Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak makes a save as Panthers'
Nathan Horton skates by during second period Thursday night. Phil
Carpenter, The Gazette
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AUDIO: Mike Cammalleri | Brian Gionta | Jaro Spacek | Benoit Pouliot | Jaro Halak | Jacques Martin
• At a Glance: Jaroslav Halak made 38 saves for his second shutout of the season and Benoit Pouliot scored his fourth goal since being acquired by the Canadiens as Montreal defeated the Florida Panthers 2-0 on Thursday night. Pouliot scored a timely goal with 13 seconds to play in the first period with a perfect shot under the crossbar past Tomas Vokoun. Brian Gionta scored his 10th of the season into an empty net after a mad scramble in Halak's crease that almost resulted in the Panthers tying the game. The Canadiens took only one penalty Thursday, a rarity for them, and killed it off with ease. Montreal was 0-for-2 with the man advantage. The Canadiens fired 38 shots at Vokoun, who let out his share of large rebounds.
• Key Moments: The Canadiens failed to take advantage of a lengthy 5-on-3 early in the first period with Bryan McCabe and Stephen Weiss in the penalty box, registering very few shots.
• What It Means: The Canadiens won for the first time in 2010, and its their first win at home in five games. Their record improves to 22-21-3 for 47 points.
• What's Next: Next up for the Canadiens are the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Montreal then has a little rest before playing its next game on Jan. 14 when the Dallas Stars come to town, the Canadiens host the Senators on Jan. 16.
Oh boy, Andre K is gonezo!
http://www.rds.ca/
we'll have another excuse to loose now lol
There is no goaltender debate but there sure is a money's (cap) problem ...The habs have two good young goalies,the one (Price )has been placed on a pedestal after a great journey to the N.H.L. but has struggled in the last season and 1/2.Price is Bob Gaineys pick(his Stallion ) and like most G.M. who have been X-NHLer's will not bend on his direction (no matter what)...The Other goaltender Halak has had not the same journey to the big league but has never stopped improving his game and his worth and because of this, is the best of the two(saved the team from last place in the league and has helped make them contenders,like it or not).
The Habs are in no way a complete competitive team for a showing to the big show finials (lack forward size and on a good day 2 lines...),yet there is no money's left for improvement and no big star player up and coming this year from where ever....Plus members like Plecs ,the two Goalies etc contracts are coming up and unless the team is redefined in its needs Gainey has stated his non changing decisions on what to expect from him .
As a long time fan of Les Canadiens I would like to thank Halak and Plecs for truly great efforts this year and hope that where ever they go in the next following months they continue there journeys to the Stanley cup....Believe me, YOU WILL BE SORRILY MISSED.....
♦
Anyone see how horrible D'Ags was last night? What is with that kid? Does he have like zero confidence or what?
One of the plays I am referring to was when he fanned on a pass in the offensive zone and was looking around for it like a complete bonehead until he got knocked over and the puck taken from him, I was like wtf?
I'm one of D'Ags harshest critics. He had a bad first period but had turned it around noticeably the next two.
He made some nice plays to pressure the defense on the other team, made some nice passes i.e when he had Cammy open for a shot that Vokoun gloved effortlessly, but still. D'Ags is much more efficient on a top line than plugging. His defensive game is lacking.
Nervous. He knows the honeymoon is over and now it's HIS turn to be under the microscope of Damocles and that he must now justify his presence on the club. Every player faces this day..depending on their draft position of course.
New sensation for him is all. Can he adapt? He's a goal-scorer, always has been, said to go dormant at some times but always manages to score BIG goals. Til K Senior comes back, this is his chance, and he knows it.
He should be back on the 1st line tomorrow; let's see how he does.
