NHL (2020-2021) v. Draft, sign, & trade.

[hunnus2000]

Currently watching NY and Pitt and I keep shaking my head, dayum, there is nothing in sports like playoff hockey. 

Except maybe Olympic hockey. 

[LudwigVan]

Kyle Palmieri finally showed up. I’ll take it.

JG Pageau was a beast.

[KevShmev]

Perron placed in COVID status two days before playoffs.    If this isn’t a false positive then I will amend my optimism. Outside of Oreily.....he’s the most important forward we have. He finished over a point a game and has been playing great.

He’s the third Blues to hit COVID protocol in the past week. Hope this isn’t an outbreak. I doubt the league postpones the playoffs for the Blues. I believe they would if it were a couple of the darling teams but have no doubt they’ll make the Blues play the games with beer vendors and equipment managers.

Losing Perron will be brutal.

He is out for at least Game 1.  Ugh.  That is a HUGE loss. 

[gmillerdrake]

Perron placed in COVID status two days before playoffs.    If this isn’t a false positive then I will amend my optimism. Outside of Oreily.....he’s the most important forward we have. He finished over a point a game and has been playing great.

He’s the third Blues to hit COVID protocol in the past week. Hope this isn’t an outbreak. I doubt the league postpones the playoffs for the Blues. I believe they would if it were a couple of the darling teams but have no doubt they’ll make the Blues play the games with beer vendors and equipment managers.

Losing Perron will be brutal.

He is out for at least Game 1.  Ugh.  That is a HUGE loss.

Little or no shot at winning the series if he misses the whole thing. The Blues are already down too many key guys to now have their leading scorer and heart and soul of the team plus the guy who makes the PP click gone. Not to mention his forecheck and ability to draw penalties. Just a brutal loss.

If his last name was MacKinnon, Ovechkin or Matthew’s we’d have a postponed series.

[TAC]

If his last name was MacKinnon, Ovechkin or Matthew’s we’d have a postponed series.

Your series hasn't even started and you're already talking crazy. The Caps have their #1 goalie out on Covid protocol and that series stared first.

[gmillerdrake]

If his last name was MacKinnon, Ovechkin or Matthew’s we’d have a postponed series.

Your series hasn't even started and you're already talking crazy. The Caps have their #1 goalie out on Covid protocol and that series stared first.

It’s the playoffs Tim. Crazy talk doesn’t wait for the puck to drop.

[King Postwhore]

We know Gary.  All too well.  Lol

[KevShmev]

I was all set for a 4th straight playoff game going to OT last night and then TB had to score with a minute and change left to ruin it. 

[jingle.boy]

I was all set for a 4th straight playoff game going to OT last night and then TB had to score with a minute and change left to ruin it. 

I felt like that game was being played in fast-forward.  Dunnow if it was a function of the low camera angle they have in that arena, or if those two teams were just fucking flying.  Probably a bit of both, but damn that was an exciting game.

[TAC]

I was all set for a 4th straight playoff game going to OT last night and then TB had to score with a minute and change left to ruin it. 

I felt like that game was being played in fast-forward.  Dunnow if it was a function of the low camera angle they have in that arena, or if those two teams were just fucking flying.  Probably a bit of both, but damn that was an exciting game.

Next game, Florida might want to cover Kucherov at the circle.

[jingle.boy]

I was all set for a 4th straight playoff game going to OT last night and then TB had to score with a minute and change left to ruin it. 

I felt like that game was being played in fast-forward.  Dunnow if it was a function of the low camera angle they have in that arena, or if those two teams were just fucking flying.  Probably a bit of both, but damn that was an exciting game.

Next game, Florida might want to cover Kucherov at the circle.

People have been saying that about Ovi for 15 years, and yet he still scores from there.  If it was easy, everyone would do it.

