GDT: Buffalo/Montreal

[dlbalr]

Another GDT, another Game Preview instead. I'll save the fancy stuff for the season (I've been working on it though...) I'll post some lineup notes for Buffalo if and when they become available - the Habs lineup is in the link though.

Also note that this game is available on RDS and TSN, as well as in the States on the NHL Network.

[dlbalr]

Alternate Hab combos (the originally reported ones may be wrong) as well as the Buffalo roster now listed in the preview. Jhonas Enroth gets the call for the Sabres in goal.

[CoRvInA]

according to Danslescoullises

Attaque:

Benoit Pouliot - Scott Gomez - Brian Gionta

Tom Pyatt - Lars Eller - Andrei Kostitsyn (Eller est utilisé au centre, étant donné l'absence de Cammalleri et Plekanec)

Mathieu Darche - Jeff Halpern - Maxim Lapierre

Dustin Boyd - Ryan White - Ben Maxwell

Défensive:

Jaroslav Spacek - P.K. Subban

Ryan O'Byrne - Alex Henry

Alexandre Picard - Yannick Weber

Gardiens de but:

Alex Auld (60 minutes) - Carey Price

[dlbalr]

3 different versions of the defence lines now, goody. Knowing Martin's tendencies, all will prove to be right at some point. Also, the Sabres line combos are now in the preview on the site.

[rbochan]

[dlbalr]

1-0 Buffalo after 1, PP still sucks (Subban really needs to stop trying to do it all himself). Auld looks solid so far.

[kenadian]

The PP looks to rigid/calculated....like their running it in a practice.

Time to just let them be creative and not think too much on the PP

[CoRvInA]

anyone know how to get to the game stats (the one that refreshes by itself) the NHL one with shifts blocked shots etc...

thx

[dlbalr]

anyone know how to get to the game stats (the one that refreshes by itself) the NHL one with shifts blocked shots etc...

thx

The links don't seem to be in the right spot tonight but here it is: http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/ES010073.HTM

4-2 after 2...as noted earlier, the PP is a disaster. While they're on their bonding trip, some extra work on special teams is a must.

[Easy Ryder]

- O'Byrne looked like the guy who scored in his goal.

- Henry is a top 1 East Coat league D

- Spacek came back with his triple chin, and mysterious virus that causes him to make turnovers.

- Pouliot is at his first camp, fist experience in NHL, wow it look promising. 29 games without scoring.

bring back Latendresse.

- Eller ain't a top 2 center maybe a 3 at this point, hey stop screwing with his head.

Tell him what his job is,really is. He doesnt look good anywhere, Engviist was better than him.

- Can anyone tell Gomez that in Alaska it's dark at 3pm at this time, it's ok to sleep.

But god mdamn it you better shake your million arse before it starts for real.

Auld wasn't that bad but he cannot be better neither.

Pray for Hammer and Markov to be back or this D will only be save by a savior goalie.

Missaen maybe..

Positive, Captain G really made a nice touch on his goal.

[CoRvInA]

The links don't seem to be in the right spot tonight but here it is: http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20102011/ES010073.HTM

4-2 after 2...as noted earlier, the PP is a disaster. While they're on their bonding trip, some extra work on special teams is a must.

I thought so... I could find it Thx Dlbalr

[bar]

- O'Byrne looked like the guy who scored in his goal.

- Henry is a top 1 East Coat league D

- Spacek came back with his triple chin, and mysterious virus that causes him to make turnovers.

- Pouliot is at his first camp, fist experience in NHL, wow it look promising. 29 games without scoring.

bring back Latendresse.

- Eller ain't a top 2 center maybe a 3 at this point, hey stop screwing with his head.

Tell him what his job is,really is. He doesnt look good anywhere, Engviist was better than him.

- Can anyone tell Gomez that in Alaska it's dark at 3pm at this time, it's ok to sleep.

But god mdamn it you better shake your million arse before it starts for real.

Auld wasn't that bad but he cannot be better neither.

Pray for Hammer and Markov to be back or this D will only be save by a savior goalie.

