Half-Assed GDT: Blues vs Ducks

[Reality Czech]

Sit the passengers, play the kids and call-ups. I’m not on the hate Scandella train but scratch him and Krug next game.

OK, I understand that people can't stand Scandella but why in the world would you scratch Krug? Zero chance that happens. Sit Perunovich if you wanna punish someone.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Sit the passengers, play the kids and call-ups. I’m not on the hate Scandella train but scratch him and Krug next game.

So, what, we're just going to put Mikkola-Parayko on the ice for the entire game? We're already playing shorthanded, why not artificially shorthand us even further.

 

[execwrite1]

Great job picking up a point. Excellent work by Gillies in the nets.

Another outstanding effort by all the boys. Have to keep weathering the storm until the Blues get a full NHL team back on the ice.

The AHL call-ups are all showing they have talent. Staying in the NHL requires game-to-game consistent production. Maybe one or two will get the chance to show they have that.

 

[ChicagoBlues]

So when the puck gets picked off of Perunovich, Terry already has a step on him and Peru is about to turn around and try to catch up to Terry

At this point here, Perunovich has already slashed Terry trying to lift the stick or have him lose control of the puck, but luckily wasn't called for it. It's after this slash about half a second later when Perunovich has given up and decides to intentionally hook him. What the picture doesn't explain is that Terry is losing Perunovich by like a foot at the time Perunovich actually hooks him, and the video pretty clearly shows that Terry would've more than beat Perunovich on the play.

I think him hooking Terry was a mistake on his part and yea, he probably should have tried to compete a bit longer on the play and cause some chaos for Terry, but I would bet that Perunovich didn't think he could do this and decided he'd rather take a chance on a penalty shot/penalty than have Terry score on the breakaway. It's not a good decision, but it is what it is. Idk if I can post youtube links, but you can find the vid on sportsnet's youtube channel

Thanks. You made my point for me, but in much greater detail.

 

[Renard]

We were fortunate to get a point.

Only Walker showed any offensive spark.

Our defensemen made some mistakes, but our offense had very little juice. Tarasenko was quiet.

 

[Sgt Schultz]

Once again I could not see the game here (the idea of paying ESPN turns my stomach after what they have done to their product over the years. It is about like paying the IRS so they can audit me and find the mistake is theirs). But, watching the highlights and considering what our game day roster looks like, getting a point against the Ducks is a plus. Sure, I would have like to have stolen the second point, but Anaheim has rather quietly done a good job of moving from a doormat to a good team.

I can't fault Perunovich in the OT. It takes an experienced and confident defenseman to know he is better off contesting the breakaway, putting a clock in the shooter's head, and cutting off part of the ice rather than make the desperate move to hook the guy. As somebody said, 3 on 3 is pretty contrived, and the lone defenseman is probably feeling pretty naked out there as it is.

I can only judge some of this by the limits of what I see. Walker has shown a lot. I don't see the "hidden" parts of his game (the basics), but what I do see makes me scratch my head at where he has been all this time (not just for us, but in the NHL). Is he a late bloomer or a flash in the pan who will cool off the longer he sticks around?

I was very concerned about our goaltending when the first puck was dropped. Not Binner, but the depth behind him. Husso has looked very much improved, and the deep depth has been good in what we have seen so far. I'm still concerned about our defense, particularly around our own net, but that is my only major question.

By the time the season ends, there is usually some balancing out of injuries and games missed among the teams. Hopefully we are getting our share (and then some) done in the first half of the season. But, to have gone through the sausage grinder of injuries/covid and find ourselves 4 points behind a team that has played out of its mind thus far is not a bad position. It looks like our division is going to be a fight and the conference may be (for WC slots) as well. We are also seeing some settling in among teams that played over their heads coming back to earth and teams that struggled (some due to injuries and the bug) now getting their legs under them.

But, to go through the roster churn and still be above the Mason-Dixon line, for whatever that is worth approaching the new year, is rather remarkable. Our situation could be a whole lot worse right now.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

I went to the game with my dad and we bought two of the Mystery pucks each. I get Nathan Walker and Mike freaking Hoffman, and my dad gets Vlady and Kyrou. Lol.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

If we get one or two more injuries we're going to need to request to pull Backes and Brouwer out of retirement, maybe even Jax.

 

[Blueston]

Sit the passengers, play the kids and call-ups. I’m not on the hate Scandella train but scratch him and Krug next game.

You can’t. We only have 6 d at this point.

