Habs played better and better as the game went on, after a long trip and jet lag. They fought hard and many players played a good game despite the result. They made many execution mistakes, but there was almost always a player to make up for it, to help the one that made a mistake. They fought hard against a team in the middle of a very hot streak. They had problem to score, as always, but it is pretty normal considering the overall talent the team has on the wings.
I don't see much reason to whine.
Side notes:
- Tinordi isn't ready yet. It's funny how many here are whining about Murray while he's playing WAY better than Tinordi.
- Markov is still the #1 d-man on this team.
- Emelin is playing better and better.
- Gorges has slowed down since last year. I say it's time to trade him before it's too late.
- Subban is very good and talented, but he's playing the worst hockey of his young career for the time being.
- Eller and Briere showed some interesting things playing together. I hope they get some more games to see if they'll click even more.
- Even when he's trying hard and skating fast, Bourque isn't good.
- Gallagher should learn to take shorter shift, or to better dose his energy. He's completly exhausted at the end of every shift, more than any other player on the team.
- Galchenyuk is slowly letting his talent emerge. He's "looser" than at any time before. It will explode pretty soon.
- Like him or not, being a first line center or not, DD is playing really good right now.
We didn't play well at all. As for the traveling, enough of this crap. They didn't have to check in 3 hours before at the airport sitting on some uncomfortable chairs, board a crap plane sitting in the coach area on a prehistoric seat and have a 12 hours turbulence flight, land in a 7-8h time difference, and find their own way to a hotel.
They travel in first class, can sleep throughout the whole flight and they landed in LA. Everything is organized for them. It's 3h time difference. Let's not exaggerate about the traveling. Not to mention, they are conditioned to it.
As for their performance, they didn't play well. If this was them playing well, then our standard has dropped significantly. They had trouble making passes all night, the only line that created much offensively, as usual, was DD's. LA owned us pretty much all night until they started protecting the lead (normal for a defensive system) in the 3rd.
As for your notes:
1- Murray was crap all night. Stayed pined in his zone, made bad passes inside of it that got intercepted. The love this guy gets is unbelievable. All this because he's big.
As for Tinordi, he should be playing with a good veteran, like we did with all the kids coming up and pairing them next to Hamrlik. Putting Tinordi next to a horrible Dman like Murray will only hurt him. It shows.
2- He's not a #1. He's a #2 at best, and we have a #1, but Therrien has refused to use him as so.
3- He isn't. Emelin has been struggling since last year. I still see his turnovers, I still see him be out of position. And he's nowhere near the hitter he used to be.
4- We have been in need of a replacement for Gorges for 2 years now.
5- Definitely playing his worse hockey. He's been on a constant decline since Therrien decided to make him a target in the media.
6- That wouldn't hurt.
7- Bourque is indeed horrible.
8- Gallagher is exhausted because he's the only one that does the dirty work on his line. If he stops doing that, people will say he's not doing his job.
9- Galchenyuk should be centering his line. At the very least, he should be getting a shot at center on the PP.
10- DD's been playing well for a while now.