OK, I'm really not trying to spread more negatively, or call out our best player, but what had been up with the kid these past few months? Over two months ago he was leading the league alongside Benn and Seguin in the early 20s with goals scored, and now we're almost in March and he hasn't hit 30.

I love Tarasenko and always have since the day we drafted him (I might've been the first Blues fan to have a Tarasenko Blues jersey custom made...with #10, which I later made 91), but you've got to get more from your $8 million dollar player, especially seeing how abysmal our offense has been lately.

I know he has a lot of factors in his still young life, married in the summer, has a step son, living on the other side of the world from where he grew up, and probably a dozen other things. But what happened to knock him off of his game so badly since the turn of the calendar year?

I was wondering the same thing. I don't see a lot out of #91 lately...you wonder if he has a small injury that he can't rest.

said that a while ago. something's wrong with tank.

I don't know what it is, but clearly he is pressing. He got off to such a great start, and got tons of press about his scoring. Maybe he's struggling because he hasn't been able to keep that pace going.
Maybe he bought a new supply of sticks from Brad Boyes supplier.

I wonder if it's just other teams having a good gameplan to shut him down. We really don't have many guys besides him who make something out of nothing. Steen may fit that bill as well but he can't help.
If we were to get another sniper/playmaker I think it would give him more room to make magic.
He does look as if he's lost a step as well, maybe due to nagging injuries.

blue to the bone wrote:I wonder if it's just other teams having a good gameplan to shut him down. We really don't have many guys besides him who make something out of nothing. Steen may fit that bill as well but he can't help.
If we were to get another sniper/playmaker I think it would give him more room to make magic.
He does look as if he's lost a step as well, maybe due to nagging injuries.

Exactly. He has a tendency to try to do too much when this team isn't scoring which right now is every game.

What may help him, is if we had consistent lines to develop chemistry, so he wouldn't be pressing so hard.

Maybe?

Last year they showed him on the bench with an inhaler, does he have asthma? This year they showed him coughing after a shift, could be nothing but.... anybody have any info?

Ozzies09tc wrote:What may help him, is if we had consistent lines to develop chemistry, so he wouldn't be pressing so hard.

Maybe?

Agreed, along with what BluesSK and Blue2Bone said about being the prime target.

He is pressing due to lack of scoring by other lines I think, BUT he is also the prime, and realistically while Steen and Schwartz are/were out, the only true scoring threat. Then again, with so many injuries this has been hard. Once healthy:

Schwartz/Lehtera/Tarasenko
Steen/Stastny/Fabbri
Berg/Backes/Brouwer
MPS/Jaskin/Brodz/Reaves

two very strong scoring lines with shooting skill, speed, and playmaking ability; what should be an excellent checking line with potential to score (all three of the B's have the ability...); and a damn tough energy/checking line.

It is probably a combination of things. Nagging injury, dog days of the season and teams focusing on shutting him down.

Schwartz in the lineup should help Tarasenko get back on track.

bradleygt89 wrote:

Ozzies09tc wrote:What may help him, is if we had consistent lines to develop chemistry, so he wouldn't be pressing so hard.

Maybe?

Agreed, along with what BluesSK and Blue2Bone said about being the prime target.

He is pressing due to lack of scoring by other lines I think, BUT he is also the prime, and realistically while Steen and Schwartz are/were out, the only true scoring threat. Then again, with so many injuries this has been hard. Once healthy:

Schwartz/Lehtera/Tarasenko
Steen/Stastny/Fabbri
Berg/Backes/Brouwer
MPS/Jaskin/Brodz/Reaves

two very strong scoring lines with shooting skill, speed, and playmaking ability; what should be an excellent checking line with potential to score (all three of the B's have the ability...); and a damn tough energy/checking line.

on paper it looks good.

Add the hitch factor and they're gonna be good at cycling, indecisive about shooting, and not making anything happen when the play folds.

BBB: bring back bartecko.

T.C. wrote:BBB: bring back bartecko.

Miss the old Slovakian connection in the STL

For Flashback Friday, here's a good little read from two years ago: http://moundcitysports.com/2014-02-12-slovakia/

I cant believe its been over 3 yrs since the lokomotiv crash.

Wow.

Ozzies09tc wrote:I cant believe its been over 3 yrs since the lokomotiv crash.

Wow.

This has always been a hard one to swallow. Every time I fly I think about this accident.

On September 14, 2011, a report in the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets, quoting a source in the aviation industry, claimed that the parking brake of the plane was on during the take-off, which significantly slowed the plane down and prevented it from accelerating properly.[60] According to this theory, captain Solontsev had turned over steering to the co-pilot before take-off, as he was not feeling well. As it is the commander's duty to release the brake, the co-pilot may not have been aware that it had not been done, or had forgotten to do so.[61] Another newspaper, Lifenews.ru, reported that investigators were investigating the pilots' professional history, and that the pilots did not have sufficient experience on the Yak-42.[

I wish they would release that demitra tribute video to DVD.

I couldnt make the showing and would LOVE to see/own it.

Be a tear-jerker that's for sure

Ozzies09tc wrote:I wish they would release that demitra tribute video to DVD.

I couldnt make the showing and would LOVE to see/own it.

Be a tear-jerker that's for sure

Thanks for reminding me. That has to be available somehow. Has anyone checked on it recently?

Found it on youtube I think:

[youtube][/youtube]

rudy4u51 wrote:Found it on youtube I think:

[youtube][/youtube]

I'll watch when I get home.

Def not something to try and watch at work

Thanks for looking out Rudy!

Sadly, the video posted is all in slovakian. (slovak?)

If one does a minor amount of searching you can find the dvd for sale on ebay.

Coulda swore i saw a link to the blues website selling it but now it eludes me...

Ozzies09tc wrote:Sadly, the video posted is all in slovakian. (slovak?)

If one does a minor amount of searching you can find the dvd for sale on ebay.

Coulda swore i saw a link to the blues website selling it but now it eludes me...

Ah bummer. I posted it real quick eating lunch Friday and forgot about it until today. I might have to use ebay to check this out.

Doug Glatt wrote:It is probably a combination of things. Nagging injury, dog days of the season and teams focusing on shutting him down.

You forgot to add his trying to do it all himself, and losing the puck often trying to go around and through opponents using moves they've seen on film a lot and are ready to squelch, when he should rather pass the puck to a teammate.

Watch Fabbri in similar situations. HE has patience with the puck, and can steer away from defenders, and elude them until his teammates catch up, and join the play. Then he can pass or the two can play off each other until a scoring opportunity materialises.

Robb_K wrote:

Doug Glatt wrote:It is probably a combination of things. Nagging injury, dog days of the season and teams focusing on shutting him down.

You forgot to add his trying to do it all himself, and losing the puck often trying to go around and through opponents using moves they've seen on film a lot and are ready to squelch, when he should rather pass the puck to a teammate.

Watch Fabbri in similar situations. HE has patience with the puck, and can steer away from defenders, and elude them until his teammates catch up, and join the play. Then he can pass or the two can play off each other until a scoring opportunity materialises.

He's gotten used to doing it all himself...until Schwartz came back, he had a boatload of different and less talented linemates. He'll settle in with Jori, and Schwartz and be fine (if Hitch will leave them alone). Some of it is too, that he probably is trying too hard to live up to his new contract. He knows that that carries a lot of responsibility with it. I think he's the least of our worries.

Something is up with him, my guess is his new wife, his head is not in the game it seems. Wish he could pull it together.

Give some credit to the other teams though. They're probably much more focused on him then they were before.