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GDT: Lightning/Habs, October 13


dlbalr

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Ya, we know, Guy Boucher is the second coming of Scotty Bowman. Now that he's with another organization, who cares?

you don't need to be the 2nd coming of Bowman to be an improvement on the Penguin.

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subaan didnt look very good out there. i think the kid really wanted to beat his old coach too much

Subban is going to make mistakes - as long as he learns from them - and I think he is smart enough to learn, its not an issue. To me Subban is the least of our worries on defence. I"m more concerned about the mistakes by the two senior citizens - Hamrlik and Spacek.

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subaan didnt look very good out there. i think the kid really wanted to beat his old coach too much

He is going to have brainfarts, but you don't want to reign him in too much. Unfortunately without Markov, Subban

is in a role he is not ready for.

This game was a huge letdown after Price stealing a win against Pittsburgh, but in all reality the Habs should have around 3 points

for the efforts they have produced. They deserved at least a point in Toronto and they were lucky to get 3 of 4 against Pitt and TB.

Unfortunately I have had my fill of Martin's passive style and I don't really see it changing. Boucher is in TB, but it is depressing watching

them play such an aggressive style and we get more of the same bend and occasionally break system.

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He is going to have brainfarts, but you don't want to reign him in too much. Unfortunately without Markov, Subban

is in a role he is not ready for.

This game was a huge letdown after Price stealing a win against Pittsburgh, but in all reality the Habs should have around 3 points

for the efforts they have produced. They deserved at least a point in Toronto and they were lucky to get 3 of 4 against Pitt and TB.

Unfortunately I have had my fill of Martin's passive style and I don't really see it changing. Boucher is in TB, but it is depressing watching

them play such an aggressive style and we get more of the same bend and occasionally break system.

I haven't watched any other TB games this year, but would the lightning have played so aggressively if they hadn't been trailing the whole game? I agree we need to turn it up, but I'm not sold yet that Boucher would have us playing like the flying frenchmen of old.

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I loved what I saw from Price last night, it's a shame that his team and some "interesting" refereeing ruined that for him. If the Habs had maintained their effort from the first, this could have been a blow-out.

Like so many have stated, Gomez and Gionta have been non-factors so far, but I fully expect that to change. I thought Pouliot had a great game. He's soooo snakebit, but he's finding other ways to contribute, and it's only a matter of time before he breaks out.

Kostitsyn looked interested this game, I just wish he'd look to pass to his linemates after he draws the entire opposition towards him.

Plekanec was his usual great self.

I thought O'Byrne played his best game of the year (granted that's not saying much). I like him paired with Hamrlik. He had a few decent hits, smart plays and shots on net.

It'd be easy to get on PK's case for the penalty that tied up the game, but 9 times out of 10 that's not a penalty. Iffy, iffy call. Definitely not his best game, but he seems to be learning game-by-game.

Lapierre and the bottom 6 in general were great... now if only the top-6 could score with some consistency.... or heaven forbid we get a PP goal.

Full credit to Gionta's attempts at French (and English ;))

This team will look a lot better with Markov back; I already think this team is better than last year's.

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I haven't watched any other TB games this year, but would the lightning have played so aggressively if they hadn't been trailing the whole game? I agree we need to turn it up, but I'm not sold yet that Boucher would have us playing like the flying frenchmen of old.

I am not basing it on last night. I am basing it on the system that he worked in Hamilton to great success. On the pre-game talk of what his game plan was and then watching it be executed before my eyes. It is a stark contrast to Martin's claim that the Canadiens would be a puck possession team when he was hired and the get destroyed in puck possession on a nightly basis. Empty talk about limiting opportunities and watching Price and Halak bombarded with shots nightly.

That to me is the difference.

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I do wonder how much of it is the coach vs the players. I didn't think the team was stuck in their own end all night, but what I saw was that the lightening could turn their rush into shots on goal while our guys usually lost possession before really challenging the lightening D.

I am still worried that while we have some solid skill guys who can get beautiful goals, our top 6 just don't have the size and temperament to put consistent pressure on another team. Watch out 3rd and 4th line consistently possess the puck in the other end.. they have the size and temperament to do it, which tells me the coach is not asking the team to sit back in defensive mode. Then our top 2 lines come out and its up the wing, lose it, up the wing, lose it...

