I'm usually not a glass half-empty kind of guy, but geeze. I'm seriously worried about this team's ability to get out of the first round of the playoffs. Last night's game was just a bear to watch.

My main concern is two-fold: that the Blues play down (or at) the level of their competition, and that they can't finish well.

Last night's game sucked and is a microcosm of why it's just miserable to be a fan of this team. How do you allow seven goals to the last (tied) place team in the conference when you're the first (tied) place team? Oh, Hitchcock's team will show you how. For those of you #blessed enough to not watch the SportsNet feed, they put up a graphic on three separate occasions of the last five years of postseason futility for the Blues (salt in the wound?) but hey, let's call it like it is. All of the Hitchcock teams have "failed to respond." They don't seem to have the mental toughness (or discretionary effort) it takes to win in the playoffs. The lack of a response to Seabrook in 2014 was glaring. Start kicking ass already, Hitchcock teams. You're all out of bubblegum and soon to be out of a job.

I was very pissed at the way the Dallas game ended. I know the regular season doesn't matter as much as the playoffs, but you can't let them come back with two goals in the third when a win in regulation means you're all alone in first. You win that game in regulation because you'll be damned if you don't. You win because it's the absolute right thing to do.

Hitchcock's response?

"I’m proud ... what I am is proud"

according to the P-D yesterday. What an effing joke.

Ottawa, Dallas, Chicago - three out of the last six games they've gotten cute with it after having a lead late in the third. They stop trying to gain the offensive zone, they stop trying to score, they run and hide in their own end and (gasp!) give up 6 on 5 goal-after-goal.

For the fans and ownership, this shit is unacceptable. We get emotionally and financially invested in this team and they perennially act like a bunch of ball-less wonders. Sure, there will be some who cite the fluke first period goal last night, that the refs screwed up the calls on a goal for and against in the second (but they did make the right call both times; besides that you don't put yourself in a position to require the refs/war room to bail you out of your crappy play). People will be encouraged by the two third period goals, but in the end the Blues still couldn't finish a game after they played like the last place team all night.

News flash Blues: You better start competing 5-5 all the time, you better protect that puck in the high part of the offensive zone (Frolik and others are apparently watching you), and you better make sure the opposition is beaten until the clock runs out. You don't have shootouts or three-on-three OT to save your candyasses in the playoffs.

#fanrant out

Last night's game didn't bother me so much. Sometimes you just shit the bed. Oh well. I was much more uneasy with the wins over Dallas and Chicago. The inability to put teams away has been a problem for four years, and that will kill them. If they had a history of defensive lapses, shorthanded goals, etc., then last night's game would have pissed me off.

If your glass is half full, then you're cheering because last night they finally didn't cough up a lead late in the 3rd period.

As for the playoffs, my gut's been telling me 2nd round exit all year. They're overdue to meet a team whose postseason performance is even worse than theirs. This feels like the year.

It's really easy to overreact to a loss like last night. But it's also easy to understand that even the best teams get beat like a rented mule every once in a while.

insideout wrote: They're overdue to meet a team whose postseason performance is even worse than theirs.

Of all the Blues things to say, that is the Bluesiest.

If I was worried about this team I think I would have hung myself by now. All you can wish for is that they catch fire for a round and get your hopes up high enough to crush your soul one more time.

The other side of last night's game is that if Schwartz's shot on the PP doesn't hit the post with a couple minutes left, the game at least goes to OT despite the Blues having an awful game. I'm no more worried than I usually am at this point in the year. Besides, the cavalry is coming soon.

I actually have a good feeling about this team. They seem like a much tighter group, which helps a lot. I also think they will gain an edge during the playoffs if they play the hawks or stars in regards to physicality. Refs let more stuff go during the playoffs, and I think a rougher game favors the blues against those two teams.

I will say I'm more worried about the kings than the hawks and stars.

Anyway can we just start the playoffs already? It is like 80 degrees out.

NO question there is a lot to worry about with this team.

Number one, will they ever show the cold-hearted ability to beat a team into submission?

Two, for the love of all that's good in this world, will they ever learn to cherish and protect a lead?

Three, which of the two goalies will offer a consistent level of play without giving up softies? Whoever it is, hopefully they do better than the past couple decades worth of postseason goalie play.

Four, can their level of play first become consistent and then eventually take it to another level as the playoffs progress?

Will special teams play be clicking - PP + PK >105?

Will they have trouble matching up against certain teams?

