Half-Assed GDT: Game 9/82 Blues @ Habs 6PM CST FDSNMW

[Spektre]

I wish the Blues could turn the page on Perunovich

Perunovich is easily gotten rid of. They’re stuck with Schenn for 3 more years after this season. He needs to play on the 3rd line at best and I would rather see him on the 4th.

Schenn is simply not a top 6 player. He’d screw up the 3rd line’s pace. Put him on the 4th line similar to where Steen ended his career. If Schenn gets 30 points playing on the 4th line, everyone is happy.

 

[BlueMed]

But it's not just the penalties. They are not skating hard like they did in Toronto. And maybe their easy, 5-1 victory got them thinking that they did what they needed to do to get out of their slump, and SUBCONSCIOUSLY they let down. In The NHL, playing without asn edge can get you beat by even bad teams. I saw that at every competitive level above age 11 or 12.

I'm not sure what you're watching, but they were outshooting the Canadiens and playing hard until the buzzer. It doesn't help when the powerplay goes 0 for 3. This game is an example of the expected variability that you're going to find as a team plays through a season. There were mistakes and several low-percentage plays, but the effort level was visible. There's no question.

 

[Robb_K]

I wish the Blues could turn the page on Schenn

I agree. He's paid too much for what he's got left. His crash and battle style of play wears down the body faster than players that generally avoid the bruising contact much more of the time, while the bashers not only look for it, but they initiate it more than half the time. They fall off the cliff a lot faster than the average forward. It'sd a shame, because their style of play is fun to watch and a lot more effective than just relying on their skill. And when you have BOTH like Schenn did when he was young, you have a winner. When your team has three or four players who play like that and have skill, too, you win The Cup! And Schenn was a very big reason why The Blues won it in 2019.

 

[ezcreepin]

I'm not sure what you're watching, but they were outshooting the Canadiens and playing hard until the buzzer. It doesn't help when the powerplay goes 0 for 3. This game is an example of the expected variability that you're going to find as a team plays through a season. There were mistakes and several low-percentage plays, but the effort level was visible. There's no question.

Yea I'm not sure what people are seeing either. I mean maybe there is a case that Montreal came out hotter than the Blues, but overall it felt like they controlled the pace way more than the Canadiens. It at least felt like they had more sustained pressure that resulted in chances. Plus in the second period it felt like they completely controlled the game and had them on their toes. powerplay didn't get anything done and unfortunately the pk gave up a goal which might have been saved if Binnington were a bit quicker to see the play develop.

 

[Robb_K]

I'm not sure what you're watching, but they were outshooting the Canadiens and playing hard until the buzzer. It doesn't help when the powerplay goes 0 for 3. This game is an example of the expected variability that you're going to find as a team plays through a season. There were mistakes and several low-percentage plays, but the effort level was visible. There's no question.

I didn't say they weren't trying hard. They were. A subconscious letdown is not noticeable, but it takes the edge off your play. I didn't mean that they were coasting. But in the NHL, if you're not playing with an edge you could lose to even weak teams. That could happen, anyway, just with unlucky bounces. But I think they had a letdown compared to their play in Toronto. They seemed to have less jump in their skates. More SOG doesn't always mean that you dominated play.

 

[TheOrganist]

I'm not sure what you're watching, but they were outshooting the Canadiens and playing hard until the buzzer. It doesn't help when the powerplay goes 0 for 3. This game is an example of the expected variability that you're going to find as a team plays through a season. There were mistakes and several low-percentage plays, but the effort level was visible. There's no question.

I’d say there was plenty of effort and i saw a lot of skilled plays…to me it was another well coached effort where their goalie played better than ours. More significantly, these younger kids (Joseph, Holloway, Bolduc, Neighbors) continue to impress.

 

[Robb_K]

I’d say there was plenty of effort and i saw a lot of skilled plays…to me it was another well coached effort where their goalie played better than ours. More significantly, these younger kids (Joseph, Holloway, Bolduc, Neighbors) continue to impress.

Yes, it's true that not scoring on The Power Play is killing them, and luck was involved too, and they ran into another hot goalie. That makes a situation where your team needs to play with a hard edge to win it, and teams can't play like that every game of an 81-game season. Their effort in this game was fine. And I'm happy with the play of most of the younger players. I hate it that Perunovich can't seem to play decently, consistently in NHL games.

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

Wasn’t able to watch tonight so this is my fault. 0-3-0 when that happens (VGK, WPG, MTL)

 

[Celtic Note]

Perunovich is easily gotten rid of. They’re stuck with Schenn for 3 more years after this season. He needs to play on the 3rd line at best and I would rather see him on the 4th.

