Jump to content

Game #35, Montreal @ Tampa Bay, Dec 28, 2022 7:00PM EST


TurdBurglar

Recommended Posts

Montreal (15-16-3) - 33 pts

Tampa Bay (20-11-1) - 41 pts

Caufield - Suzuki - Armia
Drouin - Dach - Hoffman
Anderson - Dvorak - Slafkovsky
Pezzetta - Evans - Richard/Dadonov

 

Edmundson - Guhle
Xhekaj - Kovacevic
Harris - Barron

 

Allen

Hagel - Point - Kucherov
Stamkos - Paul - Colton
Killorn - Cirelli - Maroon
Namestnikov - Bellemare - Perry

 

Hedman - Bogosian
Cole - Cernak
Sergachev - Perbix

 

Vasilevskiy

    Gallagher practiced with a regular jersey. Barron called up from Laval.
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting, the 1 TB announcer just mentioned the Habs are playing 5 rookie dman and he questioned if that had ever happened before but figured in the 100 year history that it had likely happened before.  The other guy mentioned he checked with their stat department and said in 2007 the Flyers played 5 rookie dmen.  However, I don't imagine that the Flyers were playing 4 for the year like the Habs are.  

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Tough period for Xhekaj with the turnovers. 
 

Why do we suck so bad on the PP?

 

Im looking forward to Gallagher coming back because it will change the lines. 

 

At least WiFi let off a really good snap shot.  That was probably the hardest save Vasilesky made so far.  

 

It's often painful to watch their PP.  I have no idea why they are so clueless out there.  

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Why do we suck so bad on the PP?

PPs give one team more skaters on the ice.  Often times during this slump, they are only actually using 2-3 players on the PP, basically they are taking away the advantage they have been given.  They pass the puck between whoever is playing point and Suzuki, looking for Suzuki to pass to Caufield.  Meanwhile there are 2 forwards playing near the net that just don't touch the puck.  Most of the PPs you have to really look to see who those 2 are because they are so uninvolved in the play.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is the first game I’ve been able to watch in a while - I had a super-intense patch at work, then holiday family stuff that got in the way. Alas, I hate playing TB. Not only are they a superb team, but layered on top of their excellence is the psychological fact that they own us: they simply have our number, year in and year out. (They were the worst possible Finals matchup for us in ‘21 for that reason). It reminds me of when we used to play Brodeur’s Devils - it feels like Guaranteed Loss Night every time, and frankly I suspect  a lot of Habs feel the same way.

 

As for five rookie D, I remember being worried at the start of the season that we didn’t have enough veteran insulation for the kids on the blueline. Sigh.

 

The Sportsnet crew provided some good analysis of what the Habs are doing wrong, e.g., foolish plays at the opposition blueline. For my part, I found Dvorak frustrating in that he made a couple of soft defensive plays, and he’s a guy who cannot do that. I also find myself disappointed in Slaf. I’m sure this is unfair, but he’s a passenger. When Harris made that nice little play to skate in on goal, Slaf was simply standing by the boards watching instead of being there to follow up on the rebound. Nothing I saw tonight suggests I’ve been wrong all season to want him sent down - unfortunately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good result for the tank; because none of the pending UFAs got hurt, I am happy

 

I hate seeing some of the youngsters being passengers out there. Coaching team let’s them get away with lazy plays and lack of intensity/engagement 

 

Montembeault playing tomorrow in FLA: he will be too jacked up and Habs will lose

 

Go Habs Go!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It’s tough to build wins when our PP is so inept and our passing is loose and dangerous. 
 

Can’t win games against good teams when we play so sloppy. 
 

I did think Barron had a decent game. 
 

Putting Armia on the first line just guarantees that Suzuki, Caufield won’t score again. That line needs a quick, high skilled winger such as Dach but we are short a centre so……

 

Habs have had trouble scoring since Monahan went down. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure if I want to continue investing the time to watch games until this practice of giving Drouin and Armia significant minutes in the top 6 is going on.  Both are hopeless and suck the life out of our top line, cancelling out my prime motivation for watching.  Drouin on PP1 is a sad joke too.  I may just relegate myself to watching the highlights until the lineup is replenished.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, sbhatt said:

I'm not sure if I want to continue investing the time to watch games until this practice of giving Drouin and Armia significant minutes in the top 6 is going on.  Both are hopeless and suck the life out of our top line, cancelling out my prime motivation for watching.  Drouin on PP1 is a sad joke too.  I may just relegate myself to watching the highlights until the lineup is replenished.

I've stopped watching games ... but for a different reason ... I hate actively cheering against the Habs in-game but to maximize their draft positioning for ONE MORE year ideally I want them to finish in the bottom 5-6 (guarantees drafting no worst than 7/8) ... and I have no fear that a 47 game slump will install a "losing culture" ... my only concern would be if the rookie defencemen start getting lit-up ... but I think that can be managed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

I've stopped watching games ... but for a different reason ... I hate actively cheering against the Habs in-game but to maximize their draft positioning for ONE MORE year ideally I want them to finish in the bottom 5-6 (guarantees drafting no worst than 7/8) ... and I have no fear that a 47 game slump will install a "losing culture" ... my only concern would be if the rookie defencemen start getting lit-up ... but I think that can be managed.


Im still watching but I’ll be very happy when some players are gone for next year.  
 

Ideally though, I hope both Montreal and Florida lose every single remaining game. Picking first and second would be amazing - even if unlikely. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

It’s tough to build wins when our PP is so inept and our passing is loose and dangerous. 
 

Can’t win games against good teams when we play so sloppy. 
 

I did think Barron had a decent game. 
 

