Playoff Push Thread

[Dbrownss]

Facing Nashville is going to be brutal, but another playoff appearance after the brutal 3mo drought and moving Stastny should be viewed as a positive.

 

[Oberyn]

I'd be completely fine with playing the Preds. We'll lose pretty badly but a playoff appearance is better than nothing considering the Flyers have our 1st. I'd much rather they get this year's 1st and make it as low a pick as possible.

 

[Thallis]

The best part of this run right now is that Dallas and LA aren't playing amazing hockey, which has opened our door back up.

That said, if we were going to actually DO anything in the playoffs, we need the 7. That means catching either Colorado (not likely), or Minnesota (super not likely)

It still might be a bit too early to give up on catching Colorado. We only have to make up 1 game on them before the last game of the year. Imagining Vegas round one is way more appealing than Nashville. Maybe going through an easier Pacific before matching up with the leftovers of Nashville or Winnipeg is what we need.

 

[BluesTraveller]

It would be very bluesy to make the postseason, face Vegas and become the first franchise in history to lose a playoff series to an expansion team.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

If we make the playoffs it’s going to be on the backs of the defense. They’re driving nearly all of our offense right now, just like they were at the start of the season when we were hot. It needs to be addressed for next season, but in the short run it can work.

But we need solid goaltending and to put away bad teams when we have the chance.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

Maybe Tank wakes up during the playoffs?

 

[Alklha]

Our forward depth is brutal, to the point where 8 points in our last 5 games is a borderline miracle.

Allen needs to play better for us to have a chance. Our D has been picking up the slack in scoring in recent games, but the defensive zone coverage last night was a disgrace. Boston will destroy us if we play like that against them.

The positive is that the teams around us have a lot of games against each other.

We've created some separation from Calgary.

Dallas have the worst remaining schedule and have now lost Bishop for at least 2 weeks. I hope he has a quick recovery, but this is what happens when you go out and invest $10m on guys who can't stay healthy.

Ideally we'll see Minnesota and San Jose finish the season strong.

 

[Mike Liut]

The 3 remaining sets of B2B’s are a little concerning for me. For this team to win, they have to out-work teams and that isnt as easy when you arent fresh. We noticed it a little last night. Hopefully Tarasenko is back for the Bruins game.

 

[mw2noobbuster]

It's okay we're gonna make the playoffs they're hungry.

 

[Mike Liut]

No Backes and Bergeron on Thursday. That will help

Possibly Chara too

 

[Dbrownss]

No Backes and Bergeron on Thursday. That will help

Possibly Chara too

Chara was confirmed out. The Blues can not leave this game without 2pts

 

[Trap Jesus]

Chara was confirmed out. The Blues can not leave this game without 2pts

Bergeron is day to day now, but will surely still be out. Chara and McAvoy still out, along with now Backes. They've still had success during this injury stretch, but the hockey is wide open. Give up a lot of goals, score a lot of goals.

Edit: Chara now day to day, both him and Bergeron confirmed not to play Monday or Wednesday, so they'll both be out vs. the Blues.

 

[Brian39]

Last night was ugly as hell, but 2 points is 2 points. We talked about it being too late for moral victories after the loss to Colorado, so I'm not going to complain at all about how we got 2 points against the Hawks. Simply put, the team battled through a ton in order to (potentially) save the season this weekend.

Petro is doing the annual late season elevation of his game and has put the team on his back in the last week. 11 points in the last 5 games and 7 points over the weekend. This was the by far the biggest 5 game stretch of the season and he practically willed this team to a 4-1 record in that stretch. He has had multi-point nights in each of our last 4 wins and February 3rd was the last time this team won a game in which Petro was held off the score sheet. Suddenly he leads NHL D men in goals and is 2nd in even strength points among D men.

This team is going to go as Petro goes. The correlation between our record and Petro's offensive contribution is almost comical. Since January 1st, this team is 11-2-1 when Petro scores a point or more and 4-11-2 when he is held off the score sheet. I get that blueline scoring is a huge indicator of winning games, but that split is insane. This team is going to make the playoffs if Petro stays hot for the last 10 games and his play in March/April every year gives me no reason to doubt him.

