All things 2014 Playoffs

Just goes to show how a team can exceed expectations with a hot goalie. Sens are all too familiar with that.

Some teams live and die by the goalie, others have enough skill and depth to overcome that. It is what it is. This is the NHL.

Oglethorpe wrote:F the habs

NEELY wrote:Ole

Ole, ole, ole, ole, f the Habs, f the Habs!  

wprager wrote:Lundqvist doing what he gets paid to do.  Tokarski a little slow coming across on the Nash goal.

I didn't see it, but I heard that he left a gaping cage for Nash.

Make up your own mind:

Ev wrote:

sandysensfan wrote:

Ev wrote:Price out for the series.

Loooooooolllll. Respect my Donkey.

So when Habs fans were defending their series win over Tampa in round 1 without Bishop in net... they will see how well they fare in the rest of the playoffs without Price..

They would have won with bishop in net too. The lightning were terrible

3 of the 4 games went to OT with a bad goalie in net for the Lightning. I'm sure if Bishop would have been in net that probably could have been 3 wins for the Lightning.

Not saying the Lightning would have won the series but it would have been a lot longer than 4 games..

I agree with the Tampa assessment. Montreal still would have won but it would have been a much closer series.

Taking the defeat of the Bruins out of the minds of Habs fans will be next to impossible. For Habs fans that was the Stanley Cup finals.

If Bishop was in for that series and played lights out, it would have been interesting for sure. Two hot goalies head to head... would have gone 7 games for sure. Habs would not have had the rest they did, and may not have made it past Boston if they beat TBay. Whole lotta scenarios... but that never happened.

Now, bring on the sweep by the Rags! F the habs! ole!

I apologize if this was already discussed, but I'm catching up as I was camping all weekend...

Why would Montreal have Budaj sitting on the bench as their backup if they didn't intend on using him in the event Price got hurt? Wouldn't it have been preferable to have Tokarski finish Game 1 and get some playing time before starting Game 2 if it was the plan to use him all along?

If Therien and Habs management only decided that Tokarski would be the guy after Game 1, that's horrible management. They should've had the contingency plan ready all along, and had Tokarski on the bench.

tim1_2 wrote:I apologize if this was already discussed, but I'm catching up as I was camping all weekend...

Why would Montreal have Budaj sitting on the bench as their backup if they didn't intend on using him in the event Price got hurt?  Wouldn't it have been preferable to have Tokarski finish Game 1 and get some playing time before starting Game 2 if it was the plan to use him all along?  

If Therien and Habs management only decided that Tokarski would be the guy after Game 1, that's horrible management.  They should've had the contingency plan ready all along, and had Tokarski on the bench.

They intended for him to come in if Price was pulled in-game. As a career backup he's used to sitting on the bench and coming in cold. If they see Tokarski as the starter when Price is past his prime then I see why they brought him in. But listening to TSN 690 they talk of Tokarski as the next backup, in which case the move doesn't really make sense. During the regular season Budaj has already beaten the Rangers, Bruins (twice) and Penguins. The simple fact that he got that many starts against those teams makes me think that they were testing him for taking over in the playoffs (this is the second year in a row that Price has been knocked out of a series). Budaj certainly passed the test (he also won against the Leafs and Sens). Surprising that they didn't go to him, but maybe his play when he took over from Price in G1 had something to do with it. I only saw the start of the game so don't know.

wprager wrote:

tim1_2 wrote:I apologize if this was already discussed, but I'm catching up as I was camping all weekend...

Why would Montreal have Budaj sitting on the bench as their backup if they didn't intend on using him in the event Price got hurt?  Wouldn't it have been preferable to have Tokarski finish Game 1 and get some playing time before starting Game 2 if it was the plan to use him all along?  

If Therien and Habs management only decided that Tokarski would be the guy after Game 1, that's horrible management.  They should've had the contingency plan ready all along, and had Tokarski on the bench.

They intended for him to come in if Price was pulled in-game. As a career backup he's used to sitting on the bench and coming in cold. If they see Tokarski as the starter when Price is past his prime then I see why they brought him in. But listening to TSN 690 they talk of Tokarski as the next backup, in which case the move doesn't really make sense. During the regular season Budaj has already beaten the Rangers, Bruins (twice) and Penguins. The simple fact that he got that many starts against those teams makes me think that they were testing him for taking over in the playoffs (this is the second year in a row that Price has been knocked out of a series). Budaj certainly passed the test (he also won against the Leafs and Sens). Surprising that they didn't go to him, but maybe his play when he took over from Price in G1 had something to do with it. I only saw the start of the game so don't know.

I have Habs fans telling me this morning that starting Tokarski was the only possible move since Budaj sucks in the playoffs. So then my question would remain...why have him on the bench instead of Tokarski?

