GDT: (Still) Defending Stanley Cup Champs St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago

[BlueOil]

i think we could all play gloria a little more and do a little less tarot card reading from an exhibition game

 

[BlueOil]

I have no problem using the skaters if you want to make sure plenty get ice time and are sharp in case of injuries, but isnt dunn healthy now, why not get him in game and just limit his minutes as 7 dman if easing him in rather than mikkola who most likely wont play at all, though it is possible with both bortuzzo and gunnarsson being injury prone.

The brouwer one is baffling. There are so many guys that should play over brouwer on the delth chart, it just made no sense to play him.

Sundqvist, steen, and kyrou didnt play and all are above him. Arguably, even de la rose might play before brouwer ever sees a game.

I can understand using 20 skaters to get everyone some ice time but why waste it on guys who arent ever going to play.

sundqvist played in the game and you get everyone ready for the inevitable, but never hoped for injury. the game was meaningless so let the meaningless play.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I have no problem using the skaters if you want to make sure plenty get ice time and are sharp in case of injuries, but isnt dunn healthy now, why not get him in game and just limit his minutes as 7 dman if easing him in rather than mikkola who most likely wont play at all, though it is possible with both bortuzzo and gunnarsson being injury prone.

The brouwer one is baffling. There are so many guys that should play over brouwer on the delth chart, it just made no sense to play him.

Sundqvist, steen, and kyrou didnt play and all are above him. Arguably, even de la rose might play before brouwer ever sees a game.

I can understand using 20 skaters to get everyone some ice time but why waste it on guys who arent ever going to play.

Brouwer was one of the better looking guys in the bottom 6 yesterday. Maybe he’s been showing something in practice too. I actually liked the decision to play him.

It was a game to play everyone you can, lines be damned. If the Blues have a long run, they’re going to need to play some of these depth guys at times. I think Berube had the right philosophy for the game. He didn’t care about the final score. I do think he cared about tempo and competing, but the matchups weren’t important. This game was a lot more important for Chicago, who had to choose a starting goalie and get ready to play for their loves next game.

I do think the Blues have some areas for concern. They’re going to have to compete and get a lot more physical. The shot suppression was non-existent yesterday.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Weren't Scandella and Parayko really good as a pairing before the season ended? They probably just need a game or two to find that chemistry again.

I was more disappointed with Scandella’s one on one defending. If he can’t keep up vs the top lines, he can’t be Parayko’s partner vs the top lines.

 

[BlueDream]

I'm trying not to be overly concerned, but the fact of the matter is that the next game does count, even if it doesn't put us in an elimination situation. This was the only game we had to shake off the rust and get back some of the continuity that they lost over the last 4.5 months and they squandered it. If the play-in round goes chalk, the round robin means the difference between playing the 5 seed in the first round and the 8. To me, that should matter.

I'm fine that they weren't going balls out, but that's not the same as not competing and I feel like a lot of that was missing last night. One issue I have is with a roster decision by Berube. After last year, its hard to question his decisions, but I'm going to anyway. He "took advantage" of the NHL temporary rule allowing for 20 skaters in the exhibition game and I think it cost them. There was clearly little flow and cohesiveness with the forwards and the D, and I think a lot of it stemmed from having 13F and 7D to manage. Too many guys getting moved around, especially on the back end. I can't understand why someone would value getting guys like Brouwer and Mikkola a game now over getting guys clicking together. I feel that Barbashev should have slotted in where Steen was absent since Barby is going to be leaving the bubble soon, and the rest of the squad should have been put together and left together where they are going to line up on Sunday to try to gain or regain some chemistry.

I don’t understand this post at all.

1. How did they squander an opportunity to knock off rust? Do you have to win a game in order to do that? No. It’s probably better to get a loss out of the way now so it’s a bit of a wake up call for them and they know what they need to improve on. I still just don’t understand what some of you were expecting after not playing a game for 4.5 months. What we saw is pretty normal. And to be honest, the round robin seeding games aren’t that important either. The seeding matters less this year than it has in any other year because there’s not a true home ice advantage. I’m sure their compete level will improve with 3 more games and several more practices.

