass. Not sure what Markov was doing there. Can't blame Price.

goal 3 : 2-1
Pageau fire's it from the FO circle with Tinordi blocking Price's view. Shot goes over the glove. Can hardly blame Price. Scrore is 3-1, Habs will not score, game is lost.

Price is not to blame here at all.

=============================================

GAME 4 - Habs lead 2-0 in the 3rd

Goal 1 :
Face off lost by Gallagher. Puck in thrown in front of the net by Neil, goes through Tinordi and deflect on Zibanejad who's passing by. Ugly goal, hard to blame anyone.

Goal 2 :
Andersson is out. The puck get's in the zone, Alfredsson circles around the net, throws the puck up front, bounces off 3 guys, nobody knows where it is. Conacher scores. One can only praise Sens intensity. 2-2, going to OT

Goal 3 :
Budaj gives the goal on a weird shot.

Can't blame Price for game 4.

=========================================

GAME 5 : Budaj's in net.

===============================================

Overall, Price left one bad critical goal in game 1. Who knows what would have happened if he stopped that one. But in the end, Price weren't bad at all during these series.

We might also have kept a distorted souvenir of Price's performances because Andersson was so great. But clearly, no one can blame Price for last series.

 

[Rosso Scuderia]

^^ Thanks.

I've criticized him last year but to say he was to blame in last year playoffs is just stupid. The only game that he was kinda weak is game 1.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Who knows how the series would've turned if that awful kick-in goal wasn't allowed. Still blows my mind.

 

[Habs]

It will be the same old story in Montreal again this season. Small team, getting worn out by game 70. Devastating injuries by game 82... although I doubt this team makes the playoffs. Parros doesn't play enough of a role to make a real difference in an 82 game season, Murray is a band-aid solution to the smurf's on the blueline.

Gionta, DD, Briere...Gallagher...whoa. These boys are going to get warn out.

 

[sharks9]

It will be the same old story in Montreal again this season. Small team, getting worn out by game 70. Devastating injuries by game 82... although I doubt this team makes the playoffs. Parros doesn't play enough of a role to make a real difference in an 82 game season, Murray is a band-aid solution to the smurf's on the blueline.

Gionta, DD, Briere...Gallagher...whoa. These boys are going to get warn out.

Our injuries have absolutely nothing to do with being small.

Most injuries are flukes and have nothing to do with how big or tough you are.

http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/2013/5/19/4343714/does-a-lack-of-size-create-injuries

 

[rafal majka]

Our injuries have absolutely nothing to do with being small.

Most injuries are flukes and have nothing to do with how big or tough you are.

http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/2013/5/19/4343714/does-a-lack-of-size-create-injuries

How dare you bring rational, quantitative analysis into a moar big argument!

 

[MasterDecoy]

What's so funny? Just cause Flyers didn't make the playoffs doesn't mean they have a bad lineup. I

but the habs made the playoffs so it must mean they have a worst lineup wat

i liked you more when you were lurking

 

[Adriatic]

I too was under the impression Price wasn't exactly great last PO. But having been drunk for most of it, I can't talk much about it.

So I decided to watch it all again. Here's the result.

==================================
Game 1 :

- goal 1 : 0-0
Karlsson pass the puck inside the blue line, skates through the dmen, tip the puck behind Price. You can ask for miracle, but blame the D.

- goal 2 : leading 2-1
Direct shot by Silfverberg between the legs from just just inside the blue line. Habs lose their 2-1 lead early in the 3rd despite dominating 41-19 on shot on goals. That one hurts!

- goal 3 : tied 2-2
Absolute confusion in the D-zone with almost every player out of position. Shot comes from the blue line with 4 players hiding Price and enters top net.

- goal 4 : trailing 3-2
Shot from the blue line. Sort of a big rebound given by Price, but he's then pushed inside his own net by Subban and the puck enters after hitting Latendresse.

Only 1 really bad goal given by Price and far from a bad performance. But that goal came at a very bad moment as the Habs were dominating the game.

=============================================

GAME 2 - Habs win. Blame Price?

=============================================

GAME 3

goal 1 : 0-0
Power play goal on a great play. Can't really blame anyone there. That happens.

goal 2 : 1-1
Pageau brakes through Habs D after a great pass. Not sure what Markov was doing there. Can't blame Price.

goal 3 : 2-1
Pageau fire's it from the FO circle with Tinordi blocking Price's view. Shot goes over the glove. Can hardly blame Price. Scrore is 3-1, Habs will not score, game is lost.

Price is not to blame here at all.

=============================================

GAME 4 - Habs lead 2-0 in the 3rd

Goal 1 :
Face off lost by Gallagher. Puck in thrown in front of the net by Neil, goes through Tinordi and deflect on Zibanejad who's passing by. Ugly goal, hard to blame anyone.

Goal 2 :
Andersson is out. The puck get's in the zone, Alfredsson circles around the net, throws the puck up front, bounces off 3 guys, nobody knows where it is. Conacher scores. One can only praise Sens intensity. 2-2, going to OT

Goal 3 :
Budaj gives the goal on a weird shot.

Can't blame Price for game 4.

=========================================

GAME 5 : Budaj's in net.

