Mark Napier

Nobody is being negative, just realistic. One goal games are often won as a matter of luck. In all the one goal victories the habs have had, a well timed misdirection or bad call by a ref could of switched the outcome of the game instantly. I'm not comfortable this team is as good as the standings suggest till I see some dominant 3 or 4 goal victories and games that aren't won in the dying minutes of the 3rd or overtime. These games could of so easily gone the other way and only a fan blinded by loyality won't see this. This is not a 2nd overall in the league team. If only those that were so optimistic about Stanley cup victories could see this then they might avoid disppointmint later. Don't get me wrong, this is a good team but I expect their record to start dropping because these type of wins just can't continue. This has to shift evetually. A lot of fans are starting to believe the hype and that is a dangerous thing for their own sake. The season is barely 10 games in and they're already planning the parade route. I thought Toronto fans were unrealistic. Think about it people, the habs haven't dominated a game yet this season. Not one. What does that tell you? Good team yes, elite team no. If the habs manage to finish 6th in the East I'll be happy and a little surprised. Don't know when this team turned into the next coming of the '76 Canadiens. Like I said, I perfer to be realistic and this team hasn't shown me that they are anything beyond a first round playoff team. There is no proof that they are anything beyond that. You really believe that they deserved to win against Buffalo tonight anymore than Buffalo did? Anyway I don't want to give the impression I don't like this team because I do. I just expect this house of cards to come crashing down. Geesh last year everyone was surprised we made the playoffs and now no one is batting an eye when there are suggestions of finishing in the top 2 in the league. This team is basically the same except for the addition of a few rookie that are doing well but certainly nothing earth shattering. Suddeny we're cup contenders. This is just laughable to me. Really I'm starting to feel a bit tired of coming here and hearing predictions of winning games 7-3 and so on and then when the team manages to squeek a goal in the dying minutes of the 3rd everyone acts like it was just the way they planned it. I can't handle so much gushing over a team that is just barely managing to get these victories and everyone is acting like this is the best team in the league. Really kind of sickening. Level headed is the way to play it and I follow this team with an objective eye. This team has been lucky and to say otherwise borders on stupidity. I hate to keep defending that point which is so obvious to anyone that has the slightest knowledge of hockey. But when the team starts dropping in the standing and assumes it rightful place where a team that only manages to keep winning 1 goal games belongs then I will be comforted in the fact that my realisim has prevented me from being disappointed. Meanwhile I don't know if I can keep posting here where most of you are so lacking in forethought that I need to argue over simple facts like that a team that can only win 1 goal games must surely be lucky. I don't have the patience to keep saying things that should be obvious to most and keep having my views dimissed as negativety. As soon as this team loses a couple of games you can be sure that the same people who are raving over the habs will be the first to jump off the bandwagon. Seen it a million times.

Actually Dags was brought in specifically to play with Ribeiro. That was 90% of the reason they got him. Thought everyone knew this as common knowledge. The 2 were a phenomenon in juniors as linemates and they wanted to see if they could recapture that magic in the NHL. It worked to a certain degree last season. It helped Ribeiro have his breakout season so it has to be considered a good move. I think Dags has outlived his usefulness now. Ribeiro has got his confidence and he believes in himself and doesn't need the crutch of his junior linemate anymore. Thanks for the help Dags but you're not needed anymore and this new NHL has outgrown you.

I think koivu was a little tipsy. He seems very serious normally so he may have been indulging in the drink. He was smiling an awful lot and that dance was something else!

Yeah Lister I think it's better to be realistic at this stage of the season than get your hopes up about finishing 2nd in the league because that is very unlikely. By the way I like your avatar Lister. I loved Red Dwarf and actually taped a lot of the show but unfortunately I lost the tapes when moving. The guy that played Lister is hosting a show called robot wars or something like that. Love watching those things tear the crap out of each other.

I would only be really dissappointed in this team if they finished below 7th. I think they can finish at least that high and anything less is a step backwards. It's certainly possible for them to finish 4rth to 6th but to finish top 3 they would have to beat out Ottawa and there is practically no chance of that happening. I'm quietly hoping for a 4rth or 5th in the east.

What I'm trying to say is yes, we should check our expectations. If the Habs were out blowing teams away 8 -0 like Ottawa I would say "This is a top 5 elite team in the league". But when most of your wins are 1 goal games, some squeaked out in overtime, then I have to believe that this can't continue to happen. Habs aren't dominant by any stretch of the imagination so taking a downward slide is certainly a possibility. A team in 2nd place should definitely be more dominant than the Habs have been.

Perhaps they share the same view as me that this team has been pretty lucky to have the record they do (see my latest post). 16 sounds too low but I don't know if they are in the top 10. I'd put them about 5th in the east so 10th overall doesn't sound like too much of a stretch. Being 2nd in the standings doesn't mean the Habs are the 2nd best team in the league. That judgement can only be made at season's end. It could happen but I still think some teams are going to climb ( Philli, Tampa, Boston in the east) and that the habs are going to come down to earth a bit.