Du bureau de
Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Vice-President and Co-Editor in Chief of Flannelcom's Investigative Department at Habsbros Reporting Services: http://habsbros.blogspot.com/
The goalie debate would be moot if the Habs were a better team but as it stands the Habs DEPEND on their goaltending to steal wins because neither the defense, the offense or the much touted by apparently non-existent system is winning games. Even American commentators constantly mention how the Habs DEPEND on their goaltending. Bottom line is our goaltending is capable of withstanding the weaker teams in the league but not the elite ones.
weird to see zero goals against and one penalty. here's to hoping this becomes a semi regular occurrence for the canadiens. not likely to happen unfortunately.....sigh.
nice win though. wish i'd seen the jeux.
how about the following:
"habs" can beat weaker teams when the goaltending is excellent.
and
"habs" can't beat strong teams with 2 goalies in the net.
Does not concord with facts. We beat Florider New Year's Eve in an open-house scoring buffet and we've beaten Buffaler, the Beaners and the Cappers.
Scientific method says you must now discard your theory for a better one.
Du bureau de
Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Vice-President and Co-Editor in Chief of Flannelcom's Investigative Department at Habsbros Reporting Services: http://habsbros.blogspot.com/
okay how about the team isn't consistent
Looks like we have another thug in the making. Excerpted from today's Globe
Remember Michael Liambas? The former Erie Otters’ player, who was thrown out of the Ontario Hockey League for a hit from behind on the Kitchener Rangers’ Ben Fannelli earlier this season, received a five-game suspension from the International Hockey League this past week. Liambas, who had signed by the IHL’s Bloomington Prairie Thunder following his year-long ban from the OHL, was suspended under the IHL’s supplementary discipline procedures, for an unpenalized hit from behind that ruptured the spleen of Jason Lawmaster, a Muskegon Lumberjacks’ defenceman. Lawmaster was hospitalized as a result of the injury. According to the IHL’s website, Liambas will be eligible to return to the line-up following Bloomington’s Jan. 16 game against Fort Wayne.
Funny how you omitted Jason Lawmaster's own commentary where he stated:
"I think it was a fluke thing," Lawmaster told the Chronicle. "We were both falling, and I don't think he was trying to blow up my spleen."
http://tsn.ca/story/?id=304983
Didn't omit it - this was how it appeared in the Globe. Certainly puts a different perspective on it.
Lol, wow. Good job, Globe!
says murder face
Just takin' it easy.
Fox Sports Florida did a touching piece (I almost shed a tear) on the Canadiens storied history during the 2nd intermission last night... UNTIL, they threw up this graphic on the screen...23 CUPS?! umm, do your research guys... what a joke.
check out the tv screen shot
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs158.snc3/18543_410995265712_694110712_10550756_5809380_n.jpg
Not sure but I believe the 1st Stanley Cup win by the Montreal Canadiens was before the NHL (1917-18).
They were probably just using the stats provided to them by the NHL, which only recognizes Cups won since it's formation.
_____________________________________
Cheer for the crest on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back.
I googled it, the Habs won the Cup in the 1915-16 NHA season. Still counts to me... so do all the Cup wins by the Montreal Maroons (2), Montreal Wanderers (10), Montreal Shamrocks (5), Montreal Victorias (6) and the Montreal Hockey Club (4)
Pocket Rocket?
I can't make out who that player is, but could they be implying the 1986 cup?
NHL.com tweets: NHL
hmmmm...Bettman is working hard to make revenue for his new aquisition I see.
“Talent is a gift from God, but you only succeed with hard work. Yvan was proof of that.” Jean Beliveau
ENOUGH ALREADY:
1) Halak supporters will NOT sway Price supporters and vice versa. Lets be happy that we have TWO
EXCELLENT goalies for the balance of this year.
2) Pouliot VS Latendresse Here is the classic GOOD trade. BOTH players are better with their new teams
Lats has 7 goals and 2 assists BP 4 goals 0 assists in only 8 games but brings another dimension.
Well, hold on, it's a "classic good trade" after 3 weeks. Let's see if it's a "classic good trade" next year.
