Post-Game Talk: Habs lose to the Wild.

[Habs]

Yep his job. If you are the tough guy and you see the 18 yr old take a tough hit you don’t watch Jake Evans do the receipt. Sorry but that was the exact time he should have been all in. All the stupid stuff at the very end was weak and lame.

AX should be sent down as soon as Eddy or Math are set to return.

the real issue is a lack of toughnes up front, not on the backend. Relying on a rookie like Arbur to police another rookie all year? lol. Need to dump the pitlicks, armias, drouins etc on this team and finish the year off with some better two way players that can send a message. Not sure if that is Pez either, but we need a different makeup to swap in and out. Anderson is usually good for that to.

 

[donghabs98]

Thats just a wild stat. No one from our lineup that night is currently playing in the NHL

 

[Team_Spirit]

Thats just a wild stat. No one from our lineup that night is currently playing in the NHL

You need a certain swag to win in Minny. White had it. Pezz does too. Too bad MSL sat him.

 

[rik schau]

You need a certain swag to win in Minny. White had it. Pezz does too. Too bad MSL sat him.

Pezz sucks,he 's a liability.

 

[CHwest]

Xhekaj not droping the gloves and letting Evans to drop the gloves is like if in the 80's Nilan would not drop the gloves and let Djell Dhalin drop the gloves. Totally illogical as Mr Spock would say.

Maybe someone ask Xhekaj to not engage a fight unless someone invites him and he have no choice doing it.

It was a clean check for petes sake, why does anyone have to fight. As Don Cherry would say keep your head up kid.

 

[dcyhabs]

Pezz sucks,he 's a liability.

He was a third liner last year. Question is more if he can fill in on the fourth line. He was better than some last year, not saying much.

 

[The Real Timo]

the real issue is a lack of toughnes up front, not on the backend. Relying on a rookie like Arbur to police another rookie all year? lol. Need to dump the pitlicks, armias, drouins etc on this team and finish the year off with some better two way players that can send a message. Not sure if that is Pez either, but we need a different makeup to swap in and out. Anderson is usually good for that to.

Amen brother. I've been singing this tune for years.

 

[Captain Mountain]

the real issue is a lack of toughnes up front, not on the backend. Relying on a rookie like Arbur to police another rookie all year? lol. Need to dump the pitlicks, armias, drouins etc on this team and finish the year off with some better two way players that can send a message. Not sure if that is Pez either, but we need a different makeup to swap in and out. Anderson is usually good for that to.

No its not. For one, "policing" isn't really much of a thing in the NHL anymore. For another, I'm not sure what your considering "toughness" as. Armia is only behind Anderson among forwards for hits. He just doesn't rub guys out and isn't fast enough.

And if this in response to a non-dirty hit on Slafkovsky (who is 6' 3", 238 lb.) by Rossi (who is 5' 9" 182 lb.), then the takeaway is that the team reacted, but there's no chance Slafkovsky would end up on the ice if he was actually paying attention to what Rossi was doing. It was a rookie mistake and he'll learn from it. Hopefully he's not too worse for the wear.

It would be nice for Montreal to get more "toughness", but there are bigger issues and "toughness" is pretty nebulous.

 

[Runner77]

the real issue is a lack of toughnes up front, not on the backend. Relying on a rookie like Arbur to police another rookie all year? lol. Need to dump the pitlicks, armias, drouins etc on this team and finish the year off with some better two way players that can send a message. Not sure if that is Pez either, but we need a different makeup to swap in and out. Anderson is usually good for that to.

I would consider not sending Slaf out in the closing minute or two of a game or if they do, pair him up with Anderson.

Gorton lived through a lack of toughness roster that he built in NY and his team and himself paid a price. There are talented players that can provide a grit element and I agree that some of the vanilla players currently in the lineup can be swapped out for a better asset mix. Hughes should be looking to add that element.

 

[MON4NHLTOR4MLB]

I missed the game, can anyone give me a point form summary please?

 

[Canadienna]

I missed the game, can anyone give me a point form summary please?

Looked okay in the 1st, bad in the 2nd and okay in the 3rd.

Caufield looked good. Lots of shots and chances but no goals.

Suzuki scored off a nice one timer from Dach.

Slaf had a few nice rushes, and showed some good things with the puck. Took an awkward hit right at the end of the game that looked painful.

Gallagher was pretty good imo, and his line had decent possession numbers.

Guhle had a so so night, did some good things, but also made some mistakes in his own end that lead to goals against.

Allen looked off, but we also weren't giving him any help.

In the end, it wasn't a game we deserved to win. Minny's suffocating style and rough board play seemed like it overwhelmed us for the most part.

 

[Runner77]

I missed the game, can anyone give me a point form summary please?

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

It was a clean check for petes sake, why does anyone have to fight. As Don Cherry would say keep your head up kid.

It wasn't a clean check and even if it was you don't let some ahole hit your star players when the outcome has already been decided.

 

[Kennerback]

It was a clean check for petes sake, why does anyone have to fight. As Don Cherry would say keep your head up kid.

