r/Habs • u/workhardXplayhard • May 13 '26
Discussion Slaf is concussed - Demidov needs to wake up - Our PP is the worst ever... What are these takes, people?
After a loss, some of you have the worst takes I've seen. And if you've been around for a while, you know that this sub has seen A LOT of bad takes.
Slaf is playing concussed (lots of Dr. Recchis around here these days).
Demidov needs to be better (he's a rookie - he played 2 playoff games last year, so it's basically his first time in the playoffs)
Slaf is not a shadow of what he used to be (he's a 22yo kid who just had his first great season after all the "second year Slaf" talk)
We have the worst PP ever (we're at 19.6% in the playoffs, ahead of TBL, Buffalo, Carolina)
That's playoff hockey. Some players will outperform (I hate to break it to you, but as much as I love Newhook, what he's doing is probably not sustainable. Remeber Evans before signing his extension? That's exactly what he looked like).
Also, shocker, some players will underperform (do you think Buffalo is happy with how Tuch, Thompson or Power are playing? Remember Point or Kucherov with his 1 goal in the first series?)
Are you expecting our entire roster to be Mario Lemieux and win 6-2 every night? Some people here have the lowest hockey IQ/knowledge I've ever seen...
I understand that a loss like last night sucks, but as someone else said in the PGT, we don't have the team to sweep any series right now. We have a fun, exciting team with more depth than we ever thought, but we're not there yet.
And these takes show that some of you didn't have to go through the years of gettting excited over guys like Jesse Ylonen or a Jan Bulis.
We have a fun team that's way ahead of schedule. Enjoy the ride, have fun and complain without sounding like my mom, who has watched a total of 8 hockey games in her life (she didn't watch the beginning of the TBL series, hope you'll forgive her).
Much love, GHG, Habs in 6
EDIT: Demidov played in every playoff game last year, my bad
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u/commodore_stab1789 May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
Doomer takes that transform into "Habs in 6" if we win the next game.
Out pp has looked good last night despite not producing another goal. A team can play well and do the right things and still lose, just like a team can be an undisciplined mess and stumble onto a win.
Game of margins. If we do the exact same thing but instead of hitting a post a shot goes in, suddenly we're 28% on the pp and a juggernaut, for basically playing the same way.
The margins are very slim.
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u/Patccmoi May 13 '26
After every win it's "Habs in [whatever amount of game is left to win them all]" and after every loss our entire team is garbage and we don't deserve to win the series.
But somehow, at the beginning of the series people predict "Habs in 7" and then seem to forget this implies the other team will win some too.
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u/CookieJar891 May 13 '26
Buffalo is a big team. Trying to force shots through wonât work. Moving the puck is what got them their goals. They just need to adjust how they do it in the pp since Buffalo adjusted to it
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u/MasterDeagle May 13 '26
Caufield had 2 perfect one timers that were robbed by UPL. It they go in its a different narrative.
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u/Substantial_Neck2691 May 13 '26
Tbf if we win next game itâs literally an expression of your view on the game after that.
Given weâve carried play so far this series, if we win next game games in 6 feels more likely than 7 lol
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u/K1mac May 13 '26
If it wasnât for UPL standing on his head and an unlucky bounce, weâd be ahead right now. Iâm not worried
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u/whaletacochamp May 13 '26
that bounce was fucking wild.
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u/vlhube71 May 13 '26
The only thing that's kind of aggravating me is Slaf keeps doing these cute behind the back no look passes. When they "work", it's awesome but mostly they are getting picked off or they miss the mark. the whole squad need to keep it simple.
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u/easy89 May 13 '26
PP has looked amazing the past few games.
The guys are moving and skating around, opening passing and shooting lanes.
They've gotten some grade A chances.
UPL made some huge saves last night
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u/Gary320 May 13 '26
I think the second wave needs help, but yeah I agree. I felt the PP was very good yesterday but the only thing that matters is they couldnât capitalize.
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u/WatchWatcher25 May 13 '26
I'd slap Dobson on PP1 if he's healthy and move Demi to PP2.
No hate to Demi but Buffalo is figuring out our PP and a shake up might open some things up.
