Pre-Game Talk: SJS @ MTL | Punching the Sharks | Thurs. Oct. 24th, 7PM

[Holystik]

Weber has to wake the f*** up.
Like seriously, he is supposed to be a game changer. It is starting to piss me off greatly...

Kill people with your shots. Slap it hard, score and make them scared you god damn arm flailing always behind the play orange cone octopus.

Sorry I've had too many drinks tonight but seriously...

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Gallagher is elite.

Domi is pushing towards the top 15 of centers, Id say he's close to it.

Tatar is a good complement but not elite for sure.

If a team ends up around the 10-15th best in the league, wouldn't you agree its elite ? Its semantics at this point so I don't really care, but thats what I meant.

Wooooh there cowboy, those centers also do Danault's job on top of producing. Domi is getting soft minutes compared to the rest of them.

He ain't a true #1 center or else he'd have the best two way wingers on the team, Gally & Tatar.

Not saying Danault is either, just that a true #1 center would get those wingers on this team.

 

[Runner77]

Weber has to wake the **** up.
Like seriously, he is supposed to be a game changer. It is starting to piss me off greatly...

Kill people with your shots. Slap it hard, score and make them scared you god damn arm flailing always behind the play orange cone octopus.

Sorry I've had too many drinks tonight but seriously...

For sure, Weber has to. And is probably trying to. But can't. Something may be up with him. He was supposed to have started this season healthy.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

For sure, Weber has to. And is probably trying to. But can't. Something may be up with him. He was supposed to have started this season healthy.

Pretty sure he is not.

 

[Runner77]

Pretty sure he is not.

Has to be that. What else could it be? He didn't just suddenly fall off a cliff for no reason.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

Has to be that. What else could it be? He didn't just suddenly fall off a cliff for no reason.

When we get older, our motivation/reward system changes. We're less prone to risk taking, don't have as much to prove, passions fade for new ones, our dopamine drive finds novel cues for new things.

Players that fall off a cliff in their early 30's has nothing to do with their physical shape (in most cases), but has a lot more to do with motivation and passion for the sport

 

[Runner77]

When we get older, our motivation/reward system changes. We're less prone to risk taking, don't have as much to prove, passions fade for new ones, our dopamine drive finds novel cues for new things.

Players that fall off a cliff in their early 30's has nothing to do with their phisical shape (in most cases), but has a lot more to do with motivation and passion for the sport

Oh, I thought of that it might have been non-injury related but then I figured it would be very precipitous for it to happen within such a short timespan. Is this the new Weber or is this a Weber who hasn't gotten going yet? I don't know if we have enough games played to make that assessment.

 

[Mrb1p]

Wooooh there cowboy, those centers also do Danault's job on top of producing. Domi is getting soft minutes compared to the rest of them.

He ain't a true #1 center or else he'd have the best two way wingers on the team, Gally & Tatar.

Not saying Danault is either, just that a true #1 center would get those wingers on this team.

The winger point is asinine and not even worth discussing.

The minutes one isnt much better, but anyway... No, Domi does not play "soft minutes" hes not protected by his deployment, Kotkaniemi is the one getting this treatment. And Im not going to get into the the actual debate on soft minutes because Im not sure it means what most people think it means. Hockey is fluid and lines see ice against every other line.

With that said, Domi produces at a 75 points rate over his past 110 games and he does so while playing with really bad linemates. Take a peek at the centers in the NHL and I guarantee theres not 30 centers that are better than him. He probably ranks in the 25-20 range.

 

[Mrb1p]

lmao wtf
Did you now just realize that Gallagher and Danault mostly score ugly goals?
It's not luck, driving the net, going to the dirty areas, working hard, and being at the right place at the right time is what makes them capable of scoring those goals.

And are you pretending that last year did not happen? The 3 spent most of the season together and had great offensive season. Among the 4 lines, that line, by far, is the one likely to consistently produce at a good rate. Weird that you would target that trio, oh wait I know, its because a certain player plays on that line...

And as for your last sentence "you can't just expect a line to have this kind of luck over a full season", how does that matter now? The habs are currently one the best goalscoring team in the league, if they go on a dry spell, thats when you make changes. It makes literally no sense to make drastic changes right now.

