What are the Blues missing?

[Captain Mittens*]

It was a big issue this year and trying to deny that is just plugging your ears at this point.

ok so what about 2014, 2013, and 2012?

 

[70sSanO]

It is not an easy answer. As a Ducks fan I have seen them have a great year and then just implode in the playoffs. This year they are finally putting it together, not sure if we get the cup, but they are playing like they want to win it and not just happy to play in the playoffs.

Probably the most important ingredient is that, unless all of your D is totally dominant in shutting down an opponent in the playoffs, you need an elite goaltender.

But beyond just the goalie, there is a certain mix of players and coaches, systems, discipline, etc. that have to come together. The 2012 Kings are the best example of an under performing team that turned it around when Sutter arrived. Sure they made great moves at the trade deadline, but those moves are just names with a bunch of stats that mean nothing until the players are on the ice together. Carter was worthless in Columbus. There really has to be a chemistry that drives the entire team to reach an objective, not just talk. Everyone has to buy into it.

John

 

[xxreact9]

Goalie. Overall more production/execution from their quality players. Coaching is beginning to creep up as well.

 

[Miller Time]

timely goaltending
timely scoring

 

[BlueDream]

Goaltending has been an issue in STL for years but you can go ahead and pretend its not all you like. Yah the top players should produce sure. Maybe they are too scared to make a mistake because 1 mistake can lead to a soft ass goal.

You're right, and most Blues fans are in denial about this.

 

[BladesofSTEELwFIRE]

ok so what about 2014, 2013, and 2012?

And 2009 and many years before that!

 

[puckyeah]

Didn't the Blues battle with the Kings and lose a series where all the games were 1 goal?

I remember a game where the Blues played amazing and Jon Quick just refused to let them win. The Blues were good enough to have beaten the Kings in the year the Kings won the Cup i believe (not sure which year).

Maybe they aren't missing anything and their defeats were just bad luck and being in the wrong place at the wrong time? They played really hard, i didn't see that they underachieved or choked in anyway, maybe when you play a style that suggests if you win, it might be 2-1 and not 6-5, its easier to get unlucky.

Maybe this is the same reason that Nashville hasn't gone to the next level, these are similar teams with similar styles, teams that are trying to win games 1-0 or 2-1 you have very little room for error.

 

[BladesofSTEELwFIRE]

The Blues look just HORRIBLE this year. Minnesota beat them rather easily but against the Hawks the Wild NEVER even had the lead!

The Hawks would've torn the Blues apart in either a 4 game sweep or 5 games.

 

[Ron*]

They have great forward depth, great defense, and pretty good goaltending. Yet, they've lost in the 1st round 3 years in a row. What do they need to go far in the playoffs?

Character.

 

[TOML]

Elite centerman. More finish from guys outside of Tarasenko. Skills coach?

 

[carter333167]

1. 1-2 more elite forwards (Tarasenko is our only proven playoff producer)
2. Better Goaltending (Maybe Allen develops into a top tier goalie--who knows--he played very well in the first 4 games of the playoffs this year)
3. Better coaching

On a positive note, the current defensive group should suffice with solid coaching.

 

[Captain Mittens*]

Didn't the Blues battle with the Kings and lose a series where all the games were 1 goal?

I remember a game where the Blues played amazing and Jon Quick just refused to let them win. The Blues were good enough to have beaten the Kings in the year the Kings won the Cup i believe (not sure which year).
.

Lol, the Kings swept the Blues that year. The Blues weren't good enough to win a single game. So no, they weren't going to beat that Kings team in a series.
Playoff hockey in the west are tight one goal games. It's a 3-2 league

Also-Every game was not a 1 goal game in 2012. Look up game 2.

 

[thedustman]

Lol, the Kings swept the Blues that year. The Blues weren't good enough to win a single game. So no, they weren't going to beat that Kings team in a series.
Playoff hockey in the west are tight one goal games. It's a 3-2 league

Also-Every game was not a 1 goal game in 2012. Look up game 2.

He probably meant 2013

 

[BladesofSTEELwFIRE]

1. 1-2 more elite forwards (Tarasenko is our only proven playoff producer)
2. Better Goaltending (Maybe Allen develops into a top tier goalie--who knows--he played very well in the first 4 games of the playoffs this year)
3. Better coaching

On a positive note, the current defensive group should suffice with solid coaching.

Are you serious??

That defensive group just let the Wild skate right in and barely covered them! Look how the Hawks played defense! They smothered the Wild and made it very difficult for them to score.

The Blues did the opposite!

 

[Othello*]

Spezza

 

[Tryblot]

Are you serious??

That defensive group just let the Wild skate right in and barely covered them! Look how the Hawks played defense! They smothered the Wild and made it very difficult for them to score.

The Blues did the opposite!

Do you do anything other than talk **** about the Blues? The Wild played much better against the Blues than they did against the Hawks. Dubnyk was awful in the second round.

