GDT: Reviewing the Cup run - a retrospective activity

[Stupendous Yappi]

On the whole Bishop situation, I didn't realize how much of a diver he was until that series. I've been saying for 12 months now that he probably could have covered the puck in OT2 of Game 7 before Maroon poked it in if he hadn't been selling the idea that he got high-sticked instead of getting hit in the back of the head with the puck. I'm sure it didn't feel good, but his initial reaction was (as usual) to go down like he was shot, but the post would have absorbed most of the energy from the shot so it certainly didn't hit him hard enough to knock him down.

I don’t have any idea what you are seeing on that play. In interviews immediately after, Bishop said he was trying to avoid having the puck ricochet off the post and bounce in off him. That’s what he SHOULD have been worried about. At that point he couldn’t just flail for the puck without identifying where it was.

I agree he’s a bit of a diver, including the play where his own guy got him with the stick. A little later, Maroon got a penalty for goalie interference. On the replay, Maroon got him for sure, but there’s no way Bishop was caused to go down so dramatically like he did on that play.

Maybe a more stoic guy would have gotten a quicker whistle. His reputation had to hurt him there. Again, it was literally just a few seconds so hard to argue any harm could have occurred.

 

[Brian39]

I don't think there is any chance Bishop was diving on the game 7 winner. There isn't a Blue anywhere near him when the puck hits him in the back of the head. There was no potential high stick to sell and he stopped the lean forward to start movement backwards by the time Maroon's stick even plausibly could have touched him.

Every goalie knows the feeling of panic when you feel a puck hit you after coming off the post. You have no idea where the puck is going because you weren't able to see the exit angle off the post. Your brain quite simply can't process the potential geometry of how the puck will bounce off your back after that puck has gone blade to post to hitting you. Guessing how you need to move to avoid the bounce going back into your net is a complete guessing game and 9 times out of 10 the worst thing you can do is propel your body back towards the goal. His reaction was 100% in line with the spit second thought process of "oh shit, rebound off the post that is coming right back to me, I need to do whatever I can to soften the impact and kill as much of this puck's momentum as possible."

Expecting a goalie to be able to cover that is insane. Maroon banged it home almost immediately. The puck hit the back of Bishop's head while he was in his butterfly facing the original shooter. The puck bounces of his head, falls straight downward to the ice, bounces about 3 inches into the air off the ice and Maroon contacts the puck before it lands on the ice again. Expecting any goalie to process where the puck is going to go off the back of his mask, perform a controlled spin (to avoid just knocking it in), locating the puck and then actually reaching out to get over/behind the puck to freeze it in that time frame is incredibly unrealistic.

 

[MissouriMook]

@Stupendous Yappi and @Brian39 we’re going to have to agree to I guess. I’ve seen the replay 100 times, but after your comments I watched it a couple more. Bishop’s first reaction is absolutely to fall forward, and given his history I am absolutely convinced he was selling a high stick. His second reaction was to look behind him to find the puck but he was too late. Maybe it still would have been too late, but I’m sure glad we’ll never know.

Full disclosure: I have never played goalie at a level higher than pickup road hockey, but I have been watching NHL hockey for 50 years. Having seen a goalie get hit with the puck and lose sight of it about 100,000 times I can assure you that 99,999 of those times the goalie’s first reaction was to look behind him. I can’t say for sure why Bishop waited - only he can answer that. But he sure seemed to fall forward first (and in my view, in a way that was disproportionate to the impact from the puck) and that split second may or may not have cost him the opportunity to get to the puck before Maroon did.

 

[Brockon]

@Stupendous Yappi and @Brian39 we’re going to have to agree to I guess. I’ve seen the replay 100 times, but after your comments I watched it a couple more. Bishop’s first reaction is absolutely to fall forward, and given his history I am absolutely convinced he was selling a high stick. His second reaction was to look behind him to find the puck but he was too late. Maybe it still would have been too late, but I’m sure glad we’ll never know.

Full disclosure: I have never played goalie at a level higher than pickup road hockey, but I have been watching NHL hockey for 50 years. Having seen a goalie get hit with the puck and lose sight of it about 100,000 times I can assure you that 99,999 of those times the goalie’s first reaction was to look behind him. I can’t say for sure why Bishop waited - only he can answer that. But he sure seemed to fall forward first (and in my view, in a way that was disproportionate to the impact from the puck) and that split second may or may not have cost him the opportunity to get to the puck before Maroon did.

You know, maybe some good comes of this and Bishop realizes "the dive" cost the Stars his best shot at a cup in his career. Maybe he stops flopping around as often, because he looks at the series outcome and realizes that the game winner goes in because he attempts to draw a penalty at the worst time.

