Blues Vs. Coyotes Open Thread

by Brad Lee on Feb 28, 2008 3:00 PM CST Comment 79 comments

Emmanuel in the desert Sunday night

By Brad Lee

Here's an excerpt from the cover story for St. Louis Game Time. If you're going tonight and planning on buying a copy, don't ruin the surprise and just go back to surfing for pictures of Alexander Ovechkin's girlfriend. And if you are going tonight and NOT planning on buying a copy, go back to surfing for pictures of Gary Bettman, you cheap bastard.

Feel free to fill up the comments before, during and after the game.

Coyotes Come Howling

For the hell of it, let’s check out the standings and do a little math. As of today, the Blues and Blackhawks are tied with 66 points apiece, tied for 12^th in the Western Conference. Columbus is just ahead with 67 points, Phoenix (tonight’s opponent in case you weren’t aware) has 69 and Nashville (who is in ninth place because of the tiebreakers) is tied with Colorado with 72 points. So that’s three wins behind the last playoff spot – if the Blues held any of the tiebreakers which we’d seriously doubt. That tight bunching, six teams within six points for that last playoff spot, is what makes getting into the playoffs from back in the pack so damn difficult.

An educated guess says 94 points will qualify for the playoffs in the Western Conference. It could be higher, but it’s doubtful a team with less than 94 will make the postseason. For the Blues to finish the season with 94 points, they have to go 14-5-0 over their last 19 games. A quick look at the Blues’ schedule so far this season shows that the team hasn’t played at that kind of pace all season. The closest they even came was a stretch form mid-October into November where the Blues were 12-7-0 which would still fall short of that 94-point goal.

Phoenix is 1-2-1 over the team’s last four games with that lone win coming against the Blues out in Glendale, Ariz. on Sunday night. The Coyotes did play on the road last night in Chicago and probably didn’t get a lot of rest before arriving in the middle of the night here in St. Louis. The Coyotes had some tough luck against the Hawks losing 1-0. Chicago’s Patrick Lalime (yes, that Patrick Lalime) stopped all 32 Phoenix shots in the shutout victory. That was Lalime’s first shutout since Feb. 7, 2007. Frankly, we’re surprised that date wasn't a lot longer ago, but whatever. The only goal Phoenix goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov allowed was a pinball-type shot that was a quick cross-ice feed that Jason Williams deflected toward the general area of the net. The puck bounced in off Phoenix forward Joel Perrault’s skate. In the replay it was difficult to see if Williams’ shot was even going to be on net or go just wide, but Perrault made sure it found the back of the net. Perfect.

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Comments

Man, I wish I could be at this game or watch it live. I not allowed to watch TV tonight. There was an “incident” that involved the garage and some paint.

I’m going to tape it. I will be slightly erect when or if Janssen hits the ice.

by Answer Man on Feb 28, 2008 4:02 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

lol A-Man going from hating #55 to loving it.

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 7:31 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Bernie’s coat is doing some serious strobing

by Scot C on Feb 28, 2008 7:32 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

for the love of GOD, fix the volume level on FSN!!!

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 7:32 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

that’s awesome how they show the clock ticking down to the opening faceoff when they go to commercial

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 7:36 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Cammie. Just like Tony Granato’s sister.

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 7:36 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

they showed the arena from beyond the smoke screens, but I could not see Gallagher

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 7:38 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

like the hot one from Street Fighter

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 7:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

interesting line combos

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 7:41 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Bernie summing up the topic of the day

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 7:42 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

for a team that’s struggling, Murray is almost always nodding :p

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 7:42 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Would it be insulting to make an Andy Murray bobble head doll?

by Scot C on Feb 28, 2008 7:42 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Just get a green goblin one and paint it white

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 7:43 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

heh, the Cam Cam. Answer Man will be most pleased

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 7:43 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Blues not sustaining much offensive pressure

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 7:47 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

lucky miss

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 7:47 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

“it’s not just a beer, it’s a lager”

everytime I see this commercial, I’m expecting him to crack a joke or some background chaos to happen…

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 7:50 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Manny stole his equipment from some guy named Brian.

by Poor College Student on Feb 28, 2008 7:51 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

haha linesman fell

by Poor College Student on Feb 28, 2008 7:51 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Wait a minute? Budweiser is actually beer? Coulda fooled me.

