149 replies to this topic

[Icesurfer]

Halak is sick .....absolutely sick. There is no way you can beat him down low.... must get the puck up on him. He stole the game against Columbus.

One thing about Halak is that he doesn't have a lot of "wasted" movement. He doesn't overplay the puck. As steady as you can get and always in position and covers as much net as possible.

[GMRwings1983]

Last time the Blues won the division.

[cprice12]

Last time the Blues won the division.

Turek was such a head case.

[cprice12]

Man, you must have been the last picked kid in gym class growing up eh? The back to back to back replies in this thread on another teams forum just screams "Validate Me!"

Or....or....
I'm just conversing with fellow hockey fans in a thread about the team of which I am a die hard fan of.
So there's that.

... so I will. Yeah bud, the Blues are among the best teams in the NHL right now but until they've won a cup or at least reached the finals the fanbase really shouldn't get that excited.

Just to clarify, they're not "among the best"...they ARE the best right now. Just sayin'.
And since when did winning a cup become a pre-requisite before a fan base can get excited about their team???
That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.
Fans get excited when their team is playing well and is a legitimate cup contender late in the season...that's the way it is always going to work, no matter how many championships a team has won.
You're not going to meet any Blue fan who is predicting the Blues will win the cup...but they are in a great position to make a run at it. And to be honest, Blues fans are more excited about the return to exciting hockey, the return to the playoffs, and the return to respectability after the rebuild.

You don't have to go back too far to see that a stellar regular season doesn't necessarily translate into a deep playoff run. The Blues have made the Playoffs with pretty good regularity - unfortunately they have never won the cup which puts them into that hazy lump of teams (ala Vancouver, Buffalo, St Louis, Washington) that have been good, bad, had great regular seasons - BUT, manage to consistently let their fan bases down again and again.

I don't need a history lesson. I've been a die hard Blues fan for about 30 years.
Finishing high in the standings doesn't guarantee anything, HOWEVER...don't downplay the importance of playing a 6, 7 or 8 seed in the 1st round as opposed to a 3 or 4 seed. It's also important for the Blues to finish as high as possible to get home ice for as many rounds as possible...St. Louis has the best home record in the NHL, which could be the difference in them going deep or not...even though they have been MUCH better on the road lately.

The Blues started a 7 game trip tonight with a win. Going up 6 pts. on Detroit was huge. Now, the Blues could finish the trip going 3-3 and would at worst be tied for 1st in the division, and that would be with Detroit going 6-0-0 over that span. After this road trip, I think the blues have 4 of their final 6 at home, where they dominate..something like that. Assuming the Blues don't go into a funk on the rest of this trip, winning the division is a real possibility.

[stinky fish taco]

not worried at all...crymson says the blues aren't a playoff team, guys.

must be true...doesn't matter that they're winning every game playing playoff-style hockey.

[rick zombo]

I don't need a history lesson. I've been a die hard Blues fan for about 30 years.
Finishing high in the standings doesn't guarantee anything, HOWEVER...don't downplay the importance of playing a 6, 7 or 8 seed in the 1st round as opposed to a 3 or 4 seed. It's also important for the Blues to finish as high as possible to get home ice for as many rounds as possible...St. Louis has the best home record in the NHL, which could be the difference in them going deep or not...even though they have been MUCH better on the road lately.

Yeah, if this is the case for you guys, have fun with San Jose or Chicago first round

[cprice12]

Yeah, if this is the case for you guys, have fun with San Jose or Chicago first round

St. Louis has owned San Jose this season going 4-0 vs. them, I think with two or three shutouts.
San Jose isn't scaring anyone...especially not St. Louis.

Chicago scares me just because they aren't playing as well as they can play, and you never know when they will kick it into gear. And with Toewes out and maybe out for the playoffs, that's a huge blow. But their goaltending is by far their weakest link. I just don't see them doing anything with that goaltending and without Toewes.

But, of course...anything can happen...any goalie can get hot and steal a series.

[evilzyme]

Moral of the story: Blues are playing some good hockey under Hitchcock. You can't say otherwise, and quite frankly -- you just have to pat em on the back and be happy for them. I don't understand the hate. I mean they're apart of the central division, and yes we are fighting for the #1 spot but you gotta be happy when someone like Hitchcock comes in and turns a club around. He really made those boys into a legitimate grinding fashioned team. Regardless if the Blues go far this season, one thing is certain -- whoever pulls them first, good luck because you will get grinded down a good bit.

