GDT: Game #3 | Blues @ Islanders | "Back to Basics"

[AjaxManifesto]

Missed the OT and SO on the radio because of a meeting at work. Let's not do a 12pm weekday game again.

 

[Mike Liut]

I feel Jake has stole all 3 games. He's been great. Love Schenn too

 

[67Blues]

The Blues really need to tighten up the play in their own end. They are getting trapped in their zone because they aren't getting quick transitions. The passing also is not very sharp, but that will correct itself.

 

[BlueOil]

faceoffs were better today, the blues can't keep letting teams back into games

 

[Blanick]

It's early days, but I was hoping for better transition play under Yeo. There have been some flashes, but it hasn't come close to being a weapon that would give the Blues a real edge over their competition. Competent probably isn't going to be good enough to make them truly dangerous.

I was also hoping for a slightly more potent counter-attack, but I wasn't really expecting it. The defense is generally doing a solid job of separating the other team from the puck. It's just not translating into chances back the other way.

On the positive side, things are pretty organized defensively for this early in the season. Very few glaring lapses, very few odd-man breaks, aggressive (but not stupidly so)...generally speaking, I'd expect it to take longer to be playing as well as they are without the puck. Puck management has been pretty decent, too. Even with the uptick in E/W passing, it's hard to think of puck management lapses that have translated into something truly dangerous back the other way. Rather impressive, all things considered.

I agree with all of this but will also say that it is still very early in the season. Like you said there are flashes of what we want to see but it isn't constant. I am hopeful that once get deeper into the season and healthy that some of these hiccups will work themselves out.

 

[Novacain]

This hockey team, regardless of year, always confuses me. Oh, we are a full forward line a top 4 defensemen down? 3-0-0 start time baby!

 

[Captain Creampuff]

Schenn is becoming one of my favorite Blues. Allen has been playing great. Tarasenko has been so deadly from the bottom of the right circle with any bit of time. Pajaarvi needs to be waived and Blais needs to be brought up. I think Tage is looking decent for a rookie, be seems to be improving every game. He'll get there and I can see him staying up full time. When lines are fully healthy I would like to the lines to be.

Sobotka-Stastny-Tarasenko
Schwartz-Scheen-Blais
Steen-Barbashev-Jaskin/Thompson
Upshall/Megan-Brodziak/Sundqvist-Jaskin/Thompson

Ed-Petro
JBo-Parayko
Dunn-Bort
Prosser

 

[Ranksu]

Jeeus, Bortuzzo just lost it.

 

[PiggySmalls]

Bortuzzo fined $3,091.41 for cross-check on Nelson. There’s justification for his actions. Gotta control that temper.

 

[Mike Liut]

Jeeus, Bortuzzo just lost it.

Not the smartest penalty to take, but I still love players who will stick up for teammates. I like Botuzzo a lot. Good 3rd pairing dman who is tough. We've lost a lot of toughness and size in recent years, and to me, he's a valuable player. I like how he and nasty Ed plays.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

Hello ladies & gents, just curious as to how Dunn has been looking?

 

[Captain Creampuff]

Hello ladies & gents, just curious as to how Dunn has been looking?

Like a rookie. He hasn't bee. Great but not necessarily bad either.

 

[Dbrownss]

Hello ladies & gents, just curious as to how Dunn has been looking?

He's been ok. He's kept his game simple, but we're starting to see "his" game more and more.

 

[Robb_K]

Nice to see The Blues win these early away games. I love the way Schenn has been playing, and his chemistry with Schwartz. Nice to be 3-0 to not start behind the 8-ball with all these injuries. Nice to see that Schenn can help with shootouts.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

Thanks guys!

 

[Majorityof1]

Just got done watching off DVR. My insights of the game....

