Hollywood
Well-Known Member
No kidding! Considering Habs had no business winning that game.
NHL Thread Because There Isn't An NHL Thread
- Thread starter Absolut Kaz
- Start date
Turbo
Well-Known Member
Ginormousthumbs
Go on, geezer.
While I’m not really hyped on the NHL moving to ESPN & TNT, I am hyped that I won’t have to hear Pierre McGuire 
BazookaTooth
Well-Known Member
Would draft again
Turbo
Well-Known Member
While I’m not really hyped on the NHL moving to ESPN & TNT, I am hyped that I won’t have to hear Pierre McGuire
You just can't script that any better.
Hollywood
Well-Known Member
Vegas Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer believes Marc-Andre Fleury's gaffe leading to the Montreal Canadiens' late third-period equalizer in Game 3 had an effect on his club in overtime.
Fleury mishandled a dump-in behind his goal and Habs forward Josh Anderson deposited the loose puck into the empty net, evening the score at 2-2 with 1:55 remaining in the final frame. Anderson then buried his second of the night in overtime.
"Those type of events are tough to recover from," DeBoer said postgame, according to NHL.com's Danny Webster. "I didn't think we were poor in overtime but there's no doubt that carried over."
Golden Knights captain Mark Stone came to the defense of his goalie.
"It was an unfortunate bounce, there's nothing you can do about it," Stone said, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger. "Fleury has been great all year. It was one mistake and we needed to bail him out, and we didn't."
Fleury is up for the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender of 2020-21 after posting a 26-10 record in the regular season along with a .928 save percentage and 1.98 goals-against average. Coming into Friday's clash with Montreal, the 36-year-old had a .923 clip in 14 playoff games this spring.
Vegas thoroughly controlled play throughout the game, outshooting the Canadiens 45-27 while commanding 59.18% of scoring chances and 53.95% of expected goals at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Montreal leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Sunday night.
Fleury mishandled a dump-in behind his goal and Habs forward Josh Anderson deposited the loose puck into the empty net, evening the score at 2-2 with 1:55 remaining in the final frame. Anderson then buried his second of the night in overtime.
"Those type of events are tough to recover from," DeBoer said postgame, according to NHL.com's Danny Webster. "I didn't think we were poor in overtime but there's no doubt that carried over."
Golden Knights captain Mark Stone came to the defense of his goalie.
"It was an unfortunate bounce, there's nothing you can do about it," Stone said, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger. "Fleury has been great all year. It was one mistake and we needed to bail him out, and we didn't."
Fleury is up for the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender of 2020-21 after posting a 26-10 record in the regular season along with a .928 save percentage and 1.98 goals-against average. Coming into Friday's clash with Montreal, the 36-year-old had a .923 clip in 14 playoff games this spring.
Vegas thoroughly controlled play throughout the game, outshooting the Canadiens 45-27 while commanding 59.18% of scoring chances and 53.95% of expected goals at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Montreal leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Sunday night.
Twentytwo
Pre-order Goodness
I was so hoping he was going to be a Nashville Predator back in 2013. So many mock drafts had him lasting until 4 and it didn’t happen. Of course Colorado, Florida and Tampa all went offense. Barkov is a stud. Well at least we didn’t draft Drouin, he’s been a bust.
Turbo
Well-Known Member
And to think we could still have Sergachev... oh well. Drouin has a ton of talent if only he can battle his internal demons.
Ginormousthumbs
Go on, geezer.
Let’s hope the VGK will not have recovered until after game 5. 
I’m curious to see if DeBoer goes with Lehner next game. I don’t think that will happen, but it’s Pete.
Did anyone think MAF’s stick smash was a little too nonchalant? Like it was forced?
I’m not usually a sports conspiracy theorist but man this year’s playoffs have me scratching my head.
I’m curious to see if DeBoer goes with Lehner next game. I don’t think that will happen, but it’s Pete.
Did anyone think MAF’s stick smash was a little too nonchalant? Like it was forced?
I’m not usually a sports conspiracy theorist but man this year’s playoffs have me scratching my head.
BazookaTooth
Well-Known Member
Had him on my fantasy team, thats all.
Hollywood
Well-Known Member
NopeLet’s hope the VGK will not have recovered until after game 5.
I’m curious to see if DeBoer goes with Lehner next game. I don’t think that will happen, but it’s Pete.
Did anyone think MAF’s stick smash was a little too nonchalant? Like it was forced?
I’m not usually a sports conspiracy theorist but man this year’s playoffs have me scratching my head.
Hollywood
Well-Known Member
MONTREAL (AP) — Marc-Andre Fleury was so upbeat, the Vegas goalie laughed off a question about his costly late-game flub.
The Golden Knights might be well-served to do the same after finding themselves in the all too familiar position of facing adversity during a postseason run in which they’ve now trailed in all three series.