[Winther]

The Blues started a 7 game trip tonight with a win. Going up 6 pts. on Detroit was huge. Now, the Blues could finish the trip going 3-3 and would at worst be tied for 1st in the division, and that would be with Detroit going 6-0-0 over that span. After this road trip, I think the blues have 4 of their final 6 at home, where they dominate..something like that. Assuming the Blues don't go into a funk on the rest of this trip, winning the division is a real possibility.

The wings do have a game in hand aswell though, don't forget that. I agree that they have the best chance at the division title right now, for sure. Will be really interesting to see what happens down the stretch!

I don´t really know if placing fourth (assuming detroit will be able to hold off the preds, which isnt a given either) is that bad for the wings actually. Playing Nashville seems way better than playing the sharks, taking into account travelling, playoff history and all that stuff. Im pretty confident that the wings will be a force in the playoffs this year, it just feels like they have another stability this year compared to the last couple of years. Just a feeling, anyone agree?

[jollymania]

Moral of the story: Blues are playing some good hockey under Hitchcock. You can't say otherwise, and quite frankly -- you just have to pat em on the back and be happy for them. I don't understand the hate. I mean they're apart of the central division, and yes we are fighting for the #1 spot but you gotta be happy when someone like Hitchcock comes in and turns a club around. He really made those boys into a legitimate grinding fashioned team. Regardless if the Blues go far this season, one thing is certain -- whoever pulls them first, good luck because you will get grinded down a good bit.

same here, right now they are simply playing better than the wings, and they definitively have better goaltending and possibly better coaching. Put those 2 together and it almost doesn't matter what kind of defense and offense you have. I don't know what else to say but try running their goalies. Some people act like these guys are just going to magically keel over. Remember what Halak did int he playoffs 2 years ago? If anything we haven't even seen his best this year which is scary. And stl is built for the playoffs, lots of physical players sprinkled through their lineup.

[jroc86]

same here, right now they are simply playing better than the wings, and they definitively have better goaltending and possibly better coaching. Put those 2 together and it almost doesn't matter what kind of defense and offense you have. I don't know what else to say but try running their goalies. Some people act like these guys are just going to magically keel over. Remember what Halak did int he playoffs 2 years ago? If anything we haven't even seen his best this year which is scary. And stl is built for the playoffs, lots of physical players sprinkled through their lineup.

Of course their playing better than the Wings ... take Bertuzzi, Howard, Datsyuk, and Lidstrom out of any lineup and show me a team that doesnt nosedive. They'll all be back within a few games - and if we are healthy for the playoffs we will be a handful for ANYONE home ice or not. Half of the Nashville crowd was Detroit fans on Saturday and we gave them all they could handle without 7 starters. 13 games left - if we win 9 or 10 of them well have a really good chance at taking the division. If not its on the boys to take care of business in the first round and go from their. I have a feeling their is going to be a first round upset or two this year so a fourth seeded team could easily become a 3rd or 2nd seeded team given the right circumstances.

[Cajanek_Spielmacher]

Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals 2 OT in St. Louis. Lidstrom stumbles at the blueline, Perron takes the puck and beats Howard top shelf. 1996 exorcised!!

[Hatethedrake!]

Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals 2 OT in St. Louis. Lidstrom stumbles at the blueline, Perron takes the puck and beats Howard top shelf. 1996 exorcised!!

Ah yes, such a great memory...

Edited by Hatethedrake!, 12 March 2012 - 11:19 AM.

[puckbags]

not worried at all...crymson says the blues aren't a playoff team, guys.

must be true...doesn't matter that they're winning every game playing playoff-style hockey.

They can play what you call " playoff style hockey" all they want in the regular season, can they actually do it in the playoffs is the big question. They certainly are playing better then anyone right now.

[rick zombo]

Alright. After keeping a close eye on this thread and only ringing in to poke at Blues fans here and there, I'm going to throw down my two cents for real.

St.Louis have been the most consistent team in the NHL since Hitch's arrival. THIS is why they are 6 up in the central. They don't have any stinker games. They just play well every night. If Detroit doesn't take nights off against NYI, Montreal, Coulmbus, etc. they'd be even.

My main concern (if I was a Blues fan) is whether or not there is any room left in their game to elevate their play. Because I think Detroit, Chicago (for sure), Nashville, Vancouver (not as much) and San Jose (big time) can and most likely will crank it up a notch.

Say all you want about physical play and goaltending and defence. Measuring this against, say, regular season Chicago might not be reflective of how the wall holds up against post-season Chicago. Know what I mean?