I'm not sold that the play was in fact a dive, and only Bishop knows the true intent there.

Regardless, I'm not going to dissect this play, I'll just relish in the favourable outcome. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

[Brockon]

Delays on my part with the rewatch, life has been happening and my attempt to improve my sleep hygiene to try and resolve some of my insomnia issues (I've dealt with insomnia in varying degrees for the past 15 years). I'm no longer watching TV in the evenings.

So, rather than being up until 3-6am I've successfully managed to be getting to sleep between 10pm-1am... The downside is that I am not watching TV after about 7pm, so my hockey watching has all but stopped because I've been replacing fences and doing yard work during the day.

Not sure how I'll manage watching hockey once the season resumes, short of getting a PVR system and getting cable for my hockey (or NHL center ice etc). I don't think the streaming service I've relied on to watch games actually archives games, meaning that's something I'll need to figure out down the road.

But, in the long run taking this opportunity to attempt to better my health is certainly a win. I'm not sure I've ever been in a position to try different things relative to changing my sleep hygiene without concerns about my income being affected. I've been laid off because of the pandemic and I'm currently collecting EI, allowing me to work on bettering my health, knowing I'll be recalled when it's deemed safe to begin ramping things back up.

I know that I've survived some pretty ridiculous work schedules and muddled through 300+ hour work months for months on end, when at times I'd only get 2-3 hours of sleep for days on end. Graveyard shift. Swing shift. Almost any rotation imaginable, drinking liters of coffee and multiple energy drinks to get through the bad days - because not being alert on shift could have cost me my life or a limb in the industrial field.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Round 2 - Game 7 vs Dallas

This is my first time watching the first 2 periods. I had no idea Bishop got shutouts in his two previous game 7 appearances. He’s awesome. If Binnington was going to turn into a pumpkin, this was the game it would happen.

First period,the Blues had a lot of good chances. Perron in particular was buzzing. Tarasenko looked sharp too. Binnington made a sweet glove save on a breakaway by Faksa.

Dallas looked well prepared and loose on the bench. Have I mentioned enough times what a huge loss it was when they parted with Montgomery?

Thomas and Pietro made great plays on the Dunn goal. It looked like Maroon tipped it to me, and Pierre said Maroon told him he did.

The Blues were setting up more offense from behind the net than I remember seeing vs other opponents.

And now we get to the Zucarello goal. I’d forgotten Binnington lost his stick AND the ref kicked it out to the slot. Binnington still early made the save. It was a terrible break. Imagine if that had happened in OT. But this Blues team managed to overcome all of this kind of stuff.

The Dallas defense was blocking everything. Heiskanen is just awesome. He’s going to be fun to watch for a long time.

It’s harder to pay attention closely when I know there won’t be another goal for 3+ periods. Nice hit by Barbashev on Radulov. 2nd period, the Stars were trying to dump and retrieve, but they had no answer for Binnington’s puck handling. Bozak gets tripped, on a PP that was earned on the back of Robert Thomas’ wizardry.

It’s so good to see Bouwmeester playing. It’s so weird to see Maroon on the PP. The Blues really should have scored a goal in the 2nd. Two PPs and several nice looks. Bishop stood on his head.

The crowd was really amped up for the 3rd period. Also, I think this was Thomas’ best game of the postseason. The Bozak-Thomas-Maroon line was winning their shifts all game. Barbashev with another great hit, on Dickinson.

More than 30 minutes of game time passed and Dallas has 2 shots on goal. Insane. It felt like the Blues should have capitalized on that and converted something into a lead. Dallas would have had no business winning this game, but we’ve seen that kind of performance turn into a lost opportunity before. The Stars has no zone entry, period. Nothing. Binnington deserves a lot of credit for that.

Oh man, the last 3 minutes of regulation was crazy. Tarasenko almost ended it single-handedly with a power move. It would sure be sweet to see that guy again. Hintz almost got a Paajarvi special wrap around with speed.

Periods 2 and 3, Dallas with 4 shots. How can you dominate a game so much and not get a lead?

Binnington had to be sharp in the OT. How did he stay so ready while sleeping through so much of the game? Great saves on both sides of the ice in OT. This was a new game for Dallas, and you can tell the thought they had a chance to steal one. The Blues looked a little tired, but they kept firing every chance they got. Bishop always had the answer, until he didn’t. There were several heart-in-my-throat moments in the Blues’ zone.

It hadn’t occurred to me before how important this game was for Binnington’s preparation and experience for Game 7 vs Boston. This game really was a masterful performance by Binner.

It’s amazing how close we came to an alternate history where Parayko misplayed the puck into the net and Benn converts the wraparound. It just goes to show that to win a Cup, you have to have a couple “inches” plays be the right side for you. I think Dallas would have beaten San Jose, but not Boston.

