St. Louis Game Time - Blues At Bruins GameDay Storystream: Bruins Tough Challenge Before Christmas BreakWe're one ugly bastard.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/10753/gt-fave.png2015-12-23T00:25:35-06:00http://www.stlouisgametime.com/rss/stream/104061952015-12-23T00:25:35-06:002015-12-23T00:25:35-06:00Blues Vs. Bruins Recap: In Soviet Russia Go Ahead Goal Score You.
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<figcaption>Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Jake Allen did pretty well for himself too. </p> <p>After blowing a three goal lead to Philadelphia last night, the <a href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Blues</a> were right back at it against the <a href="https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bruins</a> in Boston. <span>Jake Allen</span> would start once again tonight for the Blues. <span>Tuukka Rask</span> would get the start tonight for the Bruins. Your forward lines would see Captain Umlaut return to the top line (Paajarvi) with Stastny and Tarasenko. Steen would move back down with Backes and Brouwer. A change to the third and fourth lines tonight as Upshall would be up on the third line with Fabbri and Lehtera. Your fourth line would see new guy Jordan Coran along with Jaskin and Reaves. Your defensive parings would also look a little different as <span>Carl Gunnarsson</span> would sit out. Bouwmeester and Pietrangelo of course, Parayko and Shattenkirk and the return of Bortuzzo along with Edmundson.</p>
<p><b>First Period:</b></p>
<p>The Blues came out firing tonight. For a team that played the night before they didn't show it. Just 26 seconds into the game <span>Troy Brouwer</span> would look to put the Blues on the board early.</p>
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<p>Hitch made an interesting call when he said Allen would start tonight instead of Brian Elliott. You would figure after last night that maybe Elliott would see some ice time tonight. Not the case. Allen would see to it that Hitch did not regret that decision. He looked strong early on tonight.</p>
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<p>Not to be out done Rask made some excellent saves on his end of the ice as well. Here he denies Steen on the backhand.</p>
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<p>I heard Matt "I probably got paid way too much" Beleskey's name often in the first, but it was usually because he was being denied by Allen.</p>
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<p>Tie game at the end of one.</p>
<p><b>Second Period:</b></p>
<p>Second period was much like the first in that both teams had decent chances, but couldn't get past either goaltender. Blues were on the attack early again as this time <span>Alexander Steen</span> would almost get one by Rask</p>
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<p>Too bad almost doesn't count. Steen had an eventful second period as he would also hit the post later. He also would block a shot and leave the bench for a few moments. He would return with no harm done. Again both goalies doing work on the ice in the second. <span>David Backes</span> would be denied right in front by Rask. The Bruins would then take it down the ice themselves only to be denied by Allen.</p>
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<p>Save of the period alert. Allen would absolutely rob Brad Marchand. So much for tired legs.</p>
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<p>The Blues would be rewarded with their first power play of the night in the second period. It has been one of the bright spots for the team as of late. Nothing doing tonight though.</p>
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<p>The Blues and Bruins were still tied at zero after two.</p>
<p><b>Third Period:</b></p>
<p>Just keep in mind that the Blues are 7-0-0 when tied after two. Just keep that thought in the back of your head. While both goalies were having decent games, it was time for a couple of players to mix things up. Complete with Christmas music.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jack Edwards singing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"...during a fight. <a href="https://t.co/LgcYWjEqfG">pic.twitter.com/LgcYWjEqfG</a></p>
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteBlackburn/status/679483043770445824">December 23, 2015</a>
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<p>The game would finally see its first goal of the night. <span>Magnus Paajarvi</span> would find Tarasenko. Tarasenko would do the rest and bury one past Rask for a 1-0 good guy lead.</p>
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<p>It would be Tarasenko's 22nd(!) goal of the year with Paajarvi(3) and Backes(11) getting the assists. The Blues weren't done though as they were coming on strong in the third. Rask would deny Stastny on the doorstep with a brilliant save.</p>
