Blues/Avalanche playoff series discussion

[SwivelSchwartz]

Everyone has known since October this was inevitable. That’s why our pre season team bonding trip was there. They haven’t forgotten that. Now go out there and take it

 

[MissouriMook]

...

The way to shut down Makar is simple. It's like the line from Miracle, "You don't defend against them. You attack them." You make Makar play defense. Make him prove that he isn't just a 4th forward out there...

Well, if it were "simple" everyone would do it. But it's not. I don't know if "attack" is the way I would describe it, but to me the key is you have to do whatever you can to get the puck off of his stick in all three zones.

Starting in the defensive zone, you need to know when it is the right time to hit him, when to box him in, and when to simply cover all of his outlets and try to get him to skate into trouble. The last option seems to be the one that is the most fraught with danger because of his speed and edge work.

In the neutral zone, whether it is a left wing lock or some other variation of taking away options, you have to make him give up the puck, and in a way that he didn't really want to do it. Not just turning the puck over, but passing to his Plan C option instead of Plans A & B.

In the offensive zone, this is where it gets the trickiest. If they have a lot of other elite offensive players on the ice, you have to defend the home plate area. If not, I think a hybrid where we isolate him with man-on-man and zone the rest of their players might work out better. The problem is we haven't really had the time to practice something like this, so I doubt it could be executed effectively enough to work.

That's just my $0.02 - the better job we do of getting the puck off of his stick before he wants to give it up, the more likely we are to be successful.

 

[Chet Manly]

10.5 hours to go

 

[joe galiba]

Well, if it were "simple" everyone would do it. But it's not. I don't know if "attack" is the way I would describe it, but to me the key is you have to do whatever you can to get the puck off of his stick in all three zones.

Starting in the defensive zone, you need to know when it is the right time to hit him, when to box him in, and when to simply cover all of his outlets and try to get him to skate into trouble. The last option seems to be the one that is the most fraught with danger because of his speed and edge work.

In the neutral zone, whether it is a left wing lock or some other variation of taking away options, you have to make him give up the puck, and in a way that he didn't really want to do it. Not just turning the puck over, but passing to his Plan C option instead of Plans A & B.

In the offensive zone, this is where it gets the trickiest. If they have a lot of other elite offensive players on the ice, you have to defend the home plate area. If not, I think a hybrid where we isolate him with man-on-man and zone the rest of their players might work out better. The problem is we haven't really had the time to practice something like this, so I doubt it could be executed effectively enough to work.

That's just my $0.02 - the better job we do of getting the puck off of his stick before he wants to give it up, the more likely we are to be successful.

The problem with Makar is that he is also great offensively without the puck on his stick, he sees and moves to dangerous places on the ice as well as anyone in the league
the player covering him can't puck watch when Makar doesn't have the puck

 

[ScratchCatFever]

We couldn’t even rough up Minnesota. Avs are faster, more skilled and physical than the Blues. Should be over in 4 or 5 games. Blues only chance is a combination of luck and unreal effectiveness. The main problem is defense and the lack of speed. One of the slowest teams in the league vs the fastest.

Tell us you don't know what tf you're talking about without actually saying it.

 

[PocketNines]

Past playoff series the Blues won that they definitely were not supposed to win

1993 sweep Chicago

Unfortunately I think that is the entire list. Maybe the 2019 Final, but I was pretty confident for that.

 

[Brian39]

1- Why did you leave Buchnevich out when discussing Makar?

...

In terms of matchup's: ROR line get's MacKinnon. Buch gets Makar.

Not the poster you asked, but those matchups aren't really feasible unless Berube wants to completely blow up our lines. Makar plays the wide majority of his minutes with MacKinnon. He played 679 5 on 5 minutes with MacKinnon and only 500 without. That is a significant margin when you consider that MacKinnon missed about 20% of Makar's games this year. Remove those 300+ minutes from the "time apart" column and it becomes clear that they get Makar out there with MacKinnon every second possible.

