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Stanley Cup Finals: Boston Bruins (A2) vs. St. Louis Blues (C3)


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Stanley Cup Finals: Boston Bruins (A2) vs. St. Louis Blues (C3)  

27 members have voted

  1. 1. Who wins he 2018-19 Stanley Cup?

    • Bruins sweep
      0
    • Bruins in 5
      3
    • Bruins in 6
      8
    • Bruins in 7
      2
    • Blues sweep
      2
    • Blues in 5
      1
    • Blues in 6
      7
    • Blues in 7
      4


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6 hours ago, BlueAero said:

Yes...and I meant it, too.  Don't just take my opinion into account, either.  Consider some of these offerings from the media over the past decade:

 

Again, historically.

USA Today Says Central Division is NHL's Toughest in 2018  January of last season.  The final standings made the argument weak.  Lack of a central rep in the finals made it weaker.   This year, I stipulate to it though I think it's hard to measure.    Other divisions had better finishers up top, but top-to-bottom I think as a whole the central was probably strongest.

 

Debate Whether Metropolitan or Central is NHL's Best Division-- This one is automatically eliminated from serious consideration as a legitimate hockey piece.  First of all, I don't know who Duff is, but he keeps citing history that precedes the Met or the Central as currently constituted.  YOu simple cannot do that.

 

"The Central Division has been the best division in the NHL in recent history"   Again, this is before realignment and includes teams no longer in the central when written.  And it includes divisions that no longer exist and not divisions that do.

 

 

Again, historically.  And like I wrote before, I've seen others say Central so it's not outlandish.  It's also extremely hard to defend considering one division out of four has won three cups out of 5 since current alignment.  And that division ain't the central.   What the central has is great regular season teams that, aside from Chicago, are perennial chokers.

 

For whatever that's worth, I think that changes this year.

 

I certainly think one can make an argument in favor of the central division.  But I don't think it's open/shut and I certainly don't buy "historically."

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13 hours ago, ruxpin said:

It's also extremely hard to defend considering one division out of four has won three cups out of 5 since current alignment.  And that division ain't the central

 

This.

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14 hours ago, ruxpin said:

And like I wrote before, I've seen others say Central so it's not outlandish

 

 

 

Agree!  And it's also a very trivial topic to discuss to this length when today is puck-drop for game #1 of the Stanley Cup finals.

 

Today's odds stand at -150 for Boston and +130 for the Blues.  The line has moved only 5 points toward St. Louis since opening on Wednesday so most of the money is taking a wait and see attitude.  

 

Dom Luszczyszyn’s metric model gives Boston a 73% chance of winning the Cup but his system is skewed by seasonal data that may or may not be reflective of where both teams currently find themselves.  I tend not to pay a lot of attention to these advanced metric projections, especially at this time of year. 

 

That said, I kind of like it that the hockey world is sort of turning up their collective noses at the Blues going into this series.  They've been coming from behind all year, especially since January 7.  No reason to change that now.

 

 

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1 minute ago, BlueAero said:

And it's also a very trivial topic to discuss to this length when today is puck-drop for game #1 of the Stanley Cup finals.

 

LOL  Agree, but it was a fun way to kill the weekend.  

 

I get lost on the "metric models."   I dont know enough about what they're based on, but looking at the two teams I don't understand the 73% chance.   I think the hockey world is turning their noses up at the Blues because of the recent history I mentioned earlier in this thread.  I think people have missed what is different.

 

Good luck to your Blues!

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Thanks for the good wishes, ruxpin.  I agree with you on why the Blues get little respect....they haven't earned it.  Historically speaking that is.  😉 

 

Metric models are just that....arithmetic projections based solely on goofy new stat categories like "Corsi for" and "Five-on-five venue adjusted" to make some nerdy prediction about how good a team can be expected to perform.  This method, while informative and revealing, has one glaring, huge weakness....it doesn't take into account the human element.

 

The Bruins are favored in this series and they should be.  They have the experience, the depth, the goaltending, the talent....everything you would want in a Stanley Cup contender.  All signs would point to a Bruins triumph.

 

But I believe there's something else going on here that really can't be measured in stats.  Blues in six. 

