GDT: WCF Game 2: Blues @ Sharks | 8pm NBCSN | Let's Try This Again

[Blanick]

Oh I agree, I just find the notion that a certain event will suddenly trigger Tarasenko to flip a switch is absurd. I doubt Tarasenko is going to look online and see an article trashing him and be like, "OH they're right, I should start playing better. I can't believe I didn't think of that!" If Tarasenko is going to make a bigger impact, it's because he's started moving his feet again and putting himself in a better position to make a play.

I agree. Tarasenko has to be more than just a shooter. Unless it is off the rush he is doing very little away from the puck to earn high quality scoring opportunities. Too often he peels off the boards and just drifts to the middle of ice hoping/wishing that the puck will find him. Absolutely need more from him.

 

[Note Worthy]

Oh I agree, I just find the notion that a certain event will suddenly trigger Tarasenko to flip a switch is absurd. I doubt Tarasenko is going to look online and see an article trashing him and be like, "OH they're right, I should start playing better. I can't believe I didn't think of that!" If Tarasenko is going to make a bigger impact, it's because he's started moving his feet again and putting himself in a better position to make a play.

It wasn't supposed to be some expert analysis. Just a thought.

 

[Brockon]

Well, I'd initially stated through the first 2 series that our superior depth would carry us through the matchups.

But, if our top 6 aren't producing, I don't think our bottom 6 chipping in will be enough to gut out a series win here.

We need Schenn, Tarasenko and Perron to put their stamp on this series in a big way. ROR and Schwartz have been much more prominent on the scoreboard this post season.

 

[The Note]

I’d try sticking Tarasenko back with ROR. Tarasenko looked most engaged with ROR as his center. I know it didn’t produce much earlier in the playoffs but I’d try

Perron-ROR-Tarasenko
Schwartz-Schenn-Sundqvist

To try and get Perron and Vlad going.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I’d try sticking Tarasenko back with ROR. Tarasenko looked most engaged with ROR as his center. I know it didn’t produce much earlier in the playoffs but I’d try

Perron-ROR-Tarasenko
Schwartz-Schenn-Sundqvist

To try and get Perron and Vlad going.

That would amount to the O’Reilly / Tarasenko line being a decoy line. It’s a reasonable strategy, but I don’t favor putting struggling guys together to get them going.

 

[Brian39]

I’d try sticking Tarasenko back with ROR. Tarasenko looked most engaged with ROR as his center. I know it didn’t produce much earlier in the playoffs but I’d try

Perron-ROR-Tarasenko
Schwartz-Schenn-Sundqvist

To try and get Perron and Vlad going.

I like the idea of getting ROR/Tarasenko back together, but I'm not wild about using Perron as the LW for them. I've been very hesitant to break up the 3rd line, because it has been great. However, we aren't going to win with just the 3rd line getting it done, so I'd be very tempted to get Thomas into the top 6.

SchwartzThomas-ROR-Tarasenko
Thomas/Schwartz-Schenn-Sunny.
Maroon-Bozak-Perron
Steen-Barby-Blais (swap the wingers if you like)

I'm fine not touching the lines going into the game and giving guys a chance to work themselves out of a funk. However, like game 5 against Winnipeg, I'd be willing to shuffle things up mid game. I think Perron gives that 3rd line a decent chance of maintaining their excellent cycle/pressure game while being skilled enough to also be a threat to score.

 

[ScratchCatFever]

 

[Spektre]

I’d try sticking Tarasenko back with ROR. Tarasenko looked most engaged with ROR as his center. I know it didn’t produce much earlier in the playoffs but I’d try

Perron-ROR-Tarasenko
Schwartz-Schenn-Sundqvist

To try and get Perron and Vlad going.

Schenn has 1 goal and 3 assists in 14 games. He ranks 13th on the team in points.
Tarasenko has 5 goals and 1 assist in 14 games.

I'd consider both to be underachieving. I see articles and hear a lot of media talking about Tarasenko needing to do more. While I agree, I don't hear a peep about Schenn.

I'd try:

Schenn ROR Perron
Schwartz Thomas Tarasenko
Maroon Bozak Blais/Sundqvist
Steen Barbashev Blais/Sundqvist

I'd play Fabbri over Steen but that's never going to happen

Thomas is averaging 14 minutes a night and it's simply not enough. He's earned top 6 minutes.

 

[HighNote]

We normally lay an egg in our series in the middle of it (games 3-5). I think we've gotten ours out of the way this series in game 1. So that's one way to look at it.

This year we also tend to play better in games 6 and 7, game 6 especially. We have 2 convincing wins against the Jets and Stars in each game 6. On top of this, the Sharks have played a lot of minutes and have been in two game 7s. They're going to be more fatigued as this series goes on. Seems similar to the Blues' route to the WCF in 2016, doesn't it? In that WCF series against the Sharks, we won game 1 at home, just like the Sharks did this year. So who knows, maybe the Sharks are the 2016 Blues. If so, I expect the next two games to be won by the Blues. They were both shutouts for the Sharks in 2016, but I'm not expecting that to happen for the Blues.

Binnington is due for a shutout, though.

 

[Brian39]

Schenn has 1 goal and 3 assists in 14 games. He ranks 13th on the team in points.
Tarasenko has 5 goals and 1 assist in 14 games.

I'd consider both to be underachieving. I see articles and hear a lot of media talking about Tarasenko needing to do more. While I agree, I don't hear a peep about Schenn.

