GDT: Season Opening GDT: Blues @ Kraken 3:30 PM CST ESPN/ESPN+

[TheOrganist]

I really liked the Claude Julien hire and hopefully what we saw in the 3rd period shows his influence on our checking game this year. That was solid.

 

[Eldon Reid]

Only 97 more wins in a row to complete the perfect season!

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

Nice to see so many of the new guys getting points.

Not the prettiest of first half’s, but 2 points are 2 points

 

[PJJJP]

Seems like they added some cool goal simulations on the nhl site for all the goals that shows an overview and player positions on all the goals. Pretty cool to see

 

[joe galiba]

You should! A few months ago, I did the drive up from LA to Seattle with a friend and it was amazing. Hit the Redwoods and then the coastal drive the rest of the way.

I try to go up north every summer, whether it’s the PNW, or the Yellowstone/Grand Teton’s/Glacier area. Truly the most beautiful places in the continental US.

I guess you haven’t seen eastern Arkansas then… oh, MOST beautiful, nevermind

 

[ChicagoBlues]

Dingo put some Kraken on the barbie!!

 

[BlueMed]

Few thoughts from the game...

1. Holloway and Neighbours are impactful middle 6 players and not first liners. In other words, keeping them on the second and third lines is probably best because neither of them creates enough offense to be relied upon as the top guys.

2. Because the Blues do not have elite forward talent, the coaches will come to inevitably realize that Buchnevich needs to be on the top line with Thomas and Kyrou.

3. Broberg and Faulk are not entirely in sync. I understand the whole "easing" Broberg into the top 4, but he showed shades of JBo when paired with Parayko in the pre-season. Is it better to give Broberg easier matchups with a less compatible partner or maybe he is ready for top matchups at this point of his development with a more compatible partner in Parayko? I think by the end of this season, we will establish that Broberg is the best 2 way defensemen on this team, Parayko is the best shutdown defensemen, Faulk is the best offensive defensemen, and we are lucky to have Leddy as our number 4.

4. This team will always be underrated with Binnington in net. He has accomplished much more than many of his "superstar" counterparts and will never get the respect he deserves, even amongst Blues fans.

5. I am perplexed by how much leeway Kapanen and Joseph are receiving. At the end of the day, Saad and Bolduc should be in the top 9 over those two for clear reasons.

6. I am happy with this team win today, but still found myself questioning the leadership of this team. Thomas and Kyrou are very talented players, but do they have the intangibles to galvanize this team when needed? Today, the comeback was achieved through individual skill and speed, but I'd like to see a more consistent push from the entire team, and that starts with the leadership group including Schenn.

7. Speaking of Schenn; this guy has clearly lost a step. It's not like it wasn't predictable given his style of play, but he is probably best suited as a 3C at this point.

 

[Robb_K]

Few thoughts from the game...

1. Holloway and Neighbours are impactful middle 6 players and not first liners. In other words, keeping them on the second and third lines is probably best because neither of them creates enough offense to be relied upon as the top guys.

2. Because the Blues do not have elite forward talent, the coaches will come to inevitably realize that Buchnevich needs to be on the top line with Thomas and Kyrou.

3. Broberg and Faulk are not entirely in sync. I understand the whole "easing" Broberg into the top 4, but he showed shades of JBo when he was paired with Parayko in the pre-season. Is it better to give Broberg easier matchups with a less compatible partner or maybe he is ready for top matchups at this point of his development with a more compatible partner in Parayko? I think by the end of this season, we will establish that Broberg is the best 2 way defensemen on this team, Parayko is the best shutdown defensemen, Faulk is the best offensive defensemen, and we are lucky to have Leddy as our number 4.

4. This team will always be underrated with Binnington in net. He has accomplished much more than many of his "superstar" counterparts and will never get the respect he deserves, even amongst Blues fans.

5. I am perplexed by how much leeway Kapanen and Joseph are receiving. At the end of the day, Saad and Bolduc should be in the top 9 over those two for clear reasons.

6. I am happy with this team win today, but still found myself questioning the leadership of this team. Thomas and Kyrou are very talented players, but do they have the intangibles to galvanize this team when needed? Today, the comeback was achieved through individual skill and speed, but I'd like to see a more consistent push from the entire team, and that starts with the leadership group including Schenn.

7. Speaking of Schenn; this guy has clearly lost a step. It's not like it wasn't predictable given his style of play, but he is probably best suited as a 3C at this point.

I agree with all these points. DEFINITELy put Saad and Bolduc with their skill in The Top 9. Joseph doesn't have the skill to be there, and Kapanen is way too inconsistent, from his career so far. I haven't seen any sign that that will change. Kyrou has NEVER shown leadership qualities. But, at least he's made some efforts to improve his defendsive game and play without the puck. Schenn does seem too slow (often at the end of games) to play regularly in the top 6. Holloway isn't really ready to be on a playoff team's top line. I think he has a top-end potential to become a 2nd Liner after a couple years.

 

[TheOrganist]

Those are some very intense takeaways from 60 minutes of hockey. Lol.

 

[TK 421]

Krapanen......why must you be here?

Team needs more Bolduc.

I was wondering how Julien would impact the Blues defensive play and shutting it down near the end was a nice start. That rebuilding of our defensive structure was/is a key facet of re-establishing an identity as a team and this group has felt more like a collection of parts specifically lacking an identity in recent seasons. We could be looking at an improvement here though it is early days.

 

[Robb_K]

Nice comeback win after some sloppy play early. Nice to see The Blues play good defence during the clutch time. Good to see Broberg play well. I have high hopes for him. I do agree with several other posts saying that Thomas should be with Buchnevich and Kyrou. Schenn should centre Line 3. Binnington looked good, as usual , lately. I'll be enjoying The Blues being in 1st place, as long as it can last!

