hab29RETIRED

4 on 4 and we are wasting space with GIonta. God I wish he was injured!

which means a benching is probably in order

with this game over and clearly hard to watch. Two stats to make me more upset. Briere - 14 points Jagr - 42 points Not only is Jagr badly outscoring Briere, but he could have been our leading scorer Thanks MB!

cup shot That's the only cup we'll be talking about this year

the zamboni drive would be a better forward then bourque

I think he's being penalized by MT for playing too hard

Again, I have no issues with Murrey as #6 this year. I do have an issue with him and Bouillon and Diaz playing. I'd rather we rotate the kids on callups. Given the choice, I'll take murrey over Bouillon any day. But to sit Emelin and Diaz over playing Bouillon and Murrey makes no sense.

I don't think it's any one reason. One simple reason could be that the eastern conference for the first 20 to 30 games was crap. As other teams have started playing better, the habs don't look as good as they did before those other teams improved. This improvement exposes the habs D - which I've always felt had a 1a (Subban) and a 1b (Markov). Markov has been over utilized by MT AND Subban under utilized until recently. Then they have a #4 dman (Emelin) coming back from injury who has struggled and then a bunch of 3rd pairing dmen (gorges, Diaz) and a whole bunch of 7th dmen (Murrey, Bouillon). Patryn, Tinordi or Beaulieu should have each been getting looks over playing garbage like Bouillon. I think how MT has handled the D has been horrible. It's the players job to perform, the coaches job to get them to perform. There has also been very selective accountability. Tonight Bouillon takes a stupid penalty and never missed a shift. Bouillon and Murrey should NEVER be in the same game, and adding Diaz, to those two is even worse. Another reason is that the PP has sucked as teams adjusted to the Subban/Markov threat and MT true to form has not been able to adjust the PP. The habs don't have the PP as a strength anymore, so they don't get the lead as often an we they do the defence fails them - see reason 2. I remember past habs teams having different units for the PP then the regular lines. This is also the tactic most GOOD teams use. MT continues Rolling lines on the PP. You see this whith the pens with Malkin and Crosby both out together. Why Gionta is on the PP is beyond me. Eller, Galchenyuk have been under utilized. They may as well keep Galleghar on for the full two minutes, since he is the only guy who parks his butt in the goalies knees. The guys bigger then him than can get their butts in the goalies face are playing like pussies. Selective accountability for the forwards as well. Prust has been garbage for the most if the last 20 games or so. Why is he still getting a free pass. You get a kid in and he plays under 2 minutes. Guys like Prust need to be hard on the backcheck. This year outside of dropping the gloves he hasn't done much. Create some healthy competition. Give Leblanc and Bournival a longer look. The amount of chances a bum like Bourque has gotten is criminal. Guys like maxpac who are pure offense AND are producing can get a bit of a pass were softness in their own. Bourque, Prust, parros, Gionta, are veterans who need to be held more accountable. I'd include Moen on that list, but this yeR he has been pretty good. Thinning the offense by spreading the offense. Can MT try to put TWO solid offensive lines out rather then just one by crippling pleks with Moen or Prust or Bourque. I'd even take Gionta off the line and put pleks with Briere and Eller until Galchenyuk returns. Have a solid checking line with Prust, Moen and white when he returns and have a kid energy line. Last year some of the blame for the collapse was on Price. This year even when letting in 4 or 5 goals, price has been solid. Bottom line is, like last year, as other teams improved and other coaches adjusted to the habs strengths, MT is being exposed for the weak tactician and buffoon that he is.

in a 5-1 blowout, who cares

So anyone notice toronto tied with us in points. We'll still have 2 games in hand, but didn't we have like an 8 point lead on them with the games in hand?

Looks like a mail in effort by the whole team

Yes. Change the match ups. Markov against Malkin is a mismatch. Play Subban/Markov against Crosby. Gorges Emelin against Malkin. Oh yeah, Emealin isn't playing in favour of Boulicrap

i would change coaches before I traded Markov Gallegher and Briere are the only one's battling tonight

I think that guarantees he plays the next game

I should have capitalized the "and". Having said that, I think playing Emelin against Malkin would be good motivation.

Starting Bouillon and Murrey seems to me a message that the coach had thrown in the towel, or going to have Subban, Markov, gorges and Beaulieu combine for 50 minutes

Unless Emelin and Diaz are hurt, it's decisions like this why I think therrian has to go

The only clear wins I can name off hand were the trades to get damphousse, Kovolev and gorges+draft pick (which I believe turned out to be maxpac). The trade of Rivet to me is why I think we should move Gorges, as I believe Gorges is headed for the same rapid decline. I don't really consider Ryder to be a clear win. If we still had Cole, we probably wouldn't have Briere and I'll take Cole over Briere in a heartbeat.

I wouldn't include MaxPac, because he was picked from an acquired draft pick that we actually hit a home run on. If you are going to include him, you need to include a LOT more players for the penguins as well.

Agreed. I have no issues of him booed in other arenas. I DO have issues how he gets ragged by the media, the hockey establishment and other players.

I live price, but wanted Kopitor than and despite Price being a dominant and elite goalie, still wish we had taken Kopitar. The scary thing is that had he been available, Gainey probably would have taken Pouliot. The other pick that WILL always haunt is not taking Getzlaf. He was projected to be a top 10 pick. We had the tenth pick and passed. I wanted Geztzlaf and my brother wanted Parise. The habs went if the board and blew it in the best draft in history.

Agreed we haven't had the 3 or 4 years of having a top 5 pick like the Hawks have. But why is it the way keep targeting small skilled players for the top 6 if they aren't elite high end players? Why can't we seem to draft skill with SOME size and character? We do a great job of finding skilled smurfs but only drafted 2 players with elite skill and size in the last 10 years (Galchenyuk and maxpac) that are legitimate top 6 forwards and are still with us. Why is that?? Why do we have such a hard time finding skilled, players with size AND character AND help them develop?? I love Gallegher. He is probably among my top 5 favorite habs and someone I'd want going forward as part of our core. But unless we have Gallegahar, Patrick Kane and St. Louis, I don't want 3 guys that small on our top 6, or even top 9. DD and Gionta need to go.

We seriously need some changes on this team and one of them should be MT. I don't understand his lines don't get who he has on the ice at key situations and the guy pretty much gets out coached by whoever we are playing. I'm sick of losing regularly to the leafs when we are on HNIC.

Gally is being screwed by playing with two guys that pass to each other 80% of the time. I'd rather put him with Eller and put Bournavil with DD and Maxpac.

You don't think the leaf's love will continue with Rogers??? Sportsnet west has leaf's lunch and the talking heads talk nothing but the leafs.