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[NHL Betting] Topic: I used the search function on Covers tonight and typed in... |
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wiggins |
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#1 Posted: 9/3/2011 2:01:17 AM
All the doubters saying he was a bust 2 years ago and that Halak would be better...
How does the crow taste???
My boy Price was magnificent last year and is in his contract year this year...he is only 24 years old and most goalies in the NHL reach their prime at 26..the kid is only starting to show you his greatness.
Expect a Vezina calibre performance by Price this season as he leads Les Habitants to a 3rd place finish in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, as with every team, there are certain factors that may facilitate or hinder the Habs chances at contending for the division title.
There are 3 BIG concerns heading into this upcoming season for the Habs.
1.) Markov...can he stay healthy? If he does, the Habs have their MVP back on defence. Think about it, Markov and Subban will eat over 45 minutes of ice time per game in what might be one of the best 1-2 punches in the league. Both are superb on both ends of the ice and can move the puck quickly which creates a dangerous counter attack.
2.) Power forward concerns - recently the Habs have been called too small and too weak to go far in the playoffs. With the acquisition of Cole and a healthy Pacioretty...the Habs have two players who play a style the Canadiens have sorely lacked in the last few years. Pacioretty was one of the best players on the Habs roster before he got knocked out for the remainder of the season by Chara.
He is the kind of player that can score the garbage goals necessary to win a close tight checking game in the playoffs, like Horton provided for the Bruins (something the Habs obviously lacked in Round 1 last year). With Cole the Habs not only have a PF on one line but BOTH their scoring lines. This will make their smaller skilled forwards like Cammy and Gionto much more effective. Throw in the fact that Cole is a very good 5 on 5 player, the Habs have one a magnificent job of addressing their need for a PF.
3.) The third and most EXPENSIVE concern is Gomez. Can he rebound from his worst season in his career? I believe his most productive stretch this season was while playing with Pacioretty.
If Gomez cannot produce at least 60 points the Canadiens will not contend for the division title. Every team in the Northeast has improved aside from Ottawa. The Canadiens are expecting improvement WITHIN the organization from not only guy's like Gomez but even Cammalleri, who only had 19 goals in 67 games last season. (Cammy is not as big of a concern because he has a naggin injury in the regular season and he is always a dominant force in the playoffs).
Personally, I have no clue how Gomez will perform this year. I DO feel like he will be better IF Pacioretty is the same player he was before his injury. Pacioretty can open things up for Gomez who we all know is a pass first player. Gomez seems like a prideful individual, so I hope he wants to be better this season.
The one thing I am a bit surprised the Habs have not addressed is their need for a veteran center with the ability to win faceoffs. Two years ago the Canadiens acquired Dominic Moore who was instrumental in their playoff run led by Halak and last year Halpern was their best faceoff guy. After Plekanec, Gomez the Habs have Eller and Desharnais as their bottom two centers...and I feel as though this is one of their weaknesses.
Projected Lineup
Cammalleri - Plekanec - Cole
Pacioretty - Gomez - Gionta
Darche - Eller - *Kostitsyn
Moen - Desharnais - White
Having Kostitsyn on a third line is quite a luxury for the Canadiens. Rather than him playing on the first line like in past years, he provides amazing scoring depth for Montreal. I equate this to Leino in past years with Philly, Versteeg with the Hawks etc. A HIGHLY talented player who seems to dominate vs lower tier opponents. The Habs have not really had a player of his skill on a 3rd line in quite some time.
Markov - Gorges
Gill - Subban
*Spacek - Weber - Yemelin
*Yemelin is a Russian kid the Habs have been trying to get out of Russia for a few years now. He is a solid, puck moving dman that fits right into the new NHL which requires teams to have mobile dmen. He also has a physical edge to him that will help the Canadiens.
Price
Budaj
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wiggins |
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Location: Quebec |
#2 Posted: 9/3/2011 2:08:52 AM
Try to give your opinions and thoughts on YOUR favorite team and post whether you think they have improved or gotten worse during the regular season.
Tell me you thoughts on the Habs and lets get some good discussion going.
I feel like the East is starting to become a LOT better than in recent years.
If I had to pick a sleeper team in the East..it might have to be the Rangers.
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NJDevils |
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#3 Posted: 9/3/2011 3:05:30 AM
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TDD |
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#4 Posted: 9/3/2011 6:36:06 PM Nice write up of the Habs wiggins!
I think they will have a very nice year and I agree with you as far as their three big concerns. A healthy Markov makes them a contender come spring time. It would be difficult for Gomez to be worse than he was last year. Hopefully Max helps out, but they brought Gionta in a few years ago to flank him and haven't received the planned results.
