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Game 5, Rangers vs Habs, 7 PM


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Guest Stogey24

If this team does get knocked out here, I think a serious look at the core is in order. 

 

Galchenyuk has had one game where he looked somewhat dangerous. The rest have just been mediocrity.

 

Price has been solid, but they need him to steal a couple games here. He's our golden ticket. 

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6 minutes ago, Stogey24 said:

If this team does get knocked out here, I think a serious look at the core is in order. 

 

Galchenyuk has had one game where he looked somewhat dangerous. The rest have just been mediocrity.

 

Price has been solid, but they need him to steal a couple games here. He's our golden ticket. 

 

Well...is the 'core' the problem? Or is the fact that we don't have a single legitimate top-6 C a more fundamental problem? The team is a doughnut.

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Just now, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

Well...is the 'core' the problem? Or is the fact that we don't have a single legitimate top-6 C a more fundamental problem? The team is a doughnut.

Ya, probably more to the fact we have nothing that alleviate's the core. 

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Cuke, I agree that there are a lot of problems that are beyond Pacioretty about the team.

 

And maybe it sounds unfair to want Pacioretty to play differently from his game. But his game is not working. And if you shoot the puck 24 times the way it usually goes in and it doesn't, you are just the definition of insanity.

 

The real problem I think is Pacioretty shouldn't be the captain and star of the offence. There should be someone with more responsibility than him. Look at Kessel in Pittsburgh or Phaneuf in Ottawa. That'll eventually be Patches. He was given too much responsibility here, he will one day go play for another team and not be expected to be the star. Maybe if Radu signs long term that can still be the case.

 

I just want Pacioretty to look like this is the playoffs and not just another game.

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Entertaining game, Lundqvist played solid again and kept them in it, too bad Habs gave up lead twice and just couldn't get that 3rd goal. At least Gallagher and Lehkonen showed up to play and as Julien noted, some "unnamed" players need to step up their games.

Molson will be happy to get the extra game #7 gate $$ anyways!

:gohabsgo:

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30 minutes ago, Machine of Loving Grace said:

Cuke, I agree that there are a lot of problems that are beyond Pacioretty about the team.

 

And maybe it sounds unfair to want Pacioretty to play differently from his game. But his game is not working. And if you shoot the puck 24 times the way it usually goes in and it doesn't, you are just the definition of insanity.

 

The real problem I think is Pacioretty shouldn't be the captain and star of the offence. There should be someone with more responsibility than him. Look at Kessel in Pittsburgh or Phaneuf in Ottawa. That'll eventually be Patches. He was given too much responsibility here, he will one day go play for another team and not be expected to be the star. Maybe if Radu signs long term that can still be the case.

 

I just want Pacioretty to look like this is the playoffs and not just another game.

 

I don't really agree with the highlighted part. His job is to generate offensive chances. He's been doing that, controlling the play and taking quality shots. Coaches always emphasize 'the process,' which means doing the right things and trusting that eventually you will get rewarded. The very worst thing Pacioretty could do is change his game because the media is baying at him. I don't even know what wanting him to 'look like this is the playoffs' means. He is playing well, that's what matters. I don't care if he looks too vanilla.

 

That said, there's much that seems right in your post. Pacioretty is a very good player, but he is not a 'franchise' forward with the ability to carry a squad on his back, like McDavid. He needs good linemates and strong secondary scoring. The only source of secondary scoring so far is Gally and Lehkonen. Should he be captain? Look, I think the Habs should have maintained the four-A system. It would have spread the burdens around and emphasized shared responsibility. The real leader is Price anyway. Failing that, Shea Weber should be captain. No one will scream at him if he is not scoring goals. But Patches wanted the job, and the lesson may be 'be careful what you wish for.'

 

 

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Pacs is playing soft. He is taking perimeter shots but refusing to get to the dirty areas. He isn't back checking with any pressure. He is floating around looking for easy stick checks. Sure, one of those led to a goal, but had he missed getting the puck he was pretty much out of the play. 