I could go on and on about things to worry about. Why? Because I'm a Blues fan and I've seen this team lose a playoff series just about every way possible. But having said that, there is a lot to like about this team and it's a lot more fun to ask "Why shouldn't this be their year?" instead of "Why should this year be any different?"

Dave's a mess wrote:The other side of last night's game is that if Schwartz's shot on the PP doesn't hit the post with a couple minutes left, the game at least goes to OT despite the Blues having an awful game. I'm no more worried than I usually am at this point in the year. Besides, the cavalry is coming soon.

That's pretty much how I feel. Or if Hitch would have challenged at the right time we could have gone to OT despite our best players (Schwartz and Tarasenko both -4) having probably their worst efforts of the season.

UMSLBlues12 wrote:That's pretty much how I feel. Or if Hitch would have challenged at the right time we could have gone to OT despite our best players (Schwartz and Tarasenko both -4) having probably their worst efforts of the season.

That's the problem with having clutch performers, when there's not much on the line they disappear.

Since it fits more into here than the GDT, I'll just copy and paste my thoughts from there:

Well...if you go onto a road trip with the attitude that you may have a let down game/s or whatever they wish to call it, you probably will. An old sales/motivational note that Hitch must have forgotten: Thoughts are things. You think you're going to have 'hard time playing these teams not in the playoffs' well, you probably will. Difference between a winning attitude and one that makes excuses.

FWIW, this doesn't take away from the 6 game streak or the great job done in competing for #1 in Central and West, BUT it does show that there is just something missing in their attitude still.

I'm worried about the same thing that I was after watching the Blues get bounced in the first round last year... team speed. A younger, hungrier, faster team will wear them down over time. It's going to take some great goal-tending to beat a faster team.

Turk Sanderson wrote:I'm worried about the same thing that I was after watching the Blues get bounced in the first round last year... team speed. A younger, hungrier, faster team will wear them down over time. It's going to take some great goal-tending to beat a faster team.

I was playing around with some data yesterday on power plays and penalty kills - two things that brought me to the same worry as you. One, they have the 4th fewest power play opportunities (203), and two, they're tied for 3rd with the most times short handed (244). Their differential (-41) is the largest in the league. To me, the # of times shorthanded is the more concerning of the two numbers, as that means they're not creating pressure and causing the other teams to foul them as often, and I attribute that about 80% to lack of speed and about 20% to lack of creativity from Hitch's system/game plan. I just thought the same thing yesterday so figured I would try to add another nugget to this discussion.

Turk Sanderson wrote:I'm worried about the same thing that I was after watching the Blues get bounced in the first round last year... team speed. A younger, hungrier, faster team will wear them down over time. It's going to take some great goal-tending to beat a faster team.

I don't see that happening again. This Blues team is A LOT faster than last year's team where it counts most, on the back end. Parayko and Edmundson are much faster players than the guys they replaced. Shatty and JBo are much faster right now than they were in last year's playoff due to injuries (knocking on wood we stay healthy). I think we have fared better against those faster teams in this regular season than we did last year. But with all that being said, I grant you speed is still something the Blues may end up having match-up problems against because every mistake they make seems to end up in the back of their net. To ccfan's point, Hitch's system is hard to play, therefore the Blues make more mistakes than their opposition does, hence the PP-PK differential. But I would move those numbers around and say it's more like 65% system-based, 35% team speed.

blueslifer wrote:

Turk Sanderson wrote:I'm worried about the same thing that I was after watching the Blues get bounced in the first round last year... team speed. A younger, hungrier, faster team will wear them down over time. It's going to take some great goal-tending to beat a faster team.

I don't see that happening again. This Blues team is A LOT faster than last year's team where it counts most, on the back end. Parayko and Edmundson are much faster players than the guys they replaced. Shatty and JBo are much faster right now than they were in last year's playoff due to injuries (knocking on wood we stay healthy). I think we have fared better against those faster teams in this regular season than we did last year. But with all that being said, I grant you speed is still something the Blues may end up having match-up problems against because every mistake they make seems to end up in the back of their net. To ccfan's point, Hitch's system is hard to play, therefore the Blues make more mistakes than their opposition does, hence the PP-PK differential. But I would move those numbers around and say it's more like 65% system-based, 35% team speed.

I'd like to add Fabbri in regards to adding speed. He has helped stretch the ice immensely. Fabbri seems to have a quick counter at least once a game.

