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Oct. 16, Bruins vs Habs, 7:30 PM


dlbalr

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Hearts is correct. Gorges currently has 19 blocked shots. Subban is third with 14, Gilbert tied for 7th with 12, Beaulieu tied for 13th with 11, Emelin at 49th with 7.

That number is just a number. Boston played 6 games so far. Minnessota 2.

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I too believe we're better off without gorges. however, do I think we're a serious Stanley cup contender? not quite. we're one badassed right handed defensive defenseman away yet. a 2nd pairing minute eater.and believe me, that isn't josh gorges!

Gilbert and Weaver are a disappointment so far. On the other hand, we have two excellent young prospects with the team right now, and two right-handed big frames (Pateryn and Dietz) waiting for their turn in Hamilton. Things are improving fast.

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My primary point is just that the D hasn't looked great and that this makes Price look worse than he's been. I guess we all agree on that - but then, let's keep the attention focused on the D rather than on Price, unless he starts letting in stinkers.

My secondary point was that there might be a causal correlation between the subtraction of Gorges and the uptick in defensive-zone struggles. There is (obviously) a correlation, but of course correlation does not equal causation. I do think people undervalued Gorges; however, PK's struggles, for instance, might be THE biggest independent variable and have nothing to do with JG.

Speaking of which, when is PK going to start laying those end-to-end rushes on us? A broadcaster on Vancouver radio just got through arguing that Subban is *the* most exciting player in all of hockey due to his ability to rush the puck...it made me realize we really haven't see much of that PK this year, yet.

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I am quite pleased being 4-1, nice to see them put puck to net and actually have someone in slot.

third stringer on Sat night! Hope they frickin light him up and how will coach of the year & Sakic deal with 2 injured goalies?

Was too bad Gallagher wasn't on empty net shift for possible hat-trick.

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I was in no way blaming Price, merely stating he hasn't been "himself" which usually is a game changer. He has made some key stops, and has been exposed to clear cut shots from the slot, lots of them.
He also has been scrambly and hasn't had good rebound control, again a symptom of him not being himself, but something less than we/I have come to expect.

To assume it's because Gorges is gone isn't a very legit reason for Price to not be "himself". The defense has looked better bit by bit, and neither Carey Price or most of us fans will miss Gorges at all...
It's early season, and we are off to a good start in the standings, and I see more potential in this defense, that I had hope in last year's defense.

Once this defense rounds into form, and Beaulieu and Tinordi get the experience from this season, I think we have moved more toward being a contender than most fans realize, and we haven't even seen the whole/real Subban yet.....

It won't be long and Weaver and Gilbert will be depth players.....

Gorge who, and what George spells George that way anyway?

And how many blocked shots does it take to win a hockey game?

How many wins do the Sabres have?

:nuts:

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Gilbert and Weaver are a disappointment so far. On the other hand, we have two excellent young prospects with the team right now, and two right-handed big frames (Pateryn and Dietz) waiting for their turn in Hamilton. Things are improving fast.

Agree with that. A more experienced Tinordi and Beaulieu with Markov and Subban is going to be a dynamite top four. Weaver played over his head as a fill in last year. Dumping gorges was a good move but if all MT is gonna do is replace him with weaver well then its the same thing. He should be the no 7 only there in case of injury.

Stanley Cup contender? No way. Play off hockey demands way more at center than Pleknaic and DD (habs top two centers) have in their game. Come play off time lars Eller was the habs best center last season. The season before he was knocked into next week in game one, and pleks and dd stunk.

No the habs are far to weak down the middle to be even mentioned as serious contenders. They are for lack of a better term a decent "regular season team"

But i do believe MB will get them there.

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Agree with that. A more experienced Tinordi and Beaulieu with Markov and Subban is going to be a dynamite top four. Weaver played over his head as a fill in last year. Dumping gorges was a good move but if all MT is gonna do is replace him with weaver well then its the same thing. He should be the no 7 only there in case of injury.

Stanley Cup contender? No way. Play off hockey demands way more at center than Pleknaic and DD (habs top two centers) have in their game. Come play off time lars Eller was the habs best center last season. The season before he was knocked into next week in game one, and pleks and dd stunk.

No the habs are far to weak down the middle to be even mentioned as serious contenders. They are for lack of a better term a decent "regular season team"

But i do believe MB will get them there.

So who did Chicago have down the middle? Their second line center their last cup was Michael Handzus. They signed Brad Richards to play center on the second line, but have Andrew Shaw playing there.

The Habs have had two great regular seasons. It's pretty early to jump the gun and call them a "regular season team." The quotation marks are pretty rich, though. They're a clever attempt to lend some gravity to an entirely nonsensical point.

Also, it's tough to call Weaver a "fill-in" when he stepped into the starting defense immediately and played every single playoff game.

