The Olympic Factor

[BlueAero]

Now that we have once again underachieved in the playoffs, I'm searching for an answer to the question "why?". I mean, this team was supremely dominant for the greater part of the season. We were tops in the conference for months and a leading candidate for the President's Trophy going into the Olympic break. However, after the Olympics, our record for the rest of the year was a mediocre 13-12, including losses in the final 6 games. We seemed to rebound in the first couple of games against the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs but then promptly lost 4 straight and were rudely eliminated.

The Blues had more players representing their respective countries in the Olympics than any other NHL team. Some of them played right up until the final round. For 2 weeks their focus was directed somewhere besides winning the Stanley Cup for the Blues, not to mention the rigors of the travel to Sochi and back.

I'm not making excuses....just looking for answers. I'm thinking the Olympic factor may have been significant. We never did regain the dominance we displayed before the Olympic break once play resumed. It can't be a coincidence.

Personally, I don't think the Olympics should interrupt the NHL season....especially at such a critical juncture as mid-Februrary represents. Maybe I'm overblowing the importance of this but I don't think so. At the end, we looked worn out, slow and ineffective.

I'd be interested to know how big of a factor you think the Olympics played in the demise of this team this season??

 

[bleedblue1223]

Hawks had the same problem. The team just failed.

 

[BlueDream]

I find it hilarious how people find excuses to say the team was worn down or ran out of gas in the playoffs, etc, etc...

Yet when we're playing the Carolina Hurricanes in January and will clearly be a playoff team half of you guys are flipping **** that the Blues aren't going balls to the wall and dominating the game and how they look "disinterested" blah blah blah.

You do have to conserve some energy in this game at times.

 

[HockeyGuy73]

I think it was a factor. Not a physical factor, but a mental factor. Who is to blame for that? The players for not concentrating enough? Coaches should have done something different? Media for asking about it every day up to, during and for weeks afterwards? More teams went through this than just the Blues, so it cant be an excuse, but it can factor into the reason.

 

[BlueAero]

Hawks had the same problem. The team just failed.

I find it hilarious how people find excuses to say the team was worn down or ran out of gas in the playoffs, etc, etc...

Yet when we're playing the Carolina Hurricanes in January and will clearly be a playoff team half of you guys are flipping **** that the Blues aren't going balls to the wall and dominating the game and how they look "disinterested" blah blah blah.

You do have to conserve some energy in this game at times.

I'm not making excuses....just searching for answers. So you are both saying our collapse after Sochi was just a coincidence and that the real problem is talent, coaching, management or some combination of the three? That's quite possible....just not willing to write off the effect that the Olympic break had on the makeup of this team when the facts would seem to indicate otherwise....at least as a possibility.

 

[sharkhawk]

The Blues had more players representing their respective countries in the Olympics than any other NHL team. Some of them played right up until the final round. For 2 weeks their focus was directed somewhere besides winning the Stanley Cup for the Blues, not to mention the rigors of the travel to Sochi and back.

Hawks had 10 Olympians, Blues had 9.

 

[Alklha]

Now that we have once again underachieved in the playoffs, I'm searching for an answer to the question "why?". I mean, this team was supremely dominant for the greater part of the season. We were tops in the conference for months and a leading candidate for the President's Trophy going into the Olympic break. However, after the Olympics, our record for the rest of the year was a mediocre 13-12, including losses in the final 6 games. We seemed to rebound in the first couple of games against the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs but then promptly lost 4 straight and were rudely eliminated.

The Blues had more players representing their respective countries in the Olympics than any other NHL team. Some of them played right up until the final round. For 2 weeks their focus was directed somewhere besides winning the Stanley Cup for the Blues, not to mention the rigors of the travel to Sochi and back.

I'm not making excuses....just looking for answers. I'm thinking the Olympic factor may have been significant. We never did regain the dominance we displayed before the Olympic break once play resumed. It can't be a coincidence.

Personally, I don't think the Olympics should interrupt the NHL season....especially at such a critical juncture as mid-Februrary represents. Maybe I'm overblowing the importance of this but I don't think so. At the end, we looked worn out, slow and ineffective.

I'd be interested to know how big of a factor you think the Olympics played in the demise of this team this season??

