Post by Reesor on Mar 20, 2012 7:04:46 GMT -4
Schedule: www.metronews.ca/halifax/blog/post/1128392
For the 1st time since 2007, Halifax and Moncton will meet in the 1st round in the playoffs. I believe it's the 3rd time they have met in a series. Moncton won in 2006 (Won President's Cup) and Halifax won in 2007 (Lost to Lewiston 2nd round)
By the Numbers:
Halifax: 39-22-2-5 85 Points (6th overall)
Moncton: 30-31-3-4 67 Points (11th overall)
Results this season:
2011-09-17 Moncton 4 @ Halifax 2
2011-09-24 Halifax 2 @ Moncton 3
2011-10-05 Moncton 1 @ Halifax 7
2011-11-04 Moncton 2 @ Halifax 1 (OT)
2011-11-27 Halifax 3 @ Moncton 4 (SO)
2011-12-16 Halifax 2 @ Moncton 0
2012-02-03 Moncton 3 @ Halifax 5
2012-03-08 Halifax 1 @ Moncton 7
Top Scorers:
Halifax: Nathan MacKinnon (58GP 31G 47A 78Pts), Alex Grenier (64GP 25G 39A 64Pts)
Moncton: Alex Saulnier (58GP 31G 52A 83Pts), Allain Saulnier (66GP 30G 49A 79Pts)
Goals For/Against: (League Rank)
Halifax: 3.63 Goals/Game (Tied for 7th) 3.46 Goals Against/Game (9th)
Moncton: 2.76 Goals/Game (17th) 3.32 Goals Against/Game (Tied for 5th)
Special Teams: (League Rank)
Halifax: PP 21.0% (Tied for 9th) PK 79.4% (6th)
Moncton: PP 22.6% (7th) PK 82.7% (2nd)
Goalies: (League Rank)
Halifax: Zach Fucale - 58GP (3rd) 32 Wins (2nd) 3.16GAA (12th) 0.892 Sv% (10th)
Moncton: Roman Will - 63GP (2nd) 29 Wins (Tied 3rd) 2.77GAA (7th) 0.913 Sv% (2nd)
The general breakdown:
It's pretty ugly for Halifax. Halifax has better forward depth, and a 1st line that I believe can match up to Moncton's. But that's the good news. Bad news is Moncton has more experienced goaltending, overall better defense, and an overall better defensive system. They also have a more experienced coach in Danny Flynn. By the breakdown, you'd think Moncton would be the favorite.
Keys to victory for Halifax:
Moncton will be very well coached. Halifax has had trouble with defensive systems all season. We can score against them, but turnovers will kill us. Halifax MUST minimize turnovers. Their breakouts have to be fluid. Many of our turnovers happen at our blue line. And Moncton's 1st line will walk all over us if we make those mistakes in this series.
We also have to shoot. Seems pretty simple right? So many times we try to get cute when we have a scoring chance. Many passes when we're in the slot. Roman Will isn't going to let in much, so we have to pepper him with shots. Especially on the power play. Keep it simple, get shots on net.
Finally, MacKinnon. He's going to be shadowed in this series. He has to learn how to give himself space. I think he's pretty good at it already, but Flynn will have someone draped over him all series. Probably trying to irritate him and get him off his game. He has to expect this. If he gets shut down, Moncton will have a huge advantage. But if he can get going, we can cancel out Moncton's top line in terms of production. Then our Forward Depth will come into play.
Keys to victory for Moncton:
Moncton has to put pressure on the puck carrier. Our young guys and defense are susceptible to turnovers when pressured. So Moncton has to come in hard on the forecheck and turn the puck over.
They also have to get shots on Fucale. Fucale tends to get in zones where he stops everything. Get in his kitchen and make life tough for him. He is experiencing playoff hockey at a high level for the 1st time. Don't let him get comfy.
My Take:
It's interesting to here the comments from Moncton's fans' standpoint. The numbers and team makeup tend to favor Moncton. Yet they are the underdog being the 11th seed. Both teams have been decimated by injury this season, so I'm not sure how both teams would've fared with a full lineup all year. But I know I don't consider Halifax as the favorite. I consider this series to be a coinflip at best, and would almost give the edge to Moncton. I'm glad we're playing Moncton in the 1st round. This is a test run for next season, and we have to learn how to win against teams that have good defensive systems. We are young, and we will make mistakes. It's up to Halifax to minimize those mistakes and learn how to control the game.
This series will be a long one. I'm pretty sure it will go at least 6 games (which I kind of hope it does so I can go see game 6 in Moncton). I predicted Halifax in 7 in the FNP contest, so I will stick by that (What kind of "Fan of the Year" nominee would I be if I didn't? ;D )
GO MOOSE!!
