2019-2020 St. Louis Blues - Defending the Cup - Part 3: The Prelude to Playoff Positioning

[The Note]

Berube is the interview on Pardon My Take. Much more informal (it’s a Barstool podcast) than a lot of his interviews but something to occupy some time nonetheless.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Berube is the interview on Pardon My Take. Much more informal (it’s a Barstool podcast) than a lot of his interviews but something to occupy some time nonetheless.

Was just about to start it up, I’m looking forward to it.

 

[shpongle falls]

Berube is the interview on Pardon My Take. Much more informal (it’s a Barstool podcast) than a lot of his interviews but something to occupy some time nonetheless.

This is an awesome interview! Chief is a cool dude.

 

[Mike Liut]

This is probably the best Blues team they’ve ever had and it doesn’t look like we are finishing the season. Second most points in the league and was getting their best scorer back the next game. Sad.

 

[Robb_K]

This is probably the best Blues team they’ve ever had and it doesn’t look like we are finishing the season. Second most points in the league and was getting their best scorer back the next game. Sad.

Just typical Blues' luck. It was a miracle that Fate was busy at the moment, and somehow didn't intervene to stop them from winning The Stanley Cup last season.

 

[simon IC]

This is probably the best Blues team they’ve ever had and it doesn’t look like we are finishing the season. Second most points in the league and was getting their best scorer back the next game. Sad.

Certainly one of the best. I still think last years team was slightly better. The loss of JBo in particular is a huge blow.

 

[Brian39]

This is probably the best Blues team they’ve ever had and it doesn’t look like we are finishing the season. Second most points in the league and was getting their best scorer back the next game. Sad.

Imagine how much worse this would feel if we hadn't won the Cup last year.

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

Certainly one of the best. I still think last years team was slightly better. The loss of JBo in particular is a huge blow.

Among forwards, Thomas is better than he was last year by a good margin, current Sanford is better than Maroon, and Schwartz posted a 20pt improvement over last season. For defensemen, Scandella isn't much of a downgrade from JBo, Petro rebounded from a subpar season to his standard last year, and despite his warts, Faulk is better than Ed was.
It would've been great to see this year's team put the pedal to the metal for the playoffs with how much they seemed to have coasted through the regular season in order to keep gas in the tank for the long haul of the playoffs. And I think that's the big difference on how people compare the two teams, we never really saw this year's team have to be in desperation mode going into a game.

Imagine how much worse this would feel if we hadn't won the Cup last year.

This would be just about the Bluesiest way to burn through a year of a contending window ever if we were still waiting on that first Cup.

 

[The Note]

I think this team has (had?) a quiet efficiency that last year's team didn't possess. Last year they were playing desperate for 6 months and it showed. This year it seemed they knew exactly how much they had to give to get a win. I don't say that as a slight as I mean it as the exact opposite. It reminded me of those Kings and Hawks teams of days gone where even if another team was maybe getting the better of them for a spell those teams could get the goals they needed. It's small potatoes in the grand scheme of things but it is tough to burn another year of this core because I thought the WCF was certainly attainable with how the West was shaping up.

 

[mike1320]

I think this team has (had?) a quiet efficiency that last year's team didn't possess. Last year they were playing desperate for 6 months and it showed. This year it seemed they knew exactly how much they had to give to get a win. I don't say that as a slight as I mean it as the exact opposite.

Boy, this had a few people running around here with chapped asses for a good part of the season.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Dom at the Athletic has a predictive model he updates all year. Since the stoppage, he’s been simulating the games and publishing the results. It’s based on running the simulation one time. The Bruins have clinched the Presidents Trophy. The Avs and Blues were neck and neck for a whole, but with 3 games left St Louis needs just 1 more point (or Colorado to lose a possible point) to clinch the West.

The Blues play Detroit tonight, with an 81% win percentage. I’ve never seen such a lopsided percentage on the model.

It’s not real hockey, but it’s fun to follow. The Blues would face Edmonton if nothing changes. Winnipeg and Nashville are on life support.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Haha, the Blues lost to Detroit and Colorado beat Arizona to stay alive, in Dom’s simulation. 2 games left.

