Playoff Dream Dies: Avs Win.

by gallagher on Apr 7, 2010 1:04 AM CDT

While the actual end came down to watching a third party decide the Blues' playoff fate this year, it didn't have to be this way. The fact of the matter is that the Blues killed themselves long before the Avalanche did. It may have been Colorado's win tonight that actually finished them off, but the Note did all the real damage a long time ago.

There are myriad factors to blame for the Blues missing the playoffs: they were not good enough at home, they were not good enough as they tried (successfully) to get Andy Murray fired, they were not good enough against the Central Division, they gave up too many third period leads.

At the end of the season, when it was virtually too late to make a difference, they turned it on. As a fan I was happy to see them motivated and winning. It is, after all, way more fun than losing. At the same time, I hope that the young Blues learned an important lesson this year: All 82 games matter, not just the last 35. Last year's miracle run was a blast, but the players took away the wrong lesson from the experience. They didn't learn that you have to bust your ass from opening night all the way to April, they learned that they can just coast through the first half of the season and just get hot late.

Not so fast, fellas.

So, with three games left to play the Blues have a few more lessons they could learn:

So-called 'meaningless' games against your rivalas (Chicago) should never be meaningless. Go into their building and beat their asses, just to set the precedent.
The last home game of the season means as much to the fans as the home opener. Go beat the Ducks' asses in front of your faithful fans. They sold out 33 of the 40 home dates this year and you sucked it up in front of them more times (23) than you won for them (16) so far. You owe them.
So-called 'meaningless' final games, even on the road, can be touchstone games. Go show the Predators that you're not quite dead yet and that next year, assholes, is going to be different.

Right now this season feels like a disappointment. If the Blues learn the proper lessons from what they just went through, it could be a turning point. It could be the point that they look at and say, "That's when we realized what it takes to be successful in this league."

If they can do that then it won't be a disappointment at all. Not at all.

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At the very least it shows that hard work needs to happen all year, not just at the end of the year.

Here’s to hoping that we won’t have the same case of the blues this time next year.

I agree totally about the stupidity of the average person. Horrifyingly, nearly 50% of people are even stupider!

by Bman21212 on Apr 7, 2010 1:33 AM CDT reply actions

JoMilla.com

by JoMilla on Apr 7, 2010 2:12 AM CDT reply actions

Fourth year in a row we played half a season.

He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.

by Icion on Apr 7, 2010 2:15 AM CDT reply actions

Fifth times a charm!

"Brad Winchester playing on a line with Perron and Berglund is like the fat kid who you invite to play one day because you didn't have enough skaters, yet you don't have the heart to tell them to leave the next few times you play. Damn you Andy Murray." -Author Unknown

by -DJ- on Apr 7, 2010 2:32 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Your point makes me wonder so much more about Davis Payne.

Was it him motivating the troops to play somewhere near their potential in the second half? Orrrrr was it that he was coach at the time the boys knew to come alive?

Inebriated in multiple forms as I am, I’m swayed easily and thus lean toward the latter. The gut says Davis Payne only saved his job with another playoff visit. And close is only good in horseshoes, hand grenades and atomic warfare.

I almost wonder if JD and The CheckBook have to tell him adios simply to show the players that they can’t always get what they want. That is, if you assume top brass was giving in to the players by firing Andy Murray.

There’s a middle ground between Murray’s hard-core, stern, I-get-mistaken-for-Frankentstein-regularly permascowl and Davis Payne’s I-can-be-Dan-Bylsma-too free-wheelin’ style. The Note showed flashes of brilliance under each (I saw a period of beautiful hockey played against Detroit under AM you can’t argue with). Perhaps that middle ground is what we need to get this squad to perform well enough to play 100 games in a season.

by Liut! on Apr 7, 2010 2:34 AM CDT up reply actions

Losing sucks

Not making the playoffs is fucked up. I’m so tired of hearing what a sad sack team we have when we can’t even get into the playoffs. Just add one MORE year to our FAIL pile.

This team has more question marks now then when they started the season.

Just a chew toy for the hockey gods

by spectr17 on Apr 7, 2010 3:18 AM CDT reply actions

Pfft we have been getting better every season.

We are finally ready to transition out of “not sucking” and into winning. After this season we will be able to drop almost all the dead weight we had to take on during our dark years and finally be able to ice the team we want to instead of the one we have to. Consider the first half and therefor the whole season the price we have to pay to finally take the step forward. After the seasons over we will have 3 people born before 1980, one is conklin, old man McDonald will be 33. Our young talent will be out of their second year and statistically number 3 is usually the breakout. We will have question marks but how will we be worse next year than this year? We will either be getting better or staying the same in every way.

He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.

by Icion on Apr 7, 2010 3:54 AM CDT up reply actions

Don't look now but that wooosh sound you just heard

was LA, Phoenix and the Avs blowing by us.

We end the season like a lumpy fart, all warm and stinky.

Just a chew toy for the hockey gods

by spectr17 on Apr 7, 2010 10:56 AM CDT up reply actions

Seven comments

from 1:30-3:54 a.m.

Wow.

www.stlouisgametime.com

by Brad Lee on Apr 7, 2010 9:14 AM CDT reply actions

This about sums it up:

St. Louis Game Time . . . I need another beer.

by Donut King on Apr 7, 2010 10:04 AM CDT reply actions

At the end of every year, playoffs or not..

I wonder when the last time the Blues won their last game at home.
I looked it up one time, I think it was once in the last 10 years, I think.
But that was like a few seasons ago.
Next time I am bored at work, I will look it up again.

PC Load Letter? What the fuck does that mean?

by DanGNR on Apr 7, 2010 2:45 PM CDT reply actions