Page 1 of 2

GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KMOX

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 5:56 am
by dmiles2186
BLUES (11-7-2) at STARS (10-9-2)

TV: NHLN-US, FS-MW, FS-SW

Last 10: St. Louis 5-3-2; Dallas 5-4-1

Season series: This is the second of three season meetings, and the second at American Airlines Center. In the first, David Perron scored twice during a three-goal second period for the Blues and St. Louis held on for a narrow 4-3 victory.

Big story: St. Louis and Dallas both entered the shortened campaign with high expectations, but neither team has been able to sustain the type of hot streak necessary to meet them. The Blues are coming off a win against Edmonton on Friday, just their second in five games, while the Stars fell to the Oilers on Thursday for their fourth loss in six outings.

Team scope:

Blues: So far this season, St. Louis hasn't exactly been the lock-down defensive outfit hockey fans have come to expect. The Blues allow 2.80 goals per game and kill only 80 percent of penalties, good for 18th and 20th in the NHL, respectively. But with a few more 60-minute efforts like the one they put forth Friday against Edmonton, the Blues could again be among the League's defensive elite. After conceding two first-period goals, St. Louis put a vice on the explosive Oilers attack, allowing only 10 shots over the final 40 minutes and 17 for the game. The Blues scored twice in each of the final periods to skate off with a convincing 4-2 win.

"I thought our second period was excellent," coach Ken Hitchcock said, referring to a period in which Kevin Shattenkirk snapped an 0-for-14 streak with a power-play goal. "I thought we did a lot of good things in the second and really started to take the game over."

Stars: It's been a season of trends for Dallas, and unfortunately the most recent trend seems headed in a negative direction. The Stars ground out a 5-4 overtime win in Columbus on Tuesday and headed home to face Edmonton, a team Dallas had gone 11-1-0 against in its previous 12 meetings. The Oilers went some way to erasing that history by shelling the Stars on their home ice, 5-1. Edmonton took 38 shots and scored in every period, with Dallas managing only a late Jaromir Jagr goal on Oilers backup Devan Dubnyk.

"I told players not to be at the rink tomorrow," coach Glen Gulutzan said after the game. "This was a stinker."

Who's hot: Blues rookie Jaden Schwartz skated on the top line with T.J. Oshie and David Backes on Friday, injecting some needed energy along with a goal and an assist.

"The line was good," Hitchcock said, "but he was the catalyst. He played very well. He played the right way, which was really good to see. I thought he gave the line some real moxie. They were able to read off of him. I thought he played his best obviously for us."

Injury report: Schwartz got his chance on the top line due in part to some key injuries to Blues wingers. Alexander Steen (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, while Andy McDonald (knee) and Vladimir Tarasenko (concussion) are out. … Philip Larsen (undisclosed) and Aaron Rome (foot) are day-to-day for Dallas, while Ray Whitney (foot) is expected back by mid-March.

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 6:41 am
by sseagle
Boo early game!
Yay HOCKIES!!


LETS GO BLUES!

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 8:01 am
by glen a richter
Dallas > Edmonton

Stars 4
Blues 1

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 9:08 am
by WaukeeBlues
It'll be nice to actually watch this one on TV!! Woot!

Stars have dropped 4 of 6? Granted we haven't been doing miraculously better than that but still. Feeling another "up-swing" if you will.

Blues 3
Stars 1

Schwartz stays hot

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 9:22 am
by Jaykay
Haha, the game starts at 9pm over here, and i'm not even home. Hopefully I make it to the 2nd period.

Blues 4

Stars 1

all goes scored in 2nd and 3rd! :aaaa:

:letsgoblues:

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 2:58 pm
by Nyghtewynd
Absolutely putrid effort by Elliott on the second goal. I'm just not sure how much longer, in a shortened season, the Blues can keep running him out there. In fact, the problem so far in this one has been Elliott and Redden. These are not exactly major investments and should be easy to fix.

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 4:23 pm
by Nyghtewynd
Someone has to be getting traded tomorrow, right? At the very least, Elliott has to go, and Allen has to be brought up. You can't really wait until the end of the road trip. By that point, you're probably out of the playoffs and trying to get out of the hole.