Yeah, Gallaghers on that line and that means the line is gonna have success, no matter whos on the line with him.

Now if people could get their head out of their asses and realize the team would have more success by using their best players together instead of these frankenstein grinder lines, thatd be great.

 

[Grate n Colorful Oz]

The winger point is asinine and not even worth discussing.

The minutes one isnt much better, but anyway... No, Domi does not play "soft minutes" hes not protected by his deployment, Kotkaniemi is the one getting this treatment. And Im not going to get into the the actual debate on soft minutes because Im not sure it means what most people think it means. Hockey is fluid and lines see ice against every other line.

With that said, Domi produces at a 75 points rate over his past 110 games and he does so while playing with really bad linemates. Take a peek at the centers in the NHL and I guarantee theres not 30 centers that are better than him. He probably ranks in the 25-20 range.

Dude, go take a reading comprehension class, cause your KK example shows you didn't read what I said.

I'll repeat, Domi is getting soft minutes COMPARED TO THOSE PLAYERS (top 15).

You made it sound as if I never said the last part.

Domi gets the same minutes DD had when him and Plekanec shared the load. Same kinda minutes Plekanec got when he had 70 points and Koivu had the tough minutes against the opposition's top line.

You can keep believing Domi is close to top 15, it won't change the fact he doesn't have the defensive accumen to be up there, yet.

Also I disagreed with close to top 15, doesn't mean I believe he's out of the top 30.

Soooo, wrongly portrayed what I said and you infered waaay too much, what's next?

 

[Habs Halifax]

Habs after 9 games:

- 27.3% on the PP, good for 7th place in the NHL
- 71% on the PK, 27th in the NHL

- 3.67 goals scored per game, 21 goals at 5-on-5, both good for 4th place in the NHL
- 33.7 shots on net per game, 7th place tied with Toronto and Chicago

- Cale Fleury is the only Habs without a point so far
- Jordan Weal (-4), Cale Fleury (-2), Lehkonen (-1) are the only Habs in the minus

- Habs scored 9 goals on the PP
- Petry has been on the ice for 8 of them, Domi has been on the ice for 7 and both Suzuki and Tatar for 6.

- Victor Mete has 15 blocked shots, leading the team by 2
- Shea Weber has 11 giveaways, worst on the team

- Max Domi has 10 takeaways, leading the team by 4
- Gallagher is leading the team with 33 shots, 13th in the NHL
- Byron has 4 shots on goals, in the regulars no one has less than 8 shots

- Thompson is leading the team with 54.9% on faceoffs followed by Domi at 50%
- Tatar has 6 minor penalties….2 more than anybody else on the Habs, tied for 3rd in the NHL

Well done and thanks for sharing! Interesting stats after a few games. Who would of thought our PP would be OK and our PK would be horrible eh

 

[Habs Halifax]

Lehkonen still being with Domi at this point is just absurd. I like him on an energy/defensive line as much as the next guy but he can't be taking minutes on a line that's expected to be producing. Byron can at least score a goal here and there and should be on Domi's left.

I do think a shuffle is required. Put Lehkonen with Danault and when Armia comes back, him as well. That would be our shutdown line. Then put Gallagher with Kotkaneimi and Drouin and Tatar with Domi

Tatar / Domi / Suzuki
Drouin / Kotkaniemi / Gallagher
Lehkonen / Danault / Armia
Cousins / Thompson / Byron

If Suzuki struggles with Tatar and Domi, swap him with Byron in game.

 

[Milhouse40]

Well done and thanks for sharing! Interesting stats after a few games. Who would of thought our PP would be OK and our PK would be horrible eh

Worst part is….Bergevin didn't do anything to improve the PP this summer and did sign players that were supposed to improve the PK. World upside down.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Worst part is….Bergevin didn't do anything to improve the PP this summer and did sign players that were supposed to improve the PK. World upside down.

