The fact that the Blues can't hold leads and can't finish games isn't even that surprising anymore. Therefore, I don't expect to hear anyone be surprised when they miss the playoffs this year.
This was an important game, as is tomorrow. Win both and the Blues are in striking distance of the playoff eight for the first time since before January's pitiful 2-8-2 run buried them in the cellar of the Western standings. Lose both and they fall nine points behind the ninth place team. So long, good night, see ya later on the playoffs this year.
And while they tried to ride an apropros David Backes slow-starting, hot finishing game to two points and a big win, they once again failed to finish off a game. And while I wanted a no goal called solely on the evidence of Jaroslav Halak's helmet laying on the ice after the game-tying goal went in, I have to admit I didn't see what caused it to come off and that setting that aside, Halak failed to properly close off his holes and the defense failed to properly collapse down in the first place.
I'm going to reprint tonight's editorial from the GT paper tomorrow, but I'll give you a sneak preview: I'm not feeling that psyched about the Blues' chances this year or next. Or even beyond there. Until then, here are some miscellaneous notes for you:
- By the time you get to nine rounds of the shootout, your team has squandered so many chances to win already that you start to feel like, Screw it, I don't even care if we get the extra point any more, just let me go home already.
- Speaking of the shootout, nice shot Erik Johnson. It was like some fan won an Ultimate Experience contest and got to take it for you. I'd call that a shit shot, but shit is easier to look at than that.
- Another note for future reference on shootouts against Jose Theodore: only one goal was scored to his glove side. The first two were dekes to his glove and finishing shots to his stick side. Both went in so easily it was embarrassing.
- I kind of liked Carlo Colaiacovo's birdcage look tonight. I know it's not manly enough for the NHL, but he sure looked like the smartest guy on the ice.
- Alex Pietrangelo is not the best player on this team's blueline, he is the best player on this team. He's going to be special. He makes the hard things look easy and he makes impossibly difficult plays routinely. Get your No. 27 jerseys now and live regret-free about that purchase forever.
- The best thing I've found about my new ability to use Twitter is that when the 19-man bachelor party in front of me is annoying the piss out of me with their Clash of the Perfume toxic cloud and their lack of understanding of the game ("Come on, focus, man!"), I can throw it out there in 140 charachters and someone else is like, "I'm right by those douchenozzles!"
- Losing this game and giving away two points and only getting one isn't the end of the season. Only it is. The Blues aren't making the playoffs and the trade deadline will only serve to announce to the rest of the world that management knows it too. Anything short of a winning streak of eight games between now and the Feb. 28 deadline and some dudes are gonna be packing they shit. Think this team can reel off that many wins in a row against teams like Vancouver (twice) Buffalo, Anaheim and Calgary? Me neither.
Time to start following ol' Lyle over at Spector's I guess. Come back tomorrow for some good old fashioned team-reamin'.