The Playoff Push, Tanking and Scoreboard Watching Thread

[TruBlueFan1970]

Helly rounding into playoff form giving up 3 goals on 9 shots. They say the only sure thing in life is death and taxes. Can we add a Jets/Helly end of season implosion to that list?

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

Naturally, Hellebuyck shits the bed when we need them to beat Vancouver. 5 goals in 2 periods.

 

[Blanick]

Blues getting no help tonight. Most important game of the year Thursday.

 

[TheDizee]

Utah lost.

Everyone else won.

Convincing win in regulation vs Vanloser Thursday is crucial.

 

[Ranksu]

Wait a second are playoff race?

What IS our theme for playoffs?

 

[kimzey59]

Wait a second are playoff race?

What IS our theme for playoffs?

Just throwing it out there: Transformers, PO team in disguise.

 

[Beninnola]

Time for Doug Armstrong’s fun quote.

Sorry Vancouver. Is what it is. We gotta try to crush your hope homies. Hope you’re ready to play Thursday.

“you need to take the knife and jam it through their eye into their brain and kill them”

 

[PeoriaBlues309]

Wait a second are playoff race?

What IS our theme for playoffs?

Our theme is Ranksu and the rest of the Tank Enthusiasts aren’t allowed to enjoy this after shitting on the team the entire season

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Time for Doug Armstrong’s fun quote.

Sorry Vancouver. Is what it is. We gotta try to crush your hope homies. Hope you’re ready to play Thursday.

“you need to take the knife and jam it through their eye into their brain and kill them”

He was talking about winning a series, but I appreciate the reference here.

 

[Majorityof1]

Our theme is Ranksu and the rest of the Tank Enthusiasts aren’t allowed to enjoy this after shitting on the team the entire season

Then the playoff contingent cannot complain about who is available to draft or our lack of elite talent ever again. Deal?

 

[PeoriaBlues309]

Then the playoff contingent cannot complain about who is available to draft or our lack of elite talent ever again. Deal?

 

[ScratchCatFever]

It's sad to watch this passive aggressive hostility between the people who want us to bottom out for half a decade and those who want us to live in the present and roll with the punches trade blows with each other when the team is playing like they are and the guys who are actually playing the f***ing games are visibly loving every minute of it.. The Cup aftermath where everyone put aside their egos and just enjoyed the board, sharing stories, reveling in the team's accomplishment feels like a lifetime ago.

 

[PeoriaBlues309]

It's sad to watch this passive aggressive hostility between the people who want us to bottom out for half a decade and those who want us to live in the present and roll with the punches trade blows with each other when the team is playing like they are and the guys who are actually playing the f***ing games are visibly loving every minute of it.. The Cup aftermath where everyone put aside their egos and just enjoyed the board, sharing stories, reveling in the team's accomplishment feels like a lifetime ago.

At this point I’m just having fun with it. All of my sports teams for the past few years have been mid to bad, and I’m desperately craving playoff anything at this point.

If we were playing like we did pre-4N break, I’d be fine with us losing games for a better pick, but now that we’re here, I’m all in. This team is playing too well right now, and I don’t understand how anyone could be mad at it. We’re not PDO warriors, and we look like a legitimate great team.

Will we win the Cup this year? Probably not, but 31 teams don’t win it, so why not enjoy the first bit of great hockey that we’ve played in several years?

 

[ToastedRavioli]

There is a time and a place for thinking about the long-term health of the franchise and wanting the team to bottom out. However, if you're still on the tank train when the Blues are playing their best hockey in years and are on track to make the playoffs then that is a little weird. It just feels like if you cannot advocate for your favorite team to win and make the playoffs when they are playing great hockey and have a great shot of making it, you are kinda missing the charm of being a fan.

I disagree with the notion that you have to be in the top 5-8 most likely teams to win the cup to justify not tanking and getting a good draft pick. The team is within reach of a playoff spot and is red hot going into April. They are not favorites but they have a legitimate shot to upset a team and make some noise. These are the moments that make being a fan fun. Not joining in on the run and cheering for the team to lose is likely just going to have you missing out on some of the joys of being a fan. And frankly the difference between picking 17th and 12th in this draft is not that meaningful.

 

[ScratchCatFever]

At this point I’m just having fun with it. All of my sports teams for the past few years have been mid to bad, and I’m desperately craving playoff anything at this point.

If we were playing like we did pre-4N break, I’d be fine with us losing games for a better pick, but now that we’re here, I’m all in. This team is playing too well right now, and I don’t understand how anyone could be mad at it. We’re not PDO warriors, and we look like a legitimate great team.