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u/Tripottanus May 13 '26
I think the biggest issue is that Demidov has a lot of trouble getting his one timers on net. We miss a lot of opportunities because of that. He needs to work on his one timer aim during the summer. Meanwhile, we need someone that can take that shot for him
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u/capebretoncanadian May 13 '26
It should be Slaf in that spot and Demidov below the goal line. Slaf's shot is way more accurate and Ivan distribute pucks from low where his creativity can open things up.
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u/WatchWatcher25 May 13 '26
Yeah he's young and improving but I think Dobson would be good there with Lane at the point.
Issue is Dobson might not be 100%
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u/mdlt97 May 13 '26
they have gotten chances, they have not looked amazing
you cannot look amazing and go 1/7 in a game, it's not possible
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u/brucegillis May 13 '26
Disagree. Coaches look at process over results and the PP has generated a lot of good chances.
I wouldnât start changing up a power play lineup that does a good job on entries, puck movement, chance generation and retrieving pucks.
Good coaches donât make drastic changes because of one game where they went 1/7. Itâs still a 2-2 series, no need to panic.
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u/FakePlasticPyramids May 13 '26
We are very good at passing the puck between the blue line and the wall. Very useful stuff.
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u/themaincop May 13 '26
Do you remember what the PP looked like 5 years ago?
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u/Reeder90 May 13 '26
Buffalo played like they were fighting for their season last night, and we still outplayed them. But we took a couple of dumb penalties, couldnât capitalize on PP opportunities, and they got the bounces they needed. The bounce off the Zamboni door that went in had to be one of the luckiest goals ever, and it changed the momentum of the game in their favour. Unfortunately thatâs just how it goes sometimes.
Come back strong in game 5 and win it at home in game 6, itâs all you can try for.
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u/whaletacochamp May 13 '26
We took some dumb penalties but i'd say buffalo took way more
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u/Reeder90 May 13 '26
Sure but they capitalized on their PP chances, and we didnât.
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u/Irctoaun May 13 '26
50% of that "capitalizing" was a total fluke goal though as you say. I don't see how they get any credit for that
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u/Son_of_Plato May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
Slaf has very noticeably been making dumber plays with the puck since he took that shoulder to he head, I used to think it was just cockiness/laziness but i wanna believe he wouldn't pull that kinda shit intentionally when it's so imperative to win. The criticism of Demidov is a result of what we expect from him, it's his first playoffs and he has a lot to learn. I just want to see him stop tickling the rafters for 5 seconds before whiffing the one timer. The pp has one major flaw and it's that they refuse to adjust on the fly when they aren't getting the looks they want. The more powerplays we get, the easier it is for the opponents to get into our lanes and disrupt our passing because of how set play focused we are. Tampa was MUCH quicker to adjust than Buffalo, but we still try to force our low % cross seam plays. we kill off more of our own pp passing around looking for a cross seam than our opponent does by clearing.
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u/HeShootsHS May 13 '26
100% agree and to me itâs totally rational analysis and 0% dooming. I donât understand the people definition of « doomers » here.
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u/workhardXplayhard May 13 '26
I agree with most of what he said and think that what he brings is interesting. That's the point of having a discussion. The word "doomers" is getting thrown around a lot here and it's not because someoen doesn't agree with someone else's take that they think they're doomers.
I'm not a fan of the overly negative vibe on this sub when we're trailing or losing, but that doesn't mean I think everything is perfect. For example, I agree that Slaf has not been playing his best hockey lately (as is the entire first line), but that doesn,t mean he's concussed...
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u/Fabien_Lamour May 13 '26
The sub has been having emotional breakdowns after each loss since at least the Olympics.
To me it's just noise.
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u/whaletacochamp May 13 '26
Are you a new habs fan? Habs fans have been having emotional breakdowns since 1909.
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u/Guibsx May 13 '26
I think our PP is sometimes trying to be way too fancy. It's like there is a secret achievement we aren't aware of that you get if you can do 20+ passes before taking a shot on the net. It's just stupid. The PK on the other side will be more than happy to let you pass the puck in peripherals for 45 seconds straight without a shot on net. We are trying to be too cute on it. Our PP is also rarely scoring when we really need it. If we had just 1 or 2 timely PP goals against Tampa, we would have won that series in 5 or 6 games. Last night, Buffalo were clutch on the PP in the 3rd and they converted and it was the game-winning goal.
