HABBER-oooooKNOWS Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Don't worry this is not going to JINX us.................I just can't help thinking about who we want play in the first round. The Habs are in for sure, so is Atlanta.....Boston,Leafs, Tampa out I personally would like the Rangers in the first round. After that, I would take Ottawa, just because I really think our Boys can take them. Carolina and Buffalo I would like to avoid....we just don't play well against those teams and would probably sink in the first round. Here's to Atlanta making it........I think they can upset Ottawa who I think will finish 1st. Sorry just really bored of the trade rumours. I want to wait untill Thursday before I read anything else involving the habs. I'm Predicting a Montreal vs Nashville Stanley Cup final. I'ts just going to be one of those crazy years where you just don't see it coming.............. Go Habs Go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CerebusClone Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 As Kari Lehtonen gains experience and confidence, Atlanta is becoming a serious threat. I would not want to be one of the top teams that will face them in the first round (I too believe they will make it). Add to this the return of Bobby Holik who should help a lot defensively. If they acquire a guy like Brendan Witt before the deadline, they'll be a tough team to get through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime Minister Koivu Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 I wouldn't mind playing Philly in the first round. The Habs can finish in 5th this season I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HABBER-oooooKNOWS Posted March 6, 2006 Author Share Posted March 6, 2006 I wouldn't mind playing Philly in the first round. The Habs can finish in 5th this season I think. That would be good, too. . I can't ever remember playing the flyers in the play-offs.....that would be cool. Something about that team though always scares me as a habs fan. Maby the Leclaire, Dejardins days....they used to always kill us after that trade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMMR Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 That would mean the Flyers would have to finish fourth and that would mean the Sabres or Sens sliding down the standings a fair bit. I would also not mind the Flyers, but as of right now the Canes look a lot weaker without Cole for the rest of the season and who knows if he will play in the playoffs. He is a Canadiens killer and without him in the line-up and Huet in net's instead of Theo and I believe Montreal could knock out Carolina. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HABBER-oooooKNOWS Posted March 6, 2006 Author Share Posted March 6, 2006 That would mean the Flyers would have to finish fourth and that would mean the Sabres or Sens sliding down the standings a fair bit. I would also not mind the Flyers, but as of right now the Canes look a lot weaker without Cole for the rest of the season and who knows if he will play in the playoffs. He is a Canadiens killer and without him in the line-up and Huet in net's instead of Theo and I believe Montreal could knock out Carolina. I forgot about Cole. I mean realistically...he won't just jump right back in after such a serious injury. Man the more I think about it the more I think this sorry bunch we've had for most of the year might be able to win the friggin cup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dark_faerie87 Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 I forgot about Cole. I mean realistically...he won't just jump right back in after such a serious injury. Man the more I think about it the more I think this sorry bunch we've had for most of the year might be able to win the friggin cup. Heheh, it could be up for anyone. If Cristowall can continue to play like he has been and the rest of our bench puts out consistent sixty-minute efforts, I could totally see it happening. :ghg: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brboo Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Just once i'd like to have a playoff spot locked up early. without any of this praying in april. Hoping for other teams losses. This friggin road trip is killer. No rest for the boys at all. I just hope atlanta and boston stumble a bit just so theyre not so close. Maybe they'll give up. Go Habs Go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTH Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 (edited) Of course, we want to play Philly but the truth is that we have no chance. Philly will finish 5th in the East. Philly either has to pass NYR for the division lead or we and Philly both have to shoot up past Buffalo. That won't happen. Going into the playoffs with a team like ours we have 2 possible routes. We can hope to play easy teams and teams we consistently beat right to the Finals aka the Team Sweden route in the Olympics or we can hope for the toughest team in the first round, fight hard to eliminate them and then upset team after team with the confidence gained by the first round win over Ottawa aka the Steelers route in this year's Super Bowl. Personally, I perfer Route B because it simplifies things. Sooner or later we're going to have to tackle a heavyweight or two in order to win the Cup. Let's prove it in the first round. If we won't beat them then, then we won't beat them in a later round. We might as well test ourselves early and not beat some random team only to get beaten in the second round again. I think that if we play Ottawa in the first round then we're going all the way. It happens all the time. Calgary, Anaheim, the Steelers, etc, etc, etc... Beating Carolina won't get us anywhere because there will always be a harder team to beat afterwards. It's mentally draining. Once you bet the top team than it gets easier and easier. So please Ottawa, bring it on. We'll be waiting. Edited March 6, 2006 