My problem with the PK is they are not hard on the puck enough. We cause some disruption and when we get our puck on the stick, we can't seem to clear the zone. It's annoying. Our puck battle ability is weak IMO. We typically end up in our end like 90% of the PP with the other team in possession on attack mode. We need more disruption

 

[DangerDave]

I do think a shuffle is required. Put Lehkonen with Danault and when Armia comes back, him as well. That would be our shutdown line. Then put Gallagher with Kotkaneimi and Drouin and Tatar with Domi

Tatar / Domi / Suzuki
Drouin / Kotkaniemi / Gallagher
Lehkonen / Danault / Armia
Cousins / Thompson / Byron

If Suzuki struggles with Tatar and Domi, swap him with Byron in game.

Looks good to me. We need to split Danault from Gally and Tatar at some point. The line is good but I'd rather have a balanced lineup and give Domi guys that don't miss the net from 3 feet away

 

[CHwest]

Gallagher is elite.

Domi is pushing towards the top 15 of centers, Id say he's close to it.

Tatar is a good complement but not elite for sure.

If a team ends up around the 10-15th best in the league, wouldn't you agree its elite ? Its semantics at this point so I don't really care, but thats what I meant.

I guess we have a different view of what elite means.

 

[TannedBum]

Gallagher is not anywhere near "elite" and Domi is not even a center.

 

[domiwroze]

Gallagher is not anywhere near "elite" and Domi is not even a center.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Gallagher is not anywhere near "elite" and Domi is not even a center.

Since Gallagher came back from his wrist injury (starting the 17/18 season). This is where he falls in terms of RW players in the NHL...

- 7th in goals with 68. Pastrnak is 1st with 83
- 21st in pts/game with 0.66. Kucherov is 1st with 1.39
- 2nd in shots with 613. Kane is 1st with 650
- 26th in PP points with 24. Kucherov is 1st with 86.

I agree is is not elite but not anywhere near elite? I think you need to reconsider that. Think about the centers Gallagher has played with? He may not be the greatest skater and have a lot of assist but the areas he is good at, he is very very good! I just wonder how much bump Gallagher gets if he played with real top 2C's? At 5/5 play, he might be one of the best RW players in the league.

As far as Domi at center... I agree. I rather have him as our puck possession winger like Marchand is to the Bruins. Domi / Poehling / Caufield line would be dynamic and tough to deal with IMO. Not as good as Marchand / Bergeron / Pasta but has the potential to be a very good line.

Domi vs Marchand: Domi has the potential to do what Marchand is doing in his prime. Very similar players if you ask me

Poehling vs Bergeron: Bergeron is one of the best 200' centers but that is the style that Poehling plays as well. He is committed to be good at both ends of the ice and he is one strong boy at 20 already. It's not likely Poehling has the career Bergeron is having but I think Poehling can be a beast at center with us once he adjust to pro level hockey. Having a guy like Domi on his wing as a puck possession winger helps!

Caufield vs Pasta: Both can shoot and snipe corners and have play making skills with good vision. Can Caufield skate like Pasta? Doubt that but would be nice! Different type players here vs the other two comparables but not all lines are exactly the same.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Saying Weber does not provide good leadership is also controversial and brave lol.

 

[The Real Timo]

Pretty sure he is not.

is he ever?

 

[The Real Timo]

Saying Weber does not provide good leadership is also controversial and brave lol.

Weber provides Marc Bergevin type leadership - grumpy, no smile, quite type.

 

[The Real Timo]

Gallagher is not anywhere near "elite" and Domi is not even a center.

Admittedly Domi is doing better at center than Drouin ever did. I agree that neither are elite. Both are 1st-2nd line material depending on the team that could potentially play for. But on the Habs, they are elite (but not as elite as Jordan Weal)

 

[Habs Halifax]

Weber provides Marc Bergevin type leadership - grumpy, no smile, quite type.

In all fairness, that is valued by all teams across the league. But not as your write it... Grumpy, No Smile, and quiet.

 

[The Real Timo]

My problem with the PK is they are not hard on the puck enough. We cause some disruption and when we get our puck on the stick, we can't seem to clear the zone. It's annoying. Our puck battle ability is weak IMO. We typically end up in our end like 90% of the PP with the other team in possession on attack mode. We need more disruption

I agree. Their PK is extremely passive, especially considering that the team is built on "speed". All I see if 4 guys standing in the box formation not doing very much. Even shot blocking has sucked ever since Jordie Benn left. (aaah... Jordie Benn)