Post-Game Talk: Habs lose to the Flames

[RationalExpectations]

Quantity <> quality. The bobble on Caufield when he was through on Wolf, the first Calgary goal, Anderson's tip hitting the bar, etc etc.

There is something to be said about quality but 36-23 shows who had possession. For an offense driven team this is quitte important

 

[Habs Icing]

I find the Suzuki Caufield duo is stale and predictable.
Dustin Wolf had no trouble getting over for the one wide open one timer Caufield got.

Suzuki for a guy who has led this team in goal scoring for two consecutive years does not look like a goal scoring threat at all.
That has to change.

I was thinking the exact thing last night during the game. Suz is constantly looking to pass to CC. Now if I can see that so can everyone else.

 

[David Suzuki]

I thought we'd be out of it by Christmas, not us thanksgiving. God, this team is awful.

We were out of it by Canadian thanksgiving

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

I forgot at what point I left, but from what I saw Struble and Xhekaj stay in

 

[Theodore450]

The long term vision of the team is what is most important. We know he's trying to add a defenseman and a bottom 6 forward with grit but all reports are that the market is slow and prices are understandably high this early in the season.

Step one is to stop using Dvorak like an elite veteran and hold him accountable for being trash, not sending him on 5 on 3s and starting 3 on 3 overtimes. If we are starting a culture of accountability we can't give the vets these longer leashes they haven't earned.

Hutson to PP1 and Dvorak scratched or on waivers is the minimum action they can take, but that requires a shift in Marty's brain that he hasn't taken yet and Hugo need to question him as to why.

Bergevin “trades are hard”

 

[ArtPeur]

We were out of it by Canadian thanksgiving

We would have to be delusional to believe this team had a chance with the Defense we have

 

[Theodore450]

I think they're really fighting their way back from the game where they lost Reinbacher and Laine.. then the next game with Ottawa and the head shot on Dach. It really seemed to derail what was a positive pre-season and everyone has been in a funk since.

They may also be gripping their sticks and second guessing themselves with the renewed expectations vs having none.

I'm going to hope that this is one of those trial years where they work themselves out of it as they go deeper into the year but still end up with a high enough draft pick that we have just another bullet in the chamber for the rebuild.

Certainly in that delicate balance of wanting to ensure we don't go the Buffalo route of staying bad for so long it doesn't matter how much talent you have you can't win.. but you also don't want to Detroit yourself and try to leave a rebuild too early and end up missing enough relevant talent to be seen as a future contender.

Problem Is obvious. After 3 years of non existing coaching we are getting exposed and the thrill of playing under MsL is gone. Now he’s just a bad coach aka a bad boss. Hard to be motivated. MSL is our version of Ted Nolan on the Sabres rebuild. The longer this goes down the harder it will be to get out.
Still think we just accept the tank this year with MSl and fire him in the summer

 

[rik schau]

Oi! this team is trainwreck, unwatchable. Don't know how you blokes can be faithful to supporting such a travesty. It's one thing to watch them on the idiot box but can't fathom anyone shelling out moolah to go to a game that goes into that dickwit Molsons pocket. I watch less and less but the little I see it's as if the players are playing like the all want to get traded, maybe they do but they'll never publicly say so will they.

 

[morhilane]

I'm going to hope that this is one of those trial years where they work themselves out of it as they go deeper into the year but still end up with a high enough draft pick that we have just another bullet in the chamber for the rebuild.

Nothing this team has shown in the last 3 seasons suggest they will be "working themselves out of it". They have never shown any ability to sustain good play pass a few periods in a row.

 

[Adriatic]

Solid game last night. Good effort.

 

[The Real Timo]

This is still progress, no? From blow out loss, to just loss, to loss in OT (loser point)... next thing you know they might win a game. I am full of optimism today.

 

[JustAHabFan]

This is still progress, no? From blow out loss, to just loss, to loss in OT (loser point)... next thing you know they might win a game. I am full of optimism today.

Next game will be back to blow out loss. Winning games is not in Habs dictionary.

 

[Adam Michaels]

I think they're really fighting their way back from the game where they lost Reinbacher and Laine.. then the next game with Ottawa and the head shot on Dach. It really seemed to derail what was a positive pre-season and everyone has been in a funk since.

Yea, I think the game where Reinbacher and Laine went down really hurt, particularly the fact it's two players who were important to the Habs. Laine for the Top-6 and added scoring. Reinbacher, even if he'd end up in Laval, would still be a key piece to what the Habs are trying to build towards.

They may also be gripping their sticks and second guessing themselves with the renewed expectations vs having none.

I think the blow out games not too far from one another played with their psyche. I think the only ones playing loose and comfortable are Evans, Gallagher, Hutson, and Gallagher. Some guys are a little off while others are a lot off.

An example of gripping their sticks tight, Newhook was set up for an open net last night by Evans in he final moments of the game and he could have won the game. The Newhook of last year would have scored because he was playing well. This year, he's been struggling. He played a good game last night, but he missed the open net because he's gipping the stick.

I'm going to hope that this is one of those trial years where they work themselves out of it as they go deeper into the year but still end up with a high enough draft pick that we have just another bullet in the chamber for the rebuild.

I am really hoping they don't pick Top-5 again. I'm aware that is a very real possibility, but I would rather they pick between 7-10 because in the end, it means they did better this year.