Just not sure we can expect much more from this team then what we have gotten in the last year. Mediocre team, dependent on a top performance from the goalie to have a shot at getting points.

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I do wonder how much of it is the coach vs the players. I didn't think the team was stuck in their own end all night, but what I saw was that the lightening could turn their rush into shots on goal while our guys usually lost possession before really challenging the lightening D.

I am still worried that while we have some solid skill guys who can get beautiful goals, our top 6 just don't have the size and temperament to put consistent pressure on another team. Watch out 3rd and 4th line consistently possess the puck in the other end.. they have the size and temperament to do it, which tells me the coach is not asking the team to sit back in defensive mode. Then our top 2 lines come out and its up the wing, lose it, up the wing, lose it...

Just not sure we can expect much more from this team then what we have gotten in the last year. Mediocre team, dependent on a top performance from the goalie to have a shot at getting points.

I don't think they are mediocre talent wise. I think they play a passive game that welcomes disaster.

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Well they were lucky to get 1 point last night thanks to Price. You can't give up 50 shots a night and expect to win. The defensive zone is just terrible. They have 1 defenseman who can get the puck out of the zone and even Subban was bad last night.

Way too many dumb penalties again. The PP looks lost.

They will continue to be 500 club if they play like that.

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Gomez and Gionta are getting eaten alive out there. One thing is for certain: we should be able to rely on better performance from those two, so we can take away some positives in that light.

But by all accounts that a terrible team performance.

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Hamrlik was definitely not ready yesterday. He will need at least another game to adjust. His defensive play was very good, but everytime he touched the puck, it was close to a disaster.

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Hamrlik was definitely not ready yesterday. He will need at least another game to adjust. His defensive play was very good, but everytime he touched the puck, it was close to a disaster.

You're right, but all things considered, I was surprised how well he performed under the circumstances. I think it's wise to split him and Spacek up at this point in their careers.

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Same old Penguin sit back conservative coaching strategy that doesn't make use of the speed and the offense this team could potenially generate :angry:

I find that the more exciting the game gets, the more likely it is that the Habs turn the puck over and get scored on. You can normally feel the goals against coming for about a minute before they happen because the game is so wild.

I kind of like the way they play now. Their top players have an energy to them that makes the games fun to watch even when they're being outplayed. I just think they need to add a 1st line talent if they want to stop getting outplayed on an almost nightly basis. Maybe that talent is Markov. We've never seen him play with the team since they all Super Saiyan-ed up during last year's playoffs.

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So, an honest debate here: is it that Martin's system sucks, or that we just don't have the horses? I incline to BTH's view that our top-6 is just a little too weak. Ultimately, though, there's no way to prove the case one way or the other, short of a talent upgrade up front. :hlogo:

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Its a hard loss to swallow. The Habs totally should have won that game, even though they were grossly outshot.

I wouldnt be to down on PK. That wasnt much of a slash. If a penalty should have been called on that play Hedman should hsave got it. Was I the only 1 who noticed Hedman was shaking the wrong hand in pain? Theres no way PK's stick made contact with Hedmans left hand, which is the hand he shakes in phantom pain.

Gill being hooked was what did the Habs in right as he was bringing the puck out of the Habs zone.

Ironically even though theres lots of highlights of that game neither are show on the highlights at NHL.com.

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Which is why Martin should have been canned. We had a great young coach, who EVERY player in Hamilton said was the best coach they ever played for. His style would fit this team to a tee - lots of speed to burn. So far this year the PP has sucked - which has been an issue since the Flyers series - yeah I know Markov is out, but the coaches KNEW Markov would potentially be out until the end of the month.

Martin is just plain a lousy coach and should have been sent packing. I can't take a whole season of this crap of sitting on a lead and blowing it in the last minute or OT.

As much as I agree with you, that won't happen. The Habs are still paying Guy Carbonneau's salary and Bob Gainey's(i believe?) Can you imagine adding Martin as well. I seriously doubt that would have happenned!

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Stupid Lapierre.. His dirty hit on Downie near the end of the 1st was definitively the turning point of the game IMO.

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I thought Pouliot had a great game. He's soooo snakebit, but he's finding other ways to contribute, and it's only a matter of time before he breaks out.

Agreed. I thought Pouliot played a decent game, yet jacques Martin has decided to take him off the Gio-Gomer line and put him on the 4th line. I just don't get it, the kid finally plays a good game and he gets demoted. Go figure?

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