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<p>The Blues would find the back of the net again. This time <span>Robby Fabbri</span> would just flat out beat Rask with an incredible shot.</p>
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<p>Fabbri notches his 7th of the year. Pietrangelo(11) and Bouwmeester(8) would get the assists on the play. With all this offense one might forget about Allen. Nah.</p>
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<p>The Bruins would pull Rask with about two and a half minutes left. Jake and the Blues would stand tall. (Stastny would also hit a goalpost with an empty net...)</p>
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<p>The Blues played an excellent game tonight after laying that egg last night. The Blues are now 8-0-0 after being tied after two. (See I told you to remember that) Jake Allen gets his 5th shutout of the year. The Blues are now off for the Christmas break and will take on the <a href="https://www.defendingbigd.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Stars</a> on Saturday.</p>
<p><b>Three Stars:</b></p>
<p>Third Star: Tuukka Rask (29 saves. Didn't give us a tantrum tonight)</p>
<p>Second Star: <span>Vladimir Tarasenko</span> (1 goal. Not getting coal in his stocking)</p>
<p>First Star: Jake Allen (32 saves, shutout, not a real snake)</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/12/23/10656496/blues-vs-bruins-recap-in-soviet-russia-go-ahead-goal-score-youJustin422015-12-22T17:30:02-06:002015-12-22T17:30:02-06:00GameThread for St. Louis Blues at Boston Bruins
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<figcaption>Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Do better, ok?</p> <p>"Ok, kids, today we're going to have a pop quiz. How long is a hockey game?"<br><br>*<span>Vladimir Tarasenko</span> and <span>Kevin Shattenkirk</span> raise their hands*</p>
<p>"No, boys, I want to give your classmates a chance. So, how long is a hockey game?"</p>
<p>*no one answers*</p>
<p>*straining, grunting sound from Tarasenko, still waiving his hand*</p>
<p>"No, I really think your classmates need to answer the question."</p>
<p>Let's see if they do tonight, or if Shattenkirk and Tarasenko just sigh and do the rest of the group's work for them.</p>
<p>This is your GameDay Thread. Comment like you're looking forward to the Christmas break.</p>
<p>Let's do this. Let's Go <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/">Blues</a>.</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/12/22/10654540/gamethread-for-st-louis-blues-at-boston-bruins-dec-22-2015hildymac2015-12-22T13:00:02-06:002015-12-22T13:00:02-06:00Jet Airliner: Blues At Boston Bruins Preview
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<figcaption>Concentrate hard enough, Vladdy, and he disappears | Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Blues Blow it Big, But now Battle Boston Bruins in Back to Backs. Alliteration is fun!</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Blues</a> and <a href="https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Bruins</a> seem to find themselves in odd, fascinating games. It wasn't THAT long ago that we had the MLK Miracle game, and then there was Malcolm Subban's debut game, where a shutout first period was followed by three Blues goals on three consecutive shots to let the Blues ....um... roar back and eventually win 5-1. Who knows what kind of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFZG8KQJni8" target="_blank">shenanigans</a> tonight's game will have in store.</p>
<p><i><span>Touchin' down in New England town</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13.4px; line-height: 19.1429px; text-align: center; background-color: #ccccdd;"><span>Feel the heat comin' down</span></i></p>
<p>You might say that the shenanigans have already started. Due to a considerably late hit on <span>Jiri Tlusty</span>, Bruins forward <span>Max Talbot</span> is going to sit for two games - tonight and Saturday night when they host Buffalo. He's got 1 whole point in 13 games this year, so it shouldn't be too hard to work around that absence.</p>
<p>The Bruins are putting together a good season this year. They got off on a slow start, but have gone on a roll. As described by Ryan Lambert <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/what-we-learned--behind-canadiens--fade--bruins--surge-in-atlantic-135633514.html" target="_blank">on Puck Daddy</a>,</p>
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<p><span>Over the last month or so they're 11-1-3, and scoring goals at an absurd clip. In those 15 games, they've scored 46 goals (3.07 per) and allowed just 28 (1.87 per). In that time they've narrowed the gap between themselves and their greatest rival to just one point, from the previous 13. And it's a trend we might be able to expect to continue.</span></p>