Really, Dallas looked like the better team in 2OT. In the handshake line after the goal, Binnington went to wipe his face and his hand was shaking like crazy. You could see on his face the adrenaline he’s been experiencing that whole game.

 

[SaintLouHaintBlue]

Round 2 - Game 7 vs Dallas

This is my first time watching the first 2 periods. I had no idea Bishop got shutouts in his two previous game 7 appearances. He’s awesome. If Binnington was going to turn into a pumpkin, this was the game it would happen.

First period,the Blues had a lot of good chances. Perron in particular was buzzing. Tarasenko looked sharp too. Binnington made a sweet glove save on a breakaway by Faksa.

Dallas looked well prepared and loose on the bench. Have I mentioned enough times what a huge loss it was when they parted with Montgomery?

Thomas and Pietro made great plays on the Dunn goal. It looked like Maroon tipped it to me, and Pierre said Maroon told him he did.

The Blues were setting up more offense from behind the net than I remember seeing vs other opponents.

And now we get to the Zucarello goal. I’d forgotten Binnington lost his stick AND the ref kicked it out to the slot. Binnington still early made the save. It was a terrible break. Imagine if that had happened in OT. But this Blues team managed to overcome all of this kind of stuff.

The Dallas defense was blocking everything. Heiskanen is just awesome. He’s going to be fun to watch for a long time.

It’s harder to pay attention closely when I know there won’t be another goal for 3+ periods. Nice hit by Barbashev on Radulov. 2nd period, the Stars were trying to dump and retrieve, but they had no answer for Binnington’s puck handling. Bozak gets tripped, on a PP that was earned on the back of Robert Thomas’ wizardry.

It’s so good to see Bouwmeester playing. It’s so weird to see Maroon on the PP. The Blues really should have scored a goal in the 2nd. Two PPs and several nice looks. Bishop stood on his head.

The crowd was really amped up for the 3rd period. Also, I think this was Thomas’ best game of the postseason. The Bozak-Thomas-Maroon line was winning their shifts all game. Barbashev with another great hit, on Dickinson.

More than 30 minutes of game time passed and Dallas has 2 shots on goal. Insane. It felt like the Blues should have capitalized on that and converted something into a lead. Dallas would have had no business winning this game, but we’ve seen that kind of performance turn into a lost opportunity before. The Stars has no zone entry, period. Nothing. Binnington deserves a lot of credit for that.

Oh man, the last 3 minutes of regulation was crazy. Tarasenko almost ended it single-handedly with a power move. It would sure be sweet to see that guy again. Hintz almost got a Paajarvi special wrap around with speed.

Periods 2 and 3, Dallas with 4 shots. How can you dominate a game so much and not get a lead?

Binnington had to be sharp in the OT. How did he stay so ready while sleeping through so much of the game? Great saves on both sides of the ice in OT. This was a new game for Dallas, and you can tell the thought they had a chance to steal one. The Blues looked a little tired, but they kept firing every chance they got. Bishop always had the answer, until he didn’t. There were several heart-in-my-throat moments in the Blues’ zone.

It hadn’t occurred to me before how important this game was for Binnington’s preparation and experience for Game 7 vs Boston. This game really was a masterful performance by Binner.

It’s amazing how close we came to an alternate history where Parayko misplayed the puck into the net and Benn converts the wraparound. It just goes to show that to win a Cup, you have to have a couple “inches” plays be the right side for you. I think Dallas would have beaten San Jose, but not Boston.

Really, Dallas looked like the better team in 2OT. In the handshake line after the goal, Binnington went to wipe his face and his hand was shaking like crazy. You could see on his face the adrenaline he’s been experiencing that whole game.

I don't remember if it was game 7 or a different elimination game, but I was watching the Stanley Cup games in a bar instead of at home. I live in Western Michigan - which is pretty far away from anything St. Louis related (most people are obviously Detroit fans, with some Chicago sprinkled in).
On one of the games - there are these two people sitting a couple of seats down from me and I notice one of them has a Wash-U hat. They're like one of the few people I've seen throughout the entire series that had a vested interest in the game. They don't live in the area, but they are visiting for a tennis tournament. So, we end up starting a conversation, and then obviously we start talking about Patrick Maroon.. .

I mention that Pat Maroon went to high school less than a mile from where my family (grandparents, aunt, uncle, etc.) live in St. Louis (which is true - they all reside in Oakville).
And as it turns out - he had family from the same area too! I believe he said it was his mom, but he had family that literally lived right there on the same street. We eventually deduced out that his mom lived in the same neighborhood as my aunt and uncle.

I think that was game 6. If I remember correctly, the Blues one that game and then the next game was the game 7 victory.

