Potential Season Ending Epic Double-Assed GDT: WCSF Game #5: Nashville @ St. Louis | 7:00 CST | NBCSN

[Celtic Note]

Nashville seems to be wearing down. We basically look the same. But all Nashville needs is one game

 

[542365]

Steal game 6 in Nashville and I like our chances at home in game 7. Just need to steal one there which is going to be tough. We're going to get the Preds' best game. Going to need to actually capitalize on the PPs we do get. Tonight's PP was an absolute disaster. Just awful.

 

[carter333167]

Steal game 6 in Nashville and I like our chances at home in game 7. Just need to steal one there which is going to be tough. We're going to get the Preds' best game. Going to need to actually capitalize on the PPs we do get. Tonight's PP was an absolute disaster. Just awful.

Agreed...we need Jake to stand on his head, hard play from everyone and some puck luck in game 6. The proverbial kitchen sink is coming in game 6.

If we win game 6, I like our chances.

 

[BadgersandBlues]

Couple of thoughts:

Perron actually looked decent tonight. This was the first game all playoffs that he looked like his regular-season self. Hopefully that could lead to some production in the near future.

Our PP. Yes it's brutal. But I wanted to point out some things:

A) The drop pass is a relatively new strat for us. It's causing two problems; 1) We aren't used to it, so the guy carrying the puck up after the drop makes poor decisions you don't see with other teams that have been doing it for years now. 2) If we do enter the zone, we have our players in all the wrong spots. Our PP works best if we have an umbrella formation with a high slot player creating space. At the top we need a right handed player, and he should be flanked by Tarasenko on his left and another left handed shot (Generally Steen) on his right. This leads to us having two options, either move the puck right for a quick one timer, or walk the line, drawing coverage away from Tarasenko, then sliding him the puck and letting him walk in to take a shot. But with the drop pass strat we have guys all over the place that aren't in the most effective spots for us to actually run the PP we practice.

B) Tarasenko should not carry the puck up the ice. It puts him out of position when we do enter the zone, and frankly, he's not a great distributor/puck handler. We should have Schwartz or Stastny do it and next year it should be Fabbri. Like all the time Fabbri.

C) Tarasenko needs to stop thinking he's our PP QB. He's not. He's a one-trick pony on the PP and that trick is amazing. If he can't get his shot off, he needs to move the puck quickly to someone else. I'm tired of watching poor decisions on his passes lead to pucks getting cleared.

Jaskin was incredible last night. He earned his spot for game 6.

Reffing was again pretty atrocious, but at least they put the whistles away for the third.

 

[carter333167]

Considering the impact of Jaskin's fresh legs, I would consider starting every guy who has fresh/fresher legs in game 6. Jaskin, Barbie, Magnus...even Yak. Speed and endurance will matter in game 6. It's not like Bergie and Perron have been huge difference makers.

 

[Halak Ness Monster]

Tremendous game by the Blues.

The wins aren't going to be flashy. Not when our middle 6 is anchored by Sobotka and Jaskin. Our offensive firepower is completely limited. Our defense and Allen are going to have to carry us and they(and Jaskin) did last night.

The Blues played their most fundamentally sound game of the playoffs. Reminded me of Game 2 in Minnesota. They cleared rebounds, kept the Predators' chances to lower danger areas, moved the puck out of the defensive zone quickly, and cycled extremely well in the offensive zone.

Nashville had no chance to get any momentum going offensively. They looked like the Blues in Game 3. Flat. They weren't gonna score at even strength.
The third period was just masterful. I fully expected them to go into a shell with about 6 minutes left but they kept their foot on the gas the whole time and got better opportunities than Nashville.

Now we will see what the Blues are really made of in Game 6. Nashville is going to be pissed and bring everything they have in trying to avoid a Game 7. Jake Allen has to be the man. We just don't have the offense to make up for any mistakes unfortunately.

I'm amazed Chicago couldn't get one win vs. this Nashville team. They aren't that great. Defense and Rinne are fantastic but their forward group is average. We have absolutely outplayed them at 5 on 5 for the series. Just limit the penalties and we can win this thing!

 

[RickedEm]

I was really impressed with the way allen threw all rebounds into the corners. I can only think of 3 shots where the rebound came out front. Keep that up!

 

[Stealth JD]

I think it's funny how everyone compares Nashville to the '12 Kings like they're some unstoppable force that is going to breeze into the WCF. The Blues are every bit as talented and balanced as the Preds are, yet steam-rolling a flawed Hawks team somehow carries more weight than dispatching a dangerous Wild team in 5.

Yes - the Wild outplayed STL for much of the series, but the Blues defense has shown to be extremely stingy, much like Nashville. Would it really come as a surprise to anyone if this series finished up with two consecutive 1-0 victories for STL? Both clubs have one-line offensive attacks, with solid D and goaltending. Nashville is getting more production from their backend...but it's not like the Blues defense is stapled to its own blueline. Heck, Nashville has 8 goals from their defense in 9 games. The Blues have 5 in 10...not exactly anemic production. The real difference here is the special teams. If the Blues kill off two-more power-plays and score two more power play goals in this series, instead of being inept in both categories, the Blues may already be in the WCF.