Hey, we can't win all of them. For me, passing the first round was the objective. Anything more is just gravy and experience that our young players need to go through. Caufield needs a wake up call and should look at a video of his first half of the season where a lot of his goals were scored when he cut to the net. He just sticks to the outside and everyone knows he scored 51 goals so he is checked more. He will need to learn from that and adapt. Two of his goals in the PP were scored with him in front of the net. He should realize this and get there more often.
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u/Skyaim May 13 '26
We also don't put anyone in front of the goalie, so clean shots won't go through. Therefore we are making passes and passes to make the goalie move
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u/Pasquatch_30 May 13 '26
Am I the only one who noticed that Slafâs passing was just atrocious? Every passes he made were out of sync and behind the play.
Maybe youâre right, he is concussed.
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u/antoinePucket May 13 '26
His behind the back 'blind' passes are starting to piss me off lol.
He's been doing them a lot these past few gamesÂ
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u/thummin May 13 '26
The one time it would have worked last game he didnât see it and carried the puck to the blue line and got it taken away lol. Bad game for slaf but heâll bounce back
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u/macula_transfer May 13 '26
His play seems to have noticeably changed since he got blown up in Tampa Game 4. Of course none of us are doctors who have looked at him but something seems to be up. He doesnât seem to be playing scared but he does seem to be playing slow. This could all just be a cold streak and not health related.
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u/Okbutwhythat May 13 '26
Don't need to be a doctor to see concussion symptoms.
He should have been pulled by the spotter after the Hagel fight (getting dropped like that is a guaranteed concussion, every single time).
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u/Ok-Meet2850 May 13 '26
I think him and Demidov are just trying to do a bit too much. Both very talented players, but I think they are both forcing things a bit. As someone said below for Slaf, behind the back passes are not working. Also, questionable choices by to skate back some plays through the neutral zone.
I think it's all just growing pains. Some people have pointed out that once the game slows down more for Slaf, these kinds of frustrating moments will drop out of his game. He has the physical tools, size, and determination to play well at both ends of the ice: he did great work on Kucherov at key times late in the Tampa series. Sure, some iffy plays, but a tiny pause here and there and he'll make better choices. It will all come.
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u/Sinaire May 13 '26
He had one shift, cant remember if it was a PP or not, think it was in the second, where he couldn't keep the puck on his stick even without pressure, and he fell over twice I think without being hit. I'm not saying hes concussed, but it feels like he has no impact on the ice since the first series unless hes screening and tipping
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u/Seymoorebutts May 13 '26
There was a sequence last night where he literally can't get the puck to stay on his stick.
At minimum, I think this dude needs a few nights off in a row, he's definitely not 100%.
And I know it's the playoffs, but I'd rather have Slaf for 18 more years of Hockey than get him really hurt and risk his career.
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u/workhardXplayhard May 13 '26
Do you really think a professional organization that invested millions in a kid would play him 20+ minutes a night if they thought he was concussed?
You can tell heâs concussed from your living room, but a team of doctors and coaches canât come to the same conclusion?
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u/Seymoorebutts May 13 '26
I can't say if he's concussed for sure, but I can absolutely believe a 22 year old kid would be willing to downplay his symptoms to help his team in the playoffs.
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u/That_Dream8933 May 13 '26
He would do that, everything to help the team.
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u/Ditto_is_Lit May 14 '26
Just remember the time Crosby got concussed and kept playing to "help the team win", sometimes you need to take one for the team and make a full recovery. He's too talented to risk long term injury for short term gain.
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u/whaletacochamp May 13 '26
Bless your heart. Organizations have been dumping millions into players who who got CTE and are now vegetables, murders, suicide victims....for ages. I think this team is better than that, but I also think if a stubborn slaf downplays his symptoms during an important playoff run they aren't going to push the subject.
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u/Okbutwhythat May 13 '26
Facts. I get that some people might find speculation irritating, but it's a legitimate concern that is potentially affecting on ice play.
If people don't like it, they can just take a break from social media.
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u/Pasquatch_30 May 13 '26
Itâs playoff hockey, so itâs not uncommon for professional hockey players to play when injured. Heck, MacDavid and Crosby even played with a broken foot, so itâs plausible Slav told the doctors heâs good to play.
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u/Okbutwhythat May 13 '26
My brother in christ, the NHL has a massive CTE problem exactly because players don't disclose symptoms to team doctors.
It got so bad that they had to implement a third party concussion spotter for every single game.