 

Most of the little guys are hounding players, chasing down the puck carrier, and working hard on the boards. Pacs simply isn't. 

 

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Not even going to bother bashing Maxi Pad Max; just came here to say for those of you that strongly opposed my thread on whether or not he is a real leader, the writing is on the wall now, give your damn heads a shake. Had absolutely 0 faith in this team from the beginning of the season with such a passive loser as a leader. heres to hoping we don't hear the name Markov, Plekanec, Beaulieu, or Davidson next season. stick a fork in em, they're finished, and even if they muster a comeback, they will get walloped next round. 

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26 minutes ago, brobin said:

Pacs is playing soft. He is taking perimeter shots but refusing to get to the dirty areas.

 

Quote

Most of the little guys are hounding players, chasing down the puck carrier, and working hard on the boards. Pacs simply isn't. 

 

 

 

I'm not holding that against him though, because that's always been his game...he's never been a hard worker along the boards, and he seldom has the guts to cut to the middle.  My problem is that he can't put the puck in the net, and the constant droning about "he has x number of shots, so it's not his fault" is starting to get sickening.  The Max Pac apologists are acting as if Ludqvist is absolutely robbing Max on almost every shot with a near impossible highlight reel save, and that's just not the case.  Most of what Max is throwing at him is a routine save that he barely has to move on.  When you are a supposed 'elite scorer' you have to bury the odd puck with incredible puck placement and velocity that defies anything the goaltender can do to try to stop it....I see Ovechkin, Kessel, ect doing it...Max is not.  Enough excuses.  The teams who have their 'top guys' delivering are advancing to the next round, and the teams getting goose eggs from those guys are not...bottom line. 

 

(And this isn't all on Max...Bergevin's failure to upgrade at center, and to get any scoring help at the deadline should loom large with the owner should this team get bounced this round)

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5 minutes ago, sbhatt said:

 

 

 

I'm not holding that against him though, because that's always been his game...he's never been a hard worker along the boards, and he seldom has the guts to cut to the middle.  My problem is that he can't put the puck in the net, and the constant droning about "he has x number of shots, so it's not his fault" is starting to get sickening.  The Max Pac apologists are acting as if Ludqvist is absolutely robbing Max on almost every shot with a near impossible highlight reel save, and that's just not the case.  Most of what Max is throwing at him is a routine save that he barely has to move on.  When you are a supposed 'elite scorer' you have to bury the odd puck with incredible puck placement and velocity that defies anything the goaltender can do to try to stop it....I see Ovechkin, Kessel, ect doing it...Max is not.  Enough excuses.

:cry_smile::cry_smile: Holy whining Batman!

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Honestly give me the Pacioretty that focused more on passing the puck to Galchenyuk last season than the one we see now. Can't score goals? That's fine, I know your passing ability. We've even seen it this series. Do more of that.

 

Of course that means putting Chuck with him again, and that's supposedly the worst thing you can ever do ever, and it's better for this team to get eliminated than do that, but whatever. 

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1 minute ago, Machine of Loving Grace said:

Honestly give me the Pacioretty that focused more on passing the puck to Galchenyuk last season than the one we see now. Can't score goals? That's fine, I know your passing ability. We've even seen it this series. Do more of that.

 

Of course that means putting Chuck with him again, and that's supposedly the worst thing you can ever do ever, and it's better for this team to get eliminated than do that, but whatever. 

 

Some line blender action can't possibly hurt at this point...anything that might get 67 and/or 27 to produce is worth a shot.

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1 hour ago, brobin said:

Pacs is playing soft. He is taking perimeter shots but refusing to get to the dirty areas. He isn't back checking with any pressure. He is floating around looking for easy stick checks. Sure, one of those led to a goal, but had he missed getting the puck he was pretty much out of the play. 

 

Most of the little guys are hounding players, chasing down the puck carrier, and working hard on the boards. Pacs simply isn't. 

