Tracking the Blues’ Stanley Cup Quest—LOL

[PiggySmalls]

3 losses until an off-season of "what might have been."

Or 4 wins until an off-season of “what an awesome parade that was.”

 

[i aint Dunn yet]

we can still do this

 

[AjaxManifesto]

3 losses until an off-season of "what might have been."

That game 1 was a real gut punch. Up 2-0 in Boston. Crowd quiet.

Then stupidity takes over. Dumb penalties, dumb turn overs, dumb D zone exits, brain dead puck management, lifeless Ozone play.

The top line came to play, everybody else melted under the pressure. Heartbreaking and maddening all in one.

I can’t see how we recover from this. Boston is now awake and smells blood. We might win 1-2 games, but the opportunity to set the tone early was just pissed away.

 

[BlueDream]

That game 1 was a real gut punch. Up 2-0 in Boston. Crowd quiet.

Then stupidity takes over. Dumb penalties, dumb turn overs, dumb D zone exits, brain dead puck management, lifeless Ozone play.

The top line came to play, everybody else melted under the pressure. Heartbreaking and maddening all in one.

I can’t see how we recover from this. Boston is now awake and smells blood. We might win 1-2 games, but the opportunity to set the tone early was just pissed away.

It definitely wasn’t good to blow a 2-0 lead the way we did.

But I refuse to believe we pissed anything away.

We could have been put away after we blew a 2-0 series lead to Winnipeg and they were beating us 3-0 heading into the 3rd period in game 5. We weren’t.

We could have been put away by Dallas when they went up 3-2 in the series. We stormed back for a dramatic win.

We could have sulked when San Jose took a 2-1 lead in the series from a hand pass. We proceeded to clobber them.

I know the stage is now even bigger than all 3 of those rounds. And Boston is a great team. But we have been down and under pressure in every series so far and we came through. We’re not going away anytime soon. And we certainly have a lot more to give than just 1 or 2 wins.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Or 4 wins until an off-season of “what an awesome parade that was.”

True, but we're already at 4. I've only counted down the latest result, good or bad.

 

[Brian39]

That game 1 was a real gut punch. Up 2-0 in Boston. Crowd quiet.

Then stupidity takes over. Dumb penalties, dumb turn overs, dumb D zone exits, brain dead puck management, lifeless Ozone play.

The top line came to play, everybody else melted under the pressure. Heartbreaking and maddening all in one.

I can’t see how we recover from this. Boston is now awake and smells blood. We might win 1-2 games, but the opportunity to set the tone early was just pissed away.

I don't understand how you could have watched this team dig itself out of holes over and over again this season and not see any way they can recover from a 1-0 series hole.

No one is going to stand here and say losing game 1 was a good thing, but to act like the series is over after 1 game is just baffling to me. The only way this take makes any sense is if you were 100% confident about losing the series before it started. If that's the case, I honestly don't understand the entertainment in watching sports.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

I don't understand how you could have watched this team dig itself out of holes over and over again this season and not see any way they can recover from a 1-0 series hole.

No one is going to stand here and say losing game 1 was a good thing, but to act like the series is over after 1 game is just baffling to me. The only way this take makes any sense is if you were 100% confident about losing the series before it started. If that's the case, I honestly don't understand the entertainment in watching sports.

We still have a chance to win this series, but it's less of a chance once we let a 2-0 lead slip away in game 1 because of dumb mental errors. At this point every error is lethal.

I love this team, but I'm gonna call it as I see it. Their task just got 25% harder.

 

[Brian39]

We still have a chance to win this series, but it's less of a chance once we let a 2-0 lead slip away in game 1 because of dumb mental errors. At this point every error is lethal.

I love this team, but I'm gonna call it as I see it. Their task just got 25% harder.

Which is completely fair, but also a pretty far distance away from "I can't see how we recover from this."

FWIW, I don't think losing a 2 goal lead is nearly as big of a deal as the manner in which we were outplayed. We were far from dominating the first 21 minutes and were fortunate to be up 2-0.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Ladies and gentlemen, words we've NEVER been able to say about this team until tonight.

