Canadiens vs. Bruins - Round One

[saskhab]

My official call on the series: Bruins in 6. I know anything can happen in the playoffs, but I called the Habs in 2002 and 2004 for various reasons. This year... I don't feel it, but it probably means nothing. I hope I'm wrong, and I certainly won't put money on it. A big part of me doesn't think the B's will be going further than Round 2, either.

However, the B's kept us in the playoffs, and hockey's a funny game. Right now, if the B's had really played seriously in Game #81 instead of trying to goon up the game and such, they'd be playing Florida, who had the exact same record as us over 82 games. That one point put us in. They had their chance, and second chances are a funny thing in hockey. If we win this series, I'll actually learn to love that ridiculous Game #81. It's fun to smack around a team for being so incredibly stupid.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

My official call on the series: Bruins in 6. I know anything can happen in the playoffs, but I called the Habs in 2002 and 2004 for various reasons. This year... I don't feel it, but it probably means nothing. I hope I'm wrong, and I certainly won't put money on it. A big part of me doesn't think the B's will be going further than Round 2, either.

However, the B's kept us in the playoffs, and hockey's a funny game. Right now, if the B's had really played seriously in Game #81 instead of trying to goon up the game and such, they'd be playing Florida, who had the exact same record as us over 82 games. That one point put us in. They had their chance, and second chances are a funny thing in hockey. If we win this series, I'll actually learn to love that ridiculous Game #81. It's fun to smack around a team for being so incredibly stupid.

Boston was overconfident in that game, and the fact that they ended up winning in OT means that they won't take any lessons away from it.

That can only help us.

[kaos]

I remember when I first got a real hate on for Boston It was way back in 1987/88 playoffs. Montreal knocked Hartford off in 6 games or so. Then met Boston in the 2nd rd. Richer led Montreal with 50 goals that year. Micheal Thelven broke Richer's wrist in game 2 or 3 or so with a slash that was never called . Montreal had won game 1 big. Then Richer went down and it was all over.

I still hate Boston to this day

[Wamsley01]

I remember when I first got a real hate on for Boston It was way back in 1987/88 playoffs. Montreal knocked Hartford off in 6 games or so. Then met Boston in the 2nd rd. Richer led Montreal with 50 goals that year. Micheal Thelven broke Richer's wrist in game 2 or 3 or so with a slash that was never called . Montreal had won game 1 big. Then Richer went down and it was all over.

I still hate Boston to this day

And Reggie Lemelin played the best hockey of his life. I hated that guy.

I mentioned this earlier, what if Wideman is out and somebody else gets injured? Anything can happen.

I remember in the 1999 playoffs the Leafs played the Flyers in round one, the Flyers were missing Lindros.

Then in the second round they drew the Pens. Jagr was hurt for the majority of the series.

In the third round the Leafs got Buffalo and Hasek was nursing a sore groin, Roloson won game one

and Hasek cameback and did just enough.

Injuries, momentum, confidence all are major factors in the playoffs. You need luck AND skill to win the Cup.

These are not the 1972 Bruins or the 1976 Canadiens. This series can turn on the smallest thing, so as much

as the Bruins are favoured (and should be), I will not be surprised if some strange things happened to turn

the momentum and result.

Edited April 13, 2009 by Wamsley01

[Habsy]

I think all Canadiens fans should be deeply offended at that picture of Ribeiro flopping around like he was shot. If that wasn't one of the most embarassing moments in Canadiens history, then it's top-three.

Exactly. He just perpetuated the myth about QC born players, the myth I hate. That we're all visor wearing wimps.

[tokyohabs]

If Markov comes back healthy for game 3, and we are playing well in general, we'll have a fighting chance, despite what I wrote earlier about us in 6 (dreams).

If he doesn't it will be very, very hard. We will have to beat them psychologically. May be illogical, but Recchi worries me more than any of their forwards this series. Markov I think would easily neutralise him.

[ForumGhost]

Where is everyone getting this 'game 3' date from?

[Trizzak]

Series preview

http://www.habsworld.net/article.php?id=1778

[rafikz]

Lebrun's preview:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/200...&id=4062663

[Fanpuck33]

*Prays GameCenter Live will use the CBC feed and not the Boston feed*

*But doesn't hold out much hope*

[ForumGhost]

Lines at practice are back to normal. -phew-

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Lebrun's preview:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/200...&id=4062663

Great analysis by Lebrun. I agree with pretty much everything, but where he guesses Bruins in 5, I sau "Bruins in 6" might make for a more reasonable allowance for the intangibles. He's right that, without Markov, we're up the creek; the best that can be hoped for is that the Habs hang on and eke out a win without him. That's why if he's not back by Game 3 we've got a big, big problem - I can see the team playing over its head in anticipation of Markov's return, but not for an indefinite span.

