Playoffs Positivity Thread .......... Re-Poll, option to change your vote is open as of Jan 7

[Hacketts]

Carey Price better start getting back to game shape. We're gonna cap circumcise the league so hard in the playoffs. Oh and Demidov too.

spring of 26'

 

[BergevinBurner]

It sucks we're guaranteed to get knocked out of WC2 tomorrow and don't play again til Friday. But back in early November if you told me we'd be in a playoff spot in early January there's 0 chance I'd believe you lol.

Hopefully they can keep up the play they've been showing and go at least 0.500 for the remainder of the month. February's schedule is significantly easier so if we can stay within a few points of wildcard until then we'll be in a good spot.

 

[the valiant effort]

The Habs have been playing better for a while now but these last 10 days have been especially fun. It’s important to recognize the next 10-14 days might go totally off the rails and leave the Habs 5 pts out of the playoffs with 3 teams ahead.

Just don’t panic. Enjoy the ride. The rollercoaster so far has still only been 48.8% of the season. There is literally a whole other half season to be played.

 

[OneSharpMarble]

The real MVP has been how healthy the team has been. I just jinxed it I know.

 

[Pickles]

These guys believe in themselves and each other, you can see it on the ice. They never give up and never seem to be out of a game since Laine came back and they put Hutson on the first PP. I was on team tank for one more year but if we can make a run here it will be exciting.

 

[WeThreeKings]

The Habs have been playing better for a while now but these last 10 days have been especially fun. It’s important to recognize the next 10-14 days might go totally off the rails and leave the Habs 5 pts out of the playoffs with 3 teams ahead.

Just don’t panic. Enjoy the ride. The rollercoaster so far has still only been 48.8% of the season. There is literally a whole other half season to be played.

I still don't expect playoffs and them missing wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

What we've seen though is that, this team, which could have easily folded on the season when they stumbled out of the gate and looked dead in the water, fought their way out of that and has shown what the upside of this team will be when they can bring their B and A games every single night, and play to their potential.

Its something to build on with so much future capital to come and more to invest. We have two firsts and two seconds in this draft alone.

Demidov and Reinbacher coming not to mention Beck, Hage, Engstrom, Kapanen, and some of the gritty guys like Tuch and Davidson.

Patience is a virtue but this is looking like, finally, we might have a team that can contend soon.

 

[ReHabs]

The real MVP has been how healthy the team has been. I just jinxed it I know.

The Habs have been playing better for a while now but these last 10 days have been especially fun. It’s important to recognize the next 10-14 days might go totally off the rails and leave the Habs 5 pts out of the playoffs with 3 teams ahead.

Just don’t panic. Enjoy the ride. The rollercoaster so far has still only been 48.8% of the season. There is literally a whole other half season to be played.

The fact they won games and scored goals despite missing Savard and Laine for three games now is really interesting to me. The team might really be growing into itself.

How they play is more important than the results this year but earning results by closing out games and coming back in games definitely has a value itself. Anyone who remembers playing team sports knows that confidence and self-belief are massive factors because the opponents want it just as much as we do.

 

[Andy]

When you have 3-4 young defenseman in your lineup, you will be as consistent as they are.

Guhle, Arber, Hutson...and even Struble are now finding that consistency game-to-game. They've become reliable and it is starting to show in how the team in playing as a whole.

It's been a steady progression since that Calgary game in November.

 

[BergevinBurner]

It's such an unreal feeling knowing that this is how our projected lineup looked according to Daily Faceoff going into the 2018-19 season. Meanwhile next season our top 6 is looking like:

Slaf-Suzuki-Caufield
Demi-Dach-Laine

Imagine knowing we were 6 seasons away from transforming our top 6 that much. And remember when Mete/Juulsen were our future on the blue line? It's insane how much talent we've added in the past few years.

 

[HuGort]

Habs on a heater, 2nd wildcard might be had for a team with high 80s in points. many teams right there though. Detroit resurgence, Pitt, Colombus overachieving.