After three weeks, the Raycroft-Rask deal was wonderful for the leafs. Sure there are hosts of other examples.
I think we got the better of the Tendre Guidoune-Pou-Pou-Poulio deal, meself. The uhh...MUCH better.
Du bureau de
Lord Bugs Potter, esq. Vice-President and Co-Editor in Chief of Flannelcom's Investigative Department at Habsbros Reporting Services: http://habsbros.blogspot.com/
Yup.
One of the only trades that has worked out great for both teams since the salary cap came into effect.
Salaries, production, and their integration into each team has been a success. Very glad to see.
"These head movies make my eyes rain" -Simple Jack
Agreed. Another trade that worked out for both parties? Boyes for Wideman.
I'm heading out to the practice right. Will try to take some pics and videos and post after I get back.
Hopefully Ron "God's Gift To Coaching" Wilson isn't there to see you.
I would put money on these 6 teams making the playoff: New Jersey, Buffalo, Washington, Pittsburgh, Boston and Philadelphia. Five teams will be fighting for the remaining 2 spots. They include your HABS, Rangers, Ottawa, Atlanta and Tampa Bay. Four teams will drop out soon enough: Islanders, Florida, Laffs and Carolina.
Not to add fuel to the goaltending discussion (ok, just a little; it's a slow day at work) but what could be assumed concerning the goaltending should the above statement indeed be true?
_____________________________________
Cheer for the crest on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back.
duh
Adding fuel to the goaltending discussion could be seen by some here as "goading" which I got called a no-life loser for admitting doing earlier.
So shhhhhhhhhhh, bigjcc52690120 may be reading...
The intent of my post was not to goad anyone.
But considering the teams that are expected to get into the playoffs, if Halak is to be the go-to guy, then shouldn't he be getting starts (and hopefully wins) against those teams?
_____________________________________
Cheer for the crest on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back.
I've got nothing to comment on. Good solid win. Bring on Martin F. that's it.
meanwhile back at the ranch:
Transit Police Seek Violent Bruins Fanhttp://wbztv.com/local/bruins.fan.assaults.2.1412324.html
“Talent is a gift from God, but you only succeed with hard work. Yvan was proof of that.” Jean Beliveau
Well, at least they've stopped urinating on visiting fans... haven't they?
_____________________________________
Cheer for the crest on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back.
Or puking on the sidewalks of downtown Montreal...
LOL
not sure chuck. haven't been to a game there since it was bawstun gawden during the 12 team league. I think they were more in control then to a great extent.
“Talent is a gift from God, but you only succeed with hard work. Yvan was proof of that.” Jean Beliveau
Relax with King Halak this morning. As I posted a few days ago, he once again beat a team lower than us in the standings. He has 12 wins this year, and 10 of them are vs teams lower than us in the standings. He's played 8 games against teams higher than us, registering only 2 wins. BTW, no *** the team plays better infront of Halak most of the time. That's because most of Halak's starts are vs NYI, CAR, FLO, and TOR.
**Check out this stat: In his 6 losses, which were all against OTT,PIT, BUF 2 times, and CGY 2 times
-- Goals Against Average: 3.67 -- Save Percentage: 0.872
He was solid last night don't get me wrong. But let's be honest here, he wasn't facing a shooting gallery featuring Ovechkin, Semin, Green, and Backstrom.
I'm not picking sides here, or saying Price is better. We've got 2 very talented goalers here, so let's stop praising one of them after he beats up on the bottom feeders of the league. Let them both play and be happy with wins no matter who gets them for us.
Alright, I'm done. Now you can all reply and somehow find a way to still say Halak's our number 1.
"These head movies make my eyes rain" -Simple Jack
you want some wine with that cheese...please let it go already...the so called lower teams are lower because we have played more games than them...so all this crap of Halak beating weaker teams, let it go already. Price has also faces these so called weaker teams, and guess what, no SO...
are you related to Price somehow, maybe his mom or something?
