Series Discussion Thread - Montreal Canadiens vs New York Rangers

[RGM81]

@geschrocks33 Magic, my friend. Playoffs magic.

[spuds1961]

Here is a Ranger fan, The Canadiens outplayed the Rangers for most of regulation but it seems like they ran out of gas for the overtime, looking forward to Saturday's game 6.

[RGM81]

It was a frustrating night for sure. If they blow it and exit in the first round one wonders what will become of certain players that haven't produced. Once again the lack of depth down the middle is becoming a factor--they seem to be souring on Galchenyuk and I can kinda see why. In a series so physical with all the hits somehow he doesn't have a single one. He's also made a number of boner plays including a soffffffft pass that led to the Rags first goal tonight. I just hope Saturday isn't the end for the Habs' season and that they've got some fight left in them.

[creasecollector]

Last chance for Carey Price and the Habs now. Been a great game so far. Hoping they can tie this thing up in the 3rd!

[adamslogik]

I'm hoping so also, but honestly we don't deserve this one.

The rangers have been first on the puck all night, and it feels like the habs are chasing the game.

They've got no desperation, no urgency.

Everyone knew that scoring would be a problem at the trade deadline and Bergevin made all of the wrong moves. If the habs don't make it past the first round, I think Bergevin should be out of a job.

In a league where the teams that get quicker win the cup, and where quick transitions are essential, Bergevin is building the wrong team to be competitive.

[jameslacarte]

Im not sure how the Habs expected to win this series when they're best players are not they're best players. 0 Goals for Pacioretty & Galchenyuk, 1 Goal each for Gallagher, Plekanec & Weber. The only Star that showed up was Radulov. Lundqvist played spectacular as always. Price was good too but lack of goal support punched they're tickets home. My family are all Habs fans & a few of my buddies so i must mention as i did to them, Toronto made it further in the playoffs than the Habs, maybe only 1 night but still further. Its been a long, long time since i have been able to say that lol..

[Leafsman]

I think this off-season will be very interesting for the Montreal Canadiens. I expect something big will go down. I expect Marc Bergevin will get the axe, and rightfully so. Bergevin is nothing more than a copy of Brian Burke, they both tried to build teams with truculence and belligerence. Both found out it doesn't work in today's NHL.

The team is just not good enough. Since he was hired in June of 2011, Bergevin has done nothing to improve the team during his tenure. None of his draft picks have made an impact in the NHL. NONE. His trades have been questionable as well (Andrew Shaw? Steve Ott? Who does he think he's running, the Boston Bruins?).

That's Montreal's problem...you need MORE than just the world's best goaltender. You need defense and offense. Montreal cobbled together enough defence to keep scores low, but just couldn't score. What's the point of having the best goaltender if you can't score? To echo @jameslacarte, Pacioretty practically disappeared in the playoffs. Ditto for "top center" Galchenyuk, Plekanec, Gallager, Markov, Emelin...you would think that with Price in goal, they should be a perennial cup contender. They don't even make it to the finals.

If Montreal wants to win the cup with Carey Price in goal, they have one more year because I don't think Price will re-sign in Montreal after next season. He deserves to be on a team that he doesn't need to bail out game after game. I predict he will end up in Vancouver or Detroit. Maybe he will end up with a team we never thought was on his radar. I just don't think he will be back in Montreal.

[RGM81]

What a letdown. Another wasted season and first round exit because of problems that anybody who has ever watched a Habs game knows has existed for a long time now.
In the four losses they scored four goals total. Carey allowed eight. A team that only allows two goals per game should win more hockey games than they lose.
(He's not totally off the hook--I'm sure he would like that first goal back tonight. Maybe one or two others throughout. But nobody can look at me with a straight face and say he didn't give them a chance to win.)
As always they can't score goals or generate sustained offence. They lack proper depth down the middle and that affects everything. How many occasions in that third period tonight, with the season on the line, did you think they had quality opportunities? Two? Honestly beyond Radulov, Lehkonen and Gallagher not one forward earned his salary IMO.
The defence got burned a few times in this series. Weber was everything as advertised. Markov did well. But Benn struggled, Emelin was Emelin, and Beaulieu was so bad that honestly I think he's played his way to the unprotected list at the expansion draft (Plekanec too) but really what would Vegas' motivation be to take him?
Oh yeah, Max. I know he tried hard and worked his tail off. But results matter. He didn't generate them. The history of the Canadiens is one where their best players produce on the biggest stages. I won't say any more than that.
And so another too-long-off-season begins.

[RGM81]

@Leafsman - it's kinda funny that you talk about Montreal's lack of goal support, and then in the next breath say that Price should look at Vancouver or Detroit, both teams who scored considerably fewer goals (223 vs 178 and 198, respectively) than the Canadiens this year.

[Leafsman]

@Leafsman - it's kinda funny that you talk about Montreal's lack of goal support, and then in the next breath say that Price should look at Vancouver or Detroit, both teams who scored considerably fewer goals (223 vs 178 and 198, respectively) than the Canadiens this year.

@RGM81 Montreal won't be able to afford him (if they do resign him, they won't be able to compete). B.C. is home for Price, and I'll bet that Detroit GM Ken Holland won't sit idly by and let his team miss the playoffs for a second and third season. After next season, I expect Detroit to be back to a playoff team and thus, will appeal to Carey Price. Those are the only teams that I feel can take him.