The Blues have a hell of a squad. They were just the better team. It's a different and better team then the previous ones that lost to the Hawks. It just goes to show you how hard it is to repeat as Stanley Cup champs
NHL '15/'16 Thread
- Thread starter Straight Shooter
- Start date
- Status
The Blues have a hell of a squad. They were just the better team. It's a different and better team then the previous ones that lost to the Hawks. It just goes to show you how hard it is to repeat as Stanley Cup champs
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
Comments graciously appreciated. It's about time. Both teams left it all on the ice. Fantastic series. It was like a heavyweight championship fight last night....I stood up the entire third period. Chicago won't rebuild....they'll just reload. They need to shore up their D....Gustaffson's gaffe will stay with Coach Q for a long time. They'll get it fixed.
That said, we are indeed a different and better team than in years past. Super-deep, physical as hell and now we seem to have a solid goaltender (although Moose looked a bit worn-out those last two games....don't be surprised to see Jake Allen start a couple of games against Dallas). Now that Tarasenko is mature he becomes our Patrick Kane-type threat. Our D is as good as anyone's. Dallas is great and will present a tremendous challenge for us but if we can beat you guys, we can beat anybody in my book.
The Blues Stars series should be good. It's a toss up in my opinion.
I don't see how the Stars could possibly get by the Blues. Their goaltending is horrendous, easily the worst of all remaining teams and they don't play very good D. When THE WILD score 17 times in 6 games against you, you know you've got big big problems. Oh yeah, and the Wild didn't even have their top goalscorer. The Stars won't be able to rely only on their offense against one of the best defensive teams in the league.
Agreed. This could be a sweep for the Blues. The Stars are just a poorly put together team... if it came down to just outscoring your opponent then Patrick Kane would've buried one skating around and around and around in that Game 7 against the Blues... instead he was blanked and finished with a -3 in a 3-2 loss. Seems pretty obvious based on that that his approach on the ice wasn't helping his team... well, that's the approach that the entire Stars roster employs, so I don't like their chances...
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
I'm not as confident as some on this board but it comes from a lifetime as a Blues fan. Disappointment and heartbreak are part of the culture and I sure would like to see them exorcised! That said, you know where I'll be tomorrow night at 7 central.
Of greater intrigue from a sheer matchup viewpoint, however, is the Pens-Caps series. This will be must-see NHL action folks. I predict the winner of this series will be representing the Eastern Conference in the Cup Finals. These might be the 2 best teams in the NHL but only 1 will be left standing after this series. Should be awesome....I have zero rooting interest so I can just watch, relax and enjoy some great hockey instead of nervously fretting and pacing my way through another Blues game.
There's nothing like Stanley Cup playoff hockey. It's the best.
Of greater intrigue from a sheer matchup viewpoint, however, is the Pens-Caps series. This will be must-see NHL action folks. I predict the winner of this series will be representing the Eastern Conference in the Cup Finals. These might be the 2 best teams in the NHL but only 1 will be left standing after this series. Should be awesome....I have zero rooting interest so I can just watch, relax and enjoy some great hockey instead of nervously fretting and pacing my way through another Blues game.
There's nothing like Stanley Cup playoff hockey. It's the best.
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
Oshie is still a beloved figure in St. Louis. It would make for an interesting sidebar if only....nah, way too early to be thinking that shit.
The Pens' weakness is in goal I'm afraid. That second Oshie goal was super-soft....right through Murray's wide-open wickets. They need Fleury back to have a chance I'm afraid.
By the way, did anyone else hear Roenick comment that both teams were playing "shitty" after the second period??? I played it back several times....he absolutely did.
The Pens' weakness is in goal I'm afraid. That second Oshie goal was super-soft....right through Murray's wide-open wickets. They need Fleury back to have a chance I'm afraid.
By the way, did anyone else hear Roenick comment that both teams were playing "shitty" after the second period??? I played it back several times....he absolutely did.
