Pre-Game Talk: Playoffs RD 1: Chicago @ Blues - Game 1: Thursday 7PM

[The Note in MI]

Projected Lineups:

ST. LOUIS BLUES


[table="head;width=400]LW|C|RW
Alexander Steen|David Backes|T.J. Oshie
Jaden Schwartz|Vladimir Sobotka|Dmitrij Jaskin
Derek Roy|Steve Ott|Magnus Paajarvi
Chris Porter|Maxim Lapierre|Ryan Reaves[/table]

[table="head;width=300]D1|D2
Alex Pietrangelo|Jay Bouwmeester
Kevin Shattenkirk|Barret Jackman
Roman Polak|Jordan Leopold[/table]

[table="head;width=100]G
Ryan Miller
Brian Elliott[/table]
Injured: Vladimir Tarasenko, Patrik Berglund, Brendan Morrow





CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

[table="head;width=320]LW|C|RW
Patrick Sharp|Jonathan Toews|Marian Hossa
Brandon Saad|Michal Handzus|Patrick Kane
Bryan Bickell|Andrew Shaw|Kris Versteeg
Brandon Bollig|Marcus Kruger|Ben Smith[/table]

[table="head;width=250]D1|D2
Duncan Keith|Brent Seabrook
Niklas Hjalmarsson|Johnny Oduya
Nick Leddy|Michal Rozsival[/table]

[table="head;width=110]G
Corey Crawford
Antti Raata
[/table]
Injured: Nikolai Khabibulin

​

Positive talk only, the slate has been wiped clean. Let's Go Blues!

Click to read more...

 

[HockeyGuy73]

Listening to Hitch's post game conf, he says all players that missed time to be back at some point in the series. Tells me Tarasenko is close.

 

[ExJbeck]

If Berglund actually comes back it further clarifies él tiene un gato en los pantalones.

 

[Note Worthy]

This sucks.

The games are going to be exciting but the Hawks are a dangerous team.

LGB.

 

[elkranio]

I am gonna stay positive. I just hope if we go down - we go down fighting and crushing some skulls.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

The first goal in game one seems like a big deal right now. If the Blues can get a little positive energy going, they may re-find their game.

Frankly, Chicago is still a great team....but they haven't been playing all that great lately. (Nothing in comparison to the Blues problems) but they're not an opponent that looks like they're clicking on all cylinders. Will be interesting between the Blues injured guys returning and Toewes/Kane, how sharp do each team look.

 

[bleedblue1223]

KU fans are the only fans I'll completely hate regardless of the situation.

 

[BlueDream]

Sorry but Chicago in 5.

I think we'll get destroyed but maybe they'll surprise me.

 

[Halak Ness Monster]

Optimistic: Hawks in 6

Realistic: Hawks in 4 or 5

 

[ExJbeck]

A small part of me thinks we can actually win this series. We have the potential to shut them down. We've got to drastically sharpen up in the next 3 or 4 days.

 

[HockeyGuy73]

A small part of me thinks we can actually win this series. We have the potential to shut them down. We've got to drastically sharpen up in the next 3 or 4 days.

I somewhat agree with you. I dont know if the Hawks can be shut down in a 7 game series. We need to neutralize them as much as possible, and have our top players play like top players.

 

[BlueDream]

Oh yeah, and if you don't want to believe in the curse, if we didn't play Chicago in the first round this season and went back to the old format, we'd be playing......

*Drumrollllllll*

.....

The Los Angeles Kings

 

[HockeyGuy73]

Oh yeah, and if you don't want to believe in the curse, if we didn't play Chicago in the first round this season and went back to the old format, we'd be playing......

*Drumrollllllll*

.....

The Los Angeles Kings

At least in the old format, we would have gotten a new banner out of it to raise next year.

 

[Captain Creampuff]

Hawks in 4.

 

[lazylindros]

Come on guy's our veterans will play at 100% this is not game 15 of the season.

 

[uncommonsense52]

At least in the old format, we would have gotten a new banner out of it to raise next year.

The way they've played, this team hasn't earned a banner this season...

...yet.

To borrow some words from my favorite album from my favorite band:

"Celebrate the moment
as it turns into one more.
Another chance at victory.
Another chance to score."

"Winding like an ancient river,
the time is now, again.
Hope is like an endless river,
the time is now, again."

Meaning... hey, the past is the past. And you ****ed it up. So... let's just grab this new moment, and kick its ass instead.

 

[Daley Tarasenkshow]

I hope the Blues took the losing streak as a wakeup call and not a depressive coma.

Many teams change in the playoffs, and I hope the Blues remember how good they were.

 

[KirkOut]

The way they've played, this team hasn't earned a banner this season...

...yet.

To borrow some words from my favorite album from my favorite band:

"Celebrate the moment
as it turns into one more.
Another chance at victory.
Another chance to score."

"Winding like an ancient river,
the time is now, again.
Hope is like an endless river,
the time is now, again."

Meaning... hey, the past is the past. And you ****ed it up. So... let's just grab this new moment, and kick its ass instead.

Out of all their great albums your favorite is VT


I don't have a lot of excitement right now and part of me just wants to get it over with. Hopefully they show up to play and get me excited again.

 

[uncommonsense52]

Out of all their great albums your favorite is VT


I don't have a lot of excitement right now and part of me just wants to get it over with. Hopefully they show up to play and get me excited again.

I was wondering if anyone would even recognize it

But yeah, VT came around at a time when I was going through a lot of loss and stuff, and since the lyrics deal with that (because the band was), it was a therapeutic album for me. So it has a special place.

Plus the remixed version they released KICKS ASS

 

[Mike Liut]

Who do you all think won't be ready for game 1 for the Blues?

 

[bleedblue1223]

Steen-Backes-Oshie
Berglund-Sobotka-Schwartz
Ott/Jaskin-Roy-Paajarvi
Porter-Lapierre-Reaves

If we can ice this lineup in game 1, then we should have a chance if the team as a whole can flip the switch. Hopefully at a minimum we get Backes, Sobotka, and one of Oshie or Berglund.

 

[Oberyn]

Who do you all think won't be ready for game 1 for the Blues?

My guess is Oshie, Tarasenko, and Berglund.

Hope I'm wrong about Oshie, though.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

Who do you all think won't be ready for game 1 for the Blues?

Certainly Tarasenko. I suspect Morrow is out an extended time, and Berglund maybe a couple weeks, though we don't know enough about their injuries to say that for sure. The beat writer listed those 3 guys as probably not being in line-up. Berglund maybe a separated shoulder, or partially separated? Seems like I was wrong about the clavicle.

I don't think Oshie has a concussion. I think he just has a sore jaw and neck, and they're not going to mess with it....just letting him rest until Game 1.

Backes will be playing with what I suspect is either a bone bruise or broken foot. We'll see how effective he is.

Would be pretty nice to get a goal in like the first minute of Game 1. This team looks so mentally fragile right now....they need some kind of positive mojo. Its hard to believe this is the same team that came back from 0-2 in Miller's first couple games like it was nothing.

 

[Linus]

Usually I'm really pumped for playoff hockey, even when the Blues missed. I'm still going to support the team of course, but I'm just not feeling the excitement from years past. But hey, last year I was dreading the playoff matchup against the Kings and they ended up winning the first two.

Scoring will be hard to come by. Miller needs to be our best player. If he can play like he did against Philly, the Blues have a chance. I think the three day break will be good for the Blues to settle down and regain focus (and hopefully confidence).

 

[Oberyn]

I'm still pumped for the playoffs despite our recent woes.

How sweet would it be to beat the Hawks with an injury riddled team? Not the most likely, but anything is possible in the playoffs.