illWill

Max Pac isn't going to miss from there with that much space and time, great shot. I thought Bealieau played a pretty good period, some excellent break out passes

Here's a quick fun fact: Top teams in the league right now: 1. Nashville (25th PP) 2. Anaheim (23rd PP) 3. Chicago (15th PP) 4. Tampa (16th PP) 5. Pittsburgh (7th PP) 6. Montreal (27th PP) As you can clearly see, we aren't the only ones that have a bunch of points despite a lackluster power play. Habs are clicking at a 14.2% rate, while the league average is a mere 4.3% higher at 18.5%. While there definitely is room for improvement, it's not the end of the world right now. There's plenty of time to work on it before the wins become more and more important. I think because we have had the third least amount of PP time so far, combined with the talent on the team, those numbers will gradually rise.

This is the same guy who called me an idiot a couple weeks ago for the record

This team does indeed have a chance to go all the way this year, as it almost did last spring barring an injury to our MVP. Pretty much one year ago I got in heated debates on this forum with some of the usual suspects about this team not being good enough to make a run. They wanted a fire sale to dump Markov, our captain Gionta etc. So here we are again, among the top teams in the East and the same negativity surrounds the team. Who doesn't want the best PP? Who doesn't want the best everything? The only thing is it isn't realistic. Every team has weaknesses and strengths. At the moment ours is our PP, but hey, we sure can score 5 on 5 and prevent the other team from scoring on the PP. All of the corsi, fenwick, plus minus stats in the world do not matter at the end of the day, wins do. They sure can be indicators over a large sample size but to say that impending doom is about to happen is absurd. I like this current team against any team in a 7 game series as it is. It isn't a fluke that we went to the East final and are now a top team halfway through the next season, what are we even talking about here?

Great analysis

Nicely said. The mere fact that people are complaining about relying too much on our biggest strength to win games is absurd. Our team is built a certain way and plays accordingly. Sitting on top of the standings halfway through a season after a Conference finals is a clear indication that whatever they are doing is working.

I agree, this management group from top to bottom is no joke. I can't remember a Canadiens team so well structured

Just throw Allen in on one of the deals proposed here for Yakupov or Kane, that should get it done

I have no idea how it's pronounced " Riv-eye" when it is spelled Réway. Every time I talk about him in person it is seconds of mass confusion. Go Canada

I think it's safe to say that even a 42 year old Jagr could help any team in a playoff run. No he isn't the player he once was, but he has had once of the most distinguished and successful careers in history.

Another Therrien thread? Let me save everyone some time: Opinion #1 - Therrien is a terrible coach in every way and I hate him regardless of success Opinion #2 - No, actually he is an above average coach. Because of our french hiring policies, management felt he was the best option at the time and he has done well, so why are we talking about him every damn thread? *verbal internet fight ensues*

The 2010 run was pretty exciting and totally unexpected, but I think we all knew that it was just a matter of time before we lost a series. Compare that to the run last season and it had a different feel to it, we actually belonged to be in the final four. So to answer the original question, factoring in all the shrewd roster moves, the sweet sweet feeling of knocking the Bruins off of their high horse, and potentially a Price injury away from the Cup, I think this is the best year since 93.

To not apprectiate what one has must be a sad way to live

I was going to write all of this but you beat me to it

Yes, lost in the discussion is that we have basically destroyed the opposition in the second and third periods. 12-0 I think if we score the first goal as well. Perhaps that could be a sign of a team that makes proper adjustments throughout the game?

Don't let logic get in the way of some of the proposals on here. Some think that with just the snap of the fingers that any move can be made because they want it to

I had a dream last night that we got Jagr. I think that is as credible a source as most of them out there.

P.K's way of showing the holiday spirit : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUhxVG9_zwA

Some great replies and different opinions on that topic, thanks. I definitely agree that winning faceoffs are important, I just personally think that the percentages are blown out of proportion, clutch wins are what really matters. If Manny is THE guy that will certainly win a crucial draw, then I think he is deserving of a roster spot for sure.

Merry Christmas habs rule Somebody needs to quote this though so he knows that the idiot wishes him well

Thanks for your in depth thoughts on the matter

Looks like McCarron was cut from team USA. All I seen of him lately has been destroying some Bruins in preseason and looking up his impressive stats this year in the O. Wonder why he didn't make it

Am I the only guy who thinks faceoff percentage is highly overrated? I mean, most of the league is a coin flip one way or the other who wins. There usually are only a couple really important draws that happens each game, and even if you lose the draw, it doesn't exactly prelude to a goal being scored. There are dozens and dozens of faceoffs each game (would be interested to know the actual amount) but only a few goals scored. How often does a goal occur because of a won or lost faceoff? Not very often. Possession changes constantly throughout the game. It's just something I can't seem to wrap my head around. If a guy is winning 48% he sucks, but if he is winning 52% he is good. Perhaps someone can enlighten me on this apparently important statistic

Rather than trade roster players, I think that MB will do as he did last year and trade either a prospect or pick for a hired gun.

Do not want to see Price as captain at all. I was wavering more towards Subban before the start of the year, but Max has come on strong so far and is establishing himself as the leader on the ice. However, there is still a ton of hockey left to be played before they name the captain. I want to see what happens in the playoffs when the games really mean something to see who emerges.