Post-Game Talk: The Price of victory. Montreal beats Calgary 3-2

[MXD]

Price was great but lets not get carried away.It was 1 game.When he plays 10 or more games like this one in a row then we can be a little more optimistic.After stinking it up the last couple years you can't just flip a switch and you are back to being one of the best in the NHL.What gives here?

Fitting Username.

 

[Adriatic]

It's nice that Price was very good last night, but he needs to play like that on most nights.

 

[Cobra Commander]

I think Danault on the 4th is a waste. Better off packaging him and attempt to get a Dman.

I agree with CJ's approach with KK. No idea why people are crying and screaming to use him more and on the PP's 1st unit. I'm happy with him focusing on a simple game, with very little responsibilities, and limited ice.
If we start using him more and giving him more offensive opportunities, it adds a production expectation. At this point in time, there's just no need for it.

I don’t think you are watching the games out there in HK with that time difference. Trying to shelter a player that clearly thinks the game better than anyone else on the team is actually hurtful for his production and for the team’s production. Its a bad decision just like our PP is full of bad decisions. I’ve watched every single one of his shifts and it’s undeniable that his wingers kill lots of his offense. He will thrive either way so I’m not worried about him, it would be almost impossible to screw this kid up, this isn’t Galchenyuk we’re talking about here.. he’s already a number one centre at 18. We could be winning more games by having him in our top 6 instead of Danault. I like Danault but he is an offensive hole. I wanna win games right now, Kotkaniemi can handle much more, he doesn’t need to be sheltered out there, I rather shelter Danault’s poor offense. Ask Radulov how much he enjoyed playing with Phil..

 

[Habs]

We were outplayed pretty badly for the most part. We would be ok if we had a capable blueline, but my god Schlemko/Oulette/Mete are really bad thus far. So bad that Benn looks good. Its scary how many bad plays Schlemko makes, his hockey IQ is really low, its no wonder he has been moved so often around the league.

Juulsen is still impressing me though, kid is poised back there. Weber, Petry, Juulsen .. .then it goes to shit.

 

[JianYang]

That's what earned him the Vezina and his 80M+ contract.

He's been an elite goalie in the past, and it got him this deal, but even the past teams were not this bad away from the puck.

Teams are going down main Street against the Habs on an almost shift by shift basis. Price used to be the best player on the team, and he would steal his share of games, but what is asked of niemi and price in recent times goes beyond stealing.

 

[Saundies]

He's been an elite goalie in the past, and it got him this deal, but even the past teams were not this bad away from the puck.

Teams are going down main Street against the Habs on an almost shift by shift basis. Price used to be the best player on the team, and he would steal his share of games, but what is asked of niemi and price in recent times goes beyond stealing.

Bingo. There's been a lot of talk about how the offense is bailing out our shaky goaltending, but a lot less so about how it's bailing out our bad D.

 

[Kriss E]

I don’t think you are watching the games out there in HK with that time difference. Trying to shelter a player that clearly thinks the game better than anyone else on the team is actually hurtful for his production and for the team’s production. Its a bad decision just like our PP is full of bad decisions. I’ve watched every single one of his shifts and it’s undeniable that his wingers kill lots of his offense. He will thrive either way so I’m not worried about him, it would be almost impossible to screw this kid up, this isn’t Galchenyuk we’re talking about here.. he’s already a number one centre at 18. We could be winning more games by having him in our top 6 instead of Danault. I like Danault but he is an offensive hole. I wanna win games right now, Kotkaniemi can handle much more, he doesn’t need to be sheltered out there, I rather shelter Danault’s poor offense. Ask Radulov how much he enjoyed playing with Phil..

Yes, I am watching the games here despite the time difference.
And no, Kotkaniemi is not a #1 center at 18. Like...stop it man, get real for a second.
I get it you're excited, but no need to lose your crap over it.

 

[Frank Drebin]

People over the years: Our team needs to be better! We can't just rely on Price to steal us every game!

Same people today: Price has to play like he did tonight every single game! Until he does that, he's not back!

Price had a .956 save percentage tonight. No starting goalie ever has finished the season with that %, so expecting this type of performance every game is just not realistic. This game should have and could have finished 6-3, 7-3, Flames but didn't. He's deserved a lot of the criticism he's gotten recently, but putting up that kind of performance being under the kind of scrutiny he's under right now should be commended. It's just one game, but it was a great game.

