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GDT: Montreal @ Toronto, April 27th, 7pm


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Dryden, Roy and Ward also had zero playoff experience the year they won the conn smythe. Penny had zero playoff experience the year he took us to the semi-finals.

That's a salutary reminder. Anything can happen. That said, there have been far more playoff rookie goalies who eventually got solved than Drydens. Looking at the matter objectively, you have to say that the Leafs' goaltending inexperience is a legitimate question mark for them heading in. Just as, I might add, the playoff inexperience of the Gal(l)ys also has to be taken as a question mark for us, hard as that is to believe.

EDIT: as for not playing Price, Habs29 is obviously right that he is The Man. That doesn't mean you don't go to Budaj if he stinks out the joint, but if that's the case, we're doomed anyway. Price on a "short leash" is bizarre thinking.

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That's a salutary reminder. Anything can happen. That said, there have been far more playoff rookie goalies who eventually got solved than Drydens. Looking at the matter objectively, you have to say that the Leafs' goaltending inexperience is a legitimate question mark for them heading in. Just as, I might add, the playoff inexperience of the Gal(l)ys also has to be taken as a question mark for us, hard as that is to believe.

EDIT: as for not playing Price, Habs29 is obviously right that he is The Man. That doesn't mean you don't go to Budaj if he stinks out the joint, but if that's the case, we're doomed anyway. Price on a "short leash" is bizarre thinking.

Why are we doomed if Price struggles against the Leafs? Budaj can win us games and if we survive there is no reason Price won't be great in the next round.

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Why are we doomed if Price struggles against the Leafs? Budaj can win us games and if we survive there is no reason Price won't be great in the next round.

We're doomed if Price doesn't play well in the playoffs. I suppose I have a hard time believing that he could suck against TO and then suddenly be awesome in the next round. Anything's possible, I suppose.

I also think fans tend to overthink things in the playoffs. Come the crunch, all that regular season crap goes out the window. You play your best and they have to be AT their best if you want to win, period.

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Re "that's bizarre thinking"

I used to buy my mother the uggliest costume jewelry at bizarres.

She just loved them.



We find out ce soir!

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We can all agree that if Price gets ventilated, you seriously consider going to Budaj for at least one game. My guess is that he'd have to struggle for two straight games before the Habs go to Budaj, because - given the impossibility of the team doing anything without Price at or close to his best - you want to give him a chance to bounce back from one bad game, finding his groove and his confidence.

So that's not a "short leash" to me. That's more or less a normal pattern for any blue chip starter.

If Price plays merely OK, you do NOT come back with Budaj - which would be the "short leash" formula. You give Carey the ball and ask him to run with it unless he falls flat on his face, spectacularly and repeatedly.

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Roy wasn't good in the first two games against the Nordiques in 93.

Sticking with him was the move that won us the Cup.

I'd only go with Budaj if Price gets pulled. We didn't win last night because of Budaj. We won because our team defence was near immaculate.

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We can all agree that if Price gets ventilated, you seriously consider going to Budaj for at least one game. My guess is that he'd have to struggle for two straight games before the Habs go to Budaj, because - given the impossibility of the team doing anything without Price at or close to his best - you want to give him a chance to bounce back from one bad game, finding his groove and his confidence.

So that's not a "short leash" to me. That's more or less a normal pattern for any blue chip starter.

If Price plays merely OK, you do NOT come back with Budaj - which would be the "short leash" formula. You give Carey the ball and ask him to run with it unless he falls flat on his face, spectacularly and repeatedly.

I don't think we have any reason to suspect that Carey will be anything but excellent going forward. There's no tougher position to be in.

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