Will we win the Cup this year? Probably not, but 31 teams don’t win it, so why not enjoy the first bit of great hockey that we’ve played in several years?

Exactly. I can certainly understand the argument for packing it in when the season dictates so. But I also believe setting the standard that losing in the short term is okay is not only bad for business, but a hard thing to sell professional athletes on while simultaneously expecting them to develop a winning attitude when management has stated it's desire to be losers in the box score to hopefully win in the future. I don't want the NHL to become the NBA and MLB in that regard. How long has Buffalo been accumulating magic beans for now??

 

[Majorityof1]

It's sad to watch this passive aggressive hostility between the people who want us to bottom out for half a decade and those who want us to live in the present and roll with the punches trade blows with each other when the team is playing like they are and the guys who are actually playing the f***ing games are visibly loving every minute of it.. The Cup aftermath where everyone put aside their egos and just enjoyed the board, sharing stories, reveling in the team's accomplishment feels like a lifetime ago.

It's funny that you are being the most passive aggressive of anyone by clearly laying the blame at the feet of one side. You claim both sides are being passive aggressive, but only advocate for the opinion of one side.

You are basically saying "I hate the bickering between group A and B. B is totally right a A is a bunch of assholes ruining the board."

And frankly the difference between picking 17th and 12th in this draft is not that meaningful.

So my opinion is objectively wrong as proven by this completely unsupported opinion? If the difference between 17th and 12th is meaningless. How meaningless is it? Could we trade up to 12th if we add a 7th round pick?

I mean, you are already saying we will pick 17th. So that means we barely make the playoffs and lose in round one. I say you are wrong because of my unsubstantiated opinion that the difference between missing the playoffs and losing in round 1 is meaningless.

 

[joe galiba]

I like tanks AND I like trains

 

[ToastedRavioli]

So my opinion is objectively wrong as proven by this completely unsupported opinion? If the difference between 17th and 12th is meaningless. How meaningless is it? Could we trade up to 12th if we add a 7th round pick?

I did not say meaningless. I said the difference is not that meaningful. Those are obviously completely different things and I am not sure if you intentionally did not understand that or not.

I mean, you are already saying we will pick 17th. So that means we barely make the playoffs and lose in round one. I say you are wrong because of my unsubstantiated opinion that the difference between missing the playoffs and losing in round 1 is meaningless.

Picking 17th does not mean you lost in round one. It seems you might have an uninformed opinion on how draft pick seeding works. The Blues could sweep the jets and then lose to the Avs in 7 in the 2nd round and they could still pick 17th. The reason I used the 17th pick as an example is because it is more likely than not that we lose in the first two rounds than make the conference finals. However, that is the case for most teams. I do not think that acknowledging that winning the Stanley cup is a longshot means we should just bottom out. The Stanley cup is a longshot for the majority of playoff teams. Genuine question: which teams are justified in your mind to try and make the playoffs? Should only 8 teams actually try and make the playoffs while the other 24 compete for the first overall pick?

 

[ScratchCatFever]

It's funny that you are being the most passive aggressive of anyone by clearly laying the blame at the feet of one side. You claim both sides are being passive aggressive, but only advocate for the opinion of one side.

You are basically saying "I hate the bickering between group A and B. B is totally right a A is a bunch of assholes ruining the board."



So my opinion is objectively wrong as proven by this completely unsupported opinion? If the difference between 17th and 12th is meaningless. How meaningless is it? Could we trade up to 12th if we add a 7th round pick?

I mean, you are already saying we will pick 17th. So that means we barely make the playoffs and lose in round one. I say you are wrong because of my unsubstantiated opinion that the difference between missing the playoffs and losing in round 1 is meaningless.

Actually, I said I fully understand the thought process of both arguments.. The fact you can't enjoy what the team is doing in the moment and choose cynicism is not my problem. As far "assholes ruining the board" I said the passive aggressiveness of both sides is tiresome, as finding a common ground in the matter has proven impossible. But yes. I feel pity for the fans who have nothing to do with what the players are doing on the ice and can't just live in the moment and enjoy watching competitive hockey.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

At this point I’m just having fun with it. All of my sports teams for the past few years have been mid to bad, and I’m desperately craving playoff anything at this point.

If we were playing like we did pre-4N break, I’d be fine with us losing games for a better pick, but now that we’re here, I’m all in. This team is playing too well right now, and I don’t understand how anyone could be mad at it. We’re not PDO warriors, and we look like a legitimate great team.