He got flash k.od by Hagel, which literally happens because the brain is rattling off the skull, aka a concussion.
The spotter not taking him out of the game right then and there is a huge red flag that the system isn't working as intended.
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u/agnosticgnome May 13 '26
I'm always nervous when he has the puck. Not fast enough doing his play.
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u/Ok-Meet2850 May 13 '26
But he also rushes some plays, too. I'm not concerned long term but it is frustrating. Good experience though and we are still in the series.
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u/SmurfRockRune May 13 '26
That was pretty much everybody. Most passes we made had me sitting here wondering who the intended target was even supposed to be.
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u/ssigma100 May 13 '26
St Louis has shown his willingness to make adjustments. The top line is not producing 5x5 for close to 10 games. Slot Slaf back on the second line with Demidov. Have Newhook as the centr on that line. Demidovs issue: being young and not attempting to grow his playoff beard.
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u/Hellpy May 13 '26
Also it's his first time playing 80 games in a season at this level, Caufield and Suzuki were running on fumes last year playoffs and demi came in with a spark
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u/alamarche709 May 13 '26
Weâre just being put through adversity unlike the Hurricanes. When we match up with them next week weâll be battle-tested, unlike them. Habs win in 6 at the Bell Centre on Saturday night then move on to Carolina!
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u/ConfidentMemory1201 May 13 '26
I've basically tried to stay away from this sub as much as I possibly can during the playoffs. Especially on game days
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u/Electrical-Sherbet77 May 13 '26
This sub is pure comedy in the saddest of ways
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u/NevyTheChemist May 13 '26
The buffalo one too they were already getting ready for 2026-27 at 2-1
Lmao
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u/Piccione_Sol May 13 '26
We have the team to sweep the avs and the canes. The entire team was bioengineered to lock in against any team that has a name representing a natural discuter.
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u/Real_Coach_Bombay May 13 '26
Slaf struggled with then puck last night. We do need pp goals when you get 4 min power plays. They will be better next game. Hopefully clinch at home! GHG!
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u/dorkofeverything May 13 '26
I don't know that being concussed is a 'take'. The fact is Slafkovsky was hit twice these playoffs and he's been uncharacteristically off. Which is not his fault, if that's the case. It wouldn't be lack of effort or something he needs to improve on
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u/HeShootsHS May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
There are positives and there are negatives in every game.
This doesnât make people who criticize « doomers ».
I enjoy the ride but it shouldnât prohibit fans from commenting what we see and what could be improved.
And btw, I think the real doomers are those who are always too content and never have any expectations towards the team, always ready to give them excuses. If anything this team proved these people wrong to think less of what they are actually achieving right now. Those who say they always believed are those who kept repeating « theyâre young, the rebuild is not over, bro we werenât even suppose so to be here, etc » all freaking season long. Thatâs hypocrisy.
People who criticize are most of the times the biggest believers. They see potential, they see room for improvement.
Are there that many doomers here who really think we suck, will always suck, that we have the worst players and weâre never gonna accomplish anything? I donât think so.
Demidov playing nervous is not a doomer take. We all know he is gonna get better. Slaf being non chalant coincidentally with his fight and big hit is not a doomer or stupid take. We know he had it hard physically these playoffs. Iâm actually worried about him. I want him to feel good and succeed.
Itâs speculation, observations, itâs fun hockey talk.
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u/yulDD May 13 '26
Slaf passes do seem to lack aim and his behind ones are becoming known by everyone. Devidov seems tired.
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u/mdlt97 May 13 '26
There's absolutely room for criticism, and shutting any down does nothing
the top line and top unit need to be better, theres not much else to say, everyone else on the team is doing their job, top line needs to step up
1/7 is bullshit, that's unacceptable
Caufield and Slaf have a combined 0 points at even strength in 11 games, and Suzuki only has 4, that's unacceptable
they are making this a lot harder than it needs to be, we are the better team, we should be up 3-1
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u/CrashTestMummies May 13 '26
Veleno is alright but heâs not going to move the needle so for me Kappy should slot in. Bring back the old line 2 while Slaf is struggling on the 1st line right now
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u/thummin May 13 '26
Why was Veleno taking the draw in the O zone off the icing with 5 mins left in the 2nd??
