SCF: (A2) Boston Bruins vs. (C3) St. Louis Blues | Blues win 2019 Stanley Cup

[Coconuts]

St Louis was better in the third but too little way too late 

[Shift-4]

Damn

Game is over but I'm not done drinking

[riffraff]

Damn I hate Boston 

[*Buzzsaw*]

2 minutes ago, oldnews said:

McAvoy looks like Ben Hutton's even more smiley, and even more annoyingly talented kid brother.

I fixed that for you.

[PistolPete13]

McAvoy is tough as nails. The kind of guy you win cups with

[oldnews]

Krug is the new Captain Serious.

 

[PistolPete13]

7 minutes ago, canuck73_3 said:

I know he's bounced back before, but do they consider Allen instead? 

Good question. But it’s not for nothing that Berube sat Allen in favour of the rookie in the first place. I think we’ll see Binnington in game 4. No pressure kid 

[canuck73_3]

Blues had more PP’s, got away with more calls, Schenn dove his way to a call, they were the dirtier of the two teams and still lost 7-2. So Blues bandwagoners what is the excuse for game 3? 

[oldnews]

35 minutes ago, Squamfan said:

Binnington pulled a Luongo

well, game 3 was when Luongo came unglued.

 

But, at least in his case, that was on the road.

[Ghostsof1915]

I still don't get why Minny traded Charlie Coyle? I mean I know his numbers have dipped. But he's still a solid player. 

[PistolPete13]

6 minutes ago, PistolPete13 said:

McAvoy is tough as nails. The kind of guy you win cups with

Krug is no slouch either. Saying all the right things after a hefty four point night.

[oldnews]

13 minutes ago, canuck73_3 said:

I know he's bounced back before, but do they consider Allen instead? 

you can't go to Allen at this point - he's played in 15 games in the past 5 months.

  It's do or die with Binnington.

[PistolPete13]

1 minute ago, Ghostsof1915 said:

I still don't get why Minny traded Charlie Coyle? I mean I know his numbers have dipped. But he's still a solid player. 

Minny didn’t need a playoff difference maker and Boston did. Great trade for both teams. 

Sweeney really knocked it out of the park at the TDL

[oldnews]

3 minutes ago, Ghostsof1915 said:

I still don't get why Minny traded Charlie Coyle? I mean I know his numbers have dipped. But he's still a solid player. 

that was dumb - and so was dealing Neidereitter imo.

nothing against Rask or Donato, but the Wild look to be headed for a downturn, after not such a great run as a tweener team.

which means they'll probably win the Western Conference next year.  wtfknows?

[Alflives]

3 minutes ago, oldnews said:

you can't go to Allen at this point - he's played in 15 games in the past 5 months.

  It's do or die with Binnington.

Yup.  The Blues are dead.  

[canuck73_3]

5 minutes ago, oldnews said:

you can't go to Allen at this point - he's played in 15 games in the past 5 months.

  It's do or die with Binnington.

Any more efforts like the first 2 periods tonight by the Blues and it's die or die with either. 

[oldnews]

12 minutes ago, Alflives said:

Yup.  The Blues are dead.  

I'm not counting them out.  I think they are the slightly better team - on paper -  with the exception of goaltending.

They've propped up/inflated Binnington awfully damn well thus far.....

(that's a big exception btw - as in 2011 when the Canucks were probably the better team, but ran out of gas and into Thomas).

The problem being that the Bruins team-defense game, puck pressure, counterpunching - with a lethal first powerplay unit - is resilient and relatively consistent.  They rarely have two bad games / don't show up - in any series - I think round 1 vs Toronto may have been a rare exception in that sense, and they still won that series.

So the opposing goaltender needs to follow suit and likewise, can't have 2 bad games in a series.

Unfortunately Binnington picked a horrible time to crash from his buzz.   He probably just spent all his room for error in this one.

Edited June 2, 2019 by oldnews

[WHL rocks]

They'll have to go back with Binnington. At least one more game.

 

Blues looked good to start the game before it fell apart. 

[oldnews]

I think one of the lessons - once again - from Boston's playoff success is:

 

Ask yourself where they'd be withou the performances of Kuraly, Acciari, Nordstrom  = and the rest of their bottom six.

 

Kuraly, Acciari, Nordstrom - are at 14 to 17% ozone starts in the playoffs.

 

They are a combined +10 (with 17 points).   Washington without their Jay Beagles...repeat = not so much.

 

Those are the types of players that are extending Bergeron's dominance - as he's at 59% ozone starts in the playoffs - and does not have to struggle through excessive hard miles at this point - they can measure his utilization (whereas Toronto had to lean absurdly heavily on the likes of Tavares - and Marner - to play hard minutes).

 

And what might be surprising - is when you look(ed) at their blueline heading into the playoffs

Chara McAvoy

Krug Carlo

Gryzecyk/Moore Clifton

It's pretty good - at least better than Toronto's - but certainly looked a bit old and young, with what might have seemed like some size issues with Krug, Clifton, Gryz....but they've only bent (and had an awfully good, deep, two-way forward group in front of them).

 

In any event - Toronto might want to look at (probably won't) that fourth line of Boston - how a true contender is built - and realize that it was the attention to detail from top to bottom that largely makes the difference between being up 2-1 in the SCF (again) and another first round dispatch.

 

Edited June 2, 2019 by oldnews

[mll]

8 hours ago, Ghostsof1915 said:

I still don't get why Minny traded Charlie Coyle? I mean I know his numbers have dipped. But he's still a solid player. 

The Wild were one of only 3 teams that made the playoffs the past 6 seasons before the trade.  They never went further than the 2nd round and lost pitifully the more recent years.  Owner Leopold asked for a shake up of the core - they kept on making changes on the fringes but it was time to move on because they were stuck in no man's land.

 

In Minnesota he was asked to be the guy.  His playoff numbers aren't good in Minnesota.  For the Wild he only has 4 points the past 3 seasons in 16 playoff games (6 in 26 going back 4 seasons).  In Boston he has a more defined role and he's not asked to carry the team - it's not the same pressure.  He seems to be playing much looser.  

 

The Wild felt they would never win with him because he just didn't perform when it mattered.  Same for Niederreiter.  

 

Niederreiter also got outplayed on the left side and is not as efficient on the right according to Boudreau.  He had Zucker, Parise, Greenway ahead of him and 5M on the 4th line is not viable.  

 

Trading Coyle and Niederreiter is the right move - the return isn't.  Fenton has made a bigger mess of things though - he just hasn't thought his trades through and is not listening to anyone.  

 

Edited June 2, 2019 by mll