Alright Carey Price fanboys....
At the end of the day, we should play the players that gives us Ws. It's a team sport. When a team plays better when some conditions are met (putting a particular individuals in the net), well that means we do that and the other sits.
What's wrong with that? Why do you feel the need to defend Carey Price.... He's the future, he's going to play... Eventually.
--------
We have a new team!
Mike Komisarek: 0 - 1 - 1 (-7)
Gainey Haters bandwagon ---> This way
Alright, and when we play better teams than us in the standings who do we put? Price is 5-11 vs the better teams, while Halak is 2-6. They both struggle, because hockey is a team game and our whole team struggles against these better teams.
This nonsense about playing better when Halak is in nets is bogus. The only time that occurs is when a team has something against the other goaler (in this case apparently Price). If that was the case, management would have to adress the situation before it spreads in the room and we have a disaster like last year.
Don't get too high, or too low on one goaltender.Let's just stop praising Price and Halak for "x" reasons, and appreciate what they can both accomplish.
"These head movies make my eyes rain" -Simple Jack
Here's my theory: Gainey and Martin are company men. They want what's good for the company. They have assessed that Price is the future goaltender that they want betweent he pipes, and that Halak is all but gone by year's end because the company can't afford two goalies at the expense of other areas within the company (up front).
This leaves a clear course of action: Play Halak vs teams that he should win against (thus improving his stats and making him more attractive to other GMs around the league) and play Price vs teams that offer more challenge (which would keep his stats at a palatable level making it easier to re-sign him for $500k less than he might deserve).
The hockey world (including the great Scotty Bowman) has identified Price as a legitimate cornerstone from which at team can build around. Halak's greatest compliment was that he was the best goalie in the AHL. We've all seen stellar backups who went to other teams in search of their own #1 position (Vokoun, Garon, etc.) only to find out they're not #1 quality. I'm not saying that Halak is not #1 quality, but he won't be #1 next season in Montreal.
why would a team trade for a goalie that can only beat weak teams...... what type of return would u get for a goalie who can only beat weak teams......
Why don't you STFU?
obeleive it or not, often stats don't make or break trade value of a player. If that was the case we would never have traded for Gomez, or signed Gionta for 5 years after his goal totals have decreased every year over the past 4 years.
Most of the time its about a situation one team is in, how desparate they are, and what potential they see in a player. So many scouts and NHL personel share a ton of different opinions on each NHL player.
"These head movies make my eyes rain" -Simple Jack
And there lies the only problem with Jaro. He's got to start playing against (and beating) the stronger teams to increase his stake to the #1 job.
_____________________________________
Cheer for the crest on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back.
Very well written. It's been my point all along, but people just seem to bash me when I write the same stuff as you.
Stop hatin' my avatar.
"These head movies make my eyes rain" -Simple Jack
I would really love to know if thats the truth.
We all do! :)
That's what makes this site one of the best on the interwebs!
To all the people that have suggested that Halak has benefited from playing lesser competition, maybe he has but I doubt that this is any of his doing, I doubt he tells JM, " Were playing a top 5 team tonight, better let Carey handle this one" Halak can only play when he is called upon and he wins more than he loses. And winning is all that matters. Every goalie can have a down game, like Halak did in Buffalo a month ago, but when your constantly in one or two goal games, praying for a game that we can score more than 2 , evertyhing gets magnified. Im a Canadiens fan, I want this team to win regardless who is in the net, I don't care where he is from.
You are right, it is not his decision who he faces. It's just that he's put in vs weaker teams by the coaching staff (as are every single other "backup" goalies in the NHL). The rumors have been public for years now that Halak will be traded. Coincidence that he plays vs the crappy teams?
You say "Halak can only play when he is called upon and he wins more than he loses."
