playoffs: 2020-21 | Semis | (W2) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (N4) Montreal Canadiens

Kind of hurts to see THEIR young guys dominate

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Kind of? It's agonizing, especially while Rangers fans continue to rationalize with placating shit like "he's improving."

Just what you want to hear about a second-overall billed as a complete package, dominating, can't-miss NHL prospect.

At least Lafreniere really started to show something.

What's most amazing is the culture they have in Montreal. Very Isles-like. Relentless, physical, responsible. Can't count them out of any game, and their leadership tend to fire the team up at exactly the right moments.

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Kind of hurts to see THEIR young guys dominate

 

 

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Kotkaniemi is their Kakko. He had 20 points this year.

We were never taking Caulfield 2nd overall.

Just because other teams young players are successful doesn't mean that our young players will never be successful. It's not like there's one finite "bucket of success for young players" and that Habs are bogarting it LOL.

These are 2 teams on 2 different paths.

It's not apples to apples -- more overall. You look at their roster mix and it's not terribly different than the Rangers minus the more reliable goalie. They're a playoff team, and have gone deep largely because of the impact of rookies. It hurts to see because I don't know about you, but I have very little faith, given a role reversal, that the Rangers would fare similarly.

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Price is 100% the bedrock behind why they are where they are, but he's only keeping them from losing games. Goalies can't score goals or produce offense. The actual offense is why they're winning.

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Sure. It's a semantics thing. He stops them from losing games they'd otherwise lose with a lesser goalie and that gives the offense enough room to maybe score the goals they need to win. It's a lot like how the Rangers built and performed in the late aughts and early 2010s.

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Don’t forget that Price is stealing almost every game and Fleury gifted them game 3

Nah, that was just Anderson's strong North/South game proving Larry right /s

Nah, that was just Anderson's strong North/South game proving Larry right /s

What an adorable little troll you are. Tell me, do the drapes match the moss under the bridge you live beneath?

What an adorable little troll you are. Tell me, do the drapes match the moss under the bridge you live beneath?

Thanks. I just got my hair done too. No room for jokes this morning?

It does prove Larry right. Montreal has a heavier team, a more responsible team, with much less talent, and is still playing.

We have all the talent in the world, and fucking suck. Like, really, really, suck.

People get so hung up on PPG, and other fantasy stats and fail to understand what actually wins hockey games when push comes to shove and its not November the 18th. It's all about roster composition, period, the end.

It's not apples to apples -- more overall. You look at their roster mix and it's not terribly different than the Rangers minus the more reliable goalie. They're a playoff team, and have gone deep largely because of the impact of rookies. It hurts to see because I don't know about you, but I have very little faith, given a role reversal, that the Rangers would fare similarly.

 

 

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That and as much as I hate to admit it, but unlike the Rangers they have a healthy injection of veteran leadership which can make all the difference this time of the year i.e. Weber, Perry, Staal and Price.

It does prove Larry right. Montreal has a heavier team, a more responsible team, with much less talent, and is still playing.

 

We have all the talent in the world, and fucking suck. Like, really, really, suck.

 

People get so hung up on PPG, and other fantasy stats and fail to understand what actually wins hockey games when push comes to shove and its not November the 18th. It's all about roster composition, period, the end.

Nobody disagreed with the sentiment of needing a heavier team. Seems likely Gorton isn't here anymore because he ignored it. BUT, Larry was quiet about Josh Anderson's impact in the playoffs, because he was a big fat zero, until a gifted goal finally crossed his path. Now it's "I told you so".

Montreal had a negative goal differential and would have missed the playoffs in every other division. They had 24 wins and 32 losses. Their run here is not much more than a magical, hot streak with great timing, and a snowball of confidence in their ability to win games. There's no "I told you so" here. I don't see a "secret sauce" to how to build a team when looking at Montreal. They have a HOF goalie playing at an HOF level after with a renewed sense of purpose. What this does go to show, is the idea that any team can do anything if they just get a ticket to the show. Doubly so if they have a HOF goalie. Next time there's a debate on the boards about it being pointless to "snag the 8th seed just to get bounced in the first round", we will inevitably be talking about the '20-21 Canadiens.

Nobody disagreed with the sentiment of needing a heavier team. Seems likely Gorton isn't here anymore because he ignored it. BUT, Larry was quiet about Josh Anderson's impact in the playoffs, because he was a big fat zero, until a gifted goal finally crossed his path. Now it's "I told you so".

