GDT: Canucks @ Montreal - 4:30pm - Snet-P

[the toucan kid]

It's pretty tough to win hockey games when you don't score any goals. I don't see how you can really blame Lou for that bomb on the PP for their second goal. He did bobble the rebound on the first one, but the second one would've been a fantastic save had he made it... so you can't really EXPECT him to.

I guess I should have made myself clear. It's not that the shot went in, it was perfect and he had no chance. It's just that he stumbled getting over and took a long time and didn't look close to set. He just can't move out there. Luongo is now a 100% get big and let it hit you goalie and that means he's going to be a 'couple bad goals a night' type of guy. There will be some games where there's none, some where there's three or four, but he's always going to suffer for being immobile and we're going to end up with only pretty good goaltending because of it.

To dwell on this tonight is unwarranted, but in a game where nothing happened it just sort of brought out something I keep noticing night after night. I'm not blaming Lou for tonight, because we couldn't have won against that performance in net (on the other side) anyway, but this guy's game ain't what it used to be.

[Linden Is God]

I hate this game. My bro and dad are Habs fans and I actually have a huge soft spot for them. While I'll be cheering for the Canucks, I'll never hear the end of it if they lose.

The way Montreal has been playing, the Canucks should take this one. Quite frankly it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect the Canucks to take 4 out of 5 on this trip, with a 5th win being quite possible. I get so nervous on these eastern trips. I hate it when the Canucks lose to any other Canadian team.

As long as they don't lose to the Leafs or Flames I'm good
Why didn't you go to the game? Timmies is close to Mo'Real or are you going to the Otava game

Couldn't get tickets to the game and it's hard to get time off work. Depending on what route you take, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto are all pretty close to the same distance from Timmins. My bad luck, the Canucks never play Ottawa on a Saturday. That would be the game I would want to go to. I'd hate to be in Toronto for a loss plus it's hard to get tickets. Montreal would be fun, but I'd probably get into a fight with my brother and dad. Ottawa is lame and it's easier to get tickets there. I guess I'll just have to settle for the Leafs/Habs game on April 9th for my game this year.

[Tciso]

It's pretty tough to win hockey games when you don't score any goals. I don't see how you can really blame Lou for that bomb on the PP for their second goal. He did bobble the rebound on the first one, but the second one would've been a fantastic save had he made it... so you can't really EXPECT him to.

I guess I should have made myself clear. It's not that the shot went in, it was perfect and he had no chance. It's just that he stumbled getting over and took a long time and didn't look close to set. He just can't move out there. Luongo is now a 100% get big and let it hit you goalie and that means he's going to be a 'couple bad goals a night' type of guy. There will be some games where there's none, some where there's three or four, but he's always going to suffer for being immobile and we're going to end up with only pretty good goaltending because of it.

To dwell on this tonight is unwarranted, but in a game where nothing happened it just sort of brought out something I keep noticing night after night. I'm not blaming Lou for tonight, because we couldn't have won against that performance in net (on the other side) anyway, but this guy's game ain't what it used to be.

He is 31, so yes, he is on the slow downward hill. But, from what I have seen, he is still 99% of what he used to be. I disagree with the "a 'couple bad goals a night' type of guy" statement. he might be a bad goal every 3 or 4 games kinda guy, but that is on par with the other top goalies. He really needs the team defense to step up. They are still giving up way too many high percentage scoring plays, and not being tough enough around the net. Hopefully, having Ballard and Hamhuis back will make this better. Alberts and Rome will both benefit from less ice time too.

[Puck]

I was stunned at how slowly Lu came across on the Hamrlik goal. He moved so slowly that I have to wonder if he was concerned about leaving the left post too quickly. Maybe?

As it played out, I think he could have come across in a more upright position and not been hand-cuffed. He had that much time. But, as everyone has noted, it was a hell of a nicely placed shot, so it might have gone in even if Roberto had been standing at the right post waiting for it.

The Habs played a fairly tight-checking, keep the shots outside, or block them, kind of game. It's good practice. We should just try to learn something from it. That's what the regular season is for.

[Arachnid]

Luo let in 2 goals, we scored how many? Oh, that's right we supposedly average 3 a night, how is it everyone is ragging on the goalie? Maybe if we lost 7-5....

[nucklehead_88]

Lou played fine. I swear some of you really need to take a pill and calm down

[Puck]

I'm quite calm, I can assure you. If you look back through my posts, I don't think I've ever criticized Lu on this forum. I just found the development of that play striking. I'd love to know what he was thinking. We certainly didn't lose because of him. If I told you before the game the Habs would get 2, you'd probably think our chances of at least a point were pretty good. Whatever. Moving ahead...

[Cornuck]

The Habs played a fairly tight-checking, keep the shots outside, or block them, kind of game. It's good practice. We should just try to learn something from it. That's what the regular season is for.

Exactly - that is how we will lose in the playoffs - and hopefully they learn something from this type of game before ... you know...

[the toucan kid]

I wonder if you guys read my posts some times...

I wasn't blaming him for the loss or saying he played poorly. I don't even really care about the game because sometimes you just get shut out, but what I am saying is that watching his game, removed from trivial things like game by game scores, it just keeps on getting clearer that Lou isn't that great (still good) a goalie anymore.

[dr.dork]

I wonder if you guys read my posts some times...

I wasn't blaming him for the loss or saying he played poorly. I don't even really care about the game because sometimes you just get shut out, but what I am saying is that watching his game, removed from trivial things like game by game scores, it just keeps on getting clearer that Lou isn't that great (still good) a goalie anymore.

It is too early to call an end to his career. Or project the downward spiral. He is still young at 31, especially for a goalie. But yes, given what we have seen in the past he hasn't had a stretch recently where he has looked unbeatable. I'm going to wait until the end of the season before making up my mind, but last year and the year before were not stellar years for him. This year is too early to tell. All his stats currently say "middle of the pack (or top 20)", his W/L is 5-4-2, and without Schneider's 3 wins as a team we would look sort of average. He hasn't been great or played as good as a his $5.33M cap his says he should. (Go look at Fleury's numbers, it could be worse...). If his stats are the same middling at the end of the season and he has another average playoff run, then the picture becomes a bit clearer though.

Having said that, last night I don't know if he could have went from left post to right post a lot quicker and gotten set. The puck was deflected on the way (the first shot), then bounced off the backboards onto Hamrlik's stick. I don't know if that was stunningly slow, and at the time I thought he got over quite quickly. It would have been a very good save to stop that. The first one, yes, another scrambly play in front that he could have and probably should have smothered and he didn't. Not a great goal but then someone else is also to blame there (someone shouldn't have let Markov waltz in from the point).

Lou wasn't to blame for that game and I don't think you put the blame on him. It is probably to early to write him off though. Wait for the end of the year to do that (or to eat the crow if he has a great second half and playoffs).

By any measure he hasn't had a great season so far. It has been average which is really sub-par when you look at the cap hit. It is still early...

[the toucan kid]

Lou wasn't to blame for that game and I don't think you put the blame on him. It is probably to early to write him off though. Wait for the end of the year to do that (or to eat the crow if he has a great second half and playoffs).

Didn't put the blame on him. Don't think he's washed up, just that he's not great anymore and we'll have to take what we're left with now and tailor our expectations. The sample size is getting considerable, I'm not going to say it's too early in the year, because he had a full off-season to retool and he looks to have the exact same flaws in his game that he had then. So, to me what we're left with is what we had most of last year. That by and large isn't BAD, but it's not great, and it makes the fact that we're just starting a forever deal with this in mind, basically pretty concerning.