Sorry, but what? We lost a couple of games 1-0 after the break and then picked up 19 points in our next 10 games. That 12 game sample size is 130 point pace over the season.

Our PP was terrible before the Olympic break as well.

This is looking for an excuse that isn't there.

 

[BlueAero]

Dad gummit you guys are like sharks smelling blood with this. I already said I'm not making excuses and I'm not comparing us to the Hawks. I'm simply asking if this team was affected by the Olympic break in some way. If you disagree, fine. But don't twist my words or make comparisons that aren't relevant.

If you say there was no affect from it, then our entire team was a charade from the git-go and it was simply a matter of time before the wheels fell off. Is that the case because, if not, what the hell happened??

 

[Onan]

Hawks had the same problem. The team just failed.

Thats right. Hawks are build for the playoffs, not just the regular season.

 

[JustOneB4IDie]

Hawks had the same problem. The team just failed.

This.

 

[Robb_K]

Many factors were involved. The big difference this season from last was The Blues' offensive system. Last season, they had trouble scoring. They scored at a 2.5 gpg rate. Hitch wanted to add scoring, so he changed the system, by having the defencemen often carry the puck out ofthe defensive zone, lead the rush, jump into the play in the offensive zone, pinching in, often driving towards the net, or trailing the lead rusher. This led to a lot of space in the slots and close-in, as the defencemen had to move towards the first skater, leaving the trailer open for a shot. Two-thirds into the season, The Blues were scoring at a 3.5 gpg rate (1 whole goal more than last season), while their goals against had risen some, due to their defencemen sometimes getting trapped in the offensive zone, and not getting back in time to defend their own end on counter plays. BUT, this new strategy WAS worth it, because their GAPG only went up 0.25, from 2.25 to 2.5. The power play had also improved drastically, over the year before, with a new strategy of carrying the puck over the blueline with a trailer and setting up a quick point shot or passing back to a trailer shot before the defence can set up, or when already set up, passing the puck around with movement of the players without the puck, drawing opponent defenders to come towards them, leaving holes where a Blue could skate and have room to get off a shot.

However, starting a week or 2 before The Olympics Break, The Blues' scoring started going down at even strength, and on the PP had started going down a bit earlier. Both were probably due to opponents' familiarity with what The Blues had been doing, and adjustment to it.

During The Olympics Break, opposing coaches had a lot of time to look over films of The Blues' play. They figured out how to play against what The Blues were doing, and defend against it. In addition, on the power play, The Blues' skaters, who didn't have the puck, stopped driving towards the net, and stopped moving along(sliding laterally) with the puck carrier, causing no one to be open to collect the pass and get off an unencumbered shot, except the other point man. So, only the 2 point men were now taking shots, and they were much easier to defend.

I don't know why Hitch and his assistants didn't see that and why they didn't change what the Blues were doing. The Blues went down from 29% to 19% on the power play by the end of the season, and a ridiculously low 5% in the playoffs. The Blues' coaches actions were completely irrational, to continue for so long doing something that no longer worked.

In terms of even strength scoring, the opponents defended better against The Blues entering the offensive zone, and once they set up there, they were doing mainly the same now predictable thing, so defenders were now leaving them no room to operate. The big difference between the early scoring period and the drought was that The Blues were breaking out of their zone cleanly, and quickly, and getting 2 and 3 players into the offensive zone before the defenders could set up against them. Later, The Blues had little or no room to operate, because the opponents were hemming them in inside their own zone and they rarely started out on the break with a numerical edge, and they were having a much harder time getting into the offensive zone and into the prime scoring areas. And when they got there, they had defenders right on them, having no space to get off a clean pass or shot. So, they ended up with last season's 2.25 gpg offence, of endless cycling, passes back to the point, and weak shots from the point hoping for a forward to pop in a rebound, or deflect a shot in.

I assume that injuries and fatigue contributed to the getting hemmed in, breakout problems, lack of fast rushes and, thus offensive zone entry problems, and the other main factor was the adjustments made by opposing coaches due to having seen The Blues in more games by then, and studying film of them.

