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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 12, 2009 22:39:25 GMT -5
I could see Stewie and Pyatt swapping places at some point.
Glad he bounced back from that concussion so quickly.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 14, 2009 12:31:47 GMT -5
An update on the trio of injured Dogs from today's Hamilton Spectator.
Here's the Dogs latest injury update. Alex Henry (broken finger) is expected to start skating next week. He's another 3-4 weeks away. David Desharnais (broken foot) will be X-rayed again on Friday but is 2-3 weeks away. Mikhael Johansson (groin) resumed skating yesterday. He probably will miss another 7-10 days.
This is good news as these three represent their toughest defensive defenseman (on a team of primarly offensive minded rearguards) and two of their projected top six forwards.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 16, 2009 20:06:48 GMT -5
Sergei just assisted on a Maxwell goal in the 2nd to give the good guys a 2-1 lead. They are on the road in Preoria, IL.
Edit: Sergei just whiffs on a nice two on one. He is moving tonight.
Edit2: Whitey with a great tilt, more than held his own.
Edit3: Weber with a great catch from behind poke check to save a break on net.
Edit4: Second bomb tonight from MAB that leads to a goal. 4th point in two games. 3-2 in the third.
Edit 5: Game going to OT. Another point for the Dogs, but they probably deserved the win. See if they can get it in extra innings.
Edit6: 16 seconds into OT, on a carry over PP, Weber blasted the game winner that was tipped by Darche for his second of the game. Weber and MAB on the point on the PP. Sweeeet. Another assist for MAB. 5 pts in 2 games.
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Post by Gogie on Oct 16, 2009 21:59:51 GMT -5
Dogs win in 4-3 OT. MAB with 3 assists. Coming soon to a Habs' game near you?
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Post by seventeen on Oct 16, 2009 22:15:01 GMT -5
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Post by jkr on Oct 17, 2009 6:54:49 GMT -5
Dogs win in 4-3 OT. MAB with 3 assists. Coming soon to a Habs' game near you? They had almost a week off between games & now play 3 games in 4 nights.  I wonder how many more games they think he needs. 5 points in two games - seems like he is ready. |
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Post by Gogie on Oct 17, 2009 8:12:17 GMT -5
Dogs win in 4-3 OT. MAB with 3 assists. Coming soon to a Habs' game near you? They had almost a week off between games & now play 3 games in 4 nights. That's the way the AHL works. They schedule as many games as possible on weekends to get fans to come out. I would estimate that roughly 90% of games are played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They also try to reduce travel by playing a lot of games back to back, such as when Manitoba comes to Hamilton next week for back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday (which actually makes it 4 games in 5 days!!!). |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 17, 2009 11:14:01 GMT -5
Dogs win in 4-3 OT. MAB with 3 assists. Coming soon to a Habs' game near you? They had almost a week off between games & now play 3 games in 4 nights. I wonder how many more games they think he needs. 5 points in two games - seems like he is ready. I don't believe his offensive abilities were ever in question. A little more fine tuning tonight on the defensive responsibilities in front of a tough task master seems in order. However, that cannon from the point will be nice. Martin seems to care about defenders play from their own blueline in, and I don't blame him. A bit of a weak link with two big dogs down. I would expect the call up after tonight's games. Coach Boucher and Dogs play by play guy Derek Wills said as much last night. They know his stay in Hamilton will be quite short. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 17, 2009 18:04:31 GMT -5
Dogs take their road show into the Windy City tonight to play the Wolves and Old Man Time, Mr. Chris Chelios.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 17, 2009 20:41:18 GMT -5
Miserable night at the Bell Centre, but the Dogs are currently doing well. Sergei with 2+1 so far late in the 2nd in Chi Town. Dogs up 4-2 with other goals from Maxwell and Trotter.
Edit: MAB with another assist, and Desjardins in net with his first start of the season. 5-3 Dogs after 40.
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Post by Gogie on Oct 17, 2009 21:59:36 GMT -5
Dogs hold on for 5-4 win. SK the first star.
