Who thinks the canadians gonna take the cup this year ?

[Doc Holliday]

Habs in big trouble, but people seem to focus on the mirage

Last night was a pure example. The habs were outshot by the LA Kings 46-20. The Kings had their backup goalie (Jones) between the pipes and he wasn't very good. Carey Price, on the other hand, was fantastic and stole that win all by himself.

Yet on the various tv shows after the game, i'll bet that the panels raved about the habs' win.

The way i see it, a marginal team with a great goalie can only go so far. You can't play him every night or else he'll either burn out or injure himself.

Last night's game proved to me once again that the HABS WILL NOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS.

 

[november]

A win is a win, two more points in the bank and another step closer to making the playoffs.

 

[simonpaul]

To make playoffsHabs have only to win 50% of the games fo the rest of the season,i think they can achieve that.

 

[Merlot]

BOYZ,

I predict the habs will make the playoffs. They win when they need to win.

I love fan slogans. Wishes versus reality. Since 1993 the Habs have been playing hockey. Yes??? So you are saying they have not needed to win? Or they have suddenly changed their character this season versus the past 20 years? You do see the folly?

It's always been a fall-back feel good position to say that teams win when they need to win. It's one way of explaining lapses that should not have happened and keep the faith. Well sorry,the best teams win when they should. They dominate, they win the close ones, they win despite surprises, they win ugly, they win in spite of themselves at times. Lapses are rare, not something common enough to need a slogan to make fans feel better.

The Habs will make the playoffs, hardly impressive on it's own when it's a thing better than 50% of teams do. But saying they will win when they need to it sounds like a wish when they are a bit short on what it really takes to win the Cup.

:noidea:

Merlot

 

[Doc Holliday]

To make playoffsHabs have only to win 50% of the games fo the rest of the season,i think they can achieve that.

I don't. It's a team that relies too much on luck & the goalie has to play over his head most of the time. Good teams don't win that way.

 

[man77777]

It's a team that relies too much on luck & the goalie has to play over his head most of the time. Good teams don't win that way.

Lolll In my entire life, I never saw a guy so obsess by his hatred to a team.

Ok your team is pathetic the lst few years, Ok Canadiens are the most titled team ever... But come on, it's just a sport..

 

[Doc Holliday]

Lolll In my entire life, I never saw a guy so obsess by his hatred to a team.

I'm not obsessed. I'm simply participating in a thread by doing my part in sharing my expert analysis & opinion with my fellow hockey fans.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I'd like to wish a happy 36th birthday to Andrei Markov. :thumb:

 

[simonpaul]

At his age 36 Markov remain the Habs defenseman by far.

 

[simonpaul]

BEst defensemanv

 

[Doc Holliday]

This team has good chemistry & strong coaching. However, it has its faults. Still no #1 center. Average defense. I consider Markov more valuable than Subban at this time, which isn't supposed to be the case. No captain, which means no one has stuck out among the others to become the bonafide team leader. The team has also struggled offensively & especially on the powerplay. They've also had a heck of a hard time to get going in the first two periods.

Hey, this sounds a lot like the Leafs!

They get overmatched from the drop of the puck until the third period, and then find a way to win.

But the big difference is that the habs have Carey Price, who is among the league's top 5 goaltenders. Someone within management told a source the other day that without Carey Price, the team would be fighting for a playoff spot with the 7th & 8th place teams. Considering how many times Carey Price has saved their bacon this season, i tend to agree.

So basically, it all rides on Carey Price's shoulders. If he's able to stay healthy & be rested until playoffs time, look-out!! If not, oh-oh!!! They're in trouble!

 

[themonk83]

not this year but we're getting close. this team is 2 players away from being a strong contender, a top 4 D and a top 6 winger and a coaching change away from the cup. we'll win nothing with the coaching staff we have right now. we probably have the worst coach on D, a bad PP coach and a head coach that can't seem to know how to best utilize this team strength. there's too much reliance on Price. nothing wrong in itself but with a better system, Price would be that difference maker instead of being THE reason why this team is top 5 in the east and not fighting for a wild card spot

 

[Doc Holliday]

not this year but we're getting close. this team is 2 players away from being a strong contender, a top 4 D and a top 6 winger and a coaching change away from the cup. we'll win nothing with the coaching staff we have right now. we probably have the worst coach on D, a bad PP coach and a head coach that can't seem to know how to best utilize this team strength. there's too much reliance on Price. nothing wrong in itself but with a better system, Price would be that difference maker instead of being THE reason why this team is top 5 in the east and not fighting for a wild card spot

I get you. But 20 other teams are saying the same thing about their respective teams.

 

[joelcairo]

I get you. But 20 other teams are saying the same thing about their respective teams.

Yes, the top 21 teams probably all have a chance. For 22 and lower however, forget it - those teams are just TOO bad.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I 100% totally agree! :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

 

[themonk83]

I get you. But 20 other teams are saying the same thing about their respective teams.

but if you look at the strong teams, they have barely any hole in their game. the habs, while still pretty good themselves, have some glaring holes that will make it very hard to win a cup. the only real difference between the habs and the strong teams, we have probably the best goalie in the world.

this team reminds me of how pittsburgh were before the coaching change and went on to win the cup

 

[TheDon]

Isn't the coach that coached the Pittsburgh team before they won the Stanel Cup the same coach that is coaching the Montreal team now?!?!

 

[Doc Holliday]

but if you look at the strong teams, they have barely any hole in their game. the habs, while still pretty good themselves, have some glaring holes that will make it very hard to win a cup. the only real difference between the habs and the strong teams, we have probably the best goalie in the world.

Every team has holes in one type or another, but i agree that the top teams in the league today may not have holes that are as glaring as the ones the habs have. Lack of offense is one....and getting a true #1 center in a trade would do wonders. Even getting Jaromir Jagr for the rest of the season would help, but the habs are supposedly not interested in him.

Another big problem with the habs is their defence, which looks a lot better than it really is due to Carey Price's brilliance. Getting one or two top 4 defencemen in a trade would really help. The name Marc Methot keeps coming back.

But the bottom line is that any team contending for the Cup needs strong goaltending and the Canadiens have the top Canadian goalie in hockey. I also consider him to be a top 3 around the league. A very hot Michael Leighton took the Philadelphia Flyers to the finals a few years ago, only to be beat by the Blackhawks on a fluke goal in overtime of game 7. Michael who many may say? I agree. Proof that any goalie can get hot at any given time.

A hot goalie is also the only reason why Boston won a Cup just a few years ago. Tim Thomas was a brick wall throughout the playoffs and he carried the Bruins on his shoulders. No Tim Thomas, no Cup and a likely very early exit from those playoffs (and they may not have made the playoffs at all).

As the habs showed last year, the playoffs are an entirely different beast altogether. They nearly made it to the finals. Had Carey Price not been injured during the Rangers series, who knows how far they could have went?

 

[Doc Holliday]

Isn't the coach that coached the Pittsburgh team before they won the Stanel Cup the same coach that is coaching the Montreal team now?!?!

Yeah, Michel Therrien coached the Penguins for a year or two before Dan Bylsma took over. Therrien also began his coaching career with the habs nearly a decade earlier. I know, it's quite rare that the same guy is hired twice by a team. He was inexperienced in his first stint, but i found that he was the perfect choice the second time around and i believe i've been proven right.