illWill

Can someone tell me why Darche is constantly on the powerplay? If it is because he goes to the net, just slap big Hal Gill there instead. They both have hands of stone anyway.

Yes, I am aware that he is having another abysmal year in Ottawa. I don't think that he is done producing in the NHL though. We all know that he can put up points when he wants to and when he doesn't.....well this type of year happens. You could make the case that he is terribly disinterested in playing high level hockey with the struggling Sens, and therefore has horrible stats. He was quoted saying that he would like to return to Montreal to finish off his career. So perhaps the opportunity to return where he was loved most to finish his career playing for a playoff team, would yield positive results. I'd pay $3 million for 50 points, powerplay presence and the odd dazzling deke.

Going into next season, the Habs have only 8 players under contract. Gomez, Cammy, Gionta, Pleks, Moen, Spacek, Subban and Price at a total of $32.3m. RFA's and UFA's needed and that will be resigned include: Pouliot($1.5), Eller($1.0), Wiz($4.0), Gorges($3.5), Markov($5.0), Weber($1.0) and Pax($1.5) at a total of approx $18m The non-finished lines look like: Cammy Pleks Pax Pouliot Gomez Gionta Moen Eller Markov Wiz Gorges Subban Spacek Weber Price So that brings the total cap hit to around $50m, give or take a few. There are 4 vacant forward positions and a back up goalie postion. Assuming they are filled with similar players as this year, it would cost about $3.5m. So depending on the cap number for next year, there is approx. $5.0m to spend, maybe a bit more if it goes up. Should they resign Hamrlik at a reduced rate? Or a one-dimensional Gill? How about trying to land a quality top six forward via UFA or trade? Semin is probably out of price range but Gagne or Connolly would be a nice addition. Heck, even Kovalev at $3.0m wouldn't be too bad. Personally, I would prefer a quality forward but also wouldn't mind Hamrlik at no more than $3.0m. I am fairly comfortable with the defense going into next year assuming injuries don't crush us again.

The puck was bouncing on Hamrlik, still no excuse since if he didn't try that crappy stick fake, he would of been in position to defend properly. I think that Weber played his man very poorly on the play as well, not sure how he was left with enough space to score. The Gomez goal is one that I would like to see more of, quick passes and using speed to break through the defense.

You're correct, the defense is being exposed. Price is consistently giving them a chance to win every game. How many turnovers by the defensemen have lead to costly goals lately? I believe a puck moving defenseman is the greatest need at this point. Essentially we need a Markov-like player, which are few and far between. Most of the mistakes are an attempted break out pass from the defensive zone. So either a coaching adjustment or a roster move is in order to fix it.

I think that it is sadly a mixture of both. Players wearing the blue, blanc et rouge are are either hated or loved as it is, and quite simply, so is Subban. I believe that PK is one of the best things to happen to hockey since Sid and Ovie, not Hart trophy wise but impacting people wise. He represents an entire race and will help the game grow, just like Yao Ming did for basketball or Eminem for rap music. Just like anybody who is a budding star, there will be people who will try to knock them down a notch. It is just frustrating to hear so frequently all the negatives about such a great talent and personality. Off the ice PK says all the right things and appears to have a good head on his shoulders, nothing that warrants any criticism. On the ice he plays with passion and confidence and it's fair to say that 29 other teams would love to have him. I agree with CC in that I believe there is a subliminal racism in play for some. I'm reminded of Darren Pang's slip of the tongue saying something like " Subban playing the white way" instead of right way. I do believe that if he were white, and had on a Maple Leaf jersey, he would be the favourite for the new prime minister of Canada.

Everything that Healey pipes in with is anti-Habs, it's unbelievable. Lucic falls to the ice after a collision with AK and it was "cause he lost his balance and was tired"

YES!!! I was just saying the exact same thing

Man what a period that was! That's what I'm talking about. Bobrovsky is playing unbelievable, otherwise we could have the lead. Buckle up for the third period

How many powerplays have we had in the last 8 periods, like 2? I don't usually get too riled up about that but it'd be nice to get a call once. Other than that I don't know what else has to be done to score

I'm just happy that I can watch this game on TV and not a choppy internet stream. My region got screwed with the new TSN alternate feed since RDS isn't part of our cable, plus I only understand 20% of french broadcasts anyway. I have the NHL package but when a Habs game is on, it gets blacked out. So it is a rare treat for me to be able to watch an english, unbiased, smooth broadcast. Habs win 4-2

I was just saying that I don't believe he won't get traded and why not. As far as this season goes, who knows? A team can never have enough depth and everyone will get their chance to play. There will be more injuries and sickness etc. Here's a crazy thought that will probably get blasted, but what about Subban as a forward? I generally don't like the idea of a defenseman playing forward, but if anyone is going to do it why not the most offensively gifted d-man we have? I would love to see P.K be able to fly down the right wing and showcase his skills. He would have the size to battle in the corners and go to the net, yet still have the offensive awareness to play the position, and yet maintain his defensive responsibilities.

