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Post by CentreHice on Oct 30, 2015 10:16:18 GMT -5
I felt for you last night, NWT.
You must have wanted to go down to the bench halfway through the second period with a bucket of cold water….and some choice words….
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Post by seventeen on Oct 30, 2015 10:59:06 GMT -5
Those are the kinds of decisions, NWT, that make me dislike MT as a coach. I question his judgment. One can't be sure, but it seems he lets things other than on ice play weigh in his choices. I've seen DD outhustle and outwork opposing players, but it is huge drain on him. He just doesn't have the mass to compete for 82 games at that level. Worse...he simply does not think in a defensive capacity. It's not in his DNA. But he could be a good defensive player. You have to think like an offensive player to understand where the weak spots are on the ice and go there to prevent goals. Who better to do that than an offensive player? The issue, normally, with offensive guys is the desire. Playing well defensively is hard work and not everyone wants to do it.
DD is a favourite of Therrien's so he gets huge benefits of the doubt. As was said by many posters, if Semin had coasted the way DD did on that last goal, Therrien would have him sent to the Brampton Beast. DD must be an awfully likeable guy, though, because his teammates love him and that's often the opposite with a teacher's pet. I understand his line started the game. That isn't line matching because the visiting team has to submit their line-up first I believe. Neither Flash nor Weise are hometown boys, so what would be the reasoning for starting the DD line? Variety?
This is a Jekyll and Hyde type of team. We just don't know which one will show up on any night and that lack of consistency is concerning for a team that has Stanley Cup aspirations.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 30, 2015 11:48:06 GMT -5
Yes, MT started the DD line on the road last night. It set an ominous tone to an evening that was actually quite fun for 20 minutes. The last 40, not so much. Some emails this morning, even less so!!
Carey has been snake-bitten in Edmonton and was due a good bounce back game. This was the boys last visit to Rexall. Gally was born in Edmonton. Half the crowd were wearing Habs' gear. You would think it would have been enough to keep them motivated for a solid 60 minute performance. Oh well, that is why they play the game.
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Post by jkr on Oct 30, 2015 12:05:18 GMT -5
This is now 3 crap games in a row and Price has allowed 12 goals. I would expect some significant changes in effort but I'm not holding my breath tonight. Calgary is struggling too but have their own group of good young forwards (Bennett, Gaudreau, Monahan) and IMO, a much better D than EDM. The game is probably blacked out in my area so I couldn't turn it on even if I wanted to.
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Post by frozone on Oct 30, 2015 12:30:09 GMT -5
How many times have we discussed after losing a game about how bad of a decision it was to give DD an important defensive assignment? It's happened quite often. I don't blame DD, I blame the coach who hasn't learned.
I've been very happy with DD as the team's 3rd line center. He's been producing and holding his own defensively with few lapses, although he does get outmuscled so he needs sheltering. He was a big part of the hot start to the season, so I'm not going to throw him under the bus for a bad play, especially when it's caused by a weakness in his game that he will never overcome. It's on MT to play him responsibly, or even move him to the wing and Eller back to center for the games/periods that require more defensive physicality from our centermen.
I'm worried about MT's system. Every year, his system seems to rely so heavily on the Habs bringing more energy than the other team. That philosophy is just way too unsustainable. MT needs to have a system in his back pocket that the team can resort to on those nights where their legs are simply finished. Although we're always asking for it, outworking another team for a full 60 minutes hardly ever happens.
MT should take much of the blame for that loss imo. I'll give him a pass, though. He's earned it after a 9-2 start, but man I hope he learns from his mistakes someday.
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Post by seventeen on Oct 30, 2015 12:46:38 GMT -5
MT should take much of the blame for that loss imo. I'll give him a pass, though. He's earned it after a 9-2 start, but man I hope he learns from his mistakes someday. Don't hold your breath. In the past, DD has been used in the last minutes of a game on numerous occasions. This isn't the first and will likely not be the last time we hear this complaint on the board. You've made a good point in that the team has gotten off to a 9-2 start. If we'd had the bad games early in the streak, we'd be lauding MT for making the right adjustments. Let's see what happens in the next 10 games. Twenty games should be a reasonable barometer.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 30, 2015 12:57:33 GMT -5
It was a funny game. Despite being up 3-0 after one, they way the boys came out flat in the second you could really sense that the next goal was going to be huge. I think a fourth against Talbot and that iffy defense would have been lights out. The key was not letting all those young, fast and hungry legs of the Oil forwards get back into the game. This is likely the least physical team that the Habs will face all season, so you knew it would be more of a track meat than a game won and lost in the trenches.
Oh well, they are all down the QE2 now gearing up for another slumping team that will come out smelling a little blood after the Habs' last two games. We will need to be ready.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2015 14:53:21 GMT -5
MT should take much of the blame for that loss imo. I'll give him a pass, though. He's earned it after a 9-2 start, but man I hope he learns from his mistakes someday. Don't hold your breath. In the past, DD has been used in the last minutes of a game on numerous occasions. This isn't the first and will likely not be the last time we hear this complaint on the board. You've made a good point in that the team has gotten off to a 9-2 start. If we'd had the bad games early in the streak, we'd be lauding MT for making the right adjustments. Let's see what happens in the next 10 games. Twenty games should be a reasonable barometer. The thing is, Desharnais has gone up against bigger players many times and has won puck battles. No idea what was going on in his head on the winning goal, but that's definitely a play he'd like another crack at. If we were still up by a goal, would he have let Nugent-Hopkins steal the puck so easily?
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Post by seventeen on Oct 30, 2015 15:27:27 GMT -5
It was tied at the time. Is there any change in urgency up one or tied? We all make mistakes and in this case DD flat out didn't work hard enough to get to the puck quickly. A good friend who's an Edmonton fan couldn't believe he was that slack on the play. The more important thing is what do we learn from it? DD has to work hard when he's earned the coach's trust to play late in a game. And if we get punished often enough, the coach has to learn to not put that player in that position, subsequently hurting the team.
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Post by del on Oct 30, 2015 18:09:05 GMT -5
so you knew it would be more of a track meat than a game won and lost in the trenches. . track meat ... yep, for sure .... we were road kill , no doubt about it
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Post by folatre on Oct 30, 2015 19:03:23 GMT -5
Game frustrating to watch. No urgency to compete. Even guys with work ethic and marginal hockey skill like Weise took off shifts last night.
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