I still think that Nashville is going to win this series, simply because they'll have had three chances to win one clinching game...but these teams are about as even as they come. If the Blues can stay out of the box in the next two games, they should prevail with solid D and G. I really think the Blues have the better group of forwards, and so long as our forwards aren't letting Subban/Josi/Ellis wander free to create scoring chances, the Blues should prevail.

 

[KingBran]

Agreed...we need Jake to stand on his head, hard play from everyone and some puck luck in game 6. The proverbial kitchen sink is coming in game 6.

If we win game 6, I like our chances.

People keep saying that and he keeps doing it.

I won't get mad if he doesn't stand on his head for once. The Offense hopefully will pick him up when that happens.

What the Blues NEED is more goals. Allen has proven he will be fine.

 

[Celtic Note]

Couple of thoughts:

Perron actually looked decent tonight. This was the first game all playoffs that he looked like his regular-season self. Hopefully that could lead to some production in the near future.

Our PP. Yes it's brutal. But I wanted to point out some things:

A) The drop pass is a relatively new strat for us. It's causing two problems; 1) We aren't used to it, so the guy carrying the puck up after the drop makes poor decisions you don't see with other teams that have been doing it for years now. 2) If we do enter the zone, we have our players in all the wrong spots. Our PP works best if we have an umbrella formation with a high slot player creating space. At the top we need a right handed player, and he should be flanked by Tarasenko on his left and another left handed shot (Generally Steen) on his right. This leads to us having two options, either move the puck right for a quick one timer, or walk the line, drawing coverage away from Tarasenko, then sliding him the puck and letting him walk in to take a shot. But with the drop pass strat we have guys all over the place that aren't in the most effective spots for us to actually run the PP we practice.

B) Tarasenko should not carry the puck up the ice. It puts him out of position when we do enter the zone, and frankly, he's not a great distributor/puck handler. We should have Schwartz or Stastny do it and next year it should be Fabbri. Like all the time Fabbri.

C) Tarasenko needs to stop thinking he's our PP QB. He's not. He's a one-trick pony on the PP and that trick is amazing. If he can't get his shot off, he needs to move the puck quickly to someone else. I'm tired of watching poor decisions on his passes lead to pucks getting cleared.

Jaskin was incredible last night. He earned his spot for game 6.

Reffing was again pretty atrocious, but at least they put the whistles away for the third.

I would tend to agree on all fronts. The drop pass zone entry is a terrible idea unless you are incredibly good at dump and chase or if you have a high vision stick handling wizard. I don't see how our team fits either approach. Fabbri, Stastny, Schwartz and Parayko might be able to pull off the puck possession zone entry. I would say Stastny is probably the least likely on that front.

Tarasenko should be low to middle of the half wall on the PP and wide flank on zone entries.

 

[Dbrownss]

Couple of thoughts:

Perron actually looked decent tonight. This was the first game all playoffs that he looked like his regular-season self. Hopefully that could lead to some production in the near future.

Our PP. Yes it's brutal. But I wanted to point out some things:

A) The drop pass is a relatively new strat for us. It's causing two problems; 1) We aren't used to it, so the guy carrying the puck up after the drop makes poor decisions you don't see with other teams that have been doing it for years now. 2) If we do enter the zone, we have our players in all the wrong spots. Our PP works best if we have an umbrella formation with a high slot player creating space. At the top we need a right handed player, and he should be flanked by Tarasenko on his left and another left handed shot (Generally Steen) on his right. This leads to us having two options, either move the puck right for a quick one timer, or walk the line, drawing coverage away from Tarasenko, then sliding him the puck and letting him walk in to take a shot. But with the drop pass strat we have guys all over the place that aren't in the most effective spots for us to actually run the PP we practice.

B) Tarasenko should not carry the puck up the ice. It puts him out of position when we do enter the zone, and frankly, he's not a great distributor/puck handler. We should have Schwartz or Stastny do it and next year it should be Fabbri. Like all the time Fabbri.

C) Tarasenko needs to stop thinking he's our PP QB. He's not. He's a one-trick pony on the PP and that trick is amazing. If he can't get his shot off, he needs to move the puck quickly to someone else. I'm tired of watching poor decisions on his passes lead to pucks getting cleared.

Jaskin was incredible last night. He earned his spot for game 6.

Reffing was again pretty atrocious, but at least they put the whistles away for the third.

No its not, they've been using it for years.

 

[Captain Creampuff]

There are multiple times the distributed is moving through the ice with speed and has a clear zone entry but just drops it off and everyone just stands there and waits. The drop pass entry on the PP has got to go. It's almost as bad as "throw it to the LW and hope he can get an entry" style we had with Hitch.