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It was a great effort by the Bruins but I don't think anyone over here is freaking out about what happened in game #1.  In a lot of ways, it reminded me of game #1 against San Jose.  We got embarrassed by making bad passes, taking stupid penalties, turning the puck over and allowing way too many easy entries into the zone.  The amazing thing to me was the fact that we played as poorly as we did and still had an opportunity to win it had we somehow been able to score the tieing goal in the third period and that was only due to Jordan Binnington.  Boston had a Corsi for of over 58% so the score was not really indicative of how dominant the Bruins really were.  We ain't winning nothing playing at this level, folks.

 

The good news is we rarely (if ever) play this poorly in consecutive games and, until the Bruins beat us when we are playing our best, how bad can a Blues fan feel about such a performance?  I'm expecting a much better effort in game #2.   

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Is it me or do the Bruins really get a lot of calls in their building ?

I want to know if it's my anti- Boston sports hate or are the calls warranted ?

 

Once again I was watching an evenly matched 5 v 5 contest that the Bruins were on the short end of the score sheet.  They get a couple of power plays and it turns the tide of the game. Now some of this is taking advantage of a situation and even I can see that, but really, the B's were nothing and no where, a couple of soft call power plays later and they tie it up. 

 

I don't watch this Bruins team and think 'yep that's a juggernaut there", they take advantage of their opportunities and have some good puck luck-  .  they do have a great top line, but after that ?!?!

 

So are they good ? am I blinded by my Boston sports hate ? I can't tell...

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51 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

 

...what happened Blues? 

 

A couple of stupid undisciplined penalties would be my 1st reason.

(Even tho I don't think that stick to the chin actually hit.)

Blues let them back into the game and the B's PP fired them up.

That was the Blues road game to take and they blew it.

 

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We'll see how they respond.

 

I hope this game doesn't come back to haunt the Blues have them on the canvas only to let them up to take a beating.

 

It seems it took the Bruins awhile to get going and they may not let off the gas now.

 

Guess we'll see.

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11 hours ago, ClusterChuck said:

A couple of stupid undisciplined penalties would be my 1st reason.

(Even tho I don't think that stick to the chin actually hit.)

Blues let them back into the game and the B's PP fired them up.

That was the Blues road game to take and they blew it.

 

 

Agree.  No time to dwell on a bad performance. 

 

Pointless to blame the officiating....it wasn't their doing that caused us to lose, it was us. 

 

Turn the page.  Nothing new here.  Wednesday presents a new opportunity and that's where our focus must be.

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14 hours ago, BlueAero said:

Turn the page. 

 

It's all you can do. Get ready for the next game.

 

They found away to overcome it in the Sharks game (i forget which game it was in OT.)

 

You have to do it again.

 

It's not a series till someone loses at home.

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21 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

It's not a series till someone loses at home.

1

 

That's the old saying so I guess we just qualified.

 

What we saw last night is how the Blues win when they play their game.  Our physicality takes its toll to the point where you saw how spent the Bruins were in OT last night.  We're not a fun team to play against when it gets to that point.

 

First Blues win in the Cup finals in their history....that's great but there are still three games to win.  The Lou should be rockin' on Friday night! 

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1 hour ago, BlueAero said:

 

That's the old saying so I guess we just qualified.

 

What we saw last night is how the Blues win when they play their game.  Our physicality takes its toll to the point where you saw how spent the Bruins were in OT last night.  We're not a fun team to play against when it gets to that point.

 

First Blues win in the Cup finals in their history....that's great but there are still three games to win.  The Lou should be rockin' on Friday night! 

 

Didn't get to watch this last night was out with friends.

 

So now they have won on the road and home ice now...can they hold it??? On to St. Louie now we'll see what happens now.

 

 

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Honestly, the Blues have been so good on the road this post-season that none of us are obsessing over home-ice right now.  Of course, I'd rather see us win our home games (if we do, the Cup is ours) but I'm not looking at it as a must-do.

 

A couple of quick general observations and things I need to get off my chest before game #3....

 

First....

 

....interesting to hear sanctimonious complaints from guys like David Backes about Sundqvist's unfortunate hit on Grzelcyk while, the day before, all of Boston was high-fiving themselves over Krug's helmetless cross-rink trek to take a run at Robert Thomas.  I even saw some crazy references to Krug's hit being compared to Orr's iconic (sickeningly so to a Blues fan like me) airborne image after scoring the series-icing goal in 1970.  Really?  C'mon, chowds....get a grip.  Let's take a closer look at both these incidents.

