I think Montreal has been playing a bit above their heads for a while in part thanks to Martin as a coach (he's awesome.) They have a really good system going though and one of the best young goalies in the league. They're impossible to count out, but I just think that Washington, Pittsburgh, Philly, Tampa, Boston, Buffalo and the Rangers have better teams and should be a lock for the 7 top spots in the East. I think Montreal probably has the best chance of the middling-bottom teams to take the 8th spot...but I don't think they're a lock.
Anyway, just wanted to give my two cents. Good luck on the season.
I think Montreal has been playing a bit above their heads for a while in part thanks to Martin as a coach (he's awesome.) They have a really good system going though and one of the best young goalies in the league. They're impossible to count out, but I just think that Washington, Pittsburgh, Philly, Tampa, Boston, Buffalo and the Rangers have better teams and should be a lock for the 7 top spots in the East. I think Montreal probably has the best chance of the middling-bottom teams to take the 8th spot...but I don't think they're a lock.
Anyway, just wanted to give my two cents. Good luck on the season.
I don't understand... Isn't Martin's system the team play? How can we be playing above our heads if that's the game plan? If anything I would say some players have been under-performing with respect to their expected results.
I don't understand... Isn't Martin's system the team play? How can we be playing above our heads if that's the game plan? If anything I would say some players have been under-performing with respect to their expected results.
The prevailing narrative is that Montreal is a low-talent team, and that it's surviving largely on system-based airtight defense and extremely good goaltending; not very good, but able to eke out one-goal wins in low-scoring affairs.
The reality is more along the lines that they have a lot of good puck-possession players and a good puck-possession coach, and have really improved their puck-possession game last year, but haven't been able to turn that puck-possession into goals. Yet.
Since the last CBA the playing field continues to get more even. All teams have a chance. Even the leafs could surprise and do quite well this year.
With that said having TSN say we'll win the east scares me because they are always wrong. Having most posters on this site say we'll barely grab eighth is funny because usually kites are flying pretty high around here.
Where does all that truly leave us? In my opinion a comfortable 5th. I think the Habs will start out really slow. Scary slow and then pump it up and not look back.
Play-offs? That's a tough one. Shanny will change the game this year. If it scares off the bullies Habs might be O.K. If big tough teams have their way...No chance for the HABs.
Sit back and enjoy peeps it's going to be a different game this year and I hope it benefits the small, fast and skilled guys. I'm looking forward to this season.
Trade AK soon please. He cares a lot.... No doubt about it!!!!!! But it doesn't matter when it's not all there. We need an extra pair of balls, let's use him as bait..
This is all pretty hilarious. Normally when TSN says we're going to miss the playoffs, everybody loses their sh*&. Now that TSN says we're going to do really well, people still go apesh*&. I really wonder what the reaction would have been had we won this game 4-0. If say Price was in nets and their back-up was in instead of Roloson. If our full squad had already played a couple of games together and so and so forth. I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be this kind of backlash. Bottom line is that it's still pre-season, pure and simple. Heck we might not even look good for a few regular season games. But we will. This team is better than last year's. It just hasn't had a chance to come together yet. The season is long!
Who is the 2nd line centre in Ottawa? Regin or a Rookie?
Heck who is the entire 2nd line on down with that forward group?
Only thing Ottawa will compete for is first overall (in the draft, that is).
Well I came in here pretty civil, so there's really no need for a post like this. I know it's 'lol preseason' but I'd say out 2nd line centre is likely to be Zibanejad. 4 goals in 6 games while being good defensively and physical. I know it's just preseason, but he's looked better and better in every game (same with Rundblad.)
Ottawa's roster isn't as bad as people think. We've actually got pretty high end 3rd and 4th lines, a good goalie, and if our rookies continue to do well (Cowen, Rundblad, Zibanejad) we've got a good defence and a 2nd line centre that has good chemistry with Alfredsson.
Ultimately we won't know until the season starts, but there are some positives to take from our preseason. There's no way that Ottawa is worse than Florida, NYI, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, or Colorado. I think they have a good enough roster to compete with those I mentioned before for the 8th spot in the East. It's not like I'm saying that Ottawa is going to be some great, world-beating team, I think they'll struggle and wind up somewhere in the 11th to 8th spot.
Montreal will be fighting with Toronto, New Jersey, Carolina and Ottawa for that 8th playoff spot.
The Habs will not win the East, they could possibly win their division, and finish third in the East...can't believe you mention the Sens fighting for 8th? They will be fighting for 12th is more like it....
Well I came in here pretty civil, so there's really no need for a post like this. I know it's 'lol preseason' but I'd say out 2nd line centre is likely to be Zibanejad. 4 goals in 6 games while being good defensively and physical. I know it's just preseason, but he's looked better and better in every game (same with Rundblad.)
Ottawa's roster isn't as bad as people think. We've actually got pretty high end 3rd and 4th lines, a good goalie, and if our rookies continue to do well (Cowen, Rundblad, Zibanejad) we've got a good defence and a 2nd line centre that has good chemistry with Alfredsson.
Ultimately we won't know until the season starts, but there are some positives to take from our preseason. There's no way that Ottawa is worse than Florida, NYI, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, or Colorado. I think they have a good enough roster to compete with those I mentioned before for the 8th spot in the East. It's not like I'm saying that Ottawa is going to be some great, world-beating team, I think they'll struggle and wind up somewhere in the 11th to 8th spot.
You are expecting too much from rookies. Florida has a pretty veran roster with all their UFA signing and Winnipeg also. The Islanders will be better with Nabokov in nets and Streit and Okposo healthy.
I'm not saying Ottawa will finish last but they'll be in the bottom 5-6 teams.
I was just watching the second intermission of the tampa game on TSN, and James Duthie has the habs penciled in at 5th, also adding that he thinks the habs are going to do very well this year. He also said that one of the member's of the TSN panel has the habs winning the east this year, but we wouldn't find out until the season preview show.
What do you guys think? Pierre Mguire?
What was that conjecturer smoking? It's easy to make a counterintuitive prediction that will soon be forgotten. If by some miracle it comes to pass, the seer may be seen as a Nostradamus of sorts for a while. Of course, after his second prediction falls flat he'll be seen as a lucky buffoon. Anyone who's watched the preseason games should realize that the material for finishing ahead of the better NHL teams just isn't there.
Take the East? Without Markov this team with this defense is going to struggle to make the playoffs. I don't see us finishing ahead of Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Washington, Boston or Tampa Bay. Hope I'm wrong but the D really concerns me.
I can't wait to hear Button's explanation. His homerism is always fun to listen to even if it does sound ridiculous at the end of the day anything can happen.
