I also expect Price to be in goal Saturday. Things have gone too far south and the team needs to work things out ASAP. Even if Price plays strong today I still think sustaining good play is important.
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I also expect Price to be in goal Saturday. Things have gone too far south and the team needs to work things out ASAP. Even if Price plays strong today I still think sustaining good play is important.
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It will be Weber that will sit for Tinordi.
Habs come from behind in the third and win it 4-2 in Winnipeg. They clinch home-ice for the first round of the playoffs and still have a chance to win the division.
Very solid game by Price. He allowed two goals but both of them were from turnovers by his defenseman. Made the big saves (twice on Wheeler on breakaways) and kept his team in it.
It was obvious the Jets came flat in the 3rd because they learned they were eliminated from playoff contention but the Habs had to take advantage of it and they did.
Still, the Habs weren't that convincing both offensively and defensively. The win will help the confidence but I hope they'll be better on Saturday against the Leafs, their most likely opponent for the playoffs.
It wasn't as convincing of a win as the score would suggest but anything i better than what we've been seeing. In the first two periods many of the old habits remained: turnovers, higher quality scoring chances allowed than usual, careless passes and lack of ability to finish plays offensively. Then the Jets found out during the second intermission that they are not going to the postseason and they basically phoned it in.
Player of the game: Carey Price 23/25 (.920). Not overly busy shots-wise but definitely had to make some big saves including a handful of breakaways. He is still fighting the puck but like I've been writing the past few games he is clearly working hard to overcome the issues. He is still down on his knees too quickly and still tends to lose the center of his net but the results were there tonight and the big saves were delivered.
The Eller/Galchenyuk/(insert player here) line was the best once again.
PK Subban is up to 38 points in 41 games.
David Desharnais had a goal but his play overall has been horrible. He is avoiding contact and tends to try to pass the puck Gomez-style through a bunch of players to reach Pacioretty. Always gets intercepted.
Jarred Tinordi was excellent with an assist and seven hits.
Michael Ryder looks lost out there.
Rene Bourque has quietly had a decent year. Not great, but decent.
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Desharnais has just been awful for a while. I think I scoffed at his play at least 5 times last night.
It was fine for him to avoid contact when he was imaginative with the puck and making great passes but now, he seems completely careless.
He did have a decent 3rd period though. He scored and was more involved on the boards.
I felt bad for Gallagher who's working so hard out there but had to literally carry Desharnais and Patches for a while. Loved to see him play with Eller and Galchenyuk, that line could be very good.
Does anyone know when the Habs open their series? I think it would be Thursday, giving them Thursday/Saturday, but I'm not sure.
Writer of the weekly Top 10 column.
12-team Keeper pool, straight points for forwards & dmen. Goalies get: 2 points per win, 3 per shutout, 1 point per assist & 1 point per shootout loss.
League champ in 2013, 2015, 2018, 2020 and 2022.
Top 8 forwards, 5 dmen and 2 goalies count.
We keep 15 players (any position) plus two rookies.
Forwards: Panarin, Ovechkin, Kopitar, Stamkos, Tuch, Rust, Marchessault, Pavelski, Miller, Bertuzzi, Stone, Kakko, Brown, Stankoven, Kovalenko
Defence: Hedman, Fox, Matheson, Thrun, Jiricek
Goalies: Kochetkov, Talbot, Vasilevskiy, Campbell, Schmid
Well...
Now that all 8 teams that are going to play in the playoffs known, it's time to play "Who would you rather face?"
The Habs will finish either 2nd or 4th in the conference. That mean that they can face either of the bottom four teams (Islanders, Rangers, Ottawa, Toronto)
In order, here are, accoding to me, the most favourable matchups for the Habs in the 1st round:
1-Rangers - Every time the Habs faced them this year, I did not believe how different the Rangers looked from last season. They are playing better since Gaborik's departure, but they are still too inconsistent, and without Marc Staal, their defensive squad is not the same. Word is Ryane Clowe might be out for a while.
2-Islanders - An inexperienced team with a lot of flaws in their game, but they gave the Habs fits this year. I would expect the Habs to beat them in a 7 game serie, but it might take them 6 or 7 games.
3-Toronto - They had Montreal's number all year long, and they hold a psychological edge, unless the Habs beat the crap out of them Saturday night. Theey are also inexperienced in terms of playoffs experience, and the pressure in Toronto will be unbelievable, the Leafs being in the playoffs for the first time in out lifetime. With home ice advantage, the Habs could win this one, but I would only bet an old 2$ bill on it, not more.
4-Ottawa - This is the team that are the closest thing to the L.A. Kings last year. Ther ride a hot goalie, with a solid defensive system. In addition, they are getting their injured stars back. They have a balanced lineup, and they are pretty physical.
As much as I agree with the above, and that the Leafs are not the best matchup for us, I still relish the opportunity for the Habs to take them on (how sweet it will be should we knock them out) and I love what it will do for hockey in Canada.
Right now it's Toronto/Montreal, Boston/NYR, Detroit/Chicago, wouldn't that be something, all original 6 matchups!
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
Twitter: @ross10019
CBS Sportsline 14 team H2H keeper (21-man roster, 14 keepers)
Weekly lineup changes (start 9F (3/4C and 6/5W) 5D 2G)
G, A, PPP, SOG, BS, +/-, GAA, W, SV%
Angry Little Elves (formerly Montreal Maulers)
2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015 League Champions
C: Tavares Hintz Larkin Jenner Seguin Schenn Backlund
W: Panarin Marchand Hyman Keller Forsberg Batherson Rust Moore Smith
D: Josi Hamilton Weegar Montour Ekholm Myers Parayko Pettersson Seeler
G: Vasilevskiy Swayman Kuemper
"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."
Twitter: @ross10019
CBS Sportsline 14 team H2H keeper (21-man roster, 14 keepers)
Weekly lineup changes (start 9F (3/4C and 6/5W) 5D 2G)
G, A, PPP, SOG, BS, +/-, GAA, W, SV%
Angry Little Elves (formerly Montreal Maulers)
2012, 2013, 2014 & 2015 League Champions
C: Tavares Hintz Larkin Jenner Seguin Schenn Backlund
W: Panarin Marchand Hyman Keller Forsberg Batherson Rust Moore Smith
D: Josi Hamilton Weegar Montour Ekholm Myers Parayko Pettersson Seeler
G: Vasilevskiy Swayman Kuemper
Honestly, the Leafs are not anything special. Their fans think so but they're just another team. I think the bottom four East teams are interchangeable as far as match-ups go. They have their strengths and weakness but it'll be more about the Habs showing up to play.
Contact me for Frozen Tools bug reports and inquiries
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