Will we win the Cup this year? Probably not, but 31 teams don’t win it, so why not enjoy the first bit of great hockey that we’ve played in several years?

All I know is that the games are fun to watch right now. The team knows how to generate goals well enough to threaten the other team. The guys look like they’re enjoying themselves. If the rumors are correct, it’s no wonder why Schenn declined to waive his NTC.

I wouldn’t mind seeing them roll into the playoffs playing with house money.

I’ve seen enough failed tanks and single pick busts to not get that excited about picking 8 spots later. I’ve also seen futile-looking hockey not that long ago. I appreciate the life they have in their game right now.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

Some of the exchanges on this topic remind me of debating Nathan Thurm. See about 3:05 of this clip.

 

[BrokenFace]

For 2 months I've been alternating between thinking about us making noise in the playoffs after every win or thinking about how nice a top 10 pick would be after every loss, so I'm not gonna call out anyone for whatever they're rooting for. The only thing that's weird to me is being judgemental about which one anyone else here is hoping for. This is a Blues board. Everyone here is ultimately rooting for the success of the Blues, even the people who are pulling for opposite outcome as you this season.

Fans rooting for the pick or the playoffs has zero impact on what eventually happens. No reason to get emotional on here because someone doesn't agree with you. We all want the same in the end.

That being said, I don't think I've heard anyone here advocate for a tear it down rebuild, but some posts paint the picture that wanting a high draft pick in a given year is the same as wanting a half-decade rebuild. I don't recall anyone here suggesting the Blues should try to draft in the top 3 for even a couple years.

 

[Majorityof1]

I did not say meaningless. I said the difference is not that meaningful. Those are obviously completely different things and I am not sure if you intentionally did not understand that or not.


Picking 17th does not mean you lost in round one. It seems you might have an uninformed opinion on how draft pick seeding works. The Blues could sweep the jets and then lose to the Avs in 7 in the 2nd round and they could still pick 17th. The reason I used the 17th pick as an example is because it is more likely than not that we lose in the first two rounds than make the conference finals. However, that is the case for most teams. I do not think that acknowledging that winning the Stanley cup is a longshot means we should just bottom out. The Stanley cup is a longshot for the majority of playoff teams. Genuine question: which teams are justified in your mind to try and make the playoffs? Should only 8 teams actually try and make the playoffs while the other 24 compete for the first overall pick?

Not that meaningful or almost meaningless is semantics. It's the same thing. I asked you to define how meaningful and you dodged the question.

You are right about picking 17th. I replied too quickly with too little thought on that. If we win a round, I'll admit I'm wrong. But I see that as a very long shot.

As for which teams should go for it, it is about team structure. A team with mackinnon and Makar, or McDavid and Drai should go for it. They have those major pieces and it's about building out the team around them while the clock is ticking.

We aren't there. We have decent depth but are missing elite talent. We aren't on a ticking clock with super stars where we have to win before they get too old or expensive. We have a nice wave of prospects about to come up. Why not bolster that crop with one more high-end piece?

Actually, I said I fully understand the thought process of both arguments.. The fact you can't enjoy what the team is doing in the moment and choose cynicism is not my problem. As far "assholes ruining the board" I said the passive aggressiveness of both sides is tiresome, as finding a common ground in the matter has proven impossible. But yes. I feel pity for the fans who have nothing to do with what the players are doing on the ice and can't just live in the moment and enjoy watching competitive hockey.

And again you are passive aggressive. "It's both sides but I only feel pity for the one." Keep your pity and your judgement.

Who says those who want a higher pick aren't enjoying watching the games? That's your assumption.

You are missing the point. The common ground is we all want what's best for the Blues, even if we don't agree what that is. You and yours are the ones who get offended by others wishing for a higher pick.

The passive aggression is saying I am missing the point of being a fan or should be pitied. Both of which were said in the last few posts. Yet I am enjoying watching the Blues, talking about the Blues (mostly) and dreaming for an elite difference maker from this draft. What's to be pitied?

 

[Vladys Gumption]

I have to be honest, I’m extremely surprised at the quality of our recent play. I was pretty confident that the wheels were gonna come off once Parayko got hurt. I’m pleasantly surprised to be wrong.

This team in some ways reminds me of the Hitch days. We’re short on high end talent, but the team is playing better than the sum of its parts. It’s pretty refreshing to see how well we’re playing on the defensive side of the ice. Which makes me want to see what we could do with a better defense.

 

[A Real Barn Burner]

I like tanks AND I like trains