by Bulis_the_Habbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HABBER-oooooKNOWS Posted March 6, 2006 Author Share Posted March 6, 2006 Of course, we want to play Philly but the truth is that we have no chance. Philly will finish 5th in the East. Philly either has to pass NYR for the division lead or we and Philly both have to shoot up past Buffalo. That won't happen. Going into the playoffs with a team like ours we have 2 possible routes. We can hope to play easy teams and teams we consistently beat right to the Finals aka the Team Sweden route in the Olympics or we can hope for the toughest team in the first round, fight hard to eliminate them and then upset team after team with the confidence gained by the first round win over Ottawa aka the Steelers route in this year's Super Bowl. Personally, I perfer Route B because it simplifies things. Sooner or later we're going to have to tackle a heavyweight or two in order to win the Cup. Let's prove it in the first round. If we won't beat them then, then we won't beat them in a later round. We might as well test ourselves early and not beat some random team only to get beaten in the second round again. I think that if we play Ottawa in the first round then we're going all the way. It happens all the time. Calgary, Anaheim, the Steelers, etc, etc, etc... Beating Carolina won't get us anywhere because they're all always be a harder team to beat afterwards. It's mentally draining. Once you bet the top team than it gets easier and easier. So please Ottawa, bring it on. We'll be waiting. I've been secretly wanting that to happen ever since they beat us and were all cocky about it. Hasek saying it was his easiest shut out and crap. The team betting on the bench they would keep us under ten shots. boy oh boy that would be a good show-down. I could live with that being a first round match-up. Let's see when should I book my flight.......for the parade that is.hehehehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HABBER-oooooKNOWS Posted March 28, 2006 Author Share Posted March 28, 2006 Hey lazy26, That threads been warming up over here!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athlétique.Canadien Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 (edited) I've been secretly wanting that to happen ever since they beat us and were all cocky about it. Hasek saying it was his easiest shut out and crap. The team betting on the bench they would keep us under ten shots. boy oh boy that would be a good show-down. I could live with that being a first round match-up. Let's see when should I book my flight.......for the parade that is.hehehehe They call them the scary Sens. Too bad someone forgot to mention rule number 1: CANADIENS! It's the HABS! nuff said :hlogo: Make no mistake as I say it with disdain for Carolina. We'll screw em like we did with 1st place Boston! It's the HABS! nuff said :hlogo: Edited March 28, 2006 by ATHLÉTIQUE.CANADIEN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazy26 Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 Hey lazy26, That threads been warming up over here!!!!!!!! And here it is... Teams i'd like to go against (based on current playoff standings) 1 - PHI 2 - TB 3 - NJ 4 - NYR 5 - BUF 6 - OTT 7 - CAR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 Personally I think the Habs have what it takes to take on anyone but Carolina. They prooved it already this year by beating Philly , the Rangers, Buffalo and even Ottawa. The only top team that always own us no matter is those Hurricanes. Hopefully the Devils or the Lightning will slip out of the playoff and the Trashers will take their place and take care of Carolina for us I would personally love to go against Ottawa, that could very well be the beggining of an intense rivalry in beetween both teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaos Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 It doesn't really who Montreal plays, if you want to advance you have to be able to beat everybody. So why not play the toughest guys first. You'll have to eventually. And it doesn't really matter this year. Ottawa, Carolina, NY and Buffalo all appear to be pretty solid clubs with excellent goaltending. If Ihad my pick, I think I might take Buffalo. We have a solid history against them, and if your familiar with Buffalo at all, they usually find a way to lose. Just look at the '99 cup final. Foot in the crease...come one...that more crushing than Scott Norwide..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HABBER-oooooKNOWS Posted March 29, 2006 Author Share Posted March 29, 2006 Next 6 games......... Montreal- Wash,Bos,Bos,Ott,N.J,Ott Tampa- Atl,Fld, Fld,Atl, Pit, Fld, Atl- TB,Car,Ott,Fld,TB,Car N.J- Buff, Ph,Pit, Pit, Mtl, Nyr I thought if I broke down the next 6 games we might be able to look at a future play-off spot. All the teams we are fighting are playing well. I think these next 4 games I'll be rooting for Tampa....that way if we keep winning Atlanta falls. Friggin Jersey.....with Buffalo slumping and they're OT win over the Sens, next week is looking good for them to jump ahead in the race. Same with Tampa, they are playing pretty good..... F#$%K.........Habs need to keep winning, we could still get screwed....