[KevShmev]

Ugh, Avs get a goal on the PP minutes after one of their players got away with instigating a fight with Schenn.  Gotta love losing one of our key forwards for five minutes because the opponent instigated a fight and the officials didn't even give him an instigator penalty.

Whew, just getting that out of the way before Gary had the chance...

[TAC]

Ugh, Avs get a goal on the PP minutes after one of their players got away with instigating a fight with Schenn.  Gotta love losing one of our key forwards for five minutes because the opponent instigated a fight and the officials didn't even give him an instigator penalty.

Whew, just getting that out of the way before Gary had the chance...

 

[KevShmev]

There is no "c" in Shmev, Sherlock.

[KevShmev]

Silliness aside, the Avs really are a juggernaut this year.  The Blues came out with fire and had some great early chances, but once both teams settled in, the Avs dominated and the Blues were on their heels for most of the rest of the period. 

[gmillerdrake]

Silliness aside, the Avs really are a juggernaut this year.  The Blues came out with fire and had some great early chances, but once both teams settled in, the Avs dominated and the Blues were on their heels for most of the rest of the period.

Well....they got handed the momentum with the dive from MacKinnon. I’m more ticked at that that than the obvious instigator not being called. The AVs thrive in the PP so I’m not surprised they were handed an early PP.

[Dittomist]

After two periods, this game is reminding me a lot of Game 1 between the Blues and Wild in 2017, when Jake Allen made 51 saves and the Blues managed to steal it in overtime. Colorado is clearly the superior team tonight but Binnington is absolutely on fire! Hopefully the Blues can stay out of the penalty box and Perron can make a surprise appearance and announce that he's Covid-free and ready to play!

[gmillerdrake]

Binnington has been incredible. He’s the only reason this game isn’t 10-1

[jingle.boy]

I can't remember the last time I saw an instigator penalty for someone starting a fight after a big hit - especially one that is a borderline penalty.  Sure, Rantanen came straight across the blueline, and deserved to get nailed, but I know that you guys know how the NHL operates, and if it was the other way around (eg, O'Reilly starting a fight for Schenn getting that kind of hit), neither of you would think for one second that he should been assessed 2+5+game for that.

C'mon guys, tone down the homer-rhetoric - it's only the 1st game of the playoffs. 

I tell ya, watching the North games is gonna be weird ... fan-less and all.  Having seen a few games now with 25%-50% of fans in attendance, going back to an empty arena will be bizarre.

[KevShmev]

Binnington has been incredible. He’s the only reason this game isn’t 10-1

I couldn't stay awake for the 3rd period (which looks like a good thing), but it being 1-1 after two was a minor miracle.  Binnington played out of his mind; that save on the 2 on none was an all-timer. And it was all for naught. 

[gmillerdrake]

C'mon guys, tone down the homer-rhetoric - it's only the 1st game of the playoffs. 

I only have three more games left to spout it though 

[jingle.boy]

C'mon guys, tone down the homer-rhetoric - it's only the 1st game of the playoffs. 

I only have three more games left to spout it though 

Well, at least we know you still have a firm grasp on reality!  Nah, I think Binnington will steal one, and/or maybe the Avs will lay a turd.  I don't think it'll be a sweep.

[gmillerdrake]

C'mon guys, tone down the homer-rhetoric - it's only the 1st game of the playoffs. 

I only have three more games left to spout it though 

Well, at least we know you still have a firm grasp on reality!  Nah, I think Binnington will steal one, and/or maybe the Avs will lay a turd.  I don't think it'll be a sweep.

The Blues were already having to overcome the loss of a couple key players......add in Perron being out who drives the PP, forecheck and led the team in scoring it's just the straw that broke the camels back IMO.

I think they'll give as good as effort as they can and make it a tough series for the AVs....I just don't see how they can beat them. We HAVE to capitalize on the chances we get and Tarasenko hits the post on a wide open side from 5 foot and Hoffman drags his feet on an open net allowing the D to block his tuck attempt. You gotta bury your chances and the Blues don't have players that can do that.