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Post by seventeen on Oct 18, 2009 1:34:55 GMT -5
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Post by jkr on Oct 18, 2009 6:46:26 GMT -5
Dogs hold on for 5-4 win. SK the first star. I seriously think that it's time to send Pacioretty down. He's not ready for NHL duty yet. Bring SK pack after a few more games like this. The reports on his attitude have been good from what I read here. The big team needs something. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 18, 2009 13:46:22 GMT -5
Dogs hold on for 5-4 win. SK the first star. I seriously think that it's time to send Pacioretty down. He's not ready for NHL duty yet. Bring SK pack after a few more games like this. The reports on his attitude have been good from what I read here. The big team needs something. Sergei and Maxwell seem to be developing some really nice chemistry together. Both of Sergei's goals last night were from just outside the paint in front of the net. Also, he just missed a great chance that Maxwell pounced on from the same spot on the rebound. Now if he would just back it up by keeping his short-fuse emotional comments to himself at times, then I would say a call up is likely in order. I am sure Coach Boucher is keeping close tabs on the whole picture, not just his play on the ice. That new guy on D, MAB, seems to be getting better too. He has 6 points in his three game conditioning stint and was a +3 last night to lead all players. His defensive play was slopping in the first game, but is reported to be getting better (albeit against AHL competition). Those two are making their case. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 19, 2009 16:14:58 GMT -5
So, with diminutive defender and Bulldogs leading scorer, MAB, now up with the Habs...is Sergei next? Interestingly enough, after two very good games this weekend, SK is now the Dogs leading scorer amongst players on the active roster. Is the relationship now all water under the bridge or has the short-fused and hot-headed Belarusian burnt those same bridges with management? An interesting take on the special coaching/development time that Bergeron and Sergei received over the Thanksgiving long weekend, from an article in the Spectator. www.thespec.com/article/656135Is he still actively on the trading block or being groomed to return to replace an underachieving forward currently on the Habs' roster?? Are they investing this time in him to boost his trade value or get the biggest return if and when he dons the Habs jersey next?? |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 19, 2009 21:18:18 GMT -5
Cory Schneider absolutley steals one in Steel Town tonight as the Dogs lose to the Moose 2-1 in OT after dominating the game on all accounts. The Dogs outshot them 32-18 and by the sounds on the radio broadcast had most of the chances only to get stoned chance after chance by Schneider.
The good news is they salvage a point for the OT loss and they get another shot at the Moose tomorrow night. This time they need to make it a kill shot to the heart.
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Post by seventeen on Oct 19, 2009 21:26:35 GMT -5
The message I'm getting out of all these stories, is that Boucher seems to handle them remarkably well. His juniour players loved him and if he can translate that into the pro ranks, he'll be a heck of a coach, and hopefully, ours for many years. .
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Post by seventeen on Oct 21, 2009 1:01:41 GMT -5
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Post by jkr on Oct 21, 2009 15:29:03 GMT -5
So, with diminutive defender and Bulldogs leading scorer, MAB, now up with the Habs...is Sergei next? Interestingly enough, after two very good games this weekend, SK is now the Dogs leading scorer amongst players on the active roster. Is the relationship now all water under the bridge or has the short-fused and hot-headed Belarusian burnt those same bridges with management? An interesting take on the special coaching/development time that Bergeron and Sergei received over the Thanksgiving long weekend, from an article in the Spectator. www.thespec.com/article/656135Is he still actively on the trading block or being groomed to return to replace an underachieving forward currently on the Habs' roster?? Are they investing this time in him to boost his trade value or get the biggest return if and when he dons the Habs jersey next?? After I read this & some other good reports I was hopeful that the relationship had been repaired. Things seemed positive. Now he leaves the team again? |
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Post by goingfornumber25 on Oct 21, 2009 15:46:04 GMT -5
apparently one hard practice and sergei bolts for greener/lazier pastures. good thing he came over as a kid to learn the canadian way/game only to take off when things didn't go his way.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 23, 2009 12:40:59 GMT -5
The two best winning percentages to date in the AHL lock horns and go head to head tonight. The good news in one is your very own Hamilton Bulldogs (.833) which is tops in the league, although they are only in fourth place in their division due to fewer games played. They are in Texas on a three game road tilt and the better news is that AHL Live is web streaming the game for free tonight for those who are interested in catching a glimpse of the kids. The following is the link to get your AHL Live account set up for free, and then it is off to the races to watch the game in the comfort of your own home. Game time is 7:00 pm CT as they are in San Antonio. ahl.neulion.com/team/secure/simpleregform?is_modal=yesAnother reminder for members who live in the Montreal area, the first of two Dogs games at the Bell Centre is fast approaching. They play the Bingo Senators there on Friday night, November 6th. Tickets can be purchased from Gillett Entertainment Group's website and are AHL priced tickets, so quite a bargain compared to Habs games. I have my tickets already so would be great if a few others are able to attend. |
