GDT: Reviewing the Cup run - a retrospective activity

Stupendous Yappi

Any famous last words? Not yet!
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Aug 23, 2018
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I have copies of the 16 playoff wins from the Cup run on DVD. I’ve been saving them for a rainy day. With the suspension of regular hockey, I’m starting to get antsy. However, I’m not sheltering in place since my job continues to be needed during the pandemic. My point is that I’m going to take my time going through these, try to savor the process.

That said, I was surprised that my memory of Game 1 was different than what I appreciated upon rewatching.

Game 1 - vs Winnipeg
First of all, I loved the atmosphere. Heckling Binnington, booing him every time he touched the puck. If there is a fan base that he has earned respect from, I would put Winnipeg high on that list. His swagger and confidence were oozing. The late game save on Byfuglien was a game-stealer.

I was surprised to see that the game was really pretty even. The Jets controlled a lot of the puck. Shots were pretty even, despite a Blues PP advantage. Winnipeg could have easily won that game, and it was probably a game that deserved to go to OT. I didn’t think Hellyebuk, however that’s spelled, played poorly. The Jets were physical and they played their system well.

Robert Thomas looked like a rookie. He “almost” did some good things so many times, but then he’d get muscled off the puck or turn it over. The tantalizing glimpses of talent were there, but it’s night and day with how effective he already is right now. But they needed to protect him.

He was on the ice for the game winner. Bozak had several tasty opportunities, and couldn’t get one through. One was a primo pass from Thomas. That line was showing the best chemistry. This was a game where the 4th lone was Steen-Barbashev-Sundqvist. Those guys hadn’t stepped forward yet, or not as much as Thomas-Bozak-Maroon.

Pietro took a lot of hits, and seemed to just shrug everything off.

Both teams had 2 posts that I counted. It could have been a higher score than 2-1 very easily.

Finally, Maroon was a beast. He held possession on the wall many times. He was yapping on the bench like crazy. And he had a beautiful assist to find Bozak on the game-winner. He was relentless on the puck, outworked 3 Jets, then flipped it straight up-ice from behind the side of the net to Bozak (with Thomas in the area) who finally put one past Hellybuk.

I think the team’s confidence as a group was evident. They played most of the game behind 0-1 and never deviated from their style of hockey. They’d learned over the late part of the season that they could win playing that way, and there was no panic when they trailed. If they’d lost the game, I doubt there would have been any panic then either.
 

Stlblue50

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Apr 17, 2019
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I’m slowly rewatching in detail for the first time as well. I’ve watched most of games 1-5 (minus game 3) of round 1. This was certainly a much more intense series than the Dallas one. Game 4 was as entertaining as you get for a game that was scoreless going into the 3rd. Binny was unbelievable that game and still lost.

This was Maroon’s best series, with the line peaking in round 2. Then when Thomas got hurt sometime in the Sharks series, that line went away on the scoresheet.
 
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Brian39

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I'm genuinely excited about this ongoing GDT. I also have all 16 wins saved on my computer, along with about half the losses. I am also still working as an essential employee and my position is one of the very last things that could be deemed non-essential. So I too will be moving slowly through these games and can probably keep pace with you pretty well.

I agree with your assessments here and overall I think we got pushed closer to the brink by Winnipeg than our memories want to give them credit for. Two game 7s makes it easy to brush off a 6 game series as less close, but we easily could have lost to the Jets in 6 had a couple bounces not gone our way. Game 1 was an incredibly even game, with shots being 26-25 in our favor and us scoring the winner late. Binner was a stud and I believe that it was one of his biggest games of the playoffs.

Can you keep us posted about what nights you plan on watching specific games?
 

Blueston

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I too am rewatching. Well, the wins. I can't bring myself to spend 2 hours to watch a game I know we lose. I am through round 1. Some thoughts:
  • The lines I remembered as our playoff lines really weren't in evidence early. Berube really did a great job of juggling lines until he came across lines that really clicked.
  • That Jets team really was loaded. For whatever reason they never clicked last year like they did the year before, but they might have been most talented team we faced.
  • Blues really seemed to gain confidence as series went on. We dominated 3rd period of game 5 and all of game 6.
 