===============================================

Overall, Price left one bad critical goal in game 1. Who knows what would have happened if he stopped that one. But in the end, Price weren't bad at all during these series.

We might also have kept a distorted souvenir of Price's performances because Andersson was so great. But clearly, no one can blame Price for last series.

Wow how long did it take you to write that? Price himself said he wasn't good and Bergevin himself said Price was not good enough and needed to be better in the playoffs...but hey thanks for the recap what do they know!

 

[WeThreeKings]

Wow how long did it take you to write that? Price himself said he wasn't good and Bergevin himself said Price was not good enough and needed to be better in the playoffs...but hey thanks for the recap what do they know!

I just lost a game of hockey where it was almost exclusively defensive breakdowns which lead to goals against. I told the team it was my fault because I felt like it was. Even if I have justifiable reasons why I didn't stop certain goals and how they are tough stops, I still feel like I should have made a few of those big saves because I believe in my ability to make those saves when the time comes to make them.

Price does need to be better. No one is saying he played a great play-off round, but there were far more issues and he was a long way from being a DEBACLE in net, which is what this article is attempting to suggest.

 

[MasterDecoy]

Wow how long did it take you to write that? Price himself said he wasn't good and Bergevin himself said Price was not good enough and needed to be better in the playoffs...but hey thanks for the recap what do they know!

you. are. the. worst.

 

[jedimyrmidon]

Wow how long did it take you to write that? Price himself said he wasn't good and Bergevin himself said Price was not good enough and needed to be better in the playoffs...but hey thanks for the recap what do they know!

Well, hey, at least he's basing his observations off of watching the games instead of interpreting comments made by Price and Bergevin and then further extrapolating conclusions from these comments.

I don't think he was saying Carey was brilliant, but instead pointing out that there was far, far more at play than just one man, Carey Price.

Some people...

 

[jedimyrmidon]

Who knows how the series would've turned if that awful kick-in goal wasn't allowed. Still blows my mind.

Yeah, that was ridiculous. People like to glorify the Sens and their efforts, but the officiating in this game crushed the Habs. I also remember the two 'icing' calls at the very end with the Sens net empty: Karlsson slowly labouring up the ice as if he were skating in quick sand to get the whistle.

 

[Agnostic]

The article makes it's prediction, good for the author to actually take a stand.

It must be time to drop the puck on a new season because most people have totally forgotten or re-written their memory of last season. I read in a book once that the human brain "misremembers" negative details of the past and projects optimistic outcomes for the future as some sort of hard wired survival instinct. Price fans shouldn't be blamed, what appears to be an inability to learn is actually a chemical process they can't control.

 

[Burke the Legend]

edgy flame brah. lots of big words

 

[Lebowski]

The Leafs went further because Reimer played very well while Price crapped the bed and we finished with 5-6 regulars out of the lineup.

The Flyers don't even look like a playoff team let alone "playoff tested".

Their forwards lack depth, their defense is slow and their goaltending is a huge question mark.

Hum... I think they have one of the best forward depth in the league to be honest.

 

[Habs]

Our injuries have absolutely nothing to do with being small.

Most injuries are flukes and have nothing to do with how big or tough you are.

http://www.habseyesontheprize.com/2013/5/19/4343714/does-a-lack-of-size-create-injuries

This team was physically spent when the playoffs arrived. The players who were dressed were banged up, couldn't handle the Sens physical play. I'm not talking about tough, so I have no idea why you had to throw that in there. Don't group me into the bunch that can't differentiate between physical play and 'toughness'.

 

[Adriatic]

you. are. the. worst.

I appreciate that coming from you.

 

[sharks9]

This team was physically spent when the playoffs arrived. The players who were dressed were banged up, couldn't handle the Sens physical play. I'm not talking about tough, so I have no idea why you had to throw that in there. Don't group me into the bunch that can't differentiate between physical play and 'toughness'.

It was just a fluke they were banged up at that time.

Every team has injuries, it was just a coincidence that ours were at the wrong time.

 

[Adriatic]

It was just a fluke they were banged up at that time.

Every team has injuries, it was just a coincidence that ours were at the wrong time.

Of course, every year is a coincidence lol!

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Our team just isn't built for the playoffs. We've basically got to hope that Price carries us because if he doesn't I think we're going to have a tough time advancing in the playoffs. Our D is at best questionable and up front we're way too small.

We've got to hope that Galchenyuk and Eller can take the next step. I don't think we can ask for anything more out of Gallagher or Subban. We've got to pray that Murray and Tinordi can finally give us some protection...

Still don't think it's enough though. We don't play well in front of the opposing net nor our own. And battles in the playoffs are won and lost there. We're built for the regular season not the playoffs.

The Leafs went further because Reimer played very well while Price crapped the bed and we finished with 5-6 regulars out of the lineup.

The Leafs go to the net... we don't. And we don't protect our net either... that's why we get crushed in the playoffs. Also, the Leafs didn't go any further than we did. They just lost in more spectacular fashion. As for Price, he went down with injury and for all we know was on his way to tying up the series so I'm not sure wtf you're talking about.

As for us not going to the net... Briere just makes this worse.