 

[h22prelude93]

^ Agreed 100%. As usual, Robb_K hit the nail on the head. To answer your question in short, of course the Sochi Olympics were a big factor to some players being fatigued. But every little detail factors in huge to the outcome of the playoffs. Teams have to be at their very top of their game to make deep runs. There really are no good excuses. We just simply didn't execute. On the powerplay, especially, it seemed we spent way too much time passing and looking for that perfect setup instead of getting pucks to the net and working on deflections and rebound opportunities. And as Robb mentioned, we had much trouble breaking out and effectively penetrating the offensive zone. Those kinds of issues need to be addressed before the playoffs if you expect to make a deep cup run.

 

[Brian39]

Many factors were involved. The big difference this season from last was The Blues' offensive system. Last season, they had trouble scoring. They scored at a 2.5 gpg rate. Hitch wanted to add scoring, so he changed the system, by having the defencemen often carry the puck out ofthe defensive zone, lead the rush, jump into the play in the offensive zone, pinching in, often driving towards the net, or trailing the lead rusher. This led to a lot of space in the slots and close-in, as the defencemen had to move towards the first skater, leaving the trailer open for a shot. Two-thirds into the season, The Blues were scoring at a 3.5 gpg rate (1 whole goal more than last season), while their goals against had risen some, due to their defencemen sometimes getting trapped in the offensive zone, and not getting back in time to defend their own end on counter plays. BUT, this new strategy WAS worth it, because their GAPG only went up 0.25, from 2.25 to 2.5. The power play had also improved drastically, over the year before, with a new strategy of carrying the puck over the blueline with a trailer and setting up a quick point shot or passing back to a trailer shot before the defence can set up, or when already set up, passing the puck around with movement of the players without the puck, drawing opponent defenders to come towards them, leaving holes where a Blue could skate and have room to get off a shot.

However, starting a week or 2 before The Olympics Break, The Blues' scoring started going down at even strength, and on the PP had started going down a bit earlier. Both were probably due to opponents' familiarity with what The Blues had been doing, and adjustment to it.

During The Olympics Break, opposing coaches had a lot of time to look over films of The Blues' play. They figured out how to play against what The Blues were doing, and defend against it. In addition, on the power play, The Blues' skaters, who didn't have the puck, stopped driving towards the net, and stopped moving along(sliding laterally) with the puck carrier, causing no one to be open to collect the pass and get off an unencumbered shot, except the other point man. So, only the 2 point men were now taking shots, and they were much easier to defend.

I don't know why Hitch and his assistants didn't see that and why they didn't change what the Blues were doing. The Blues went down from 29% to 19% on the power play by the end of the season, and a ridiculously low 5% in the playoffs. The Blues' coaches actions were completely irrational, to continue for so long doing something that no longer worked.

In terms of even strength scoring, the opponents defended better against The Blues entering the offensive zone, and once they set up there, they were doing mainly the same now predictable thing, so defenders were now leaving them no room to operate. The big difference between the early scoring period and the drought was that The Blues were breaking out of their zone cleanly, and quickly, and getting 2 and 3 players into the offensive zone before the defenders could set up against them. Later, The Blues had little or no room to operate, because the opponents were hemming them in inside their own zone and they rarely started out on the break with a numerical edge, and they were having a much harder time getting into the offensive zone and into the prime scoring areas. And when they got there, they had defenders right on them, having no space to get off a clean pass or shot. So, they ended up with last season's 2.25 gpg offence, of endless cycling, passes back to the point, and weak shots from the point hoping for a forward to pop in a rebound, or deflect a shot in.

I assume that injuries and fatigue contributed to the getting hemmed in, breakout problems, lack of fast rushes and, thus offensive zone entry problems, and the other main factor was the adjustments made by opposing coaches due to having seen The Blues in more games by then, and studying film of them.

Agree with everything you say here. The only thing I would add is that the injuries and fatigue weren't the only thing that made it difficult to adjust to an increased forecheck from the opposition. We are not a fast team, so we struggled to skate the puck forward. Teams knew they could forecheck us hard because the forecheckers could catch up to our forwards if the D was able to move the puck. Once the quick passes stopped working, the lack of speed made it tougher for us to adjust.