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Stlblue50

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Apr 17, 2019
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Pretty crazy that the Blues only had 2 wins all season when they trailed after 2 periods. Then they somehow ended up getting 2 wins in regulation when trailing after the 2nd in the first 5 playoff games!

They certainly carried that comeback mentality into this season. I think they had the most come from behind wins in the nhl (trailing at any point in the game) and with at least 8 wins and a good amount of OT losses when trialing after 2. I’m sure most know how bad almost every team is after 2 because the telecast will throw up each team’s record and it’s very rarely above 3-4 wins.
 
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Stupendous Yappi

Any famous last words? Not yet!
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Aug 23, 2018
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Erwin, TN
I'm genuinely excited about this ongoing GDT. I also have all 16 wins saved on my computer, along with about half the losses. I am also still working as an essential employee and my position is one of the very last things that could be deemed non-essential. So I too will be moving slowly through these games and can probably keep pace with you pretty well.

I agree with your assessments here and overall I think we got pushed closer to the brink by Winnipeg than our memories want to give them credit for. Two game 7s makes it easy to brush off a 6 game series as less close, but we easily could have lost to the Jets in 6 had a couple bounces not gone our way. Game 1 was an incredibly even game, with shots being 26-25 in our favor and us scoring the winner late. Binner was a stud and I believe that it was one of his biggest games of the playoffs.

Can you keep us posted about what nights you plan on watching specific games?

Game 2 planned for Friday/Saturday.
Most likely, I won’t watch in one sitting. I’ll try to keep to a rough schedule of 2-3 days between games. This will probably last close to 2 months at the pace I expect.

I welcome comments and analysis from everyone.

I wanted to add that Winnipeg really hurt losing Byfuglien. I’m not sure his health would have allowed him to be as effective of a player anyway, but he’s always been a guy I really respect as a player. His absence weakened them a lot. He was a handful in Game 1.
 
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Ted Hoffman

The other Rick Zombo
Dec 15, 2002
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I really wish someone - the Blues, FS Midwest, the NHL - would release a box set of all 16 wins. I've not picked up a lot of Cup Champions merchandise, certainly not nearly as much as I would have say 10 years ago when I could have less afforded it, but I would throw money at that and never blink.
 

Stupendous Yappi

Any famous last words? Not yet!
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Erwin, TN
I too am rewatching. Well, the wins. I can't bring myself to spend 2 hours to watch a game I know we lose. I am through round 1. Some thoughts:
  • The lines I remembered as our playoff lines really weren't in evidence early. Berube really did a great job of juggling lines until he came across lines that really clicked.
  • That Jets team really was loaded. For whatever reason they never clicked last year like they did the year before, but they might have been most talented team we faced.
  • Blues really seemed to gain confidence as series went on. We dominated 3rd period of game 5 and all of game 6.
I remember Winnipeg kind of petered out late in the season, but the playoff version of the Jets looked like a team with a new lease on life. They played with confidence and intensity, at least initially. I start wondering who would have won between Winnipeg and Dallas. I think either team would have been the Cup finals representative from the West.

It’s crazy how the Jets window appears to have closed a bit. I think this season could be their retool year, if the GM handles it well. Their goalie gets a bad rap some times, but I think the bigger issue is the step backwards in the defensive corps. The Central is a tough division to step forward in right now.
 

Blueston

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I remember Winnipeg kind of petered out late in the season, but the playoff version of the Jets looked like a team with a new lease on life. They played with confidence and intensity, at least initially. I start wondering who would have won between Winnipeg and Dallas. I think either team would have been the Cup finals representative from the West.

It’s crazy how the Jets window appears to have closed a bit. I think this season could be their retool year, if the GM handles it well. Their goalie gets a bad rap some times, but I think the bigger issue is the step backwards in the defensive corps. The Central is a tough division to step forward in right now.
They weren't bad against us certainly, but going into last year I thought Jets were team to beat in league and they never reached that level.