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Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't believe there is a single formula for winning the Cup. A certain segment of opinion is obsessed with the idea of a stud centreman. It's true that recent Cup winners have had that (Kopitar, Towes) but Boston doesn't have one, and neither did the Devils when they were a feared, multi-Cup-winning team, and neither did a certain Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the 1970s - for instance. And for that matter, the Pittsburgh Penguins have no fewer than TWO franchise centremen and have bombed out in the playoffs for a few years running.

None of this means that the Habs are full-bore contenders. I'm not quite convinced and still think we are in the "second rung;" our D isn't deep enough IMHO and there are too many question marks up front (e.g., the entire Eller line). But it does mean that we are probably wrong when we cling monomaniacally to the idea that we can't win until we have that mythic Stud C.

I agree that, while today's Habs have an outside chance, the window will really be fully open when and if Beaulieu and Tinordi both emerge as top-4 defencemen. If that happens, look out. And heck, at that point Galchenyuk may indeed be the PPG star so many believe him to be, so we'll be looking good even at C.

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Bruins were 17th in NHL the year before wining cup, Hawks 6th/12th, Kings were 10th/7th and Habs were 9th last year.

So Habs shouldnt be considered that much a long shot or shocker to win Cup.

Though they could use more than 1 all-star forward for sure.

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My primary point is just that the D hasn't looked great and that this makes Price look worse than he's been. I guess we all agree on that - but then, let's keep the attention focused on the D rather than on Price, unless he starts letting in stinkers.

My secondary point was that there might be a causal correlation between the subtraction of Gorges and the uptick in defensive-zone struggles. There is (obviously) a correlation, but of course correlation does not equal causation. I do think people undervalued Gorges; however, PK's struggles, for instance, might be THE biggest independent variable and have nothing to do with JG.

Speaking of which, when is PK going to start laying those end-to-end rushes on us? A broadcaster on Vancouver radio just got through arguing that Subban is *the* most exciting player in all of hockey due to his ability to rush the puck...it made me realize we really haven't see much of that PK this year, yet.

I have seen him try only to be forced wide or forced to turn back. Teams are on to him and have played against it well prepared.

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So who did Chicago have down the middle? Their second line center their last cup was Michael Handzus. They signed Brad Richards to play center on the second line, but have Andrew Shaw playing there.

The Habs have had two great regular seasons. It's pretty early to jump the gun and call them a "regular season team." The quotation marks are pretty rich, though. They're a clever attempt to lend some gravity to an entirely nonsensical point.

Also, it's tough to call Weaver a "fill-in" when he stepped into the starting defense immediately and played every single playoff game.

lol....."so who did Chicago have down the middle" You forget Jonathon Toews? How could you ask that question and not mention him? 1. Your second line center can be Handzus if you have Towes. 2. Your second line center could be Plekanic too if you had Teows as number one. 3. Even with Jonathon Teows the hawks felt the need to add Richards. Montreal has a greater need at ceneter than Chicago yet added less. Give you a hipothetical. If Chicagos no 1 center was DD.(instead of toews.........they are in trouble come play offs and no longer a serious stanley cup contender. Like the habs are not a serious stanley cup contender.

Not to mention the habs only center to play well in the last two play off years........Eller in 014.

Down the middle has been a major concern for the habs for years. Stll is.

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Though they could use more than 1 all-star forward for sure.

Two seasons ago Parenteau was a .90 PPG player. Three seasons ago he was a .84 PPG player. One season ago he was a .60 PPG player in a season considered so awful he had to be packaged with a draft pick to be worth Danny Briere.

Do you know how many Habs were .60 PPG or better last season? Four: Vanek, Pacioretty, Desharnais and Subban.

Parenteau might not be the typical vision of an all-star for some, but the guy knows how to score. If he "needs a superstar to score", the superstar is gonna be Galchenyuk.

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I am quite pleased being 4-1, nice to see them put puck to net and actually have someone in slot.

third stringer on Sat night! Hope they frickin light him up and how will coach of the year & Sakic deal with 2 injured goalies?

Was too bad Gallagher wasn't on empty net shift for possible hat-trick.

thought the same thing. MT blew that one

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Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't believe there is a single formula for winning the Cup. A certain segment of opinion is obsessed with the idea of a stud centreman. It's true that recent Cup winners have had that (Kopitar, Towes) but Boston doesn't have one, and neither did the Devils when they were a feared, multi-Cup-winning team, and neither did a certain Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the 1970s - for instance. And for that matter, the Pittsburgh Penguins have no fewer than TWO franchise centremen and have bombed out in the playoffs for a few years running.