1) We suck with the lead. We have won every game so far, but this letting up is going to kill us some day.
2) Our PP needs to shoot the puck, not keep looking for the perfect opening or forcing it to Tarasenko. It worked once, but we wasted the last two minutes of OT.
3) Jake Allen is superman so far this year...simple screens are his kryptonite. I think every goal but 1 this season was caused by a screen, and he looked absolutely lost on them. Not blaming him, but we need to do all we can to keep the crease clear.
4) The revolving RW game was ridiculous this game. Pick lines and let them stick with it.
5) Barbashev earned his spot, but he needs ice time and another offensive minded linemate. Paajarvi is offensively inept so far this year and Jaskin is a support player. Barbashev also deserves more 5v5 time than Upshall, Paajarvi, and Brodziak. He didn't get it.
6) Jaskin works better with Schenn and Schwartz then Tage. That line worked, why mess with it? Jaskin can dig out pucks a use his body to create space. Tage can't. Tage would work better with Barbasehv, by having someone else who can shoot and score. But Blais would work best of all.
7) Megan >Thorburn.

Lot of negative points for a win, but I left out the usual Pie is awesome, Tarasenko has a deadly shot, etc. Good resilience not to crumble though. PK was great, etc. Glad for the win, and the points while we are down a few men with injuries.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

I can't speak for anyone else, but I think Pietrangelo makes an excellent QB on the PP.

He plays it much differently than Shattenkirk, but his ability to move the puck on the backend is something else. He might not ever be a threat to shoot, but it he keeps cycling the puck the way he does with Schwartz and Tarasenko, I don't think he'll need to be.

This is on top of him just being a flat out man-imal.

 

[Zguy370]

Hey guys whats the status on Steen, will he be in next game?

 

[Dbrownss]

Hey guys whats the status on Steen, will he be in next game?

No. Honestly havnt heard any updates. He didn't have anything on his hand during the home opener introductions.

 

[rumrokh]

Hey guys whats the status on Steen, will he be in next game?

No. He's skating, but he was evasive when asked about a time-frame for his return while being interviewed during Saturday's game. Not that I expect him to know or that I expect players to barf up details like that, but it's not rare for a player to say something like, "Yea, I'm supposed to practice with the team starting next week, so we'll see how it goes."

So, he's supposed to be back fairly soon, but we haven't heard anything specific.

 

[carter333167]

1. Tank's shot looks even better this year than in prior years....easily one of the best wristers I have seen in the past two-three decades in the NHL.
2. Schenn's shot seems to be the most potent on the team other than Vladi's shot. He's very willing to use it (zero hesitation which is the bugaboo of a lot of Blues forwards) and it has a relatively fast release, is accurate and is hard.
3. I'm really not looking forward to Steen returning to the #1 PP unit. Steen should go to the 2nd unit.
4. Parayko is knocking on the door of becoming a very dangerous player on the rush....not as smooth as Petro and sometimes is too passive but he covers insane amounts of ice with his stride and is starting to consistently skate right past 2-3 players on his better rushes. He has the ability to produce some highlight reel rushes if he keeps improving.
5. Jake is playing well but one nitpick is that he is not tracking the puck quite as well through screens as he was during the playoffs last year...not a huge concern by any means so early in the season but he sometimes loses the puck on some relatively routine east-west plays in our zone.
6. Petro looks very impressive in all facets.
7. Ed is a decent first pairing LHD partner in the making.
8. We should see more of Megan, Blais and Barbie.

 

[TheBluePenguin]

Hey guys whats the status on Steen, will he be in next game?

Heard on the radio that he may join the team in at the end of the road trip in Florida. He may not play against the Panthers but he would join the team

 

[542365]

The third period collapses are frustrating, but we still have 6 points out of 6. Much more enjoyable to clean up mistakes following a win than a loss. Get as many points as you can early on

Bortuzzo fined $3,091.41 for cross-check on Nelson. There’s justification for his actions. Gotta control that temper.

Hard to argue that. Definitely crossed the line.

 

[BlueOil]

Jeeus, Bortuzzo just lost it.

those are $1000 checks right there

 

[Lord Helix]

those are $1000 checks right there

How much would an injury have cost?