The lack of heart on this team is just shocking.

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 4:26 pm
by glen a richter
This effort is a load of shit, though the non-goal I didn't really see what was wrong with that. The only reason it looked like a distinct kicking motion was because Cracknell was being driven into the net. So the only explanation was it was a no-goal because the offending team wears blue. Typical.

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 4:37 pm
by drwoland
I did not enjoy watching that game. That's pretty much all I have to say.

Berglund needs to work on his skating or something. Looks like Erik Johnson out there, slow ass shit on straight legs.

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 4:39 pm
by Nyghtewynd
Either get rid of some of these prima donnas and do something useful, or start selling and rebuild for next year with better talent and a better coach. But right now being the cheapskate playoff also-rans isn't working for me. You are deluded if you think this current team can win the Cup.

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 4:51 pm
by Portland Blues
What a waste of a Sunday afternoon watching that was.

:?

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 5:23 pm
by glen a richter
glen a richter wrote:Dallas > Edmonton

Stars 4
Blues 1
Winner :(

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 6:18 pm
by cardsfan04
I didn't get to see the game today, because I'm at work, but I can imagine how it went.

Not sure what happened to this team, but they need to figure it out quick. If it weren't for the hot start, we could be in really bad shape right now. Thankfully, we did have the really good start, so if we right the ship soon, we'll be OK. But, we really can't afford to wait much longer at all.

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:26 pm
by philco_3
I didn't even know there was a game today.

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 11:50 pm
by Portland Blues
philco_3 wrote:I didn't even know there was a game today.
Apparently neither did the Blues. You probably had a much more productive day. :lol:

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 2:48 pm
by ViPeRx007
Well, I guess I can never leave Flashchat early ever again. Stupid work on a Sunday afternoon. :evil:

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 4:17 pm
by dmiles2186
Frustrating game yesterday for sure. The Blues played really well for the first 15 minutes, then after that horrible second goal (kudos Osh and Elliott), they just didn't have the same energy.

On the plus side, Chicago is the only one pulling away. 6 points separate 3rd and 14th spot. We're as close to the top side of that as we are the bottom. Coming into this season, I think we all knew there would be a ton of teams in the running for a playoff spot and that's how it's shaking out. It's true the Blues have been putrid since the 6-1 start. But they built themselves a cushion that they're still reaping the benefits of. It sucks at how unappealing they've looked, but if they get things straightened out (a big if), they could pull away. They've got the talent to do it.

As of now, I think I'm good on the Elliott era.

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 4:26 pm
by glen a richter
Talent is no substitute for heart. We're clearly seeing which one this team DOESN'T have.

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:15 pm
by Shanahan19
glen a richter wrote:Talent is no substitute for heart. We're clearly seeing which one this team DOESN'T have.
Look at the Senators. Two crushing season altering injuries that anyone would expect a team to just give up on the season. And, yet, they dig. They scrap, find goals and their net minders (the starter even injured) stand tall. They aren't pretty, but Ottawa has heart.

They have pride. And that is driving the Senators to plow through lately. That's a team that has the character to win.

Re: GDT #20: 3/3/13 > Blues @ Stars > 2:00 PM > NHLN/FSMW/KM

Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:35 pm
by Oaklandblue
Shanahan19 wrote:
glen a richter wrote:Talent is no substitute for heart. We're clearly seeing which one this team DOESN'T have.
Look at the Senators. Two crushing season altering injuries that anyone would expect a team to just give up on the season. And, yet, they dig. They scrap, find goals and their net minders (the starter even injured) stand tall. They aren't pretty, but Ottawa has heart.

They have pride. And that is driving the Senators to plow through lately. That's a team that has the character to win.
They also have something we don't have: An elite in their prime: Alfie. Oh, and Spezza, so you can count that as TWO elites.

Alfie is one of, if not, the best two-way man in the game. Period. He plays with pride and he is someone that produces results and emits positive energy and leadership every. step. of. the way. Hey Backes, you paying attention here?

Now, imagine if we had a player like Alfie on the team. Imagine if we spent the money and got someone like that. That's a lot of what is stopping us right there.

The main difference between us and Ottawa is really simple: They are willing to pay to win on every level. We're not.