Maybe we should give the Habs some credit.

[TiMo15]

Don't feel disappointed for the Habs. Habs had a good run, good for them but not for the credits level.

 

[The CyNick]

Great team, built the right way, designed to peak in the playoffs. I had mentioned they would be a tough out before the season began. Many people scoffed at that, but I was proven right. Their young stars are younger than Leafs top stars and they didn't get overwhelmed by the moment like the Leafs stars did.

Habs fans have a lot to be happy about. They are an example of how a clever GM can build a team. Maybe Leafs management will take note. Maybe not.

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

The most nauseating playoffs in recent memory. Next time I hear about Montreal Canadiens it'll be too soon.

Don't worry, you won't stop hearing about Phil "Shutdown" Danault and his 1G+3A in 22 GP, especially once he signs his next sure-to-be-ridiculous contract.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Kane and Toews went the conference final there second yr against Detroit.

Sid and Malkin went to the finals there 2nd yr.

Ovechkin plaed 14 playoff games his his 3 rd season.

Yzerman went to the 1987 conference finals his 3rd season

It's not about winning the cup

We haven't won a round.

This is what people are truly missing .. there is zero lack of understanding that playoff hockey is a different game then regular season hockey and it takes experience in learning how to advance in it .. we got guys who don't have that extra gear needed to succeed in playoffs .. all guys you mentioned above had that extra gear but even then it takes time in 2nd and 3rd rounds to truly learn .. our guys don't have those skills .. 5 tries to get past round 1 with 4 forwards tells me it is not gonna occur .. you need D and G to win in playoffs .. and we got 4 forwards making half of CAP and really can;t get what we need on D or G .. it will not end well for this mgmt group but they won't ever get it until they are fired

 

[yubbers]

Kucherov presser....bahahahahaha

 

[Brown Dog]

Thank God that is finally over.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Great team, built the right way, designed to peak in the playoffs. I had mentioned they would be a tough out before the season began. Many people scoffed at that, but I was proven right. Their young stars are younger than Leafs top stars and they didn't get overwhelmed by the moment like the Leafs stars did.

Habs fans have a lot to be happy about. They are an example of how a clever GM can build a team. Maybe Leafs management will take note. Maybe not.

They did build a playoff team to Berge's credit .. a few of us picked them at start of year .. but bottom line in Atlantic division, given extreme competition, they don't have horses in regular season hockey to make playoffs next season .. i think da following year they will .. it is toughest division in pro hockey and next year it will be even tougher with sens too

 

[Havoc]

Can't believe how far these guys got with their low skill, sit back and don't do anything game. Literally it's just Price making saves all game while they keep the opponent on the outside then they wait for a transition and score out of no where. Zero sustained pressure. Rarely cycled or looked like a team with chemistry. Feed off your lack of finish instead. Does this sound familiar and bring up PTSD? haha

Would have been beginning of the end for the NHL if that game plan won the cup. Games would become a snooze fest as other teams would try it. Thank god there's not many Carey Prices in the league. He's the main ingredient to make it work.

 

[Primary Assist]

Tampa manhandling MTL and being an OT goal away from a sweep just highlights how good of a team the Islanders are.

Toronto will need to make some serious changes to be able to beat teams like Boston, Long Island, and Tampa next year in the post season, let alone more even match ups like Florida and Carolina.

 

[Aus34Matt]

I hope they do a parade and get rings that say Stanley Cup Runner up.

 

[ErnieLeafs]

In regards to the thread title: No.

 

[ShaneFalco]

 

[IPS]

They did build a playoff team to Berge's credit .. a few of us picked them at start of year .. but bottom line in Atlantic division, given extreme competition, they don't have horses in regular season hockey to make playoffs next season .. i think da following year they will .. it is toughest division in pro hockey and next year it will be even tougher with sens too

Unless Suzuki and Caufield take a serious next step next year I doubt they're in the playoffs.

Too many good teams in the east now for them to sneak in as a wildcard and it's obvious they're not making it as a top-3 in the crazy strong Atlantic.

 

[bodechek]

I will give them credit for taking advantage of the opportunities that presented in front of them. (Leafs choking, Jets losing Scheiffle to suspension, Knights losing players to injury). Once the NHL returns to the regular schedule, I will not be surprised if the Habs do not make the playoffs.

 

[Community]

I'll give their players credit for sticking to a system, paying the price needed to win in the playoffs, taking advantage of a team's weaknesses, and Price turning back the dial to vintage Price for 3 rounds.

The Leafs are clearly the more skilled team, but they need to figure out how to do the first 3 things I mentioned, which is extremely tough in the playoffs when you have less space..
It did appear like they figured it out for the first 4 games of the playoffs, but they have a mental block for elimination games.

They came out flat to start most (or all?) of the elimination games before piling on the pressure once they got into their game mode. Figure out how to fix this and I think this iteration of the team couldve won it all.


If divisions go back as expected, I think Montreal could miss the playoffs next year despite likely being a top 16 team in the league. Tampa, Toronto, Boston, and Florida should all be better regular season teams.


Edit: Congratulations lurking Habs fans on more success this year than any Leafs team has had since I was born.

 

[mydnyte]

Tampa manhandling MTL and being an OT goal away from a sweep just highlights how good of a team the Islanders are.

Toronto will need to make some serious changes to be able to beat teams like Boston, Long Island, and Tampa next year in the post season, let alone more even match ups like Florida and Carolina.