 

[Jzk]

The two biggest factors of the Blues not doing well is they aren't a good skating team and they didn't finish their chances. I'm the only one here that constantly comments on how bad the Blues are at skating. Team speed is a really big problem. Good passing and puck handling can help but the Blues can't make a tape to tape pass to save their lives. When teams like the Hawks and Sharks can throw ankle high passes and players can knock them down and control them. It's a pretty big skill difference.

 

[Robb_K]

The two biggest factors of the Blues not doing well is they aren't a good skating team and they didn't finish their chances. I'm the only one here that constantly comments on how bad the Blues are at skating. Team speed is a really big problem. Good passing and puck handling can help but the Blues can't make a tape to tape pass to save their lives. When teams like the Hawks and Sharks can throw ankle high passes and players can knock them down and control them, It's a pretty big skill difference.

YES! How many times have we seen a Blues forward all alone in front of a 2/3 or 3/4 empty net, but they couldn't control the rolling puck? If The Hawks control 4 out of 10 of those situations, in which the Blues control only one, that's a LOT more goals scored by The Hawks in those situations. Let's say that the Blues had only one of those situations occur per game. That would be 82. If they score in 1 out of 10 of those situations, they'd have 8 goals. The hawks, scoring 4 times out of 10 in such situations, score 33. That's 25 goals more than The Blues, which is close to how many more goals The Hawks scored in this regular season, than The Blues did.

The main problem is that The Blues have to play an almost perfect game, and have almost everything go right, and get off at least 1.5 to double as many shots on goal as the best NHL teams, to beat them, as they fail, so often, to take advantage of the opportunities they generate. That wasn't the case against most of the NHL teams for 2/3 of the season, but it was true from the start of the season against the Top 5.

The Blues just can't continue to play so hard to outshoot their rivals 45 to 22 EVERY game, over a long season. It leads to fatigue and a LOT of injuries. The Hawks just cruise, and then score on an easy breakaway. The Blues split their guts open making tonnes of hits, and generating 45 shots, and have only one goal to show for it. Then, The Blues make a bad shift change, and lose 2-1, or go down 2-1, and then The Blues need to take more chances on offence to tie up the game, and the wheels come off, and they lose 4-1 or 5-1.

The Blues need more scoring skill. I'd say that they need MORE than just one great scorer. Until Tarasenko and Schwartz become big stars (move up 2 levels in play), they need that #1 all-around passing and scoring centre, AND another sniper winger. IF they can grab Stastny, AND Rattie becomes a scoring star, they'll be okay. BUT, even if Rattie DOES become that guy, (like Tarasenko and Schwartz) he won't be that guy until at least 3 seasons from now.

 

[RR10*]

Now that we have once again underachieved in the playoffs, I'm searching for an answer to the question "why?". I mean, this team was supremely dominant for the greater part of the season. We were tops in the conference for months and a leading candidate for the President's Trophy going into the Olympic break. However, after the Olympics, our record for the rest of the year was a mediocre 13-12, including losses in the final 6 games. We seemed to rebound in the first couple of games against the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs but then promptly lost 4 straight and were rudely eliminated.

The Blues had more players representing their respective countries in the Olympics than any other NHL team. Some of them played right up until the final round. For 2 weeks their focus was directed somewhere besides winning the Stanley Cup for the Blues, not to mention the rigors of the travel to Sochi and back.

I'm not making excuses....just looking for answers. I'm thinking the Olympic factor may have been significant. We never did regain the dominance we displayed before the Olympic break once play resumed. It can't be a coincidence.

Personally, I don't think the Olympics should interrupt the NHL season....especially at such a critical juncture as mid-Februrary represents. Maybe I'm overblowing the importance of this but I don't think so. At the end, we looked worn out, slow and ineffective.

I'd be interested to know how big of a factor you think the Olympics played in the demise of this team this season??

Lol the Olympics has nothing to do with it. If something it's actually good for them because they gain some confidense playing for their national teams.

The answer is simple. The Blues doesn't have game-changers (elite forwards) that can carry the team. Center depth is awful for a contender. The Blues need more skill: playmakers and goal scorers. They have one natural goal scorer: Tarasenko and zero playmakers. That wont do it. Defense is not that great either. They need to do some changes, not much but noticeable. Stastny + a forward (Shattenkirk+Berglund trade) and replacing Jackman+Leopold with solid pieces will do it.