Certainly in that delicate balance of wanting to ensure we don't go the Buffalo route of staying bad for so long it doesn't matter how much talent you have you can't win.. but you also don't want to Detroit yourself and try to leave a rebuild too early and end up missing enough relevant talent to be seen as a future contender.

That is exactly what we want to avoid. Becoming the Buffalo Sabres, who drafted Top-10 for 10 straight drafts, while picking 1st and 2nd twice in that span, respectively.

I also agree that we don't want to be Detroit and rush it. Although last year, I would rather be in Detroit's shoes who were eliminated from the playoffs in the final game of the season.

 

[Justin11]

I thought we would be past the tanking stages starting season, but here I am looking at the top 2025 prospects again.
Still early in the season, but it does not look good on the progress side of things....really sucks.

 

[Leon Lucius Black]

Wild that our coaches saw Mikael Backlund and Matt Coranto on the ice to start OT and decided to evolve the game plan around giving a shitty player who might give you a 1-2% better chance of winning a faceoff.

 

[zzoo]

This loss is more 'acceptable' than the previous losses. If Anderson wasn't offside by few inches, then we got a win already.

 

[Kosseca]

I really didn't like Matheson/Guhle pair last night. I find that Guhle got pushed around quite a bit and having to play on his weak side didn't help him in many situations. I think he needs to go back to LD ASAP.

I wish we could trade Matheson for a RD... just not sure who/what is out there and of equal value

 

[morhilane]

That is exactly what we want to avoid. Becoming the Buffalo Sabres, who drafted Top-10 for 10 straight drafts, while picking 1st and 2nd twice in that span, respectively.

I also agree that we don't want to be Detroit and rush it. Although last year, I would rather be in Detroit's shoes who were eliminated from the playoffs in the final game of the season.

Look at the bright side, Buffalo is on track to pick top 10 again this year.

 

[Adam Michaels]

Look at the bright side, Buffalo is on track to pick top 10 again this year.

We should become a feeder system for other NHL teams. Buffalo drafted Eichel 2nd, traded him to Vegas and he won the Cup. They drafted Reinhart 2nd, traded him to Florida and he won a Cup. They drafted Mittlestadt 8th, traded him to Colorado and they were eliminated in the 2nd round.

So we draft them high, they do well with us for a number of years, the team goes nowhere, but these high picks get traded and go off to have success elsewhere.

 

[CDN24]

We should become a feeder system for other NHL teams. Buffalo drafted Eichel 2nd, traded him to Vegas and he won the Cup. They drafted Reinhart 2nd, traded him to Florida and he won a Cup. They drafted Mittlestadt 8th, traded him to Colorado and they were eliminated in the 2nd round.

So we draft them high, they do well with us for a number of years, the team goes nowhere, but these high picks get traded and go off to have success elsewhere.

Now it sounds like the Expos.... so the solution is FIRE YOUPPI! ASAP

 

[VT]

Done well? He’s waiver material this year. One match doesn’t change that.

We say about faceoff and he had it better than Suzuki. It is a reason why he was on OT. After it he would skate at the bench if Suzuki/Mathewson was get the puck.

 

[Habano]

Xhekaj 9 shifts

It doesn't make sense. Struble was pretty bad but he gets rewarded with more ice time. Getting caught pinching leading to a 2 on 1, getting easily beat on the outside when Xhekaj saved is ass infront of the net. There's no way that X is playing hurt because msl wouldn't hesitate to play Barron instead.

Meh, at this point, it is what it is. I can't help but think there's friction between X and msl.

 

[hvac412]

Problem Is obvious. After 3 years of non existing coaching we are getting exposed and the thrill of playing under MsL is gone. Now he’s just a bad coach aka a bad boss. Hard to be motivated. MSL is our version of Ted Nolan on the Sabres rebuild. The longer this goes down the harder it will be to get out.
Still think we just accept the tank this year with MSl and fire him in the summer

Imagine being a fan who just spent 4-5 hundred dollars only to here MSL say "we could have won if I chose to play them to win" talk about the lunatic running the asylum !!! So what your saying Marty is don't waste your money at the BELL CENTER ! right now I'm still trying to figure it all out ,THREE YEARS LATER !!!! Oh well looks like Molson Magoo has passed the "Dufus" torch to JG & KH

 

[The Great Weal]

Kid is is the top of the league for goals... when is the last time we have had that on our team? Kid was always expected to put up huge goals and now he's finally doing it at what? 23? Is that not progression? He doesn't dissappear and go games unnoticed, he's getting chances EVERY GAME. We can sit here all night and disect passes, defensive play, battling. But if having a top nhl goal scorer on this team is not progression of a "certain player" then I will let you respectfully express your opinions without a reply.

You think the 30% shooting percentage is sustainable? If Suzuki is getting called out despite being PPG I don’t see why Caufield shouldn’t get called out for his flaws despite scoring goals.

 

[Trembz]

You think the 30% shooting percentage is sustainable? If Suzuki is getting called out despite being PPG I don’t see why Caufield shouldn’t get called out for his flaws despite scoring goals.

Caufield isn't nor ever has been considered a 2-way player. His primary strength has always been goal scoring, his defensive play has always been labeled as questionable.
Now we can can call Caufield out no problem for his flaws, I'm fine with that.

I do see progression in his defensive game though and that's what that post I made was referring to