None of this means that the Habs are full-bore contenders. I'm not quite convinced and still think we are in the "second rung;" our D isn't deep enough IMHO and there are too many question marks up front (e.g., the entire Eller line). But it does mean that we are probably wrong when we cling monomaniacally to the idea that we can't win until we have that mythic Stud C.

I agree that, while today's Habs have an outside chance, the window will really be fully open when and if Beaulieu and Tinordi both emerge as top-4 defencemen. If that happens, look out. And heck, at that point Galchenyuk may indeed be the PPG star so many believe him to be, so we'll be looking good even at C.

convince yourself? I'll put is this way................even with all the talent the Kings have.....if DD is the no 1 center they dont win last years cup. Even with all the talent the hawks have,,,,,if plekanic is the no 1 center they dont win the cup two seasons ago. Boston you say? when they when they won the cup Kretchi lead All scores in the nhl play offs. Did it again when they contended in 013. Habs top two centers at best "struggle" and gave failed to maintain their reg season play. Fact

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Maybe I'm crazy, but I don't believe there is a single formula for winning the Cup. A certain segment of opinion is obsessed with the idea of a stud centreman. It's true that recent Cup winners have had that (Kopitar, Towes) but Boston doesn't have one, and neither did the Devils when they were a feared, multi-Cup-winning team, and neither did a certain Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the 1970s - for instance. And for that matter, the Pittsburgh Penguins have no fewer than TWO franchise centremen and have bombed out in the playoffs for a few years running.

None of this means that the Habs are full-bore contenders. I'm not quite convinced and still think we are in the "second rung;" our D isn't deep enough IMHO and there are too many question marks up front (e.g., the entire Eller line). But it does mean that we are probably wrong when we cling monomaniacally to the idea that we can't win until we have that mythic Stud C.

I agree that, while today's Habs have an outside chance, the window will really be fully open when and if Beaulieu and Tinordi both emerge as top-4 defencemen. If that happens, look out. And heck, at that point Galchenyuk may indeed be the PPG star so many believe him to be, so we'll be looking good even at C.

Looking at our roster, we're built for next season. I'm with you that we're not in the top tier with LA, Chicago, and wannabes like St. Louis, San Jose and Anaheim. Boston is in that group, but we can beat them. The Rangers and Penguins are in our tier, I'd say. The east is open.

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I'd feel pretty confident about Montreal in a seven game series against Anaheim, St. Louis or San Jose. Same goes with Boston, New York and Pittsburgh.

Chicago and Los Angeles are the only teams I think we'd have serious trouble against in the West. They have owned the Cup for the past four years for a reason.

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The Bruins seem to be showing cracks (and I don't just mean that we kicked their asses last year). Chara's getting older every year, losing Boychuck didn't help, and the Seguin deprived them of a guy who could have been a high-end C for years to come. I'm not counting them out, but it's worth wondering whether - maybe - they are quietly slipping into that 'second tier' with along us, Tampa Bay, the Rags, and Pittsburgh. (Actually, Tampa may now be the true 'first-tier' team in the Conference).

One thing I notice that commentators are now routinely talking about the Habs as Conference heavyweights. Whatever folks 'round here think, general hockey opinion ranks the Habs quite highly. (That includes Pierre MacGuire, who has taken to saying nice things about us imagine that).

I do have a hard time seeing us beating any of those western teams over 7 games. San Jose, maybe, because, well, they're San Jose. Anaheim, hard to say. But St. Louis is a punishing club seemingly designed for playoff success. Easy to underrate them because of their ignominious exit last year, but Backes is a horse- it'd take a Tinordi to contain him, probably, and until Jarred is ready I'm not sure how we would do against a team like that. Maybe a stellar performance from Price could turn the trick. Chicago is as close to a true powerhouse as you get in today's NHL, a stunning team really; we're certainly not at that level and may never get to be. LA Kings, what can you say. Strong all the way through the lineup. They are also eerie as comparators to the Habs, in that they have a goalie who is as young as Price but has a better resumé, and a defenceman as young as Subban who also has a better resumé. You couldn't design a roster better if you wanted to negate the Habs' two biggest advantages. None of the other western teams trump Price and Subban like that. That's intimidating. I don't see how we could generate an answer to them.

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I don't understand this discussion. We are 4-1. What does that mean? We have had a very good start to the season. Are we discussing how great the team has the potential to be when they all get it together for a full 60 minutes. Rejoicing about Sekac's first goal and the frustration that drove Lucic to publicly embarrass himself, again? NO!? We have a pessimistic series of posts on why we are not a "legitimate" Stanley cup contender--whatever that means/ :wall: Come on, live a little :1banana:

We just beat the Bruins, enjoy it. Its a long season, there will be plenty of time--when we actually lose-- to bemoan the deficiencies of the team

By the way Korp, loved the Ri dick ulous comment about Lucic :thumbs_up:

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