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Game Thread | Red Wings vs. Canadiens | 12/04/07


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On a side note, how much cap space will we have after this year assuming we let the UFA's walk? If i'm not mistaken next year was the year we were supposed to take a serious run at the cup, no?

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you know what i dont mind changing the lines up, but shouldnt we leave them together for a couple of games to see how they work out...i like the lines last game, and i know we fell apart at the end but huet was hurt.. i realy dont think changing the lines every night and hoping it work is going to bring the team together. right now it looks like the coach dont believe in anyone and just hoping it work out and makes him look great. sometimes you got to have faith in your players and let them play it out their self..you got to Build some team spirit

But Guy can't win. If he leaves Koivu-Higgins-Ryder intact for weeks of futility, everyone gets mad. If he juggles the lines a lot, everyone gets mad.

What bugs me more is Carbo's weird choices of who to bench. Last year's Rivet benching was a desperation move and seems to have backfired. Ditto, to a lesser degree, his second benching of Samsonov, after Sammy had started hustling out there. Benching Begin and Kostopolis seems like more desperation.

(Don't get my wrong, I stand by Carbo. But he seems to have trouble handling slumps).

In truth we're slumping for the same reason we always do: Saku Koivu is sucking ass. He is the only bona-fide offensive leader on this team, and whenever his game sags, so do the Habs. Check the stats and you'll notice that the 'traditional Christmas slump' always parallels Koivu's personal slumps. If and when Saks comes out of it, so will we.

Meanwhile, I might start giving Plekanec really big minutes and challenge him to assume the role of offensive leadership that Koivu has temporarily (we hope) vacated. That might be better than a random game of musical linemates.

Edited by The Chicoutimi Cucumber
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In truth we're slumping for the same reason we always do: Saku Koivu is sucking ass. He is the only bona-fide offensive leader on this team, and whenever his game sags, so do the Habs. Check the stats and you'll notice that the 'traditional Christmas slump' always parallels Koivu's personal slumps. If and when Saks comes out of it, so will we.

You have a point, as Saku goes, so go the Habs. But instead of bashing Saku who has been the heart of this team for over a decade, lets get him some help, a real scoring winger (Selanne anyone?)

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http://www.habsinsideout.com/main/1433

Lines for tomorrow

by Mike Boone

If you go by the alignments at an early-afternoon practice in Verdun today, it's Saku Koivu centring Christopher Higgins and Mark Streit, Tomas Plekanec and Alex Kovalev reunited with Andrei Kostitsyn, Kyle Chipchura, Guillaume Latendresse and either Tom Kostopoulos or Michael Ryder and Bryan Smolinski between Mathieu Dandenault and Steve Bégin.

By the way I hope these lines aren't true. Mark Streit tossed onto the first line??? uhhh this team is seriously sad if we try to generate offense with Mark Streit on our number 1 line. And also, Latendresse has scored 5 goals in his last 8 games, and we are demoting him?

I'm going to save my bashing of Carbo until I see how they perform tonight, so I dont make an ass out of myself. Just curious, thats all...

Edited by habsfan88
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By the way I hope these lines aren't true. Mark Streit tossed onto the first line??? uhhh this team is seriously sad if we try to generate offence with Mark Streit on our number 1 line. And also, Latendresse has scored 5 goals in his last 8 games, and we are demoting him?

I'm going to save my bashing of Carbo until I see how they perform tonight, so I dont make an ass out of myself. Just curious, thats all...

He played with Koivu, for a while last year when Higgins was on the Plecks line, if i'm not mistaken.

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He played with Koivu, for a while last year when Higgins was on the Plecks line, if i'm not mistaken.

Yeah, back in the midst of that horrible slump Carbo used Streit as a first-liner. People liked him and praised his play, but I maintain that any team that uses Streit in that kind of role is just a bad team.

Incidentally I'm not bashing Koivu, just pointing out that he always has catastrophic midseason slumps and these are the primary explanation for the Habs' annual mid-season collapses. What we really need is not a winger for him - after all, he gets great results with the wingers we have for the other 2/3rds of the season - but rather a second player who can be an offensive leader in the way Koivu is. Higgins, Kovalev, Ryder, these are all supplementary players; even when they're playing well, they don't carry a team on their backs. Plekanec is the only guy I can see who might be able to play that role from within. Even that's a long shot, but if I were Carbo I'd give it a whirl.

Edited by The Chicoutimi Cucumber
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Bring in a real first line centre to take the pressure off, and Koivu will be awesome for years to come. He can't do it alone and it wears on him. He just can't carry this team for 82 games a season.

Well put.

Let's go Habs!!

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Yeah, back in the midst of that horrible slump Carbo used Streit as a first-liner. People liked him and praised his play, but I maintain that any team that uses Streit in that kind of role is just a bad team.

Incidentally I'm not bashing Koivu, just pointing out that he always has catastrophic midseason slumps and these are the primary explanation for the Habs' annual mid-season collapses. What we really need is not a winger for him - after all, he gets great results with the wingers we have for the other 2/3rds of the season - but rather a second player who can be an offensive leader in the way Koivu is. Higgins, Kovalev, Ryder, these are all supplementary players; even when they're playing well, they don't carry a team on their backs. Plekanec is the only guy I can see who might be able to play that role from within. Even that's a long shot, but if I were Carbo I'd give it a whirl.

I didn't mean you specifically when I mentioned "bashing" but there are those on this board who do constantly bash Saku, while some of it is understandable, it sometimes gets a bit excessive. The guy could have taken the easy way out and asked for a trade on numerous occasions, (mostly due to the press, but there was the incident with Ribs, when people were booing Saku during games) but hasen't because he loves this team and city. So instead of him putting up 70-80 points playing well for 2/3rds of the season. Why not get him a real sniper to play with so we can finally have a 100+ point season from a player again.

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I didn't mean you specifically when I mentioned "bashing" but there are those on this board who do constantly bash Saku, while some of it is understandable, it sometimes gets a bit excessive. The guy could have taken the easy way out and asked for a trade on numerous occasions, (mostly due to the press, but there was the incident with Ribs, when people were booing Saku during games) but hasen't because he loves this team and city. So instead of him putting up 70-80 points playing well for 2/3rds of the season. Why not get him a real sniper to play with so we can finally have a 100+ point season from a player again.

I believe Bob has tried... to no avail.

GO HABS GO!!!

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They're giving Lilja the business. It seems like almost every Habs player that's passed him is yelling something at him or giving him a bit of woodwork (or graphite work now, I guess). It's all fine and dandy, but someone needs to keep him honest and drop the gloves. Get Claude down from the press box and give him a pair of skates.

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