Trizzak

Being that Weal is not one of the Black Aces can we add a touch more creedence to the speculation?

Y'all cannot comprehend the size of my brain.

Price didn't get any goal support, so he should have felt right at home out there.

I remember the Frolik - Staal - Perry line put on a clinic for the cycle in the games they played. It just rarely went anywhere, of course. But if Staal and Perry can play heavy in the Leafs zone then it could bear fruit against a team that has recently been allergic to playoff-style hockey.

Last I looked the game was also available on Laval's website.

The danger is some minor league scrub thinking he can make a name for himself with the Leafs organization by running our stars.

They never write it themselves. They tell someone the story with key quotes, and then it's ghostwritten to be good.

The Habs enter the playoffs with the worst goal diffferential (-9) of all playoff teams. Only St Louis (-1) is also in the negative. They have the 3rd fewest goals scored (159) with only the Predators and the Islanders having scored fewer goals (156). The only team to have allowed more goals against than Montreal (168) is St Louis (170). I'm optimistic that the Leafs will continue to choke in the playoffs. I am not optimistic it will be at the hands of the Habs.

Again, you're gonna have to narrow it down a touch further...

No.

They are the future, but going into the playoffs are they the now?

Can I big brain the defense pairings? Edmundson with Petry Merrill with Weber Kulak with Chiarot

This game is meaningless. And yet... how about a win going into the playoffs?

I figured Belzile had played more center than Frolik.

Why is Brook playing forward? He's a legitimate prospect for defense. Throw someone like Olofsson or Bisson up there.

A well earned contract for Lavalagher.

A couple people here have brought up Bergevin's A+ offseason. I think we also need to consider his D- trade deadline. We're looking at a very real possibility of none of his acquisitions playing in the playoffs without there being an injury. Staal - whose deal I thought was a good one at the time - has been a liability on the ice. Gustafsson has quickly fallen below the Kulak Line. Merrill has been a low key train wreck, but it's also hard to defend your zone while also trying to help remove your defense partner's head from his own ass for the past 11 games. This is looking very much like the Dwight King/Steve Ott/Andreas Martinsen/Brandon Davidson trade deadline all over again. He's had one, maybe two good trades at the deadline as a buyer? So is it not worth pointing out that Bergevin appears to have trouble identifying and acquiring the players his team needs for a playoff push? If the team is headed toward constant playoff appearances and trying to trend toward contending, has Bergevin shown the track record to get it done?

Regardless, Habs are in:

Edmonton plays Saturday, so the North division playoffs probably won't start 'til Monday (especially if the Habs sneak into 3rd.) That's plenty of rest time for the players.

Jets play again tomorrow, so Habs will know if they still have at least a shot at 3rd by the time they play Edmonton.

I do wonder if Weber wasn't injured would Ducharme have sat one of Merrill or Romanov in favour of Kulak? Because I gotta say, I'm not sure Romanov would be in my playoff lineup at this point, and Merrill isn't too far behind him (though I wonder how he'd be on his strong side.)

Not sure where to put this so I'll put it here: looks like Jordan Weal is heading to the KHL next season to play for AK Bars.

Even the coach is tired of the coach in Columbus!

That's a clean hit by Petry but whatever... players don't look like they want to win anyway.

Send beat the Jets. A Habs win tonight makes things interesting in the bid for 3rd place again.