This is starting to get serious. With the Habs loss in Ottawa last night and the Panthers win over the Maple Leafs, Montreal is just one point out of ninth-place in the conference. They have no hope of collecting the four points I felt were required this week, and they should be thanking God the Sabres are playing as horribly as they are right now because otherwise 10th place wouldn't be that far off either. The Canadiens could conceivably find themselves in eighth by the end of the night as the Hurricanes are facing the plucky, yet still last-place Islanders at home. Both the Flyers and Penguins are also in action, but at this point I'm not sure if they are relevant to the Canadiens hopes. A solid winning streak over this upcoming five-game homestand could help the Habs get back in the neighbourhood of the two Pennsylvania teams, but does anyone believe the Canadiens have that in them?
Eastern Conference Playoff Race
Philadelphia Flyers - 4th place, 84 points, 37 wins, 4-5-1
13 games remaining - 7 on road, 6 at home, 5 against playoff teams
Last night – Did not play; next game – Tonight @ Buffalo
Pittsburgh Penguins - 5th place, 84 points, 38 wins, 8-0-2
10 games remaining - 4 on road, 6 at home, 6 against playoff teams
Last night – Did not play; next game – Tonight vs. Los Angeles
New York Rangers – 6th place, 82 points, 37 wins, 6-3-1
11 games remaining - 5 on road, 6 at home, 7 against playoff teams
Last night – Did not play; next game – Saturday vs. Buffalo
Montreal Canadiens - 7th place, 81 points, 36 wins, 4-4-2
11 games remaining - 4 on road, 7 at home, 4 against playoff teams
Last night – Lost 5-4 to Ottawa; next game – Saturday vs. Toronto
Carolina Hurricanes - 8th place, 81 points, 37 wins, 6-2-2
10 games remaining - 3 on road, 7 at home, 5 against playoff teams
Last night – Did not play; next game – Tonight vs. NY Islanders
Florida Panthers - 9th place, 80 points, 35 wins, 4-4-2
11 games remaining - 5 on road, 6 at home, 6 against playoff teams
Last night – Won 3-1 vs. Toronto; next game – Saturday vs. Columbus
Buffalo Sabres - 10th place, 76 points, 34 wins, 3-5-2
12 games remaining, 6 on road, 6 at home, 8 against playoff teams
Last night – Did not play; next game – Tonight vs. Philadelphia
Friday, March 20, 2009
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3 comments:
unless max, gui, and halak can magically will us into the playoffs it ain't gonna happen.(wow what a difference a year makes) So I've pretty much given up on this years edition...
So moving on to the draft... Ok so obviously its time to move in another direction. Plan A - is you know who (I don't want to mention his name and jinx it) but say that doesn't work out. What's Plan B? - Danny Briere perhaps? discuss.
I still haven't pulled the plug on this team yet. I mean that quite literally- I haven't cancelled my RDS for the summer (TO resident), as I am hoping they can get a little momentum going into the playoffs. They have what it takes; don't they? It is all about confidence with this team, with any team for that matter. Cultivating that confidence is easier said than done, but I beleive they can sneak into the post-season, then- who knows...
About the off-season:
I was looking at some of the possible UFA's for this summer, and the talent pool at centre was none too impressive. I wonder what Gainey plans to do with Koivu. His effectiveness is declining, I hate to say it. He isn't as fiesty as he once was, and he is constantly being pushed around. He has always been that little-big-man, and would often emerge from the battles in the corners with the puck on his stick. I haven't seen very much of that this season (aside from the first month). Maybe something is physically wrong with him, or perhaps he is wearing down. I think he could be really effective if he wasn't counted on to be a top centre, if he played a reduced role.
All of this to state the obvious- they need to find a number one centerman. The UFA pool is weak, so Gainey will have to trade for that piece.
oh, and I don't think Briere is the answer.
Why am I discussing the off-season already? Go Habs Go!
to add fuel to the fire:
What about Jordan Stall?
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