 

[salbutera]

It's such an unreal feeling knowing that this is how our projected lineup looked according to Daily Faceoff going into the 2018-19 season. Meanwhile next season our top 6 is looking like:

Slaf-Suzuki-Caufield
Demi-Dach-Laine

Imagine knowing we were 6 seasons away from transforming our top 6 that much. And remember when Mete/Juulsen were our future on the blue line? It's insane how much talent we've added in the past few years.
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View attachment 957505

It’s been stated ad nauseam but that’s the end result of poor drafting - only 4 players from that lineup posted + Price were drafted by the Habs. Unfortunately we’ll never know what Juulsen could’ve been given his injury but point holds

Drafting is a crapshoot at the best of times, but need to generate 1-NHLer from each draft as a bare minimum. MBs first two drafts (2012 & 2013), Habs had 7 top-50 picks - Galchenyuk & Lekhonen was all to show for, that lack of success puts any GM in the hole struggling to get out

 

[Lshap]

I still don't expect playoffs and them missing wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

What we've seen though is that, this team, which could have easily folded on the season when they stumbled out of the gate and looked dead in the water, fought their way out of that and has shown what the upside of this team will be when they can bring their B and A games every single night, and play to their potential.

Its something to build on with so much future capital to come and more to invest. We have two firsts and two seconds in this draft alone.

Demidov and Reinbacher coming not to mention Beck, Hage, Engstrom, Kapanen, and some of the gritty guys like Tuch and Davidson.

Patience is a virtue but this is looking like, finally, we might have a team that can contend soon.

This is exactly where I was at, and still am. A playoff spot in January is pretty cool, but that's not my measure for success this season. I expected a .500 team that would bump up against a wildcard spot, but end up outside the playoffs at the end. We're on track, as far as I can see.

Of course we won't keep up this pace. It doesn't matter, as long as key players progress and the roster improves. As you said, it's about learning to bring more A or B games, and fewer F games.

 

[salbutera]

Carey Price better start getting back to game shape. We're gonna cap circumcise the league so hard in the playoffs. Oh and Demidov too.

My gut feel has Demidov joining Habs in March the way Kuznetsov did w Caps back in 2014…

 

[MarkovsKnee]

These guys believe in themselves and each other, you can see it on the ice. They never give up and never seem to be out of a game since Laine came back and they put Hutson on the first PP. I was on team tank for one more year but if we can make a run here it will be exciting.

Well, despite being in a playoff spot, the Canadiens are still only 4 pts up from drafting 5th overall again. 6 pts back of 4th.

Still a long way to go, but I like cheering for the team again.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Say the Habs make the playoffs and Demidov comes over, who sits in the lineup?

I'd say Dvorak should sit but that means putting Newhook at center, and then we'd have no good left shot faceoff men.

Gallagher would make the most sense after that since he's faded massively since the beginning of the year and doesn't provide any special teams value.

 

[Goalfield13]

BOS has EDM, TBL, FLA and TBL again in their next 4. Yikes...

 

[morhilane]

Well, despite being in a playoff spot, the Canadiens are still only 4 pts up from drafting 5th overall again. 6 pts back of 4th.

Still a long way to go, but I like cheering for the team again.

The East is wild this year, a real rollercoaster outside Leafs, Panthers, Caps, Devils and Canes.

If the Habs can stay above .500 for the rest of the season, they have a big chance to have a playoff spot. I'm expecting WC2 to be in the 86-90 points range, which will also mean the top 10 draft position will be very close since no teams will be under .420 in the East it seems (but we knows which teams are throwing the towel in the 2nd half).

And that 3rd spot in the Atlantic is totally an option too.

