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A lost faceoff (Evans) and a set play, much like what Las Vegas was punishing us with in the semifinals.

Well, on somebody's list but not necessarily on "the" list.

That's about exactly how I feel. No just missing the playoffs.

Kidney 1g1a; 1st star in 4-3 loss Simoneau 1g2a Xhekaj 1a Mysak 1g

https://theahl.com/stats/game-center/1022684 3-0 loss

Bubble is fine...as long as they are on the playoff side. If they make the playoffs, I will be happy. If they miss the playoffs and get a lottery pick I will be consoled. If they just miss the playoffs and give a decent pick to Arizona, I will be pissed.

I totally agree with Norlinder. Out of all of them that are not on the Habs, with the way they are currently playing I believe Norlinder would be the most help. ex: the Habs have had so many mad dashes around the other teams crease, but havent really scored on any of those chances. This problem has existed for several years, where they are basically in the crease and are trying to *jam* the puck into the net. The problem with that is there are too many bodies in the way and the majority of the bottom of the net is covered. i.e. in those situations, they really need to pass the puck back to somebody that is in a position to shoot for the top corners. Well, Norlinder has the offensive smarts to sneak down to in between the hashmarks and he has a shot that can get the puck in the net.

I gather that Norlinder and Guhle may be pretty good. But when you read that Romanov is #3 on the list, it tends to make one a bit pessimistic about the overall pool.

Having pegged this group as a bubble team at the outset, I believe that the mushy middle is the best to be hoped for.

Sloppy? Maybe. Hard to watch? Nope. Also, six games is a tiny sample size. Last season they looked great early and faded. Let’s hope that this year is the opposite. Alternatively, if they are going to be bad, I hope that they are really bad. Playoffs or pain for Shane and no mushy middle, please.

no, Timmins and other Habs management said he was like Emelin but with more scoring potential. He was not drafted to be a top pairing D.

not this year, Brooks and Poehling can be used to spot a game here and there to give Perreault a break

according to : https://www.habseyesontheprize.com/top-25-under-25 From the top 10 in the list, I am only hopeful for Norlinder, Guhle, Primeau, Ylonen and Harris. Three Ds a goalie and one bottom 6 forward... 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #1 Nick Suzuki 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #2 Cole Caufield 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #3 Alexander Romanov 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #4 Mattias Norlinder 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #5 Kaiden Guhle 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #6 Ryan Poehling 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #7 Cayden Primeau 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #8 Jesse Ylönen 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #9 Jordan Harris 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #10 Sean Farrell 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #11 Jayden Struble 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #12 Jan Myšák 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #13 Josh Brook 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #14 Luke Tuch 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #15 Logan Mailloux 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #16 Oliver Kapanen 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #17 Riley Kidney 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #18 Rafaël Harvey-Pinard 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #19 Joël Teasdale 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #20 Michael McNiven 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #21 Gianni Fairbrother 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #22 Joshua Roy 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #23 Brett Stapley 2021 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #24 Cam Hillis 2020 Canadiens Top 25 Under 25: #25 Jacob Olofsson

Interesting. We’re gonna regret the Gally contract before it’s over. Same is likely true of Petry - God love both guys - and quite possibly Savard, based on what I’ve been hearing. Looking at C, Suzuki and Dvorak seem like a reassuring duo providing stability at a key position. The real problem is whether we have quality talent in the pipeline to fill those other gaps. I am deeply skeptical. 2-3 years ago we heard (often from people on this board) all about the amazing young talent the Habs would be having come on-stream right about now. We have CC, granted. I see little indication of anybody else worth two figs, frankly.

I sort of agree with hockeyrealist. This was a sloppy game overall. Very happy they stepped up and won, but they don't seem to have any cohesion on the ice. Take the win and build some confidence. Hopefully a better played next game with the same result.