 

[Stopsight]

After this weekend the Athletic has us at better Playoff chance than Dallas. Still under 50:50 though

 

[Vladys Gumption]

Pietrangelo has never gotten enough credit for his even strength scoring. He’s consistently near the top of the league in that category.

 

[wannabebluesplayer]

Pietrangelo has never gotten enough credit for his even strength scoring. He’s consistently near the top of the league in that category.

If Yeo didn't have such an abysmal power play and didn't force Bouwmeester on Pietrangelo for a chunk of games, I think 27 would still be in the Norris conversation honestly.

 

[carter333167]

I think it largely falls on Allen at this point. We probably will win the games in which he outplays the other team's goaltender.

The goaltender is the most important player on the ice for his team.

 

[Brian39]

Chara was confirmed out. The Blues can not leave this game without 2pts

I think this is selling the Bruins way short. Even with injuries, this is probably the best team we play from here on out. They just shutout the Lightning without McAvoy, Chara, and Bergeron. Backes scored a goal, but played less than 6 minutes and left the game in the 1st period with his injury. They handled the best team in the East on the road with basically the same lineup we'll be playing.

Like every game from here on out, it's a big one. But we shouldn't be acting like they are on the ropes due to injuries. They are playing great hockey right now and their deadline acquisitions are helping them manage these losses. Marchand is 4th in the NHL in points per game (73 points in 56 games), Pastrnak has 69 points in 70 games and Krug is among the NHL's most offensively proficient D with 51 points. They just signed Ryan Donato, who tore up the NCAA and demonstrated that he is one of the best players outside the NHL during the Olympics. Nash is capable of doing a lot of what Backes provides to that team in his absence.

Wednesday is going to be a battle and is no more must-win than any other game we have left on the schedule.

 

[Dbrownss]

I think this is selling the Bruins way short. Even with injuries, this is probably the best team we play from here on out. They just shutout the Lightning without McAvoy, Chara, and Bergeron. Backes scored a goal, but played less than 6 minutes and left the game in the 1st period with his injury. They handled the best team in the East on the road with basically the same lineup we'll be playing.

Like every game from here on out, it's a big one. But we shouldn't be acting like they are on the ropes due to injuries. They are playing great hockey right now and their deadline acquisitions are helping them manage these losses. Marchand is 4th in the NHL in points per game (73 points in 56 games), Pastrnak has 69 points in 70 games and Krug is among the NHL's most offensively proficient D with 51 points. They just signed Ryan Donato, who tore up the NCAA and demonstrated that he is one of the best players outside the NHL during the Olympics. Nash is capable of doing a lot of what Backes provides to that team in his absence.

Wednesday is going to be a battle and is no more must-win than any other game we have left on the schedule.

It was not meant as selling them short. Fact of the matter is, it's still a weaker team then they played before. There are teams you can give the Blues a pass for not beating. I do agree that every game is an absolute must win though

 

[thedustman]

how about some wild goals tonight

 

[thedustman]

bishop is out for the stars for a couple weeks, so it seems some stars have aligned for the blues to compete

 

[byrath]

For tonight’s sake who do we want to win in this matchup?

LA at Min


Is it more likely that Minny falls or that LA continues to be pretty meh

Western Conference Playoff Chances - Sports Club Stats
Says our odds improve if LA wins. Doesn't seem logical to me though, I'll be rooting for Minny in regulation.

 

[Tryblot]

The Blues have Taken two of the worst teams of late to overtime in the last two games. I'm gonna need to see more than that before I believe they can make the playoffs.

 

[PiggySmalls]

Lets go Minnesota Wild!!! Beat the Kings.

 

[Alklha]

The scheduling is odd, but I am sure there are reasons for it. A month ago it felt like everyone was talking about how we were only ahead of other teams because we had played more games. Now we’ve played fewer and are having multiple B2B’s.