 

I'm not passing judgment on Krug and I'm certainly not exonerating Sundqvist because the rules are pretty clear on both counts but I think intent should have a lot to do with how the casual fan should look at these hits.  When you watch how Grzelcyk twisted his body backward and awkwardly lowered his head as Sundqvist hit him with his shoulder, it was pretty evident that it wasn't a headhunting effort by #70 and he was simply trying to finish his check....it appeared it was certainly incidental if not accidental.  No intent. 

 

Krug, on the other hand, appeared to be on a mission from God (or David Perron, not sure which) to lower the boom on an unsuspecting Thomas who, shame on him, didn't have his head up and got dropped to the ice in a hurry....intentional.  Mega-intentional.  Big difference in my view.  

 

Oskar will likely get a suspension since that's what the standard is and Krug didn't get anything (Was it a charge?  I dunno....close but the refs were letting a lot of things go so I don't really have a problem with it) so that's just the way it is. 

 

However, it doesn't cut both ways for you, David.  If y'all are gonna celebrate dishing it out, best keep your mouth shut while taking it unless someone pulls a McSorley (which this definitely wasn't).  I'd also note that you haven't heard word-one of ANY complaint about ANYTHING from the Blues players or coaches throughout these playoffs and that's the way it ought to be.  Staying focused on the game at hand is a big reason the Blues are still standing.

 

Next....

 

....the Blues' defensive pairing of Jay Bouwmeester/Colton Parayko along with the top line of Jayden Schwartz/Brayden Schenn/Vladimir Tarasenko is putting a major damper and turning the tables on the rather narcissistically-named "Perfection" line of Brad Marchand/Patrice Bergeron/David Pasternak that was literally tearing up the playoffs throughout the evolution of the Eastern Conference bracket.  The vaunted trio is a dismal -7 so far in the plus/minus category and has but a lone empty-net goal to show for its efforts in the finals thus far. 

 

On the flip side, the Blues top line has scored three goals in the first two games and had 19 shot attempts in game #2 alone.  Schenn had eight hits last night and was all over the ice.  To make matters worse, Marchand made a major defensive faux pas when he attempted to trail Tarasenko on a breakout with Schwartz on the other side when Zdeno Chara already had him covered, leaving Schwartz all alone on the wing.  The play ended in a picture-play goal with Tarasenko roofing his own rebound after picking up Schwartz's initial shot to tie the game at 2-2.

 

How things play out with this development could be the key to the series.  It's hard to picture the Bruins winning the Cup without this line being a major contributor.  There's still a lot of time for this to occur so time will tell.

 

Last thing....

 

....with the series coming to the gateway city, will NBC run features on hometown St. Louis boy Paddy Maroon the way they did for Weymouth's own Charlie Coyle when the series was in Boston?  Geez, I though ol' Charlie was about to get his own reality show for awhile they were giving him so much run!  Whattaya say we give equal billing where it's due, big peacock!    

 

Sorry to write so much but this is therapeutic for me, even if you didn't bother to read it (but "thanks" if you did!).  Fun series so far....if I don't end up with a heart attack.  Boston's really good but we've exposed them when we play our game.  It's anybody's series to lose, can't wait for game #3! :PopcornSmiley2:

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The right call...

 

St. Louis’ Oskar Sundqvist has been suspended for one game for Boarding Boston’s Matt Grzelcyk.

 

Now the refs have to keep the whistle even for both sides.

 

Not saying they have or haven't just saying it needs to be that way as best as possible. I hate when the officials have an influence on the outcome.

 

Once again I'm saying they have or haven't.

 

But on the particular play it was the right call.

 

 

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We all knew Sunny's suspension was a given.  I understand the reasoning but no way was #70 trying to take him out so it's just a shame that he is being portrayed as a goon.  He's not (and the hit wasn't elevated, Backes).  At what point does the guy going into the boards become liable for his actions as well?  I mean, if I run out in front of a moving car and get killed, is it the driver's fault or mine?