This year, I though Jets would be bad with that D, basically losing 4 of their top 5 defensemen. Their goalie has had great year and Maurice really had them believing but they still need some help. They need to add probably 2 quality D still to be a legit contender again.
 
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Brian39

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Apr 24, 2014
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I too am rewatching. Well, the wins. I can't bring myself to spend 2 hours to watch a game I know we lose. I am through round 1.
I don't know that I'll rewatch the losses now, but my intention when I downloaded all of these games was thinking 10+ years into the future. I didn't download the games where we got waxed, but the close losses that helped shape the tone of the series made my list.
 

Brian39

Registered User
Apr 24, 2014
7,029
12,744
I really wish someone - the Blues, FS Midwest, the NHL - would release a box set of all 16 wins. I've not picked up a lot of Cup Champions merchandise, certainly not nearly as much as I would have say 10 years ago when I could have less afforded it, but I would throw money at that and never blink.

Make it shaped like the Stanley Cup, with each ring opening up to reveal a disc. They could charge pretty much whatever they want and I would buy that.
 

Ghost of Ethan Hunt

The Official Ghost of Space Ghosts Monkey
Jun 23, 2018
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Wings fan sharing.

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TaffyPool

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Mar 8, 2019
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Rewatched this game last night too. I’ll join you!

My thoughts (Round 1, Game 1):

1) Winnipeg fans should be damn proud of the noise they made — the energy made the broadcast that much better, and I’m SURE the players for both teams fed off it too.

2) Binnington silences any remaining detractors with that first game...and possibly has his best save of the playoffs came near the very end of this game (yes, even better than the SCF Game 7 leg stretch).

3) Glad that Bozak was finally able to bury one here...he played a great game and was sniffing the net all night!

4) Early signs of the dominant puck possession we’d see from Robert Thomas this season, on display in the first game of last year’s playoffs.

5) Feisty Steen is feisty!
 
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Stupendous Yappi

Any famous last words? Not yet!
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Aug 23, 2018
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My recording for game 2 is the Sportsnet feed. During the intro for Scheifele, they called them the announcer stumbled “Jarts...Sharts....Jets”. The crowd noise is turned up in this feed. (I hope it’s the FSMW feed for game 5, I’d hate to miss the epic Pang call at the end of the game.)

The Blues looked sharp early, all 4 lines rolling. Chiarot was a good player for Winnipeg.

O’Reilly’s reaction in the box on Sundqvist’s 4on4 goal was great. I don’t remember seeing that. Bouwmeester made a great stick play at the blue-line to set up Sundqvist. Oscar has been one of the most offensively confident players the first 2 games.

Watching these games, I’m surprised at the tingle of sadness at seeing Edmundson, Maroon and Bouwmeester out there, knowing that their days as Blues are over. It’s possible a guy like Steen, Gunnarsson, Bozak or others will be on that list in hindsight once the suspended season shakes out. Don’t bring up Pietro.

O’Reilly was boarded a couple times in the 1st period. I remember him being a lot less effective for a couple series. Looking back, it’s easy to see how he could have a back or shoulder soft tissue injury.

In the 2nd period, Winnipeg really came out strong. The teams were playing vintage playoff hockey. Trading punches, hard forecheck, physical toll. Great to watch. The Jets has the better of the run of play, and Binnington made the right saves. The Jets are bringing pressure, next thing you know Maroon gets a dirty goal and then the Jets defense breaks down. (I praised Chiarot, but he failed to deny the pas in a 3 on 2, Byfuglien took one guy, leaving Sundqvist alone in the middle. Where were the Jets forwards? Nowhere to be found, but Chiarot had a chance to neutralize the pass.)

This game was well officiated. So was Game 1. A lot of stuff was allowed, but they didn’t let the players start to get goofy with stick work, etc. It’s the way I want playoff hockey to be called. (I say that, and the replay just showed Byfuglien whack Sundqvist on the leg from behind.) The refs seemed to allow most stuff unless it was nullifying scoring chances. That works for me if it’s even.