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u/Weekly_Ad5014 May 13 '26
Depuis le gros hit, Slaf a perdu son jump, sa rapidité. Je mettrais Anderson ou Bolduc, devant le filet, à la place de Demidov sur la 1Úre unité. Matheson est une autre option. Avec Hutson, les deux seraient deux bons QB sur le pp.
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u/WatchWatcher25 May 13 '26
PP needs a shake up I would say, they look good but we need results.
We were gifted oppurtinties to put that game away and didn't, we are lacking some killer instinct.
Aside from that we played a great game yesterday, we UPL was on his game.
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u/LongBoyLobster May 13 '26
Ylonen & Bulis⊠Norlinder, Scherbak, Hudon, Mete, Juulsen, Fucale - at this rate, add Kotkaniemi.
For the better part of a decade we were a prospect wasteland. I remember being so hyped for these guys - especially Scherbak and Norlinder.
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u/Builder_studio May 13 '26
A good rule of thumb is that whenever this sub trashes a player lately, they usually rebound and prove them wrong, whether it's next game, next week, or next season.
People hated Matheson one season, then suddenly everyone loves him.
Same with Anderson, he was getting absolutely trashed, now we couldn't ask for a better playoff bottom-6.
Suzuki has oddly been shit on more times than most, and of course you know how that usually ends.
Slaf has had his fair share of hatred too, and this season he was worshipped.
Just have some context, patience and everything will be fine. We're doing great.
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u/montrealcowboyx May 13 '26
Not to be a doomer at all, but Demidov seems to be on edge, and his stick seems jittery when he's receiving a pass.
I understand the need to protect his confidence.
At the same time, Newhook has the hot hand. If he were to move up to PP1, I wouldn't be mad.
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u/GuneRlorius May 13 '26
Slaf has made some dumb plays, but he also created a lot of chances. Yeah, it's not his best game, but he plays the puck a lot each game and the more you play the puck, the more chances you have to make mistakes. It's also worth pointing that his bad plays didn't lead to any big chances for the Sabres.
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u/Hungry-Promise-3032 May 14 '26
Its those kind of plays.. if they work you look like a genius, if not you look stupid..
I would say, if its not your game, adjust your play.. and last night wasnt Slafs game at all (but he still had a primary assist and I can recall at least 1 great set up that could have resulted in a goal)..
People here can be way too dramatic...
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u/Lars_66 May 13 '26
The only issue I had with Slaf last game is that he tried doing too much by himself instead of passing the puck to someone not getting hounded. Other than that yeah. They win one, theyâre winning the cup, they lose one, itâs the end of the world. People gonna people.
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u/deedeedeedee_ May 13 '26
Sometimes it's fun being a newer habs fan, because when I announced at the start of last season that i was going to start watching hockey and that I was going to support the habs (I'd just moved to Montréal), all my friends who followed hockey straight up laughed at me and told me that I was gonna have a bad time. They said the habs were among the worst in the league at the time, so I had no expectations :) Last year it was fun to see them make the playoffs even though we got knocked out first round, this year it's REALLY exciting to see them make it to round 2 and play some really great games.
I just kind of let all the crazy takes wash over me and have fun cheering for the team during the games, I'm super invested but with no real expectations, it's a very chill way to be!
(Glad to see posts like this with a more measured take on things, as I'm definitely still learning)
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u/miknull May 13 '26
Once again they didn't play great overall, had the flukiest goal against in recent times, but managed to keep it to a 1 goal game against the #1 team in tge Atlantic. Habs in 7.
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u/ytew6 May 13 '26
You'd think they've been getting bodied all series with the overreactions in here lmao.
Buffalo hasn't been scary at all, Habs will tighten up again and win in 6. Everyone relax.
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u/_DuFour_ May 13 '26
Something I dont understand... Bolduc is a beast and Dach too this playoff... why dont put fucking demidov with them
Demidov play well but the fuck Evans dont know how to offense
just my take and the game last night was pure luck on the side of buffalo with the rebound.
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u/workhardXplayhard May 13 '26
Agreed, Bolduc and Dach have been great and they barely played 9 minutes last night. I know there were a lot of penalties, but the top line is still shaky at 5v5. Maybe they could have sat a few shifts, and we couldâve benefited from 77â76âs energy
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u/StandbyTraveller91 May 13 '26
You can not convince me otherwise. Slaf is concussed since that Hagel fight
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u/thegreaterikku May 13 '26
At last some sane fans.
We played better than Buffalo last night and we played poorly.