I wish PRV would use his speed like Fabbri, but he just doesn't see the ice as well, imo.

ccfan22 wrote:

Turk Sanderson wrote:I'm worried about the same thing that I was after watching the Blues get bounced in the first round last year... team speed. A younger, hungrier, faster team will wear them down over time. It's going to take some great goal-tending to beat a faster team.

I was playing around with some data yesterday on power plays and penalty kills - two things that brought me to the same worry as you. One, they have the 4th fewest power play opportunities (203), and two, they're tied for 3rd with the most times short handed (244). Their differential (-41) is the largest in the league. To me, the # of times shorthanded is the more concerning of the two numbers, as that means they're not creating pressure and causing the other teams to foul them as often, and I attribute that about 80% to lack of speed and about 20% to lack of creativity from Hitch's system/game plan. I just thought the same thing yesterday so figured I would try to add another nugget to this discussion.

Interesting stat, thanks for looking up. The good thing going forward is that the whistles tend to be kept in the pocket a bit more in the playoffs.

Dave's a mess wrote:

ccfan22 wrote:

Turk Sanderson wrote:I'm worried about the same thing that I was after watching the Blues get bounced in the first round last year... team speed. A younger, hungrier, faster team will wear them down over time. It's going to take some great goal-tending to beat a faster team.

I was playing around with some data yesterday on power plays and penalty kills - two things that brought me to the same worry as you. One, they have the 4th fewest power play opportunities (203), and two, they're tied for 3rd with the most times short handed (244). Their differential (-41) is the largest in the league. To me, the # of times shorthanded is the more concerning of the two numbers, as that means they're not creating pressure and causing the other teams to foul them as often, and I attribute that about 80% to lack of speed and about 20% to lack of creativity from Hitch's system/game plan. I just thought the same thing yesterday so figured I would try to add another nugget to this discussion.

Interesting stat, thanks for looking up. The good thing going forward is that the whistles tend to be kept in the pocket a bit more in the playoffs.

True - penalties definitely do decline in the playoffs - I think it just helps prove the point that this team is one of the slower teams in the league. It's hard to argue they're not faster than they were last year, but they're still relatively slow compared to the rest of the league.

this team needs more john rambo and less john weir.

ccfan22 wrote:

Dave's a mess wrote:

ccfan22 wrote:
I was playing around with some data yesterday on power plays and penalty kills - two things that brought me to the same worry as you. One, they have the 4th fewest power play opportunities (203), and two, they're tied for 3rd with the most times short handed (244). Their differential (-41) is the largest in the league. To me, the # of times shorthanded is the more concerning of the two numbers, as that means they're not creating pressure and causing the other teams to foul them as often, and I attribute that about 80% to lack of speed and about 20% to lack of creativity from Hitch's system/game plan. I just thought the same thing yesterday so figured I would try to add another nugget to this discussion.

Interesting stat, thanks for looking up. The good thing going forward is that the whistles tend to be kept in the pocket a bit more in the playoffs.

True - penalties definitely do decline in the playoffs - I think it just helps prove the point that this team is one of the slower teams in the league. It's hard to argue they're not faster than they were last year, but they're still relatively slow compared to the rest of the league.

Especially at center. Stastny, Backes, Lehtera... they definitely aren't twinkle toes.

I'm not worried at all. These guys are humans and not hockey machines. I do not get the white knuckled grinding over mistakes made during a hockey game. This team has plenty of ability...the only thing to do is get into that seven game series and start winning games. Will they blow it...probably...maybe they won't...maybe this is the year.

ccfan22 wrote:

Turk Sanderson wrote:I'm worried about the same thing that I was after watching the Blues get bounced in the first round last year... team speed. A younger, hungrier, faster team will wear them down over time. It's going to take some great goal-tending to beat a faster team.

I was playing around with some data yesterday on power plays and penalty kills - two things that brought me to the same worry as you. One, they have the 4th fewest power play opportunities (203), and two, they're tied for 3rd with the most times short handed (244). Their differential (-41) is the largest in the league. To me, the # of times shorthanded is the more concerning of the two numbers, as that means they're not creating pressure and causing the other teams to foul them as often, and I attribute that about 80% to lack of speed and about 20% to lack of creativity from Hitch's system/game plan. I just thought the same thing yesterday so figured I would try to add another nugget to this discussion.

They need this guy...Take the Fall! Act Hurt! Get Indignant!

T.C. wrote:this team needs more john rambo and less john weir.

Raven. come in raven.....