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 7:53 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

too bad Bud Ice isn’t still the official beer sponser of the NHL. that’s my preferred beer

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 7:55 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

They still make Bud Ice? I thought they stopped after the penguin died.

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 7:56 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Walker doing a quick bench interview, not taking his eyes off the action. obviously didn’t care to do an interrview at that time

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 7:57 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

yep. it’s only in tallboys & 6 pack bottles at my store though

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 7:58 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Prelude? Cam and Carcillo. Oh boy.

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 7:58 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Gretzky needs new dentures. His look fake.

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 8:00 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Is it just me or does Phoenix seem like they have a little more jump than the Blues tonight?

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 8:01 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Johnson already has a better shot than Brewer

by Scot C on Feb 28, 2008 8:02 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Stempniak drop pass to Tkachuck, drop pass to Ruchinsky, drop pass to brewer, drop pass to Legace

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 8:02 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Sweet! RJ

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 8:03 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

RJ is gonna be on the 1st line now

by Scot C on Feb 28, 2008 8:03 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

O_O Ryan Johnson scoring like he was Rick Nash or something!

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 8:03 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Knucklepuck

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 8:03 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

It’s not a beer. It’s a logger. A big hairy lumberjack.

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 8:04 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

score early, score often, don’t play “protect-the-lead”

it’s that simple

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 8:07 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

That’s not Andy Murray’s style.

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 8:07 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Fuck. 5 on 3.

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 8:09 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

“Ryan Johnson blocks a shot in a pinful manner” indeed.

mofo was hobbling when he got up

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 8:09 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

*painful

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 8:09 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Fuck.

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 8:10 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

JovoCop scores, for once.

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 8:10 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

This is starting to look familiar

by Scot C on Feb 28, 2008 8:11 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

fuckers scored twice on the same damn power play

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 8:11 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I’m sure glad we dumped Salvador.

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 8:11 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

That is it. They have scored two. Anyone actually think we can put three on the board tonight…

by sharpelbows on Feb 28, 2008 8:12 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Sure. Janssen will have a hat trick.

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 8:13 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

all assisted by Perron

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 8:13 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

and then both will be scratched Saturday

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 8:15 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Cam probably excited to be with Dan? Yeah, cause everybody loves MacLaughlin — the Ryan Seascrest of Blues hockey.

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 8:19 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Roll over, Weight!

by Poor College Student on Feb 28, 2008 8:20 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

lol “why wasn’t Stempniak in the shootout?”

I’ll tell you why.
A) he’s got 10 freakin goals, not 20 like he should have by now.
B) lot’s of better scorers in front of him in line: Kariya, Boyes, McDonald, Perron, & Walt.

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 8:21 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

RJ needs to teach the rest of these guys how to score.

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 8:23 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I’ll take your words for everything that happens. I have clicked on the Blues website and they don’t even have the audio from tonights game up, but instead I’m hearing the game from Tuesday night (very angry face)

by Johnny Stats on Feb 28, 2008 8:24 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Try streaming on KMOX

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 8:24 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Cam has as much chance at the hat trick tonight as Hossa does for Pittsburgh… what? an injured Hossa has even odds right?

by sharpelbows on Feb 28, 2008 8:26 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the tip but the blues website just got working :-D

by Johnny Stats on Feb 28, 2008 8:34 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

O_O Hossa got injured again?? fuck

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 8:34 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

what the fuck? dude was skating in all alone. defenseman was just standing there. Legace had to take out the guy himself

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 8:37 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Left leg. Left the game in the 2nd. No long term news yet.

by sharpelbows on Feb 28, 2008 8:38 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

lol Kelly back to talking about mustard. it cracks me up

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 8:38 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

well, it’s been fun, but I must depart. a friend of mine was wanting me to go to this bar & grill with him.

let’s go Blues! come back and win this shit!

by Dooks on Feb 28, 2008 8:44 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Jamal Mayers Shorthanded….Waaaaaaaaay wide

by Poor College Student on Feb 28, 2008 8:46 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Two pucks within inches of going in tonight…and no one punches them home. I just feel due*

*my feelings are as accurate as Mrs. Cleo.

by sharpelbows on Feb 28, 2008 8:55 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Good lord…tap the puck in, Marty. That’s all you had to do, you underachieving Euro

by Poor College Student on Feb 28, 2008 8:58 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

You need a new move, tkachuk. or at least do it faster…

by Scot C on Feb 28, 2008 9:34 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Power play boys…one time…just one damn time, please.

