Home Opener| Blues vs. CBJ| 7pm, BSMW|

[mk80]

Went back and watched the game after it's conclusion. Overall a great win to get the season started! Loved the goal by Neighbours, great to see him making an impact already.

 

[rumrokh]

For all of the criticism (plenty of it is valid) of the Blues' defense, they were crucial in the first four goals the Blues scored. Leddy's pinch on Neighbours' goal, Krug's set-up to Buchnevich, and Faulk's being a monster all over the ice on the other two.

I expect the Blues to embrace the continually rising trend of active defense. This year, I've already seen so many goals scored by defensemen driving straight to the net, not just on the rush or clean setups off the cycle, but also for rebounds.

Multiple times last night, Tarasenko smoothly, instinctively filled in when Krug pinched. That's simply going to be a thing with Krug on the ice, but I think it's going to be a prominent feature of the entire team all year. And I think it's not just going to help them keep up, but flourish at times because their defense, as a whole, is clearly above average at making something out of offensive zone chaos.

 

[Blueston]

For all of the criticism (plenty of it is valid) of the Blues' defense, they were crucial in the first four goals the Blues scored. Leddy's pinch on Neighbours' goal, Krug's set-up to Buchnevich, and Faulk's being a monster all over the ice on the other two.

I expect the Blues to embrace the continually rising trend of active defense. This year, I've already seen so many goals scored by defensemen driving straight to the net, not just on the rush or clean setups off the cycle, but also for rebounds.

Multiple times last night, Tarasenko smoothly, instinctively filled in when Krug pinched. That's simply going to be a thing with Krug on the ice, but I think it's going to be a prominent feature of the entire team all year. And I think it's not just going to help them keep up, but flourish at times because their defense, as a whole, is clearly above average at making something out of offensive zone chaos.

I 100% agree. The days of a top defenseman being stay at home guy are over. Top guys are able to impact game in all zones. Krug is a core player in spite of being a liability at times in own end. We have 2 excellent pairs. It’s the 3rd pairing that is concern (and why Peru injury was such a loss).

 

[Moose and Squirrel]

I 100% agree. The days of a top defenseman being stay at home guy are over. Top guys are able to impact game in all zones. Krug is a core player in spite of being a liability at times in own end. We have 2 excellent pairs. It’s the 3rd pairing that is concerns (and why Peru injury was such a loss).

still have hopes for Mikkola. he shows flashes of what he CAN be.. just needs to be that more consistently

 

[Linkens Mastery]

You're both right

Kyrou definitely takes a lot of blame for that goal as well. Both Kyrou and Binner made bad plays on that play. Id even said that fact that Kyrou was the last man back means the defense should also take some blame as well.

 

[Majorityof1]

For all of the criticism (plenty of it is valid) of the Blues' defense, they were crucial in the first four goals the Blues scored. Leddy's pinch on Neighbours' goal, Krug's set-up to Buchnevich, and Faulk's being a monster all over the ice on the other two.

I expect the Blues to embrace the continually rising trend of active defense. This year, I've already seen so many goals scored by defensemen driving straight to the net, not just on the rush or clean setups off the cycle, but also for rebounds.

Multiple times last night, Tarasenko smoothly, instinctively filled in when Krug pinched. That's simply going to be a thing with Krug on the ice, but I think it's going to be a prominent feature of the entire team all year. And I think it's not just going to help them keep up, but flourish at times because their defense, as a whole, is clearly above average at making something out of offensive zone chaos.

There is definitely risks to that kind of play from our D though. The 2nd Columbus goal, Kyrou was alone defending the rush because both of our D were overly aggressive. Granted that was on the fore check, but the premise is the same.

With Krug, he doesn't just pinch, he decides to play forward. It works on occasion, when he picks the right opportunities. But a lot of time, he is pinches and stays up front pretending he is a forward. Tarasenko might drop back to cover for him, but I'd much rather my "tank" of a forward be close to the net than my diminutive Dman. I'd also prefer my d-man to be further back to defend a potential rush the other way.

I am not saying its wrong for D to be active, nor that it doesn't help. I am just saying it is a high risk-reward scenario, and we have been burned by it as well.

 

[Majorityof1]

Kyrou definitely takes a lot of blame for that goal as well. Both Kyrou and Binner made bad plays on that play. Id even said that fact that Kyrou was the last man back means the defense should also take some blame as well.