For the 1st time since 2007, Halifax and Moncton will meet in the 1st round in the playoffs. I believe it's the 3rd time they have met in a series. Moncton won in 2006 (Won President's Cup) and Halifax won in 2007 (Lost to Lewiston 2nd round)
By the Numbers:
Halifax: 39-22-2-5 85 Points (6th overall)
Moncton: 30-31-3-4 67 Points (11th overall)
Results this season:
2011-09-17 Moncton 4 @ Halifax 2
2011-09-24 Halifax 2 @ Moncton 3
2011-10-05 Moncton 1 @ Halifax 7
2011-11-04 Moncton 2 @ Halifax 1 (OT)
2011-11-27 Halifax 3 @ Moncton 4 (SO)
2011-12-16 Halifax 2 @ Moncton 0
2012-02-03 Moncton 3 @ Halifax 5
2012-03-08 Halifax 1 @ Moncton 7
Top Scorers:
Halifax: Nathan MacKinnon (58GP 31G 47A 78Pts), Alex Grenier (64GP 25G 39A 64Pts)
Moncton: Alex Saulnier (58GP 31G 52A 83Pts), Allain Saulnier (66GP 30G 49A 79Pts)
Goals For/Against: (League Rank)
Halifax: 3.63 Goals/Game (Tied for 7th) 3.46 Goals Against/Game (9th)
Moncton: 2.76 Goals/Game (17th) 3.32 Goals Against/Game (Tied for 5th)
Special Teams: (League Rank)
Halifax: PP 21.0% (Tied for 9th) PK 79.4% (6th)
Moncton: PP 22.6% (7th) PK 82.7% (2nd)
Goalies: (League Rank)
Halifax: Zach Fucale - 58GP (3rd) 32 Wins (2nd) 3.16GAA (12th) 0.892 Sv% (10th)
Moncton: Roman Will - 63GP (2nd) 29 Wins (Tied 3rd) 2.77GAA (7th) 0.913 Sv% (2nd)
The general breakdown:
It's pretty ugly for Halifax. Halifax has better forward depth, and a 1st line that I believe can match up to Moncton's. But that's the good news. Bad news is Moncton has more experienced goaltending, overall better defense, and an overall better defensive system. They also have a more experienced coach in Danny Flynn. By the breakdown, you'd think Moncton would be the favorite.
Keys to victory for Halifax:
Moncton will be very well coached. Halifax has had trouble with defensive systems all season. We can score against them, but turnovers will kill us. Halifax MUST minimize turnovers. Their breakouts have to be fluid. Many of our turnovers happen at our blue line. And Moncton's 1st line will walk all over us if we make those mistakes in this series.
We also have to shoot. Seems pretty simple right? So many times we try to get cute when we have a scoring chance. Many passes when we're in the slot. Roman Will isn't going to let in much, so we have to pepper him with shots. Especially on the power play. Keep it simple, get shots on net.
Finally, MacKinnon. He's going to be shadowed in this series. He has to learn how to give himself space. I think he's pretty good at it already, but Flynn will have someone draped over him all series. Probably trying to irritate him and get him off his game. He has to expect this. If he gets shut down, Moncton will have a huge advantage. But if he can get going, we can cancel out Moncton's top line in terms of production. Then our Forward Depth will come into play.
Keys to victory for Moncton:
Moncton has to put pressure on the puck carrier. Our young guys and defense are susceptible to turnovers when pressured. So Moncton has to come in hard on the forecheck and turn the puck over.
They also have to get shots on Fucale. Fucale tends to get in zones where he stops everything. Get in his kitchen and make life tough for him. He is experiencing playoff hockey at a high level for the 1st time. Don't let him get comfy.
My Take:
It's interesting to here the comments from Moncton's fans' standpoint. The numbers and team makeup tend to favor Moncton. Yet they are the underdog being the 11th seed. Both teams have been decimated by injury this season, so I'm not sure how both teams would've fared with a full lineup all year. But I know I don't consider Halifax as the favorite. I consider this series to be a coinflip at best, and would almost give the edge to Moncton. I'm glad we're playing Moncton in the 1st round. This is a test run for next season, and we have to learn how to win against teams that have good defensive systems. We are young, and we will make mistakes. It's up to Halifax to minimize those mistakes and learn how to control the game.
This series will be a long one. I'm pretty sure it will go at least 6 games (which I kind of hope it does so I can go see game 6 in Moncton). I predicted Halifax in 7 in the FNP contest, so I will stick by that (What kind of "Fan of the Year" nominee would I be if I didn't? ;D )
GO MOOSE!!