Blues got past the Hawks but Blues are still Underachieving Choking Dogs. Heading to the F4 I bet San Jose +320 to win the West and think I will cash that
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
Yeah, so far he's been money in the playoffs. Despite the overconfidence of a few of my friends on the board, you don't win the Central Division title without being a team that's capable of making a deep playoff run. The Stars are quick and lethal when they can get the puck on front of the net (Janmark's goal yesterday was eye-popping!). Whoever wins this series is going to get the other team to play at their pace. The Stars want an up-tempo game, the Blues want to force everything outside and dominate on the forecheck. Wouldn't be surprised to see this go 7 games.
The Sharks look to be really clicking. Nashville had their chances over the weekend but couldn't finish. They looked fatigued in game #1. Still, they have shown an ability to bounce back so we'll see what happens when they go back to Guitar Town.
I was disturbed to see Orpik's extremely dirty hit on Maatta. Suspended for 3 games? Should have been 5 at a minimum. That was basically assault and battery and the NHL needs to come down hard on this kind of thing.
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
Agree. Marty McSorley would have been proud. WTF is it with all this headhunting all of a sudden in the playoffs? Bothersome for a number of different reasons. Play tough and physical by all means but this deliberate attempt to maim someone has got to be dealt with before someone gets killed.
I agree, but I have to say that the goon crap is 598623958629348713 times less prevalent now than it was twenty years ago. If you ever get chance to watch a game from the 80s or the 90s on ESPN classics or something like that you'll be shocked by how many dirty hits and slashes and hitting from behind there is all game every game (even if you watched hockey regularly back then it's difficult to remember just how dirty it was back then; it takes actually sitting down and watching one of those games to see it and really remember that "Holy shit, I'd forgotten what it was like back then").
It's improved a lot, actually, especially in recent years with suspensions and real accountability, which was completely lacking up until just five years ago or so. And there used to be at least one ridiculous clown of a goon on each and every NHL team, but now I think that that style of game is longer respected by players, coaches, and the like, so there really aren't that many of those just flat-out goons on NHL rosters anymore. There are some guys who play pretty dirty, don't get me wrong, but for the most part those players need to bring something to the table in terms of skill otherwise there's no place for them on the roster.
I understand the sentiment here, but I think it's somewhat unfortunate that this is what McSorley is remembered for and not his work ethic and actual skill set on the ice; he had a very positive impact on the ice during a few deep playoff runs with the Oilers and Kings (winning two rings). I suppose that's what he deserves for that absolutely disgusting attack on Donald Brashear all those years ago. However, throughout his career leading up to that vicious attack (which, subsequently, was his final career NHL game) he played hard and he was definitely an enforcer, but he played on the line and never crossed it and was a very valuable player with the Oilers and Kings (he had a 41-point season after all). I recommend this read:
http://lakingslegends.blogspot.ca/2008/06/marty-mcsorley.html
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
Totally concur. Go to YouTube and search "Broad Street Bullies" and you'll get a serious taste of what you are mentioning. I used the McSorley reference merely as a classic example of total goonsmanship. It's too bad that the Brashear hit will always be what he is remembered for but it was his fault and no one else's. He was actually a really good hockey player (unlike Dave "The Hammer" Schultz or, to give you a Blues reference just to be fair, a goon like Steve Durbano). These guys were thugs on skates and that era was truly as dirty as it gets. These isolated hits we are seeing now need to be dealt with harshly since, as feller stated, it's such a beautiful game to watch without all this nonsense. People that go to hockey games just to see the fighting (and I know plenty of people like that) make me sick.
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
When the Blues play like they did last night, they are virtually invincible. Our best 2nd period of the playoffs beyond question. Dallas' goaltending situation couldn't be more unsettled. Long way to go but I sure liked what I saw last night.
On a side note, NBC's coverage of these playoffs totally blows. They schedule a single game (Pens-Caps) on Monday night and then cram 3 games into the schedule last night....two of the games which were shown on different channels at virtually the same time (Stars-Blues & Sharks-Preds). Idiotic. 8:42 pm puck drop in St. Louis last night while the west coast got the other game before most people were home from work. Just stupid....
On a side note, NBC's coverage of these playoffs totally blows. They schedule a single game (Pens-Caps) on Monday night and then cram 3 games into the schedule last night....two of the games which were shown on different channels at virtually the same time (Stars-Blues & Sharks-Preds). Idiotic. 8:42 pm puck drop in St. Louis last night while the west coast got the other game before most people were home from work. Just stupid....
- Status