Missaen maybe..

Positive, Captain G really made a nice touch on his goal.

Eller was great in that game, easily going to be a top 2 centre, his vision and skating was top notch.

[Easy Ryder]

I'll give you that bar, Eller is better at C. A full year as third center and we will see good things of him.

But i think he looks lost out there because they are shuffling him everywhere.

I like the Lapierre fight, he was actually very good. No more yellow call for him.

[Wamsley01]

- O'Byrne looked like the guy who scored in his goal.

- Henry is a top 1 East Coat league D

- Spacek came back with his triple chin, and mysterious virus that causes him to make turnovers.

- Pouliot is at his first camp, fist experience in NHL, wow it look promising. 29 games without scoring.

bring back Latendresse.

- Eller ain't a top 2 center maybe a 3 at this point, hey stop screwing with his head.

Tell him what his job is,really is. He doesnt look good anywhere, Engviist was better than him.

- Can anyone tell Gomez that in Alaska it's dark at 3pm at this time, it's ok to sleep.

But god mdamn it you better shake your million arse before it starts for real.

Auld wasn't that bad but he cannot be better neither.

Pray for Hammer and Markov to be back or this D will only be save by a savior goalie.

Missaen maybe..

Positive, Captain G really made a nice touch on his goal.

You cannot judge anything from pre-season games when all the players are playing at different speeds. White is playing with his hair on fire because he wants to be in the NHL, Gomez could be experimenting and working on new things for all we know because he knows he is entrenched in his position.

Last pre-season the top scorers in the league were Viktor Stalberg and Mike Comrie.

Dan Ellis, Chris Mason, Mike Smith and Ray Emery had +.940 save percentages.

Cedric Desjardins had a .714 SV% and 9 months later people are branding him the future

and then flip when he gets dealt to the Lightning.

Talk to me when the games count.

[dlbalr]

Pray for Hammer and Markov to be back or this D will only be save by a savior goalie.

Missaen maybe..

I'll point out that Jason Missiaen was released by the Habs in June and has since been released by Peterborough (OHL). He has since surfaced in the Q on a tryout with Baie-Comeau.

[nikohab]

Lars Eller is phenomenal. He sees the entire ice and makes great passes and has skill and speed. I already see why montreal and many other teams wanted him. Mark my words this player is without doubt a top six player and will shortly be top 20 in the legue within the next 2 to 3 years. Argue all you want but time will tell the true story. I would rather see Pouliot or Kostitsyn go down to the third line and enjoy Ellers bringing his magic to the spotlight.

[dlbalr]

Lars Eller is phenomenal. He sees the entire ice and makes great passes and has skill and speed. I already see why montreal and many other teams wanted him. Mark my words this player is without doubt a top six player and will shortly be top 20 in the legue within the next 2 to 3 years. Argue all you want but time will tell the true story. I would rather see Pouliot or Kostitsyn go down to the third line and enjoy Ellers bringing his magic to the spotlight.

Either way, I think everyone would agree that it's nice that the 3rd line will have some quality offensive depth this year. It should go a long way in improving the team's 5-on-5 play.

[saskhab]

Man, that D was awful last night. Spacek was great, don't know what you saw Easy Ryder. He was busy covering up everyone's mistakes, very professional. Picard was the only other decent guy out there. Subban, O'Byrne, Weber and Henry all stunk.

That being said, while it's weird to see Gomez out there wearing #11, it's weirder to see another Quebecois offensive d-man wearing #43 for the Habs. What is Picard thinking?

Thought Eller was okay... he has his moments. I wouldn't be adverse to having him start the year in Hamilton if Ryan White is going to chip in like he has. With Gomez, Plekanec, Halpern and Boyd, if the goal is to have him play centre... he's just going to move Boyd to wing and play spot duty. If Eller is kept, he'll likely be playing left wing I think. Tough call. Although Halpern might only be a #4 centre right now, so that #3 spot is available. I'm just so used to labelling Halpern a #3, and really he hasn't proven much so far outside of playing a strong PK. His 5 on 5 shifts have been a bit disappointing.

