Neech

It was an exciting game, and we got outplayed badly. It was mainly our defense that let us down, Hamrlik and Komisarek both had a very poor game. On the first Caps goal it was an ill-advised pass by Komi or Markov that kept the puck in the zone. And for most of Ovechkin's goals we managed to forget that the league's leading goal-scorer is on the ice. Can't really fault Huet for those goals. Like someone else said, the Koivu line is establishing itself as the fourth line. It's pitiful. And it wasn't Saku's fault this game, he came to play and was actually creating stuff. Higgins was weak and invisible, and Ryder was as usual the worst player on our team, falling down more than Koivu on a windy day. He deserved to get benched, and he shouldn't be in the lineup on Saturday. Dandenault on that wing gets much more done. I say put Dandy there because I wouldn't want to break up the kid line after the game they played. I was happy to see Lats finally pot a couple, and him and lil Kost made some sweet passes on those two goals. It was great to see our youth step it up on a down day for our top guys and eek out a point. Kovy was just trying to do too much out there, you can't fault him for effort but his decision-making often ended up with the puck being coughed up. Ah well, we got a point and it's on to New York where I hope we rebound and come out strong. I'll be looking forward to what Carbo will be wearing as an encore to his spiffy grey suit last night, he could have been in a Bond film. You are definitely the most excited guy on this board.

Why would a non-playoff team want an old mediocre player? They look for picks, prospects or good young roster players in exchange for rentals.

Yeayea let's sweep the betches They're gonna be fired up, this won't be no walk in the park. We'll be on the edge of our seats!

That's pretty good, probably ranks in the top 10-12 in the league, surely top half. Do you know where this puts them in relation to the other teams?

God, to think we could have had Gagné, the Québecois saviour that we've been seeking.

Hey, I said a lot! What stupid picks he made, he was too proud to admit that some of the guys he guaranteed spots to didn't deserve it.

Yeah, it's probably just as likely that we'll let Ryder walk after the season, if he starts to play a bit better he could be more valuable for our playoff run than whatever slim pickings we might receive in a trade.

Awesome game again. Plex and Kovy were flying as usual, Huet was good, and even Koivu showed signs of the guy who was our leader. I think he's slowly but surely breaking out of the funk, and just in time. Carbo was giving that line lots of powerplay time to try to get them going a bit more. I'm glad that we treated our home fans to this game, that first period was intense and freakin awesome, especially the short-handed goal. Plex almost got the break on a lob out of the zone a few seconds earlier, then he intercepted the pass and he was gone. I was really confident that he would have scored by himself, but then out of nowhere appears lil Kost, and they make the perfect pass and shot for the goal. Great play. I hope Kovy's thumb isn't broken, it would suck to lose our best player. We would be more able to cope now than at other times, but it would still be a major blow. But, it would be better to get him 100% for the stretch drive than to have him banged up.

Yeah, I don't think we will, but in combo with another pick it could happen. More likely we'll get some prospect and/or a mid-level pick.

Yeah, he is who I would pick for coach of the year at this point. Look at all the injuries they've had, it's ridiculous. This team didn't add very much from the squad that was last in the division last year.

We'll probably try to unload Ryder, maybe someone will be desperate and give up a 1st for him if we throw in a 3rd or 4th as well.

Come on boys, make the hometown fans happy. Prediction: 1 goal 1 assist from each of the Kosty bros. Another goal from Kovy and one from Latendresse. We win 4-3.

I doubt he will, sitting at 2nd place in the conference.

Yeah, I'm interested to see what happens with this kid, simply because Gainey tried and failed to trade up to get him but landed him anyways. It'll be two years at least before we see him in the NHL though.

Ah, on TV then. I was wondering if you lived in Ann Arbor or something. I used to watch the GLI occasionally, I probably saw Komisarek play without knowing it. I do remember Comrie and Camellari though. We finally got to end the year on a good note after 3 years of failures, what an awesome win that was.

Raycroft wasn't rushed, his rookie season was his best one. He was just a fluky goalie. Fleury is a guy who was and still is being rushed.

He won't based on his numbers, that's for sure. He's not among the elite players of his generation.

Where did you see him play, at Michigan? I'm a big Wolverines fan (albeit football and basketball ahead of hockey).

For a Habs fan, any of our draft picks will at least meet their potential, if not vastly exceed it! We'll see how Pacioretty turns out, hopefully he's better than Perron. Even me, an anglo who wasn't even born here, wants to see some more Frenchies on this team. I do think that the ones we have are quality guys though.

Yeah, that one still makes me shake my head. He wouldn't get hired by an EA sports NHL team. I don't think this team needs any major shakeups at the moment, what we really need is Saku to cut the crap and start playing like a captain.

Meh, I don't mind. Most of the teams I've rooted for haven't been big winners, although there are definitely winners among them. The Habs have had a down period and they're just on the cusp of being a contender again, and I'm happy because this is a team I've watched closely. Prolonged losing will make victory all the more sweet. I do think that there will be some riots or something of the sort if we make it into the conference finals.

Seriously, I'd be really happy if we won a playoff series. We're still going to have to fight to get in, but we're in good shape at the moment. If we win one series we have a chance to win another, we won't be relying on Theo like in years past. And come on, the 4th best record in the league at the break for a team picked to be out of the playoffs deserves a B+ at least.

I really wouldn't understand that from Florida's perspective. They bring in someone who is performing worse and who is paid more for a longer period of time.

I agree. This is not the year to be dealing our top picks, especially with the deep draft coming up. We're doing well now, but honestly we're not a legit contender who thinks they are in the prime years for a Cup run. Maybe next year, more likely the year after. We should try to lock down our good young talent first. Just get to the playoffs for starters, see how we do there, evaluate where we might want to go in the offseason. The Tanguay move seems like the most intriguing at this point, but there would probably be another team more willing to give up good players than us. They'd want significant return for him, and I'm not sure who I'd feel good about giving up. I like Gainey's move of dealing away Rivet for Gorges and a 1st rounder, especially now that we're seeing some good play out of Josh. Ryder would probably not land us a 1st rounder, but maybe someone like Vancouver or Minnesota, or who knows, would want some PP offense for the playoffs.

Well duh, but it just so happens that Ryder is sucking hard. Latendresse up on with Koivu and Dandenault back at the bottom gets more done. Ryder had 15 goals after the break last year, maybe we'll see a little run from him. I'd be surprised if he finished with 20 goals this year, but I was surprised he finished with 30 last year (thanks to 3 in the final game) despite his extended slumps. He has been putting a few dangerous shots on goal lately.