Damn all we need is a left shooter there who can get an accurate, low shot on net. We dont need a cannon shot. I thought towards the end of season that MAB wasnt effective anymore when Markov returned. He was forcing the shot too much instead of letting Markov QB, and MAB wouldnt pass at all.
Markov - Spacek/Hammer? Prolly gonna try this out for a while. I guess we dont have any left shot forwards who could do this? How's Eller's shot? Prolly too young to handle this tho. Pouliot? need him on LW. Dustin Boyd's shot? Ability to handle defensive/passing aspects?
0 in 7 against the panthers.. No Lefthanded shot from the right point will kill the habs.. you guys will remember this
I haven't watched any of the games so it's hard for me to comment too much. Are the Habs not using a new formation? Whether or not they are I share your concern of having that point shot...........
Souray, Schneider, Streit. The Habs really rolled the dice on Bergeron since his last name doesn't start with "S". But I have to believe a shot was one of the reasons the Habs acquired Spacek who has not achieved the desired result to date.
I disagree. For us this year goaltending imo will be the biggest key. I say this being a Price supporter but it is the truth. If we have stellar goaltending then we have all the tools to be a solid team in the east. If we don't we could be fighting for a spot or worse.
0 in 7 against the panthers.. No Lefthanded shot from the right point will kill the habs.. you guys will remember this
The one time Spacek was on LD for a split second and shoots the puck, all of the sudden a goal happens.
It was a flukey goal but he was playing his natural side for a split second, takes a shot and scores.
I know it's just a fluke but a convenient fluke at that. Point is we have Spacek and with injuries he might be able to play his natural side for a bit.
our PP should be healthy with people like Weber, Subban, Spacek, Picard at the blue line and forwards like eller, boyd, gomez gio, plecks, cams up front ... and then when Markov and Hmrlik returns weshould be even stronnger ... honestly im not worried about the powerplay at all ...its pre season they're testing out new plays on the PP and some of them work others dont.
0 in 7 against the panthers.. No Lefthanded shot from the right point will kill the habs.. you guys will remember this
We came really close more than once though, and it might be good to note that the Panthers are perfect in pre-season in PK. Never let a goal in against any team.
Up to now it seems like our 5v5 has drastically improved compared to last year though, is it me or the Habs have been dominating nearly every game in terms of puck possession and shots? This will make the team a lot less reliant on the PP to do something.
And I'm sure that once Markov is back, it will already improve the PP quite a bit. Just give them some time to figure out how to best do it.
another horrible pp showing tonight.. I predict Bergeron will be back by game 10 unless Picard shoots well when Markov is back..
Spacek's natural side is actually the right for the PP. That's where he was ok in BUF. But his shot is not elite. Our best left point is Markov and then Subban but Subban or weber can't play right point for the habs to be successful. It will be Spacek or Picard on the right but it seems like they are both horrible. MAYBE Cammy.. I guess that is the only possible good option but we loose him upfront
I think we won't be as bad as we have been without our lefthanded right point shot because of the addition of Subban on second wave but we definitely will not be a top 5 as we have proven to be horrible without that key piece on the right point.. My prediction is we are between 18th and 23rd in the league until like every other year we realize we need a right point lefthanded booming precise quick shot and pick one up somewhere improving our PP at that point. The only reason why I don't see us in the bottom 5 is we have Spacek for that position (average but not horrible) and a better second wave.
What rank do you see our PP by the all star break and do you agree that without a top 5 PP we are in trouble?
I hate to say I told you so but I still think the stupidest thing in the world is to try to change the proven formula that is the ONLY ONE that has proven to produce a top 3 PP in the league for 5 years.
WE NEED A LEFTY BOOMING PRECISE SHOT FROM THE RIGHT POINT NOW
I'm pretty sure that the PP will remain our biggest strength apart from goaltending. I wouldn't worry too much about this right now, it's way too early in the season.
I don't always agree with Pierre Mcguire but he is right on saying the biggest question mark this season for the habs is can they repeat their PP stellar record this year.
I think we won't be as bad as we have been without our lefthanded right point shot because of the addition of Subban on second wave but we definitely will not be a top 5 as we have proven to be horrible without that key piece on the right point.. My prediction is we are between 18th and 23rd in the league until like every other year we realize we need a right point lefthanded booming precise quick shot and pick one up somewhere improving our PP at that point. The only reason why I don't see us in the bottom 5 is we have Spacek for that position (average but not horrible) and a better second wave.
What rank do you see our PP by the all star break and do you agree that without a top 5 PP we are in trouble as Mcguire is stating?
To me the key is being unpredictable. Right now almost every shot we take is either a Cammy one-timer where the goalie sees it coming a mile away, and will save it 95% of the time, or Spacek/Subban taking a shot from an angle (not straight-on) where again, the goalie has way better chance of stopping it. And when a shot does come, it either gets blocked or there isn't enough traffic.