 

[Adam Michaels]

Desired results for today:

- OTT reg. loss to DET: OTT reg. loss = MTL remains 1 point ahead of OTT. OTT with a game in hand. DET win = MTL remains 2 pts ahead of DET.
- PHI reg. loss to TOR: PHI reg. loss = MTL remains 2 pts ahead of PHI with a game in hand.
- TBL reg. loss to CAR: TBL reg. loss = MTL remain 1 point behind TBL. TBL will have 2 games in hand after tonight.
- BOS reg. loss to EDM: BOS reg. loss = MTL remains 4 pts behind with 3 games in hand after tonight.
- NYR reg. loss to DAL: NYR reg. loss = MTL remains 4 pts ahead.

- CBJ vs. PIT: no matter what, one of these teams will knock MTL out of the WC spot. As long as this ends in regulation. Whoever wins, will move 1 point ahead of MTL. Prefer PIT to win in regulation because after tonight, MTL will have 2 games in hand, whereas they will have 1 game in hand on CBJ.

 

[Jurivan Demidovsky]

Does anyone wanna change their vote? Lol

Should I unlock the option to change votes?

I'm sure the Poll would look very different had it been started today instead of a month ago lol

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Say the Habs make the playoffs and Demidov comes over, who sits in the lineup?

I'd say Dvorak should sit but that means putting Newhook at center, and then we'd have no good left shot faceoff men.

Gallagher would make the most sense after that since he's faded massively since the beginning of the year and doesn't provide any special teams value.

I'd sit Newhook. They're not going to sit Gallagher or Dvorak. Dvorak pks. I'm still hoping he gets traded at TD, but they might not trade anyone.

 

[salbutera]

Say the Habs make the playoffs and Demidov comes over, who sits in the lineup?

I'd say Dvorak should sit but that means putting Newhook at center, and then we'd have no good left shot faceoff men.

Gallagher would make the most sense after that since he's faded massively since the beginning of the year and doesn't provide any special teams value.

If Demidov is coming over I expect HuGo will deal Dvorak at deadline, slotting Newhook at 3C

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Desired results for today:

- OTT reg. loss to DET: OTT reg. loss = MTL remains 1 point ahead of OTT. OTT with a game in hand. DET win = MTL remains 2 pts ahead of DET.
- PHI reg. loss to TOR: PHI reg. loss = MTL remains 2 pts ahead of PHI with a game in hand.
- TBL reg. loss to CAR: TBL reg. loss = MTL remain 1 point behind TBL. TBL will have 2 games in hand after tonight.
- BOS reg. loss to EDM: BOS reg. loss = MTL remains 4 pts behind with 3 games in hand after tonight.
- NYR reg. loss to DAL: NYR reg. loss = MTL remains 4 pts ahead.

- CBJ vs. PIT: no matter what, one of these teams will knock MTL out of the WC spot. As long as this ends in regulation. Whoever wins, will move 1 point ahead of MTL. Prefer PIT to win in regulation because after tonight, MTL will have 2 games in hand, whereas they will have 1 game in hand on CBJ.

Yeah, Pens / CBJ we want that to finish in regulation. The Pens are tied for most OT games with Vancouver & Philadelphia at 13 games. They like going to OT.

 

[Kennerback]

Say the Habs make the playoffs and Demidov comes over, who sits in the lineup?

I'd say Dvorak should sit but that means putting Newhook at center, and then we'd have no good left shot faceoff men.

Gallagher would make the most sense after that since he's faded massively since the beginning of the year and doesn't provide any special teams value.

We play it by ear. There will be injuries. We’ll also have the taxi squad to help. He’ll replace the injured player. In the unlikely event there’s no injury, I would play it by ear and remove whoever’s the weakest link. Someone else could be slumping by then.

 

[salbutera]

 

[Shutdown]

My gut feel has Demidov joining Habs in March the way Kuznetsov did w Caps back in 2014…

just noting that if his team makes it to the finals and the Habs don't make the playoffs, he'd only be available for 1-2 games like Hutson last year - if his team releases him before May.

edit: i'm wrong, the Gagarin cup was won at the end of April last year.