In a preview of things to come in Game 6, Game 7 vs Dallas, Game 6 vs San Jose, etc, the Blues held Winnipeg shotless for a long stretch of the 2nd period. The Blues had some strong scoring looks and could easily have extended the lead. 13 minutes with no shot until the PP goal by Scheifele.

Another common theme from the postseason was that the Blues won 5 on 5 play decisively. They lost in special teams. This was true vs Boston. True vs Winnipeg. The 2020 Blues weren’t as good on the PK to my eyes. I’d have liked to see them beef that up in the aborted rest of the season. But it would have been interesting to see what the PP looked like in the playoffs. There were multiple games the Blues would have won if they’d just matched the opposition in PP effectiveness. If that wasn’t a weakness in the postseason, it bodes well. We won’t get to find out.

Another shot of Maroon yapping on the bench. Who does that for St Louis now? He was a motormouth. Chubby, but effective.

I’m not sure what made OReilly decide to shoot from distance on the game-winner. He had a screen from the defender, but I think he was probably playing for a rebound. Hellyebuk had a lot of good and timely saves, but this goal was a back-breaker.

Tarasenko didn’t score in this game. He started kind of slow too. But as the game went along he was increasingly engaged and aggressive. I know other teams still key on him, and the Jets were no exception. The reason I bring this up is that I think there is probably some good bench coaching from Berube and Ott behind this. There’s no hint of frustration with Vlad. He is bought in to a team game.

Bortuzzo was cut by a skate on his wrist I believe, late in the game.

Finally, I think the Blues outplayed the Jets a lot more this game than it Game 1. This was a game St Louis could have won by 2 or 3 goals. Contrast this with Game 1 which could have been a coin flip. The Blues’ passing and puck control are just on a different level than the Jets. The Blues playing with a lead are most team’s worst nightmare.
 

Nederlander

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Apr 19, 2017
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There are ways to download these games if you look hard enough.

I live in Colorado, so watch the games through NHL.tv. You can just log in and click on the calendar back to last year and watch all the playoff games. I think the first round, the home broadcast is FS Midwest and the away Broadcast is Sportsnet. I'll check in for Game 5 -- what a great finish that was!
 

Ted Hoffman

The other Rick Zombo
Dec 15, 2002
28,861
8,113
I wanted to change plans with AT&T and get adjusted pricing, but couldn't do that without calling and talking to someone. Started Friday morning. Three phone calls and 7 hours later, I got nowhere, and my kid who went into the Marines and never got to see Game 7 still hasn't gotten to see it.

f*** you AT&T. No, really - f*** you.
 

ChicagoBlues

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Oct 24, 2006
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In my historically rewritten retrospective, the Blues went 16-0 during the Cup run and won each game 7-6 in OT1 after being down 6-0 with 2 minutes left in the game.
 

Schwartz17

Registered User
Jan 19, 2020
11
11
I wanted to change plans with AT&T and get adjusted pricing, but couldn't do that without calling and talking to someone. Started Friday morning. Three phone calls and 7 hours later, I got nowhere, and my kid who went into the Marines and never got to see Game 7 still hasn't gotten to see it.

f*** you AT&T. No, really - f*** you.

ESPN+ Stream Live Sports and Exclusive Originals

ESPN+ used to have a free trial, but they are still only $5/ month. You can watch all the Stanley Cup Final games on demand (both NBC and Sportsnet feeds) if you search “Blues vs Bruins”. They also have their 30 for 30 Library available which is nice with no other sports going on. No cancellation fees either.
My Dad (nearly 60 years old now, Blues fan since the start) missed all of Game 7 so I sort of understand your frustration. Thanks to both of you for his sacrifice and service! Hope this was helpful!
 
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Stlblue50

Registered User
Apr 17, 2019
680
503
Espn+ quest for the cup is everything you wanted the official cup dvd to be but wasn’t. Each episode is long and detailed, the official dvd felt like the cliff notes.

I only watched it once in the summer but can still remember the perfect ending (not talking about the final score).
 

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