Maybe you're right, Prags...maybe Budaj's play in Game 1 was horrible...I didn't see it. He did let in 3 goals on 8 shots when he took over for the 3rd period.

Western Conf Finals Game 2 goes tonight...

Kings @ Blackhawks - 8:00pm ET - Blackhawks lead the series 1-0.

DefenceWinsChampionships wrote:I agree with the Tampa assessment. Montreal still would have won but it would have been a much closer series.

Taking the defeat of the Bruins out of the minds of Habs fans will be next to impossible. For Habs fans that was the Stanley Cup finals.

They've beaten Boston plenty of times. It was nice to beat Lucic and his chest-pounding muscle-flexing idiocy (I'm sure Cam Neely wasn't impressed with the antics), but Boston is always seen as a place to get through on the way to the Finals, and not the final destination itself.

Hoags wrote:It's like their last miracle run with Halak a few years ago.

And to think I got flak from oleoleolol Habs fans that we only beat them due to Anderson when Price is the only reason they get anywhere.

But they are right. Anderson played great and Price was average, then got hurt. Anderson stole a game and Price lost one, then Therrien got schooled when he tried to goon it up. But make no mistake, if Price had been his usual self and Anderson doesn't play lights out that OT game then it's a different series; it never goes to a brawl the Habs are simply not built to survive.

tim1_2 wrote:

wprager wrote:

tim1_2 wrote:I apologize if this was already discussed, but I'm catching up as I was camping all weekend...

Why would Montreal have Budaj sitting on the bench as their backup if they didn't intend on using him in the event Price got hurt?  Wouldn't it have been preferable to have Tokarski finish Game 1 and get some playing time before starting Game 2 if it was the plan to use him all along?  

If Therien and Habs management only decided that Tokarski would be the guy after Game 1, that's horrible management.  They should've had the contingency plan ready all along, and had Tokarski on the bench.

They intended for him to come in if Price was pulled in-game.  As a career backup he's used to sitting on the bench and coming in cold.  If they see Tokarski as the starter when Price is past his prime then I see why they brought him in.  But listening to TSN 690 they talk of Tokarski as the next backup, in which case the move doesn't really make sense.  During the regular season Budaj has already beaten the Rangers, Bruins (twice) and Penguins.  The simple fact that he got that many starts against those teams makes me think that they were testing him for taking over in the playoffs (this is the second year in a row that Price has been knocked out of a series).  Budaj certainly passed the test (he also won against the Leafs and Sens).  Surprising that they didn't go to him, but maybe his play when he took over from Price in G1 had something to do with it.  I only saw the start of the game so don't know.

I have Habs fans telling me this morning that starting Tokarski was the only possible move since Budaj sucks in the playoffs.  So then my question would remain...why have him on the bench instead of Tokarski?

Maybe you're right, Prags...maybe Budaj's play in Game 1 was horrible...I didn't see it.  He did let in 3 goals on 8 shots when he took over for the 3rd period.  

3 PP goals, so who knows. But still.

Why did he use tokarski immediately is the question. Way to Diddle yourself into a corner moron.

It is strange. If they didn't trust Budaj, why have him there at all? Perhaps they were not expecting to use him at all. Then, when faced with a decision for a starter, they felt Tokarski gave them the better chance.

Will be interesting to see who starts for Game 3. Would not be surprised to see Tokarski again.

shabbs wrote:It is strange. If they didn't trust Budaj, why have him there at all? Perhaps they were not expecting to use him at all. Then, when faced with a decision for a starter, they felt Tokarski gave them the better chance.

Will be interesting to see who starts for Game 3. Would not be surprised to see Tokarski again.

Yeah, I think they will start Tokarski again...it doesn't matter though, I think...neither one of them is getting the Habs out of this hole.

A Habs fan here was telling me that no team would survive with their backup goalie in net...that might be the case, but that doesn't mean a quality backup isn't important. I'd feel just fine with Lehner having to come in for Anderson in the playoffs (or vice versa). If the Habs weren't confident with Budaj, then Tokarski should've been on the bench, OR they should've addressed that void at the trade deadline. Certainly having to go to your backup isn't a good scenario for any team in the playoffs, but it doesn't have to be the kiss of death.

shabbs wrote:It is strange. If they didn't trust Budaj, why have him there at all? Perhaps they were not expecting to use him at all. Then, when faced with a decision for a starter, they felt Tokarski gave them the better chance.

Will be interesting to see who starts for Game 3. Would not be surprised to see Tokarski again.

Therrien tried everything in his power to NOT use Budaj, including using and AHL call up. I don't see how you ever use Budaj again in the playoffs if you're Montreal. I'd say he's mentally Cussed at this point.