First Round Playoff Thread

[TrueBlueGED]

The Blues had a much better regular season record than Chicago, and they jumped out to a 2-0 lead to start the series. Now they're on the verge of dropping 4 in a row. I'd call it a collapse when the team with the superior season record and points loses 4 in a row to the team with the inferior record.

 

We spoke of the Miller Shut-Out - this is the Miller Collapse.

 

The Blues had a whopping 4 more points than the Hawks, and that was with missing Kane and Toews for awhile. I'd hardly call that much better. The Hawks have also won two Cups with their current core, including last year's. To insinuate the Blues are somehow significantly better is pretty hilarious to me.

[Jsixspd]

And I also have to add, it's not Ryan Miller's fault the Blues PP now has a 5 or 6% success rate in this series. No team is going to go far in the playoffs not being able to capitalize on penalties.

[rickshaw]

anyone in here suggesting miller has had a good playoff is fooling themselves.

Too many early goals in games.

Aside from game 1, he was outgoaltended by Crawford.

Miller was brought in to put the Blues over the top.

He didn't do that.

It's too bad cuz we just lost out on a better pick.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

4 of the 6 games went to OT.

 

That tells me the Blues and Hawks are pretty evenly matched.

 

The big difference ... a key save here, or there, and the Hawks have the slightly better players at the skilled positions.

 

Oh, and they know what it takes to win in the playoffs. Defending champ with 2 cups in 3 years and a good chance for a third at the end of this playoff.

 

Miller played well enough to win. I would not be surprised if the Blues sign him to big $. IMO, Miller was not the problem for them in this series. They need to sign / trade for a stud d-man that can eat the tough minutes.

[TrueBlueGED]

anyone in here suggesting miller has had a good playoff is fooling themselves.

Too many early goals in games.

Aside from game 1, he was outgoaltended by Crawford.

Miller was brought in to put the Blues over the top.

He didn't do that.

It's too bad cuz we just lost out on a better pick.

 

I haven't seen anyone argue he's been great or anything. He's been gloriously average. I'm just saying it's not some horrible failure on the Blues part to lose to the Hawks.

[plenzmd1]

In fairness to Ryan Miller, before today, he'd been playing up to par with his previous playoff appearances. In 5 post seasons, he's averaged 2.45 GAA (before today) - and his playoff GAA going into this game was 2.32

 

SVG% - post season AVG - 0.916 - so far 0.911

 

 

It's not his fault the Blues seem unable to score - and that was a problem that began a half dozen games or so before the end of the regular season

 

i agree, and thats why i was never one wanted him to stay. He is no better than average in the playoffs, too friggin smart for his own good.

 

It is a rare player that can still piss me off when he leaves by playing bad, but Miller has just accomplished that feat

[Jsixspd]

The Blues had a whopping 4 more points than the Hawks, and that was with missing Kane and Toews for awhile. I'd hardly call that much better. The Hawks have also won two Cups with their current core, including last year's. To insinuate the Blues are somehow significantly better is pretty hilarious to me.

 

Blues were also missing Tarasenko at the end of the regular season - and that seemed to really hurt their offense. They were quite a bit ahead of Chicago before the Blues end of season fade. Chicago closed the gap, but a few weeks before the end of the regular season, St. Louis looked like a shoe-in for the President's Trophy.

[pastajoe]

This is just a sad finish for Miller and the Blues.

[sabre snipe]

reading blues fans boards, they want Millers and Hitchcocks heads. Ill be surprised if miller doesn't want out himself after this

[Jsixspd]

Wow, turning into a blowout for Chicago now - 5-1 with 2 1/2 minutes to go. The Curse of Buffalo alive and well - GMTM wanted to win *something* - all we're gonna get is the Booby-Prize. :(

[WildCard]

Well I'll be rooting for the Blackhawks or Avalanche now

[qwksndmonster]

The Blues are what it looks like when you do a really good job building a team and don't have any elite offensive players. When Steen, Backes, Tarasenko, and Oshie are supposed to be lugging the mail offensively you can run into trouble.