“It’s part of the game, having to talk to you guys and being reminded of my screwups, right?” Fleury said with an audible giggle in referring to the media on Saturday, some 12 hours after a 3-2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens. “Obviously, I wish things were different. But it is what it is, and got to put it behind and get ready for our next game.”
Game 4 of this Stanley Cup semifinal is Sunday night at Montreal, with Vegas down 2-1 after losing two straight.
The 36-year-old Fleury did his best to move on after his misplaying of the puck along the end boards led to Montreal’s Josh Anderson scoring into an unguarded net to tie the game with 1:55 remaining. Anderson then capped the win by converting Paul Byron’s pass on a 2-on-1 break 12:53 into overtime.
Much of the focus was on Fleury’s miscue — “I’ve got to see the replay again, but I don’t know if (the puck) spins off my stick or my foot,” he said.
And yet, there were many factors beyond goaltending contributing to the outcome. Vegas scored just twice despite outshooting the Canadiens 30-8 through two periods and 45-27 overall, and it’s power play continued fizzling. In going 0 of 4 on the man advantage, the Golden Knights have converted just 4 of 38 power-play chances in 16 postseason games.
“There’s a lot of problems. I just don’t think you just pinpoint one,” Reilly Smith said of the power-play concerns. “There’s a lot of things we have to get better at, and it’s costing us the series right now.”
Topping the list of challenges might be the issue of beating Carey Price. After giving up four goals on 30 shots in a series-opening 4-1 loss, the Canadiens goalie has allowed just four on the next 76 he’s faced.
Price’s puck-smothering prominence and calm demeanor in the crease has given rise to the Canadiens' growing confidence. The lowest-seeded team entering the playoffs, Montreal has won nine of 10 since trailing Toronto 3-1 in the first round.
“I think our confidence has always been there,” forward Eric Staal said. “Obviously, the shots were not where we wanted after the end of the second period. But we were still in the game. Carey has been our best player all playoff long.”
Montreal is also no stranger to adversity, be it overcoming injuries or shedding the label of underdogs. On Friday, the Canadiens didn’t flinch after learning they would be without interim coach Dominique Ducharme, who was placed in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19, leaving assistant Luke Richardson to take over behind the bench.
Richardson had no update on Ducharme’s status. He said the coach has remained in contact with the team through video chats and by phone, including provided tips to his staff between periods on Friday.
“He’s missing being with us, and we missing having him,” Richardson said.
Coach Peter DeBoer took exception to the notion of the Golden Knights making things difficult on themselves once again in the playoffs.
“Hah, difficult on ourselves?” DeBoer said, mockingly. “I don’t know who out there feels that we should be winning these series easily. This is hard.”
What’s difficult to dismiss is how the Golden Knights opened the playoffs needing to win Game 7 over Minnesota after squandering a 3-1 series lead. They lost the the first two games to Colorado before winning the next four to eliminate the President’s Trophy-winners.
Slow starts have been an issue, with Vegas scoring the first goal just six times in 16 games. And the team is 2-4 in games decided by one goal.
Now the Golden Knights face the challenge of putting behind a potentially demoralizing outing in which they squandered two one-goal leads.
“I don’t think there’s any emotional damage,” captain Mark Stone said, following the loss. “We liked the way we played today. We played a great 60 minutes. We have to capitalize on our scoring chances.”
Fleury is accustomed to bouncing back over a career in which his 161 playoffs appearances are tied with Ed Belfour for third on the NHL list.
“This series is still young, and there’s a lot of hockey to be played so can’t dwell on it too long,” Fleury said. “Just move on and get ready for tomorrow.”
___
More AP NHL: NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
The Golden Knights might be well-served to do the same after finding themselves in the all too familiar position of facing adversity during a postseason run in which they’ve now trailed in all three series.
“It’s part of the game, having to talk to you guys and being reminded of my screwups, right?” Fleury said with an audible giggle in referring to the media on Saturday, some 12 hours after a 3-2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens. “Obviously, I wish things were different. But it is what it is, and got to put it behind and get ready for our next game.”
Game 4 of this Stanley Cup semifinal is Sunday night at Montreal, with Vegas down 2-1 after losing two straight.
The 36-year-old Fleury did his best to move on after his misplaying of the puck along the end boards led to Montreal’s Josh Anderson scoring into an unguarded net to tie the game with 1:55 remaining. Anderson then capped the win by converting Paul Byron’s pass on a 2-on-1 break 12:53 into overtime.
Much of the focus was on Fleury’s miscue — “I’ve got to see the replay again, but I don’t know if (the puck) spins off my stick or my foot,” he said.