 

[Blueston]

Perunovich better not get benched when Faulk returns. hes been good. so he made a mistake in a 3on3 gimmick OT, who cares. Learn from it and move on. The game does not even go to OT if Scandella ties up his man in front of the net on the second goal, I blame him more than a rookie out there in 3on3. Watching Scandella play so much and be a worthless cone makes me miss people like Gunnar and Jbo more and more.

we all need to be proud of the way they busted their asses on this homestand, this could have EASILY been a total disaster but instead they almost got every point. Tight checking, hard nosed 5on5 play, good goaltending and special teams wins is how you win in this league and in the playoffs and they did that on the homestand. the callups are playing like seasoned vets, the new goalies are standing on their heads spitting out 1st star performances. the power play is winning us games and getting points.

KEEP IT UP!

That goal was on forwards. Scandella can’t cover 3 people. ROR said he lost his man and was his fault. Berube said it was a bad change and forwards weren’t where they needed to be. I’m not saying Scandella is Chris Pronger or anything, but almost all of our coverage breakdowns this season are due to forwards not having their man.

 

[Robb_K]

OK, I understand that people can't stand Scandella but why in the world would you scratch Krug? Zero chance that happens. Sit Perunovich if you wanna punish someone.

Sitting Perunovich for making a rookie mistake while The Blues are shorthanded makes no sense. The kid is fully capable of understanding what is the better play in that situation when told why continuing to attack without deliberately fouling him is the better strategy. He learns by experience and taking advice of his more experienced teammates and coaches, Sitting out for one game doesn't make that lesson clearer in this case, it only deprives the team of his good current capabilities while they are shorthanded, and deprives him of one game or more games' experience. If he hurt the team because of being lazy, or being obstinate, doing things his coaches told him not to do you bench him. But not for an innocent mistake that many rookies might make. Such a situation is how a young player learns. You explain to him why what he did is the wrong strategy, and you move on. If he continues to do that after being told not to, THEN you bench him (or send him to Springfield for a while).

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

Brown needs to learn to park in the crease, stick his big butt out, and keep his stick on the ice for folks to shoot at. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from him so far, but I could see him potting 25+ if he threw himself into that role

 

[BadgersandBlues]

Yea that second goal against was all Krug and (mainly) ROR. They both ended up behind the net after the original shot, leaving Scandella to try and stop three Ducks from whacking at it - I think Scandella has his faults, but it's tough for me to blame him on that one.

Overall our team has gotten a little lax about stopping in front of the net recently. The only players I see that do it with regularity are Sundquivst, Barbashev, and Saad. We need our other players to stop swooping as much.

We also need our big guns in a game like this to step up and produce. Tarasenko and ROR were both pretty worthless all night, I'm getting tired of it from ROR. Schenn hasn't brought much to the table either, but he's been playing hurt so I'll give him a little bit of wiggle room, but he still needs to play better overall.

 

[Reality Czech]

Sitting Perunovich for making a rookie mistake while The Blues are shorthanded makes no sense. The kid is fully capable of understanding what is the better play in that situation when told why continuing to attack without deliberately fouling him is the better strategy. He learns by experience and taking advice of his more experienced teammates and coaches, Sitting out for one game doesn't make that lesson clearer in this case, it only deprives the team of his good current capabilities while they are shorthanded, and deprives him of one game or more games' experience. If he hurt the team because of being lazy, or being obstinate, doing things his coaches told him not to do you bench him. But not for an innocent mistake that many rookies might make. Such a situation is how a young player learns. You explain to him why what he did is the wrong strategy, and you move on. If he continues to do that after being told not to, THEN you bench him (or send him to Springfield for a while).

I wouldn't bench him because of his gaffe against the Ducks, but it makes more sense than sitting either Krug or Scandella. I'm guessing the poster just doesn't like those two guys, because nothing happened in last night's game that would cause either guy to be benched.

 

[Moose and Squirrel]

The only logic I can conceive is that Perunovich may have thought that he would only get a penalty on the play rather than a penalty shot

even then, it was bad judgement

bad shift by the kid all the way around there... not a great game in general for him.. it happens.. especially to they young'ens.. he'll learn from it..

and to Blueston's post above.. right now, Walman IS better the Peru.. right now. not to say he won't be better long term

I'm pretty sure he'll be back at Springfield at some point to work on some things then be back better for it

 

[Blueston]

even then, it was bad judgement

bad shift by the kid all the way around there... not a great game in general for him.. it happens.. especially to they young'ens.. he'll learn from it..

and to Blueston's post above.. right now, Walman IS better the Peru.. right now. not to say he won't be better long term

I'm pretty sure he'll be back at Springfield at some point to work on some things then be back better for it

Lol walman.