 

Montreal had a negative goal differential and would have missed the playoffs in every other division. They had 24 wins and 32 losses. Their run here is not much more than a magical, hot streak with great timing, and a snowball of confidence in their ability to win games. There's no "I told you so" here. I don't see a "secret sauce" to how to build a team when looking at Montreal. They have a HOF goalie playing at an HOF level after with a renewed sense of purpose. What this does go to show, is the idea that any team can do anything if they just get a ticket to the show. Doubly so if they have a HOF goalie. Next time there's a debate on the boards about it being pointless to "snag the 8th seed just to get bounced in the first round", we will inevitably be talking about the '20-21 Canadiens.

Wasn't Montreal also one of the best 5v5 teams in the NHL this year? All North Division jokes aside.

Thanks. I just got my hair done too. No room for jokes this morning?

I just asked you if the drapes match the moss and you think I'm being super serial? :rofl:

It does prove Larry right. Montreal has a heavier team, a more responsible team, with much less talent, and is still playing.

 

We have all the talent in the world, and fucking suck. Like, really, really, suck.

 

People get so hung up on PPG, and other fantasy stats and fail to understand what actually wins hockey games when push comes to shove and its not November the 18th. It's all about roster composition, period, the end.

Exactly. I'm literally repeating myself, but we go through these exercises every year. Every year fans clamor and clamor to build, in effect, the best regular season roster, and year after year, the best regular season rosters get bounced in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the best teams — the clubs with the best balance of skill and strength, who buy into a team concept — are who go deepest.

Hell, look at the Rangers' teams that made it deepest in the early half of this decade. I'd argue the closest to actually winning were the "black and blueshirts."

We're still looking for a bottom-six half as effective as those ones were.

Mostly to do with how the game is called in the playoffs

Great. That's not changing any time soon. So, you can lament the difference between how games are called, or you can acknowledge the reality and build in response to it.

I just asked you if the drapes match the moss and you think I'm being super serial? :rofl:

An unidentified source told me you were being serious ;)

Sure. It's a semantics thing. He stops them from losing games they'd otherwise lose with a lesser goalie and that gives the offense enough room to maybe score the goals they need to win. It's a lot like how the Rangers built and performed in the late aughts and early 2010s.

 

 

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its not semantics. the rangers rode lundqvist all the way to the finals

It does prove Larry right. Montreal has a heavier team, a more responsible team, with much less talent, and is still playing.

 

We have all the talent in the world, and fucking suck. Like, really, really, suck.

 

People get so hung up on PPG, and other fantasy stats and fail to understand what actually wins hockey games when push comes to shove and its not November the 18th. It's all about roster composition, period, the end.

i'd agree with you if Montreal goes deep next season's playoffs too. Except for Paccio and Price they have no talent, just foot soldiers. YOu need talent to take you all the way

An unidentified source told me you were being serious ;)

I'm opening a formal investigation into this.

its not semantics. the rangers rode lundqvist all the way to the finals

The semantics I meant was the "goalies win games" one. It's an argument I've held onto for years. They can't actually win games. They can just keep you in games long enough not to lose for your offense to ultimately win.

Nobody disagreed with the sentiment of needing a heavier team. Seems likely Gorton isn't here anymore because he ignored it. BUT, Larry was quiet about Josh Anderson's impact in the playoffs, because he was a big fat zero, until a gifted goal finally crossed his path. Now it's "I told you so".

 

Montreal had a negative goal differential and would have missed the playoffs in every other division. They had 24 wins and 32 losses. Their run here is not much more than a magical, hot streak with great timing, and a snowball of confidence in their ability to win games. There's no "I told you so" here. I don't see a "secret sauce" to how to build a team when looking at Montreal. They have a HOF goalie playing at an HOF level after with a renewed sense of purpose. What this does go to show, is the idea that any team can do anything if they just get a ticket to the show. Doubly so if they have a HOF goalie. Next time there's a debate on the boards about it being pointless to "snag the 8th seed just to get bounced in the first round", we will inevitably be talking about the '20-21 Canadiens.

I would agree with this. Montreal's run is nothing more than lightning in a bottle. Their roster is by no means one that any team should model theirs on. Barely good enough to squeak into the playoffs.

They've been fortunate with suitable matchups, being able to play a simple stupid style that works in the playoffs and Playoff Price.

If Montreal ends up winning the cup they just might be the worst Stanley Cup winning team in the last 50 yrs.

Dark horse teams that were not in the top 10 in the regular season have made the finals with some regularity (Minn. '81; Van. '82; Minn. '91; Van. '94; Phil. '10), so Montreal's making the finals would not be a big deal, but the only non-top 10 dark horse to win was LA in '12 (can't remember whether they were top 10 in '14, but they were no dark horse).

The bubble always seems to break in the finals.