That was another game the Habs were very lucky to win. Still can't believe that some folks on here believe that luck has had nothing to do with this season's success. When I mean lucky, I don't just mean they are getting lucky breaks ( but they certainly did last night especially from the refs...that penalty against Boullion that resulted in the winning goal should never of been called). Habs have been lucky in that they haven't gotten any bad luck against them, if that makes sense. With a couple of bad bounces in those 1 goal wins and the story could have been much different. I still maintain that this team could now be at .500 or less if they didn't have all the breaks go for them and not against them. I'm sounding like I'm the only one complaining and maybe I shouldn't because they are finding a way to win and that's the important thing. This sort of luck or perhaps more accurately, avoidance of bad luck can't continue. Their record is very inflated for a team with a +/- 0f 5. Look at Detroit. They have a +/- in the 20's and teams directly below the Habs have a higher +/- as well. But I guess no one honestly believes the Habs will finish 2nd in the league so the standings at this point shouldn't be fooling anyone. Then again maybe I should keep complaining because when I brought up these issues of very low offensive production especially from the D and the fact that Theo has been playing poorly, Theo went out and played a great game against the Rangers, the team has scored 9 goals in 2 games and the D is finally kicking in with some goals. Perhaps it's good to complain .

Strange that the team is 9th in the league in goals allowed but theodore is 23rd in GAA.

Yes you're right. My bad. I was looking at it upside down.

No they were 20th in the league in goals allowed.

Good game from Theo won this one. This is a blow out by Habs standards.

But it's a big part of it especially with the new rules. The Habs are 20th defensively so you're saying that defence and offence don't matter in hockey? What's left?

I wouldn't consider 22nd in the league in scoring as playing well.

I'm just going with the stats as they are right now. That was the point of my post, saying the way things are going can't continue if the Habs are going to successful this season. A lot of people are so busy praising the Habs that they are not taking a look at the real story. Will Theo and the rest of the team improve on their weak points? I hope so but it is absolutely necessary because they can't expect to keep winning the way things are now.

Dont agree. At least 3 of those games we were lucky to win with late goals. I can see you still feel no need for concern despite the statistics I quoted but I guarentee you thisl; if by season's end Theo's still has a 3.20 GAA and save% of .877 and the team is still 22nd in the league in scoring, we will not make the playoffs. You can quote me on that.

What concerns me is that the effort seems to be there but the results, in terms of goal scoring, are not happening. Will theo start playing better? I hope so, time will tell.

Bonk = groin injury.

Yes but deserving to win and actually winning are 2 different things. You could put a team out there that could control play all night but if they don't have the ability to score then it means nothing. A loss is a loss regarless of how many shots a team gets. This team can't seem to finish, score goals. By your comments I see that you feel that there is no need for concern. I on the other hand see that this team is a couple of bad efforts from falling out of the top of the standings. After all, if the team is playing as well as it is but can still only manage to be 22nd in the league in scoring and have a +1, then what will happen if they start to play badly? And if this bad play turns into a big slump, with the lack of finishing power and bad goal tending this team is going no where.

My response was for option+ by the way.

I don't know how you can say the Habs aren't very lucky to have the record they do. They managed to squeek out 4 more wins than they have losses on 1 goal. That's a nice trick. I can't see this trend continue to work for them. Take a look at the standings. Teams at the top have a higher +/- than the ones at the bottom. Montreal sticks out like a sore thumb at +1 in the position they are in. Simple mathematcs.

Don't know if anyone mentioned this but Bonk isn't playing and Dags is in on the second line.

Looking at this season so far, I have to say that the Habs are very lucky to be in the position they are in. Instead of being 7-3-1 they could easily be 3-7-1 if not for a lot of luck, some bounces and the well timed heroic efforts of a couple of players. Statistically the Habs are in 8th place overall in the league BUT their goals for (33) is 22nd and their goals against (32) is 20th in the league. They are a measly +1. Doesn't take a genius to see that these numbers don't add up and they have been really lucky to have the record they possess. And then there's Theo. 23rd in the league with a 3.20 GAA and even more telling, a shocking .877 save % for 32nd in the league. Not even the most ardent Theo supporter can defend those numbers. You can't say that the new rules are to blame for these numbers because plenty of other goalies have GAAs below 2.00 and save % above .900. Theo is struggling big time. I'm afraid that if/when this luck runs out we may be looking at a team that is marginal at best and will struggle to make the playoffs. Theo has to play better, no doubt about it. This team will go no where with the below average play he has shown so far. Even if he manages to get to mediocre, this team will be hard pressed to get very far. He has to be brilliant for this team to be a serious contender. Collectively this team has to find a way to score more goals. They can control play with their speed but finishing is becoming a real problem. 22nd in the league for goals scored won't cut it for a true contender. Getting some offence from our D would certainly help because it is nonexistent at this time. This has to improve. I feel a lot of habs fans have been looking at this team with rose coloured glasses but looking at the stats will give anyone a reason to feel anxious.

ZEDNIK!!!!! FIRST LINE IS BACK!!

3 horrible goals on Theodore and this one is over. First one he should of poke checked away. The guy passed 2 feet in front of him and Theodore just stood there. Could of easily poked it away. Second was a weak fan shot that really should of been stopped. Third goal he looked so nonchalant that it was ridiculous. Just stayed there like he was too lazy to bother getting up. Sad.