Post-Game Talk: To be the man you have to beat the man... Habs beat cup champs 3-1!

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He looked like he just dropped his stick tho soon as he realized that sexy ass CH jersey was remotely close to him. Reading thr GDT I thought Gally actually bumped him judging by how many ppl wanted his head.

You may be right, but as soon as you enter the blue paint on your own will, things are going to get dicey for the attacking player unless it's a goalmouth scramble.
 
Good game. Great atmosphere, Bell Centre was rocking. Fun to see that 1st line again. As far as Laine is concerned, not a lot of people wanted to buy him out....having said that he will still be mediocre 5 on 5 BUT...before having a final say on the matter, you need stronger linemates. A true No2 C. Plus a better winger.

Now...is it a gift to dive Demidov a Laine on his line? And as far as No2 C....i don't see. Clearly, Dach will have a go with Laine again....but I do hope we go another direction. Thing is...which one.

Which No2C could be available? Duchene? Tavares? Could you try to deal for Kyrou? Kent Johnson? Anton Lundell? Perfetti? Schwartz?

Super longshot....could you guess on a Connor Zary and give him top end offensive players?
 
Good game. Great atmosphere, Bell Centre was rocking. Fun to see that 1st line again. As far as Laine is concerned, not a lot of people wanted to buy him out....having said that he will still be mediocre 5 on 5 BUT...before having a final say on the matter, you need stronger linemates. A true No2 C. Plus a better winger.

Now...is it a gift to dive Demidov a Laine on his line? And as far as No2 C....i don't see. Clearly, Dach will have a go with Laine again....but I do hope we go another direction. Thing is...which one.

Which No2C could be available? Duchene? Tavares? Could you try to deal for Kyrou? Kent Johnson? Anton Lundell? Perfetti? Schwartz?

Super longshot....could you guess on a Connor Zary and give him top end offensive players?
Still hoping we go after Crosby.
 
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One of the things I didn't know about Laine before he got here is how he can still make plays while being stationary.

Like he will have guys on top of him but he finds a way to get the puck into a space which you didn't think was possible.

Hopefully his skating improves after a full off season. You have to wonder if it's a result of him opting not to have surgery in preseason.
If we put things in perspective, considering he was already coming back from a major injury and then quickly got into another major injury, I don't think this season is the best sample size to judge Laine in terms of his speed and overall game. A full regular offseason should really do him wonders.

I also think we haven't helped him with who his centers have been. Dach himself was coming back from a major injury and wasn't fast himself. Newhook is fast but isn't a playmaker. I think if we want to see the most of Laine, we need to get a playmaking center who has the speed and defensively awareness to compensate for Laine's flaws.

It's clear Laine makes our PP dangerous and it's clear his 5 on 5 play isn't where we need it. I think it's on management to bring in players who can help cover his weaknesses in order for us to maximize his talent. We're a much more dangerous team with him because of his shot, we'd be even better if we can get a real 2nd line.
 
It's still an advantage

We're 1 point back

We lose that game in hand, we're still 1 point back. We lose in OT/SO, we're tied. Win that game, we're one point ahead.
It makes blowing that lead against Seattle even tougher. 1 point can make a huge difference in a close race. I remember how we missed out by 2 points in 2019 and how things could have been different had we beaten Columbus or won 2 more games.
 
The regular season ends on March 23rd but his team will be in the playoffs. Even if they get eliminated early then SKA could still refuse to let him join the Habs until his contract ends on May 31st.

I wouldn't count on him coming over for this season or post season.
Dream scenario, SKA gets swept in 4, Habs make a deal and get Demidov over here and the team makes the playoffs and we see Demidov make his NHL debut. Throw in Monty turning into Steve Penny or Halak and bam!

A man can dream!
 
Yeah. They have done a great job. I just hope they don't run out of gas. We have bug hole in the second line and top 4. I'm surprise Kent did not try to trade for a cheap 3c to play with Laine and Newhook. Roy has been a disappointment and Beck is not top 6 player.
My sense is that he didn't like the prices on some of the centers out there or felt they weren't a clear enough upgrade on what we have internally. Beck did have some strong games before the deadline but definitely agree that Roy/Beck clearly don't belong on the 2nd line.
 
Getting into the playoffs with Laine-Newhook-Roy is a statement of how good our first line is and how weak the estern conference is.
I hit like button after first part of that sentence. Can I still take it back? There are teams underperforming, but weak is not how I would call the conference.
 
His neck is shorter in person.
He should borrow some from this guy:

Polish_20250209_184824739.png


And there would still be some left for Trotz
 

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