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GDT #10: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/KMOX

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 6:49 am
by dmiles2186
The Detroit Red Wings' defensive issues can be partially traced to their poor penalty-killing unit.

Leaking goals is a more recent problem for the St. Louis Blues, but both clubs are staring at a potential three-game slide.

The Red Wings and Blues are looking to show improvement defensively Thursday night when they meet for the third time already this season.

Detroit (4-4-1) opened the season with a 6-0 loss at St. Louis (6-3-0) on Jan. 19, allowing the Blues to go 4 for 5 on the power play. The Red Wings weren't much better in the latest meeting with the reigning Central Division champion on Friday, giving up two more power-play goals in a 5-3 home win.

Of the 28 goals Detroit has surrendered, a league-high 13 have come on the man-advantage.

They've also allowed a league-high two short-handed goals - one to the Blues in the opener.

The penalty kill did Detroit no favors again Tuesday, giving up two goals, with one putting the Red Wings behind by two in the opening period of a 4-1 home defeat to Calgary. That came three days after they blew an early lead by giving up three straight goals in a 4-2 loss at last-place Columbus.

"Catch-up hockey is losing hockey," coach Mike Babcock told the team's official website. "You can't start from behind. You have to start from ahead; that's what you want to do and get playing right from the get-go."

St. Louis is feeling frustrated since they followed last week's defeat to the Red Wings with Tuesday's 6-1 loss to Nashville to open this four-game homestand.

"This is a team loss that has been coming for a little while," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We're allowing the other teams' competitiveness to frustrate us. And it pushes us into individual hockey rather than team hockey."

The Blues haven't dropped three straight in regulation since a four-game skid from Feb. 27-March 5, 2011.

Vladimir Tarasenko will try to help keep them from getting closer to that mark by rebounding from just his second pointless performance this season. The 21-year-old rookie right wing leads St. Louis with 10 points, and three of them have come against the Red Wings, including a two-goal effort in the season opener.

Patrick Berglund is tied with Tarasenko for the team lead with five goals, but he was kept off the scoresheet by the Predators after finding the net four times over the previous five games.

The center has scored in both meetings with Detroit, and he's managed six goals and two assists in the past nine home matchups.

It's unclear if Berglund and Tarasenko will be facing Jimmy Howard, who is expected to be rested at some point during this stretch of three games in four days.

After visiting St. Louis, the Red Wings face Edmonton in the opener of a four-game homestand Saturday before meeting Los Angeles a day later.

Detroit follows that Wednesday with another meeting versus the Blues.

Howard has played all nine games, and he's 1-2 this month, compiling a 3.67 goals-against average and .857 save percentage.

"Obviously, he's been getting too much (work)," Babcock said.

Howard has lost three of his last four starts at St. Louis, and allowed five goals on 28 shots in the season opener before being pulled early in the third period for Jonas Gustavsson.

Since Gustavsson has an injured groin, Petr Mrazek could be in line for his NHL debut. He went 16-7-3 with a 2.26 GAA in 25 games with Grand Rapids of the AHL before being recalled Monday.

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 9:02 am
by Jaykay
with the exception of a few good games going into the season, somehow the blues never played up to the expectations.

I think the boys have something to prove, I don't wan't to speak about a question of honor yet though - plus if I don't fell asleep i'll watch the whole game.

I don't expect to blow the wings away, but if the blues just play solid in every end, we should be fine:

Blues 5

Wings 2

:letsgoblues:

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 9:19 am
by STLADOGG
The Blues don't look like a cup contender so far this year, very sloppy a period or 2 every game except for the home opener against the Wings.
This is an important game in my mind, we can play very well the rest of the year.
Or if they play bad tonight then I am convinced that this team won't come close to winning a cup this year.
Hopefully we do good.
Blues 3
Wings 4(SO)

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 9:27 am
by dmiles2186
STLADOGG wrote:Or if they play bad tonight then I am convinced that this team won't come close to winning a cup this year.
Hopefully we do good.
I get this sentiment, because I get nervous when they play as bad as they have the last two games. But the Kings were mediocre-to-awful a majority of last season. They became a completely different team about 3/4 of the way through the season and won the Cup. I don't think one game will determine the fate of this team. They could lose tonight and then go on a 5 game winning streak and we'll all say, 'They're back!'

