ok!


No offence to the leafs, they are heading in the right direction.
Two days ago the topic was can leafs make the playoffs....

"Oh yesi, of course!!"

Today...

"The Habs? Who knows?!" With contradicting stats, mind you.


Come on...
- hunglikeapuck

Yeah, I very much doubt that the Leafs make the playoffs - the D simply isn't good enough.

As for the Habs, I have them at 3rd in the division behind the Florida teams, but definitely ahead of the rest. That'd make them very much a playoff team.

Yeah, I very much doubt that the Leafs make the playoffs - the D simply isn't good enough.

As for the Habs, I have them at 3rd in the division behind the Florida teams, but definitely ahead of the rest. That'd make them very much a playoff team.
- lumlums

They have consensus top-10 defender, Jake Gardiner, who shows glimpses of the days of Orr.

My sources have confirmed that the Montreal Canadiens do in fact exist "for real".

They have consensus top-10 defender, Jake Gardiner, who shows glimpses of the days of Orr.
- Blackstrom2

Orr-some

These geniuses are basing their predictions on broken spreadsheets ... while they're fiddling with them, we keep racking up points.

I'm bookmarking this blog ... should be a lot of fun laughing at these guys at the end of the year.

HockeyBuzz Hotstove: Hotstove: Are the Montreal Canadiens for real?
- ToddCordellVAN

Classic Tanner, Atlantic=No good.

They are shooting ~11% at 5 v 5, which is unsustainably high. Their goaltenders are stopping almost .960% of the shots they face, which is also unsustainably high.

I'll give you the shooting %, but their great goaltending (while not staying as high as .960) is sustainable to around .925 or more. It's not like Price will have a season ending injury every year, and the last few seasons before we all know that his save percentage is consistently high. I mean we won the division 2 times with a weaker forwards lineup before last season debacle.

This is 1000% accurate. The last time the Habs won the division, I specifically remember James Tanner had them out of the playoffs, fighting for a lottery pick... We went to the conference finals. lol
- Lato649

Once with Halak and once wihen kreider took out Price.

People hate the Habs and wait for every opportunity to tell you so.
We make the playoffs more often than not, so either the Habs are the luckiest team in all of sports history or we are being under evaluated.

My issue is if you want to be a repected hockey blogger/writer, then maybe you should put the hate aside and use your (frank)ing head.

Then maybe you won't have to post a video of yourself eating a piece of paper.

@DoubleDown:

Your summarizing skills are elite.

Unfortunately, they are not elite, also.

My biggest concern is having Emelin or Beaulieu on the first pairing all year long. So far, all is good. but can Emelin keep the pace until the end of the year? I have my doubts.

But, people like Andrew Berkshire will say that their advance stats are terrible (yeah, Weber is at best an average dman, according to him), but what is more important? Wins, losts, goals for and goals against. They might not keep the pace, but so far, they are the best all of those 4.

Yeah, I very much doubt that the Leafs make the playoffs - the D simply isn't good enough.

As for the Habs, I have them at 3rd in the division behind the Florida teams, but definitely ahead of the rest. That'd make them very much a playoff team.
- lumlums

Went through this last year with the Rangers. Early in the season Hank gave us godlike goaltending and we had an unsustainably high shooting pct, while we were being terribly outshot and outchanced every game. We all know what happened: Ended up barely getting into the playoffs and bowing out in 5 games to the eventual Cup champs. Now I think Montreals defense is a bit better than last years Rangers, and Price can certainly keep up his stellar play. But eventually you can't rely on your goalie to win every game. I think they end up with the 3rd Atlantic division spot, if not wild card.

But, people like Andrew Berkshire will say that their advance stats are terrible (yeah, Weber is at best an average dman, according to him), but what is more important? Wins, losts, goals for and goals against. They might not keep the pace, but so far, they are the best all of those 4.
- doum79

I have never seen someone win a DFS GPP with advanced stats.
Only thing advanced stats are good for is knowing how well a player performed in a precise category so far in his career.

A world-class goalie can only take you so far. You need elite talent surrounding that goalie in order to sustain a deep run in the playoffs, and unfortunately the Habs traded their only elite skater in the off season

I envision a slow drop to the bottom of the standings over the next few years for Montreal. Aging team with no superstars and a weak farm system, propped up by an unbelievable goalie. Not exactly a recipe for success

So the advanced stats say they suck but the advanced stats say they're 10th best in this function. They have the best goalie in the NHL but they can't sustain their league beat goaltending. They won the division 2 out of the 3 yeas prior to last seaso 's mess. It they cannot possibly compete for the division title because their good goaltending can't continue to be good and because their Corsi is good but really it's bad.