I could use a ton of analogies here but i'll use one in particular: In football, you need to establish your running game to open up your passing game, and vice versa. Once you do that, the defense is less sure about what you're going to throw at them. Same applies here: until you establish a dangerous down-low play, like where Plex passed it to AK for that tip play, (which was a great opportunity to score by the way) the defense will always expect a shot from outside. A guy like AK for instance should be in that spot for the whole PP, instead coming outside to take a shot. It seems we have too many guys who want to shoot instead of create traffic and attempt tip-ins. We took a truck-load of shots on the PP last game but barely any them were actually dangerous.
All to say that i don't really believe it's the personnel that's the problem. You don't need a howitzer from the point to have a good PP: you need to mix in different elements so that a decent slapshot from the point becomes as effective as a howitzer. Hopefully that AK tip-in play is asign of Martin&co. finally figuring out how to better use their players...
Markov will come back, if things don't click and we can't find someone to get that bullet shot through, then Picard will be dropped and we'll sign MAB.
Gauthier will make sure we get a PP shot that will work if things don't improve on the PP.
I know it's only 5 games in, but if we can manage to remain around the middle of the league for Goals per game, then a little help on the PP would put us in the better 1/3rd of the NHL in terms of scoring.
That would be a massive improvement over last season.
Well... Fellow Habs fans.. Since I have predicted exactly what was going to happen so far to the team this year, let me explain what needs to happen next
Over the next 6-7 games our PP will SLIGHTLY improve. Thanks to Markov getting his timing back, we will become a 20th to 25th place team on the PP. IF Gauthier has the balls to acknowledge the fact that he tried to reinvent the wheel after more evidence than any team has ever had about a formula that allows us mysteriously to be year after year the top 2 PP of the league, he will find a solution of any kind to get us a LH right point booming precise quick shot and we will rise back to the top % by the end of the year making us an above average team.
This year's team is an 8th place team that could go as high as number 4 with our usual PP. Last year's team was a 10th place team that could go as high as a 7th place with the PP we had.
My prediction (which is what I wrote before the year started) is that on the 3rd week of Novemeber we will find someone around the league to be our PP specialist. (simple method would be to trade or drop Obyrne or Picard and add Bergeron but if we can find one that could play D as well it would be better
Well... Fellow Habs fans.. Since I have predicted exactly what was going to happen so far to the team this year, let me explain what needs to happen next
Over the next 6-7 games our PP will SLIGHTLY improve. Thanks to Markov getting his timing back, we will become a 20th to 25th place team on the PP. IF Gauthier has the balls to acknowledge the fact that he tried to reinvent the wheel after more evidence than any team has ever had about a formula that allows us mysteriously to be year after year the top 2 PP of the league, he will find a solution of any kind to get us a LH right point booming precise quick shot and we will rise back to the top % by the end of the year making us an above average team.
This year's team is an 8th place team that could go as high as number 4 with our usual PP. Last year's team was a 10th place team that could go as high as a 7th place with the PP we had.
My prediction (which is what I wrote before the year started) is that on the 3rd week of Novemeber we will find someone around the league to be our PP specialist. (simple method would be to trade or drop Obyrne or Picard and add Bergeron but if we can find one that could play D as well it would be better
I partially agreed with you and have thought about this thread. And I'll reference my earlier post regarding the subject but the ingredients seem to be twofold: Markov and a shooter from the point. I'll reiterate that last year with Bergeron and without Markov the PP was 10th. Markov came back and it zoomed to the top. Markov seemingly needs that shooter. If Markov could find a comfort level on the right side then he and Subban could each set up for one timers but Markov doesn't appear to like the right side. He's more interested in going back door.
I was also disappointed when Markov left after less than a minute on the first powerplay. I don't know who's call that is but it was disappointing.
And I'll reference my earlier post regarding the subject but the ingredients seem to be twofold: Markov and a shooter from the point. I'll reiterate that last year with Bergeron and without Markov the PP was 10th. Markov came back and it zoomed to the top. Markov seemingly needs that shooter.
Streit, Souray, Schenider, Bergeron. You're one of the few Hab fans that gets it. Markov is basically another forward on the PP, and that's what he feels comfortable with. When you put a guy with a booming, accurate shot back there with him...Habs are absolutely lethal and Markov becomes an even bigger threat. It's clear as day yet fans continue to drink the koolaid.
i buy a round the next time spacek gets a point shot on net. 2 rounds if it ever goes in undeflected + not a fanned shot to begin with. he only scores by accident when the shot is flubbed and it throws off the read.
OH how I miss Streit, that's one of the decisions where I think the organization dropped the balll
KingKovy, your crystal ball is working great! Can I have tonights winning numbers please? I need em bad!
lol
i totally agree about streit as well.. but remember.. you probably wanted Sundin instead at that time.. i knw I did.. who knows what would have happened with sundin without a half a year break..
But I have to believe a shot was one of the reasons the Habs acquired Spacek who has not achieved the desired result to date.