My sad streak of not being able to watch the Habs except in snatches this season continued last night, for various reasons. But it is interesting to read a critical assessment in the midst of the general hosannas of relief that the team finally broke out. It is very encouraging that Niku played well. If only he and/or Kulak could round into good, reliable guys who can be trusted to take a regular shift, it would make a huge difference to the D. Also encouraging that Perrault made a case for himself as #3C (though skepticism is warranted), and that Dvorak and Hoffman scored, while Toffoli and CC each got a point and Drouin continued his strong start. This team is built to live and die by its depth up front. We can’t be carrying a pack of slumping forwards. At the same time, it’s quite discouraging that Romanov and Evans are not, from all reports, having good seasons. Romanov in particular was supposed to be a future top-pairing guy - remember? I have seen absolutely zero signs of that potential at the NHL level. As for Evans, anything a 7th round pick gives us is gravy, but we *were* kinda counting on him to be a top-9 guy with KK gone. Sigh. Their struggles, along with Poehling’s failure to crack the lineup, exemplify why I always caution against expecting huge things out of young players.

Laval will look to sweep the weekend as they're in Bridgeport to take on the Islanders (RIP, Sound Tigers). Tory Dello is injured so Carl Neill draws in on the third pairing. (Lines are from last game) Harvey-Pinard - Dea - Martel Roy - Dauphin - Belzile Pezzetta - Vejdemo - Bourque Baddock - Beaudin - Gignac Ouellet - Belpedio Fairbrother - Schueneman Bisson - Neill Primeau (Lines are based on last game's +/- data and some guesses) Terry - Czarnik - Dal Colle Holmstrom - Koivula - Golyshev Durandeau - Andreoff - Coskey Jenkins - MacLean - Brown LaDue - Bolduc Helgeson - Wotherspoon Salo - Vande Sompel Appleby Puck drop is at 3 PM.

Agreed, unless Evans breaks out over the next 10-15 games ... if Perreault can't physically handle full-time 3C duty then it is time to hit the trade market.

I have tried to watch the Linos game which I recorded, and it is as exciting as watching a Habs reds vs whites scrimmage game Lost 1-3 to the Growlers, but their goal was this beauty:

Let's remember that the Habs were 23rd in the league in PK last season (78.5%) ... they were absolutely SUPERB in the playoffs (91.8%), when Chiarot, Edmundson and Weber were allowed to manhandle opposing forwards ... but we are not only back to regular season rules, but at least temporarily stricter enforcement of cross-checking ... and ... not only is Danault missing, but Weber was the top TOI Hab on the PK last year (both regular season and playoffs) ... some fine-tuning to optimize the PK for the current lineup and rules environment is likely in order.

Really? You found a 6-1 victory (to end a 5 game losing streak where they scored 4 goals in 5 games) hard to watch? Are you really a fan of the Canadiens?

Or we can go with an unproven AHL centre .... which is not really an option

When healthy I agree that Perreault has the skillset to be a good 3C ... but those career highs were 7 (goals) and 5 (assists) years ago ... I am not certain his 33 yr-old back can sustain regular 3C duty ... only time will tell ... fingers crossed.

now that Edmundson is back in Montreal: I am interested in seeing which of Niku or Wideman is sent to Laval or if Kulak is traded. One will have to go, and I do not think it will be Romanov who is waiver excempt The road trip will certainly provide an answer

MA Godin from The Atheltic has an article on the Habs players signed for 3 years or more, talking how this group will be together for a long time. Reordering the lineup by contract length (3yr + in bold) shows the holes in the lineup for sure: Hoffman(3yr) Suzuki(8yrs) Gallagher(6yrs) Toffoli(3yr) Dvorak(4yr) Anderson(6yr) Drouin(2yr*) Caufield(2yr*) Evans(3yr) Armia(4yr) and the rest of the Fs: Byron(2yr) Lehkonen(1yr) Brooks(1yr) Perreault(1yr) Paquette(1yr) Edmundson(3yr) Petry(4yr) Romanot(1yr*) Savard(4yr) and the rest of the Ds: Niku(1yr) Chiarot(1yr) Kulak(1yr) Wideman(1yr) Weber(5yr)