Krug made an atrocious decision at the red line. Faulk was already caught flat footed behind the play when he pinched trying to keep the play alive in our zone and was late to it. Krug stepped up on Oliver at the red line despite Oliver having an outlet. Oliver passed the puck to his outlet and Kyrou suddenly was left alone to defend the rush. Faulk and Krug were the last 2 back.

 

[rumrokh]

Boys took a beating game 1.

Seemed like 'Bus had a chip on their shoulder. Jenner was absolutely berating a fan after his goal.

That's just Jenner. He's not a full-on POS, but he's a rat who likes throwing borderline hits and digging at goalies who obviously have the puck covered. Some players and teams seem only to have fun when they score, others try the angry/intense schtick, which, unfortunately, seems to be increasing.

 

[joe galiba]

That just goes to prove that even in small amounts, alcohol and math don't mix.

huh…that would explain some of my test results in my engineering classes

 

[Vektor]

I’m a big fan of Braden Schenn. Just not on the PP.

The funny thing is that the trade thread for Schenn was littered with Flyers fans saying he's only good on the PP.

 

[rumrokh]

The funny thing is that the trade thread for Schenn was littered with Flyers fans saying he's only good on the PP.

And the Blues have almost never used him as the slot trigger-man the way Philly did. I think they easily could and he'd be great there, but maybe it only worked with Giroux feeding him. I have a hunch Robert Thomas could fill that role just fine, but then he'd have to play on the left side. Might not be worth various tradeoffs, but if the powerplay ever struggles, that's an experiment I'd love to see.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Krug made an atrocious decision at the red line. Faulk was already caught flat footed behind the play when he pinched trying to keep the play alive in our zone and was late to it. Krug stepped up on Oliver at the red line despite Oliver having an outlet. Oliver passed the puck to his outlet and Kyrou suddenly was left alone to defend the rush. Faulk and Krug were the last 2 back.

Ahhh, I meant to say Kyrou being the Last line of defense was the Defenders fault. But, definitely. There is a lot of Blame to go around between Binner, Kyrou, and the Defense on that play.

 

[BlueDream]

Boys took a beating game 1.

Seemed like 'Bus had a chip on their shoulder. Jenner was absolutely berating a fan after his goal.

No they didn’t. Blues way outhit them.

And berating a fan? What?

 

[BlueDream]

The funny thing is that the trade thread for Schenn was littered with Flyers fans saying he's only good on the PP.

Flyers fans also thought us hiring Berube was a bad decision so yeah, they definitely don’t know anything.

 

[TheDizee]

i noticed that too. after a columbus goal one of their players was really chirping or taunting a fan near the glass. not sure why he was so butthurt but it was not a good look.

 

[Majorityof1]

Ahhh, I meant to say Kyrou being the Last line of defense was the Defenders fault. But, definitely. There is a lot of Blame to go around between Binner, Kyrou, and the Defense on that play.

No that is what you said. My apologies. I was agreeing with you that the D took some blame. And I was placing more of that portion of the blame on Krug, since he made the risky play with Faulk already out of the play.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

No that is what you said. My apologies. I was agreeing with you that the D took some blame. And I was placing more of that portion of the blame on Krug, since he made the risky play with Faulk already out of the play.

All good. Just saying different words with the same meaning. Lol.

 

[i aint Dunn yet]

i noticed that too. after a columbus goal one of their players was really chirping or taunting a fan near the glass. not sure why he was so butthurt but it was not a good look.

pretty sure it was kurley ...

 

[bleedblue1223]

For all of the criticism (plenty of it is valid) of the Blues' defense, they were crucial in the first four goals the Blues scored. Leddy's pinch on Neighbours' goal, Krug's set-up to Buchnevich, and Faulk's being a monster all over the ice on the other two.

I expect the Blues to embrace the continually rising trend of active defense. This year, I've already seen so many goals scored by defensemen driving straight to the net, not just on the rush or clean setups off the cycle, but also for rebounds.

Multiple times last night, Tarasenko smoothly, instinctively filled in when Krug pinched. That's simply going to be a thing with Krug on the ice, but I think it's going to be a prominent feature of the entire team all year. And I think it's not just going to help them keep up, but flourish at times because their defense, as a whole, is clearly above average at making something out of offensive zone chaos.