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<p>Of course, there are reasons for that kind of turnaround. Not only are the Bruins getting goals, they're also keeping them out of their own net. Having someone like <span>Tuukka Rask</span> on your team doesn't hurt. Rask has elevated his save percentage to .918 after a bad start, and that run has put the Bruins in a playoff spot. Not just that, but they're actually within striking distance of the <a href="https://www.habseyesontheprize.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Canadiens</a> for the division lead. Of course it's also helpful to have two damn good centers leading the way. <span>Patrice Bergeron</span> has 32 points in 32 games, 11 goals and 21 assists. Right behind him is <span>David Krejci</span> with 9 goals and 22 assists. There's plenty of bite left in these bears.</p>
<p><i><span>I've got to keep on keepin' on</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13.4px; line-height: 19.1429px; text-align: center; background-color: #ccccdd;"><span>You know the big wheel keeps on spinnin' around</span></i></p>
<p>Expect Rask in goal for the Bruins, and stay tuned for the decision for the Blues net. We have the misfortune of catching Boston on the upswing. That, combined with how St Louis managed to make a 3-0 lead disappear in Philly, would certainly lead you to pessimistic expectations. Obviously, shitting the bed on that scale is not a good thing, but it happens, even to good teams. How they bounce back - tonight - is going to be even more telling than last night's facepalm. Also, we get to see the Blues debut of <span>Jordan Caron</span>.</p>
<p><i><span>You know you got to go through hell</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13.4px; line-height: 19.1429px; text-align: center; background-color: #ccccdd;"><span>Before you get to heaven</span></i></p>
<p><b>Further Reading:</b></p>
<p><a href="http://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/">Stanley Cup of Chowder</a></p>
<p><a href="http://daysofyorr.com/" target="_blank">Days of Yorr</a></p>
<p><span>Blues vs Bruins coverage</span></p>
<p><b>GameDay Twitter Feed:</b></p>
<p><a class="twitter-timeline" href="https://twitter.com/CrossCheckRaise/lists/gameday" data-widget-id="516033528023105536">Tweets from https://twitter.com/CrossCheckRaise/lists/gameday</a>
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<p><b>Final Verse:</b> Another early start, with the puck dropping at 6:00 PM St Louis time. The GDT should drop shortly before then. Stop by and pay us a visit - we promise not to bite (unless you're into that - not judging). The TV broadcast is once again on Fox Sports MW, and the radio call is on KMOX 1120 AM. Enjoy a really good live cut of today's tune:</p>
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<p> </p>
<p>LGB!!!</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/12/22/10641486/blah-blah-blah-blues-at-boston-bruins-previewCrossCheckRaise2015-12-22T08:00:03-06:002015-12-22T08:00:03-06:00Blues At Bruins Morning Open Thread: Time To Focus
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<figcaption>Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Blues blew a three goal lead last night. Will the Bruins even spot them that many?</p> <p>I have been criticized for not being positive recently, so here's something: <span>Vladimir Tarasenko</span> has a six game point streak and <span>Kevin Shattenkirk</span> is awesome.</p>
<p>The rest of the team last night? No. <span>Jake Allen</span> was fine. The four unanswered goals were due to a severe lack of mental awareness, defensive awareness, and being able to suck it up and deal after allowing a short handed goal. Not having a scoring chance for basically a period and a half is not on Jake Allen, either.</p>
<p>Let's face it - a three game winning streak in which you have to come from behind to beat two teams you shouldn't have to come from behind to beat, and then you beat Calgary? That's not something to hang your hat on. Collapsing like they did last night is inexcusable.</p>
<p>Tonight will be harder. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/">Bruins</a> have been picking up steam and have become the dominant team in the Atlantic Division, unseating the slipping, Price-less Habs. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/">Blues</a> and <span>Brian Elliott</span> (presumably) won't have time to think about last night, and that's a good thing.</p>
<p>This is your morning open thread. Check back later on for some Road Music with CCR and your GDT, early again. While you're waiting, head to <a href="http://www.stanleycupofchowder.com/">Stanley Cup of Chowder</a> and peer pressure our buddy Sarah Connors into stopping by.</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/12/22/10642076/blues-at-bruins-morning-open-thread-time-to-focushildymac