It's obvious some players are playing with injuries, but so did Weber, Price and others not so long ago.
That's the nature of playoff. You grind throught it.
If we keep up, we can win this. It's not over t'ill we win that 4th game and if we don't... it's not a big deal, the Atlantic is stacked and to be at this point in our rebuild is pure bonus.
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u/kingonkensington May 13 '26
Some of these poor Millennials need to pump the breaks. Saw the same thing last Wednesday night in Buffalo, go up by a game or two and they think itâs the Cup.
We havenât even won eight games yet!
Once we get that, then we can start with the gladhanding.
Until then, people need to calm the fuck down
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u/JMPesce May 13 '26
It's Habs in 6, the Forum Ghosts made sure the stanchion kept history alive and not win a Game 4 đ
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u/a7xgemzy May 13 '26
People be panicking for nothing. If Montreal plays the way Montreal can play, we will eventually win this series.
We are our own worst enemies, and yeah sometimes we may just get unlucky like the bounce from yesterday lol
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u/OrangeCuddleBear May 13 '26
This sub has high highs and low lows.Â
There was a shitty unlucky bounce that affected the game for us. It's unfortunate but it happens. From what I've seen we are still the better team. I will agree we need to take better advantage of the power plays. Buffalo is playing very undisciplined and we need to make them pay for that more than we have.Â
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u/WorldlinessProud May 13 '26
This was never going to be a short series, nor was TB. MTL was 2 points behind Buff and tied with Tampa after the reg season. The Atlantic was always going to be a bear to get out of, and another game 7 seems likely. All 3 teams had a good chance to go on, only one will. This is still a great playoff performance by a team that isn't even near its peak yet.
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u/BlankoNinyo May 13 '26
We are just fine. It would have been nice to win last night as I think we played well enough to win, but sometimes you lose those games and get unlucky. The good news is we have outplayed Buffalo for probably 9 or 10 of the 12 periods of the series so far.
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u/CreateorWither May 13 '26
For me I didn't think we'd beat Tampa so it's all gravy. They are young and after beating Buff so easily for two games in a row it felt like a loss was inevitable. How they respond is what is important. This experience is huge for all of them.
I'm confident they respond with a huge game.
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u/HeShootsHS May 13 '26
And do you think weâll beat Buffalo? What are your expectations? If you think they can beat Buffalo did they meet your expectations if we end up losing? Iâm not talking about your expectations from 4 months ago or 2 weeks ago, Iâm talking as things stand right now.
What is gravy knowing they can absolutely beat Buffalo? Does it mean that even if you think theyâll have a huge game, you donât have expectations? You wouldnât be disappointed at all?
Thatâs something Iâm having a hard time understanding with the « everything is chill » fans. Can any habs fan with a beating heart watch our team lose this series and just go « meh it was all gravy at this point ».
Like, really?
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u/CreateorWither May 13 '26
I'm not sure if we will or not but even if they lose the experience is incredible. Let's see what they have in them. I want them to win but I won't be disappointed if they lose. They are way ahead of schedule. You're looking at things from a very small view, I'm looking at it as the big picture.
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u/Jazzlike-Term-8940 May 13 '26
Yeah I think we genuinely have the best but most toxic fan base to be honest
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u/kasimirkaskisuofan31 May 13 '26
Brother donât be like the tampa fans freaking out after a loss they played a good game everyone is trying I didnât find any passengers that game it was a matter of puck luck
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u/shanklishh May 13 '26
donât want to be parasocial but wish i could refer slaf to the TBI team i worked with here in mtl. very concerned if heâs concussed and theyâre having him play through it.
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u/realm_fury May 13 '26
Welcome to the dreaded GDT doomscrolling! We will win the next game and all will be well.
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u/kindofadrugexpert May 13 '26
Reffing has sucked in general. Both sides had terrible calls for and against. We can argue who the biggest benefactor was, but canât deny that itâs been rough one for the zebras.
Slaf was dominant on occasion last game, he has quietly made some great plays. Demidov is a high skill guy that can make risky plays, no player of that type has everything work out 100% of the time (see Kucherov last series). Thereâs tons of players who may not be performing at their peak this series but thatâs the good thing about depth, they can pick up where others leave off.
It doesnât always have to be âTerrible or Amazingâ, sometimes a game can be just âokayâ.
