GDT: Game 5 Part 2

[Dbrownss]

Fraser weighed in on the Polak incident. Polak deserved more then he got.

 

[Stealth JD]

Another thing I forgot to mention above is that we have not had a break in months. Before the playoffs, I did not think we could win the cup. One of the things that scared me was the absolute murderer's row of opponents we'd have to beat to get there. Chicago, Dallas, Pacific winner. Even though we beat Chicago and Dallas, it took 7. The Pacific winner is not who I envisioned, but that Sharks are no slouch and giving us all or more than we can handle. I think it is still wearing on us having to have played 2 tough 7-game series. We have played almost every other day for a month or more. Has any team ever played 21 games to get to the Finals? How'd they do? Even getting a 6-game series gives an extra day or two off and can make a huge difference.

Last game of season: April 9
First game of post-season: April 13 (3 full days off)
Last game of Chicago Series: April 25
First game of Dallas Series: April 29 (3 full days off)
Last game of Dallas Series: May 11
First game of San Jose Series: May 15 (3 full days off)

I think they've actually been pretty fortunate, schedule-wise.

 

[Majorityof1]

Last game of season: April 9
First game of post-season: April 13 (3 full days off)
Last game of Chicago Series: April 25
First game of Dallas Series: April 29 (3 full days off)
Last game of Dallas Series: May 11
First game of San Jose Series: May 15 (3 full days off)

I think they've actually been pretty fortunate, schedule-wise.

Schedulewise, yes. But playing that many grueling games on top of a long season still wears on you. I'd still have preferred to have dumped the 'Hawks in 5 like we could have.

 

[Captain Creampuff]

I'm all out of faith on this team and it's really upsetting me today. I know there are still two games left but I don't expect us to beat SJ two times in a row. We really should have won last night.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

I'm all out of faith on this team and it's really upsetting me today. I know there are still two games left but I don't expect us to beat SJ two times in a row. We really should have won last night.

If they win tomorrow, its a new day and a Game 7 at home that can go the Blues' way. You think San Jose is going to win 3 games in St Louis? They could, but its going to be a tough task. I think San Jose has to win tomorrow to take the series (same thing with Tampa tonight).

I'm not super optimistic about tomorrow, but if the Blues manage to win it, I think they'll carry that through Game 7. It would just be one more in the long catalog of painful disappointments for San Jose. (Or for us tomorrow, either way.)

 

[TheDizee]

You think Allen should start Game 6?

no

but i do think tarasenko should be scratched.

 

[TheDizee]

I love how saying over and over and OVER that you like both goalies means you hate Elliott.

I have not trashed Elliott. I have not declared my love for Allen and only Allen. I have done nothing but explain why I personally think Allen got the two starts and deserved the two starts.

All I am getting back is being called an Elliott hater and that I am bias towards Allen.


I can tell you who I actually don't like though... The people who only think Elliott is a good goalie and blindly trash anyone who says anything good about Allen. Screw you guys.

pretty much this. the elliott homers here are very rabid and if you dont agree that elliott is the best goalie in the nhl they go crazy on you.

elliott needed a break after game 3 and it worked out for the most part. only down 1 game in the series, just as when he last started. he got a much needed 6 days off now so lets hope hes ready to shut down ref jose.

allen wasnt the reason we lost last night seeing as how Jones was far worse than allen was. we played a ****** game and got ****** officiating, simple as that.

 

[Majorityof1]

pretty much this. the elliott homers here are very rabid and if you dont agree that elliott is the best goalie in the nhl they go crazy on you.

elliott needed a break after game 3 and it worked out for the most part. only down 1 game in the series, just as when he last started. he got a much needed 6 days off now so lets hope hes ready to shut down ref jose.

allen wasnt the reason we lost last night seeing as how Jones was far worse than allen was. we played a ****** game and got ****** officiating, simple as that.

Who ever said Elliott was the best in the NHL? He is the best goalie on our roster. He is the best goalie we can afford for $5M total spent on goalies. He might be the best value goalie in terms of value on his contract. But not the best in the NHL. He is a solid and affordable goalie who fits the team well and gives us our best chance to win over Allen.

I also see you still are not reconciling your "we cannot win if our goalie lets in a soft goal" with admitting that "Allen let in a soft goal". In the world according to Dizee, a) this team cannot win if the goalie gives up soft goals and b) you admit that Allen let in a soft goal. So how can you say its not Allen's fault? I don't need you to say Elliott is the best in the NHL. Just be fair and consistent in your comments about the two goalies.

 

[Stealth JD]

I'm all out of faith on this team and it's really upsetting me today. I know there are still two games left but I don't expect us to beat SJ two times in a row. We really should have won last night.

Had the Blues won game 5 they'd have won two games in a row. Why could they win 4 & 5 consecutively, but not 6 & 7? I've seen this sentiment several times, and it doesn't make any sense to me. Blues absolutely can beat the Sharks twice in a row.