 

Anyway, next man up.  Looks like Boston U alum Zach Sanford will suit up in his stead.  It hurts....Sanford is a downgrade for sure but it's not going to be a disastrous one.

 

BTW, we need more chatter in this thread.  The Stanley Cup finals are going on, people.  Where are all the spin doctors, trolls and master baiters that usually make an appearance in these things?  Or, is this site primarily driven by the chatroom?  Wondering.... 

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3 hours ago, BlueAero said:

We all knew Sunny's suspension was a given.  I understand the reasoning but no way was #70 trying to take him out so it's just a shame that he is being portrayed as a goon.  He's not (and the hit wasn't elevated, Backes).  At what point does the guy going into the boards become liable for his actions as well?  I mean, if I run out in front of a moving car and get killed, is it the driver's fault or mine?

 

As the DOPS explained, the  responsibility for making sure a check is legal is the responsibility of the person executing the hit. He didn't make enough of an effort to do so, and there's no movement by the person being hit that would have made an otherwise legal hit into an illegal one

 

 

 

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19 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

The right call...

 

St. Louis’ Oskar Sundqvist has been suspended for one game for Boarding Boston’s Matt Grzelcyk.

 

Now the refs have to keep the whistle even for both sides.

 

Not saying they have or haven't just saying it needs to be that way as best as possible. I hate when the officials have an influence on the outcome.

 

Once again I'm saying they have or haven't.

 

But on the particular play it was the right call.

 

 

We don’t need the officials to even out the penalties. That is up to the players. 

Officials should call the game. If player takes a penalty he gets called. They just need to make good calls, not imaginary ones. 

No home cooking. 

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Grzelcyk

14 hours ago, Puck_Pun said:

As the DOPS explained, the  responsibility for making sure a check is legal is the responsibility of the person executing the hit. He didn't make enough of an effort to do so, and there's no movement by the person being hit that would have made an otherwise legal hit into an illegal one

1
1

 

Video doesn't work but, yeah, I get that it's the standard.  I'm just questioning the validity of the argument for the standard.  Watch the replay of the incident in real time and you tell me if Sundqvist had enough time to react to the situation.  He was just finishing his check as any responsible player would do.  To quote Elvis Costello, "Accidents will happen".  Even if he would have somehow missed the hit it would have been pure happenstance.  Either way, however, it wasn't a dirty play as Backes tried to indicate.  It also doesn't matter cuz that's the rule as you state.  Sanford is a decent replacement for #70.  We'll be all right.  I hope Grzelcyk is OK and can play again in the series.  I never like to see a player get hurt, especially a head injury.

 

 

3 hours ago, Tomdog said:

We don’t need the officials to even out the penalties. That is up to the players. 

Officials should call the game. If player takes a penalty he gets called. They just need to make good calls, not imaginary ones. 

No home cooking. 

 

Amen to that!  If the refs simply call penalties on a consistent basis and not on a tally basis I am fine with letting almost anything shy of stick swinging go....as long as the standard is the same for both teams throughout the contest.

 

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3 hours ago, Tomdog said:

We don’t need the officials to even out the penalties. That is up to the players. 

Officials should call the game. If player takes a penalty he gets called. They just need to make good calls, not imaginary ones. 

No home cooking. 

 

I agree. But as long as there are humans involved in it there will be some.

 

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I wish they would go back to the one ref on the ice....it seems the problem is two guys calling it two different ways.

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On 5/23/2019 at 11:20 AM, BlueAero said:

I'm basically concerned about two things:  the Bruins PP which has been lethal and Tukka Rask.  I think these teams compare very favorably without splitting hairs and the series will likely be decided by special teams and goaltending.  How's that for a hot take?  LOL....

2

 

Looks like these concerns are coming to fruition.  "Lethal" is exactly what the Bruins PP has been so far.  The Blues have to find a way to stay out of the box or this series is over.  Binnington being off is less of a concern....he's been money all year so I expect him to bounce back in game #4.

 

We've been in this spot in all three playoff series' so far (being handed a sound beating that is) and we've come back strong every time and on to win.  This Boston team presents perhaps a greater challenge than the Jets, Stars or Sharks but we've already shown we know how to beat them.  Now we need to just go out and do it but that won't happen unless we can stay out of the penalty box.    

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