 

[Kreegz2]

This is probably the best Blues team they’ve ever had and it doesn’t look like we are finishing the season. Second most points in the league and was getting their best scorer back the next game. Sad.

The 1999-2000 team was our best. We would have needed to pick up 20 of 22 remaining points this season just to match them. Pronger had his career year winning the Hart/Norris and was the definition of a beast that season. I don't think I've seen a better single season by a defenseman in my 30 years of watching hockey. It's such a shame that they blew it in the first round vs the sharks.

 

[Mike Liut]

The 1999-2000 team was our best. We would have needed to pick up 20 of 22 remaining points this season just to match them. Pronger had his career year winning the Hart/Norris and was the definition of a beast that season. I don't think I've seen a better single season by a defenseman in my 30 years of watching hockey. It's such a shame that they blew it in the first round vs the sharks.

This current team is better and deeper, especially if they had Tarasenko for 82 games.

 

[Kreegz2]

This current team is better and deeper, especially if they had Tarasenko for 82 games.

They are definitely deeper, but I wouldn't necessarily say that makes them better. Top-heavy teams are very much capable of outperforming deep teams, especially in that era. The 99-00 team didn't have a slump like we did this year in January and February. They were dominant powerhouses the entire regular season. Only 4 times did they lose twice in a row in regulation, and they didn't lose 3 in a row at all(until the playoffs). Turgeon and Macinnis missed some time in 1999-2000 as well, so the same argument could be made about the injuries.

 

[simon IC]

I think the current team is better in terms of development. Thomas is better, Sundqvist is better, even Dunn has (slowly) progressed. Kyrou, and to a lesser extent Mikkola, have been great homegrown additions. I do not however, think the roster changes make us better than last years champions. No-one is going to convince me that losing JBo (unforeseen), Maroon, Edmundson and Fabbri, and adding Faulk, Scandella and DLR makes us better.

 

[simon IC]

They are definitely deeper, but I wouldn't necessarily say that makes them better. Top-heavy teams are very much capable of outperforming deep teams, especially in that era. The 99-00 team didn't have a slump like we did this year in January and February. They were dominant powerhouses the entire regular season. Only 4 times did they lose twice in a row in regulation, and they didn't lose 3 in a row at all(until the playoffs). Turgeon and Macinnis missed some time in 1999-2000 as well, so the same argument could be made about the injuries.

The problem with that team was goaltending. Roman Turek and Jamie McLennan were not good enough.

 

[simon IC]

And Owen Nolan ... cursed be his name, lol!

 

[Kreegz2]

The problem with that team was goaltending. Roman Turek and Jamie McLennan were not good enough.

Of course Turek fell apart against the Sharks so that is the only thing people remember, but the 1999-2000 team actually broke the NHL record for fewest goals allowed in an 82 game season with 165, a mark that has only been beaten once by the 2003-04 Devils. Both Mclennan and Turek had sub 2.00 GAAs that season. A lot of that can be attributed to Pronger's monster year, but our goaltenders certainly performed above average as well.

 

[simon IC]

Grrr ... Ron Sutter was on that SJ team. And scored a goal! Insult to injury.

 

[Mike Liut]

2/3 of the 99 Blues team couldn’t make this current team.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Edit: moved to other thread

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

The Blues clinched the Western Conference with a win over Boston. One meaningless game left vs Colorado (Dom’s simulation).

The season ends Saturday, and the rest of the Western Conference has some questions left. Edmonton and Nashville are fighting for the last playoff spot, with Edmonton 1 point ahead. Minnesota holds the other spot. Those could flip between WC1 and WC2.

I know it’s just a silly simulation, but I still want the Blues to win.

 

[Kreegz2]

2/3 of the 99 Blues team couldn’t make this current team.

And yet they still outperformed this year's team. A team is more than the sum of its parts.

 

[Xerloris]

And yet they still outperformed this year's team. A team is more than the sum of its parts.

A lot more teams were terrible back then.