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Post by MPLABBE on Nov 6, 2002 12:10:27 GMT -5
Call me crazy for saying the next 2 are must wins in November. But they are.
It's time for us to turn it around at home. To stop giving the other team such an easy time. Yes, we have played some great teams(Philly, St Louis, Pittsburgh so far this year) and some teams we have trouble beating(Buffalo and Toronto), but we have yet to play a GREAT game at home.
The Islanders are coming in struggling. They have lost 5 in arrow. Peca is injured, Yashin is play like crap, Osgood and Snow have been brutal, they ain't scoring. Bottom line, they are playing BAD hockey and we MUST jump on them right from the start. Be aggressive, get some forechecking going, use that ''speed'' we are supposed to have, get an early lead. When teams struggle, the best thing you can do is score a couple of early goals and usually they just pack it in for the night. We must do that.
On Saturday, the tired and depleted kings will be in town. No Allison, No Miller, 2nd game in 2 nights, Storr(who has been bad as well this year) may get the start,etc. They still have talent in rookie phenom Frolov, Palffy, Deadmarsh, Smolinsky,etc. But again, it will be a case of US having to come out with intensity, with passion, with emotion on home ice.
It's time for the HABS to stop being so nervous at the Bell center and to make the OTHER team nervous for a chance. Time for us to play 60 minutes for once and not 40 or 50 or 30...
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Post by larek on Nov 6, 2002 12:52:36 GMT -5
Agree we have to WIn the next 2 games but i dont put Pittsburgh in the great team category!With the new crack down on all type of physical contact on the ice Lemieux is not touched ,same goes with his line and of course we have about 50 penaltis called a game ,this must be a dream come true for Mario,but to me its not real hockey.I will say that if Pens make the playoffs, they will be dispatched in the the first round!They will be out quicker than SH IT through a goose!
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Post by MPLABBE on Nov 6, 2002 13:36:56 GMT -5
Yeah I agree...they will come back down to earth someday but so far this year(as I pointed out) they have been great(what is their record 7-2-2-0 or something).
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Post by montreal on Nov 6, 2002 16:20:02 GMT -5
Sorry, but I think that "must win" is a bit of a strech. I don't consider these games a must win at all. Yes we should be the Isles, but we have only lost 1 game in the last few games, so I wouldn't consider these must wins. Don't get me wrong, I want to win every game, but you will lose a few not matter how good you are. If we lose to the Isles, then we have to play better the next game (kings). At 4-4-4 were not that bad off, but I do agree we have not played good at home, and thats not a good thing at all. (3 more home games before 2 home and homes, NJ/Pitt)
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Post by MPLABBE on Nov 6, 2002 16:45:46 GMT -5
It's 4-4-4 with a BUNCH of home games. Eventually, we will go on road trips where we will be lucky to play .250 hockey and the lack of wins at home could come back and bite us in the butt come April.
Last year one of the reasons the Habs made the playoffs is they learned how to win at home. For the first time since the Molson Center opened they started winning there on a regular basis. Now we are lucky to not get blown out in that building we are so fragile confidence wise at home.
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Post by HFTO on Nov 6, 2002 17:35:09 GMT -5
I have to agree with Marc we have to beat a struggling Isles team and a beat up Kings squad who by the way play Friday. Next week we have Dallas and back to back with New Jersey,things could spiral out of control in a hurry.Does anyone feel confident we can beat Dallas and New Jersey at this point? I'm not sure many of us would bet on it.This team needs to take advantage when other teams are down. HFTO
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Post by MPLABBE on Nov 6, 2002 17:38:49 GMT -5
NJ yes. Dallas no.
But the Devils are certainly capable of winning those 2-1, 3-2 games where you thought you should have won. So it's a scary week(next week).