Our D tonight were horrible again, and they have been for a while. It's weird how, coming into this season, I expected our offense to be the anchor of this team but it's been the complete opposite. Weird for a team that spends so much money on the back-end to play such bad team defense. We need Weber back in a bad way, even if the only tangible benefits right away are that he's playing 20+ minutes a game and someone like Benn/Schlemko isn't. I'm surprised the zamboni even did their side of the ice tonight with the amount we were hemmed in our own zone.

Games like this happen often for elite goalies They balance out with the 3ga on 26 shots type of games.

 

[JianYang]

Bingo. There's been a lot of talk about how the offense is bailing out our shaky goaltending, but a lot less so about how it's bailing out our bad D.

I mean, the goalies have had their own problems too, but we all knew that the club would eventually need to tighten up on the scoring chances against regardless.

We are still waiting for that to happen. As bad as this roster looks defensively, I refuse to believe it can continue exactly this way, but I don't think it will ever get to a consistenly adequate level either.

I mean, this is early 90s expansion level bad. It just can't be that level of bad, even if you happen to have the worst defense in the league.

 

[swimmer77]

Flames couldn't hit a barn door at times. Still an acceptable effort by Price.

Good job, Habs. Sometimes you win games you shouldn't and sometimes you lose when you shouldn't. Or something like that. LOL

 

[Cobra Commander]

Yes, I am watching the games here despite the time difference.
And no, Kotkaniemi is not a #1 center at 18. Like...stop it man, get real for a second.
I get it you're excited, but no need to lose your crap over it.

He IS a first line Center at 18, that’s what he is, just like Crosby/Malkin/McDavid/Mathews/etc were all 1st line centers from day 1 even if they didn’t play that role right away, that’s what they were, that’s who they are, that’s what this kid is, he’s a fist line center. Play him where ever you want, he’s still a first line center and their is ZERO doubt about that, you can bet your house on it.

 

[Tyson]

I think Mete needs AHL seasoning. Let’s not mess him up

 

[MXD]

It's nice that Price was very good last night, but he needs to play like that on most nights.

Yep... And the team ahead of him needs to NOT play like that on most nights, too.

 

[MXD]

He IS a first line Center at 18, that’s what he is, just like Crosby/Malkin/McDavid/Mathews/etc were all 1st line centers from day 1 even if they didn’t play that role right away, that’s what they were, that’s who they are, that’s what this kid is, he’s a fist line center. Play him where ever you want, he’s still a first line center and their is ZERO doubt about that, you can bet your house on it.

Eh, the only guy on that list who wasn't the first center on its first year was Malkin, and that's because he was on Crosby's team.

All of them were also better/older than Kotkaniemi.

 

[Cobra Commander]

I think Mete needs AHL seasoning. Let’s not mess him up

He’s just not good enough offensively to be a top 4 defender, his ceiling is #5, he doesn’t have that offensive instinct.

 

[Cobra Commander]

Eh, the only guy on that list who wasn't the first center on its first year was Malkin, and that's because he was on Crosby's team.

All of them were also better/older than Kotkaniemi.

All of them were on horrible teams as well, and those coaches played them were they should play. You don’t need to coddle just for the sake of coddling, when a player thinks the game faster than everyone around him you play that guy, you don’t give him offensively challenged wingers.

Older? What a few months? Give me a break, he’s 6f2 185, he’s handling him self great out there physically, and mentally he’s almost always the smartest player on the ice.

 

[Tyson]

He’s just not good enough offensively to be a top 4 defender, his ceiling is #5, he doesn’t have that offensive instinct.

His value is his ability to retrieve pucks with his speed and get the transition going. I was hoping he could become a Will Butcher type of player but now I see that he will never have that offensive instinct

 

[MXD]

All of them were on horrible teams as well, and those coaches played them were they should play. You don’t need to coddle just for the sake of coddling, when a player thinks the game faster than everyone around him you play that guy, you don’t give him offensively challenged wingers.

Older? What a few months? Give me a break, he’s 6f2 185, he’s handling him self great out there physically, and mentally he’s almost always the smartest player in the ice.