If Buch gets Makar and ROR gets MacKinnon, then you have to blow the lines up and go Buch-ROR-Perron. Buch and ROR played just 137 together at 5 on 5 this year. Buch and Perron played just 38 minutes together. With the exception of Saad (the other full time LW in the top 9), none of our top 9 forwards played fewer minutes with Buch than ROR/Perron. Now is not the time to try out a completely new line.

Saad and Schenn are both very capable defensive players. Saad got the most defensive usage of any top 9 forward and Schenn is the most physical forechecker we have. They are both vets who can fully understand what their job is in a shutdown role. I'm much more comfortable leaving Makar to one of them (with defensive support from ROR, Perron, and Parayko's pair) than I am putting all the lines in a blender in response to their top line.

 

[PocketNines]

Not chasing the game will be key. The Blues didn't lead at any point in the series last season and Nashville led for under 5 minutes of their series (after trailing 3-0 in games). Colorado came out and blitzed Nashville for five goals in period 1 game 1. Colorado relies on the shocker to take teams right out of a game.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

Watch worry free...

Nobody expects us to win.

Play free but focused....

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

Avs fan here... coming in peace. I must say, I'm really impressed with your fan base, you guys really know your stuff (save for a few [you know who you are!!!])

As far as the Avs and the 2nd round, there has always been context with that though :

2019 - Barely QF for playoffs as the 8th seed, upset CAL in Round 1 - lost to SJ in Game #7 in Round 2.
Don't think too much was expected from such a young team and the 8th seed at that point.

2020 - Beat ARI in 1st round in the bubble, lost in OT in Game #7 with 3rd string Michael Hutchinson as our starter.

2021 - Beat you guys in 1st round, lost to VGK in 6 games
You guys were beat up and clearly not 100% on your game. Also *Kadri took out one of your best d-men with that stupid, stupid hit - I was extremely pissed when he did that - there was just no need for it. Stupid idiot.
He paid a hefty price with an 8 playoff game suspension. His absence arguably cost the team the ability to move on to Round #3.

*So if a Blues players decides to take a run at one of the Avs players as retribution, I won't like it but I will certainly understand it because that's the position he put the rest of his teammates in. What a tool.

I think it's going to be a great series and you guys have a great team. Hopefully, it will be a well officiated game on both sides without too much game management. (I won't hold my breath for that)

If we don't win and move on, I'll be cheering for your team the rest of the way - you have a lot of great players that I've always really liked ever since junior : ROR, Kyrou, Thomas and Toropchenko specifically.

Good luck!

If you guys do manage to win this series, which wouldn’t surprise most people, I gotta say I’d be rooting for y’all to take it as well. I find a bit of solace knowing that if we didn’t win it all, at least we lost to the team nobody else could take down either.

Plus, your team is an absolute joy to watch (when we aren’t playing of course). Good luck, and this will be the last bit of tummy sticks I have with y’all for the next two weeks.

 

[Bender]

If you guys do manage to win this series, which wouldn’t surprise most people, I gotta say I’d be rooting for y’all to take it as well. I find a bit of solace knowing that if we didn’t win it all, at least we lost to the team nobody else could take down either.

Plus, your team is an absolute joy to watch (when we aren’t playing of course). Good luck, and this will be the last bit of tummy sticks I have with y’all for the next two weeks.

Is it weird that I don't know what a tummy stick is?

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

Is it weird that I don't know what a tummy stick is?

No hahah, it was a phrase I picked up from Spittin Chiclets awhile back. Basically it comes from when players of different teams are all buddy buddy during warmups.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

Nobody thinks we have a chance.

PERFECT!

 

[Bender]

Nobody thinks we have a chance.

PERFECT!

What are you talking about? Wayne Gretzky has you guys in the finals against the 'Canes.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

What are you talking about? Wayne Gretzky has you guys in the finals against the 'Canes.

Who is that?

 

[Louie the Blue]

Past playoff series the Blues won that they definitely were not supposed to win

1993 sweep Chicago

Unfortunately I think that is the entire list. Maybe the 2019 Final, but I was pretty confident for that.