Putting Armia on the first line just guarantees that Suzuki, Caufield won’t score again. That line needs a quick, high skilled winger such as Dach but we are short a centre so……

 

Habs have had trouble scoring since Monahan went down. 

 

Good observations. I’m not sure what is so hard about chipping the puck in and chasing it, but these kids seem dedicated to back-passes and low-percentage lateral plays at the blueline. I wonder if this is an unintended side-effect of MSL’s emphasis on “creativity?” Or maybe just an effect of youth.

 

Anyone could see that putting a boat-anchor like Armia with Slick Nick and CC was a bad idea. Hopefully MSL thinks better of it.

 

You are so right about Monahan. He reminds me a bit of Radek Bonk in 2009…very different teams in very different situations, but in both cases, we had a veteran 2nd-line C brought in as a patch-up, playing a key stabilizing role, and in both cases, when he went down, the mirage vanished and the team went into free-fall. In this case, of course, the free-fall doesn’t hurt much because we’re rebuilding anyway. Nevertheless, in terms of entertainment value, this team has really cratered in December.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Monahan is a big loss for sure. But the team should be able to overcome that.

I am not a fan of the inability shown by the coaching staff to make in-game d’ajustements. When à line is not going, why keep it together? And if trailing, why not shortening the bench?

 

I have not stopped watching the games, but I can’t do it live anymore. I record them and watch later, so that I can fast forward commercials and intermissions. 
 

I am. still hopefull that a full rebuild may bring a cup. I want to enjoy watching the youngling improve and evolve into a cup winning team 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

... I am not a fan of the inability shown by the coaching staff to make in-game d’ajustements. When à line is not going, why keep it together? And if trailing, why not shortening the bench?  ...

 

Seems we may be seeing growing pains both on-ice and behind the bench ... another unknown (alongside player/prospect development) is whether MSL will be a good "win-now" coach when the time comes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

Seems we may be seeing growing pains both on-ice and behind the bench ... another unknown (alongside player/prospect development) is whether MSL will be a good "win-now" coach when the time comes.

 

I’m pretty sure he will need to be defenestrated by the time the team is in a contending position. Very few coaches last more than 3-4 seasons, and while MSL may beat those odds (he’s been beating odds his whole life), the smart money says the team will be quitting on him and in need of a new voice by then.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

I’m pretty sure he will need to be defenestrated by the time the team is in a contending position. Very few coaches last more than 3-4 seasons, and while MSL may beat those odds (he’s been beating odds his whole life), the smart money says the team will be quitting on him and in need of a new voice by then.

 

He may not lose the team but still need to be replaced if he hasn't evolved far enough as a HC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said:

Monahan is a big loss for sure. But the team should be able to overcome that.

I am not a fan of the inability shown by the coaching staff to make in-game d’ajustements. When à line is not going, why keep it together? And if trailing, why not shortening the bench?

 

I have not stopped watching the games, but I can’t do it live anymore. I record them and watch later, so that I can fast forward commercials and intermissions. 
 

I am. still hopefull that a full rebuild may bring a cup. I want to enjoy watching the youngling improve and evolve into a cup winning team 

There’s nit much that a coaching staff can do when they don’t have an NHL caliber defence, or enough skill and depth at centre. Adrenaline and youthful enthusiasm can only make up for a lack of talent for short stints. This is why I wasn’t happy they started as well as they did. 
 

i still don’t like Slafkovsky in the lineup (should have been in Laval or junior, and Definitely should have been lent out out for WJC). It also is dumb to have 5 rookies dmen in the lineup. Guhle and Wifi are the only one’s who have consistently looked like they belong. I think Harris has been good,

but could benefit from being rotated back and forth to Laval with other kids ouch dmen.
 

Focus while have been on a bottom finish while slowly bringing up the kids. Suzuki and Caufield are the only one’s who are the only young players that should be everyday players.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

I’m pretty sure he will need to be defenestrated by the time the team is in a contending position. Very few coaches last more than 3-4 seasons, and while MSL may beat those odds (he’s been beating odds his whole life), the smart money says the team will be quitting on him and in need of a new voice by then.

I think that’s what people thought about Cooper. He’s gone on through a couple of rebuild/retools before they became down dominant. I think MSL may have staying power, as long as they have a lineup that should be a playoff team by October 2024. Any longer than that for a rebuild would probably require a new voice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, hab29RETIRED said:

There’s nit much that a coaching staff can do when they don’t have an NHL caliber defence, or enough skill and depth at centre. Adrenaline and youthful enthusiasm can only make up for a lack of talent for short stints. This is why I wasn’t happy they started as well as they did. 
 

i still don’t like Slafkovsky in the lineup (should have been in Laval or junior, and Definitely should have been lent out out for WJC). It also is dumb to have 5 rookies dmen in the lineup. Guhle and Wifi are the only one’s who have consistently looked like they belong. I think Harris has been good,

but could benefit from being rotated back and forth to Laval with other kids ouch dmen.
 

Focus while have been on a bottom finish while slowly bringing up the kids. Suzuki and Caufield are the only one’s who are the only young players that should be everyday players.

 

I don’t think Kovacevic has been too bad either…he’s looked like a regular bottom-pairing NHL defender IMHO. Indeed, to my eye, none of the rookie D have looked overmatched *as individuals.* The problem is when you’re throwing 4-5 rookie D out there on the regular. That is a recipe for defensive breakdowns: too much learning going on, in aggregate. 

 

I could not agree more about Slaf and have been saying so all season. His game last night was concerning, radiating KK vibes (minus all the falling down). There is a passivity to his play that is a very troubling signal IMHO. He should be in Laval learning to take charge of games night in, night out, as opposed to learning that he is entitled to an NHL roster spot despite not doing anything noteworthy game after game.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...