Thought Pouliot finally looked good out there. He was taking tons of shots, getting to the slot, etc. Just a little lack of luck for the top line last night. They had some amazing shifts.

I'm really tired of seeing this hodgepodge lineup, though. Hope that's the last time.

Has anyone heard ANYTHING on Hamrlik's status?

[dlbalr]

I'm really tired of seeing this hodgepodge lineup, though. Hope that's the last time.

Has anyone heard ANYTHING on Hamrlik's status?

Doubt it - in fact, it could very well be even worse next game as Pacioretty should play and get his last chance (while White and Maxwell get their last crack as well). If the 7/8 spots on D remain up for grabs, you'll still see Henry, Picard, Weber, and O'Byrne (who I'm beginning to wonder if he might hit waivers) in there.

As for Hamrlik, he won't play tomorrow and is questionable for Thursday's opener.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

I caught my first exposure to Habs' preseason action last night courtesy of Canadiens Express. All I kept saying was, 'whoa! Who's that big, fast, smart guy playing C for the Habs?' Turns out it was Eller. The kid looked pretty good to me even in a losing cause. Based on that one sample, he should start the season with us.

[saskhab]

I caught my first exposure to Habs' preseason action last night courtesy of Canadiens Express. All I kept saying was, 'whoa! Who's that big, fast, smart guy playing C for the Habs?' Turns out it was Eller. The kid looked pretty good to me even in a losing cause. Based on that one sample, he should start the season with us.

McGuire and Miller seemed to only see negatives, it seemed quite biased/distrustful the way they portrayed him. McGuire kept saying "why didn't they wait until the draft to create a bidding war, or why didn't they get T.J. Oshie?" It was through those eyes that they called the game. Once, he struggled to get the puck out of the zone, but they failed to analyze why. Eller was DEEP, getting the puck at the side of the net, and was pressured. There was no outlet pass available, so he tried to just get it by the guy in front of him. Reasonable thing to do, really, and the Sabre at the blueline juggled the puck and couldn't keep it in. Then Miller asked if Eller should start the year in the AHL.

I don't think sending him to the AHL is a horrid move, but the way they called the game last night around Eller was ridiculous.

Good news for me: I won't be watching Saturday's game, or only part of it maybe. Going to a Blades game instead. So I won't see that awful group of D again.

Clearly, Martin has to see that Henry isn't NHL ready, maybe as a temproary 7th/forward fill-in, but nothing worth playing. Weber has actually improved 5 on 5, but he's still not there, either. Picard should be ahead of O'Byrne in reality, but you can keep giving O'B some chances.

What does everyone think of D pairings? I'm thinking when healthy:

Markov - Spacek

Gill - Gorges

Hamrlik - Subban

Subban needs a steady influence, I think Hamrlik can be that guy for now... though I wouldn't have minded seeing Spacek there, but Jaro still needs to play the right side. With Markov and Hamrlik out, I'd guess:

Gill - Gorges

Spacek - Subban

Picard - O'Byrne

That could get ugly.

[dlbalr]

I'm actually starting to worry that Martin likes Henry and may be willing to keep him up as the 23rd skater (that alone concerns me). He brings toughness and a willingness to stick up for other players which is something the Habs legitimately need. Unfortunately, he's also shown why he's best known as a minor league defenceman. As a rotational player (swapped in against tougher teams), he could be useful and he'd be content with that role (poor Bulldogs though). At least he has a cheap cap hit...

As for the D pairings saskhab noted, I can't agree more - Spacek with Markov is something I wish would have been tried last season. Markov handles the puck a lot for a d-man, which means less pressure on Spacek; he could then concentrate on more of the shutdown role he did reasonably well with last year. Hamrlik and Subban makes a lot of sense as well.

[saskhab]

I'm actually starting to worry that Martin likes Henry and may be willing to keep him up as the 23rd skater (that alone concerns me). He brings toughness and a willingness to stick up for other players which is something the Habs legitimately need. Unfortunately, he's also shown why he's best known as a minor league defenceman. As a rotational player (swapped in against tougher teams), he could be useful and he'd be content with that role (poor Bulldogs though). At least he has a cheap cap hit...

