Playoffs Positivity Thread

[JianYang]

Columbus has a game in hand though and the Wings play us while also having a game in hand. Isles are done. Still way too close to comfort. Habs need to show they've learned from their mistakes against bad teams and come out flying.

The good news this time is that the habs are home. I don't have their record infront of me but I don't think the habs have a regulation loss at home since 4 nations. Regardless, their home record has really picked up down the stretch.

all their opponents make me worry but I'm happy to be at home as opposed to the road for most of the remaining games.

 

[JianYang]

There's still time to tank.


We always face the same wild team. It's been that way for the last 15 years.

That's a different can of worms. I'm just saying I wouldn't trust the wild to come through these days.

 

[Frankenheimer]

That's a different can of worms. I'm just saying I wouldn't trust the wild to come through these days.

Ah. Nobody is trustworthy in the age of parity, nobody other than the Lane Train.

 

[dinodebino]

Count on the Rags to get some, ahem, help.

 

[BergevinBurner]

Our last game is on the 16th, but on the 17th the Rangers, Wings, Jackets and Isles all play.

It's going to be a brutal night if our fate depends on any of those games.

 

[domiwroze]

 

[Scintillating10]

Montreal next two games are Boston and Philly. Sens have Tampa and Florida next two games. It's not a stretch we could be only a point back of them by Saturday night

 

[Adam Michaels]

Desired results for tonight:

- MTL win vs. BOS

- CBJ reg. loss to COL: CBJ reg. loss + MTL win = MTL moves 4 pts ahead of CBJ. CBJ has a game in hand.
- OTT reg. loss to TBL: OTT reg. loss + MTL win = MTL moves 3 pts behind OTT for the WC1.

regarding the CGY pick:

- CGY loss to ANA: CGY is mathematically not out of it, but they are 7 pts out of a playoff spot with 8 games left. They are currently slotted at picking 16th. So if they can drop down to 13th-14th, it would be better. VAN is 1 pt behind, UTA is 2 pts behind, and NYR is 3 pts behind.

 

[Saundies]

Our last game is on the 16th, but on the 17th the Rangers, Wings, Jackets and Isles all play.

It's going to be a brutal night if our fate depends on any of those games.

It really will.. need to have our fate in our own hands.

 

[rik schau]

I had factored him in when I was prognosticating on this season. He’s a big reason why I thought we’d get between 85-90 points.

I didn’t think that would be good enough to make the playoffs though. Amazing that 89 points might get us in.

A team that is in tank mode will often mask the true value of some of the unheralded and often mocked and maligned players that receive the brunt of the fan's contemptuousness. Ergo perhaps why some players were not moved by the helmsman during that timeframe until when being in a more desirable state when those players true worth is on display. Might that not suggest that they see and know more than the boisterous and at times, belligerent fans and are navigating the ship in the manner that they envisioned that will take them where they want to go.

 

[rik schau]

This season is a spoonful of medecine (IF) they can pull off WC2.
1- playoff experience
2- belief in achieving a goal, even when once it last place
3- Hutson winning Calder
4- Suzuki getting top 10 points
5- getting Flames pick ~11-15

Regardless if they beat WSH, it will be a much more fun off-season, especially at the draft table.

An exercise to consider pondering might be to mull over where might the team be without the Herculean heroics of the mighty Hutson.

 

[Adam Michaels]

It looks like Columbus might end up beating Avs tonight.

 

[salbutera]

An exercise to consider pondering might be to mull over where might the team be without the Herculean heroics of the mighty Hutson.

If the bottom-6 of this team wasn’t as effective (dominant?) throughout the season, if the much maligned Matheson didn’t absorb 25TOI+ for much of the season allowing management of Hutson’s time to absorb the NHL & grow…

Habs came into the season as a sum of all parts team, and remain so. If the bottom-6 are complete no shows, there isn’t anything Suzuki & Hutson can do to overcome that void…

 

[BLONG7]

Could the kid Kapanen save the 2nd line? Move Newhook out and have Kap and Laine and Heinamen take over the 2nd unit.

 

[morhilane]

- OTT reg. loss to TBL: OTT reg. loss + MTL win = MTL moves 3 pts behind OTT for the WC1.