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Post by seventeen on Oct 23, 2009 21:00:13 GMT -5
1-0 Bulldogs so far. Pyatt with his 5th goal and 7th point in 8 games. Methinks this guy is turning into a pretty decent player. I'm fairly sure he's a defensively responsible guy because that was his role on the WJC team. He's +7 so far this year, including tonight's game. And he can skate. There's a lot to like about him, especially for a throw-in. Gainey's had luck with those....Gorges comes to mind.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 23, 2009 22:08:28 GMT -5
Dogs dominate this game from start to finish in the battle of the early AHL titans. A really solid effort from the whole team. 3-0 good guys. This team really is buying into Boucher's "aggressive, aggressive, aggressive" style of puck pursuit and forecheck. When they do not have the puck, they go and get it. They are also very solid in their own end, even with four guys back there more known for their offensive abilities. Goals by Pyatt, Maxwell and Carle, the latter two on the PP that has struggled early this season but seems to gaining some traction now. Sanford with the shutout, his second of the season. Sanford the first star with the blank scoresheet, Pyatt with the silver for his 1+1 game (and good overall effort) and Maxwell with the third star. Dogs dominated a game on a San Antonio team featuring 5 first rounders (Kyle Turris, Mikkel Boedker, Al Montoya, Viktor Tikhonov and Mark Mitera). They also featured 2008 Hobie Baker winner Kevin Porter, Patches old Michigan linemate (SA also has the third member of that old line). Good hard work by Coach Boucher's hungry pack of Dogs. www.hamiltonbulldogs.com/article/bulldogs-shut-out-rampage-3-0 |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 23, 2009 22:17:30 GMT -5
The Dogs now have a .857 win efficiency rating, are the only team in the AHL yet to lose a game in regulation, and now sit one point back of top spot in the AHL with one and two games in hand on the two teams with 13 points. Early season injuries to Desharnais, Henry and Johansson have not kept these boys down, neither have the defensive call ups to the Habs. Habs brass should like what they are seeing from Curtis Sandford so far as well.
Hope they can keep this good thing going as the team has the promise of a really good season ahead.
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Post by duster on Oct 23, 2009 23:36:11 GMT -5
A great game by the Dogs. I wish the Habs had a similar style of play. I really like what I've seen of Pyatt and Maxwell. I think the Gomez trade wasn't as lopsided as some believe. If anyone was a throw in, it was Busto.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 24, 2009 1:53:31 GMT -5
A great game by the Dogs. I wish the Habs had a similar style of play. I really like what I've seen of Pyatt and Maxwell. I think the Gomez trade wasn't as lopsided as some believe. If anyone was a throw in, it was Busto. I agree on style of play. Boucher commented that he was able to take this job and maintain his preferred style of coaching, rather than being an absolute duplicate of what is being preached at the big club. The comparisons are noticeable though. Strong work ethic, solid defensive zone play, and superb overall conditioning. Boucher will adopt a more aggressive puck pursuit strategy when the Dogs do not have the puck, compared to Martin's more passive forecheck. The Dogs create more turnovers in the offensive zone than the Habs. Both styles do not seem to dictate nor stymie offensive creativity, which is nice to see. The systems focus on regaining puck control or else transitioning play out of the D zone into the O zone. The funny thing is that the Dogs' style of play is the style that traditionally has caused the Habs fits. That tough forecheck with speed has hemmed the Habs in their own zone more than a few games over the past few years. A lot of top junior teams can get away with it because of skill gaps between top and bottom teams, it will be interesting to see how Boucher adapts it for the minor pro game (and eventually for the NHL game down the road!!). So, how will a prospect be different coming up from Hamilton this year from previous years? In one sense, a commitment to conditioning and the experience playing a more aggressive style than the passive-trap style favoured by Lever-Wilson. They did quite well fielding decent teams and even winning a Calder Cup under that regime, but the players did not suit the style of a lot of the newer, younger NHL teams that are playing a more full throttle game these days. I do like these changes so far. But it is early days. I do like where this could possibly go, however. I don't believe teams built on smaller, skilled guys do particularly well at the trap game. They need to be moving, not standing still. They need to be not only puck possession teams but puck pursuit teams. Create turnovers in ALL zones with speed and tenacity, and you will enjoy hockey long into BBQ season. Works for me. I think this is the new "rebuild" that we are seeing. Attitudes, commitments to fitness, and strategies are all changing. It now remains to see if the individual lego pieces fit into the new building blocks that are being assembled. Bob has actually changed a whole lot more than appears on the surface to many right now. It may not keep him around much longer, but let's hope it propels the Habs back into contender status in their second millennium similar to that enjoyed through most of the first. Baby steps in a market that demands quantum leaps is no easy task!! |
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Post by CrocRob on Oct 24, 2009 2:00:10 GMT -5
I hate to ask, because it really shouldn't be the story of the game, but I'd like to know how a few guys looked. Namely, I'd like to know about Carle, S.Kostitsyn and White if anyone has a moment to do a write up.
