Let's Go Blues

Maybe in another half century we can go up 3-0 in the Finals and then lose 4 straight.

They've quit.

ibldbl wrote:They've quit.

Was just thinking the same thing.

GOAL!

That's a goal.

Well, at least SOMETHING went right tonight!! O'Reilly rifled in Pietrangelo's great pass! Blues down by 2 with enough time!!

That Pasta guy looks like the Geico Caveman.

Nice (Franking) giveaway.

Not sure why I even let myself be hopeful about tonight. I swear the Blues are like the Men In Black and are able to erase our memory time after time.

Well, hope we play a shitload better in Boston.

I'm VERY, VERY, disappointed. But, I still think The Blues can win Game 7 in Boston. This Blues' team plays better on the road, and they are very resilient.

One thing I find interesting about this team... when the team starts falling into their bad habits within a game, they fall into them as a team. It isn't just one or two players playing outside the system (like Chris Stewart did regularly), it's everyone.

After Boston scored the 1st goal of the game, the Blues started losing their shorter gaps between the forwards and defense. They weren't doing it alot in the first, but the forwards began cheating up ice on several shifts. In the 2nd period, this happened more often with more players. In the 3rd, it was full on the October/November Blues with the forwards not supporting the defense at all in transition and the defense being forced into mistakes by a good Bruins forecheck which would have been mitigated if the forwards weren't taking off up ice early every chance they got. And when I say it was everyone - ROR and Schwartz both did it and both times the Bruins wound up with quality scoring chances thanks to ROR and Schwartz skating away from pucks the defense wasn't possibly going to get to them.

The important thing about this - almost every time this has happened, the Blues have bounced back with a stronger game mindful of staying together in transition and forwards actually helping the defense get the puck out of the defensive zone vice letting the defense do all of the work.

Which of the following "Bluesy" things will happen on Wednesday:

A. Get shutout by Rask

B. Lose in triple overtime

C. Blow a big 3rd period lead and lose in regulation

D. Gravely injure Rask and end up getting shutout by Halak instead

E. Lose plus have half the team suspended to start next season because of some questionable hits

I'm going with B, D and E

theohall wrote:One thing I find interesting about this team... when the team starts falling into their bad habits within a game, they fall into them as a team. It isn't just one or two players playing outside the system (like Chris Stewart did regularly), it's everyone.

After Boston scored the 1st goal of the game, the Blues started losing their shorter gaps between the forwards and defense. They weren't doing it alot in the first, but the forwards began cheating up ice on several shifts. In the 2nd period, this happened more often with more players. In the 3rd, it was full on the October/November Blues with the forwards not supporting the defense at all in transition and the defense being forced into mistakes by a good Bruins forecheck which would have been mitigated if the forwards weren't taking off up ice early every chance they got. And when I say it was everyone - ROR and Schwartz both did it and both times the Bruins wound up with quality scoring chances thanks to ROR and Schwartz skating away from pucks the defense wasn't possibly going to get to them.

The important thing about this - almost every time this has happened, the Blues have bounced back with a stronger game mindful of staying together in transition and forwards actually helping the defense get the puck out of the defensive zone vice letting the defense do all of the work.

Yup, saw the exact same things. Towards the end of the game there (and heck, even after we scored) when our D-men had the puck in our zone and looked up for a pass... you couldn't see a single Blues forward anywhere on the screen. Our D were forced to try and air-mail it 3/4 of the way up ice. Plain as day. Before the turn over ON the blueline Petro had to try and force the puck to the opponents blue line that quickly got picked apart in the neutral zone. Turnover on a turnover.

Extraordinarily disappointed and even mad. All playoffs when the Blues had the chance to put teams away they did so and often in dominating fashion (even though Dallas was OT we were throttling them most of the game). Hopefully this team is as pissed off and disappointed as we all are and come out and get the cup on Wednesday.

I'm also curious as to why our physical game seemed to be MIA last night? We've been pounding Boston every time they touched the puck in previous games making them hesitant but for some reason that was missing last night.

Portland Blues wrote:I'm also curious as to why our physical game seemed to be MIA last night? We've been pounding Boston every time they touched the puck in previous games making them hesitant but for some reason that was missing last night.

Honestly, the Blues were the slower team last night after going down 1-0. They weren't winning the race to the puck, and outside of periodic possession in the O Zone never really got solidified. That first goal is so dang important for this group. Even Marchand mentioned in the post game and Cassidy was talking about it in-game. Scoring that first goal. When the Blues have the lead they're a different team than when they're chasing.

Special teams have been abysmal too. Power play is a total joke. It'll be the easy culprit if the Blues don't win this thing. Plus Tuuka Rask looks like he's settled in and that's NOT good. Most we've scored on him is 3 (twice) and I fear the Blues will have to find a way to do that again on Wednesday in order to win. That or a total lock down on defense and Binnington stealing another one. I guess we'll see.

I truly have no idea what to expect on Wednesday. But as someone else noted I think: When the Bruins are on their game and playing the right way they blow the doors off 5-2 and 5-1. When the Blues are on their game we win 3-2 OT and 4-2 (EN). But... it's ONE franking. ONE. If the Blues can't win 1 game in two chances they don't deserve to win the Cup.

That (Franking) game broke my damn heart.

If Robert Thomas isn't physically healthy enough to hit people, he needs to sit. Throughout the 1st and 2nd period, in his limited shifts, he went out of his way to avoid contact. One of those in the 3rd period directly led to an offensive zone turnover and easy clear for the Bruins when Thomas was the 2nd forward and should have been hitting the guy who was fighting Bozak for the puck. Thomas finally did hit someone in the 3rd period when the Blues were down 3-0, but it looked more like a "I have to do this" hit than someone actually engaged in the game physically. Won't be surprised if he is the guy scratched again for Game 7 and the Blues roll with the forward lineup that won 3 games in this series. Not trying to take anything away from Thomas' abilities, but this series is being won by physical play - not the "skill" type plays.

Blues need to come out physical in game 7 - that is where they dominated in games 4 and 5. I thought they looked flat all night in game 6. Too much pressure at home - I think you guys play better when on the road. And what was with the premature newspaper announcement? Not the team's fault of course but damn that doesn't help.

An excerpt from Justin Bourne of The Athletic

The Blues are so effective when they get OZP time, the Bruins don’t have an answer

The Blues are so effective when they get OZP time, the Bruins don’t have an answer
The Blues had far more offensive zone possession time than Boston in Game 6, which sticks with a trend we’ve seen all series. When they forecheck hard and win the puck, Boston just cannot seem to get it back, they get tired and often the Blues generate something off those cycles.

That’s why in Game 7, they simply can’t hesitate on 50/50 “go-or-no” decisions. Which is to say, Blues need to be more aggressive on FC to earn more OZP time. Blues just need to go, go, go, go. Every time they pull back, forwards or D, the Bruins take the game the other way. They’d be better off risking a couple of breakaways against with aggressiveness then allowing that.

Which is why the Blues can't afford to have a forward on the ice who won't be aggressive in the offensive zone, the way Thomas wasn't most of Game 6.