BCHabnut

Great first and once again beat by the trap. This team cannot seem to solve the trap. Two of Price's goals, he wasn't tracking the puck very well either, but in the end we got beat by the trap.

I remember Markov's first year, I was wishing he was as good as Danny Markov.

tommorrow night after super skills. Hosted by George Strombolopolopogous.

I think the team identity is there. When they play patient, trap style hockey and keep the puck along the boards until there is a turnover, then use their explosive offense and creativity, the team is hard to play against. I have seen evidence that Carbo does have a system, and that is the system. Play the boards hard and be patient. What I really think the team lacks, is a good system in there own zone when the other team has the puck. They look scattered and passive. Allowing the worst teams to wander in and set up for shots. I've actually questioned if the team needs a defensive coach. You can argue that if Carbo and Jarvis (two extremely good defensive centres) can't do it, who can? I still think having a defenseman behind the bench would be a good thing. When we have the puck in our own zone, we are usually good at chipping it out, or findint the stretch pass, but when the other team has the puck in our zone, the team looks almost lost.

This is a concern for me. I believe we can not be considered a contender unless the team can play a solid system and match up against any team. NJ has always dominated us.

I watched two extremely disciplined system teams with great defense from the Eastern conference tonight. Both of these teams, I feel will go far in the playoffs if they can continue these ways. Those teams were the Devils and the Bruins. :puke: The Habs team that inpressed me the most this year was the one that was patient and played hard on the boards and chipped out of the zone. Habs get handcuffed by defensive teams. They are too much about long high risk cross ice passes to beat the trap. This is what the Devils want. They tried chipping the boards and got beat at that a lot, but they didn't seem to stick close to each other and look for the puck support and short pass when breaking into the zone. The cycle looked good a few times, but the Devils were the better team all around. A little puck luck would have helped too.

1st period was one of the worst I've seen in a while, but 2nd and 3rd, the Habs played well. Price looked good, Patch was awesome tonight, as was Stewart. I like him a lot. He can centre the puck and find the pass. Something none of our other fourth liners can do. Sorry Dandy, Stewart is better. Disapointing loss, but not the worst performance I have seen. Hamrlik was horrible tonight. Another note. I don't want to hear anybody dis Breezy any more this year. He has been great (for what is expected, and what he earns) He seems to playing inspired. He makes some great breakout plays, and has a lot of poise. His first half of the season has been way more than I expected.

Unless there is a good trade for him, I would not trade Chips. I doubt Carbo has anything against Chips. He just can't use him at Centre because his faceoff is weak. I think he is a great prospect, and he should go back to the AHL and work on his faceoff. He will be on the team next year. I doubt Dandy and Begin will be signed, so he can fill in there. I also think he is better than TK, but TK has the heart of a Lion and rarely misses a game. I could see Chips playing with Laps next year to form a fierce shutdown tandem. Not as good as Jarvis and Gainey, but still very good.

I would like to keep Tanguay with Koivu. They were very good together. This looks like a good balanced lineup. Hopefully Laraque doesn't throw a turd in the soup as far as the fourth lines are concerned. The current 3rd line is a pretty good shutdown line.

I know, I've been thinking about that too. All the lines have great chemistry right now. So do you break up your most productive line 5 on 5? Lang has been great and there is chemistry with the brothers. I think the two lines which shouldn't be messed with right now are Lang and brothers, and Laps, Lats, TK. I think Koivu could play with Dags and Kovalev. Plek with Maxpac and begin. This would balance defensive weakness of Dags and especially Maxpac. Koivu and Kovy have never really found a lot of chemistry though.

I thought Stewart had a great game. I hate to say it, but Chipchura might end up as part of a deal to get a mobile D man before the deadline. I like Chips, but he is definitely a work in progress. Maxpac looked great last night too. He dug for pucks and second efforts were many. Nice to see. It's great to see three players (Dags, Stewart, and Maxpac) called up and imediately fitting in to their roles. I really like the chemistry in all of these lines. Also, all four lines had goal scores. I know Kovy scored on the PP, but it's nice to see.

Cooke was put on a line with both Crosby and Malkin, because he has some grit and will stand up for Crosby. Crosby takes a lot of physical abuse.

Go Habs Go

Why are we still talking about Vinny. He's not being traded.