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 9:37 am
by sseagle
Lets go Blues!!!

Big game tonight. Gotta win, (Frank) Detroit!

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 9:57 am
by ibldbl
Blues - 2
Dead Things - 4

I sure hope I'm wrong, but I have a bad feeling.

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 10:44 am
by fargoblues
I hope Frank (Franking) (Franks) up those (Franking) (Frankstains).

Note 4
Ghey Tootoo-humpers 2
Stripes 6

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 1:11 pm
by theohall
The Blues better pull their heads out of their butts tonight and play like this 4-game home stand means something. The two games following this one the Blues get to be rested while both Anaheim and LA will be playing the 2nd half of consecutive day games. Time to put up 3 wins by flushing Detoilet and re-establishing dominance on home ice.

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:02 pm
by glen a richter
Wangs 4
Blues 1

I'm worried that things will get worse before they get better.

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:05 pm
by sseagle
glen a richter wrote:Wangs 4
Blues 1

I'm worried that things will get worse before they get better.
Haha that guarantees a win for the boys in blue then!

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:58 pm
by Toasted Oates
Apparently Mrazek is for sure making his debut tonight, according to JR and Korac. Also, Hitch moves 25 up with 10 and 20. 91 will be with 21 and 9. 75 is back. Looks promising, so naturally:
Detoilet Flying Tires Wang Gang 4 (Datsyuk 4G)
Saint Louis Blues 1 (Jacksssssss)

(Initiate reverse jinx. Frank these franks.)

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:24 pm
by Shanahan19
The goal tending hasn't been there this year.

The defense (outside the last game esp) has given up the least shots. And we are giving up more goals.

It's routinely said that Marty in NJ, Flower in Pitt, Howard in Det, etc, etc, are only that good because of the defense in front of them. Now we are seeing the same rule apply to Halak/Elliot. But when that defense fails for a game or so, the goalies aren't stealing the games. The offense is called just to score more.

I hope they come out determined to prove themselves as one of the better teams in the league. But I feel the gods may punish us for these home games.

Wings 4
Blues 2

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 3:37 pm
by tjk002
Please tell me that means our 4th line is back together. I like Reaves/Nichol/Vlad. Langenrbrunner looks so slow out there, and D'Ags is not a fourth line player. If you want to play him, you should put him in Schwarz spot.

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 6:08 pm
by Oaklandblue
Going against how I feel and saying we eat Chicken Wings tonight. Backes backhands Tootoo and Elliott shuts them down.

Blues 3
Wings 0

Tank, Stewart and Bergy.

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 7:53 pm
by dmiles2186
:facepalm: :doh:

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:21 pm
by gaijin
I know the problem- this is game #10, but the GDT title says #9. I'm looking at you, dmiles.

This is why we can't have nice things.

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:41 pm
by APOD
WTF is wrong with this team :facepalm:

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:45 pm
by Nyghtewynd
>click<

They can play the third on their own. Forget this crap effort. Elliott is terrible, and if we can't find anyone better than Russell to run out there, we're wasting our time.

That great start has officially disappeared. We are a .500 team.

Unacceptable.

Re: GDT #9: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/K

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:52 pm
by dmiles2186
gaijin wrote:I know the problem- this is game #10, but the GDT title says #9. I'm looking at you, dmiles.

This is why we can't have nice things.
What are you talking about? :mrgreen:

Re: GDT #10: 2/7/13 > Blues vs. Wing Dings > 7:00 PM > FSMW/

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 8:53 pm
by STLADOGG
Unfortunately, there not the elite team we all thought.