Schenn is simply not a top 6 player. He’d screw up the 3rd line’s pace. Put him on the 4th line similar to where Steen ended his career. If Schenn gets 30 points playing on the 4th line, everyone is happy.

Schenn is currently on pace (small sample size) for 36 points and a -27 +/-. So he is currently tracking worse than last years 46 points and -22.

 

[Blanick]

Ok I have calmed down a little bit, that game really pissed me off because it reminded me so much of last year. The Blues played down to their opponents. I got the sense that they thought, "oh we don't have to play hard, we can out skill them," and for large chunks of the game that was true. That is why it seemed like the Blues were in control. I reality they were way to casual the whole game. Only the third line were working for the win.

Individual performance wise.

Perunovich's last game as a Blue please. Trade him, send him down, jettison him out of the moving plane, I honestly don't care. He needs to never have the bluenote on his chest again.

Schenn' worst game as he was the most prevalent case of "playing casual." You can't be that weak on pucks and do that many driveby's as the captain and expect the team to pull you up. Unacceptable

Binnington had a bad game imo. I feel like only two of those goals were unstoppable. Needed more from him.

The whole defense unit wasn't strong and that includes Broberg and Faulk. They just were not locked in tonight.

On the positive side of things.

Parayko was moving well and led the attack numerous times tonight. While his defensive game left a lot to be desired I liked his authoritative nature with the puck tonight.

Holloway, Joseph and Bolduc played well, not perfect but by far our best line. That being said I am almost to the point that we need to send Bolduc down. He just isn't producing and maybe he needs a restart. I love Joseph's game, so far I haven't seen a game where the dial was set at anything below a 9.

Kyrou, Buch and Tex has a strong effort tonight but just a mess on execution. Zero cohesion.

Lastly I will say that games like this will be the ones we look at when we are sitting ~5 points out of the playoffs at the end of the year saying, "if we only beat that bottom feeder we could have made it in." As a likely wildcard bubble team we have to beat teams like this. That is why this game is unacceptable in my book. After the Toronto game their was a clip of Bannister telling the boys they had tomorrow off. Well after this one I hope he told them to tie their skates tight for practice tomorrow cause the bags are coming out.

 

[BlueDream]

Schenn is currently on pace (small sample size) for 36 points and a -27 +/-. So he is currently tracking worse than last years 46 points and -22.

Yet last year he had less points than this year in his first 9 games. So those paces mean nothing.

 

[BlueMed]

Apparently no one understands what variability means...

 

[MortiestOfMortys]

A young, retooling team in the first 15 games of the season, with a ton of new players and no real PPQB, let alone two. You’re gonna get some of these games. Turn the page, on to the next one.

 

[Spektre]

Schenn is currently on pace (small sample size) for 36 points and a -27 +/-. So he is currently tracking worse than last years 46 points and -22.

4th liner

 

[Mike Liut]

I miss one game and you corksuckers lose to Montreal?

 

[TheDizee]

Perunovich is easily gotten rid of. They’re stuck with Schenn for 3 more years after this season. He needs to play on the 3rd line at best and I would rather see him on the 4th.

Schenn is simply not a top 6 player. He’d screw up the 3rd line’s pace. Put him on the 4th line similar to where Steen ended his career. If Schenn gets 30 points playing on the 4th line, everyone is happy.

4th liner

Sadly we don't have the depth to allow him to be on the 4th line like Steen was when he was fading and on a bloated contract

 

[Dr Robot]

Montreal did to us what we did to Toronto. Happens.

 

[shpongle falls]

Montreal did to us what we did to Toronto. Happens.

Had the same thought lol

 

[Celtic Note]

Yet last year he had less points than this year in his first 9 games. So those paces mean nothing.

I am sure he will go on one of his patented 10 game stretch that lift his point average.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

Montreal did to us what we did to Toronto. Happens.

Exactly what my takeaway from this one was. Close game, one team outplays the other but the other team gets the bounces when they mattered most.

Canadiens clearly had something to prove after getting embarrassed by the Rangers earlier this week. Blues weren't able to match that fire and could've played better overall.

 

[execwrite1]

Great energy, hard skating, forechecking. A good effort by everyone.

Two critical mistakes determined the outcome. Galactically stupid penalty by Perunovich and Sunny failed to dump in/turnover entering the zone. Both led to Montreal goals.

Can't make those mistakes. Need consistency every night.

What in the world is Perunovich doing on an NHL roster - Armstrong unwilling to acknowledge wasting a second-round pick?