I'd argue beating Winnipeg in 2019 was a pretty big upset along with Boston.

 

[PocketNines]

I'd argue beating Winnipeg in 2019 was a pretty big upset along with Boston.

Not with the way they were playing behind Binnington heading into that one. 24-5-1. I thought the Blues would win that Jets series before it started. A lot of people picked the Blues to win that series. Not sure, but I think the money was even. The top three teams finished in a near dead points heat overall and the Blues were playing the best hockey of the group. In this situation this year we have a behemoth to try to dispatch

 

[Louie the Blue]

Not with the way they were playing behind Binnington heading into that one. 24-5-1. I thought the Blues would win that Jets series before it started. A lot of people picked the Blues to win that series. Not sure, but I think the money was even. The top three teams finished in a near dead points heat overall and the Blues were playing the best hockey of the group. In this situation this year we have a behemoth to try to dispatch

Jets weren't as big favorites for the Cup as I thought they were at that point. They were +1000 vs +1200 for the Blues heading into the POs.

I'd consider 2015-2016 over the Blackhawks to be an upset as well, but we didn't know (at the time) that that season pretty much represented the end of Chicago's reign.

I guess since the start of the millennium there haven't been that many upset series victories for the Blues. 2016 over Dallas was a Game 7 in Dallas, but I didn't view them as much of a challenge as Chicago.

Recent history I'd say Winnipeg (which I get your argument for why it isn't an upset), Chicago, and Boston. The 2019 run obviously surpasses anything in recent history, but the 2016 series vs Chicago was so intense. Probably the second most stressful series recently behind Boston. Dallas 2019 was stressful due to Bishop's play and OT, but that entire Chicago series was something else.

Did you view 2016 as the Blues being underdogs vs SJ, by chance? I thought they were gassed but it was still even.

2019 vs SJ I thought SJ had a horse shoe up their butt.

 

[TheTechNoir]

Is it weird that I don't know what a tummy stick is?

I don't either. Also an Avs fan. Also staying good luck, and if you win the series, I will be rooting for y'all, just like I was in the 2019 finals.

 

[PocketNines]

Jets weren't as big favorites for the Cup as I thought they were at that point. They were +1000 vs +1200 for the Blues heading into the POs.

I'd consider 2015-2016 over the Blackhawks to be an upset as well, but we didn't know (at the time) that that season pretty much represented the end of Chicago's reign.

I guess since the start of the millennium there haven't been that many upset series victories for the Blues. 2016 over Dallas was a Game 7 in Dallas, but I didn't view them as much of a challenge as Chicago.

Recent history I'd say Winnipeg (which I get your argument for why it isn't an upset), Chicago, and Boston. The 2019 run obviously surpasses anything in recent history, but the 2016 series vs Chicago was so intense. Probably the second most stressful series recently behind Boston. Dallas 2019 was stressful due to Bishop's play and OT, but that entire Chicago series was something else.

Did you view 2016 as the Blues being underdogs vs SJ, by chance? I thought they were gassed but it was still even.

2019 vs SJ I thought SJ had a horse shoe up their butt.

I agree with your takes on those series but I when I say "definitely not supposed to win" I mean pretty clearcut underdogs where people are picking against the team in 5 for example. I was happily shocked they won in 1993. I know they have won plenty of series when they were betting underdogs. They did it five days ago!

 

[Louie the Blue]

All forwards aside from ROR and Torp are on a milk carton heading into Game 2.

 

[AjaxManifesto]

Underdogs usually punch upwards. Most of our forwards punched air tonight.

 

[Brewhouse Sports]

I know they got it to OT thanks to Binner but if they don’t figure this out fast, this shit is gonna end in 4 games. It was total domination by Colorado.

 

[BlueDream]

All forwards aside from ROR and Torp are on a milk carton heading into Game 2.

Nah, just ROR. Toropchenko makes no impact on the game, he doesn’t deserve to be in the same sentence as O’Reilly.

 

[PocketNines]

Binnington was a .943 against Minnesota and a .944 tonight.
The difference between these teams is the skaters.