 

 

Floating around taking perimeter shots is not supported by the stats nor the accompanying video that i posted in this thread.  Nor is the lack of backchecking.

 

Yes he made a mistake in game 4 but thats really it for him in 5 games.  Hes doing what he needs to do, just not scoring.  Its something that can happen... some bad luck and good goaltending by lundqvist over a small sample size.  Unfortunately the playoffs are a small sample

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2 hours ago, Machine of Loving Grace said:

Cuke, I agree that there are a lot of problems that are beyond Pacioretty about the team.

 

And maybe it sounds unfair to want Pacioretty to play differently from his game. But his game is not working. And if you shoot the puck 24 times the way it usually goes in and it doesn't, you are just the definition of insanity.

 

The real problem I think is Pacioretty shouldn't be the captain and star of the offence. There should be someone with more responsibility than him. Look at Kessel in Pittsburgh or Phaneuf in Ottawa. That'll eventually be Patches. He was given too much responsibility here, he will one day go play for another team and not be expected to be the star. Maybe if Radu signs long term that can still be the case.

 

I just want Pacioretty to look like this is the playoffs and not just another game.


I don't think it's a straw man argument where fans want Pacioretty to become Wayne Simmonds, we simply want to see some hustle and grit. And yes, if playing above the defense isn't working, it's on him to go down low and to the net. The Rangers have adjusted to him, and he's been quite easy to shut down. I don't really care for the scoring chances argument, because to my eyes, there are four or five chances a game not including goals. I don't buy this "high danger, low danger" crap. Playoffs are results and not process oriented. We don't have the benefit of an 82 game sample size for the margins to be colored in by variance.

 

A lot of the blame needs to go to the center situation. Whether you want to blame management or Galchenyuk is another discussion. Phil Danault shouldn't be a top-6 center. He's been as bad as Dwight King this playoff. I think he's learning on the job and that it takes a couple of playoffs to really get going. 

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I guess the play where McDonagh fell to the ground and left Pacioretty all

 alone in the slot with a golden opportunity at 1-0 is already forgotten. There's a difference between not putting in the effort and squeezing the stick. If I had to guess between the two, it would be the latter and not the former. Pacioretty scores that goal 8 times out of 10.

 

 

As for the serries in general. I agree with the coin flip mentality but I look at it in a negative way. It's not the greatest feeling knowing you're headed into a game where there's a 50% chance your season is done. If we can win next game, I'll start to hold some optimistic hope again. 

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14 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

I understand the negativity about this game, but it's overblown.

 

This team completely dominated the Rangers for two periods. But they couldn't get that third goal, and when the Rags went into the third period all tied up, well...I've seen that movie many times. The Rangers knew they were in a position to steal one, and they made no mistake.

 

In terms of the Rangers' control in the third and OT, a lot of that had to do with the jolt of energy, the charge you get from realizing that you're on the cusp of highway robbery - along with the Habs being deflated after that goal late in the 2nd. Also, coaching; AV made some adjustments - and that too is normal. Rarely do you see any team dominate from start to finish, especially in the playoffs; and part of the reason is that coaches make adjustments,

 

As for negativity, I do have one thing to complain about.

 

Alex Galchenyuk.

 

This was a game where the team really, really, REALLY needed its most talented, torpedo-like forward to do something. It didn't need to be 20 minutes of incredible play. Just something. We needed him to generate offence. Patches did all he could, Radu tried hard, the Gally line dominated the first half. The missing ingredient was Galchenyuk.

 

Now in terms of the future...

 

While we could still go into MSG and win, I can't help but feel that I'm not going to see the Habs win the Cup for a looooooong time. I continue to believe that this season is the best chance they are apt to have for the foreseeable future. This core is aging and this year's matchups are basically ideal, and we're 100% healthy, yet we're staring a first-round exit full in the face. It doesn't look good.

My thoughts exactly! Galchenyuk looks like a child playing a man's game.

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54 minutes ago, Commandant said:

 

Floating around taking perimeter shots is not supported by the stats nor the accompanying video that i posted in this thread.  Nor is the lack of backchecking.

