Post-Game Talk: Habs lose 2-1 to the Devils in preseason opener

[ReHabs]

Oh no, Slaf sucks again!

Never too high, never too low…

Have faith. The guy who crushed Kazakhstan hasn’t gone anywhere, he’s still here with us.

 

[HuGort]

Adds excitement to see all the good young players

 

[HostileCapSpace]

He had 44% faceoffs tonight. Not insanely good but not bad so i don’t really get why people still fixating on this.

Dach is gonna be 2nd center.

Beck is already ahead of Dach as far as I'm concerned and he's only 18.

 

[KevSkillz4]

Slafkovsky, Mesar and Beck... really really good draft choice by Habs. I think they all have tools to become very good players in NHL.

Slafkovsky need time to adapt, but we certainly see his tools... great skating ability for a big guy like him, Great hands, great shot, great passing ability and he show all his talent on PP yesterday. He is going to be a beast with good development.

Mesar... I really like his hockey IQ, very talented hockey player, top 6 potential for sure. He will play in NHL with his smart ability.

Beck... wow... Bo Horvat 2.0 and i'm really confident that he can reach that type of level one day, he is just too good. Not just great on faceoff and defensive zone, but he have very good offensive tools. Great hands, great passing ability and good shot. This guy is a STEAL. No comparison with Ryan Poehling, this guy is going to be a good one for long time.

Guhle... no word to say about him... he is a REAL DEAL. Top pairing defenseman, no doubt.

Harris... wow... he have certainly top 4 D potential in him, this guy is really fun to watch.

Barron... great tools... better in 2nd period... need time... but his skillset is there and he is going to be a good top 4 d-man one day.

 

[dcyhabs]

Soooooo … we lost that trade? Meantime, Lehkonen!

The Avs won a cup for a reason. They identified and obtained good players from other teams to supplement their core. On the other hand Barron is young and has some time to work out his issues.

 

[CristianoRonaldo]

He had 44% faceoffs tonight. Not insanely good but not bad so i don’t really get why people still fixating on this.

Dach is gonna be 2nd center.

I agree, with the price we paid to get him, we should give him every chance to reach his potential. Including 2nd line duty.

 

[hvac412]

Pleasantly surprised with Matheson

 

[SlafySZN]

Beck is already ahead of Dach as far as I'm concerned and he's only 18.

Beck is good and all but, no.

 

[morhilane]

If Dach is a third line center, then Dvorak is the 2nd line guy? Or, can that change by the end of the preseason?

The plan is for Dach to develop offense. That means lesser competition, more ozone starts. Tonight he played against Hischier (basically Suzuki), Bratt (73 pts last season and looks like it wasn't a fluke) and Tatar in the first period. Hischier left eventually and they rotated the center with the next two, but it's a good example of what Dach would look like against a 2nd NHL line and a good d-pair (Severson and Graves). Not much offense going.

 

[Andy]

D-men from last:

Harris: Very slow decision making in the ozone. Got caught on the half board every single time because he couldn't decide what to do with the puck. Turned it over every time. Good positioning in the defensive zone, good skating ability.

Guhle: Good offensive instincts. Incredible skating ability. He got fished several times in the dzone by attackers and got pulled way out of position. Over committed a number of times. Gotta stay calm.

Barron: played low-event, effective hockey. It's boring for fans, but coaches like to see it. Didn't take any risks: short passes, dumped the puck when there was no options, solid positionally in the dzone.

Norlinder: He was okay. Nothing he tried offensively worked. Got worked a little in the defensive zone. He looked very much like a rookie.

Fairbrother: very forgettable. Game seemed too fast for him when the puck was on his stick. Looked like a rookie defensively.

 

[NewEraGM]

i got to say it was great seeing so many legit prospects. They are different stages of their development but you can see there is a nice pipeline!
Yesterdays lineup plus Heinemen, Farrell, Xhekaj and Mailloux

 

[KevSkillz4]

i got to say it was great seeing so many legit prospects. They are different stages of their development but you can see there is a nice pipeline!
Yesterdays lineup plus Heinemen, Farrell, Xhekaj and Mailloux

We can certainly add Vinzenz Rohrer, Adam Engstrom, Oliver Kapanen, Ty Smilanic, Jayden Struble and more.

++ 2 1st picks in 2023 even if the 1st pick is not in top 5, that's huge to have 2 1st pick in that draft.

 

[angusyoung]

One pre-season game determines not where one will go,but seen enough of RHP,Roy,Richard,Pezzetta,Norlinder. Would like to see what Mysak and Mesar could do with superior line-mates be it at C or wing. That Beck kid is looking good and Slaf looked tight,nerves maybe?

 

[Pacciosoftie]

Beck > Slafbustsky?

 

[Whitesnake]

To fill out? He is close to 240 pounds! He needs to lose weight to keep speed and stamina.

