Post-Game Talk: The Leafs were undefeated this season when leading after two. Until tonight. Habs win 2-1!

[Lafleurs Guy]

Price was very good in this game, arguably the difference. Probably the first time this year he has done that. Not what you'd expect out of a 10 million dollar "elite" player. I put elite in paranthesis because he's not elite anymore. Just like Markstrom stood on his head and beat us a couple of weeks ago most NHL goalies can have great nights.
I hope this is a string of very good/great starts for Price. "He's a slow starter" says the worshippers. Well if you call three years of play a slow start you are correct.

Not his first good game of the season, only his latest. His last good game was Calgary.

He hasn’t been bad but he’s been inconsistent and needs to be better.

 

[Doc McKenna]

This is a post coming from someone who accused the defenders of the P.K. trade of deferring to authority when they brought up all the experts who thought the trade was great for the Habs. To quote the Simpsons the ironing is delicious.

When did Dreger become a expert on anything?

 

[The Real Timo]

Price was very good in this game, arguably the difference. Probably the first time this year he has done that. Not what you'd expect out of a 10 million dollar "elite" player. I put elite in paranthesis because he's not elite anymore. Just like Markstrom stood on his head and beat us a couple of weeks ago most NHL goalies can have great nights.
I hope this is a string of very good/great starts for Price. "He's a slow starter" says the worshippers. Well if you call three years of play a slow start you are correct.

Eh. Don't think Markstrom needed to be all that great. About 99% of the shot were straight into his chest. He barely had to move to stop them.

 

[Habs Icing]

I don’t think he stole the game but he kept us in it. End of the day, a win is a win. I get there were plenty of games to pick from to criticize Price this season, but Saturday night wasn’t one of them.

I just hope he and the team builds on this.

I wasn't criticizing Price. I actually said he played well. However, I do take exception when I'm told he stole the game.

 

[Habano]

Refs missed 2 highsticks, and should have called an interference on Matthews. It was a ridiculous showing by them.

However, according to Fig fans, it was the refs who cost them the game. Figure that one out

 

[Le Tricolore]

However, according to Fig fans, it was the refs who cost them the game. Figure that one out

Didn't the Habs have a total of zero powerplays?

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Didn't the Habs have a total of zero powerplays?

They wanted more PPs and apparently the ref interfered on Gallagher's goal? Like that hasn't happened to Montreal ...

 

[Le Tricolore]

They wanted more PPs and apparently the ref interfered on Gallagher's goal? Like that hasn't happened to Montreal ...

oh.

Sucks for them, I guess.

 

[Habano]

Didn't the Habs have a total of zero powerplays?

That's what I thought but according to Fignation, the ref interfered with Rielly in the corner on Gallagher's winning goal. They must be right because you know, there's no way the Figs can lose even one game to any team unless the refs get involved

 

[CHfan1]

They wanted more PPs and apparently the ref interfered on Gallagher's goal? Like that hasn't happened to Montreal ...

Yeah it sucks when the ref is part of the play and it costs your team a goal:

 

[Habano]

Yeah it sucks when the ref is part of the play:

This doesn't count

 

[Saundies]

Price was very good in this game, arguably the difference. Probably the first time this year he has done that. Not what you'd expect out of a 10 million dollar "elite" player. I put elite in paranthesis because he's not elite anymore. Just like Markstrom stood on his head and beat us a couple of weeks ago most NHL goalies can have great nights.
I hope this is a string of very good/great starts for Price. "He's a slow starter" says the worshippers. Well if you call three years of play a slow start you are correct.

The worshippers.. Okay.

Three years of play? How good was our team overall the last three years, genius? You're really going to blame Price for us being bad the last three years? Price is a good goalie but he isn't a miracle worker. You can't turn the last three years of our rosters into contenders by yourself.

Apparently you're a worshipper if you acknowledge Price plays well as well as bad sometimes. This year he's been straight up bad some games. He's also had good games, such as our first win against Edmonton, the game we got shut out by Calgary, and this one.

Let me guess, you use the term "Subbanista" frequently as well and find it funny.

 

[The Real Timo]

This doesn't count

Yes. It’s completely different.

 

[Rapala]

I mean the ref was standing right f***ing there. The idiot at center ice. No call. Perry had every right to be pissed.

Both he and Anderson didn’t snap their heads back and drop like they’ve been shot. It sucks to be tough sometimes.

 

[Rapala]

Like I wrote at the end of the opening season road trip, I’m more worried about home games than road games. we have 14 of 16 available points on the road, and 6 of 14 available points at home. Wives and kids need to stop distracting hockey dads !