[MK1]

Boston is BY FAR the superior 5v5 by comparison to the Habs. TKK simply does not score even strength, which is amazing for a supposed #1 line in the NHL. Boston knows this, so does everyone else in the league, it certainly isnt any secret they are a one-trick pony.

The Habs are what they are, a team that relies on the PPG more than any other. When they get them they win, and when they either a) dont capitalize or b) teams stay out of the box, they lose and lose badly. It's now the playoffs, and there will be large chunks of each game when the refs will put their whistles in their pockets and that is going to be absolutely deadly for the Bs and painful for Habs fans.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Boston is BY FAR the superior 5v5 by comparison to the Habs. TKK simply does not score even strength, which is amazing for a supposed #1 line in the NHL. Boston knows this, so does everyone else in the league, it certainly isnt any secret they are a one-trick pony.

The Habs are what they are, a team that relies on the PPG more than any other. When they get them they win, and when they either a) dont capitalize or b) teams stay out of the box, they lose and lose badly. It's now the playoffs, and there will be large chunks of each game when the refs will put their whistles in their pockets and that is going to be absolutely deadly for the Bs and painful for Habs fans.

I seem to recall us being quite effective 5-on-5 in the first half - ? Am I delusional or what? We MUST have been given that our PP sucked.

Hard to know what happened, but the injury to Lang probably made a huge difference. With that injury and the aquisition of Schneider we traded a 5-on-5 team that couldn't score on the PP to a PP team that can't score 5-on-5. Maybe. But I prefer to think that this team is still coming together in the aftermath of the rebellion against Carbonneau, so it's hard top draw definitive conclusions.

Edited April 13, 2009 by The Chicoutimi Cucumber

[Chris]

Sorry everyone, this one will be over in a week. 4-0 Bruins. I have seen nothing since BG took over that gives me any confidence that this bunch has improved enough (or at all) to beat anyone in the playoffs. They slid into the playoffs losing 4 straight.

The same problems still exist;

Defensive zone coverage is awful

Can't get the puck out of there own end

Lose too many 1 on 1 battles

Aren't physical enough to compete with the Bruins. 5 straight losses i beleive

Slower then the Bruins

The habs best players are rarely there best players.

40 shots against again

Anything is possible and I will be rooting for them, i actually bet my Bruins friend 20 bucks a game on the series. So they better not get swept, but i call them how i see them .

Just a side note, At least Laraque and Price shpwed up the other night. People who say the habs weren't playing for anything are wrong, it's called Pride, a chance to avoid the Bruins and win a game.

[Cataclaw]

I thought i was going to make the game threads for the playoffs

Guess not :/

[TheAussiePosse]

I'm breaking out the brooms. Unless Lang becomes part-cyborg and gets back in time for game 4, I just don't see any part of this match-up to be optimistic about.

[BCHabnut]

I thought i was going to make the game threads for the playoffs

Guess not :/

Now you have to do them Cat. I think someone was excited and started one, but if you want to do the official game thread, you should.

[BCHabnut]

So, what lines do you start with?

The first three are easy, but do you play Laraque, or do you use Higgins Dandy Metro on the fourth. For the record, I love Metropolit. He is the best fourth line centre we've had in a long time. I guess Dandy should play D and Laraque on the right wing.

I believe that this year, our third and fourth line are so much better than past years. These two lines along with the Bruins weaker 2nd and third pairings, could mean some game winners for us. I don't expect a lot of point production from the 1st and 2nd line. Chara and wideman are too good together.

[TheDriveFor25]

Lines should be...

Kovalev - Koivu - Tangs

A.Kost - Pleks - Dags or S.Kost

Lats - Laps- Kostops

Higgins - Metro - Laraque

Komi - Gorges

Hammer and Miracle Mathieu

Dandy - Weber/Boullion/Brisebois/Henry

I wouldnt mind using Henry with Dandy. This series is gonna be physical.

But yeah, Laraque needs to be there. Have a tough defensive fourth line. I'm not sure who plays wing on the 2nd line with Pleks and A.Kost, but we need that line to produce!!!!!!!!!

