The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 (edited) This is true, but it's what makes tonight's loss so frustrating. We were tied in the third period, outplaying Boston, in their rink, without Markov! That one was ours and they let it get away. Imagine had they won! It would have changed everything. But now that it's over, it doesn't matter if we lost 10-0 or if we lost outplaying them, it's still 1-0 after 1 and we've got a mountain to climb. It`s only one game. Not a mountain. One way to look at it is, we showed we can play with them even without our Norris-calibre defenceman. IF - and it`s a God-almighty if - Kostitsyn and, or, Plekanec can put in some impact shifts, and the team brings the same game it did tonight, we certainly can win. I liked what I saw from Gainey too. Putting Laraque with the big guns was inspired IMHO. Unlike last year, I definitely did not get the sense of our side being baffled and outcoached by a foxy opponent. As for the Bruins not bringing their A game...what do you expect from Cherry, who naturally will blame the Bruins for keeping it close rather than the Habs for simply being tough to beat. It`s tautological thinking (`the Bruins are vastly better than the Habs, therefore if the Habs almost beat them it must be the Bruins fault`). Fact is, the Bruins aren`t that much better than us, especially not with Markov in the lineup. Edited April 17, 2009 by The Chicoutimi Cucumber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 It`s only one game. Not a mountain. One way to look at it is, we showed we can play with them even without our Norris-calibre defenceman. IF - and it`s a God-almighty if - Kostitsyn and, or, Plekanec can put in some impact shifts, and the team brings the same game it did tonight, we certainly can win. I liked what I saw from Gainey too. Putting Laraque with the big guns was inspired IMHO. Unlike last year, I definitely did not get the sense of our side being baffled and outcoached by a foxy opponent. As for the Bruins not bringing their A game...what do you expect from Cherry, who naturally will blame the Bruins for keeping it close rather than the Habs for simply being tough to beat. It`s tautological thinking (`the Bruins are vastly better than the Habs, therefore if the Habs almost beat them it must be the Bruins fault`). Fact is, the Bruins aren`t that much better than us, especially not with Markov in the lineup. You don't just get opportunities like that at will. Us losing this game and Boston winning is the difference between #8 and #1. We can not afford to lose games in which we're the better team. It wasn't me who mentioned Cherry but it's true that Boston didn't play their best game. But neither did we. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbhatt Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Plekanec played like the F-ing little girl he is, and took a penalty to boot...thanks for nothing, loser. Josh Gorges took a ridiculous selfish penalty, cross-checking a guy down when the play was already headed out of our end and the puck was nowhere in sight. That cost us a chance to win, and he should be a scratch next game to send the message that penalties like that will NOT be tolerated. Brisebois was shaky on several occasions. By the third period, my heart was in my throat every time he handled the puck. Other than that, everyone else played reasonably well...and several played quite well. Markov would make all the difference in the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLP Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Win Sat take a split outta Bos and we're good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KoZed Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Josh Gorges took a ridiculous selfish penalty, cross-checking a guy down when the play was already headed out of our end and the puck was nowhere in sight. That cost us a chance to win, and he should be a scratch next game to send the message that penalties like that will NOT be tolerated. For Weber? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbhatt Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 (edited) For Weber? Sure...the kid only need not be a moron to be an improvement. Not like he'd see many minutes anyways...and if he can make good passes and carries out of our zone, we can't get enough of that. Edited April 17, 2009 by sbhatt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 It's not Gorges's penalty...it's more the fact that his penalty typifies what the Habs have done all season. They can never seem to play a game in which they avoid doing seriously stupid things (whether it's a blown assignment, or a ridiculous tunrover, or a catastrophically ill-timed unnecessary penalty) that costs them. Remember Lapierre's bizarre gaffe in the previous game? Anyway, I wouldn't be adverse to playing Weber, but not for Gorges, who was good for us for most of the night. Brisebois looked very shaky and would be my topic candidate for removal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbhatt Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 It's not Gorges's penalty...it's more the fact that his penalty typifies what the Habs have done all season. They can never seem to play a game in which they avoid doing seriously stupid things (whether it's a blown assignment, or a ridiculous tunrover, or a catastrophically ill-timed unnecessary penalty) that costs them. Remember Lapierre's bizarre gaffe in the previous game? Anyway, I wouldn't be adverse to playing Weber, but not for Gorges, who was good for us for most of the night. Brisebois