 

[Brian39]

As a goalie, I'd rather face a penalty shot than that breakaway 100% of the time. Just looking at shot #1, I have a slightly better chance of stopping an in-game breakaway with pressure than I do of stopping the penalty shot (but the odds aren't much better). The difference is that if I stop the penalty shot, the play is over and we have a faceoff in my zone. With the in-game breakaway, Terry can bury a rebound or the puck can find its way to the trailing Duck who is all by himself to bury a rebound into an empty net. My ability to explode side to side at 100% strength disappears with that rebound threat and I can't come out as far due to the risk of oversliding out of the net for an empty net tap in of a rebound. A poke check is also no longer a good option since it would likely just create another breakaway to the trailer. I'll take the extra advantages I get in a penalty shot at the cost of the player being able to come in slow. Once a guy is in the clear like that (especially with a trailer who has no pressure on him), I want my D to aggressively and painfully disrupt him with the stick every single time. Refs very often just go with a regular penalty if it is done prior to the shot/move being made and occasionally in OT a ref just stares at a near-assault. But even if they call the penalty shot, I'll take that over a breakaway and the ensuring chaos when there isn't a 2nd defender to help clear out the rebound. It's also nice not having to worry about being run over by my own D man (or both guys) due to his full-speed attempt to disrupt.

The play leading to the breakaway was really bad, but everything after Terry starts going the other way is completely fine. I don't think we have a D man on the roster who would have caught up to Terry and made a clean play on him. The only reason Terry wasn't fully clear of Perunovich by our blue line was the significant obstruction in the neutral zone, but that obstruction also slows down the defender more than if he was just head-down skating. Parayko is probably our fastest skater at full speed, but his pivot and acceleration isn't as good as Perunovich's. I think Terry would have been clear of him after step 2. Again, he needs to learn from the mistake that led to the breakaway, but his immediate reaction was fine.

 

[GoldenSeal]

That goal was on forwards. Scandella can’t cover 3 people. ROR said he lost his man and was his fault. Berube said it was a bad change and forwards weren’t where they needed to be. I’m not saying Scandella is Chris Pronger or anything, but almost all of our coverage breakdowns this season are due to forwards not having their man.

That entire sequence was just bad and I wouldn’t place the blame on any individual. The tactic was off and they capitalized. It happens.

 

[Moose and Squirrel]

Lol walman.

walman doesn't have the ceiling of Peru, but RIGHT NOW he's just as good offensively, or better. again, that's RIGHT NOW.

he's very good with the puck. Peru WILL be good, no doubt. but the last few games he seems to be caught in between or making bad decisions. no doubt he should work thru it, but it's not unexpected for a young'en

 

[Brian39]

I'll happily take that point given the state of our lineup at the moment. 5 points in 4 games vs the very good Florida teams. 4 points vs the bad Montreal and Detroit teams. 1 point vs a surprisingly quality Ducks team. Combined, that's 10 points in our last 7 games over the last 13 days. Five of those games came against teams that are currently 8th or better in the league standings and I believe we have only finished 1 of those games with 20 healthy players. We've started with less than 20 in several games and we've used 4 goalies in those last 7 games. And last night was the 4th game in 6 days. This was one of the harder stretches of our schedule before all the injuries and this is one of the worst 2 week injury runs I've ever seen.

And this team took 10 points in those 7 games, which is a 117 point pace.

Are there mistakes and learning moments? Absolutely. Is everyone playing their A game? Absolutely not. It is also not a reasonable expectation to believe that everyone will be bringing their A game at the moment. Everyone has been picking up slack that is beyond their usual job description. Everyone is being asked to bend without breaking and they have done an absolutely admirable job of that. Everyone has to be running on fumes by the tail end of a back to back that happens to be the 4th game in 6 nights. We've gotten some great goalie performances and a little bit of luck on top of that. No one deals with 10 simultaneous injuries and plays at a 117 point pace without those things.

An OT loss against a division leader while missing $25M+ in players is fantastic, especially when it gives you points in 5 straight.

There is no long-term information to be gleaned from anything this team does right now. We are so far removed from our potential playoff roster that using these performances/results in any predictive exercise is completely meaningless. We've been overboard for an hour now and are treading water. We're not going to put in quality lap times at this point. This stretch is about survival in a division that has a legitimate 6 team fight for 4-5 playoff spots. We've done that and earning a point last night has kept our head above water.