The Blues are 3 wins away from .

 

[MissouriMook]

 

[BlueDream]

Even if we lost tonight I still would have been confident we would have tied it up in game 4.

But now? Huge win. And we stole home ice.

 

[StLewis11]

Wow, just.....wow. The most hope I've ever had.....that Cup is getting close, but yet still so far away.
LGB!!!!!

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

The recipe they used vs Winnipeg, Dallas and San Jose looks very plausible vs Boston. The next 2 games are going to be intense.

 

[Brian39]

I can't wait for Saturday. God I hat 2 days off between games.

We need to keep playing aggressive and physical, but we absolutely have to tone down the number of times we cross the line. Both goalie interference calls were obvious penalties that will get called every time. I still don't think Sunny intended to do what he did, but it was a reckless play and he saw numbers for a long stretch before committing himself to a high/hard hit. That is going to get called every time. We absolutely cannot continue to give the refs 3 easy/obvious calls against us in a game. Schenn's slash was obvious, but much more bad fortune than a lapse of judgement, so I'm not going to criticize that.

Our PK was great last night and good in game 1. But Boston has a fantastic PP and you're playing with fire by giving them chance after chance. They were 34% in the playoffs before the series started and 26% during the regular season (3rd best in the league). We're not all going to agree about the quality of officiating, but that is largely irrelevant. When you are committing 3 incredibly obvious infractions in a game, you are likely going to be shorthanded 4 or 5 times. We have to scale back the obvious penalties to prevent that.

Keep playing the heavy style of hockey, but inch back from that line just a touch. Boston's D started looking tired and/or tentative last night when the puck was going into the corner. Some of that was due to being down to 5 D, but they are a small, mobile group. If we can continue forcing them to take a hit to make a play, we are in really good shape. They thrive on beating a forecheck with speed and avoiding contact.

We will win this series if we can prevent their D from breaking out before contact and also stay out of the box. That's a tall order though.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I have to say with admiration, the Blues are exactly the type of team I would want representing my city. Really play a honest, unselfish, no short cuts game. If they win the cup, and I picked them in 6 or 7. They deserve every bit of credit they should get this year.

 

[execwrite1]

Hi-tech Cup Countdown

 

[Renard]

Carl Gunnarsson gets to add his name to the short list of obscure Blues players who scored huge goals in the playoffs-

Ron Schock, Kevin O'Shea, Mike Crombeen

 

[MissouriMook]

Carl Gunnarsson gets to add his name to the short list of obscure Blues players who scored huge goals in the playoffs-

Ron Schock, Kevin O'Shea, Mike Crombeen

Doug Wickenheiser

 

[Renard]

Doug Wickenheiser

Good addition.

 

[execwrite1]

Game 5 vs Winnipeg - this one might have been the omen. What a game - incredible winning goal by Schwartz

 

[StL Dan]

Can't wait for Saturday. Headed to the Lou with my two elementary age boys to hang out at pre-game festivities. I've been waiting almost 5 decades for this!

Can't wait to see how the boys react to the Sunny suspension adversity in Game 3. Adversity, time and again, brings out the very best with this year's team.

Let's Go BLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUES!

 

[MissouriMook]

Can't wait for Saturday. Headed to the Lou with my two elementary age boys to hang out at pre-game festivities. I've been waiting almost 5 decades for this!

Can't wait to see how the boys react to the Sunny suspension adversity in Game 3. Adversity, time and again, brings out the very best with this year's team.

Let's Go BLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUES!

From what I've seen and read, Market Street will be closed between Tucker (12th) and 14th Streets for the big pre-game street party, and that they will have a giant video presentation where you can stay and watch the game if you don't have tickets.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

I didn't update after Saturday, because ... why pile more misery on. However, it still needs to be said.

2 losses to a summer of agony over what might have been.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Cool, I’ve got the Canadian SN feed now. No more Doc. I’m grateful.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

The St. Louis Blues are now two (2) wins away from the Stanley Cup.