 

[joe galiba]

My favorite was the Petro goal in game 7
Boston looked like they were taking it to us most of the period, and that was the first, very slight hope I had of maybe, possibly winning the cup in my lifetime
until that point I was just waiting to be crushed by some fluke or another

 

[Brockon]

Edit:

I pulled a Robb_K...

So, I've copy the lengthy body of the unaltered post and moved it to this thread Poll: What was favorite goal of the playoffs?.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Blues vs Sharks - Game 2

After winning the Cup, it was easy to forget the team had some close calls. The Dallas series could have gone either way, and they were up against elimination twice. Winnipeg was very tough too. The Blues lost 10 games. One of these was game 1 at San Jose, losing 6-3. The narrative after the game was that the Blues were chasing hits and got called for penalties while the Sharks were just playing hockey.

Game 2, the Blues ahead the better early chances, but Schwartz beat Jones over the shoulder. Pietro broke up a 2 on 1 short-handed chance. Binnington was making the first save, but giving up some rebounds. But he was tracking the puck and his puck-handling nullified a lot.

It’s jarring to see the Sharks when they were still playing with confidence and not looking beat up yet. Burns looked pretty good and mobile. I’m not sure Pavelski was right, but he was playing with intensity. After seeing the PP clicking more effectively most of the year, it’s kind of painful to see the awkward and futile set-up we loved with through the playoffs. If the Blues hadn’t lost the specialty teams battle on both sides of the ice, the entire post-season would have been pretty dominant.

Its also weird to see DeBoer behind the bench and realize he went from coaching the WCF a couple games from the Cup finals to being fired a few months later.

The Sharks looked like the better team with the better chances for the first half of the game, and really shut down the Blues’ chances for long stretches. The San Jose defense was moving the puck fast enough to take the forecheck away. The difference was Binnington significantly outplayed Jones.

Period 2 Dunn got a goal from the point with a great screen from Blais. Blais’ transformation from a high IQ skilled player to this guy that leads the team in hits and is part of a cerebral forecheck cycle, willing to be the guy who goes to the net and gets cross-checked, I guess that’s what you have to do if you want to be an NHL player. I love Fabbri and hope he succeeds, but I don’t think he could make that degree of transformation in his game.

Blues were up 2-0, and Pietro made a bad play after getting hamstrung a bit on a Perron pass on another disastrous PP. Couture made a great play, outraced Pietro and finished. Sharks got a lot of momentum off that PK. Couture beat Binnington 5-hole not much later. Mid-point of the game, tied game after Blues gave up a 2 goal lead, down 0-1 in the series and frankly San Jose has looked like the better team for more of this game. That’s not how I remember the script! It was a gut check time.

Late in the 2nd, Bozak found Bortuzzo behind Thornton, backhand - forehand - roofed! The guy sat out the last 3 games of the Dallas series, but he was ready when he got his opportunity. That celebration was epic! I have to admit, if the Sharks had scored the next goal there, I’m not sure the Blues would have had enough gas to come back.

I’m not sure there were many moments where momentum shifted away from the Blues more than after their PPs.

I’m also impressed with how much abuse Maroon took. He had plenty of moments during the regular season where he looked to have questionable value. But he was a contributor during the playoffs. I think they may miss that element in the postseason this year.

Another guy that I notice a lot is Dunn. He was shooting a lot more than he had been in more recent games. If Dunn can be that kind of offensive threat, he’s a lot more valuable. I wonder if Faulk’s presence has an impact there.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: “The Sharks have been held to one shot in the last 17 minutes, still shot less for the period. 16:12 between shots on goal.”

Mid-way through the 3rd, Bortuzzo with a huge block on Burns unloading wide open in the slot.

Late in the 3rd, the Blues get an odd-man break and Steen spins to find Sundqvist. It’s a save your goalie has to have when you’re down one late in a game. Jones didn’t have it.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Blues vs Sharks- Game 4

We all know about the hand pass and Berube’s response. I think he was completely sincere in his statement that he was more upset at the Blues relinquishing the late 3rd period lead. Game 3 was also the game where Dunn broke his jaw.

The first Period might be the most fun to watch other than the SCF games. The Burns Scooby-doo fall, and then seeing the puck in the back of the net before he could get up, the arena exploded. For several minutes the Blues had a scoring chance almost every shift. Even the lackluster PP couldn’t completely sap the momentum. I have to give Jones credit for keeping it a one goal game.

Late on the 1st, some nice hits by Maroon on the forecheck. I have to admit, he looked faster than I remember. The physicality really ramped up this game. The prior games were regular playoff physicality, but Game 4 was something extra. This is when I think the Sharks started getting physically beat up. The Shark star defenders were being victimized by the forecheck and looked like they didn’t want to get hit.

