• For users coming over from tmlfans.ca your username will remain the same but you will need to use the password reset feature (check your spam folder) on the login page in order to set your password. If you encounter issues, email Rick couchmanrick@gmail.com

ECF: Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes

I've barely watched any Habs games at all in the playoffs, but I watched that 1st period and I don't understand how this team got to the conference finals.

Carolina is just toying with Montreal at this point.

I don't know why I'm watching this, but over 10 mins into the 3rd and the Habs have an impressive 0 shots on net. And the a announcers haven't said a thing about it.
 
Last edited:
I don't know why I'm watching this, but over 10 mins into the 3rd and the Habs have an impressive 0 shots on net. And the a announcers haven't said a thing about it.
Because it's the norm, they're used to it. Let's be real, they won the first game because the Canes were off for the summer by time the series started.
 
I've barely watched any Habs games at all in the playoffs, but I watched that 1st period and I don't understand how this team got to the conference finals.

Carolina is just toying with Montreal at this point.

I don't know why I'm watching this, but over 10 mins into the 3rd and the Habs have an impressive 0 shots on net. And the a announcers haven't said a thing about it.

I do think this Montreal team is the worst team to make an ECF in the last 10 years or so.
 
25 minutes and 12 seconds between their last shot of regulation and their only shot of overtime. A called back goal and post neither which counted as a shot.
The Canadiens went 17 minutes and 5 seconds between their second and third shots on goal in the third period.
 
I think Montreal is better than horseshoe luck, but they got horribly outplayed in both Game 7s and eked out wins. They have now been thoroughly dominated in three consecutive games against the Hurricanes. I think they are a good team that still has a number of weapons in the system that can be promoted/traded for more immediate help but I'm having a real hard time looking at their run and feeling like this is a slight against the Leafs failures.
 
I'm no Habs fan. But they have a 100+ pt team (5th in pts win%), all their draft picks and a good prospect pool
They haven't mortgaged a bunch of their future to get where they are. They're pretty young.
Their three top forwards are signed for years at ~$7.5M/yr. Their top dmen seems to have decent contracts too. No 8 digit deals.

I'd probably trade all the Leafs players, prospects and picks with them in a heartbeat.
Carolina will probably have their way with them but the Habs are doing it right and if they stay the course, will be trouble for years to come.
It's a lot smarter path - more likely to eventually win a Cup - than the retooling fool's gold Chayka is chasing trying to get Matthews without his Adam Oates back to the playoffs.
We might make fun of them now but in the not too distant future, I doubt many Leafs fans will find them very amusing.
 
I'm no Habs fan. But they have a 100+ pt team (5th in pts win%), all their draft picks and a good prospect pool
They haven't mortgaged a bunch of their future to get where they are. They're pretty young.
Their three top forwards are signed for years at ~$7.5M/yr. Their top dmen seems to have decent contracts too. No 8 digit deals.

I'd probably trade all the Leafs players, prospects and picks with them in a heartbeat.
Carolina will probably have their way with them but the Habs are doing it right and if they stay the course, will be trouble for years to come.
It's a lot smarter path - more likely to eventually win a Cup - than the retooling fool's gold Chayka is chasing trying to get Matthews without his Adam Oates back to the playoffs.
We might make fun of them now but in the not too distant future, I doubt many Leafs fans will find them very amusing.
Who's making fun of them? They weren't supposed to be in their contention window and made the ECF. More than we can say about our lost playoff decade.
 
I'm no Habs fan. But they have a 100+ pt team (5th in pts win%), all their draft picks and a good prospect pool
They haven't mortgaged a bunch of their future to get where they are. They're pretty young.
Their three top forwards are signed for years at ~$7.5M/yr. Their top dmen seems to have decent contracts too. No 8 digit deals.

I'd probably trade all the Leafs players, prospects and picks with them in a heartbeat.
Carolina will probably have their way with them but the Habs are doing it right and if they stay the course, will be trouble for years to come.
It's a lot smarter path - more likely to eventually win a Cup - than the retooling fool's gold Chayka is chasing trying to get Matthews without his Adam Oates back to the playoffs.
We might make fun of them now but in the not too distant future, I doubt many Leafs fans will find them very amusing.

Second youngest team in the league by a hair. Habs will only continue to gain experience and get better. Getting bounced in the ECF with the second youngest team is nothing to be embarrassed about.
 
Carolina is really good but Montreal clearly ran out of steam. They no showed in a lot of the elimination games but got timely goals to make it this far. They will have to improve on that to be a legit contender but the team is so young and has more assets coming that they have every opportunity to do that.
 
I'm not watching the playoffs but clearly this team was more vaporware than the hypers were hyping (I'm looking at you, Fanboy Pelley).
 
Looks like it's not just Leafs fans who won't shut up about Marner.
Media spread the allegations about Marner during his last year plus in Toronto. Treliving didn't correct them.

Media instigated it recently via questions to Tortorella, McCrimmon & Tulsky (who tried to trade for Marner)
Brind'Amour jumped in.
The media was doing their job, triggered by Marner leading the playoffs in scoring - which contradicts the spin he got run out Toronto on.

I think Hughes brought it up himself. According to Hughes, Montreal's top line isn't enough and without better depth can be shut down (like many teams with one good line - like Matthews-Marner's)
McCrimmon has explained it twice: Vegas has a deeper team than Toronto - that has allowed Marner to thrive in the playoffs.

The media was digging into the bogus narrative questioning "DNA", his ability to play in the playoffs, etc and how he's contradicting that by leading the playoffs in scoring now (like he led the Leafs over 9 playoff seasons).
That narrative now has to be widely perceived as in tatters because there seems to be consensus among all of them - the Leafs lacked depth.

The narrative might shift some again. Because Brind'Amour realizes Marner can hurt them as much as anyone so Marner's line or Marner may be the #1 target of the Hurricanes defense as Colorado tried. Eichel's line or Stone's line may benefit. We'll see.

Like Eichel said: Marner is “shutting a lot of people up right now” and that is not an unreasonable a story for the media because he's proving people wrong.
 
Back
Top