The #5-8 teams in the East usually are more of a threat than the #5-8 teams in the West because of two reasons:
1. The East has much better goaltending. They have 7 of the top 10 goalies in the league and thus the lower seeded teams in the East generally have a better chance at a nice run in the playoffs because they have a goalie capable of carrying their lesser (skater) talented team.
Alphabetically
Brodeur
Fleury
Lundqvist
Miller
Price
Thomas
Ward
Every year one or two of these goalies don't even make the playoffs, while two or three of them are usually sitting in the 6-8 spots to give potential hell to the division winners in the East. This list doesn't include the two goalies with the highest expectations on their shoulders this year (Bryzgalov and Vokoun) because of the talented teams they will back stop.
Who are the best three goalies in the West? Rinne, Luongo, and Kiprusoff? I know Niemi might make a few lists because he has a ring, but he doesn't install great confidence in myself when I have dough riding on the Sharks. Perhaps Halak bounces back and enters the mix.
2. For years the top teams in the West have been deep powerhouses that are hard to defeat unless you get superior goaltending and/or have a very deep team even though often times the top teams in the West have goaltending questions themselves. The #5-8 teams in the West generally are mediocre in talent including goaltending save for when the Preds make it. But their forwards are so weak it will always be very difficult for them to knock off a deep top team unless Rinne brings his A+ game every night.
The powerhouse teams in the West might not be so powerful anymore. Detroit will still be very good, but they are vulnerable and are showing age spots. We all know about the Sharks and their failures to get out of the West. Chicago is the team to watch this year if they stay healthy. Vancouver needs to find some size on the wing for their top lines to come close to having a duplicate year. It will be hard enough because of the short summer. They'll still be good, but will not challenge for the President's Trophy this year
It seems to me that the West has more of the top dmen in the game (6 of the top 8) to help offset the goalie difference.
Alphabetically
Doughty
Keith
Lidstrom
Seabrook
Suter
Weber
The East does have the dominant twin towers in Chara and Pronger though.
If I get the time some night I'll post a Blues preview in this thread. |
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wiggins |
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#5 Posted: 9/8/2011 3:02:32 AM
I look forward to your writeup on the Blues - a team that is almost there in my opinion. I still think they lack a top Dman and have concerns over whether or not Halak can carry the load of a starting goalie. Elliot, imo is not a viable backup.
I love their top 6 - always been a huge fan of Oshie - but I heard he has some off ice issues?
Arnott was a very solid addition.
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WeMoveLines |
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#6 Posted: 9/8/2011 3:21:48 AM I'll admit I was a Carey Price doubter.. He proved me wrong last year.. Let's see how he does this year.. 
But his recent play did change my opinion of him.. 
Let's be fair also he had a good defense infront of him.. Kinda like Luongo.. Not discrediting him at all cuz he was great.. Luongo well.. Ya......  |
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TDD |
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#7 Posted: 9/13/2011 8:29:28 PM St. Louis Blues Preview
Forwards
TJ Oshie P. Berglund C. Stewart
A. McDonald D. Backes M. D'Agostini
A. Steen J. Arnott J. Langenbrunner
V. Sobotka S. Nichol BJ Crombeen
C. Porter R. Reaves
Oshie signed a one year deal and has a lot to prove. It is time for him to stop partying off the ice and get his game and production to another level. Supposedly he is in the best shape of his life, has matured, and will be ready to roll.
Oshie has always had good chemistry with Berglund so the switch to LW is no problem. IMO Berglund is the key as far as forwards are concerned for the Blues to make the playoffs. He came to life in the 2nd half last year, especially down the stretch after the acquisition of Stewart. They hit it off right away and I think Berglund likes having a bigger body for protection to flank him. Stewart isn't a big banger, but has the size and willingness to stay in front of the net and he will also fight when called upon. I'm not sure of the ceiling of both Berglund and Stewart, but if it is really high and they stay healthy, the Blues will be a force.
All of the sudden the 2nd line is pretty damn good. You have the speedy veteran in McDonald teamed with the big body shutdown center in Backes that can produce some points. Backes should have been up for the Selke last year, but playing on a bad team hurt his chances. 30 goals, 30 assists, and +30 on a shitty team was one of the best years any player had last season. He now has the added responsibility of being the team captain. D'Agostini broke out to 20 goals last year and seems like he has meshed playing on a line with Backes. Two small wingers with a big center for the 2nd line.
The 3rd line will be interesting to watch this year. Steen was the Blues best player for the first half of last season and does everything well. He can play any position on any line (also the point on the PP) and he does what the coaches want him to do. By no means is he a great player, but he is helluva hockey player that competes. Hopefully Arnott and Langenbrunner can pace themselves and have a nice season on the 3rd line. They are certainly an upgrade of the youngsters with no upside the Blues would have went with before they were signed. Langenbrunner has heard that he was a cancer in the Devils room last year and wants to prove the doubters wrong.