And yet, there were many factors beyond goaltending contributing to the outcome. Vegas scored just twice despite outshooting the Canadiens 30-8 through two periods and 45-27 overall, and it’s power play continued fizzling. In going 0 of 4 on the man advantage, the Golden Knights have converted just 4 of 38 power-play chances in 16 postseason games.
“There’s a lot of problems. I just don’t think you just pinpoint one,” Reilly Smith said of the power-play concerns. “There’s a lot of things we have to get better at, and it’s costing us the series right now.”
Topping the list of challenges might be the issue of beating Carey Price. After giving up four goals on 30 shots in a series-opening 4-1 loss, the Canadiens goalie has allowed just four on the next 76 he’s faced.
Price’s puck-smothering prominence and calm demeanor in the crease has given rise to the Canadiens' growing confidence. The lowest-seeded team entering the playoffs, Montreal has won nine of 10 since trailing Toronto 3-1 in the first round.
“I think our confidence has always been there,” forward Eric Staal said. “Obviously, the shots were not where we wanted after the end of the second period. But we were still in the game. Carey has been our best player all playoff long.”
Montreal is also no stranger to adversity, be it overcoming injuries or shedding the label of underdogs. On Friday, the Canadiens didn’t flinch after learning they would be without interim coach Dominique Ducharme, who was placed in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19, leaving assistant Luke Richardson to take over behind the bench.
Richardson had no update on Ducharme’s status. He said the coach has remained in contact with the team through video chats and by phone, including provided tips to his staff between periods on Friday.
“He’s missing being with us, and we missing having him,” Richardson said.
Coach Peter DeBoer took exception to the notion of the Golden Knights making things difficult on themselves once again in the playoffs.
“Hah, difficult on ourselves?” DeBoer said, mockingly. “I don’t know who out there feels that we should be winning these series easily. This is hard.”
What’s difficult to dismiss is how the Golden Knights opened the playoffs needing to win Game 7 over Minnesota after squandering a 3-1 series lead. They lost the the first two games to Colorado before winning the next four to eliminate the President’s Trophy-winners.
Slow starts have been an issue, with Vegas scoring the first goal just six times in 16 games. And the team is 2-4 in games decided by one goal.
Now the Golden Knights face the challenge of putting behind a potentially demoralizing outing in which they squandered two one-goal leads.
“I don’t think there’s any emotional damage,” captain Mark Stone said, following the loss. “We liked the way we played today. We played a great 60 minutes. We have to capitalize on our scoring chances.”
Fleury is accustomed to bouncing back over a career in which his 161 playoffs appearances are tied with Ed Belfour for third on the NHL list.
“This series is still young, and there’s a lot of hockey to be played so can’t dwell on it too long,” Fleury said. “Just move on and get ready for tomorrow.”
___
More AP NHL: NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Hollywood
Well-Known Member
If the Montreal Canadiens are to march on to the Stanley Cup Final, they'll have to do so without their interim head coach.
Dominique Ducharme needs to isolate for 14 days before he's eligible to rejoin the team following a positive COVID-19 result Friday, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
Assuming Friday counts as one of Ducharme's 14 isolation days, he wouldn't be eligible to return to the team's bench until July 2. Game 7 between the Canadiens and Vegas Golden Knights is scheduled for June 26.
General manager Marc Bergevin said Friday that Ducharme is doing fine. Ducharme received his second COVID-19 vaccination shot June 9. However, he's not considered fully vaccinated because that date was less than two weeks ago.
Assistant Luke Richardson took over the reins and coached Montreal to victory over Vegas in Game 3. Alex Burrows and Sean Burke served as his assistants.
Ducharme replaced the fired Claude Julien behind Montreal's bench midseason. He led the Habs to a 15-16-7 regular-season record before defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets in the playoffs.
Dominique Ducharme needs to isolate for 14 days before he's eligible to rejoin the team following a positive COVID-19 result Friday, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
Assuming Friday counts as one of Ducharme's 14 isolation days, he wouldn't be eligible to return to the team's bench until July 2. Game 7 between the Canadiens and Vegas Golden Knights is scheduled for June 26.
General manager Marc Bergevin said Friday that Ducharme is doing fine. Ducharme received his second COVID-19 vaccination shot June 9. However, he's not considered fully vaccinated because that date was less than two weeks ago.
Assistant Luke Richardson took over the reins and coached Montreal to victory over Vegas in Game 3. Alex Burrows and Sean Burke served as his assistants.
Ducharme replaced the fired Claude Julien behind Montreal's bench midseason. He led the Habs to a 15-16-7 regular-season record before defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets in the playoffs.
Ginormousthumbs
Go on, geezer.
Ginormousthumbs
Go on, geezer.
Ginormousthumbs
Go on, geezer.
Ginormousthumbs
Go on, geezer.
I thought DeBoer & management might go with Lehner today. I love the narrative from fans who think that Fleury needs rest.