Toronto's main problem is (stealing a tennis phrase) 'unforced errors'
the majority of Mtl's goals all came from Leafs mistakes, rather than their generating a scoring chance.
We have improved in that regard over the past 2-3 season's, but the brutal giveaway's that end up in our net is what kills us over and over.
The players just hang the goalie out to dry too often, and this is system, and talent, effort, and concentration issue.

Isles, Trotz came in, and day one, the whole team played one system and it hasnt changed since he was hired, and that makes it easier for the players.
TB's has had the same system for many years, they just upgraded the talent and key players matured and gained more experience
Carolina has a solid defensive system, and are adding offense to an already stable and safe system
Florida, isnt a top team, they had a good year, after a pathetic year, and bowed out in round one with a $10million goalie handcuffing them for the foreseeable future.

What the Leafs need to take away from these teams are 2 key components, make smart plays and more importantly, show a constant effort from puck drop till final buzzer!

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Unless Suzuki and Caufield take a serious next step next year I doubt they're in the playoffs.

Too many good teams in the east now for them to sneak in as a wildcard and it's obvious they're not making it as a top-3 in the crazy strong Atlantic.

We have to hope like crazy that Rangers and Philli do not get a lot better .. Wash, Pitts, Canes and Isles will all be back next year .. if either Rangers or Philli improve we too will be missing da playoffs .. i think Habs and Sens will be fighting for that last wildcard too but we should take both .. it is probably best we miss so ownership can make necessary mgmt changes and we can try to retool for last 2 years of Matty

 

[myleafs]

Unless Suzuki and Caufield take a serious next step next year I doubt they're in the playoffs.

Too many good teams in the east now for them to sneak in as a wildcard and it's obvious they're not making it as a top-3 in the crazy strong Atlantic.

Looked to me that they took the "serious next step" this year. What a learning curve they just went through and neither looked out of place.

 

[admiralcadillac]

Can't believe how far these guys got with their low skill, sit back and don't do anything game. Literally it's just Price making saves all game while they keep the opponent on the outside then they wait for a transition and score out of no where. Zero sustained pressure. Rarely cycled or looked like a team with chemistry. Feed off your lack of finish instead. Does this sound familiar and bring up PTSD? haha

Would have been beginning of the end for the NHL if that game plan won the cup. Games would become a snooze fest as other teams would try it. Thank god there's not many Carey Prices in the league. He's the main ingredient to make it work.

Yeah except that’s not how they played in any of the series save for the final.

 

[horner]

This is what people are truly missing .. there is zero lack of understanding that playoff hockey is a different game then regular season hockey and it takes experience in learning how to advance in it .. we got guys who don't have that extra gear needed to succeed in playoffs .. all guys you mentioned above had that extra gear but even then it takes time in 2nd and 3rd rounds to truly learn .. our guys don't have those skills .. 5 tries to get past round 1 with 4 forwards tells me it is not gonna occur .. you need D and G to win in playoffs .. and we got 4 forwards making half of CAP and really can;t get what we need on D or G .. it will not end well for this mgmt group but they won't ever get it until they are fired

The great one Said after his first playoff series.
You can't play the same way in the playoffs.
Bi fancy plays just play the game smart.

 

[Suntouchable13]

You can give them credit, sure, but this run is fool's gold. Don't you think? This loss in the final showed how far they actually are from being a contender. It showed that in the Atlantic division they would be out 1st or 2nd round. Hopefully it will fool their management that they are actually this good and they will keep Bergy for another 5 years. Beating Toronto and the Peg really is not that impressive. It just showed the big deficiencies those teams have.

 

[Menzinger]

Unless Suzuki and Caufield take a serious next step next year I doubt they're in the playoffs.

Too many good teams in the east now for them to sneak in as a wildcard and it's obvious they're not making it as a top-3 in the crazy strong Atlantic.

They can still take those steps and it won't make up for the other issues that are plaguing the team (like Price's health and consistency during the regular season).

While nothing is set in stone, I'd say them following the path that Dallas did after their cup finals appearance in '20 will hardly be surprising.

 

[Mess]

If there wasn't a pandemic and 2 X shortened seasons, and new 24 team play-in rules format and then new CDN Div without wildcards, Montreal wouldn't even have qualified for the playoffs the past 2 years.

Montreal isn't built for the wide open regular season, they don't have the guns nor the talent, however they have a playoff style roster, with a series stealing goalie that makes them dangerous come playoff time. Big, strong, physical and strong defensively and really hard to play against.

Our Leafs are flawed the opposite direction as they're built on high end skill and big money players, that record enough offense to outscore their mistakes to succeed in the regular season when the games are more wide open. They fail come playoff time because they're ill equipped for grinding out games and playing the game in the trenches where rush hockey becomes dump and chase and where physical play and time and space are removed and the ice is clogged to prevent rush attacks. Shutdown defensive structure and systems nullify high-end skill, and level the playing surface when you're grinding out 1-0 and 2-1 wins..

In the regular season "offense wins games and makes the playoffs" .. In the playoffs 'defense wins championships" and hard work, effort, compete level trump high-end skill.

Since the goal is to win the Cup, you need a roster capable of winning in the playoffs and a roster good enough to make sure you get in.

 

[Stonehands 1]

f*** the habs, wish that they were knocked out earlier

 

[HoweHullOrr]

I’ve come to realize around here that the Leafs can beat any team, Winnipeg, Vegas, Tampa, except for the team they are playing.

Yep.

Which is why anyone that says "we were so close, we almost beat Montreal"... well, they need a kick in the berries and to hand in their jersey. We don't need you here in Leaf Nation.

We are the champs when it comes to excuses and being salty.