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The heat from Blues fans online after yet another blown lead really blurred the lines between reality and absurdity this past week. I don't know what's going to happen, no more than anybody else does, but I don't think there's a "missing piece" that the Blues are lacking - either on the bench or behind it. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.
Of course, the path to turn things around become a lot steeper once the Blues go to Anaheim. As you'll surely hear in tonight's broadcast, the Blues have had a rough history in the OC. The last time the Blues have won there, it was Oct of 2009. So, either you could say that history dictates that the Blues will lose, OR you could say that the Blues are due for a win.
No more standin' there beside the walls
They will be facing an Anaheim team that is trying to undo their own underachieving this year. At the beginning of the year, many experts were picking the Ducks to be the West's representative in the Stanley Cup final. Instead, they stumbled out the gate, unable to score goals for the first couple weeks of the season. More recently, they've gone 5-3-2 in their past 10 games. They have the fortune of being in the Pacific, where ground can be made up still. The Kings are way out in front with 52 points; past that, the 2nd-place team (Arizona) has 42 points and the last place team (Edmonton) is just 5 points back at 37 points. The bottom feeder is one good week away from a home-ice playoff spot. On a related note, Connor McDavid is skating again.
As long as you're groovin'
There's always a chance
Who said this?
"We stopped playing the way we normally do, or have done in the last little bit, .... It's all about sticking with the process and game plan. It works, but when you get away from it, it doesn't."
Is that a post-game comment from David Backes? Something from a Ken Hitchcock presser? Another platitude from a different player retreating to the safety zone of sports cliches?
Nope - that would be Corey Perry. Regardless of how you feel about him, it demonstrates that what people lament about the Blues and post-game comments is actually true of the rest of the league as well. It's nothing unique to the Blues.
Got to give it up
Got to give it up
Got to give it up
But, can we just hold on to a lead, please?
Got to give it up
:: sigh ::
The Blues have not announced a starter at the time I write this, but the job is essentially Jake's to lose. I doubt the hijinks in Denver have changed things. In his career, Jake Allen has gone 3-0-0 against the Ducks, with a .973 Sv% and a 0.66 GAA.
The Ducks have had a recent scare with their netminders. In their last game (4-0 loss to the Leafs), recently-named All Star goaltender John Gibson was in a collision with Nazem Kadri. His injury or its severity hasn't been publicized yet, but the Ducks' latest move could be telling. On Thursday they traded winger Max Friberg to Montreal in exchange for young goalie Dustin Tokarski . No news on the Anaheim starter, but stay tuned below for updates.
Further Reading:
Blues vs Ducks coverage
Gameday Twitter Feed:
Tweets from https://twitter.com/CrossCheckRaise/lists/gameday
Final Verse: Another late one, of course. The puck drops at 9:00 PM St Louis time, and the GDT should drop shortly beforehand. Feel free to drop in and hang out with us awhile; we can help each other stay awake. The TV broadcast is on Fox Sports MW, and the radio call is on KMOX 1120 AM. If only a little Marvin Gaye could still the troubled waters of Blues twitter lately...
LGB!