looked very shaky and would be my topic candidate for removal. I considered that too...but I think a message needs to be sent about taking selfish penalties. Those are the kind that ALMOST ALWAYS end up in the back of your net, and costing you the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Where was Latendresse ? Did he play the game ? Other than Laps/Tender being outplayed by Lucic and cie, only the bad penalties were on the minus side. We freaking can win any game against Boston if we avoid the penalty box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nesquik Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Laraque should of definitely fought. Is it really his choice? Don't think so. I think Gainey held him back. Give Halak a chance. There is nothing to do with the D. No Markov, hurts the team. But the team will have to live without him and stop trying to find solutions. There is only one solution and that is too stop the shots. Which Price failed to do. Bruins play very dirty at the end of the game. I'd like to see Lapierre, Lats, and Komy bring a bit more roughness next match, I would really be suprise not to see Lapierre get his revenge on Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quebecois Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Really desperate to get Markov in there. I'm convinced that if he returns before it's too late, we will win the series. The PP was the worst part of our game tonight IMO. I didn't mind Laraque on the first line, but not every shift. It really detracted from the Koivu/Kovalev tandem at times and Tanguay needs to get most of the shifts up there still. Decently played game and I have even more faith in the Habs then I did before the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanpuck33 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Give Halak a chance. Give me a freaking break. It's absolutely ludicrous to pin that loss on Price. The kid stopped 35 shots and made some huge saves. I'm all for criticizing a guy when he deserves it, but I can't stand it when it isn't warranted. You can MAYBE pin the 1st goal on him because he should have (and thought he did) cover the puck. The second goal wasn't remotely his fault and the 3rd goal couldn't have been easier for Chara. Seriously, if the team is going to give up that many shots, it doesn't matter who is in goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Price was fine. For God's sake. The real stinkers tonight were Plekanec, Kostitsyn and maybe Brisebois. I also thought Lapierre looked overmatched - not his best game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nesquik Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Seriously, if the team is going to give up that many shots, it doesn't matter who is in goal. And they will give up that many shots. And it does matter who's in goal cause our D is broken. And if Price is really not the problem? So why would it hurt to put Halak in nets? Price was fine. For God's sake. The real stinkers tonight were Plekanec, Kostitsyn and maybe Brisebois. I also thought Lapierre looked overmatched - not his best game. I think Lapierre is gonna come back on fire next game. He's not gonna take what happened to him at the end of the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Dunno what all the negativity is about. Did everyone expect to win in four? Habs just showed that this isn't going to be a cakewalk. Gainey just showed what a little creative line-making will do. D'Ago's almost goal on the Thomas pokecheck was that close to giving us the opportunity to take game one. (I suppose then people would have been saying we didn't deserve it and we suck and yadda yadda.) I laugh when I hear people (like Cherry) say Boston sucked and this was Montreal's chance. Really? Or did Montreal play well enough to make Boston not look nearly so good. I think it's the latter. Two pretty evenly matched teams. We're a second line short of matching them. Time for Pantynec to take off the turtleneck. Highlight of the game? I'm surprised no one said a thing: Koivu knocked Chara on his ass. Talk about a size mismatch! Anyhow, if one can manage to weed out emotion, I think Habs fans should be fairly pleased about this result. Montreal can play with the Bruins, and isn't that what we wanted? Good game. Fun to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wamsley01 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 You don't just get opportunities like that at will. Us losing this game and Boston winning is the difference between #8 and #1. We can not afford to lose games in which we're the better team. It wasn't me who mentioned Cherry but it's true that Boston didn't play their best game. But neither did we. Maybe, but it is ONE game. Teams lose OT games and still win series. Montreal does not have pressure on them until they return to Montreal. They can still play loose next game. I agree that Gainey seems more wiley back there then Carbo. I don't think we will see any interviews where Gainey throws his hands in the air. They will be prepared, they will exploit weaknesses, but they will not win with passengers like Plekanec tonight. He was absolutely brutal. I didn't think AK46 was great, but he did some damage along the boards. I think we need to slowly come to the fact that Plekanec is soft. How can you not meet the bell for a game like tonight? Also, Markov is not only just missed in transition. Behind the net when anybody not named Schneider is pressured they throw blind passes, hoping for the best. Schneider and Markov are calm and with a couple subtle movements