Well, crappy teams like NYI,CAR,TOR, and FLA will all finish with sub .500 records by season end. This means that they will lose more games than they win. Which also means that teams playing vs them will most often beat them (because they suck). Halak wins more than he loses, because he plays vs teams that lose more than they win.
"These head movies make my eyes rain" -Simple Jack
The teams you mentioned may not have the best records, but all of thoses teams with the exception of the Isanders, always play well against us. Price has lost his share of games against Tor, Car and Fla. I do however think your right about the fact that the organization wants Price to be our #1 regardless of talent, skill or who's playing better. But who really care as long as we win. I wonder, would be happy if we won the cup with Halak in net or would you just say he played a team that was lucky to been there and it means nothing
No, I'd take a cup, regardless of who is in nets.
Ans any team that makes the cup finals deserves to be there, whethere they are the 1st or 8th seed.
"These head movies make my eyes rain" -Simple Jack
A men brother, good answer
He's 12-6
He's 6-1 last 7 games
you're stats don't mean squat I'm afraid. They are from a lifetime ago and completely irrelevant.
He's our #1 right now. Wake up and smell the coffee.
btw...you're avatar is umm...as pathetic as the richard gere one that used to be here annoying the hell out of everyone.
“Talent is a gift from God, but you only succeed with hard work. Yvan was proof of that.” Jean Beliveau
Hey Alec Baldwin is classic, ever since that SNL skit where he did those bad voice impersonations "Hello, yes, this is Mrs. Devereaux".
As for Richard Gere, he's okay but those rumours...
hahaha
“Talent is a gift from God, but you only succeed with hard work. Yvan was proof of that.” Jean Beliveau
First, you should not judge someone by their avatar. That's just pathetic buddy.
2nd, my stats are not from a lifetime ago (they are this years stats). And, they mean something. He beats the crap teams, and when it's time to face the good ones, well, he loses and has horrible stats.
It's the same for him and Price. When we face better teams, we lose. Whether its Halak or Price, the better teams beat us, because they are better. Price plays most of his games against the better teams, hence his losing record. When Halak faces these same teams, he has 2 wins in 8 games. Incase you can't understand the latter, Halak also has a losing record vs good teams.
Stop living in denial people, I can't prove the point any better.
"These head movies make my eyes rain" -Simple Jack
whatever baldwino
I will take the opportunity to block your avatar anyway thus it will make it easier to skip right over your posts.
“Talent is a gift from God, but you only succeed with hard work. Yvan was proof of that.” Jean Beliveau
live in denial...
it's just too hard to admit that you were proved wrong.
"These head movies make my eyes rain" -Simple Jack
halak > price
mark my words.
Dead On!!!
Price is a #1 backup goalie; Halak is a #1 goalie. So, both are #1.
Don't want to hammer Price here but Halak's fundamental goalie skills are better than Price's right now. Also the team's confidence is huge in front of Halak, agreed Pete.
NJ is going to be a big test tomorrow. Halak deserves the start. If the Brothers K are healthy, here are the offensive lines I would like to see against them:
AK46-Pleks-Cam
Giant Mexican Chicken
Moen-Laps-MAB
MaxPac-Metro-AK74
Thoughts?
Iwouldn't break the 3M's up. SK74 - Lappy - MAB does sound good.
I said it before and I'll say it again. The Habs play different (better) hockey in front of Halak, even when they are allowing a mind blowing # of shots. That is not to say that the team is bailing out Halak in any way shape or form. Quite the contrary. The team seems to have confidence in him and gives him the opportunity to do his job, which he has done very well of late. By contrast, Price seems to struggle if there is any controversal goal like a deflection and in turn the team struggles. The team could bail out Price if he'd let them but he usually falls apart and the game is over. When he's on,he's on but that has got to get into the heads of the players.
Halak is and has been the #1 goalie. Price is talented but the Habs can't wait forever.
Let the fur fly at we will.
Go Habs Go
Apres-goal body language says a lot: Halak's is better than Price's but again, Jaro's 25 and Price is 22.