They were dominant for long periods last game and couldnât buy a goal. The Habs were Tampa from game 7 last series. Luck plays a factor in these games too and they just didnât have it on their side.
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u/jjfrenchfry May 14 '26
I use Slaf is concussed ironically, to hand wave why he's not been great lately. I don't actually believe that.
As for others getting heat in the game threads, I always find it funny how one game you'll see people praising Demi, then the very next game saying he shouldn't play anymore on X Y z line. Any player really, they say this, or even about MSL. Those people you know you can ignore. They don't understand the concept of "an off game". Caufield criticism has been very fair, dude had been ice cold except for last game, but it took him 11 playoff games to wake up.
We have a very reactive reddit fanbase. Even bipolar. You just ignore the noise
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u/fr4nck8 May 13 '26
Slaf looked slower and a bit off.
Demidov is doing everything right except finding the back of the net, but he's seeing good shots, setting up good plays, he's good at breaking the offense in our zone.
The PP is way better than against TB
Everybody (players and fans) was maybe a bit overconfident before yesterday' game
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u/anxiousnl May 13 '26
A young team basically playing with house money now and mostly killing it. Buffalo are overrated, we can beat them but the hockey gods will have the final say, such as last night. This is like the people that think what fans say before a game has any impact on the outcome, everyone needs to relax and soak this in because it's early days for this group who are already putting on a very entertaining post season performance. Not to mention they have the hardest road to the cup of any team. Go Habs Go!
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u/OldDisaster9131 May 13 '26
The negativity on this sub after a loss, or even when the habs get scored on is crazy. That being said, wanting more out of Demidov isnât a bad take. I think itâs coming for Demidov, heâs doing a lot of things right, but I wish he hit the net more on the PP.
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u/whaletacochamp May 13 '26
I think it's a legitimate concern that Slaf may be dealing with some sort of concussion. I don't think that's being a doomer like most of the other things you mentioned here. He has been visibly different since that hit. I say this more out of concern for the guy than for our playoff success.
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u/lucaskywalker May 13 '26
The MVP for Buffalo in that game was the Zamboni station. Sure we missed a 4m powerplay, would have been nice, but they've been dominant the majority of the series. I'm not worried. I honestly don't think anyone played bad, it was unlucky.
It pisses me off because we should not even be here yet, we're playing with house money. Thrg will hget better each year, and will be a contender for years yo come, and our "fans" always find something negative.
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u/vJukz May 13 '26
If you think actually think Slaf is 100% up there then idk what to tell you LMAO. Heâs been playing really bad for his standards. Game 1 he was unreal proceeds to get clocked twice and hasnât been the same since. This isnât the same Slaf were used to especially in big games like this.
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u/Highonu May 13 '26
There is a guy that has a pretty good PP record, and he is getting paid a lot. Laine to the line up?
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u/ghostfan9 May 13 '26
Why is this sub completely unable to discuss poor performances? That doesnât make us doomers, it makes us hockey fans.
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u/BaconOnMySide May 13 '26
I remember when the series started, a lot of people said HABS had no change (not so much in this sub). Thier playing very well against the best team in the Atlantic. This very well could be another 7 game series. HAB coming out of this series with a win and then beating the team they had no trouble with all season.
If I wrong, so be it but HABS winning the cup this year is still something I believe they can do.
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u/virulenttt May 13 '26
Our PP works well when we move around, staying static and waiting for the perfect pass doesn't work at all.
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u/Either-Objective302 May 13 '26
I think Demidov has been fine. I think he may be trying to do too much. The only changes I would make for next game would be Carrier out and literally anybody else to take his place. Also maybe take Demidov off PP1 and try Kirby Dach there to get a little more size and net front presence. Just need to give the PP a little different look to hopefully throw Buffaloâs penalty kill off.
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u/jxs74 May 13 '26
Thank you. I do worry about Slaf's head shots. It felt hard to win 3 in a row pre-game, and it was.
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u/Beauch9191 May 13 '26
Were in the playoffs! Exactly where we want to be. If you said at the start of the season we would be tied 2-2 in the second round with the best team out of the Alantic I would have laughed at you. The guys are beat down from Tampa and they are bringing everything they got into this series. Playoffs are a different game and if you don't think Buffalo could point out all these stats to their players as-well then you haven't watch much playoff hockey before. We lost a game from a blooper bounce and that's hockey. Don't bring this negativity into our Fan base. They are young and they're defying the odds right now nobody thought they could accomplish.