If forgotten about the Kane knee on knee hit on Pietro. Very easily could have been an injury there. Shortly after the puck gets behind the D and Melker Karlsson was in alone. Binnington made the glove save look pedestrian. I love his moxy and contagious confidence.

A messy PP goal credited to Bozak, but looks like it was Maroon then off the skate of a Shark. The first goal was off a Shark stick. Both were fluky goals, although the Blues had plenty of grade A chances.

Period 2, the Sharks did make a push. Binnington has to make some big saves.

I keep waiting to see where Erik Karlsson got injured. He still looks like he’s moving pretty well this game.

If he hadn’t proved his value in the lineup over Fabbri yet, this game really solidified things for Blais. The chemistry with his linemates and the willingness to throw his body around was the right formula.

3rd period, on the PP and Pietro gets called for interference behind the play. Ensuing Sharks PP Hertl cleaned up a loose puck to cut the lead to 2-1. After all the good vibes and dominance, it was a one goal game again. Half-way through the period, another Sharks PP on. Barbashev trip. Solid kill and the Blues get a PP on a pretty egregious too many men.

Karlsson was stapled to the bench, so obviously hurt, but I couldn’t see where it happened. He came out when they pulled the goalie, but I guess he re-injured the groin somewhere in there. The Blues helped out by committing a couple icings, again. But they held on to tie the series in a game that was a lot more even than I remember. The Sharks legitimately made a push.

I have family visits for a few weeks, interested in the games, so I’ll probably watch more often now.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Round 3 Game 5, at San Jose.

I’d forgotten Kane hit the post like 10 seconds into the game.

There was a play about 3 minutes in where Barbashev started behind Karlsson at the blue line and beat him to the corner for clear possession. The announcers missed it, but Karlsson was struggling from the get go.

Schenn with a post of his own a moment later. Wide open action to start this one. Karlsson makes a bad pass to Dillon’s feet, off the wall to Sundqvist right in stride, goal!

Later in the first, Barbashev head shot on Meier. He didn’t hit him hard, and Meier was looking for the call all the way. I can’t recall if this was the hit he got suspended for. I think it isn’t.

Four observations from the first:
1) Binnington was tracking the puck well.
2) Karlsson looked terrible. Multiple bad passes and no wheels.
3) Schenn had the puck following him all period. Could have had a couple goals easily.
4) With the lead, the Blues made zone entry very difficult. They seemed to win every physical battle on the ice. But otherwise it was the same old formula where they just didn’t allow the opposition much zone time and no real scoring chances.

2nd period, I’m not sure who was supposed to be covering Schwartz. Jones made the save on Tarasenko, but gave up a perfect rebound to a wide open Schwartz. I think Dillon came off him, but it was a bad breakdown, and Jaden swept it into the open net. The Sharks looked stunned. Jones was under siege the whole second period.

Third period Tarasenko got his penalty shot. I don’t have much to say about that. Burns did the right thing there. You need your goalie to make the save. I’m reminded of Ott and Berube, “Does he know what to do?” “He’d better, he’s scored like 5o goals.”

I was starting to think this was a game Pavelski was out with a concussion. I didn’t hear his name for the entire first half of the game, but yeah he was playing.

2nd period the Blues outshot San Jose like 20-6, crazy dominance.

3rd period, there was a sequence where Pietro got Pavelski pretty good along the boards. Kane got Tarasenko low with what looked like a knee on knee to me. Shortly after that the Blues ended up on a 5-3. Schwartz got his 2nd goal cleaning up in front of the net. On the rest of the PK Donskoi took friendly fire with a puck to the face.

Schwartz got his 3rd goal from Tarasenko for the har trick.

The Sharks bench got pretty thin. At the end of this game, it felt like there was no chance the Sharks could win Game 6. This game would have sucked to pay a lot of money as a Sharks fan. There was very little to cheer for after a few minutes into the 1st. Not much to build on. I remember the locker room interviews where multiple Sharks players including Burns saying (about going back to St Louis), “We just have to go win a game.” It sounded like insincere bluster to me.

 

[MissouriMook]

Barbashev got suspended for Game 6 in the Finals. He did not get suspended for the hit on Meier, nor did he deserve to, and scored the last goal in Game 6 to eliminate the Sharks.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Barbashev got suspended for Game 6 in the Finals. He did not get suspended for the hit on Meier, nor did he deserve to, and scored the last goal in Game 6 to eliminate the Sharks.

You’re right. He probably deserved a 2m penalty for the hit, but the clamoring for suspensions got out of hand. I was just looking for the suspended hits and didn’t remember.