I considered the Sens to be out of reach, but since their winning streak they have stagnated it looks like. It would be hilarious if they ended up kicked out of a PO spot at the finish line. That also means the Habs/Sens game is going to be a true 4 pts game.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Could the kid Kapanen save the 2nd line? Move Newhook out and have Kap and Laine and Heinamen take over the 2nd unit.

Why would we move out Newhook? He's been one of the more consistent forwards last few weeks in generating offense.

 

[Habs]

man watching the Caps and Canes last night really shows how soft this team is heading into the final 8 games. We are 4 players away from being a hard team to play against.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Games tonight:

7 PM: Boston @ Montreal - Bruins are now the worst team in Eastern Conference. They're 1-8-1 in last 10 & have lost 6 consecutive games. They're also the 4th worst road team in NHL. Only Nashville, San Jose & Chicago are worse on the road. Do NOT f*** this up, Montreal. Let's get 2 points!


7:30 PM: Avs @ Blue Jackets - This will be an interesting one, as CBJ has one of the best home records, but Avs are a strong team no matter where they play. It seems they're only getting into Columbus sometime today, so we'll see if that affects them or not. CBJ is 2 points back with a game in hand, but Montreal holds the tie breakers.


9:30 PM - Ducks @ Flames - Calgary is holding onto their playoff dreams by a thread. Chances are high, they're already out, but with the way Minnesota is playing .... a loss tonight should finally finish off the Flames. They probably win though. They're a good home team. That would reduce it to 5 pts, a game in hand on Minnesota with a game still to play against the Wild.

 

[habamillions]

It looks like Columbus might end up beating Avs tonight.

I thought that even before the storm news as its a b2b and the game went to ot. Going to be tough for the avs playing a well rested cbj team

 

[Adam Michaels]

I considered the Sens to be out of reach, but since their winning streak they have stagnated it looks like. It would be hilarious if they ended up kicked out of a PO spot at the finish line. That also means the Habs/Sens game is going to be a true 4 pts game.

I don't think Montreal will catch Ottawa. Although you never know. Montreal has shown this year that they can catch up and surpass teams that were seemingly a little out of reach. At some point, they were only like 5 pts out of a playoff spot, but PIT, BOS, OTT, DET, NYI, NYR, and CBJ were all ahead of them. So even though they were a handful of pts out of a playoff spot, there were too many teams to leapfrog. And one by one, we leapfrogged them. So I wouldn't put it past MTL catching up to OTT for the WC1.

 

[habamillions]

I don't think Montreal will catch Ottawa. Although you never know. Montreal has shown this year that they can catch up and surpass teams that were seemingly a little out of reach. At some point, they were only like 5 pts out of a playoff spot, but PIT, BOS, OTT, DET, NYI, NYR, and CBJ were all ahead of them. So even though they were a handful of pts out of a playoff spot, there were too many teams to leapfrog. And one by one, we leapfrogged them. So I wouldn't put it past MTL catching up to OTT for the WC1.

Especially starting tonight with tampa then a mad florida on the weekend after losing to mtl x2 and toronto. Then b2b with columbus. Doubt they win all of those. Then after tbose 4 its the battle with mtl in the 11th. Be an interesting last couple of weeks. But of course mtl has to take care of their own business but it is possible mtl can overtake ottawa

 

[morhilane]

I don't think Montreal will catch Ottawa. Although you never know. Montreal has shown this year that they can catch up and surpass teams that were seemingly a little out of reach. At some point, they were only like 5 pts out of a playoff spot, but PIT, BOS, OTT, DET, NYI, NYR, and CBJ were all ahead of them. So even though they were a handful of pts out of a playoff spot, there were too many teams to leapfrog. And one by one, we leapfrogged them. So I wouldn't put it past MTL catching up to OTT for the WC1.

It's more a question of Ottawa losing more games.

Both teams have 8 games left to play. Ottawa is at 84 pts, Habs at 79. If Ottawa win more than 2 over the next 8, Habs don't really have a chance to catch to them really.

 

[ahmedou]

@Mrb1p is back

My HFHabs legendou

 

[Jurivan Demidovsky]

Do you people believe yet?

 

[MarkJ]

6-3 COL