I'd try:

Schenn ROR Perron
Schwartz Thomas Tarasenko
Maroon Bozak Blais/Sundqvist
Steen Barbashev Blais/Sundqvist

I'd play Fabbri over Steen but that's never going to happen

Thomas is averaging 14 minutes a night and it's simply not enough. He's earned top 6 minutes.

Schenn does need to be better. However, Schenn does a lot more when he isn't scoring than Tarasenko does.

At 5 on 5 in these playoffs, Schenn is outhitting Tarasenko 42-27. Leads Tarasenko in takeaways 18-4. Is up 5-0 in rebounds created. Has 4 rush attempts compared to Tarasenko's 1.

Again, both of them need to be better. But Schenn is more engaged in the game when he's not scoring than Tarasenko is and can contribute in other ways. When Tarasenko isn't scoring, he's not really doing anything. That's not a knock on him, because his skill set is much better off trying to get into position to score than it is do other things. But it also means that he is not contributing at all when he is unsuccessful scoring.

 

[HighNote]

Schenn does need to be better. However, Schenn does a lot more when he isn't scoring than Tarasenko does.

At 5 on 5 in these playoffs, Schenn is outhitting Tarasenko 42-27. Leads Tarasenko in takeaways 18-4. Is up 5-0 in rebounds created. Has 4 rush attempts compared to Tarasenko's 1.

Again, both of them need to be better. But Schenn is more engaged in the game when he's not scoring than Tarasenko is and can contribute in other ways. When Tarasenko isn't scoring, he's not really doing anything. That's not a knock on him, because his skill set is much better off trying to get into position to score than it is do other things. But it also means that he is not contributing at all when he is unsuccessful scoring.

Exactly my thoughts. I can live with Schenn not scoring because he's doing all the little things well. Tarasenko on the other hand is not scoring, and he's not doing the little things. We need him to skate more, get a little more physical when it's smart to, hound the puck carrier, use his speed when he has the puck and work harder to get into positions where he's open for a pass-shot.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Rather than these line changes, I’d like to give the lineup that played in Game 7 another chance to recapture that level of intensity. Not time to mix it up yet. Game 1 was just one loss. Give the team a chance to respond.

 

[KingBran]

Blues are gonna tear up the sharks tonight. Shits about to get real!

6-1 good guys. 2 empty netters.

Sharks only goal comes from another gifted 5 on 3.

 

[PiggySmalls]

On some offensive zone starts, I'd try Thomas with Tarasenko some here and there.

 

[KingBran]

Also, how does one get an infraction for "censor bypassing" when they censored their own words?

I said a cuss-word but censored it all but one letter and got an infraction for censor bypassing. Ummm how can it be censor bypassing when its censored?

So I just stopped manually censoring words which is what I guess HFBoards wants to happen so they can do it auto-magically but thats just silly to me.

 

[GoldenSeal]

California boy that'll bleed blue til the day he dies. Let's win this, boys! Hail to the Chief!

#believeinthenote

 

[MissouriMook]

Time for some payback, boys and girls...

 

[Spektre]

Refs will give the Blues 9 PP's tonight to show the league and fans there is no bias and they don't try to decide the outcome of the game.

Blues go 1-9 on the PP and give up a shorty

 

[TruBlu]

I'd seriously just decline power plays if we could use them to take away the opposing team's next power play. Our chances of giving up a goal while on the power play actually seem to go up over 5v5.

 

[Vislaw]

I'm a Sharks fan who occasionally visits opposition boards to see opinions from the other side of the rink. I always cringe when someone from the opposing fanbase posts trash talk or trolls a fanbase other than his/her own. True fans respect the opposition. I did want to say that you guys have a great organization and a very dangerous and talented team this year. I'll not be surprised if you take the win tonight given the stakes (and the Sharks' tendency of letting up on the gas in game two). I hope San Jose can move to the finals, but if it doesn't happen I'll be behind the Note for sure and hope you get the cup if we don't. Let's hope we have a great game that gets decided on the ice by the players tonight and for the rest of this series.

 

[Spektre]

I'm a Sharks fan who occasionally visits opposition boards to see opinions from the other side of the rink. I always cringe when someone from the opposing fanbase posts trash talk or trolls a fanbase other than his/her own. True fans respect the opposition. I did want to say that you guys have a great organization and a very dangerous and talented team this year. I'll not be surprised if you take the win tonight given the stakes (and the Sharks' tendency of letting up on the gas in game two). I hope San Jose can move to the finals, but if it doesn't happen I'll be behind the Note for sure and hope you get the cup if we don't. Let's hope we have a great game that gets decided on the ice by the players tonight and for the rest of this series.

I guess if it was 1500 years from now, and the NHL was folding, I'd be ok with San Jose winning a Cup that year. Wait, scratch that, f*** the Sharks!!! lol

 

[TheDizee]

lets see how awful the officiating is tonight boys!!

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Also, how does one get an infraction for "censor bypassing" when they censored their own words?

I said a cuss-word but censored it all but one letter and got an infraction for censor bypassing. Ummm how can it be censor bypassing when its censored?

So I just stopped manually censoring words which is what I guess HFBoards wants to happen so they can do it auto-magically but thats just silly to me.

Easton has been very clear that, yes, that’s what they want you to do.

 

[Ranksu]

 

[mk80]

Refs will give the Blues 9 PP's tonight to show the league and fans there is no bias and they don't try to decide the outcome of the game.

Blues go 1-9 on the PP and give up a shorty

I don't know whether to laugh or cry because this an actual possibility with the way our power play is.