by Poor College Student on Feb 28, 2008 9:38 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

EJ just pulled a Mayers

by Poor College Student on Feb 28, 2008 9:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Whatever happened to the “classic” watch the hockey game angle?

by Poor College Student on Feb 28, 2008 9:40 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Any angle of hockey is better than the split screen. Sorry NHL, I am yet to have a 70" screen. When you split screen I am watching ants hit a grain of sand around the ice. I think I can listen to “insert talking head here” without seeing his lips move.

by sharpelbows on Feb 28, 2008 9:46 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

The good news is that if we can get it to overtime we are 2-10 so…well, that is not so much good news is it. Damn.

by sharpelbows on Feb 28, 2008 9:49 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Well, we could get lucky and drop low enough to draft Stamkos.

by Pagan on Feb 28, 2008 9:55 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

that is the beauty of the lottery. we can always hope

by sharpelbows on Feb 28, 2008 10:01 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

THIS. TEAM. CAN. NOT. SCORE.

by The Goalie Guy on Feb 28, 2008 10:56 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

42 shots on goal. One in the net. By Ryan Johnson. Jesus. H. Christ.

by Marcus Pettersson on Feb 29, 2008 12:57 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Does anybody know what game Koharski was watching last night? Not that the extra power plays would have mattered to the Blues, but part of Phoenix’ jump in the offensive end was due to the forwards grabbing our guys from behind along the side boards when the puck turned. Then there’s the elbow to Jackman’s face.

Maybe he was getting the feed from the Blues web site of Tuesday nights game.

by The Goalie Guy on Feb 29, 2008 8:46 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

thank god we signed jackman, cos he can help the offense next season..

hey wait a sec!! lol

by Childhood Trauma on Feb 29, 2008 10:45 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I’m really not sure what people expect from Jackman, but I suppose since we don’t have Pronger around to treat unfairly, and Johnson won’t be due for the fan’s ire for another 2-3 years at least, it’s just his turn. Between hockey fans’ treatment of Blues who want to be here and baseball fans treatment of players like Isringhausen, I’m starting to hate bothering to show up to games only to sit among total assholes.

If you take a look at the market on defensemen, Jackman is a steal for the price. I actually think that the Blues had a very successful deadline day – they locked #5 up for 4 years (at all of 6%/yr. more than they would’ve payed to #55 for 2 more years), and at least managed SOMETHING out of Salvador. I like Bryce Salvador as much as anyone, but if he’s not going to be in the team’s long-term plan, I’d take Jannsen until 2010 over nothing.

The Blues have 7 picks in the first 4 rounds next year. It’s not the embarassment of first-round-pick riches that they’ve had in previous years, but, then again, the Blues aren’t in nearly as bad of a position as they were 1 and 2 seasons ago. On top of that, I don’t think any team would be complaining about having the top-4 defensemen that the BLues have locked up for at least 3 years each with plenty of cash leftover to shop for a top-scoring threat on offense and possibly a second offensive d-man.

I’m complaining about everyone else’s complaining. It’s a vicious cycle.

by Adam Duke on Feb 29, 2008 2:48 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

maybe he is paid “about” right. that wouldnt be the issue, the issue is can the blues afford to pay him to provide what mckee is also providing? and brewr since brewer’s o is dissapearing, and walker.

is jackman filling 3.5 million dollars worth of need. hey i like jacks, i like his kind of player, i’ve always like defensive d-men, but is he playing better than salvadore this year? no. is he providing something the blues are not being provided by other signees? no.

is committing that much money to the teams strength going to provide a signifiacantly different outcome next season? no.

again maybe you are all expecting something i do not. see the other topic where brad is asking me why i think there will be NO OUTSIDE OFFENSIVE HELP coming for this team.

by Childhood Trauma on Feb 29, 2008 3:19 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

This is just such a frustrating time. There’s not a lot positive to say about anything at this point.

I think, though, that the team would’ve spent $3M+ on somebody to fill the hole, which is why I think that locking up a franchise guy for 4 years at that price is one hell of a deal.

I’m also willing to bet that Jackman’s +/- will no longer give fans reason to complain if he’s finally placed with an NHL-quality linemate on a regular basis. In my opinion, he hasn’t had that since MacInnis.

by Adam Duke on Feb 29, 2008 11:55 PM CST reply actions 0 recs