 | Canadiens punt away Cup hopes |
Here is all you need to know about this exercise in tedium between the Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers:
Through the first four games, the most compelling narrative by far has been the saga of Pat Hickey's Honda Accord, vandalized in Philadelphia even as it nears the 600,000-kilometre mark – presumably by one of those orange-shirted orangutans you see banging on the glass at the Wachovia Centre.
The fate of Pat's Honda is a yarn worth following. The Habs-Flyers series has been so stultifying it wouldn't be worth mentioning, except that the winner gets a berth in the Stanley Cup final.
After surviving two of the most exciting battles you will ever see against Washington and Pittsburgh, the Canadiens have found themselves locked in an exercise in tedium. Since they were reduced to the role of spectators during the second period Saturday, the Habs have to know how boring it was.
If the first three contests were something less than classics, Saturday's game made my New NHL look very much like that Bad Old NHL. With two teams trapping, scoring chances were as hard to find as decaf at an AA meeting.
If the Philadelphia strategy was to bore the Canadiens to death and silence the crowd, it worked. After the midway mark of the first period, the Habs were never in it. The question is whether the Flyers beat them - or the Canadiens beat themselves.
With a chance to tie the series and go back to Philly with the momentum on their side, the Canadiens laid an egg the size of Laval. They played an awful, disorganized, emotionally flat game. They didn't compete, they didn't test the Flyers. And they were full value for that 3-0 loss.
Why did it happen? The shameful 3 p.m. start for NBC? The Flyers were also playing in the afternoon. In fact, after the first half of the first period, they were the only team playing.
Give Philadelphia credit: The Flyers were more physical, more patient, more experienced, smarter, more consistent. They didn't give the puck away repeatedly. They didn't allow second chances.
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/Canadiens+punt+away+hopes/3064644/story.html#ixzz0owt5mmAz
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| "Canadiens punt away Cup hopes" | Login/Create an Account | 34 comments |
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Re: Canadiens punt away Cup hopes (Score: 1)
by TheLeafNation91 on Tuesday, May 25
(User Info | Send a Message) | Remember when everyone said that the Habs were too 'small' well it showed in this series...
It didn't show in the first three, but the Habs were worn down from the first tow and a giant team like the Flyers just crushed them. Small teams cannot last all the way to the finals.
Also, nice to see that pylon Lapierre out of the playoffs. Don't even know why Habs fans like this guy, maybe because he's french |
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Re: Canadiens punt away Cup hopes (Score: 1)
by HABSSTAR (loserleafs@hotmail.com) on Tuesday, May 25
(User Info | Send a Message) | | Congrats to the Flyers and their fans on the series win! |
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Re: Canadiens punt away Cup hopes (Score: 1)
by Kramer on Tuesday, May 25
(User Info | Send a Message) | The Habs lost because they didn't listen to me. After they beat the Penguins, they needed a trip to a swedish spa to relieve stress. 14 games in 1 month is too much. In the playoffs, you gotta be sober, keep away from women, and drink lots of coffee. Big self sacrifice is needed. If it was easy, every body would do it. Take the Flyers for instance. None of them had sex in seven weeks.
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Re: Canadiens punt away Cup hopes (Score: 1)
by pezzz123 on Tuesday, May 25
(User Info | Send a Message) | The Habs will not make the playoffs next year. Mark my words. See Oilers in 2006.
Cinderella team, high hopes for the year after, total crush to the earth, 1rst overall pick 4 years later.
I'm not saying Mtl will pick 1rst overall in 2014, I'm just saying this team going to the semi's was a total nonsense. Don't forget they were 1 point away from not making the playoffs at all. Don't base your evaluation on these playoffs. |
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Re: Canadiens punt away Cup hopes (Score: 1)
by THENOTORIOUS (Bigpoppa@yahoo.ca) on Tuesday, May 25
(User Info | Send a Message) | Congrats to Philly for winning but the Habs were outmatched and size was a factor, the same problem the habs had for the past 15 years. Plekanec and AK were invisible, two of my favorite players, Andrei Kostitsyn has more talent than Cammalleri but looks like he's done with the Habs, as for plekanec maybe he was too tired, he had a pretty busy year but still that's not an excuse! It's obvious the habs are pretty good but WAY too small.
They looked good without Markov, maybe..................nothing.
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Re: Canadiens punt away Cup hopes (Score: 1)
by nordiques100 on Wednesday, May 26
(User Info | Send a Message) | very few teams are among the group who can say they need goaltending and can afford to trade for a player like Price.
Here are the teams with some goaltending questions:
San Jose - need a replacement for nabby if he doesnt re-sign
Edmonton - khabby is done, need new proven starter
St Louis - Mason a UFA, need to re-sign or get replacement
Chicago and Philly - Looks like they have their answer but can Niemi and Leighton deliver full time?
TB - Smith may not be the answer in tampa
Wash - Do they turn to Varlamov/Neuvirth or upgrade?
There are others available: Turco, Nabokov, Mason and via trade Thomas, Vokoun.
But the two teams that seem to fit best for Price are Edmonton and St Louis. Both are good young teams. Both have a veteran hockey operations staff that could help immensely in the maturation process of Price.
The Blues especially may be of most benefit as President John Davidson, a former goalie himself, would be a good "father figure" type to help Price become a better player and person. And in St Louis, out of a major hockey hotbed, that too may be a major key as he has had a hard time in Montreal adjusting to all the distractions. That has contributed to his below average play.
Both these teams have good young assets to offer back in return. From the Blues, the Habs would probably love to pry forward David Backes from them to give them a forward with size and scoring ability to play on the top 2 lines.
they also have a ton of good young defence prospects which is an area the habs could shore up. they too could offer up a goalie prospect like Jake Allen back as well to Montreal.
If not backes, another forward, David Perron, could be packaged. He isnt big, but a french canadian with good offensive ability and skill, that means something in Montreal. Or maybe centre Patrick Berglund. Not a physical player but at 6'3 and 211 lbs, he'd bring needed size up the middle.
There are lots of choices here. The Blues too have cap space. they can easily afford to lock up Price to a long term deal arguably giving them their steadiest goalie since Cujo.
From edmonton, the habs could look at several young players. They likely will not be able to touch the core of top prospects like the 1st overall pick, Eberle, Paajarvi-Svensson, Omark.
But players like Gagner, Cogliano, Brule, Smid, Deslauriers, these are the players a package could be built around. there's also throw ins like Pouliot and Jacques, yes more french canadians whom the Habs always seem to covet.
The issue is the cap. while the habs do not have much space to work with, neither do the Oilers. they would love for a few contracts, O Sullivan, Nilsson, Moreau come to mind, to come off the books. But that may take Montreal to drop players like Hamrlik to leave to free space themselves.
But certainly, with a bevy of young players, the Oilers have the means to package something together to acquire price.
its a unique situation in montreal. 2 number 1s. both RFAs, both likely looking for a big winfall, both looking to be true number 1s and playing full time both relatively young. certainly they can make the best of the situation and find a way to turn one of these to fill other needs.
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Re: Canadiens punt away Cup hopes (Score: 1)
by hockeyhead (LucicCrew@HubHockey.com) on Wednesday, May 26
(User Info | Send a Message) | | shouldnt it be putt cup hopes away. |
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