Thanks for your assurances!theohall wrote:1) Defense is better than last season thanks to the new blood in Parayko and Edmundson. Parayko in almost any other year would be top ROY candidate. Edmundson has improved all season and no longer looks like a rookie since they paired him with Pietrangelo when Bouwmeester was out.midgensa wrote:Long time lurker and rare poster here ... but can you fellas please assure me ...
This is the year ... right? We are going to beat the Blackhawks! Right?
I am an avid sports fan, but there is NOTHING like playoff hockey, it would be nice to experience it for a year without the heartbreak at the end.
2) Goaltending is solid no matter what some morons might say elsewhere. Elliott finished tied for 2nd in GAA (would have been first without that horrible Caps game to end the season) and 1st in Save Percentage. Meanwhile, Allen tied for 2nd in shutouts. Assuming Allen is fine, the Blues have an outstanding starter in Elliott and a starting caliber backup in Allen. This is the year Elliott gets the reins from the word go, finally.
3) Scoring: Opening the season, Blues were scoring 4 goals per game until the injuries hit. Once Schwartz returned, that same 3+ goals per game continued, even without Steen, through the end of the season. If that scoring carries over, which has been the issue since Hitchcock took over - lack of playoff scoring, the Blues should beat the Blackhawks in the first round.
IMO, the only thing which could hold the Blues back - Hitchcock not trusting everyone to play by relying too much on Pietrangelo and Bouwmeester while not playing Parayko enough, and over-reliance on 4th line players which would be the case when Ott returns. Fabbri deserves more ice time than 4th liners and sometimes he got it later in the season. That needs to be the undoubted case in the playoffs.
I agree heavily with the Parayko and Edmundson sentiments and I feel like our ability to get goals from a number of different guys is a huge advantage that we have not really had before.
It is just ... the Blackhawks. I am a firm believer in becoming the best by beating the best, but going through the Blackhawks is tough. I WANT to be the team that does it and think this could finally be our chance.
I also have been worried that Hitch will not back the right guys at the right time. I have faith in him as a coach, but feel that he gets as tight as any players when the playoffs come around. He needs to trust the younger guard. They are the difference makers.
Lets. Go. Blues!