And it's probably hard for some fans to truly wrap their head around, since it's such a drastic shift for how our defense was previously deployed as recently as 19/20 with essentially the same coaching staff, but our defense group is now designed to be be very active offensively. We'll get burned at times as the forwards learn to cover for the increase in pinching D, but we are banking on it paying off more often than not, and I think it's a good bet based on the players we have.

And related to the Berube talk, it's one of the things that makes him a great coach. I think it's much more of an organizational vision, but it's a group effort. Coaches and front office are on the same page of how they want to the team to play, and whether it's Berube or his assistants doing to the x's and o's, Berube clearly does a great job at implementing the changes and managing everything. I don't know who gets the most credit, but Army, Berube, Ott, Van Ryn, etc. have all done great jobs. That's why Army is the 2nd longest tenured GM, Berube the 5th longest HC, and Ott/Van Ryn are going to be getting HC jobs in the nearish future.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

I was in attendance and finally got a chance to watch some of the video from this game. The Buchnevich-Thomas-Tarasenko line is fantastic. I know it's basically been written that Tarasenko is gone after this season but I hope somehow Army is able to work a cap miracle and keep him around. Tarasenko pickpocketing the D and flipping one past Merzlikins was a thing of beauty.

I'm also really intrigued by Neighbours-Schenn-Barbashev. I like how that line mixes physicality with skill and it would be awesome to see a breakout from Neighbours. His goal was a beaut for sure.

Binnington looked confident out there. Ran into some bad luck with a puck off Parayko's nose and misplayed the pokecheck on goal number two, but he's playing with confidence. When he's doing that he's really fun to watch as a fellow goalie.

The second period was a mess, but you can really see the system they're going to be playing with this season with our D very engaged. It makes for exciting hockey. I'm excited to see more on Wednesday night.

 

[rumrokh]

Binnington looked confident out there. Ran into some bad luck with a puck off Parayko's nose and misplayed the pokecheck on goal number two, but he's playing with confidence. When he's doing that he's really fun to watch as a fellow goalie.

Can you go into more detail on this? I have no internal goalie knowledge, but I thought he looked a little awkward and sluggish early and he made an identical failed pokecheck attempt against Chinakhov after getting burned on the first one. That seemed odd to me. I'd love to hear insights and what you might have noticed in person.

 

[Xerloris]

Can you go into more detail on this? I have no internal goalie knowledge, but I thought he looked a little awkward and sluggish early and he made an identical failed pokecheck attempt against Chinakhov after getting burned on the first one. That seemed odd to me. I'd love to hear insights and what you might have noticed in person.

He was aggressive and out at the top of his crease. The fact that a bad poke check did not stop him from trying again says a lot about his confidence as well.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

Can you go into more detail on this? I have no internal goalie knowledge, but I thought he looked a little awkward and sluggish early and he made an identical failed pokecheck attempt against Chinakhov after getting burned on the first one. That seemed odd to me. I'd love to hear insights and what you might have noticed in person.

It comes down to aggressiveness with Binnington, in my eyes. When he's struggling he gets caught too deep in his net and gives the shooters too much net to shoot at. He can also get too aggressive at times but I didn't see a lot of that in the opener. That said, I was up in 307 and I was focused mostly on the transition game and the offense when I watched parts of the game after the fact. The 'idea' of the poke check itself was fine but he has to stay more upright on that. I didn't see the second to comment on it.

 

[ChicagoIsBedarded]

No they didn’t. Blues way outhit them.

And berating a fan? What?

We may have out hit them on paper, but 'bus was pretty chippy in the scrums.

My mistake. Wasn't Jenner. It was Kuraly (goal 2) Fans have blue sweaters on, but I guess it could have been a jacket fan he was pumped to see.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

It comes down to aggressiveness with Binnington, in my eyes. When he's struggling he gets caught too deep in his net and gives the shooters too much net to shoot at. He can also get too aggressive at times but I didn't see a lot of that in the opener. That said, I was up in 307 and I was focused mostly on the transition game and the offense when I watched parts of the game after the fact. The 'idea' of the poke check itself was fine but he has to stay more upright on that. I didn't see the second to comment on it.

Looking at that poke check from my goalie perspective, I hated that decision. I thought he committed too it far too early and gave the shooter far too much time and space to make a play. Kursaly was able to read it and just chip it over top. Plus with committing so early it opened up all of the top portion of the net.

I would liked to have seen him wait longer or just not go for it.