GDT: Blues @ Avs| 9:30pm NBCSN| Sprinting a Marathon

[Got One Cup]

I'm just excited to see skating and puck movement at a high level

I wouldn’t get my hopes up too high. These teams didn’t get much of a camp this year. Could see some pretty sloppy hockey to start.

 

[Brian39]

Over under is 6 tonight. This first batch of games is going to be some sloppy hockey. Would take the over for sure on this one.

Absolutely hammer that over. A 4-2 final is a push, which means a tight checking 3-2 game with an empty netter at least gets your money back. The first month of a season is generally more high scoring than the rest of the year, I expect both these teams to be top 10 offenses and last year these teams combined for 29 goals in 4 regular season games. 32 goals in 5 games if you include the bubble round robin.

I'm putting money on that over, so now I fully expect a 2-1 final.

 

[Celtic Note]

Exciting times! Hopefully I can watch most of this game.

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Couldn’t find the place, why the hell are we in the West? 9:30 start? Great. My boss will looking at me like this.View attachment 383795

Have to stay up though, one of the few games I won’t have to stream. Thanks a lot FoxSports. Ohh well hope all this is worth it, will be interesting to see all the new faces on the team and an actual live game.LGB!

Why, you ask? Because NBC HAD TO HAVE Chicago getting slaughtered by Tampa in prime time

 

[Got One Cup]

Why, you ask? Because NBC HAD TO HAVE Chicago getting slaughtered by Tampa in prime time

It’s ok I’ll just watch Chicago get creamed as a warm up to the game. More beers will be had.

 

[Brian39]

Why, you ask? Because NBC HAD TO HAVE Chicago getting slaughtered by Tampa in prime time

I get the frustration about late games, but having the late start allows for a triple header of hockey on opening night. That is a great tradeoff and I'm thrilled about how terrible I'm going to feel at work tomorrow after watching 9 hours of hockey tonight.

 

[Celtic Note]

I get the frustration about late games, but having the late start allows for a triple header of hockey on opening night. That is a great tradeoff and I'm thrilled about how terrible I'm going to feel at work tomorrow after watching 9 hours of hockey tonight.

The binge is real!

 

[Got One Cup]

I keep looking at our d pairs and thinking that’s not a D oriented line up.

Krug Parayko
Scandella Faulk
Dunn Bortuzzo

I see a defensive liability on all 3 pairs. The 2nd pair worries me the most. I don’t think Scandella is good enough defensively to cover for Faulk. I was so confused when we signed Krug ( signaling Petro leaving) knowing we had just traded and signed Faulk. Now Faulk isn’t even on one of our PPs. Makes no sense to me.

Are we going to see the Blues shift to a more offensive style team that takes chances? Are we going to try to get two guys to play a totally different style and buy into our system? Remember we are stuck with Krug and Faulk for another 6 yrs.

 

[Got One Cup]

I get the frustration about late games, but having the late start allows for a triple header of hockey on opening night. That is a great tradeoff and I'm thrilled about how terrible I'm going to feel at work tomorrow after watching 9 hours of hockey tonight.

I’ll will be right there with you, just wish our game was a little better time wise so if I wished to pack it in early I could.

 

[joe galiba]

Flying to Montana tonight. I’ll be in the air and miss the whole game. Cheer hard in my absence.

Montana in the winter
ugh

 

[Blueline2757]

Well, Here we go I've missed hockey and something normal to look forward too. Despite my criticisms of the offseason I'm excited to see what the Blues can do. Let's go Blues.

 

[mw2noobbuster]

To be honest, I'm happy with the moves we made. Sucks to see Pietrangelo gone but his camp wouldn't bend. At least we got Krug and Hoffman out of it.

 

[Mike Liut]

To be honest, I'm happy with the moves we made. Sucks to see Pietrangelo gone but his camp wouldn't bend. At least we got Krug and Hoffman out of it.