I just summed up this blog
- DoubleDown

Not even one tenth of a season... I guess they flat out suck after 30 games in.

My biggest concern is having Emelin or Beaulieu on the first pairing all year long. So far, all is good. but can Emelin keep the pace until the end of the year? I have my doubts.

But, people like Andrew Berkshire will say that their advance stats are terrible (yeah, Weber is at best an average dman, according to him), but what is more important? Wins, losts, goals for and goals against. They might not keep the pace, but so far, they are the best all of those 4.
- doum79

Those players are not even top 4 D, that's the thing that will grind the habs defensively over long stretches of games.

This is 1000% accurate. The last time the Habs won the division, I specifically remember James Tanner had them out of the playoffs, fighting for a lottery pick... We went to the conference finals. lol
- Lato649

James Tanner is an idiot though. He has said EDM would make the playoffs for what 9 years now? Now the year they finally have a shot Tanner says they wont

My biggest concern is having Emelin or Beaulieu on the first pairing all year long. So far, all is good. but can Emelin keep the pace until the end of the year? I have my doubts.

But, people like Andrew Berkshire will say that their advance stats are terrible (yeah, Weber is at best an average dman, according to him), but what is more important? Wins, losts, goals for and goals against. They might not keep the pace, but so far, they are the best all of those 4.
- doum79

As a Jets fan, I've seen a lot of Weber in the last 5 years. He isn't the same as he once was. Players would target him over Josi because they knew he couldn't keep up if they went wide. He was only a threat of they go to the corner or have their head down. His team was better than ever, and his numbers continued to fall. Those same "advanced stats" also showed him to be the best dman in the NHL (or close to it) in 2011-12. That said, I like Weber, and I hope he proves me (and the other critics) wrong. He might even get back to being as good as Subban

As a Jets fan, I've seen a lot of Weber in the last 5 years. He isn't the same as he once was. Players would target him over Josi because they knew he couldn't keep up if they went wide. He was only a threat of they go to the corner or have their head down. His team was better than ever, and his numbers continued to fall. Those same "advanced stats" also showed him to be the best dman in the NHL (or close to it) in 2011-12. That said, I like Weber, and I hope he proves me (and the other critics) wrong. He might even get back to being as good as Subban
- Rexypoo

HIs numbers also regressed under the new coach and playing with Josi.

As a Jets fan, I've seen a lot of Weber in the last 5 years. He isn't the same as he once was. Players would target him over Josi because they knew he couldn't keep up if they went wide. He was only a threat of they go to the corner or have their head down. His team was better than ever, and his numbers continued to fall. Those same "advanced stats" also showed him to be the best dman in the NHL (or close to it) in 2011-12. That said, I like Weber, and I hope he proves me (and the other critics) wrong. He might even get back to being as good as Subban
- Rexypoo

OR...
http://www.pksubbantracker.com/

OR...
http://www.pksubbantracker.com/
- mlindsay

nice

I must say though, the comment section of that page makes habs fans look like mouth breathing, window licking, idiots.....it's like only the worst of the worst are posting comments.

nice

I must say though, the comment section of that page makes habs fans look like mouth breathing, window licking, idiots.....it's like only the worst of the worst are posting comments.
- sensarmy_11

I was hoping nobody would notice that!

My inner grammar nazi was having a stroke reading the comments.

I was hoping nobody would notice that!

My inner grammar nazi was having a stroke reading the comments.
- mlindsay

for the record I'm not saying all habs fans are like that............it's as though all the "procks" and "dopplegangers" and "rogerroepers" of the world were the only ones to comment.

As a Jets fan, I've seen a lot of Weber in the last 5 years. He isn't the same as he once was. Players would target him over Josi because they knew he couldn't keep up if they went wide. He was only a threat of they go to the corner or have their head down. His team was better than ever, and his numbers continued to fall. Those same "advanced stats" also showed him to be the best dman in the NHL (or close to it) in 2011-12. That said, I like Weber, and I hope he proves me (and the other critics) wrong. He might even get back to being as good as Subban
- Rexypoo

Fancy stats are nice and all, but Weber is still arguably the best two-way defenseman in the league. He brings a presence onto the ice with him that is second to none in this league. He absolutely shuts down one full side of the defensive zone.

Meanwhile, Subban is chilling in Nashville slapping his stick on the ice every 2 seconds demanding the puck immediately and then skates around in circles.

Some fun stats about Weber: 1 point back of league scoring lead. Top 10 in TOI/game. On ice for 1 even-strength goal against in 7 games.