 

[GoldenSeal]

I wouldn't bench him because of his gaffe against the Ducks, but it makes more sense than sitting either Krug or Scandella. I'm guessing the poster just doesn't like those two guys, because nothing happened in last night's game that would cause either guy to be benched.

If you're talking about me, just say so. Don't vague.

I love what our call-ups are bringing and feel they got more a feel for what we need and a sense of urgency than our vets do right now and would rather play them.

I don't have any issue with Scandella at all but would scratch him a game for the aforementioned reasons. Krug, I'm fine with when he scores or puts up points. He's pretty bad otherwise as a Dman in my opinion unless he's sheltered and I feel that brings whatever pairing he's on down. I think he's got the third highest +/- on the team so he's doing something right.

Our luck we'll call up a retread D man and they'll play like JayBo lol. I love our Blues Luck.

 

[GoldenSeal]

I'll happily take that point given the state of our lineup at the moment. 5 points in 4 games vs the very good Florida teams. 4 points vs the bad Montreal and Detroit teams. 1 point vs a surprisingly quality Ducks team. Combined, that's 10 points in our last 7 games over the last 13 days. Five of those games came against teams that are currently 8th or better in the league standings and I believe we have only finished 1 of those games with 20 healthy players. We've started with less than 20 in several games and we've used 4 goalies in those last 7 games. And last night was the 4th game in 6 days. This was one of the harder stretches of our schedule before all the injuries and this is one of the worst 2 week injury runs I've ever seen.

And this team took 10 points in those 7 games, which is a 117 point pace.

Are there mistakes and learning moments? Absolutely. Is everyone playing their A game? Absolutely not. It is also not a reasonable expectation to believe that everyone will be bringing their A game at the moment. Everyone has been picking up slack that is beyond their usual job description. Everyone is being asked to bend without breaking and they have done an absolutely admirable job of that. Everyone has to be running on fumes by the tail end of a back to back that happens to be the 4th game in 6 nights. We've gotten some great goalie performances and a little bit of luck on top of that. No one deals with 10 simultaneous injuries and plays at a 117 point pace without those things.

An OT loss against a division leader while missing $25M+ in players is fantastic, especially when it gives you points in 5 straight.

There is no long-term information to be gleaned from anything this team does right now. We are so far removed from our potential playoff roster that using these performances/results in any predictive exercise is completely meaningless. We've been overboard for an hour now and are treading water. We're not going to put in quality lap times at this point. This stretch is about survival in a division that has a legitimate 6 team fight for 4-5 playoff spots. We've done that and earning a point last night has kept our head above water.

This team does it's best work when the logic is baffling. And I'm ok with that!

 

[ezcreepin]

Thanks. You made my point for me, but in much greater detail.

I honestly don't know how you think I proved your point with that explanation, but alright lmao

 

[ChicagoBlues]

I honestly don't know how you think I proved your point with that explanation, but alright lmao

It may have something to do with the words you used.

I appreciated you building an argument, but as you moved along, what you wrote started to align with what I saw.

Bad turnover
Hooking/slashing at center ice, which slowed him down
More hooking as they entered the o-zone because Perunovich gave up.
Instead of skating harder, he decided to hook Terry to the point of a penalty shot.
Peru gave up. You said so yourself and also ended the post with the very thing that I mentioned.
He gave up

But I agree with @Robb_K and others that Perunovich will come away stronger. He is smart and adaptable. I doubt we see this mistake again anytime soon.

 

[ezcreepin]

It may have something to do with the words you used.

I appreciated you building an argument, but as you moved along, what you wrote started to align with what I saw.

Bad turnover
Hooking/slashing at center ice, which slowed him down
More hooking as they entered the o-zone because Perunovich gave up.
Instead of skating harder, he decided to hook Terry to the point of a penalty shot.
Peru gave up. You said so yourself and also ended the post with the very thing that I mentioned.
He gave up

But I agree with @Robb_K and others that Perunovich will come away stronger. He is smart and adaptable. I doubt we see this mistake again anytime soon.

What I said was Perunovich was already losing on Terry once he got up to speed and decided to try and knock the puck loose. That didn't work and his last option was to take the play away and hook the player. If he skates hard the entire way on the play, Terry still gets an easy breakaway and another Ducks player is following behind Perunovich. The video is clear, there was no way Perunovich was catching Terry once he got the puck.