[WildCard]

The Blues are what it looks like when you do a really good job building a team and don't have any elite offensive players. When Steen, Backes, Tarasenko, and Oshie are supposed to be lugging the mail offensively you can run into trouble.

Basically the US Olympic team in a nutshell on the ice for the Blues

[TrueBlueGED]

Blues were also missing Tarasenko at the end of the regular season - and that seemed to really hurt their offense. They were quite a bit ahead of Chicago before the Blues end of season fade. Chicago closed the gap, but a few weeks before the end of the regular season, St. Louis looked like a shoe-in for the President's Trophy.

 

Right, bad things happened to both teams and they ended up essentially even in the standings. Chicago also ended up as the better possession team. There simply isn't a case to be made that the Blues were any more than a marginally better team. And again, I'd argue the opposite anyway.

[X. Benedict]

Well, and embarrassing period for the Blues. Chicago never lost composure or got rattled for long.

Goodbye first round pick......

 

 

@#%%$^@!!!!

[Jsixspd]

reading blues fans boards, they want Millers and Hitchcocks heads. Ill be surprised if miller doesn't want out himself after this

 

The only way Miller would survive in St. Louis would have been to win this game and series. He made a big mistake throwing Shattenkirk under the bus publicly - the new guy in the office doesn't come in and trash talk the seasoned veteran and survive, unless he performs brillantly. Miller was just below average for his playoff appearances - and that's with a superior Blues team in front of him. He's gone, I'm afraid.

[bunomatic]

A lot of good Miller did them. I'd say our haul at the deadline was o.k. considering.

[TrueBlueGED]

The Blues are what it looks like when you do a really good job building a team and don't have any elite offensive players. When Steen, Backes, Tarasenko, and Oshie are supposed to be lugging the mail offensively you can run into trouble.

 

If we still had a reputation system I'd make 10 new accounts just to up vote this.

[SwampD]

I think it's funny that everyone slams the way the Bruins play, all the while lauding the fact that Chicago wins the "right" way. Then, the turning point in this series was a brutal, borderline hit by Chicago on one of the Blues best players.

[qwksndmonster]

A lot of good Miller did them. I'd say our haul at the deadline was o.k. considering.

I'm still bugged that we weren't able to pry one of their top prospects out. But when you consider that the Blues likely traded all they did for nothing, it feels a bit better.

[JJFIVEOH]

What did he say about Shattenkirk?

[Jsixspd]

I think it's funny that everyone slams the way the Bruins play, all the while lauding the fact that Chicago wins the "right" way. Then, the turning point in this series was a brutal, borderline hit by Chicago on one of the Blues best players.

 

Well, that's the exception rather than the rule for Chicago. Thuggery happens every period with the Bruins - someone on this forum wrote that Lucic and Marchand are some of the worst people in the world - and I find it hard to disagree with that.

[sabre snipe]

A lot of good Miller did them. I'd say our haul at the deadline was o.k. considering.

 

Yup, im not too disappointed about it. Blues fans are livid which makes it better.

 

Cant we still get the 1st if the Blues trade the rights to Ryan Miller?

 

Either way i don't think its a major major loss. were looking at not having a very late 1st rounder vs a mid 2nd plus the 1st pick of the 3rd? id rather have the 1st rounder but not devastating

[Jsixspd]

What did he say about Shattenkirk?

 

I believe he blamed one of the Chicago game winning goals against them on Shattenkirk after one of the games.

 

I'd have to go back and dig in the forums to find it.

[SwampD]

Well, that's the exception rather than the rule for Chicago. Thuggery happens every period with the Bruins - someone on this forum wrote that Lucic and Marchand are some of the worst people in the world - and I find it hard to disagree with that.

I'll take both on the Sabres, please.