[pucktividi]

And what do the Preds fans think...

quotes from TSN after the Saturday's game

Andrei was strong. I am amazed that the Wings could play as strong as they did after a back to back and so many top players out. I think I would rather play the Blues in the first round, but choose your poison.

Any win over Detroit is a great win, but Preds have to develop a better killer instinct if they are going to get anywhere in the playoffs. Hats off to the Wings for a good battle. No matter how many they have on IR, they are never out of a game, and are dangerous on every shift.

[rrasco]

My main concern (if I was a Blues fan) is whether or not there is any room left in their game to elevate their play. Because I think Detroit, Chicago (for sure), Nashville, Vancouver (not as much) and San Jose (big time) can and most likely will crank it up a notch.

Say all you want about physical play and goaltending and defence. Measuring this against, say, regular season Chicago might not be reflective of how the wall holds up against post-season Chicago. Know what I mean?

Yes. It's almost like Mule or Z have said they don't play for regular season. The playoffs are a tournament. Play well in that tournament and you can have success. The 82 games prior to that have little relevance on the tournament.

[rick zombo]

Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals 2 OT in St. Louis. Lidstrom stumbles at the blueline, Perron takes the puck and beats Howard top shelf. 1996 exorcised!!

Not if Big Joe gets a dirty elbow on Perron again in the first round. See what I'm doing here?

[Nic]

My main concern (if I was a Blues fan) is whether or not there is any room left in their game to elevate their play. Because I think Detroit, Chicago (for sure), Nashville, Vancouver (not as much) and San Jose (big time) can and most likely will crank it up a notch.

Say all you want about physical play and goaltending and defence. Measuring this against, say, regular season Chicago might not be reflective of how the wall holds up against post-season Chicago. Know what I mean?

This is pretty much what I've been thinking. Reading people say that the Blues are playing playoff-style hockey now, I keep picturing the light switch picture that gets posted around here every year. There's a time for playoff hockey and the regular season isn't really it. I imagine it's easy to get burnt out pretty easily playing at that level for an extended period of time. What happens when we get to the playoffs but they've been playing at that level for months? We even usually tend see a bit less presence from our star players (even without injuries) as the season dwindles down -to prevent potential injuries- don't we? We've still got almost a month to go.

Edited by Nic, 12 March 2012 - 01:47 PM.

[Z Winged Dangler]

Or....or....
I'm just conversing with fellow hockey fans in a thread about the team of which I am a die hard fan of.
So there's that.


Just to clarify, they're not "among the best"...they ARE the best right now. Just sayin'.
And since when did winning a cup become a pre-requisite before a fan base can get excited about their team???
That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.
Fans get excited when their team is playing well and is a legitimate cup contender late in the season...that's the way it is always going to work, no matter how many championships a team has won.You're not going to meet any Blue fan who is predicting the Blues will win the cup...but they are in a great position to make a run at it. And to be honest, Blues fans are more excited about the return to exciting hockey, the return to the playoffs, and the return to respectability after the rebuild.


I don't need a history lesson. I've been a die hard Blues fan for about 30 years.
Finishing high in the standings doesn't guarantee anything, HOWEVER...don't downplay the importance of playing a 6, 7 or 8 seed in the 1st round as opposed to a 3 or 4 seed. It's also important for the Blues to finish as high as possible to get home ice for as many rounds as possible...St. Louis has the best home record in the NHL, which could be the difference in them going deep or not...even though they have been MUCH better on the road lately.

The Blues started a 7 game trip tonight with a win. Going up 6 pts. on Detroit was huge. Now, the Blues could finish the trip going 3-3 and would at worst be tied for 1st in the division, and that would be with Detroit going 6-0-0 over that span. After this road trip, I think the blues have 4 of their final 6 at home, where they dominate..something like that. Assuming the Blues don't go into a funk on the rest of this trip, winning the division is a real possibility.

good on ya bud. i live in Winnipeg and was in Tim Hortons getting a coffee this morning on the way to work and everyone in line was talking about the Jets and complaining those dicks from Montreal couldn't do us any favours and beat the Sabres....we're battling for 8th and the whole city has been going apes*** since we got the Jets back. there was apparently a Jets practice yesterday ending as i was getting to the MTS Iceplex to play hockey and there was a few hundred people filing out the door after watching a Jets practice. As far as i'm concerned, do anything you can to support your team. There's not a better team in the NHL right now hands down, and they're only gonna get better as they just signed Jaden Schwartz to an entry level and he's making his debut next game i think. And anyone who doesn't know about Schwartz, he's alot like Brad Marchand minus the bird face and not as chippy. The current Blues team may be better than the team back in the day that had Hull and Oates.