Post-Game Talk: Habs lose to the Blues. Fail to come back from another large deficit.

[Riddick412]

What was your prediction for this roster back in September?

This board & most pundits had us bottom 5 with no chance at playoffs.

Coaching has the roster sitting in playoff spot with 12 games to go... so unless you were predicting a top 3 division finish, I guess you are celebrating the job the coaching staff has done, eh?

Oh for sure. Not be able to make in game adjustments. Picking Dvorak to shoot 4th. Never pulling Monty when the game could still be saved. Never having the team ready to play. Skipping practice when they clearly need it. (Mostly) One dimensional PP. Playing Matheson 25 minutes a game. Starting the 3rd line in OT. Never using timeouts. I could go on.

The coaching has been visibly terrible. I'm not sure why anyone would defend this staff, but you do you.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Well, that didn't go the way I thought it would. I thought Habs would come out like they did against NYI. Hard working, hard skating, and driven. Instead they came out flat.

Really bad game by everyone except Suzuki & Hutson. Newhook played well, too, but his ability to absolute not cash in on open nets is driving me up the f***ing wall.

Slafkovsky had some great looks, too. The puck wasn't going our way tonight because the effort wasn't there. Blues out worked us big time.

4th line & Matheson were particularly shit. I really hope we don't bring Matheson back next year & that Savard retires. Guhle, Carrier, Struble, Hutson, Xhekaj should all be back next year. That's 5 D already. Reinbacher is super close to being ready for NHL.

Montembeault could have helped the team out by making some saves, but he didn't. I can live with the tip goals, but the Kyrou, Thomas & Broberg goals he just wasn't ready.

The last 4 games Monty has .880, .840, .892 and now .844 save percentages. That's an average of .864. Somehow, we managed to be 1-1-2 in those 4 games.

We're not going anywhere with that goaltending. He needs to maintain a .900-.905 save percentage.

12 games left & Montreal still holds WC2. Detroit is getting crushed in Colorado & I don't expect NYR to do much in L.A. Plus, we still hold 2 games in hand on them.

We're still masters of own destiny. We need to be much, much better, though.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Well, that didn't go the way I thought it would. I thought Habs would come out like they did against NYI. Hard working, hard skating, and driven. Instead they came out flat.

Really bad game by everyone except Suzuki & Hutson. Newhook played well, too, but his ability to absolute not cash in on open nets is driving me up the f***ing wall.

Slafkovsky had some great looks, too. The puck wasn't going our way tonight because the effort wasn't there. Blues out worked us big time.

4th line & Matheson were particularly shit. I really hope we don't bring Matheson back next year & that Savard retires. Guhle, Carrier, Struble, Hutson, Xhekaj should all be back next year. That's 5 D already. Reinbacher is super close to being ready for NHL.

Montembeault could have helped the team out by making some saves, but he didn't. I can live with the tip goals, but the Kyrou, Thomas & Broberg goals he just wasn't ready.

The last 4 games Monty has .880, .840, .892 and now .844 save percentages. That's an average of .864. Somehow, we managed to be 1-1-2 in those 4 games.

We're not going anywhere with that goaltending. He needs to maintain a .900-.905 save percentage.

12 games left & Montreal still holds WC2. Detroit is getting crushed in Colorado & I don't expect NYR to do much in L.A. Plus, we still hold 2 games in hand on them.

We're still masters of own destiny. We need to be much, much better, though.

Caufield had some good looks and he stole the puck that eventually led to Suzuki's goal.

Personally, I think the whole first line could've been better. WE've seen what they can do and they need to carry the club if we're going to make the playoffs. They just don't seem to have been as good the past few games even if they've gotten some points.

 

[rik schau]

What rot, can I boo? Lifted my hockey sabbatical because Montreal was in the playoffs picture and this was an important match and this is what I get, thanks for wasting my time.

 

[rik schau]

I can see Dobes getting the next start.

He's fun to watch play, he slides all over the place like on banana peels,jolly good time.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Caufield had some good looks and he stole the puck that eventually led to Suzuki's goal.

Personally, I think the whole first line could've been better. WE've seen what they can do and they need to carry the club if we're going to make the playoffs. They just don't seem to have been as good the past few games even if they've gotten some points.

It was actually Slafkovsky that won the puck battle to keep it in the zone.

 

[Rapala]

Like it or not that is 3 losses in a row.

 

[rik schau]

Just got in from work, howd the boyz do???

The Blues are mediocre or they would have locked up a playoff spot. They don't beat teams that have more than one line .

If the blues are mediocre and they looked this good,was Montreal that bad in this match? St Louis could have put a mannequin in nets and won

 

[ExReHabs]

Reset, recharge, return.

The Habs have to get faster, leaner, meaner. Now that they’ve proven they can hit a higher gear, they don’t need to retain the presence and services of Savard or Armia. Contract is over, you weren’t even traded for a bounty, and it is time to go. We need new young blood.

 

[Miller Time]

It'll be interesting to see who starts next game.

Do you go Dobes against the weaker team and save Monty for Carolina? Or do you attempt to secure the win with Monty in against Philly and hope/pray against Carolina with Dobes?

I'd go with Dobes... But I get if MSL decides to go back to Monty

 

[Miller Time]

Oh for sure. Not be able to make in game adjustments. Picking Dvorak to shoot 4th. Never pulling Monty when the game could still be saved. Never having the team ready to play. Skipping practice when they clearly need it. (Mostly) One dimensional PP. Playing Matheson 25 minutes a game. Starting the 3rd line in OT. Never using timeouts. I could go on.