Thanks. Wish I'd been able to catch the game.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 24, 2009 2:45:20 GMT -5
I hate to ask, because it really shouldn't be the story of the game, but I'd like to know how a few guys looked. Namely, I'd like to know about Carle, S.Kostitsyn and White if anyone has a moment to do a write up. Thanks. Wish I'd been able to catch the game. RS, no worries, I am up to the challenge to give you some observations. For Sergei, that one is easy. He was relatively invisible this game. He did get an assist on Pyatt's first goal early in the first and then left because of undisclosed injury/illness in the first never to return. He did get an assist, so at least I knew he was actually dressed for this game. Carle looked solid. I think he is more evolved in terms of patient plays under pressure than either Weber or Subban in his own end. Way more in fact. Subban under pressure either tries to skate his way out of (or into) trouble and Weber still seems a little too erratic for my liking. For all those calling for PK to get a call-up...relax. It wil come, but it should not be anytime soon. Carle has an agile skating skill, that seems to create some space as needed, and he often uses it for a nice first short pass to get things going. Subban on the other hand, feels the need to go for a cruise up the middle causing the odd gasp or two. Carle is not free-wheeling or flashy like his other two contemporaries, but I think defensive coaches would be more comfortable with him right now (or at least I would). Having said that, he is a good overall skater, he just is a much more low-risk low-reward player than his counterparts. The other big difference is he is not the same scoring threat on the point as the other two, due to the fact the other two have bigger guns from the point. That being said, only one of the three actually scored tonight. This is why I thought he should have been ahead of Weber on the call up list. I am really worried he gets buried in the depth chart without a real test. As for White, I really like what he brings without an over-abundance of speed or slick skill. He works hard and makes things happen in all zones. He is a lot like Chipchura before his recent stall with the Habs. A smart, all round player, who does little things to help teams win. If you only focus on points and highlight reels, you will often miss him. But teams need 20 guys to win. Tonight, he went to the tough places as he is always prone to do. I really like that in his game. He sees the game well and anticipates things, which means he does not often get a team in drastic trouble. That was the case again tonight. I was a fan when he was with the Hitmen, liked all the intangibles, but always worried about the footspeed. Not sure if and when he will be NHL ready, but he is progressing nicely on that path. He definitely could not bump any roster spot guys now with the big club, but I am quietly cheering that on for some future point. |
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Post by CrocRob on Oct 24, 2009 11:18:50 GMT -5
Thanks NWT for the thoughts.
I too am worried Carle gets buried on the depth chart. I don't really understand why he's never been afforded a callup to the big club. I thought that when Belle was called up, it could have been Carle who might have been able to contribute somewhat on the PP. It seems to me that Carle could definitely be a Gorges-type defenseman (but right handed) for us and hope we don't do something stupid like put him on waivers next year. Absolutely low-risk, low-reward, but as you say you need 20 guys to win and I've thought for a couple years now that Carle will have a lengthy, low-impact, NHL career.
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Post by duster on Oct 24, 2009 14:36:54 GMT -5
If Carle has a shortcoming, it's likely on the physical side of things and I'm guessing that's what has kept him in the AHL, imo. I should add that Subban and Weber have similar issues.
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