Keep 'em both.
You nailed it with this post. I like Price but the softies he lets in really deflates the team. Don't need a rocket scientist to see that the team responds/plays better with Halak.
FIVE QUESTIONS:
1. Is Halak a better #1 goalie than Price TODAY?
2. Is Pouliot for real? How many goals will he score as a Hab this year?
3. Is the Gomer line now our #1 line? It's been our most productive since Gio and Pouliot were added.
4. Four of our D are in the top 10 give-away artists of the league. Do we have a problem? What is it?
5. When will Plex sign with us and for how much. (I'm ignoring the unthinkable.)
--------------------------------------------------- Listen to the SmartDog. He knows his poop!
1. I'm reserving judgement until Saturday's game. Right now he looks good, but he hasn't been that great against the tough teams yet and I won't call him a No. 1 until he has a convincing win against a top 10 NHL team.
2. H's definitely displaying something, but so did D'Ags when he got the call last season, cautiously optimistic. I'd say 15 goals for him this season.
3. Until Andrei returns to improve the Pleks/Cammy line, definitely.
4. Game-to-Game work ethic seems to fade at will, games are won undeservedly with great goaltending and games are lost despite the team's best efforts so the team doesn't seem to be grasping that all-out effort all the time is best, giveaways are more often the result of lazy play.
5. Within the next 60 days, 3.5-4.25 a year.
- I shall always remember Captain Koivu. http://habsandhockey.blogspot.com/
1. appears so
2. 15
3. No AK , I still like the PLeks line is # 1 , Gomez plays to soft !!
4. Obviously ... they have trouble with time & space .. react to slowly
5. At season's end ... 5.8 mil /year for 3 years
Good post Smarty.
1. See post above.
2. Pouliot is for real. Watch his play. He hits, gets open, goes to the front of the net and by my observation, understand how to elevate his game and play with elite players. I think he's a keeper. 20 goals is not out of reach for this guy.
3. I'll accept that. With two functioning scoring lines it really doesn't matter. At some point Pleks and Cammy will make up for the lack of AK46 as they did at the beginning of the year. Not to worry.
4. No question there's a problem. One is that they are never paired with the same guys it seems. Markov, Gill, O'Byrne, Spacek, Hammer, and Mara have all had lenghty injuries this year. That leaves MAB and Gorges as the only main stays this year. Nuff said.
5. Pleks had better have a 3 year deal before the playoffs start. He will be asking for top ten scoring money and he should get it. He does so much more than score. That game last night was a good example of what he brings to the table.
Go Habs Go
I agree 100% Pete.
--------------------------------------------------- Listen to the SmartDog. He knows his poop!
1) Absofrigginlutely.
2) Yes. Much better than the deadwood we gave up. Definitely better looking.
3) They are IMO. Once AK returns, we'll have 2 legit lines.
4) Definitely need a defensive defenceman. But who doesn't? Or A Larry Robinson as defensive coach.
5) He's a keeper for sure. Up to BG I guess.
WOO-HOO....the SmartDog Five Questions of the Day. Good one Rob!!!
1) No. They are roughly equal, they are both very good and they are likely the best tandem in the league.
2) Yes. 18 goals.
3) Yes.
4) Yes. The D method of clearing their zone hasn't changed in 3 years. Backhands off the boards or glass or the ill-advised sloppy pass throgh the middle. But the giveaways themselves aren't the issue, it's the penalties that often happen as a result of the play.
5) Season's end. For $4.5M.
Hey Dave, how's it going?
I'm surprised that everyone (but me I guess) seems to think we can land Pleks for antyhign south of 5.5 mil. Point-per-game centers are rare and this year's FA market isn't that strong. I think he'd land 6 on the open market for sure so even with a discount I'm putting him at least a million higher than most others.