Clod has to stop thinking he’s a genius with his last change.

 

[Rapala]

Price was solid, very positionally sounds. He played great from what I was watching

He looked bigger in his net and much of it has to do with positioning. We saw a far more aggressive Price.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

He looked bigger in his net and much of it has to do with positioning. We saw a far more aggressive Price.

I don't think we did.

I think he played the same way he usually does. Only this time, he didn't let in a goal he shouldn't have. It's the unforced errors that have been the difference this year. That and poor penalty killing.

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

Do we really only play next saturday zzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[azcanuck]

Eh. Don't think Markstrom needed to be all that great. About 99% of the shot were straight into his chest. He barely had to move to stop them.

C'mon man. You clearly didnt watch that game. He was really good. He won that game.

 

[Rapala]

I don't think we did.

I think he played the same way he usually does. Only this time, he didn't let in a goal he shouldn't have. It's the unforced errors that have been the difference this year. That and poor penalty killing.

I disagree when Price is on players start missing the net by trying to be too fine this happens when he is on top of his crease and has his angles down. He looks bigger square to the shooter and puck don’t go through him.

 

[azcanuck]

Not his first good game of the season, only his latest. His last good game was Calgary.

He hasn’t been bad but he’s been inconsistent and needs to be better.

That's fair. People think I hate Price. I dont. I hope he's the guy who leads us to the Cup. Lots of hyperbole like "the NHLPA" poll calls him "the best" . LOL. But facts say otherwise. And Allen has been much better this year, and the last couple of years.
I want the best guy in there.

 

[azcanuck]

The worshippers.. Okay.

Three years of play? How good was our team overall the last three years, genius? You're really going to blame Price for us being bad the last three years? Price is a good goalie but he isn't a miracle worker. You can't turn the last three years of our rosters into contenders by yourself.

Apparently you're a worshipper if you acknowledge Price plays well as well as bad sometimes. This year he's been straight up bad some games. He's also had good games, such as our first win against Edmonton, the game we got shut out by Calgary, and this one.

Let me guess, you use the term "Subbanista" frequently as well and find it funny.

The old tired argument about the Habs being lousy. They have been a close to a playoff birth in two of last 3 years. Not anywhere near the worse team. You'd think an elite goalie would raise the team. but he doesnt. The analytics have nothing to do with the quality of the team in front of him. Although not a perfect measurement as there are nuanced measures that are hard to calculate it's pretty clear Price has trouble stopping all the types of shots he faces.


Should we be as certain as the players are about Price’s deity status? Over the past three seasons, 77 goalies have logged 1,000-plus minutes at 5-on-5. Among that group, Price ranks 39th in save percentage; 41st in goals saved above average per 60 minutes; 54th in high-danger SP; 53rd in medium-danger SP; and 32nd in low-danger SP. Diving down to the deepest part of the analytics ocean reveals metrics such as shot location that indicate Price was actually quite good in 2018-19, but if you look at the larger three-year sample, the stats would suggest he barely grades out as a league-average goalie despite the NHLPA picking him as the world’s No. 1 every time.

Yet it was offense, not defense, holding back our team. Revisiting the 77-goalie sample of the past three seasons, Price faced the 57th-most shots per 60; the eighth-fewest high-danger shots per 60; and the sixth-farthest average shot distance. In coach Claude Julien’s system, the Canadiens have been an above-average defensive club. Expected goals against per 60 is a stat reflecting the difficulty of a goalie’s workload,, Price is fifth. As in, fifth easiest.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I disagree when Price is on players start missing the net by trying to be too fine this happens when he is on top of his crease and has his angles down. He looks bigger square to the shooter and puck don’t go through him.

He's done that all year. His numbers are best in league on high danger shots right now.

He's given up too many soft goals and we've gotten killed on the PK. That's it.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

The old tired argument about the Habs being lousy. They have been a close to a playoff birth in two of last 3 years. Not anywhere near the worse team.

We've been near the bottom of the league in chances in close for a long time. The past two years we were bottom five.

But not this year. This year, we seem to be a lot better in this regard. Our PK on the other hand has been bad and he needs to tighten up on careless mistakes.

 

[azcanuck]

He's done that all year. His numbers are best in league on high danger shots right now.

He's given up too many soft goals and we've gotten killed on the PK. That's it.

I have noticed that watching. He's making a lot of the tough save (which is against the trend for him the last 3 years) but he's been quite poor on other type of shots that you'd think an NHL goalie would stop.