The 4th line is very small save for Crombeen, but both Sobotka and Nichol are very competitive so that line can play decent minutes and be a pain in the behind to play against. Reaves will be the enforcer when needed. Porter or Cheechoo will probably be the 14th forward to make the team and sit in the press box most nights until the inevitable injuries start to occur.
Speaking of injuries, a preview of the Blues forwards is not complete unless David Perron is mentioned. He is their most skilled and enthusiastic player. He also draws a ton of penalties because of his adept puck skills and shiftiness. He will be missed for sure. If for some reason he comes back this year, expect him to take Oshie's spot as the top LW, while Oshie would slide down and take D'ago's spot as the 2nd line RW. The top two lines would look very good in that scenario. If Perron makes a comeback by late winter/early spring and the rest of the team is relatively healthy, the Blues should be a playoff team that no other team would look forward to playing in April.
In summary the Blues have good size down the middle with their top 3 centers, but 3 of their top 4 wingers are very small. They added much needed veteran leadership in Langenbrunner and Arnott.
Continued in the next post............... |
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TDD |
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#8 Posted: 9/13/2011 8:30:34 PM Defensemen
B. Jackman A. Pietrangelo
C. Colaiacovo R. Polak
N. Nikitin K. Shattenkirk
K. Huskins
These 7 guys probably make the team because they are all under one way contracts. Ian Cole could force the Blues hand if he has a great camp, but he seems destined for the AHL unless a camp injury occurs.
Petro had a very good year last year (basically a rookie) and allowed the Blues to trade Erik Johnson to the Avs for the much needed power forward (Stewart). The fans around here think Petro is the next Lidstrom. I think he'll be good, but I don't know if he'll be great. He has tremendous poise and hockey sense. His only weakness is his lack of aggression. They might be asking him to do too much too soon.
Jackman is the longest tenured player on the team and is entering his walk year. He'll never put up numbers, but he must limit his glaring giveaways in his own zone and play a nastier game like he used to when he was younger and before he received a broken jaw courtesy of Darcy Hordichuk.
Polak was horrible last year and his play should improve immensely. He is a very fast skater and is extremely strong. No offensive instincts or hands skill, but when he is on his game, he is an ideal shutdown type d-man.
Colaiacovo is also entering his walk year and can flash some offensive skill on occasion. However, he can be rather clumsy with the puck and has trouble holding the puck in at the left point. I think the Blues tried to trade him this summer, but there were no takers.
Shattenkirk has tremendous offensive instincts and vision. I doubt he'll be much more than a PP specialist because he lacks the size and defensive instincts to be a top 4 d-man.
Nikitin came on towards the end of last season. Not sure of what kind of player he can really be, but he has many of the tools to be a decent all around d-man.
Huskins brings size and veteran leadership, but not much else. He'll play a lot because the Blues always have a ton of injuries.
In summary the Blues back end is decent, but not good enough yet to be considered a strength. The Blues do have a good mix of left and right handed shots on the blue line. I wish they would have signed a top 4 type d-man in the summer, but they looked elsewhere. They will bring in a difference maker at the trade deadline if they feel they have a chance.
Goalies
Halak is the other main key to the team along with Berglund. Is he a #1 goalie that can handle a full season? Or is he more suited for about 50 games because of his small size? He better be able to handle the full load because Elliot and/or Bishop don't inspire confidence as a stop gap measure. If Halak plays near the way he did in the 2010 playoffs for much of this season, the Blues will make the playoffs. If he is inconsistent and/or injured, it would be a long shot for St, Louis to be playing in mid April.
The Blues roster is about as set as I have ever seen it heading into camp. There really aren't any major battles that will occur in camp to make the team, so in that regard, the Blues feel very strongly about their team. All they need are three things to happen:
1. A few of the younger players to take a natural progressive step forward.
2. Halak to have a better season.
3. Avoid numerous and lengthy injuries to multiple players at the same time.
Re: Oshie and his maturity.
Here are a couple of questions today from Blues beat writer Jeremy Rutherford to TJ Oshie.
JR: Some Blues fans were hoping that you would signing a long-term deal. Why only one year?
TJO: "It's a chance for me to prove that I can go away for a summer, have a good summer on my own, working out and training. I was doing all of (Blues strength coach Nelson Ayotte's) stuff, but I just wanted to prove to them after everything that happened (an unexcused absence at practice, leading to a two-game suspension), that I've matured and have grown up. I'm just ready to step in and hopefully play as good as I can for that big contract next year."
JR: The word is that you've had your best summer of training? What did you do?