 

Yes he made a mistake in game 4 but thats really it for him in 5 games.  Hes doing what he needs to do, just not scoring.  Its something that can happen... some bad luck and good goaltending by lundqvist over a small sample size.  Unfortunately the playoffs are a small sample

 

 

I have watched him every game. He is not engaging like he can.  Once in a while he does, but not consistently at all. Of course he gets shots, but few are dangerous. He is getting all kinds of ice time but other then the one steal in OT, he is not creating many chances. He floats around and the guys doing hard work set him up. That would be fine if he scored, but he isn't. 

 

When he he puts his shoulder down and starts driving the net, he will score. When he starts hustling like his line mates, he will create chances for them.

 

He is the captain. Score or not, he needs to set the examp,e of playing with desperation. This is the playoffs, not a game against Buffalo in Feb. 

 

 

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1 hour ago, sim.on said:

My thoughts exactly! Galchenyuk looks like a child playing a man's game.

the word on the street (in Montreal) is that Chucky loves his Crescent street bars, women, and booze; and not necessarily in that order.  Based on MB's need for "character" players, It wouldn't surprise me if he's not back next year.  

 

Whether you love him or hate him, this is Max's team right now... make no mistake about it.  Chucky isn't playing with Max because Max doesn't want him to...Why did DD play with Max? because of Max  ..PD is playing with him, because (you guessed it!!) Max wants him to. When Chucky centers Max, its harder for him...he has to chase the puck more AND cover up for Chucky's mistakes (which are many and often).   

 

Anyway, this is our team and, aside from the Chucky drama, we knew going in that  this team has more holes than swiss cheese.  The good news ?  So does every other team in the league...even the mighty Pens (eventually Fleury will let them down).   New York, Boston, Ottawa, Toronto, etal...all have problems. Look, Chicago was knocked out in 4 straight...should Toews be tarred and feathered? 

 

This series is going 7 games...and hopefully OUR team (warts, holes and all) wins game 7.

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32 minutes ago, THE Bobby Orr said:

the word on the street (in Montreal) is that Chucky loves his Crescent street bars, women, and booze; and not necessarily in that order.  Based on MB's need for "character" players, It wouldn't surprise me if he's not back next year.    

I don't care if he loves OV beer pong at 4am with furries. Accentuate the positives, hide the negatives. Therrien/Julien/Bergevin accentuate his negatives and hide his positives.

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3 minutes ago, Machine of Loving Grace said:

I don't care if he loves OV beer pong at 4am with furries. Accentuate the positives, hide the negatives. Therrien/Julien/Bergevin accentuate his negatives and hide his positives.

don't get me started on the facking petri dish experiments on this kid...a lobotomy is next

 

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1 hour ago, brobin said:

 

 

I have watched him every game. He is not engaging like he can.  Once in a while he does, but not consistently at all. Of course he gets shots, but few are dangerous. He is getting all kinds of ice time but other then the one steal in OT, he is not creating many chances. He floats around and the guys doing hard work set him up. That would be fine if he scored, but he isn't. 

 

When he he puts his shoulder down and starts driving the net, he will score. When he starts hustling like his line mates, he will create chances for them.

 

He is the captain. Score or not, he needs to set the examp,e of playing with desperation. This is the playoffs, not a game against Buffalo in Feb. 

 

 

 

You may have watched every game, but your memories of said games may betray you. The video doesn't lie. He's had high quality scoring chances and Lundqvist is making the saves.  Here is the article, with a video, again.  

 

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/whats-behind-max-paciorettys-playoff-goal-scoring-woes/

 

 

 

 

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Word on the street eh?

 

Rumor mongering at its finest.... 

 

Chucky is out partying on crescent street.

Max makes the line combos and tells the coach what centre he wants to play with.

 

Yeah, okay, sure.... you somehow know all this stuff??  I thought this site was above posting bullshit and claiming inside info of what happens in the dressing room without proof. 

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