 

[IABlue]

First post, big Blues fan. I lived in STL in the early 90s and watched many games in the old Checkerdome. I now live in Iowa, hence the username.
I only got to see the last 1/2 of the game, but I thought the Blues looked lethargic while SJ went into shutdown mode....not a good combination.
I have to agree with most of the observations posted on here. Tank has been a sore spot for me during this entire series. I agree that he needs to sit out as he has zero impact on the game. It's a little late to cling to the dream that he'll magically spring back to life. I think we'll hear about an injury after the series is over.
I am a huge fan of our rookies, but disappointed at the play 55 made on the last SJ powerplay. Once I saw him suck over to scrum, I knew the result was going to be bad. Maybe a little bit of impatience?
All I'm hoping for is a good showing tomorrow night, and would be thrilled if we could pull off the win.

 

[Evocable Manager]

Tampa beat Pittsburgh twice in a row. Pens haven't lossed 2 in a row since like January. Surely we can take 2 in a row from San Jose.

 

[Note Worthy]

Tampa beat Pittsburgh twice in a row. Pens haven't lossed 2 in a row since like January. Surely we can take 2 in a row from San Jose.

We could. I have faith the team has the ability to win two in a row against San Jose; I just don't believe it will happen.

 

[Stealth JD]

Welcome to the board IABlue.

 

[TheDizee]

if the blues get great goaltending and keep the sharks PP in check they will win the series. the sharks #s when they fail to score a PP goal in a game are downright brutal and outside of the capitals there is not a team that relies more on their PP to carry them than sj.

the sad thing is, we dont know how the officiating will be for these 2 games. all it takes is one awful ref to turn the game into a circus show with PPs being handed out every 2minutes and kill the flow of the game.

 

[BadgersandBlues]

I feel like we're missing the forest for the trees here everyone. We can sit here and ***** about goalie choices, or goalie play, but at the end of the day, the reason we're losing this series is that our best players are being VASTLY outplayed by their best players. Our secondary scoring is the only thing keeping us in the series at this point in all honesty.

Blues top 5 Forwards breakdown:

Schwartz - 1 goal 2 assists
Tarasenko - 0 goals 0 assists
Steen - 0 goals 2 assists
Backes - 1 goal 1 assist
Stastny - 0 goals 3 assists

Total combined - 2 goals, 8 assists, 10 points in 25 games played

Sharks top 5 Forwards breakdown:

Pavelski - 3 goals 5 assists
Thornton - 0 goals 6 assists
Marleau - 0 goals 1 assist
Couture - 0 goals 4 assists
Hertl - 3 goals 1 assist

Total combined - 6 goals, 17 assists, 23 points in 25 games played.

Add in Burns (2 goals, 3 assists) against Shattenkirk (0 goals, 1 assist) bringing the totals to 11 points in 30 games (Blues) and 28 points in 30 games (Sharks) and it's pretty clear that the guys who are being paid to be offensive difference makers for one side are getting the job done, and the other guys aren't. Sure, this analysis doesn't include fancy stats like Corsi or points/60 or whatever, but honestly, I don't think you have to dig that deep. Our best players are playing like hot garbage, and the only thing that can save a team from that is SUPER hot goal-tending, which honestly isn't how this team is built.

Our leadership core needs to step up and make an impact. Right now. I think how we respond in these next (hopefully) two games should tell us a lot about the competitive chances of this team moving forward with this leadership core.

 

[Vladdy the Impaler]

I feel like we're missing the forest for the trees here everyone. We can sit here and ***** about goalie choices, or goalie play, but at the end of the day, the reason we're losing this series is that our best players are being VASTLY outplayed by their best players. Our secondary scoring is the only thing keeping us in the series at this point in all honesty.

Blues top 5 Forwards breakdown:

Schwartz - 1 goal 2 assists
Tarasenko - 0 goals 0 assists
Steen - 0 goals 2 assists
Backes - 1 goal 1 assist
Stastny - 0 goals 3 assists

Total combined - 2 goals, 8 assists, 10 points in 25 games played

Sharks top 5 Forwards breakdown:

Pavelski - 3 goals 5 assists
Thornton - 0 goals 6 assists
Marleau - 0 goals 1 assist
Couture - 0 goals 4 assists
Hertl - 3 goals 1 assist

Total combined - 6 goals, 17 assists, 23 points in 25 games played.

Add in Burns (2 goals, 3 assists) against Shattenkirk (0 goals, 1 assist) bringing the totals to 11 points in 30 games (Blues) and 28 points in 30 games (Sharks) and it's pretty clear that the guys who are being paid to be offensive difference makers for one side are getting the job done, and the other guys aren't. Sure, this analysis doesn't include fancy stats like Corsi or points/60 or whatever, but honestly, I don't think you have to dig that deep. Our best players are playing like hot garbage, and the only thing that can save a team from that is SUPER hot goal-tending, which honestly isn't how this team is built.