 

[Sgt Schultz]

I remember Game 5 well. We were on a long weekend in Durango, CO, and I watched it from about midway in the second until the end. The Blues were playing their best hockey of the series, and the Sharks increasingly looked done.

Game 4 convinced me this team had a legitimate shot. They could have lost their composure after the way Game 3 ended. Game 5 convinced me they had not only a legitimate shot at the Cup, but a good shot at it. They just kept winning critical games that previous Blues teams would have come up short in.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Round 3 Game 6 -
Pavelski, Hertl and Karlsson were all out. Dunn out for his 3rd game.

The energy in the arena even before puck drop was very apparent. The crowd smelled blood and they knew the team was one win from the SCF.

Tarasenko with a nice hit early, and punched Meier in the face a little later. Blais and OReilly in on a 2 on 1 and overpassed, but OReilly found Blais across the goal mouth, and Blais showed a lot of patience before firing it in, but on review looked like Perron tipped it in. Crowd erupted.

Jones looked shaky. I think he was feeling the pressure after his team was shut out prior game and knowing they were short some firepower. Binnington made a few saves early, but the Blues were getting a lot of good looks. Wes McCauley has to leave the game after taking a spill.

Jeremy Roenick reporting from the stands. I know a lot of people don’t care for him, but I wish he was still going to be a studio analyst. He’s a bit goofy but in a fun way. Later on he interviewed the Tkachuk boys wearing customized Thomas shirts that didn’t have Blues logos.

Late 1st, Bortuzzo was tripped. Tarasenko sniped it over the right shoulder early in the ensuing PP. You’d like your goalie to stop one from that far out, but Tarasenko makes a lot of goalies look bad from a distance. He was very engaged and ready to play in this game. The Sharks made a push and had a few good shots after, but Binnington was sharp.

Mid-way through the 2nd, Blues fail to convert a 3 on 2. The puck went to the other end and Gambrell scored his first career goal. Good for him, I’m sure he felt awesome to do so on such a big stage. The Sharks were pushing back for a bit. A puck got in behind Binnington, and Parayko was there to clean it up. Huge play where it was close to tying it up.

Thomas was taken down in front of the net, another PP. Lots of struggle to get the puck in the zone, but late on the PP Pietro took a point shot and Schenn put the rebound in. 3-1 and the crowd was back in it.

3rd period Maroon with a pretty bad trip at center ice to give the Sharks life. Labanc hit the post. On replay the net wasn’t on his mooring, so I guess it wouldn’t have counted anyway. Bouwmeester clears the puck. Little plays like that from Jay really feel great to see, knowing it was his last post-season. The Sharks has the better of it for the first several minutes of the 3rd. Binnington made the first save every time, but was giving up some ugly rebounds. Sharks were a bit unlucky not to get another goal there. The Blues didn’t have a single shot on goal for nearly 13 minutes. It was like a 20 minute PK. It wasn’t pretty, but the Blues got a goal off the rush when Bozak’s shot deflected in off Donskoi.

By then there were 6 minutes left and a 4-1 lead. The Sharks waved the white flag and the Blues had a prolonged celebration, “We want the Cup!”

 

[Meatball]

Felt really calm this game, you could feel the momentum squarely on our side. The Sharks used to inspire the same fear I got when playing the Hawks or Kings of old...it just wasn't there. At no point in the series did I fear San Jose, and especially not for Game 6.

With the way we played in Game 5 (a blowout) and all the injuries to the Sharks, I felt very confident we were going to make a finals appearance.

Winning the cup was another matter...

 

[Sgt Schultz]

Jumping ahead a little, but I just watched Game 7 of the finals for about the 412th time. I still get emotional as the sand runs out of the egg timer. I've been old enough to appreciate the Cardinals winning three World Series', lived in a city with a football team that won two Super Bowls (not the Rams), and on the opposite end, suffered through the deaths of several people close to me. None of that stirs my emotions like watching the end of Game 7.

I think I am effing crazy.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Finals Game 2 at Boston

The Bruins had only lost 5 games all playoffs prior to this. As we all remember, the Blues lost game 1after going out to a 2 goal lead. I remember I’d thought the long layoff the Bruins might not be ready for Game 1. I thought the Blues had squandered an opportunity there. At this point the story for the national media was pretty easy to write, and the Blues were not supposed to be able to compete with Boston. If I’d told you then that Boston wouldn’t win another game at home, not many would have believed it.

Fabbri in and an injured Thomas out.

Backes mixing it up with Maroon early. Blais gets a 2m penalty for goalie interference after driving hard to the net. Absolutely nothing wrong with that move, if I’m the coach. Kill the penalty and keep that aggressive mindset. Unfortunately the Blues didn’t kill it off. The Blues failed to get it deep when they cleared the puck out of the zone, and the PK unit never got set with Coyle having a pretty unmolested look from the slot which beat Binnington 5 hole. It’s a shot Jordan usually stops. But big gut check early. Eddie pointed out there were 6 on the ice for Boston. I don’t think it mattered.