Lapierre does not need to put points up as long as his line continues to play as it does. I like him as a shutdown guy more than Bonk or Smolinski. That's for sure. Lapierre reminds me a lot of young Carbo. It would be nice to see him put up a few more points, but he is doing a great against the opponent's top line.

At least Chips got a few shots in. Kosty gets destroyed every time. He's fought some pretty big boys though. Vinny is pretty good with his fists!

Well coached game. Played well by both sides. Boston D is formidable. Could have gone either way. Maxpac is pretty crappy in his own end.

People probably said that in the 1970s when Lafleur was given a 10 year, 10 million dollar deal. The largest at the time. By the time it was over, it actually affected his performance because he was pissed that league bums were making more than him.

OK you guys win. Price 1st star. Laps honorable mention.

Max has centred the best line the Habs had for the month of December. He is playing way above what is expected of him, while Komi, Markov, and Kovy have played below expectation this year. IMO.

I have been thinking about the first half of the season and decided to list my 3 stars for the first half of the year. It's been a funny year, and what many thought would be a dynamic, offensively explosive team, has turned into a defense first, 5 on 5 winning team. I prefer this team to last year's BTW, for that reason. My list may be a little odd to some, but I am listing the stars as players who were not expected to make an impact, but helped their team greatly. 3rd star: Josh Gorges. He was not even playing the game last year, but through the end of last season and the beginning of this season, he has proven that he is a top 4 Defense. He takes the hits to make the play. Spins the check to get the puck out. His mobility has proven very valuable at the back end. He stepped up and performed very well when Komi was hurt. His camaraderie with Price is nice to see. They are BFFs. This can also be infectious. These types of personalities have a way of bringing a team together. 2nd star: Robert Lang. (Carey Price should have this spot but injuries have affected my assessment) He took a few games off, and may not be the impact guy a lot would like to see, but he has really stabilized our Centre position. He quietly makes his impact, combining great goals with solid defensive play. He puts up points consistently, and for a guy that was expected to be a 3rd centre getting minimal ice time, he has been a welcome surprise. Returning more to his form when he was a Cap or Pen, his inconsistent days in Detroit and Chicago are behind him, and I look forward to seeing what he can do in the second half. 1st star: Maxime Lappiere! I got a huge man crush on this guy. Carbo must beam with pride as though he is his second son. Max has been a dynamo all year. He leads the team in overall faceoff percentage. He faces the other team's top lines often, but manages to keep the play in their zone for much of the shift. I feel that Max is turning into the shutdown guy that Carbo once was. He brings energy to his team with his all out effort, game in and game out. His aggressive PK style has made him very dangerous when he is out on the kill. He distracts his opponent and has become one of the most hated opponents in the league. Carbo was an agitator and wore the "C", I wonder if Max will ever get the chance? He definitely leads by example!

I looked at his cut hands that he was looking at after the fight.

I hope SK can channel some of his nastiness. I have to say, I like it a lot. I love the idea of having not 1, but 2 of the most hated players in the league. Between SK and Laps, maybe they could combine to become one Lemieux. I was a little embarrassed about a few things last night. 1. All the stupid little scrums with players who have no intention of dropping them. This new thing embarrasses me. If you want to push your weight around be ready to fight. 2. Guys with visors SHOULD NEVER FIGHT!. Get some class, tell the guy "take your helmet off and so will I" May cut his hands to s&%t on Cube's visor. This embarrasses me. I love the cube, but it always bothers me when he fights with his visor on.

I hate to be an optimist, but I am glad that we are getting the bulk of our goals 5 on 5. The team is less of a one trick pony. There are still things to work on, and I question our legitimacy for a cup run this year, but I think we are improved overall from last year. Middle of the pack PP and top notch PK would be nice though.

That's a very good point Brobin about the cross ice pass. What I find even more amusing is that Carbo played, and was Captain of one of the best defensive system teams ever. You didn't see L. A. pull of one of those cross ice passes against the Habs in the playoffs, because the Habs took it away. I sometimes wonder if Carbo is frustrated with things like that, or does he just assess his team and change to suit the way they play? Regarding Maxpac, I guess I was a little excited because he was actually dominant in his preseason and first game. My earlier assessment of him may have been a little harsh. Now you can see he is a rookie, who will hesitate with the puck, but I still think he is more of a true power forward than Laps.