The coaching has been visibly terrible. I'm not sure why anyone would defend this staff, but you do you.

Because it's not a video game, but to each their own

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

LA is trash. Don't expect the to ever win a game when you need them to

 

[Andrei79]

Because it's not a video game, but to each their own

The coaching around here is underrated. What MSL has done with the roster isn't something we're used to unless there's Vezina caliber goaltending.

His issue though is that he can be very stubborn. How he's handling the goaltending right now is that character trait that can be annoying to watch as fans. I think he'll learn from it as he seems to usually do, but while he's a big reason why the team is where it is, it would be very disappointing if he also becomes part of the reason why they miss the POs. Overworking Montembeault has provided us with awful goaltending recently.

 

[Miller Time]

The coaching around here is underrated. What MSL has done with the roster isn't something we're used to unless there's Vezina caliber goaltending.

His issue though is that he can be very stubborn. How he's handling the goaltending right now is that character trait that can be annoying to watch as fans. I think he'll learn from it as he seems to usually do, but while he's a big reason why the team is where it is, it would be very disappointing if he also becomes part of the reason why they miss the POs. Overworking Montembeault has provided us with awful goaltending recently.

Don't disagree at all... Though stubbornness is a required trait for any successful coach. When it works, it's celebrated, when it fails, it's criticized...

It is a blessing and a curse, the best coaches typically have close trusted confidants who can challenge them and help them see when it's misdirected.

Imo the underlying external indication of wether or not the stubborness is going overboard is reflected in the player engagement & buy in... When the athletes are tuning out the coach and failing to get results, writing is on the wall. This group seems about as united and bought in as I've seen a Habs team... MSL seems to be getting a lot more right than wrong, and is getting much more out of this roster than most coaches would.

Future is bright

 

[HabzSauce]

If you think we were the better team tonight and we lost because of goaltending, I don't know what to tell you.

Whenever we lose a game posters just automatically jump on the goalie. It's dumb. St Louis controlled the game from start to finish. Dobes would've fared no better.

I disagree, teams play differently depending who's in net. If Dobes was in & looking sharp, that could be a whole different game from the Habs

 

[GrandmaCookie]

LA is trash. Don't expect the to ever win a game when you need them to

They are leading 2-1 so far so good.

 

[BozoTheClown]

LA is trash. Don't expect the to ever win a game when you need them to

Come on now!

LA has 12 more points than the Habs, are 8-1-1 in their last 10 with 3 wins in a row.

That’s not what I would call trash.

 

[GrandmaCookie]

Don't disagree at all... Though stubbornness is a required trait for any successful coach. When it works, it's celebrated, when it fails, it's criticized...

It is a blessing and a curse, the best coaches typically have close trusted confidants who can challenge them and help them see when it's misdirected.

Imo the underlying external indication of wether or not the stubborness is going overboard is reflected in the player engagement & buy in... When the athletes are tuning out the coach and failing to get results, writing is on the wall. This group seems about as united and bought in as I've seen a Habs team... MSL seems to be getting a lot more right than wrong, and is getting much more out of this roster than most coaches would.

Future is bright

I hope and they most likely will, that they will let Martin cook for at least 2 other seasons. I want to see what he can accomplish with an actual competitive roster. Team is getting there but he has worked with limited effective since in Montreal. What is great is that he obviously is growing with the young team that he coaches. At first most taught he would just be a interim kind of coach until Montreal had a competitive roster then make the switch to a more experienced coach, but I think he deserves to be there for the transition to this team into its competitive window. For what he has accomplished so far and the grow most of our core players have had and the system he has successfully developed (remember when people were complaining a lot about his hybrid system? Very few talk negatively about it now).

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I disagree, teams play differently depending who's in net. If Dobes was in & looking sharp, that could be a whole different game from the Habs

Montie stopped about a dozen shots before we got our first...

 

[LV426]

Just got in from work, howd the boyz do???

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Come on now!

LA has 22 more points than the Habs, are 8-1-1 in their last 10 with 3 wins in a row.

That’s not what I would call trash.

They also have the fewest losses at home in the NHL. They have only 3 regulation losses at home all year. 4 OTL.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

but what could have been done for Monty’s load management.

A diet?

 

[BozoTheClown]

They also have the fewest losses at home in the NHL. They have only 3 regulation losses at home all year. 4 OTL.

Just saw that. They also played 5 more road games so if the trend continues while playing at home, they should rack up more wins until the end of the seal season.

 

[Scintillating10]

Habs can't always bail out sub-par goaltending unfortunately.

At least Hutson, Suzuki, and Caufield have points.

Wasn't 7-3 as I predicted, but close enough.




Ya'll want the players to sacrifice their bodies in the playoffs for this goaltending?

I don't know why they keep playing Montembeault? Doesn't trust Dobes? Stastics shows more Monty plays weaker he is. Great backup, but not a top goalie. Who's playing top minutes.

 

[Zalos]

I don't know why they keep playing Montembeault? Doesn't trust Dobes? Stastics shows more Monty plays weaker he is. Great backup, but not a top goalie. Who's playing top minutes.

Yep. Makes no sense. Dobes has been good too. Just play him already.

Monty didn't cost us the game tonight (we sucked all over), but he didn't help. I knew we'd need a goalie to steal one for us tonight and it wasn't even close.