These late games are brutal as I can't just turn it off when its over and go to bed.
Just rewatched OT. The biggest thing the Blues can clean up right away is their decision making with the puck and playing more composed.
Few examples
Blues kill off the PP to start OT. Rather than immediately start thinking about offense and maybe hitting Schenn coming out of the box, Buchnevich rifles it down the ice. Had time and space to otherwise make a play.
View attachment 548629
Few plays later - where does Perron go with this puck? You guessed it. Right in the middle of three Av players. Puck is turned over and going the other way in a hurry.
View attachment 548630
Kyrou has the puck here with a chance to clear but is indecisive and lets two Av players collapse on him. Turnover and almost leads to the GWG by MacKinnon.
View attachment 548631
Any guesses where Saad tries to pass this puck to not once but twice from behind the net?
View attachment 548632
Bozak overskates the puck behind the net. Another offensive zone turnover where we had some possession.
View attachment 548633
Nice stretch pass during a line change that almost springs Saad. Johnson gets a piece of the puck. Saad proceeds to lose a puck battle to Makar behind the net that results in the play going the other way.
View attachment 548634
Potential for a give-and-go here for Rosen but instead he dumps the puck behind the Avalanche net after gaining the blueline instead of hitting a streaking Toropchenko that is driving the net.
View attachment 548635
Last but not least, there is the defensive zone faceoff that we win but Kyrou turns the puck over again on the boards.
View attachment 548637
Also, was this puck played with a highstick? Sure looks like it to me. Kadri bats it down with a highstick after Binnington made two saves. Kicks it over to Landeskog who dishes it back to Manson for the game winner.
View attachment 548636
Backing up a few moments before that, Makar ices the puck at 12:34 (which somehow isn't called), Parayko retrieves it behind the net but turns it over with a lazy play up the boards instead of skating it out of danger like we've seen him do a million times before. MacKinnon gets a shot off that Binnington freezes. Puck ends up in the back of the net after the ensuing faceoff.
A combination of poor execution, poor decision making and poor officiating in OT.