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaos Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 Next 6 games......... F#$%K.........Habs need to keep winning, we could still get screwed....... Thats right, the Habs need to keep winning. Thats all the matters. No need to watch the scoreboards. Montreal is in control of its own destiny. Win and its the playoffs. Lose and its all over, play mediocre and well then you have to watch the scoreboards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CerebusClone Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 Actually, I would not want to face the Flyers. That's a team that has been devastated with many injuries to key players this season, and still, they are not that far from Ottawa and Carolina. That's a team that has Peter Forsberg on offense. That's a team that has Pitkanen on defense; their weakest link on defense is Darian Hatcher, and in the intense play of the playoffs, he's a guy I don't want to face. That's a team whose second line center, Handzus, would completely neutralize Mike Ribeiro. That's a team that has 2 great rookies, who were both great clutch players in the AHL playoffs with the Phantoms. That's a team who have 2 goalies that can get very hot at times, and who could easily find their game in time for the playoffs. That's a team that has many wildcards, guys like Nedved and Kapanen who are capable of amazing things every once in while. Also I can see it too well: Brian Savage comes out of nowhere after a horrible season, and haunts his old team by pulling a Fedotenko (he was dominating the Flyers during the last playoffs). I would rather face Buffalo, New York, or even Carolina. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaos Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 We'll see if Nittymaka can handle the playoffs. Esche can't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HABBER-oooooKNOWS Posted March 29, 2006 Author Share Posted March 29, 2006 I don't care if it was an All star loaded flyer team. They CHOKE. They are known as CHOKERS. No matter how good they are, it's hard to shake that monkey off your back. They prove it year after year after year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zumpano21 Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 The Habs will have to play their best hockey to finish 6th in the East, 5th is simply too far ahead. If they manage to do so, the first round will be against PHI or NYR. Of those two, I'd rather play NYR simply because they're not as big and physical as the Flyers. In the playoffs, it's all about endurance and the less pounding you can take on the way, the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CerebusClone Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 We'll see if Nittymaka can handle the playoffs. Esche can't Actually, Esche did very well in the playoffs 2 years ago. It wasn't really his fault the team lost to the Bolts, but rather the offense that didn't show up. Anyway, Antero will be the starter for the Flyers, not Esche, and he's been great at the Olympics, and he was very solid in the AHL playoffs last year. As for the Flyers being chokers, almost the entire roster was not even with the Flyers not so long years ago. We're far from the Lindros era, the Roenick era is also over, and so its the Forsberg era... he's lead a team to a Stanley Cup before. Besides consistency in the goaltending department, their only weakness in my opinion is that they rely too much on Forsberg for offense, not that the other guys cannot produce, but they just seem to expect Forsberg to be dominant enough for the whole team. They were doing the same thing in Boston this season; Bergeron and Boyes were with the team too, but they were doing absolutely nothing before the Thornton trade. Then, they both raised their level of play, and started playing hockey because no one else was goong to do it for them. If these 2 guys had played better, Thornton would still be a Bruin, and they would be in the playoff race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaos Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 DOesn't matter, theres no chance of seeing them till atleast the second round. Might as well worry about Ottawa, Carolina or New York. Buffalo is tanking and has lost its chance at 1st in the Northeast. Bring one any of the three. Ottawa is probably the toughest. Bring them on first. Lets see what we're made of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CerebusClone Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 (edited) DOesn't matter, theres no chance of seeing them till atleast the second round. Might as well worry about Ottawa, Carolina or New York. Buffalo is tanking and has lost its chance at 1st in the Northeast. Bring one any of the three. Ottawa is probably the toughest. Bring them on first. Lets see what we're made of. Actually, it might be a good idea to face a "weaker" team first, and then face the Sens in the second round. It would help the team gain some confidence in the playoffs, as some key guys (Huet and Higgins) have never played a single NHL playoff game. Most importantly, it would give Gillett some extra cash that he might be willing to invest/waste in the player salaries next season. That extra 2-3 millions in Gillett's pockets could make him increase his budget for the team so that Gainey can sign a top quality player; it's not because the cap will be higher than he'll be willing to throw away his money. Edited March 29, 2006 by CerebusClone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaos Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 So you wanna face a weaker team, to get a few extra home dates, to line Gillettes pockets, in the hopes that in the offseason he may allow a budget increase....Maybe. Doesn't sound too logical to me. I wanna face the toughest team first and find out just what this team is made of. I wanna know come the offseason what I have to do to improve this team, so that I can beat the better team next time around. Besides who says whos the tougher team? Ottawa, yeah they're pretty much the standard. Buffalo, Carolina and New York...how do you pick a stonger and weaker team there. They all look pretty good to me. No major struggles, goaltending appears to be in order, play excellent defence, spread the goal scoring aorund. Except for Buffalo, they have a major scoring threat. Nope, give me Ottawa first and lets find out how good they really are. Who says the chances are any better against Carolina, Buffalo and New York Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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