Alex Ovechkin (and the other guys on his team) Visit St. Louis!

Well, I guess I’m nobody… ;-)

Two-zip Blues in the first period. Kerber has the future Mrs. Dan Hinote, Amy McCarthy, on the air talking about Hinote’s Heroes.

What the ****; Mike Green just scored on an “oh-by-the-way” shot. Are the Blues ever going to get a shutout this year?

Peoria trails Grand Rapids 2-1 after one period. Everyone’s favorite goalie, Jason Bacashihua, hs allowed two goals on eight shots agains, including a goal 29 seconds into the freakin’ game…

Updates to follow,

B.

Kerber just asked Amy McCarthy what her favorite aspect of the game is, and she said, “the fights, of course.”

Needless to say, Chase was pleased…

B.

Bacashihua isn’t doing well… 4 GA on 13 shots.

Can I get a cameo appearance from Sucky McSuck? I’d say bring McKenna back up to Peoria from Las Vegas, but McKenna hasn’t played a minute for the Wranglers yet this year; they have some new wunderkind in the nets this year, apparently.

Peoria’s power play has gone south lately; Grand friggin’ Rapids is 3-for-3 with the man advantage so far tonight. Grrrr…

B.

This has been just about the longest between-periods break I’ve ever sat through. It seems like the Blues were last on the ice an hour ago…

B.

The Blues REALLY need to catch a break on the power play one of these days…

In Peoria, Bacashihua got the hook after giving up the fourth GRand Rapids goal. Schwarz now in the net for the Rivermen.

B.

“That’s just a weak call by Brad Watson.” Backes to the sin bin for a hook.

Don’t hold back, Chaser.. tell us how ya REALLY feel… :-D

Son of a bitch… 2-2 now.

B.

What the bloody hell?

Get rid of these damned imposters and give me back my St. Louis Blues, dammit!

Rucinsky takes a lazy penalty, and the Blues are now killing off a 5-on-3. Maybe it’s time to give Chris Porter or Michal Birner (who both have points tonight) a look at the NHL level, eh?

B.

Hmmm… apparently, McKenna is playing for Portland (AHL) at the moment. The Blues / Rivermen might want to consider bringing him back to Peoria at some point if Bacashihua continues to play horses**t…

Let’s go, Blues. A power play goal here would be most welcome.

B.

Merde…

B.

at least the blues will tke the lead into the third. the second line, and the second power play unit still need something. but that boyes for wideman deal looks more like brock for brolio every game

Boyes and Backman give the Blues a 4-2 lead early in the 3rd.

Grand Rapids got an empty-netter with one second left on the clock to beat Peoria 5-3. Schwarz stopped all 8 shots he faced in 28 minutes-plus of relief for Bacashihua.

B.

Make that Backes, not Backman…

So what, am I the thread killer around here or something? No one else particpates in any thread in which I am heavily involved. This is starting to give me a complex…

B.

i told you cash was chasless man. and you defended him. he might make it yet in the echl. or we could call up chris becford-tseu who played well at both levels last year and he could back up our supposed future??

Brian: I woulda been here to keep you company, if I could. I was out of town, though, and couldn’t listen to the game.

Hot damn the Blues are good. A win’s a win’s a win and the 2 points will be important later on.

if they plan to split starts in peoria Scwartz will end up with less ice time than the year before and i am still assuming the blues have some love for the guy and see him up here next season as a back up or a trade….

Cash vs. Schwarz: Can only hope that the Blues are finding out once and for all if Cash can be an NHL goalie.

Saturday: Saw Steve Wagner make a mistake in the game. First one I can recall all year. GTPD, where did this guy come from? I’m impressed.

Power Play: They hold the puck too much.

Doing my best Columbo… one more thing… anybody notice that Brent Johnson’s goaltending technique still sucks? Lotta talent, no work ethic.

Chris D wrote:

“i told you cash was chasless man. and you defended him. he might make it yet in the echl. or we could call up chris becford-tseu who played well at both levels last year and he could back up our supposed future??”

Take a Valium, brother.

Yes, Bacashihua played poorly on Saturday at home vs. Grand Rapids. Yes, his effort has historically been inconsistent; like Doug Favell back in the 70’s, and like the little girl with the curl in her forehead, when they’re good, they’re very, very good, but when they’re bad, they’re horrid.

One poor game early in a season, and a history of running hot and cold, do not necessarily a poor goaltender make. One need only look at the man the Blues faced on Saturday night. Johnson, like Bacashihua, has a boatload of talent, but he has also managed to be wildly inconsistent from start to start. Yet, he’s managed to carve out an NHL career, and I don’t expect Bacashihua to be any different. Whether that career is in this organization or not is another story.

bluetransplant, re: Steve Wagner. I hear that tne Blues had an eye on him as far back as 2003-04, when he was with Tri-City of the USHL. His career stats can be found here:

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid5B5D=69793

B.

GTPD: Doug Favell and the little girl with the curl? You sure you weren’t hanging around in Philly back then? That’s EXACTLY what we used to say about him.

As for Johnson, I’m pretty sure that his inconsistency is due to bad fundamentals, and an annoying lack of focus. There are games when good fundamentals will stop a couple of shots that could go in—you have a better chance of getting hit with the puck when you cut down angles and square to the potential shooter.

All I’ve seen of Cash is that he’s a rebound machine and he doesn’t always get set for the potential shot. He seems to get a lot of “surprise” goals. With Schwarz, Beckford-Tseu, and Bishop, the Blues don’t have to fall in love with Cash. Like I said, maybe this year is his shot at convincing the organization that he belongs here.

bluetransplant wrote:

“GTPD: Doug Favell and the little girl with the curl? You sure you weren’t hanging around in Philly back then? That’s EXACTLY what we used to say about him.”

Nope, not in Philly.

In Denver, when Favell and Michel Plasse patrolled the nets for the Colorado Rockies in their first season after moving from Kansas City (1976-77).

Mike Kitchen was a mid-round pick of the Rockies that first season.

Favell, I believe, later went on to coach at DU for a while, as did Ralph Backstrom, who came to town with the WHA Denver Spurs (when they moved from Chicago, where they were formerly the Cougars) and now owns the CHL’s Colorado (Loveland) Eagles.

B.