When was the last time Habs played a puck possession system?

[MSLs absurd thighs]

The fact that essentially the same team, with the same coach and same core, had GREAT possession numbers one year, and piss-poor possession numbers the year after, all that while having similar success, should tell you something about the reliability of possession stats to evaluate a team in a league with as much parity as the NHL.

 

[sharks9]

The fact that essentially the same team, with the same coach and same core, had GREAT possession numbers one year, and piss-poor possession numbers the year after, all that while having similar success, should tell you something about the reliability of possession stats to evaluate a team in a league with as much parity as the NHL.

The difference was goaltending. Price went from a .905 SV% to .927% in those two years. If those numbers had switched, we would've been first in the East 2 years ago and missed the playoffs last year.

 

[calder candidate]

I think it as more to do with the quality of the team than the system being played... less talented team just doesn't have the ability to run certain system, a bad team will loss to a great team regardless of the system. System come into play when the team are close and when one team doesn't execute properly or use a system that is suited for their player. vs. a perfect adapted and executed system.

Mtl has been lacking Skills, Size and Speed hopefully adding Gilbert, PAP, Sekac will improve on guys Gorges, Briere and Gionta.

 

[Team_Spirit]

DUMP AND CHASE!

I think it as more to do with the quality of the team than the system being played... less talented team just doesn't have the ability to run certain system, a bad team will loss to a great team regardless of the system. System come into play when the team are close and when one team doesn't execute properly or use a system that is suited for their player. vs. a perfect adapted and executed system.

Mtl has been lacking Skills, Size and Speed hopefully adding Gilbert, PAP, Sekac will improve on guys Gorges, Briere and Gionta.

i agree, MB finally see the light. You dont give MT players like Briere on the 4th line. That's why Weise was able to fit in well, he's a MT type player.

 

[Kimota]

Look, we had a good puck-possession offensive system two years ago and it gave guys like PK and Eller their best seasons of their career and MT decided to change all that. And I have not seen one journalist ask the question to him about the reason of the change.

I mean dammit, the Habs were winning and were playing exciting hockey finally! That's why I hate Therrien.

 

[sharks9]

I’m expecting the group we’ve got to be very solid defensively, first and foremost, because you have to be good around the net. I would like our shots against to drop down, too. That’s a stat I think needs to decrease. It has to do with defensive team play, positioning, good sticks and blocking shots,†detailed Daigneault, whose squad ranked 22nd in the NHL last year, allowing an average of 31 shots against per game. “As a group, we’re also expecting them to contribute offensively. It’s about playing the game with five men up the ice, and five men down. If they can chip in on offense and make a good first pass, that’s a plus for us. It means more puck possession, and more output coming from the back end.â€

http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=729664

It looks like the moves this summer, especially on D, were aimed at improving our puck possession numbers.

 

[MSLs absurd thighs]

The difference was goaltending. Price went from a .905 SV% to .927% in those two years. If those numbers had switched, we would've been first in the East 2 years ago and missed the playoffs last year.

You don't think the way the team played in front of him had anything to do with it?

Of course, Price has a huge part of responsibility in the team's improvement last season, but to peg it all on him is not fair.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

The difference was goaltending. Price went from a .905 SV% to .927% in those two years. If those numbers had switched, we would've been first in the East 2 years ago and missed the playoffs last year.

Two years ago was a weird year. The team (including Price) played great hockey for most of the year and then tanked. The whole team collapsed in the final ten games, not just Price.

Last year the team didn't play well for most of the year and Price carried us much of the way. Without Price this team would've been in serious trouble.

Save percentage is a weird stat. Unlike points its not cummulative. For example if Crosby scores 100 points in 60 games but zero in the last 20, it's still a great season. If Price goes 40 great games but 10 horrible ones, the season can look like a disaster. Up until the end of the year folks were talking about Price as a Vezina nominee, then the crash came. It really wasn't a bad year for him overall, just looks that way because of the save percentage. And the worst part for us was that it was a shortened season and there was no time to recover. We just went cold at the wrong time. Other than that stretch it was a really, really good year.

 

[samsagat]

The problem with Habs possession game = coaches...

In their first years as Mtl coach, the Habs bench bosses tend to feel confortable... so they're looser on their players...

But after their first season, pressure is getting higher (since the average longevity in Mtl for coaches is 2 1/2 years) and they get more conservative...

Habs have all the tools to be a good possession team (Markov, Subban, MaxPac, Galchenyuk, etc...) but MT is the main problem...

 

[Kimota]

The problem with Habs possession game = coaches...

In their first years as Mtl coach, the Habs bench bosses tend to feel confortable... so they're looser on their players...

But after their first season, pressure is getting higher (since the average longevity in Mtl for coaches is 2 1/2 years) and they get more conservative...

Habs have all the tools to be a good possession team (Markov, Subban, MaxPac, Galchenyuk, etc...) but MT is the main problem...

Tortorella after the last season, before he was fired said that he made the Canucks play a more defensive style cause the team had many injuries but his mistake was that he didn't change it back after the guys returned. Saying that "us coaches we tend to keep into our habits".

And a lot of coaches do that, they tend to have their teams play a defensive style cause it's safer and it's easier for the coach. And that shows a lack of foresight and an inability to adapt.

Also frankly, I think deep down, most coaches don't believe in puck possession.

 

[Rapala]

The problem with Habs possession game = coaches...

In their first years as Mtl coach, the Habs bench bosses tend to feel confortable... so they're looser on their players...

But after their first season, pressure is getting higher (since the average longevity in Mtl for coaches is 2 1/2 years) and they get more conservative...

Habs have all the tools to be a good possession team (Markov, Subban, MaxPac, Galchenyuk, etc...) but MT is the main problem...

Funny you should mention this because our ladt good puck possesion team was Coached by Pat Burns (if you forget about Odelein) Even he had an end to ender.

We had Carbo with Courtnall and McFee Corson Chelios Svoboda Skrudland etc...
The team ultimately lost out to McDonald Gilmore and Theo Fleury to name a few but we were stout and controlled the boards and the puck for the most part.

Burns always remained true to his vision...
Our last really good coach in my mind.