 

[LetsGoBLUES91]

The Blues look just HORRIBLE this year. Minnesota beat them rather easily but against the Hawks the Wild NEVER even had the lead!

The Hawks would've torn the Blues apart in either a 4 game sweep or 5 games.

The Wild team that played the Blues was a different team. Most notably in goal.

 

[sfvega]

Thanks. I didn't know what we were discussing. Thanks for clearing that up.

Fuhr was an elite goalie in 1996.

I already gave him his due on 96 before you even chimed in. I again say Fuhr wasn't elite overall in his stretch with the Blues. You got an opposing viewpoint, back it up or go home broseph.

 

[sfvega]

It was a big issue this year and trying to deny that is just plugging your ears at this point.

EVERYTHING WAS A BIG ISSUE! We had 3 guys show up for the playoffs! The whole team was an issue. People scapegoat the goaltending because it's easy, but the vast majority of our forwards not showing up and Hitch are probably the 2 biggest reasons we're at home.

 

[sfvega]

Goaltending has been an issue in STL for years but you can go ahead and pretend its not all you like. Yah the top players should produce sure. Maybe they are too scared to make a mistake because 1 mistake can lead to a soft ass goal.

So our 1st line (including our long-time captain) didn't show up AGAIN, despite all of them being there since 09 and that embarrassing sweep, because they were afraid of pretty much a rookie in goal giving up a soft goal or two? Because under that assumption, they're still the problem. If the veterans we count on (because the 2nd line isn't ready to be on the ice all night, specifically Lehtera) play scared all the time, they're the first ones we need to jettison if we want to actually get anywhere in the playoffs.

 

[BladesofSTEELwFIRE]

Do you do anything other than talk **** about the Blues? The Wild played much better against the Blues than they did against the Hawks. Dubnyk was awful in the second round.

Not true. I saw that series and the Hawks actually played tight defense against the Wild and didn't just let the Wild skate in like the Blues did. Plus the Hawks won those KEY battles for the puck which the Blues lost.

I do agree Dubnyk was not as good in the 2nd round in the first but he wasn't horrible or anything. He made some key saves. The BOTTOM line is the Hawks pushed the issue, played a tight checking D, and fought very hard for the puck.

The Blues simply let the Wild have their way for much of the series and they didn't fight hard enough when it counted and that's why they are golfing.

 

[BladesofSTEELwFIRE]

EVERYTHING WAS A BIG ISSUE! We had 3 guys show up for the playoffs! The whole team was an issue. People scapegoat the goaltending because it's easy but the vast majority of our forwards not showing up and Hitch are probably the 2 biggest reasons we're at home.

Goaltending was NOT the problem. The Hawks gave up 21 goals in round 1 vs Nashville yet WON. The Blues gave up only 13 goals against the Wild but LOST! They simply couldn't score enough.

Scoring in the playoffs has been a problem for the Blues for DECADES!

 

[BladesofSTEELwFIRE]

The Blues have the Curse of Freddy redshoes!

This pertains to why the Blues continually fail in the playoffs and how they haven't won a Cup in almost 50 years. There is a local affairs TV show in St.Louis called Donnybrook where prominent local journalists debate and discuss topics in local & national news. After the show there is a call in program where viewers can comment and ask questions.

After the Blues were knocked out in the first round yet again the panel(many who predicted the Blues were Cup bound just days earlier) discussed what the hell went wrong this time?? Some said they are cursed like panel member Ray Hartman. He said it's the curse of firing Scotty Bowman.

During the call in segment during the 2nd half of the hour a longtime Blues fan from south St.Louis named JR called in and said the Blues have the curse of Freddy redshoes. Back in the 70s the Blues played an exhibition against the SLU Bilikens hockey team and really roughed them up and mistreated them. Between the 2nd and 3rd period the SLU team refused to come back on the ice but Mr.Solomon of the Blues said it's for charity so they must come back.

So SLU agreed but the Blues kept mistreating them and beat them bad so a vendor named Freddy with red shoes yelled from behind the Blues bench "You'll never win the Stanley Cup!!" at the Blues. He was really enraged at how the Blues treated those college players.

I FULLY realize there is no evidence of curses so I only brought this up in the same way Red Sox fans talked about the curse of the Bambino for decades and how Cubs/baseball fans discuss the Billygoat curse to this day.

 

[LetsGoBLUES91]

Not true. I saw that series and the Hawks actually played tight defense against the Wild and didn't just let the Wild skate in like the Blues did. Plus the Hawks won those KEY battles for the puck which the Blues lost.

I do agree Dubnyk was not as good in the 2nd round in the first but he wasn't horrible or anything. He made some key saves. The BOTTOM line is the Hawks pushed the issue, played a tight checking D, and fought very hard for the puck.

The Blues simply let the Wild have their way for much of the series and they didn't fight hard enough when it counted and that's why they are golfing.

Wrong.

 

[TurdFerguson]

Seems legit.