2. Why would you NOT take advantage of dressing 20 skaters? It’d be insane not to. You have a limited time to knock off rust from every player and it makes sense to get other guys playing time in case there are injuries down the road and you need replacements. Putting in guys who haven’t played a game in 6 months wouldn’t be pretty. Berube also kept the lines exactly how they will be for most of the game so how is that a concern? Brouwer and Mikkola barely played so it didn’t mess anything up.

 

[MissouriMook]

I don’t understand this post at all.

1. How did they squander an opportunity to knock off rust? Do you have to win a game in order to do that? No. It’s probably better to get a loss out of the way now so it’s a bit of a wake up call for them and they know what they need to improve on. I still just don’t understand what some of you were expecting after not playing a game for 4.5 months. What we saw is pretty normal. And to be honest, the round robin seeding games aren’t that important either. The seeding matters less this year than it has in any other year because there’s not a true home ice advantage. I’m sure their compete level will improve with 3 more games and several more practices.

2. Why would you NOT take advantage of dressing 20 skaters? It’d be insane not to. You have a limited time to knock off rust from every player and it makes sense to get other guys playing time in case there are injuries down the road and you need replacements. Putting in guys who haven’t played a game in 6 months wouldn’t be pretty. Berube also kept the lines exactly how they will be for most of the game so how is that a concern? Brouwer and Mikkola barely played so it didn’t mess anything up.

I'm not sure there is to NOT understand. Addressing both of your points collectively, I feel like the value of building cohesion in your forward lines and defensive pairings was greater than the value of getting a guy like Brouwer, who may not see any action at all in the playoffs, ice time in a tune up game. Dressing and playing an odd number of forwards and an odd number of defensemen meant that you were automatically going to have to shuffle things around in-game to get everyone some ice time, and I felt like that 60 minutes would have been better spent putting guys together that you plan on playing together when the games start counting and leaving them there to re-build some chemistry.

No, you don't have to win a game to knock off rust or get value out of an exhibition game, I just feel like Berube valued a couple of things that I wouldn't and it showed in our lack of continuity and cohesion. Simple as that, and I think it squandered some of the value of playing the game in the first place. I also felt like some of the compete level was missing, not just relative to their normal play but relative to some of the other games I've watched of these exhibitions. It's one thing when everyone is throttling back and leaving everyone on the same footing, but I think the Blues effort level was pretty near the bottom of all of the teams I watched. One hopes that switch can be flipped when the time comes that the games count, but I think any coach will tell you that playing "off your game" like that risks breeding bad habits that may not be corrected before it's too late. We're only guaranteed seven more games, and they need to make the most of these next three if they want to set themselves up for a long run. Conserving energy when everyone is rested (as opposed to normal circumstances when everyone is banged up and tired after an 82 game marathon) is a recipe for an early exit. Right now, every team that wants to win it all should be playing like they are going to win their next 19 games. That's not to say that the Blues should have gone balls out last night, I just feel like they got less out of their tune up game than pretty much anyone else in the tournament.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

The Blues used 14 forwards for significant numbers of games last playoffs. If Brouwer is not needed, it probably means they got knocked out early. I was happy with how he looked, to be honest. I don’t want to re-sign him, but apparently he’s higher on the depth chart than De La Rose right now.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

Well....

That was a turd. Flush it and move on...

 

[Bluesnatic27]

Honestly, the Blues looked bad, but they have three more games that really don't mean that much. They are in good shape to find what works and improve.

I'd say it's a good idea for the Blues to experiment while they still can.

 

[Blueston]

Bruins down 3-0 after 1. Almost like top teams don’t prioritize winning meaningless games.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

Bruins down 3-0 after 1. Almost like top teams don’t prioritize winning meaningless games.

This makes me feel better.

I'm hoping the Bruins and Blues both had other objectives to these games than polishing their reputations. Maybe objective #1 was not to get hurt. Objective #2 was to just get in a good workout. Maybe Berube's relaxed attire was the clue.

 

[Finnflash]

Hey guys.

start of the playoffs. Team looks good.

Good luck this year

hope you all are keeping safe