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Post by montreal on Nov 6, 2002 18:01:53 GMT -5
It's 4-4-4 with a BUNCH of home games. Eventually, we will go on road trips where we will be lucky to play .250 hockey and the lack of wins at home could come back and bite us in the butt come April. Last year one of the reasons the Habs made the playoffs is they learned how to win at home. For the first time since the Molson Center opened they started winning there on a regular basis. Now we are lucky to not get blown out in that building we are so fragile confidence wise at home. For the rest of Novemeber, we have 12 games. 8 at home and 4 on the road. Yes we do need to win against the Isles, but to me its too early to say must win. We do have a tought schedule. Isles, Kings, Stars, @nj, NJ, Pitt, @pitt, @ott, Canes, Thrashers, @bos, PHI. Thats not a very easy schedule, but its still early.
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Post by MPLABBE on Nov 6, 2002 18:08:46 GMT -5
But we don't have a month like the March we had last year where we can beat up on bad teams. Remember it? Panthers twice, Lightning twice, Columbus once, I think Atlanta once, Nashville once, Pittsburgh once(with a game in early April),etc
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Post by zenseeker on Nov 6, 2002 18:11:21 GMT -5
I also have to agree with Mplabbe we need the next two games. This team is lucky to have the record they do right they are consistently outshot which tells me either they are getting outplayed every night or we don't have the right players and or coaches to get the job done. This team made the second round of the playoffs off the back of a goalie having an amazing year, we just can't keep expecting our goalie to steal us every win.
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Post by montreal on Nov 6, 2002 18:28:23 GMT -5
But we don't have a month like the March we had last year where we can beat up on bad teams. Remember it? Panthers twice, Lightning twice, Columbus once, I think Atlanta once, Nashville once, Pittsburgh once(with a game in early April),etc I don't understand. What does last March have to do with winning 2 games now. We are .500 right now, after a tough schedule, and the rest of November doesn't get any easier, but we still have to play Panthers 4 times, Thrashers 4 times, and other weaker teams.
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Post by MPLABBE on Nov 6, 2002 19:03:46 GMT -5
I don't understand. What does last March have to do with winning 2 games now. We are .500 right now, after a tough schedule, and the rest of November doesn't get any easier, but we still have to play Panthers 4 times, Thrashers 4 times, and other weaker teams. I should have explained myself better Last year, when we struggled in December or at any other time, we said ''it's OK...we have plenty of bad teams to beat up on in March''...this year we don't have that one big EASY month.
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Post by MPLABBE on Nov 9, 2002 21:56:37 GMT -5
4 points into the bank.
Sweet ;D
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Post by Vichab on Nov 10, 2002 2:10:00 GMT -5
Not only 4 points in the bank but our competitors are having trouble putting anything in the bank. Watching TO struggle brings on an elated feeling which is enhanced by watching the Rags continue to spend money with no results. Buffalo is also struggling as is Ottawa. While the Sens are a good team and maybe in a slump i'm not so sure the other 3 will be able to overcome a weak start. For all the grief we've been giving AS and MT we are 2 games over 500 while our competition falters. I don't like the way we've been playing but the results ain't all that bad. TO is 4 or 5 games below 500 and having real problems in goal and on D. I like where we are right now.
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Post by MPLABBE on Nov 10, 2002 10:54:59 GMT -5
Amen...Sabres after their great start look like a team needing a shakeup
Leafs are back to where they belong(as I said last Summer) and the Rangers STILL stink despite all that $$$
Go Habs Go!
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Post by Vichab on Nov 10, 2002 13:05:45 GMT -5
Oh and I forgot those mighty Islanders and their wind bag milbury.
Come to think of it - if TO, NYI or NYR don't make the playoffs you would think that there would be some gm heads on the block. altho these teams I believe are all locked into long terms with there gms. Bunch of morons.
If we don't make the playoffs MT would probably have to go altho I'm not so sure AS would even do that. I'm pretty sure AS's job would be intact.
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Post by MPLABBE on Nov 10, 2002 14:27:34 GMT -5
yeah Savard is safe cuz' GG loves him.
Sather, Milbury and Quinn should all be fire as far I am concerned.
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