Wamsley01

They are no where near disaster yet, not even teetering. They will be 5 points up after tonight with 4 games to go. Even if Carolina goes 4-1 They will finish with 92 points. That means the Habs need 3 points from 4 games to reach 92 points, they have a 7 game lead in Regulation wins. A win tonight would have clinched a spot, but they don't seem to operate that way.

They only play well when everybody writes them off. So they will probably lose to Jersey, everybody will be in full freakout mode and then they will beat Chicago. Their magic number is 5. Any combination of 5 points earned and points lost by Carolina puts them in the playoffs. So if they beat Jersey and Ottawa the Canes cannot lose a point for the rest of the season.

I can't say I am surprised to see them trailing 2-0 after one. They are going to make us sweat slightly before locking it up.

I am pulling a Mike Boone. I don't think they are going to win this game and will be delighted if they do.

He definitely embellished it, Kane laughed as well. The problem was that he was being hooked for 3-4 seconds and probably would have got the call had he not dove.

Just like Boudreau had lost the room in December and would be lucky to last the season? http://www.businessinsider.com/will-the-washington-capitals-fire-coach-bruce-boudreau-2010-12 The media no longer reports the news, they create the news. Where there are losses you will find negative reporting, where there are victories you get positivity. Do yourself a favour and cut through the hyperbolic nonsense.

1 Hab win and 1 Canes loss will do it. If the Habs beat the Thrashers and the Canes lose to the Caps it leaves the Canes 9 pts back and essentially having to run the table to make the playoffs.

What a surprise that everybody is overreacting. This game is not a "statement game" anymore than when Montreal was blown out and beat up in Boston. How soon we forgot that Montreal was dominating the Bruins 4-0 in Montreal before Chara reacted like the ape he is. Everybody gets a fresh start in 2 weeks. This team has bounced back from adversity time after time this season and they will likely win some games you don't expect them to over the final 7 games. Remove the emotion and view it for what it was, 2 points. The regular season means NOTHING come playoff time. Either the Habs are a solid team or they aren't, we will find out in April, there is no sense fretting about it.

Agree. I don't care what he does on the ice to be honest (chirping, respect wise, but not physically harming others). What you reap is what you sow. I loved Claude Lemieux and I guarantee you if you ask Devils and Avs fans what they thought of him, they would probably say the same. I don't agree or respect what he did to Draper, but I know that every team he played on was better for having him on the team.

I talked to one of my son's power skating coaches who played with Subban, Tavares, Stamkos etc and he pretty much validated that PK is a jerk off on the ice. That he never shuts up and was arrogant and chippy and tightwalked the edge. He had nothing but good things to say about Tavares and Stamkos. I understand that people hate him for reasons that have everything to do with his jersey and his colour, but I am beginning to believe that the truth lies somewhere in between. I am tired of defending the guy only to see him involved in another incident and another player calling him out. At first it was easy to refute the claims because it was Cherry, Richards, Stock, Milbury etc, but the players who are beginning to complain are no longer hypocritical idiots. That slash was a violent two handed slash, but we all know PK played that up. If you begin defending somebody based solely on their jersey, then you become just as clueless as those who attack for the opposite reason.

Don't laugh, my friend sent me a ridiculous e-mail about Subban writhing on the ice and somehow linked it to the Canadiens being hated. St. Louis scored on it 2 games ago.

The observation was not made on point production alone, Eric Cole was a physically dominant player before the neck injury, he no longer is. Anybody who watched the guy in the 2002 playoffs and how dominant he was in 2006 can see he plays a different game today. Jason Blake has absolutely nothing to do with the discussion, nor the fact that Blake did it at the age of 33 at an age when players are in decline. He is exactly the same player today he is just older and at the end of his career. He was always a perimeter guy with great speed who shot from everywhere. He was essentially a speedy 25 goal guy who had a career shooting percentage spike and it resulted in a career year. If he shot at his career average of 8-9% he would have had 30 goals instead of 40. Cole's career season came at an age where players are approaching their prime and was surrounded by talent. I have no problem with his point surge being questioned, but if you want to discredit something, use a proper comparable.

I would be surprised if the Weasel and his crew aren't at the game issuing warnings.

Yep, elbowing is a penalty, if he was at a different part of the ice it might have been dangerous. This is never going to get old

+1

The majority of that 2006 inflation was PP related. Cole only had 14 PP points that season, around 25% of his total compared to Staal who had 40% of his production linked to the PP or Stillman at 50% or Williams who was over 1/3 etc. Cole shot a career best 18% that season and you can write that off to luck or the fact that in his prime he did his damage within 10 feet. Somebody like Holmstrom is always between 18-20% because of where he spends the majority of his time. Either way, I am not basing it on statistics alone but the way he impacted the game physically. Since the broken neck he just doesn't cause that much physical havoc anymore. I don't know if that is from the injury or because of a short prime.

Cole has never been the same player since. That injury happened when he was 27 during his breakout season and his numbers have declined to a point where he has not been an impact player in years. I still remember that guy just dominating the Habs as a 23 year old.

Good to hear.

Another hit that Bettman terms "legal" I am sure.

It's anger inducing because the guy was shooting off his mouth about the Canadiens being lippy and "dirty".

More Bettman spin control "By the time the season is over, there will be 55,000 hits, and a small percentage are resulting in concussions," How about we go into that 55,000 number, take out only the "headshots" and "blindside" hits and then churn me out a number NHL President douchebag. And Mr. Big Mouth gets in on the cheap shot action

I read that, apparently not confirmed by Mulder though. WIz through Pacioretty.

This year has been brutal. Every time I get any type of comfort something happens. Markov, then Pacioretty and 11 up with 13 to go and they lose Pleks too? I just expect the worst after the last 5 months in regards to injuries.

Yeah, with these ridiculous injuries I have begun to look at it as a solid step forward for the development of the future core. Price, Subban, Eller and hopefully Max Pac.

He kind of earned a benching with that play though.