Habs falling

It's with great pleasure to point out the Habs are 3-7 in their last ten, dropping some big games, getting blown out by the likes of Boston, and losing to the NYI in a shootout....

Now, while I don't expect it will last, it's very similar to a certain team with high expectations last year that started out flying only to downward spiral in the last half of the season.

I suspect the Habs will continue to struggle until they find a solution to the problems with their Power Play. This has been their bread and butter for a few years now and if that can't get fixed then look for more tight games with them facing OT and Shootout more regularly.

I didn't realize they were 3-7 in their last ten... That is concerning for Habs fans to say the least.

I don't think you can place all the problems on their PP, can you? Sure they lost Souray, then they lost Streit... but you think with that team they have they can put the puck in the net.

Is Price faltering?

By no means did I intend for it to come out that way at all. I'm just trying to say that the PP is heavily relied on by the Habs and it's struggling right now. I don't know what the real reason is for that but it's definitely a contributing factor to there current issues.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:I suspect the Habs will continue to struggle until they find a solution to the problems with their Power Play. This has been their bread and butter for a few years now and if that can't get fixed then look for more tight games with them facing OT and Shootout more regularly.

With the PP falling, Komisarek out, and Laraque regressing (skill-wise) other teams will start to take chances at being much more aggressive with the Habs. The Kostitsyns are chippy-little B-words but, let's face it, they will not win in any war of attrition. And Kovalev seems to have regressed to his previous level of pnon-competitiveness. I knew it could and probably would happen, but even I didn't expect it to happen this quickly (that trip on Donovan was exactly what he used to do when hewas the "enigmatic" player).

The pressure on this team is beyond enormous. It's their 100th anniversary, they are the last Canadian team to have won the Cup, and their fans (since I moved from Montreal) have all become a bunch of spoiled pansies. I wonder if McCabe contacted O'Byrne to commiserate and offer some advice -- get out of town quick).

The Habs will probably still make the playoffs. They have a more than decent goalie, compared to the Sens last year. But with the rougher style of the playoffs and with no shootouts, look out.

Well Cap'n, to be fair it doesn't help if you cannot score with a man (or two) advantage.

There is so much pressure on the team from the fans, the city, etc. and they might be in dire straits next year. Couldn't make me happier to see them fall from grace.

DashRiprock wrote:I don't think you can place all the problems on their PP, can you? Sure they lost Souray, then they lost Streit... but you think with that team they have they can put the puck in the net.

Is Price faltering?

They've had the best (or at least top-3) PP for the last 2-3 years. Wasn't it something like 30 or 40% of their goal production came from the PP? If their PP went from 28% to 14% that's like dropping 15-20% of your goals. At the low-end, 15% means you go from 3.7 G/g to 3.1. That's pretty much 1 goal every two games, which means that half of those OT games don't even get to OT.

Last season they had 10 loser points (games that they lost in OT or shootout). Take half of those away and you take 5 points off their total. They also won 5 games in the shootout. Take half of those away and that's another 5 poi9tns off (yeah, I know I'm splitting points here, so what, sue me, wanna fight about it?)

The Habs finished the season with 104 points to lead the Conference. without those 10 points they would have finished with 94. The last two teams to make it to the post-season both had 94 points (Ottawa and Boston).

I think Montreal would still have made it in based on wins, but just barely. So, yes, it makes a huge difference.

I am thinking that Price is feeling the pressure as are the other players. The media has been relentless saying that the Habs will win the cup this year since it is their centennial. I do think Price is an great goalie but I think he might have been over hyped a little.

They suck.

504Heater wrote:They suck.

I'm humbled by our current record (though I quietly agree with you).

Yeah but no Sens fans are bragging right now or planning a parade.

Depends which sort of parade you're talking about

mattshock wrote:Depends which sort of parade you're talking about

Yay!

spezza rules! wrote:I am thinking that Price is feeling the pressure as are the other players. The media has been relentless saying that the Habs will win the cup this year since it is their centennial. I do think Price is an great goalie but I think he might have been over hyped a little.

Bang on dude.

My feeling has ALWAYS been this: Is Price good? The answer is an obvious YES!
Does he deserve the praise of being Jesus Price or whatever the habs fans call him? For me, until he has a cup ring, I say NO.

Price is good, there's NO disputing that, but he's STILL YOUNG, and we've ALL seen what happens when he buckles under pressure, but with a few more years of NHL experience under his belt, he MOST definitely is a goalie I will fear and may VERY well hold in the same regard as Today's Brodeur and Luongo, assuming he doesn't suffer a massive setback, i.e. terrible injury, etc...