TJO: "I didn't really take any days off. I remember I went like a month where I was really determined. I wouldn't even take the weekends off. I trained with a couple of my old North Dakota buddies and they're both bigger than me. I told them what I wanted to throw on for my first set of leg (exercises) and they were like 'You sure?' I was like, 'Yeah, yeah, I can do it.' A lot of leg work, a lot of quickness, a lot of explosion ... My body fat was 11.3 (percent) last training camp. Right now it's 9.7, and I'm about the same weight. Dropped some of the baby fat that I held onto for a while."
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Cannon88 |
RSI  |
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#9 Posted: 4/13/2012 9:08:20 PM QUOTE Originally Posted by wiggins:
...Carey Price.
All the doubters saying he was a bust 2 years ago and that Halak would be better...
How does the crow taste???
My boy Price was magnificent last year and is in his contract year this year...he is only 24 years old and most goalies in the NHL reach their prime at 26..the kid is only starting to show you his greatness.
Expect a Vezina calibre performance by Price this season as he leads Les Habitants to a 3rd place finish in the Eastern Conference.
Of course, as with every team, there are certain factors that may facilitate or hinder the Habs chances at contending for the division title.
There are 3 BIG concerns heading into this upcoming season for the Habs.
1.) Markov...can he stay healthy? If he does, the Habs have their MVP back on defence. Think about it, Markov and Subban will eat over 45 minutes of ice time per game in what might be one of the best 1-2 punches in the league. Both are superb on both ends of the ice and can move the puck quickly which creates a dangerous counter attack.
2.) Power forward concerns - recently the Habs have been called too small and too weak to go far in the playoffs. With the acquisition of Cole and a healthy Pacioretty...the Habs have two players who play a style the Canadiens have sorely lacked in the last few years. Pacioretty was one of the best players on the Habs roster before he got knocked out for the remainder of the season by Chara.
He is the kind of player that can score the garbage goals necessary to win a close tight checking game in the playoffs, like Horton provided for the Bruins (something the Habs obviously lacked in Round 1 last year). With Cole the Habs not only have a PF on one line but BOTH their scoring lines. This will make their smaller skilled forwards like Cammy and Gionto much more effective. Throw in the fact that Cole is a very good 5 on 5 player, the Habs have one a magnificent job of addressing their need for a PF.
3.) The third and most EXPENSIVE concern is Gomez. Can he rebound from his worst season in his career? I believe his most productive stretch this season was while playing with Pacioretty.
If Gomez cannot produce at least 60 points the Canadiens will not contend for the division title. Every team in the Northeast has improved aside from Ottawa. The Canadiens are expecting improvement WITHIN the organization from not only guy's like Gomez but even Cammalleri, who only had 19 goals in 67 games last season. (Cammy is not as big of a concern because he has a naggin injury in the regular season and he is always a dominant force in the playoffs).
Personally, I have no clue how Gomez will perform this year. I DO feel like he will be better IF Pacioretty is the same player he was before his injury. Pacioretty can open things up for Gomez who we all know is a pass first player. Gomez seems like a prideful individual, so I hope he wants to be better this season.
The one thing I am a bit surprised the Habs have not addressed is their need for a veteran center with the ability to win faceoffs. Two years ago the Canadiens acquired Dominic Moore who was instrumental in their playoff run led by Halak and last year Halpern was their best faceoff guy. After Plekanec, Gomez the Habs have Eller and Desharnais as their bottom two centers...and I feel as though this is one of their weaknesses.
Projected Lineup
Cammalleri - Plekanec - Cole
Pacioretty - Gomez - Gionta
Darche - Eller - *Kostitsyn
Moen - Desharnais - White
Having Kostitsyn on a third line is quite a luxury for the Canadiens. Rather than him playing on the first line like in past years, he provides amazing scoring depth for Montreal. I equate this to Leino in past years with Philly, Versteeg with the Hawks etc. A HIGHLY talented player who seems to dominate vs lower tier opponents. The Habs have not really had a player of his skill on a 3rd line in quite some time.
Markov - Gorges
Gill - Subban
*Spacek - Weber - Yemelin
*Yemelin is a Russian kid the Habs have been trying to get out of Russia for a few years now. He is a solid, puck moving dman that fits right into the new NHL which requires teams to have mobile dmen. He also has a physical edge to him that will help the Canadiens.
Price
Budaj
I've been waiting all year to bring this up..! Hmmmm...do I really have to add anything? Oh...of course I do...I believe the St.Louis Blues played the Habs in Montreal, and defeated them 3-0...who was in goal for St.Louis? Who did the fans cheer for at the end of the game? Halak. Poor Carey Price.....your boy!
It seems to me that Montreal went further in the playoffs with Halak then they went with Price...
How does the crow taste?
As a Bruins fan, I felt obligated to bring this up.....it was my duty. |
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camicom |
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#10 Posted: 4/13/2012 9:12:57 PM |
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