Our leadership core needs to step up and make an impact. Right now. I think how we respond in these next (hopefully) two games should tell us a lot about the competitive chances of this team moving forward with this leadership core.

I know it's definitely on the players to perform, but again I think Hitch's system prevents many of our top players from reaching their highest offensive capabilities. I'd rather have a guy like Cooper behind the bench with a high flying, fast paced offense. That's what the rest of the league is moving towards.

 

[Blues0307]

Why we lost (in no particular order):

1. Refs - The officiating in this game, as in other games, was poor. I perceive it as bias against us, but I am biased. Regardless it is extremely inconsistent and we get less PPs than Sharks. They let sharks infractions go, that they call on a far lesser scale against us. The worst thing is that we can do nothing to protect ourselves. Wingels headhunts a player whose back is turned, without the puck near the boards. That is the second time in 2 games Wingels has done that with zero repercussions from the officials. When we try to fight back, we get the penalty. What are we supposed to do? Just take potentially dangerous hits to the back near the boards time and time again? Its ridiculous.

2. Goaltending - Allen let in 2 softies. 2 there was not much he could do, but he was still extremely lost. Its how he plays. His positioning is awful. He relies on his athleticism to overcome that. When it fails, it fails spectacularly. Elliott does not have the glove speed or reaction time that Allen does. He doesn't make the spectacular save as much. But he is in the right position and doesn't have to. This leads to better more consistent goaltending. On all 4 goals, Allen was in the wrong position. On the first two, that was the difference between a save and the goals Allen let in. On the next two, that was the difference between a chance at a lucky save and the 0 chance Allen had. There were about a dozen other instances where he overplayed and got lucky with missed shots or Blues players clearing.

3. Inconsistent forecheck - Easton already said it best earlier. We did better on forecheck than in the first 3 games, but no where near as good as last game. If we send 2 in to forecheck consistently, we create turnovers and offensive chances. If we don't Sharks gain the zone and we struggle.

4. Inconsistent Special teams - We have to win the special teams battle. This is extremely important with the inconsistent/poor officiating. We are not going to get more PP opportunities. It just isn't going to happen. But we still need to get more PP goals. To do that, we need to crush special teams. We did in game 1 and 4. We were ok in game 5, but not good enough.

So those are the 4 keys. Extreme discipline to counter the poor refs, solid goaltending, strong 2 man forecheck and decisively win the special teams battle. If we do that the next two games, we win the series. If we don't, we don't.

Precisely. We've been the team that has turned the other cheek throughout the playoffs, and, unfortunately, the way game 5 was officiated, it cost us.

 

[Venthon]

I think your team can still win this series, but there's a big if attached to that thought. Tarasenko NEEDS to show up. As of right now you may as well post that guys face on a milk carton, because he's invisible at BEST. If he's actually injured, I get that, then. It's unfortunate, but it's understandable at least.

If he can't due to injury, SOMEBODY needs to. Backes, Steen Pietrangelo, someone needs to have a big game.

I have a lot of family that are Blues fans. I want you guys to have this (you know, just for this season, I am a Hawks fan afterall )

It isn't gonna be pretty, but that's playoff hockey for ya. Take game 6, rest, reload, and THEN worry about game 7. Because if the ****ing Penguins advance I'll be fully in for the WCF winner. I'd rather that be the Blues.

 

[Meatball]

Yep, 91 shows up, we win.
91 disappears, we lose.

He's carried us on his back before, he can do it again.

 

[Venthon]

Yep, 91 shows up, we win.
91 disappears, we lose.

He's carried us on his back before, he can do it again.

Even if he doesn't find the back of the net, he can feed the offense. I've watched enough of the guy to know his skillset. He scares me as much as Kane probably scares you guys.

 

[Meatball]

It isn't just him either. Our top guys all need to show up in the next two games.

 

[Venthon]

It isn't just him either. Our top guys all need to show up in the next two games.

Yeah, like I said, if it's not him it needs to be SOMEBODY. I've been lucky to see my team have somebody, anybody (Hell, Bickell was huge for us at one point, and he's friggin' useless if I'm gonna be honest) step up and make an impact. It may not be the top guys, but someone needs to bury the puck, and they need to do it badly.

Your stars can be cancelled out, that's when the depth can pay BIG dividends.

 

[Cotton McKnight]

I would not sit #91. If he falters, he has to learn from it. If he can contribute, then all the better.

I am in no way convinced on this team, let alone any team. I figured we would have lost every series so far. lol But it is not unrealistic that they could come out and win two in a row, it depends on what version of the Blues shows up.

 

[Venthon]

I would not sit #91. If he falters, he has to learn from it. If he can contribute, then all the better.

I am in no way convinced on this team, let alone any team. I figured we would have lost every series so far. lol But it is not unrealistic that they could come out and win two in a row, it depends on what version of the Blues shows up.

You really CAN'T sit him. Even if he gets shut out, that's a threat on ice that HAS to be addressed. No team is so arrogant that they would leave him with minimal coverage even IF he's hurt.