I agree, I don't think he is going anywhere unless it's part of an upgrade trade package. But even then I don't see that happening. Hamrlik is probably gone next year unless he takes a big paycut and there are a bunch of RFA's that need to be resigned. Having Weber in the lineup full time next season will be benificial to the cap, let alone the intangibles that he brings as a player.

Those lines look like they were picked out of a hat. Hopefully those aren't what they will look like come game time. I would switch Kostitsyn with Moen since AK46 seems to need offensive players on his line to produce, and I'd switch Eller with Pyatt. I know Eller has been playing well with Pouliot and Darche, but Pyatt should not be on anything that resembles a scoring line.

Although I acknowledge his great play thus far in the AHL and also like him as a player, I don't believe he will make a big impact in the lineup.....points-wise anyway. I think he will play well and hold his own, but if anyone is expecting him to continue his points pace is going to be disappointed IMO. Eller for example, whom was in a similar place as Pax before, is playing well and deserves to be in the big show, but doesn't have the production that would make everyone happy. This I believe is more of the defensive system in place that limits offensive opportunities and spreads the scoring around. I hope that Pax comes up with a good attitude and accepts whichever role he is given, contrary to his statement earlier in the season about wanting to stay in Hamilton all year. It would be nice if he does the things that has made him successful thus far and continues to be effective.

Eeeaaasy buddy, the world is over because we lost two in a row but yet still lead the division. We are playing a team game and are off to a way better start than last year despite everything you were whining about. I bet my left nut that you were one of the "fans" who were booing Price last year and jumped on the Halak, the-only-reason-we-won-anything-bandwagon. I have watched 95% of every Habs game in the last 10 years and I would gladly destroy you in any conversation relating to "hockey knowledge". There is NO question your post wouldn't have existed if the Habs won in Detroit and won the first period against the Leafs. 1 and1/3 of a game isn't an indication of a downward spiral by any means, talk to me after 20 more. Even if they play ".500" hockey the rest of the way, they will still more than likely make the playoffs, so settle down Sally.

What a brutal game to lose. The Leafs barely had any scoring chances at all and the goals they got were gifts from the rusty Bald Auld. These are games that have to be won. Just a lack of effort all around really.

Yeah I hardly noticed him all game, it seems like he is playing more cautiously. Although in these last few minutes he is taking more offensive chances. Look for him to generate some scoring chances to try to tie the game.

It would be nice to have one of those powerplay things that I have heard so much about

Nothing like losing 1 game to a powerhouse team and then a period in the next game to change people's perceptions. So short-minded.

Such a frustrating game to watch. The effort was there, as well as the chances. The reffing seemed kinda biased, perhaps the swedish ref was playing favorites with all the swedish wings?

yeah, that goal was definitely on Gorges, although he was dead tired. Not too bad of a period considering the 4 minor penalties against to 0 for

I'm thinking this game will go to OT/shootout, and will hopefully end in another Habs W

I don't think it is so much our players playing up to their potential to get more scoring, as it is the defensive system that we play. The system that is implemented is based on strong defensive play, puck support and getting it deep. The offensive opportunities usually come from powerplays and turnovers, which are few and far between. If a team like Washington for example, completely bought into a similar system, they as well wouldn't be lighting the lamp as often. And on the flip side, if we had a system similar to Washington, the goals would be more frequent as we do have alot of offensive weapons. You pretty much have to pick what you want to focus on and create an identity and roll with it. What we are doing is working, so there isn't much cause for concern at this moment. I mean, Gomez for example is a 0+/- and only has 7 measly points. The other team doesn't score too often when he is on the ice. So it is obvious that his main focus is on playing solid defense and shutting down the opposition. The only reason I care about the lack of offense is that it's killing my hockey pool.

I think that I will start a new career. And that will be to bet huge amounts of money against the Habs in games where YOU KNOW that they will lose. This is a prime example of one of those games. If only we could play good teams every game, we would be unstoppable.