Maroon was a big part of the push back. I have to hand it to him. I have noticed him a lot more in the rewatch of these games than I expected to.

Bortuzzo got a bad angle goal where he wasn’t even looking at the goal. He just looked down at the puck and fired it. Got a lucky bounce off the defender, and boom 1-1. It didn’t last long before the Blues defense gave up a goal to Nordstrom. It happened so fast I don’t even have a breakdown.

Man, I don’t miss Doc Emery’s incessant buzz during the games.

Boston had the better of the action. They were applying pressure. Tarasenko and Schwartz had a 2 on 2 that Marchand misplayed, turning it to a 2 on 1. Schwartz shot, Tarasenko got the rebound shot, Rask made the save. And then the postseason goal that I think was the ‘best’ goal: Tarasenko, falling away from the puck reaching with his backhand and elevated the shot over the pads. I think this goal showed more willpower than any other of the playoffs. But the result is a tied game 2-2 late in the 1st. Whew!

Sundqvist hit Gryzlk up high causing his head to bounce off the boards. Gryzelyk put his body in a weird contortion there that left his head low and arms extended. It was an ugly collision, but I think it wasn’t predatory. 2 minute penalty. The PK was much sharper this time.

The Blues were forechecking much better and applying pressure in the 2nd. Boston played the rest of the game with 5 defenders after Gryzelcyk (I think I finally spelled it right one of those times) had to enter the concussion protocol. The Blues were visibly more physical.

St Louis got a PP on what looked like a dirty play to me. Clifton whipped his leg out to interfere with Edmundson. The crowd didn’t like the call, not sure why.

Tarasenko left the game after it looked like he lost his edges on the wall. Missed the PP. Bouwmeester with a nice hit on Backes. Later, Blais went to hit Backes near the bench and got reverse shouldered onto his ass. Blais took a lot of punishment this game.

Later in the period and Edmundson gets called for the same leg whip he got tripped with earlier. Great PK ensues. Bortuzzo slashed DeBrusk, no call. Later DeBrusk got away with a slash of his own. Clifton hit Bozak in the chin with his stick, 4 minute penalty. It was a pretty good PP really. Several shots including a couple clappers from Parayko. Marchand overpassed on a short handed breakaway. Schwartz gets a penalty for running Rask, predictably ending the PP. Rask sold it.

Overall a good solid 2nd period by the Blues.

The third Period was surprisingly wide open, at least the first few minutes. Aa the period went on, things tightened up. The Blues made a push mid-way through the period. Rask was pretty active, but it felt like the Blues were going to get one. Late in the period Schenn called for slashing Acciari’s stick which broke easily. It broke up a scoring chance, otherwise I doubt it would have been called. Schenn with a breakaway out of the box and when he shot he missed the puck at his feet. The pressure by the Blues picked right back up.

Backes with a great shift late in regulation. Great feed to Bergeron right in front of the crease, but Binnington was ready. Even later, Gunnarsson hit the post. All he needs is one more chance, Coach!

Overtime. The Blues are 0-13 in the SCF up until this moment. Boston was probably happy to escape from that period and get a chance to regroup. The Blues were buzzing in the OT. It felt like the game was their’s. I’d forgotten Pietro has the screen on Gunnarsson’s historic shot.

This was a hell of a game. This is what SCF hockey should be.

I was a little surprised to see Tarasenko had goals in 4 straight games. He showed up in the big games. His goal to tie up this one was arguably the best goal of the postseason.

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

I was a little surprised to see Tarasenko had goals in 4 straight games. He showed up in the big games. His goal to tie up this one was arguably the best goal of the postseason.

Now that I'm reminded of it, one of the biggest differences between the 2019 team and the 2016 team was just how fresh they looked deep into the playoffs, especially Tarasenko. He looked just completely gassed against the Sharks in 2016, but in 2019 he still had enough in the tank to consistently use his burst of speed to give Chara fits all 7 games in the Cup final.

 

[Stlblue50]

Upon re-watching game 2 recently, the Pastrnak chance all alone in the slot under a minute left was nuts! I completely forgot about that one.

Currently that guy has 48 goals and 95 points in 70 games!!

 

[Meatball]

Otherworldly senses by Tarasenko on the tying goal.

And of course, Gunnarson.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Finals Game 4 - @ St Louis.

Blues enter down 2-1. A lot of the story of game 3 ended up revolving around penalties. The Blues lost 7-2. Binnington gave up 5 goals in 19 shots. He’d been pulled for the only ice time Allen had all playoffs. Sundqvist has been suspended for that game. This was also Dunn’s first game back after missing 6 with his jaw wired.