Not that your post is particularily factual or relevant, but it's worth pointng out that you describe the 105-pts Penguins (Malkin) and the 95-pts Leafs (Matthews) as "horrible teams".

 

[Cobra Commander]

His value is his ability to retrieve pucks with his speed and get the transition going. I was hoping he could become a Will Butcher type of player but now I see that he will never have that offensive instinct

You see clearly my friend, it’s just not gonna happen. We need better in our top 4, I’m not even sure if he’s good enough at all, we probably have a few guys coming up that will be flat out better than him.

 

[Conflicted Habs fan]

Let's be honest here, we know the real reason for the Habs victory. Gallagher's pickle juice fueled this win

 

[Le Tricolore]

Let's hope it's not a cameo appearance, like Fonzie guest-starring on Laverne & Shirley.

Showing your age a little here, sir.

 

[Cobra Commander]

Not that your post is particularily factual or relevant, but it's worth pointng out that you describe the 105-pts Penguins (Malkin) and the 95-pts Leafs (Matthews) as "horrible teams".

They were horrible teams the year that they drafted their number 1 centers. And they chose to let them lose in their rookie years. That’s what’s relevant to what I’m talking about.

 

[Simarino]

We, as a team still seem to be a team, where we need Price to be Price, more than not..........but that can be said for most teams in the league.

Let's hope he can get his confidence back, and reel off a few good starts in a row...the forwards this year, seem to be able to score more, and if Weber can get back soon, the D will not be great, but more stable.

Yeah, i think Weber will make Reilly alot better so a d-core of Rielly-Weber Mete Petry and Schlemko-Juulsen should be alot more stable then what we’re seeing last few games.

 

[Milhouse40]

Previously, not only we didn't give our goalies offensive support, but we were not much better in our defensive system. Are we really going to now downplay the offensive support that our goalies receives? If paying the price is being able to give 3 goals, it's a small price to pay instead of having to give 0 goals....

AS far as not looking to goalies when you are being dominated....well I would understand if your goalie is Mike Smith. But what differentiates a great goalie to a good goalie is actually his ability to steal games. If you don't look at that, I have no idea how you can separate one from another....This is not a league when you have good goalies and bad goalies. Usually, there are no bad goalies in this league. There are worst goalies than others. But the real difference to me is between good and great. The goalies that comes big in great moments vs the goalie that is as good as his team is.

And again...we are +10 in High Danger Chances FOR vs AGAINST. So no, the offensive goal support does not come with a price. We are 13th in percentage. Not incredibly great. Not incredibly bad either. The worst team in the league in that regard? Anaheim. Still...Gibson is at .927 SV%. And I can go on and on with that....Holtby is struggling immensely, yet they are 2nd worst. Way more HDCA than HDCF. Wings is 29th...yet Howard is at .918 etc. Price has to be better. Closer to last game than to the previous games. And while the D is awful, the team structure and strategy does not hamper the goalies THAT much.....yet.

HDCF are based on where the shot is coming from, not really the quality of it.
A one timer shot from a cross ice pass has the same value as a winger staying in his lane and taking a weak shot while trying to force his way trought a D. Habs gave up so many odd man rush it's not even funny and not to mention the Habsland in front of the net where it doesn't hurt to stay in our goalies faces.

I get what you're saying about good and great but as of today, Habs are 7th in the NHL.
Is Price as good or bad has his team is?
Or is this team suppose to be better than that and it's the goalies that stopping them?

Niemi is 4-2-0 with a .887
Price is 6-4-3 with a .899
Not normal that both goalies got those records with those stats.

Is our offense is that good that they can bail out two bad goalies....cause Edmonton, St-Louis and Pittsburgh can't do it right now.
I think all of this is by design. That's the only way this team would get some wins while waiting for Weber. They can't play shutdown hockey with what they have so it's all-in.

Subban, Markov, Weber....Habs at 2 of them most of the time, always one....now it's none.
Now it's Petry and Benn. If that doesn't matter that much, then why teams like Nash or SJ are dumb to put that much money there.

 

[417]

It's nice that Price was very good last night, but he needs to play like that on most nights.

He needs to stop 45 shots every night?

Maybe find a cure for cancer while he's at it too.