As for the D pairings saskhab noted, I can't agree more - Spacek with Markov is something I wish would have been tried last season. Markov handles the puck a lot for a d-man, which means less pressure on Spacek; he could then concentrate on more of the shutdown role he did reasonably well with last year. Hamrlik and Subban makes a lot of sense as well.

And maybe Spacek will start to develop some chemistry with Markov that can be utilized on the PP as well...

Henry as the 23rd guy could make some sense, providing O'Byrne is waived. If O'B clears, then Hamilton is at no real loss. Picard + Henry make less than $200k more than O'Byrne alone in cap terms... makes them tighter to the max, but still with some level of coushin. If Eller were to start in the AHL, and White made the team, they'd come out even cap wise. Problem is that Eller might be of real help to the team, where as the other guys are probably interchangeable.

[dlbalr]

And maybe Spacek will start to develop some chemistry with Markov that can be utilized on the PP as well...

Henry as the 23rd guy could make some sense, providing O'Byrne is waived. If O'B clears, then Hamilton is at no real loss. Picard + Henry make less than $200k more than O'Byrne alone in cap terms... makes them tighter to the max, but still with some level of coushin. If Eller were to start in the AHL, and White made the team, they'd come out even cap wise. Problem is that Eller might be of real help to the team, where as the other guys are probably interchangeable.

The only concern with waiving O'Byrne (I do acknowledge it's a legitimate possibility...and with the poison pill in his contract he'd probably clear) is that he'd be stuck in the AHL for the season as he has to clear re-entry waivers. Eller I think has shown enough that he should get a look at the start of the year - if he struggles a bit, then send him to Hamilton for a few weeks.

[Wamsley01]

McGuire and Miller seemed to only see negatives, it seemed quite biased/distrustful the way they portrayed him. McGuire kept saying "why didn't they wait until the draft to create a bidding war, or why didn't they get T.J. Oshie?" It was through those eyes that they called the game. Once, he struggled to get the puck out of the zone, but they failed to analyze why. Eller was DEEP, getting the puck at the side of the net, and was pressured. There was no outlet pass available, so he tried to just get it by the guy in front of him. Reasonable thing to do, really, and the Sabre at the blueline juggled the puck and couldn't keep it in. Then Miller asked if Eller should start the year in the AHL.

I don't think sending him to the AHL is a horrid move, but the way they called the game last night around Eller was ridiculous.

Good news for me: I won't be watching Saturday's game, or only part of it maybe. Going to a Blades game instead. So I won't see that awful group of D again.

Clearly, Martin has to see that Henry isn't NHL ready, maybe as a temproary 7th/forward fill-in, but nothing worth playing. Weber has actually improved 5 on 5, but he's still not there, either. Picard should be ahead of O'Byrne in reality, but you can keep giving O'B some chances.

What does everyone think of D pairings? I'm thinking when healthy:

Markov - Spacek

Gill - Gorges

Hamrlik - Subban

Subban needs a steady influence, I think Hamrlik can be that guy for now... though I wouldn't have minded seeing Spacek there, but Jaro still needs to play the right side. With Markov and Hamrlik out, I'd guess:

Gill - Gorges

Spacek - Subban

Picard - O'Byrne

That could get ugly.

I watch it on RDS. McGuire is a self promoter who talks so much shit that nobody remembers what he got right and what

he got wrong outside of him telling you what he got right and wrong.

They are a national broadcast, so nobody really tracks what he says because they don't care. If he was trashing Niklas Bergfors

you are not going to pay attention, so if he misses the boat on his analysis you won't remember.

When the Sens acquired Leclaire, McGuire immediately claimed he was the best goaltender in Senators history.

All because he had one huge year playing for Ken Hitchcock? When somebody questioned it he became condescending

towards that individual. Leclaire was BRUTAL last season and the season before. Did anybody call him out on that? Nope.

He offers nothing but hot air and because of his constant screaming I tend to miss when he does say something intelligent.