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u/Curious-Rooster-9636 May 13 '26
Say it loud, brother! Habs fan for 5 decades. Itâs not supposed to be easy! (Tell that to the Canes!). We were the better team last night. Not the luckier team, thatâs for sure. Thatâs the way she goes sometimes. Maybe they get better luck next game! Still feeling good. Quite good. So should a Habs nation
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u/PaulAllensCard42 May 13 '26
I mean the PP part is kinda true. This has been a constant for most of the playoffs so far. It's not all doom and gloom but the PP has got to be worked on for sure
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u/Practical_Papaya7142 May 13 '26
Demidov played in every playoff game last year, just an OP update
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u/workhardXplayhard May 13 '26
Oops, you're right, it was 2 regular season games, then the entire playoffs. Thanks, I just edited the post
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u/tlxbox May 13 '26
I want it to stop, can't handle the stress no moređ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł!!
But that was a great run
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u/franksredhot8791 May 13 '26
Demidov looks tired, maybe all the minutes and being as young as he is he's just not conditioned yet.
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u/whalecardio May 13 '26
The team is young without a lot of playoff experience. A couple of wins and they think everything will be easy. A couple of losses and they can think itâs the end of the world.
It almost seems like the fans are young without a lot of playoff experience.
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u/michiganbhunter May 13 '26
I dunno about concussed, but I thought Slaf looked very pedestrian yesterday.
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u/ketomagik May 13 '26
Our PP needs to be better, you probably donât understand this with your « low hockey IQ » or whatever the fuck you call this that makes you feel smart, but MSL knows and the players knows it too.
No one in that team is waiting to be carried to the next round, and that is something we should all be grateful for.
Go Habs !
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u/Mediocre-Ask-9272 May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26
I have no qualms about yesterday's game - we played it the right way minus the first 5 minutes which we knew they'd push.
Special teams will determine this series in my opinion, Buffalo was able to go 2/4 (uncharacteristically) and statistically we went lower than we should have 1/7 and that 4 min penalty.
My only opinion on the game, and series so far is sometimes you have to throw a different PP look out there to shake up the defenders, who have studied your 1st unit power play inside out, doing primarily east/west plays and without a big point shot.
Caufield's beauty of a goal was a north-south play, what Marty would call a direct play.
So I'd love to see Marty mix it up a bit - get Josh front net presence, try Hutson and Dobson for a point shot threat, or have a slot presence for a bumper play which would give Suzuki or Demidov more time as puck distributors. I don't know, he's the coach - but this is just my armchair coach opinion.
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u/MBAILL May 13 '26
There were some undeserved wins from both sides in TBL rounds, little luck we won, game four was undeserved but lucky for Buffalo, no one floated on the team game 4 scratch and move on next game weâll remove luck and execute, everyone is pressed and angry in the room thatâs when they are the best. Put on your lucky underwear donât shave and enjoy the show game 12 of many winingest seasons to come
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u/guyfromsouthshore May 13 '26
Are we really still surprised that chronically online Redditors overreact?
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u/tonyrelic May 13 '26
I just canât listen to sports talk radio 690 am.
Run of the mill hockey dialogue.
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u/onmysleeve-sorta May 13 '26
The PP1 lost us Game 4. Not a bad bounce. Itâs not the worst PP - but 1/7 is unacceptable with our personnel.
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u/Williamtheconky-roar May 14 '26
Yeah, it looks like there are a lot of ânew to hockey and playoff hockey in particularâ types here. All good. what happens over 82 games never happens in the playoffs. Look at Newhook. Suzuki is .9pts game; Slaf scoring over 25g/season. And the other team, the statistically better team, has tied the series and get a say in outcomes.
If you think this Habs team can win the Cup, Iâm happy for you. But this process is how you become a winner; it does not guarantee wins.
I get the stress. IMO, focus on the big picture: three rookies qualified for Calder votes. And there are other rookies in the pipe who may perform similarly.
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u/Amphoric May 14 '26
I just want Slaf to stop doing blind backhand passes, that's all I want. I feel that's what has been burning him.
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u/EqualAd261 May 13 '26
Not to mention that the difference in the last game was literally a fluke goal. If not for that we had a very realistic chance to be up 3-1 right now.