 

[Thallis]

No its not, they've been using it for years.

Not this 4 drop pass in the neutral zone scheme that they've been doing.

 

[EastonBlues22]

The Blues have been using the drop pass entry for a big chunk of the season, and for the most part it has been their most reliable means for a controlled PP zone entry. It just takes forever.

Problem is that it was usually Shattenkirk, Steen, and Pietrangelo doing the heavy lifting on those entries (the first read on whether to drop or not, and if dropped, the subsequent read on where and how to enter). Its effectiveness took a hit when Shattenkirk was traded, but it was still pretty decent. Last game when the team was without Steen as well was the first time that entry play looked like a total disaster.

 

[Dbrownss]

Not this 4 drop pass in the neutral zone scheme that they've been doing.

Is this some new drop pass scheme?

 

[BadgersandBlues]

The Blues have been using the drop pass entry for a big chunk of the season, and for the most part it has been their most reliable means for a controlled PP zone entry. It just takes forever.

Problem is that it was usually Shattenkirk, Steen, and Pietrangelo doing the heavy lifting on those entries (the first read on whether to drop or not, and if dropped, the subsequent read on where and how to enter). Its effectiveness took a hit when Shattenkirk was traded, but it was still pretty decent. Last game when the team was without Steen as well was the first time that entry play looked like a total disaster.

I don't remember us using it until Shattenkirk was traded. Am I incorrect?

 

[Dbrownss]

[Yt]iyRGH7HDs7s[/MEDIA]

I remember this being somewhat common. Except the skater picking up the puck has zero speed now

 

[Thallis]

The Blues have been using the drop pass entry for a big chunk of the season, and for the most part it has been their most reliable means for a controlled PP zone entry. It just takes forever.

Problem is that it was usually Shattenkirk, Steen, and Pietrangelo doing the heavy lifting on those entries (the first read on whether to drop or not, and if dropped, the subsequent read on where and how to enter). Its effectiveness took a hit when Shattenkirk was traded, but it was still pretty decent. Last game when the team was without Steen as well was the first time that entry play looked like a total disaster.

It was the first time it looked like a disaster, but our over-reliance on it has been a problem for both of our series. Every time we do it, that's 30 seconds gone from our PP. It'd be fine if we were doing other entry plays and mixing it in, but when we've been doing almost exclusively that play, it's been killing our PPs. It's especially noticeable because we're losing so many draws. Too much safety for the other team because they know we're going to take our sweet time getting down the ice.

 

[hullderko]

Some of the drop passes go all the way back into the D-zone faceoff dots! Earlier in the year they executed it much better.

The other thing missing on the PP is some sort of player movement... they just stand around and pass the puck back and forth.

 

[STL BLUES]

The zone entries have not been the main issue with our PP. it's what the players are doing inside the OZ that fails to produce results. We had all five standing around the perimeter when we had a 5:3. We need players deep in front of the net. That will draw some attention from the 3 PK.

The word was Ed was going to play on the PP and I guess I didn't see him on the PP last night. Implementing a player change or utilizing the umbrella would be the easiest change between now and tomorrow. Otherwise a non productive PP isn't going to decide our outcome tomorrow.

 

[EastonBlues22]

I don't remember us using it until Shattenkirk was traded. Am I incorrect?

We were definitely using it while he was still here.

 

[EastonBlues22]

It was the first time it looked like a disaster, but our over-reliance on it has been a problem for both of our series. Every time we do it, that's 30 seconds gone from our PP. It'd be fine if we were doing other entry plays and mixing it in, but when we've been doing almost exclusively that play, it's been killing our PPs. It's especially noticeable because we're losing so many draws. Too much safety for the other team because they know we're going to take our sweet time getting down the ice.

It would sure be nice if they could shave some time off the regroup, at the very least. It also stinks when they take that long to create a controlled entry into the zone, and then almost immediately throw away the possession they invested so much time in establishing. That tends to make me fairly mad.

It still beats the chip and chase game even with the time tradeoff, especially against a team like Nashville with Rinne and their talented defensemen, but the Blues are going to have to find another way if they don't have guys who can correctly execute the play.

 

[EastonBlues22]

[Yt]iyRGH7HDs7s[/MEDIA]

I remember this being somewhat common. Except the skater picking up the puck has zero speed now

The Blues only started using the variant with two players in the second (drop pass receiving) wave this year, IIRC.

 

[Dbrownss]

A simple copy and paste would be nice from a successful team.


Id really like to see Parayko on the left point and move between the point and the LW faceoff dot. Staple Tarasenko back to the RW wall. Those are you trigger men.

 

[carter333167]

A simple copy and paste would be nice from a successful team.


Id really like to see Parayko on the left point and move between the point and the LW faceoff dot. Staple Tarasenko back to the RW wall. Those are you trigger men.

Ed is turning himself into a potential triggerman as well....very willing to jump into the play and very willing to shoot.