Binnington was awesome but when you face 52 shots as high as caliber as he was facing two or three are going to go in.


As far as the complaining about the refs....I was happy to listen to an analyst on NHL Today confirm what I was complaining about. The call when MacKinnon flopped when he was touched was BS.....and ticky tack or not that should have been instigating. He basically said what I was thinking....it's going to be tough to beat the AVs and the refs so hopefully the officiating evens out a bit.

[jingle.boy]

Blaming the refs is the hall-mark of every great team and coach.     Gary, you know I love you like a brother ... but you slay me.

[TAC]

Fast forward a couple of nights...

I can't believe that bullshit call on Matthews.

[gmillerdrake]

Blaming the refs is the hall-mark of every great team and coach.     Gary, you know I love you like a brother ... but you slay me.

Thankfully the pro's don't use the excuse.....well the majority of them.

At this point I feel like it's my responsibility to the NHL thread and all mankind to bring up the obvious bias in the NHL officiating. 

[TAC]

You're performing a service.

[KevShmev]

Missed calls happen, and I do think some officials have the tendency to try to even it out, like if one team has had three penalties in a row, they are more likely to call something ticky-tack on the other team to try and even it out, but I doubt any go into a game thinking, "I want to screw/help team X."

That said, those clowns who blew it two years ago and allowed the Sharks OT goal after the hand pass to stand can still burn in hell.  (My ire for that would still be 100 times worse had the Blues ended up losing that series)

[Anguyen92]

Blaming the refs is the hall-mark of every great team and coach.     Gary, you know I love you like a brother ... but you slay me.

Well, honestly, a great team and a coach can't blame the refs if they have been rightfully wronged, or else, they get risked being fined.  Here's one example from last year below.  Heck, the Rangers got fined $250k for making their public statement on Twitter regarding the Department of Safety after the recent Tom Wilson incident.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/29648419/hurricanes-rod-brindamour-fined-25k-criticizing-officials-game-1-loss

[jingle.boy]

Fast forward a couple of nights...

I can't believe that bullshit call on Matthews.

Your point?

Blaming the refs is the hall-mark of every great team and coach.     Gary, you know I love you like a brother ... but you slay me.

Thankfully the pro's don't use the excuse.....well the majority of them.

At this point I feel like it's my responsibility to the NHL thread and all mankind to bring up the obvious bias in the NHL officiating. 

Not all heroes wear capes.

Missed calls happen, and I do think some officials have the tendency to try to even it out, like if one team has had three penalties in a row, they are more likely to call something ticky-tack on the other team to try and even it out, but I doubt any go into a game thinking, "I want to screw/help team X."

Agreed wholeheartedly.

[King Postwhore]

Which is no way to call a game. If one team is taking more liberties,  then they should be penalized more.

[Anguyen92]

^^ Yep, I agree, but for some reason, the refs don't see it that way more often than not, it seems, and then you got that Tim Peel controversy.

[jingle.boy]

I want to amend my stance, as my brain went in a different direction.  I don't think refs should be trying to call an "equal" amount of penalties, but they should be "equitable".  For instance, if they realize they fucked up a penalty call, then I don't have an issue giving an 'even up' penalty on a marginal call.  If one team gets one or two penalties in OT, you know the other team is going to be under a microscope, and the refs are more apt to not let something borderline slide.

At the end of it all, the stripes don't want to be the ones under the microscope themselves, and be seen as the deciding factor in any game.

[SchecterShredder]

Which is no way to call a game. If one team is taking more liberties,  then they should be penalized more.

Agreed. I remember back in the Vancouver-Boston cup final where Dave Nonis came out at a presser after a game to bitch about the differences in penalties between the 2 teams. The answer is pretty simple: don't take penalties!

[TAC]

Did the entire North Division get a first round bye?? When are the playoffs starting up there? Jeesh!