I’d rather have the Krug/Hoffman combo than Petro

 

[JoshFromMO]

I wouldn’t get my hopes up too high. These teams didn’t get much of a camp this year. Could see some pretty sloppy hockey to start.

Sloppy NHL is still probably a lot cleaner than my local pickup hockey lol

 

[TheBluePenguin]

Sloppy NHL is still probably a lot cleaner than my local pickup hockey lol

pfft my local rec game is the fastest game on earth ....

 

[Ranksu]

Couldn’t find the place, why the hell are we in the West? 9:30 start? Great. My boss will looking at me like this.View attachment 383795

Have to stay up though, one of the few games I won’t have to stream. Thanks a lot FoxSports. Ohh well hope all this is worth it, will be interesting to see all the new faces on the team and an actual live game.LGB!

Game will start here 5.30 am. This is actually good time. First time in 14-year I can sleep full night before game.

 

[Ranksu]

I’d rather have the Krug/Hoffman combo than Petro

Please dont push it.

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

Hockey
Is
Back

 

[kimzey59]

So also begins the never ending stream of Lord of the Rings GIF's.

 

[Chet Manly]

I think it might take me a few games to forget about Krug destroying Thomas 2 years ago.....

He might we playing for the Note.... But that play still pisses me off.

I'm sure I'll learn to love him. Just not in the next 72 hours.

 

[elkranio]

6:30 am? Thanks, Obama.

 

[joe galiba]

Game will start here 5.30 am. This is actually good time. First time in 14-year I can sleep full night before game.

rubbing it in...

I like it

 

[Mike Liut]

Please dont push it.

30G scorer plus a defender who scores more than Pietrangelo > Pietrangelo

 

[AjaxManifesto]

Let's go!

 

[Brian39]

I keep looking at our d pairs and thinking that’s not a D oriented line up.

Krug Parayko
Scandella Faulk
Dunn Bortuzzo

I see a defensive liability on all 3 pairs. The 2nd pair worries me the most. I don’t think Scandella is good enough defensively to cover for Faulk. I was so confused when we signed Krug ( signaling Petro leaving) knowing we had just traded and signed Faulk. Now Faulk isn’t even on one of our PPs. Makes no sense to me.

Are we going to see the Blues shift to a more offensive style team that takes chances? Are we going to try to get two guys to play a totally different style and buy into our system? Remember we are stuck with Krug and Faulk for another 6 yrs.

I agree that it's not a "D oriented line up" but I disagree about "a defensive liability on all 3 pairs." I see a guy who isn't above average defensively on each pair, but that is different than a liability.

Over the summer I expressed concern about Krug's defensive game, but that concern was in comparison to the defensive prowess we lost in the offseason. He is a below average defender in a top 4 role, but he isn't atrocious at it. I'm comfortable calling him a defensive liability, but he is close to being simply "meh" defensively.

Faulk is not a liability. He was -3 on the year with an expected +/- of +2. His possession numbers were right at average and his usage was evenly split between the zones. He is easily either the 2nd or 3rd best shot blocker on the team and is probably the 2nd most physical D man on the roster. I don't love Fualk and his defensive game isn't remotely worth his contract if he isn't producing offensively. But that isn't what a "defensive liability" is. He's "fine" at defense.

Dunn is far from a liability. He has been sheltered, but he has dominated in those sheltered minutes. He was +15 in that role last year with an expected +/- of +10.9 and absolutely incredible possession numbers. His style is not to block shots and effectively box guys out in the defensive zone, but that doesn't mean he is a liability. He retrieves pucks well, can skate himself out of trouble, can move the puck well, pinches intelligently and is pretty good in the neutral zone. He is far from a defensive liability on the 3rd pair. He might struggle defensively if given harder minutes, but he has excelled in the role he is in right now.

We've been spoiled for the last few years with our blue line depth. We will almost certainly be worse at "playing defense" than we were last year, but that doesn't mean we are suddenly terrible at it.