Lose Weight? You think he has 20 pounds to lose? Maybe. So we should cut one leg and one arm..that might do it. Look at him and you'll see that is fat percentage isn't high. So he has to strenghten his lower body to make up for the weight he has to carry. But the kid doesn't have 20 pounds to lose.

 

[morhilane]

So going by post-game interviews, Slaf wasn't super focused because his anticipation for his first game had been building since the draft and overtook him a bit. So viewers thinking he was "watching" the game are probably right. Also, it was going faster than he anticipated. MSL said he asked questions during the game and seemed to be having fun thought. Slaf said he can play better (he wants to play Wednesday to prove it).

Allen asked to start the game. He wants to play a lot to get game-ready and hopes that by weekend he gets full game in nets. He knows his role is not just to be the goalie, but to eat pucks so the young defensemen don't feel bad about mistakes (that's not how he said it, but that's what he meant ).

MSL really likes Matheson and feared he played him too much (25m), but then saw Severson played just as much. He really likes Beck too.

 

[Andy]

Also, big shout out to Matheson.

From the trade reaction, I was expecting a dman who makes poor decisions with the puck, is out of position and turns it over.

Instead, he was strong defensively, made good offensive plays, and is an incredible skater.

He's not a number 1 dman, but he's clearly a top 4 guy.

 

[Paddyjack]

One pre-season game determines not where one will go,but seen enough of RHP,Roy,Richard,Pezzetta,Norlinder. Would like to see what Mysak and Mesar could do with superior line-mates be it at C or wing. That Beck kid is looking good and Slaf looked tight,nerves maybe?

I like Richard though, I'm intrigued by him. I can see him doing well in Laval.

 

[Pacciosoftie]

Matheson looking like a younger solid version of Petry. Cool, calm, poised with excellent skating and decision making. What a trade.

 

[durojean]

Slafkovsky resume right now :

1 really good game against the infamous team red.

4 games where we can see the tools but all in all underwhelming for a 1st overall.

We have to remember that players like Lafreniere and Kaako actually had a better 1st impression in the rookie tournament and in pre season games than Slafkovsky actually gives us right now.

He is not that fast, and seems to have a lot of trouble getting his shot off. His positioning in the D-Zone is really not good and rarely gets open in the offensive zone. He's having more difficulties now that he is facing player that actually can contain his size.

From what we got right now. It is worrying. Still infinite time for him to grow and become better.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

One pre-season game determines not where one will go,but seen enough of RHP,Roy,Richard,Pezzetta,Norlinder. Would like to see what Mysak and Mesar could do with superior line-mates be it at C or wing. That Beck kid is looking good and Slaf looked tight,nerves maybe?

Mysak really stood out for this observer last night. After a rather tepid rookie tournament, Mysak, against superior opposition, showed a greater level of quickness and physical play. After some doubts about his ultimate upside, I think Mysak will play as a 3C in the NHL and be a valuable utility player who can kill penalties and play in high leverage situations late in games. This kid shows a bit of Pleky in his game. Not as fast and smooth, but more physical. He's a bulldog and definitely a keeper going forward.

 

[angusyoung]

I like Richard though, I'm intrigued by him. I can see him doing well in Laval.

Sure,a lot of the guys will look better in Laval,a lot are not ready for the NHL,but it's early days.

 

[417]

Also, big shout out to Matheson.

From the trade reaction, I was expecting a dman who makes poor decisions with the puck, is out of position and turns it over.

Instead, he was strong defensively, made good offensive plays, and is an incredible skater.

He's not a number 1 dman, but he's clearly a top 4 guy.

He reminded me a lot of Jeff Petry except Matheson actually passes the puck rather than rag it around needlessly before firing a low % shot on net that inevitably gets blocked.

 

[Captain97]

So going by post-game interviews, Slaf wasn't super focused because his anticipation for his first game had been building since the draft and overtook him a bit. So viewers thinking he was "watching" the game are probably right. Also, it was going faster than he anticipated. MSL said he asked questions during the game and seemed to be having fun thought. Slaf said he can play better (he wants to play Wednesday to prove it).

Allen asked to start the game. He wants to play a lot to get game-ready and hopes that by weekend he gets full game in nets. He knows his role is not just to be the goalie, but to eat pucks so the young defensemen don't feel bad about mistakes (that's not how he said it, but that's what he meant ).

MSL really likes Matheson and feared he played him too much (25m), but then saw Severson played just as much. He really likes Beck too.

I like Slaf's personality a lot and makes me think he will be a really good player in his prime when combined with his physical ability.

He wants to be the best he can be, he asks for feedback and wants to prove he can do better.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Tatar showing a lot of class before stepping off the ice.

I'm not a lip reader by any means, but it seems he told Slaf to keep his head up.