First minute, Dunn put a wrist shot on goal, not powerful. Sanford with the tip and Rask made the save with the rebound off to his right. O’Reilly gathered it and zipped around for the wrap around, beating Rask. I seem to remember a lot of complaints over Sanford playing over Fabbri. But if you look at what they did in their ice time in the postseason, Sanford was the right choice.

Sundqvist was all over the ice in the first period. Big hit on Pastrnak. Edmundson looking shaky. Dunn looking like he wants to be there. The defense is so active. This is the Blues’ game. When they are dominating games, the defense is pinching in and the forwards are rotating in coverage. It allows a lot of zone time and more cycle time.

It sure seems like there were a lot of playoff games where the Blues scored in the first couple minutes of the game. This really helps them to play a low event game, reducing shots against to almost nothing.

Late in the first, Chara activates on the left side and throws one on goal. Schwartz lost Coyle, who gathered the rebound and tied it up. If I’m honest, at this point I wasn’t thinking the Blues were going to win the Cup. I was scared of going down 3-1 in the series. But it was another Tarasenko clutch moment. Pietro pulled the puck inside to avoid the block, and Vladdy jumped on the rebound in the slot.

Sanford was so physical this game. Lots of hits and willingness to get into the dirty areas. Not a hint of intimidation. If Berube can get that kind of game out of him with any consistency, he’s a top 9 regular on this team. This team played to the level Berube got out of players like Sundqvist, Barbashev, Sanford and Blais. I also notice Parayko was a lot readier to shoot from the point than his usual.

Early in the second, Boston really had the better of it until Chara’s jaw was broken off the Schenn shot deflected off his own stick. Coyle high sticks Gunnarsson. Full credit, Boston had a great PK unit. But the Blues’ PP was not stressing it at all. A little later Parayko delay of game penalty. OReilly about a half inch from a short handed goal. Boston had such an advantage in special teams.

Late in the 2nd, the Blues had an extended sequence where they controlled the puck in the zone for like 2 straight minutes. The crowd was crazy and there were so many shots and chances. Eventually this came to an end when Tarasenko got hit up high. He sold this one and I don’t think it should have been called. Of course the Blues gave up a shorthanded goal. But it was a nice play by Marchand, getting it to Bergeron who took a low shot. Binnington made the save, but Carlo got the rebound. Binnington got his glove on the shot, but about an inch from catching it.

Question: How many times did a Blues PP kill the 5 on 5 momentum during the postseason. Answer: a lot! It felt like a 3-1 lead was imminent, but instead Boston had to be really happy to go into the 3rd tied up. It really felt like the Blues should have a lead.

Third period, full credit to Chara for coming to sit in the bench. He couldn’t open his mouth, but he could open the bench door.

If the Blues has lost this period, the series gets tough. 2 minutes in and Schwartz gets tripped in the neutral zone. Marchand snagged Binnington’s pad and twisted it around. It didn’t hurt Jordan, but he flopped down. But there’s no need for stupid crap like that. Marchand is such a rat.

It was pretty back and forth the first half of the period. 13 minutes left and Bouwmeester took a high sticking penalty. The Blues took some momentum from the PK. Everyone was hitting everyone out there. Awesome playoff finals action. This was a hell of a series. A quick look at the box score, 85 combined hits.

Pietro with a good hard shot low, OReilly picked the rebound out of midair. This was an incredible goal. We’ve all seen the hand-eye drills ROR does to prepare for games. You could see the direct result of that work in a play like this. 3-2 Blues.

Backes was being a Buffalo Head mixing it up with Pietro after the play.

So relieved when Schenn got the empty net goal early. I think it was Krug he took the puck from, but the shot from outside the blue line was center-net perfect. 90 odd seconds of stomach cramps were relieved by this quick empty netter.

The Blues kind of laid an egg and were blown out in game 3. But after 4 games this series was tied. We were now guaranteed of another game in St Louis in this series. Prior to the series, I had predicted it would be 2-2 after 4 games. I wasn’t sure how it would happen, but I was pretty sure at the time. But once the pucks dropped, my nerves had the better of me.

 

[542365]

They’re replaying Game 7 with commentary from players and coaches throughout on Friday on FSMW at 7. I definitely want to catch that. No idea how entertaining it will be, but it sounds interesting.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

They’re replaying Game 7 with commentary from players and coaches throughout on Friday on FSMW at 7. I definitely want to catch that. No idea how entertaining it will be, but it sounds interesting.

That sounds awesome. One of the drawbacks of being out of the area, I don’t have access to that.

I might upgrade my Directv package just to try and get that.