GO HABS GO.

:hlogo: in 5!!

[ForumGhost]

Since my memory span is greater than one game, I'm optimistic for this series. Since the February breakdown, we've improved greatly. I think the most promising aspect is that we finally have 4 lines that gel together. No need for the shuffling.

Obviously the Pleks line still has some work to do, but man, did Kostitsyn look good in that last game. How many good scoring chances did he have? At least five. D'Agostini has also been playing well since they brought him back. So if Pleks comes alive, (which is highly possible after the rest he's getting) that line can light it up. The Lapierre and Koivu lines will obviously not be tampered with, as they have both found solid chemistry. As for the fourth line, if we wanna bring out speed and skill, Metro, Dandy and Higgins has meshed very well and are a good energy line with some scoring potential. If we wanna play tough, we can substitute Dandy for Laraque. I think the last game was Laraque's best in a Habs uniform, so that also gives me confidence.

Obviously, the biggest question mark will be the defense. If Markov can come back and play at his usual level, that will help us big time (stranger things can happen coughschneidercough).

I've got no reason to doubt Price at this point. He hasn't been playing as well as I've seen him play in the past, but he's still been playing well. A lot of his recent goals have been due to poor defensive play in front of him. Can't fault him for much of that. Plus, he was playing like St. Patrick before that dreadful power play in the last game. If he can find that zone again, Bruins are in trouble.

Aside from the Markov concern, the biggest X-factor in this series is the intangibles that come with Mtl vs. Bos in the postseason. It's always an emotional run, and it will be a tug of war to see who can throw who off who's game. So many things can happen making it hard to predict. Chara could get frustrated if we get under his skin, making him a giant pylon. Komi or Laraque might give Lucic a pounding, adversely effecting the B's state of mind. The Bruins could get overconfident and underestimate the Habs, opening them up. Now that we are the 8th seed and the clear underdogs, maybe the weight of expectations will be lifted and they'll just be able to go out and play some good hockey, much like how we came into last year. There are so many things that can happen, I just don't see why people are already counting the Habs out. Remember the Oilers in 06? Anything can happen in the postseason.

Edited April 13, 2009 by ForumGhost

[rafikz]

Now you have to do them Cat. I think someone was excited and started one, but if you want to do the official game thread, you should.

Um..... what ?????

[Sir_Boagalott]

Great analysis by Lebrun. I agree with pretty much everything, but where he guesses Bruins in 5, I sau "Bruins in 6" might make for a more reasonable allowance for the intangibles. He's right that, without Markov, we're up the creek; the best that can be hoped for is that the Habs hang on and eke out a win without him. That's why if he's not back by Game 3 we've got a big, big problem - I can see the team playing over its head in anticipation of Markov's return, but not for an indefinite span.

Not sure why some Habs fans agree with some of the analysts who apparently dont even watch the Habs play.

In game 81 the Habs were lossing 3-1 to who? Then what happened? Habs came back to make it 4-3, all without who?

If the Habs were going to loose in 4 or 5 games to Bos than that game wouldnt have been close at all. Dont kid yourselves that game was definitely close and the Habs could have won it and that come from behind rally against Bos all happened without Markov.

Sure the Habs are definitely better with Markov, but as game 81 showed its not Arrmegeddon without him.

[Fanpuck33]

Have you ever heard of a sample size? You can't use one game to say we don't need a guy. In a 7 game series, the chances of the Habs winning with and without Markov are vastly different.

[Athlétique.Canadien]

I tell Montreal and Boston fans the same thing. The Bruins have a right to be confident and they'll likely win but make no mistake that the history between these two clubs throws that for a loop.

Geez, the B's fans IMO are way TOO over confident. In perspective, the Bruins could win the Stanley cup. All of the ingredients are there. But the way some of my friends and total strangers that are B's fans are coming off, you'd think that they were going to sweep every series. The cockiness is heighting to levels of: "why have a playoff, just give it to Boston". Someone find me a Boston fan that is living in reality. B's fans - never, never ever disdain the Holy Grail of Hockey by being this pompous! It's NOT easy to win!!!

Their heads are way too high. And, they're playing the Canadiens. Chances are, even if the B's take us out we are likely to hurt them along the way. And, maybe - just maybe we'll win!!!

GO HABS GO

Edited April 13, 2009 by Athlétique.Canadien