are able to create enough space to make sure their decisions are not pressured. The extra space allows them to make the proper read and decision. It is one of the reasons I disliked Souray. When a forward is barreling at you full speed, one subtle movement can send him right by you, but guys like Gorges, Komisarek and Hamrlik usually fire it up the boards and take the hit. Without Markov it will require a miracle, but after what I saw tonight, I think that this team can beat the Bruins. I still remember in 2004 watching Kovalev, Zednik and Koivu just dominate the Bruins on the outside and was fully convinced that even down 3-1 they were going to win the series. I have not seen that yet, but I do believe that they are in this series and the Bruins don't realize it yet. And they will give up that many shots. And it does matter who's in goal cause our D is broken. And if Price is really not the problem? So why would it hurt to put Halak in nets? Why do you want to fix something that is not a problem? Not one of those goals was Price's fault. It is his job to make the first save, it is the D's job to clear the front of the net. On the 1st goal nobody cleared out Krejci and nobody picked up Kessel. Are we going to blame it on him because he was not quick enough to freeze a puck? Has this board become that desperate to blame? I thought he was good and Halak would not have made a difference in the final outcome. Save your concern for the secondary scoring, that was the biggest disappointment in that game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanpuck33 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 And they will give up that many shots. And it does matter who's in goal cause our D is broken. And if Price is really not the problem? So why would it hurt to put Halak in nets? Have you ever heard the expression, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it?" Price played very well, so what possible good could it do to put Halak in goal? The defensive coverage and the giveaways are the problem. That is what you have to fix. Halak can't make the team pass better. The Habs were not that far off this game. If their defense can play aggressively for longer periods of time and if the team can turn the puck over less, they have a legitimate shot in this series. These things have been problems all year, but we're still close. If they play smart, they can win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quebecois Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 According to a post on HFboards, Murray Wilson said that Markov was skating on his own today. A definite positive sign! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Not a bad effort from a team missing it's #1 defenseman. There is nothing to bitch about. We can blame D'agger for the second goal, but if Brisebois would not have thrown the puck away when the forwards were leaving the zone, that whole situation would have been avoided. Just a real bad play on Brisebois' part. If we want to win, we need to minimize dumb plays like that. Otherwise, with some hard work and a little luck, this series is very much in our grasp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cataclaw Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 Well my prediction was correct. Game ended up 4-2. Sigh. Time to get to work on game day thread #2.. it should be up tomorrow morning. GO HABS GO :hlogo: :hlogo: :hlogo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDriveFor25 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 We def need some lineup changes. Our 2nd line was non-existent. Take out Dags and put in S.Kost. OR... Put Tangs back on the 1st line and put Laraque with A.Kost and Pleks... now THAT I like!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbhatt Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 OR... Put Tangs back on the 1st line and put Laraque with A.Kost and Pleks... now THAT I like!! Hmmm...that just might make Plekanec feel brave enough to venture towards the slot (rather than floating around the perimeter like a girl). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 We def need some lineup changes. Our 2nd line was non-existent. Take out Dags and put in S.Kost. OR... Put Tangs back on the 1st line and put Laraque with A.Kost and Pleks... now THAT I like!! Even though Laraque played well I think we need our power line together. Your suggestion is the next best solution to keep Laraque in the game. Leave Price alone. He was great at times and not one goal was soft. We lost but we should be pretty happy still. With some tweaks here and there I think that we showed we can play with the bruins and even win. We were strong on the boards for the most part, we were hitting and dominated on the cycle at times. Our forwards are exiting the zone too fast and creating too much gap though. They need to find that open spot to receive the pass from our defense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Hmmm...that just might make Plekanec feel brave enough to venture towards the slot (rather than floating around the perimeter like a girl). No kidding, Plex was a straight up bitch last night. Our new Nancy-boy - Thomas Plekanek... At least Kostitsyn was laying the body on the boards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 The problem with Plekanec is that he came by his own with the "little girl" expression and 1 year later, it's the same old shit. I like the idea of playing Laraque with him and Andrei though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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