I assume you’re an older chap as there’s been two major revolutions in NHL enforcement since Stevens was dekking Lindros. First revolution, prohibiting dangerous hits to the head (banning the Scott Stevens hits). Second revolution in 2013, dangerous hits from behind (banning the Claude Lemieux hits). The onus is on the person hitting now and not the person being hit. And some NHL teams still don’t think this goes far enough.

 

[Habs]

No its not. For one, "policing" isn't really much of a thing in the NHL anymore. For another, I'm not sure what your considering "toughness" as. Armia is only behind Anderson among forwards for hits. He just doesn't rub guys out and isn't fast enough.

And if this in response to a non-dirty hit on Slafkovsky (who is 6' 3", 238 lb.) by Rossi (who is 5' 9" 182 lb.), then the takeaway is that the team reacted, but there's no chance Slafkovsky would end up on the ice if he was actually paying attention to what Rossi was doing. It was a rookie mistake and he'll learn from it. Hopefully he's not too worse for the wear.

It would be nice for Montreal to get more "toughness", but there are bigger issues and "toughness" is pretty nebulous.

ok, if you think people won't start honing in on the kids and take advantage of this physically inept team up front, that's your right. I don't think hockey has changed much at all, when you are rebuilding you insulate your core players and make them feel warm and comfy out there. If you want another 20 years with little talented smurfs getting wrecked and missing 10 games at a time, thats cool, I don't. I want a nasty team that would win just as much and make it more fun to watch. The Drouin's, Armias etc of this world aren't needed on this team, it makes no difference if they play, not a bit.

Give me some bigger players that can move bodies off the puck and do it on regualar occassion, I'm so done with this 90's-2000's stupid Montreal hockey, its just horrific to watch. Small teams with potential, star players with potential, only to have them littered all over the ice in the name of 'big players have no skilllllllz' attitude.

 

[OldCraig71]

We didn't score in the first period despite all of our chances but we did play a good period of hockey. At times it's hard to believe that Guhle, Harris, Xhekaj and Kovacevic are not looking out of place in the NHL. We are ahead of where most of us thought we would be with this group but they are still young and will make mistakes but the results are encouraging. On to the Peg we go.

 

[CHwest]

It wasn't a clean check and even if it was you don't let some ahole hit your star players when the outcome has already been decided.

OK flex.

 

[Captain Mountain]

ok, if you think people won't start honing in on the kids and take advantage of this physically inept team up front, that's your right. I don't think hockey has changed much at all, when you are rebuilding you insulate your core players and make them feel warm and comfy out there. If you want another 20 years with little talented smurfs getting wrecked and missing 10 games at a time, thats cool, I don't. I want a nasty team that would win just as much and make it more fun to watch. The Drouin's, Armias etc of this world aren't needed on this team, it makes no difference if they play, not a bit.

Give me some bigger players that can move bodies off the puck and do it on regualar occassion, I'm so done with this 90's-2000's stupid Montreal hockey, its just horrific to watch. Small teams with potential, star players with potential, only to have them littered all over the ice in the name of 'big players have no skilllllllz' attitude.

What do you mean by physically inept? What do you mean by toughness? Among the forwards small hasn't even been the issue as much as soft for a while now.

Your spending time complaining specifically about a 6' 3", 216 lb forward who initiates contact more than most forwards in the league. A guy whose been at his most effective on a crash and bang line. So I'm trying to understand what you're looking for other than just complaining.

Montreal's been among the most physical teams in the league from around 2016 to last season. Were those iterations of the team physically inept? Not tough? Montreal was top 10 in hits last year and is near the bottom this year in hits. Was last years' team tougher than this years?

One of the reasons Montreal chose Slafkosvksy is that he's a physical unicorn. If he's the guy you need a guy specifically to protect him, then you shouldn't have picked him.

Montreal over the last few years only really scored off the rush or by moving bodies off the pick in front of the crease. Where they really struggle is that they can't cycle the puck for shit (Suzuki, Caufield and Dach excluded) or generate chances with sustained control in the offensive zone. If we're listing team needs, that comes before protecting guys like Slafkovsky or getting more shoving specialists.

Plus, they're clearly in the process of moving out veteran wingers that don't engage physically. Its just not going to be immediate.

 

[themilosh]

It wasn't a clean check and even if it was you don't let some ahole hit your star players when the outcome has already been decided.

if by clean hit he means shoulder drop and pop - then yes it was clean..
except we are taught to do that to the CREST of the player, not the blindside.

 

[Boss Man Hughes]

if by clean hit he means shoulder drop and pop - then yes it was clean..
except we are taught to do that to the CREST of the player, not the blindside.

True. And it was just far enough from the boards that it could be dangerous.

 

[Lockin17]

 

[Rapala]

Shaw is 5'9", and even that's a stretch.

And Evans with a concussion history is not a fighter. What does 5'9" have to do with it anyhow? Should we search for 5'9" athletes who can hurt someone because there is a boatload of them. Part of Arber's job is to protect his team-mates if it means scaring off ther Shaw's of the world sobeit.

You're thinking too old school. If Xhekaj would have jumped in. He gets called as the 3rd man in and would end up with a game misconduct.

Meh happens all the time. Wrap up the guy before the punches start flying and I guarantee you there is no 3rd man in call. We see it all the time in just about every scrum.