xXx..CK..xXx

Sad to see Gally leave. I have nothing ill to say about him. Loved having him on the team until the very end and while any expectations surrounding his game are besides the point, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gally doing a little something, something in Vancouver. As for skating speed, meh. Gallagher’d max skating speed is in the 78th percentile. That means he’s quicker than most of the league. Alex Tuch is in the 77th percentile, and he just signed a nice contract. Players like Ovechkin & M. Tkachuk are in the bottom half of the league, if not worse. But alas, they do have more skill. I wish you all the best, Gally!

I’m not sure how anyone can argue that after a playoffs where coaches, including St. Louis, consistently made lineup changes when the going was getting tough, can say leaving the status quo when it came to the lineup was the right thing to do. In some cases we have the same people that are saying the Habs were gassed being the same people that are saying no lineup changes should be made because the extras will only play 5 minutes. I can see so many angles as to how that’s still an argument against the coaching. “Gallagher and Xhekaj will only play 5 minutes”. Okay, so play them more. “No, they are a liability because Marty and I say they are.” Okay, well there were plenty more liabilities on the roster these past few games and players who are slower than Gallagher and have turned over the puck as much as Wifi (Matheson and I like him) are playing but they get a pass. I’m not even saying that the outcome would have been different but I am stating that we played the exact same way the last three games without any success and dare I say other coaches would have made more adjustments those last few games, or even at the very least that Marty stopped making adjustments he had been making the entire playoffs at that point in time. It is what it is because I’m not saying we didn’t have success as a result of coaching but I am saying that the coaching bares the fruits of the defeat as well. ^^^ I had written that a few days ago in this thread as well but decided to sit on it for the same reasons as you @dlbalrHowever, I tend to agree with your article which even went into more depth on the topic.

I’ll be cheering for a win, thank you very much.

I heard about this earlier today. I was there the game he lifted the torch…. And it was only 3 days ago. Hard to process. RIP.

There’s the narrative that one won’t be able to get away from, referring to the Habs as exhausted. It’s everywhere so I accept that it will be repeated. With that being said, a team can win while exhausted. Just because the Canes had 12 days rest, it doesn’t mean that the 38 year olds on their team (just making up a number but they have some veterans) aren’t feeling the effects of a hockey game from the day before. The Hurricanes have also played close to 100 games this season. All of it adds up. That’s not really my point but it’s a little overblown. I know all the comments about the Habs having played 2 games 7s. No one needs to try and convince me. Often, when I watch tennis, I think about how the audience watching on television doesn’t think about the shoulder tendinitis the player has, or the stomach virus he or she is going through as the player look like they are playing terrible through the screen. So I understand the concept very well of a team possibly being tired. In this case, the Habs weren’t exhausted when they won game 1 6-2. The Canes were rusty, and the Habs have been exhausted for all their losses. To me, the justification for losses seems to line up with the definition of an excuse, right up there with the referees, or whatever other excuse someone could come up with. The Habs are a young team and in fact this is the most healthy we’ve been during a playoff run that I can remember. There are so many solutions towards being tired that the Habs have a luxury to deal with this season. I won’t say specific names because then people will hyperbole their thoughts on whether or not those specific players deserve to be in the lineup and deviate from the actual topic. What I will say is that if we are so exhausted mentally or physically, play some of the plethora of players we have waiting in the wings, and play them more than 5 minutes. Any person who debates against this simply thinks it could be worse than it has been for the last 3 games (even though we genuinely could have won 1 or 2 of them). The Habs can still win games in this series despite all the pessimism but sometimes a team is just better than the other and that’s why they win a game.

The thing is that I disagree that it could have been 7-3 for Carolina. Dobeš did make some great saves but we had opportunities at key moments as well. It wasn’t like it was going to be 7-3 for the Habs, but it simply could have been 3-2 or 4-2 with ease. Caufield’s goal was offside but it was by a hair and the reality that it was offside didn’t affect the play whatsoever. I get it, I can’t argue against the advanced stats and I’m sure it looked terrible on television. I haven’t had a chance to watch so I will do so just to see it from that perspective. In person though, while it wasn’t like I was filled with jubilation at any point, it once again felt like a 50/50 game for the most part. I already said that Carolina had the run of play, however exactly as you pointed out, Dobeš is part of the team. I have absolutely nothing against him being the reason we win a game or a series. There’s nothing wrong with that. Tying in with the earlier point, that’s part of the reason why I disagree that it could have been 7-3. The way we are reacting right now, with any of the pessimism posted in this thread is simply because of the outcome, rather than anything else. The difference in the Tampa series as well as the Buffalo series is that the team found a way to win these very same games. One could argue that it is getting more tiresome because it’s developing into a trend however the reality is once again that had we won these last two games, which we genuinely could have, the narrative becomes more positive. We have also played 3 games this series and we did dominate one of those games in exactly the fashion that many Habs fans are requesting. That’s only 3 games ago. Carolina and Tampa Bay are very good teams and they found a way to play extremely well defensively against us. We are a dangerous and opportunistic team though and that’s why that’s the only way these other teams are able to beat us. The other end of the spectrum is as I keep annoyingly repeating, the Habs have gotten used to playing in and winning close games. I said before the playoffs that these 50/50 games will come back to bite them in the butt because it’s difficult to win 16 games in such a manner. I actually post this with optimism for whatever reason but we may have simply found another team that is good at playing in and winning close games. They are 5-0 in overtime these playoffs, and I’ve watch every single one of those games.

Being there, we actually had a real chance at winning this game. It was 50/50. Carolina has the better of the play but we had a goal disallowed, followed by Suzuki on a breakaway in overtime and a Matheson crossbar. We fully could have won this game.

It’s as bad live as it is on television. The good news: a new period awaits. Let’s hope all the pessimism leads to a better outcome against expectations.

Let’s go Captain Suzuki. Predicted you as the first star today.

Agreed. I have the exact same sentiment as was said in my last post. The only thing is if we were to face a banged up Makar and MacKinnon, that might change things slightly. In the end, both teams have some elite players but I’d rather face Vegas than Colorado. Let’s get to the dance first!

Makar back for game 3 against Vegas and Colorado is leading half way through the game. I want to be careful what I wish for and we’re not there yet but I wonder if Vegas would be the better opponent despite them being up 2-0 in the series. We may not have the luxury of facing a Makar-less Colorado.

I’m speaking about this from a purely human perspective rather than a lawyer/business perspective but it seems silly to me that an organization can fire you but then hold onto your rights and not allow you to do anything else. Something similar is happening with Cassidy in Vegas. I understand that there is a contract, and they’re still getting paid but seeing as I am a coach in another sport for a living, from Cassidy’s perspective, it would drive me crazy that I literally couldn’t get to work, regardless of the reality that I’m getting paid. I also understand that Vegas would likely allow him to coach in another league, or even the other conference but the point still stands. He’s already been prohibited from talking to teams. Fire the person, give them the money or whatever settlement should be within a contract, and then allow everyone to move on. Alas, life ain’t all rainbows and fairytales.

He carried the torch before Game 4 of the Buffalo series.

Looking at this part of the poll is encouraging. Since no one predicted Carolina to win the cup, they may as well lose to us, right?

I’m thinking it will be a former cup winner as well but my line of thought derives from a combination of what player would give the modern day Hab fan the loudest reaction within the building, combined with the statement that we should save the face card & ace for the final. I’m fine with a player like Desjardins but similar to Brisebois I’m not sure he would get the same reaction as Koivu or Price, despite their success with the team. Madame Béliveau is another option when it comes to a female lifting the torch.