 

[BluesAL]

Buch-Thomas-Kyrou should be our top line period. This is the line that can keep up with the Mackinnon/McDavid/Matthews lines of the world. Figure the rest out from there.

Broberg is going to be a stud, isn’t he? Did Armstrong finally rectify his Petro sin?

I saw leadership from Kyrou today. His demeanor after both goals stood out. He’s growing into himself. This is great news for the Blues.

A constant- we don’t win without 50. God bless ya Binny.

 

[BlueMed]

Bolduc deserved to make the roster, even if it is just until Saad gets back. It's hard to tell a young guy who is doing everything right that the AHL is better for him. Should see a game sooner rather than later.

I still believe in Kyrou, but the people that don't never will regardless.

Very pleased with the early returns on Broberg and Holloway, but it is a long way to go.

FINALLY a game where we have the lead late and don't play on our heels and let Binner eat shots the last 1:30-2 minutes. They actually pressured and hustled and made good passes. It's easy to chuck a shot and get an icing and lose momentum. But we pressured and that made it easier to defend the zone entry and gain possession again.

On one hand, I really like how the Blues support their prospects. They probably bake them a year longer than the average team, if I had to estimate. That being said, there is a real risk here with the prospect getting impatient and potentially tarnishing a once-good relationship between the player and the team. I'd be a little frustrated if I were in Bolduc's shoes. Kapanen has had plenty of opportunities in his career to demonstrate consistency, and after ONE good pre-season game, it seems like that supplants Bolduc's summer of hardwork and preparation...

 

[ezcreepin]

I didn't get to see much of the game, but even after getting scored on twice quickly, you have to realize it's the first game of the season. Everybody is still feeling it out, so even though we won, it's one of those games where you see the issues and move on. I expect in about 10-ish games to see roughly how the Blues team will play, so I'll give a more concrete opinion how I feel about them.

It was obvious we were getting shelled for a good part of the game, but as soon as Faksa brought the team into the game physically, we definitely played better. Kyrou seemed to show a good amount of poise on his goals and we all need to be ok with him being Vova-lite. He sacrifices strength for speed and agility, but he is this iteration of Tarasenko, and we know how great Vova was when he was on. Was happy to see Broberg and Holloway get on the scoreboard this game and I expect Holloway to get one here in the next two games. Seemed like he was feeling it in the preseason. I can't speak to the defensive play of any players today, but the rebound after the Kyrou goal was big.

Binnington holding down the fort and continues to be underrated by everyone in the league. Everyone wincing at Binnington starting for Canada, but put a good defense in front of him and he will win you games. Unfortunately, Buch can not and should not play center. I understand he is willing to do anything to win, but his talent far exceeds anything he's going to do at wing vs center, so it's going to be a merri-go-round until Dvorsky is ready to take the spot. If Schenn is going to play in the top 6, put him at wing. If you have to have him at center, but him on the 3rd line. Not much else to say about today's game, but I'm hoping to see Friday's game in it's entirety.

 

[BlueMed]

I didn't get to see much of the game, but even after getting scored on twice quickly, you have to realize it's the first game of the season. Everybody is still feeling it out, so even though we won, it's one of those games where you see the issues and move on. I expect in about 10-ish games to see roughly how the Blues team will play, so I'll give a more concrete opinion how I feel about them.

It was obvious we were getting shelled for a good part of the game, but as soon as Faksa brought the team into the game physically, we definitely played better. Kyrou seemed to show a good amount of poise on his goals and we all need to be ok with him being Vova-lite. He sacrifices strength for speed and agility, but he is this iteration of Tarasenko, and we know how great Vova was when he was on. Was happy to see Broberg and Holloway get on the scoreboard this game and I expect Holloway to get one here in the next two games. Seemed like he was feeling it in the preseason. I can't speak to the defensive play of any players today, but the rebound after the Kyrou goal was big.

Binnington holding down the fort and continues to be underrated by everyone in the league. Everyone wincing at Binnington starting for Canada, but put a good defense in front of him and he will win you games. Unfortunately, Buch can not and should not play center. I understand he is willing to do anything to win, but his talent far exceeds anything he's going to do at wing vs center, so it's going to be a merri-go-round until Dvorsky is ready to take the spot. If Schenn is going to play in the top 6, put him at wing. If you have to have him at center, but him on the 3rd line. Not much else to say about today's game, but I'm hoping to see Friday's game in it's entirety.

Totally agree. I would really like to see Holloway get a legit trial as the 2C. He is the definition of an effective middle-six player.

 

[BadgersandBlues]

This game reminded me a lot of last year. We were heavily outplayed throughout the game (I think we lost the scoring chance battle 38-17 and the HDSC battle 21-6 YIKES) but thanks to some timely scoring and Binnington playing extremely well, we eeked out a win.

It's early, but getting our doors blown off by a pretty mid Kraken team is concerning.

 

[kimzey59]

I’m not bothered by the slow start. A game starting in the morning like this is really hard to get your body clock right.

But when this team needs energy, who is going to fight someone or get some energy going?

Curious thing to bring up given that we literally just saw Dingo do exactly that in this game.

The Blues were dead on their feet until Walker ate Dunn's baby and Gourde tried to tangle with the Bull. That was THE specific moment that lit a fire under the teams butt and it was all Dingo for starting it.

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

I guess you haven’t seen eastern Arkansas then… oh, MOST beautiful, nevermind

Hahah I grew up in Peoria but I did go down to the Ozarks when I was a kid. Definitely not Eastern Arkansas but still nice. I won’t completely rag on the state