By Brad Lee
It sucks that those of us in St. Louis blessed with sparkling personalities and good looks NHL Center Ice can't watch the Blues on the Hockey Night In Canada broadcast. They're not on the revered program very often. Regardless, they get blacked out every time because the game is always on locally. That means we're forced to watch John stare oddly at Bernie while he talks in between periods and then during the game hear, "Manny had no chance at stopping that puck. I don't think he ever saw it" about four times a game.
We're going to give this our best effort to keep the live blog going tonight, but I have a feeling that I might have a few interuptions. We'll still have posts per period open for comments and as much live bloggy goodness as we can muster for a 13th place team playing on the road against a team actually fighting for the playoffs.
Part of the NHL.com preview written by the Associated Press:
- Vancouver will try to pull even with at least eighth-Nashville, but will likely have to do it without defensemen Mattias Ohlund, Aaron Miller and Kevin Bieksa. Ohlund, who leads all Canucks blueliners with 22 points, missed Thursday's win and is expected to be out at least four-to-six days with bone chips in his left knee, which could require season-ending surgery.
- The potential absences could add more pressure on Roberto Luongo, who made 21 saves against Nashville. The goaltender is 1-2-2 with a 2.66 goals-against average in his last five starts, but he is 3-0-2 with a 1.97 GAA in his last five at home.
- Luongo has won three consecutive meetings against the Blues (29-28-10) at GM Place, posting a 1.93 GAA.
- The Blues, who are 13th in the conference and fading from the playoff race, are looking to rebound from a 4-1 loss at NHL-leading Detroit on Wednesday, which opened their franchise-record, nine-game road trip. The defeat came one night after a 3-2 victory over conference-worst Los Angeles - their only win in the last eight games (1-6-1).
We'll be back close to game time (9 p.m. CST) for the next few steps in the long, slow, painful march to the end of the season. Let's Go Blues!
Pregame:
"The Blues can't lose anymore games. They have to clutch and grab and do whatever it takes to win," Federko said. Holy. Fucking. Shit. That's wrong on so many levels.
- The playoff chase is over, Bernmeister.
- Clutching and grabbing, as we have seen, does not lead to winning.
- Even the Blues management has conceded the playoffs aren't happening. They're probably scratching Rucinsky for most if not all of the rest of the season.
As our own Answer Man alluded to in the comments, D.J. Dwayne and Cammy Jaannsseenn are both playing tonight, possibly on the same line.
Since 8 p.m. I've had shrimp lo mein, some chicken fried rice and three Bud Lights. And now we get to hear the end of O' Canada, a GREAT anthem.
20:00 The White Jamal Mayers is centering Tkachuk and Kariya. You've gotta be kidding me.
19:20 line change less than 40 seconds in. Nice.
18:36 Let me get this out of the way right now: Vancouver Canuck fans who hang out on the Internet are the dumbest, least informed hockey "fans" I've ever seen. And it's not just the Bud Light talking. I'm opening a Bud Select now.
16:55 Mayers, King and the White Mayers are on a line. Double shifting the White Mayers? Andy Murray is a crazed dictator who must be stopped.
15:45 Vancouver with the power play, and it might be a 5-3 immediately.
Are the comments broke? I just tried to make one and got a, "you are trying to make comments too quickly message."
"That's a questionable call right there," Bernie says.
15:05 There is 1:09 on the 5-3 and the Blues get ANOTHER call. Brewer for cross checking. How many homer refs does this game have? Do they get a free Tim Hortons gift card with every American penalty or something.
OH SHIT. Just realized, all three Blues in the box are defensemen.
13:30 And not surprisingly, the Canucks score a power play goal from the point from Ohlund. "This is minimal damage," Federko says. All the Blues are out of the box. Meh. They're still losing and Federko thinks they have to win this game. Do they do drug tests for announcers?
12:36 Stempniak just wristed a shot right at the shamu on Luongo's chest. No idea how he made that save.
And I still can't comment in my own live blog. $20 says a Red Wing fan is trying to hack us.
11:45 Boyes, Perron and Stempniak. Interesting. If Lee can't score on this line, he'll never do it.
10:02 Backes, McDonald and Kariya now. Murray has to have a hat with names in it. I can't wait for a Jannsseenn, Mayers and Kariya line or some bullshit. Pardon me while I find another beer.
Gift Says:
March 8th, 2008 at 9:28 pm e
Wow, my comment left everyone speechless.
Every time I try to leave a comment, I get the message saying I'm posting them too fast, meaning too many close together.
9:04 We have a Cammy sighting. He's actually on the ice. Glad he packed a stick and skates for the trip.
8:35 "Learning to play defense in the NHL is the hardest position to learn as a rookie in any sport," Kelly said. Ryan Leaf begs to differ.
7:30 I get dizzy watching the Nucks cycle the puck in the corner.
6:02
Gift Says:
March 8th, 2008 at 9:34 pm e
Wow, Duke and Carolina are tied. Duke played terrible in the first half.
Not as bad as a soccer snob chat, but walking a dangerous off-topic line there, Gifty. Tell us how you feel about the Cardinals losing 20-6 today.
4:51 What a time to take a piss break. Missed the Perron breakaway (stopped by Luongo) and then our Boyes scored on a nifty pass from behind the net from Tkachuk. "And suddenly, it's 1-1."
3:33 Boyes has an outside shot at 50. There, I said it.
Gift Says:
March 8th, 2008 at 9:40 pm e
Could the Blues use a Fruit Euro like Naslund next year?
You think the big-headed Sedin twins would allow him to leave? Doubt it. The Blues talked about signing him back in the early 90s.
2:39 The Canucks haven't lost three straight in regulation all year, best in the NHL, Bernie said. Most contrived stat. Ever.
2:01 Kelly is now mentioning no calls. Fair nuff, considering the Blues don't even have a stinking power play yet.
And Naslund missed the net while Legace was buying cotton candy in the stands. I'd say no sale.
0:55 "Those Sedin twins are slippery to say the least," Federko said. Do they put baby oil all over themselves or something?
END OF THE PERIOD, tied 1-1.
We'll let you know when the next post is up.