And I still don't understand our problems at D. I really don't. With Markov back I would think we'd do better... there are a lot of veterans on our D and they guys like Gorges are pretty good so I can only think it's the style of play. As suggested below it seems like a combination of panic and trying too hard to play run-n-gun. It reminds me of that old football saying... 'catch the ball and THEN run'. They should learn how to clear the play and THEN pass.
--------------------------------------------------- Listen to the SmartDog. He knows his poop!
Going great Rob. Pleks...it's a crap shoot with the money floating around out there. Who really knows. Just my take. As for the D...sigh, a head scratcher.
SD. The problem with the D is "JM's System." D does not challenge at the blue-line and collapses down low while the wings are too deep in the defensive zone, which allows the opposing D to pinch-in, creating more pressure. The low wings also compromise our break-out.
As for Pleks, I would be shocked if you can get him for as low as $5 mil.
I don't know the tactics of hockey as well s I know sports I played more.... but that sounds about right. I wonder why they can't fix that.
And I agree about Pleks.
--------------------------------------------------- Listen to the SmartDog. He knows his poop!
You need someone behind the bench that can work with our defencemen. Larry Robinson would fill that role nicely as an assistant coach. I believe we have good players on D that are clueless.
1. the Halak-stop-blocker is on fire but both are #1's when hitting their stride...
2. I think Pouliot is a decent 2nd liner not exactly a perenial 30 goal score but 20 -25. Playing with talent helps. He has soft hands, speed, and goes in front of the net. If he stays healthy in my opinion, he is a better fit than latendresse making the trade a success. Biggest consideration it was a good trade for both teams. Less pressure and slower paced atmosphere looks to be beneficial for lats too.
3. Having experienced personel around Gomer makes his 7 mil on the books more tolerable, but he ain't puttin up 80 pts.+ or adding 40 goals to be given that title yet. A true #1 can generate pts even with subpar talent and elevate that subpar talent to higher level. Plaks demonstrated this before settling in with CAmmy and Akost.
4. Yes and no, 4 guys leading in this category isn't flatering but considering Markov was #2 only to Ovechkin last year is a telling. On one hand I believe it has a lot to do with the makeup of the team. They're build for a run and gun style of play. I would suspect our forwards are itching to break out and the D wants to QB that break out play. Whether its a matter of the Forwards not lending enough of a hnd in the D-zone and/or the D forcing too much of a stretch pass is not exactly easy to put on paper. Second with adding many new pieces and forcing #4 or #5 guy to play excessive minutes to fill injuries also adds to the maddness.
5. 5 mil depending if he can finish what he started. You'd think now that the Gomer line is hitting its stride it would take some pressure off his line. Another good question is missing A. Kost more detrimental than some might think?
In response to the Question #3, it is appears it became the #1 line when AK46 went down. What we are seeing now is the importance of the K Brothers when the y play close to their potential. I believe that the line to watch when SK74 returns will be the Laps, MAB and SK74 line. I saw them play that one time and they were good. It would be at least a good #3 line.
mjames
The importance of the K brother (Andrei can be real good), not brothers (Sergei's filler)
1. No, they are equal with Halak getting luckier (Price gets no goal support)
2. Yes, probably score 20.
3. Yes, Gomez and Gionta really gel together and Pouliot is just icing on the ex-Devil Cake.
4. Our problem is a nervous defence. They need to focus more and panic less.
5. Plek will re-sign before season's end 'cuz he loves it here therefore there will be a hometown discount.
-------------I listen to the SmartDawg. He's got valid points and great observations worth discussing!
Yeh, Halak got plenty of goal support last night. One.
AWESOME SIG! LOL
And speaking of good obserations, I agree about our 'nervous defence'... though I'm at a loss to explain how we can have this many veterans and this much panic.
Why the team plays better in front of Halak is another mystery. Could it be that they expect more from Price so worry less about what's behind them? Though it's not like Halak doesn't see a lot of rubber.
--------------------------------------------------- Listen to the SmartDog. He knows his poop!