What’s Wrong? A Little Bit of Everything
February 9th, 2010 | by admin |What’s Wrong? A Little Bit of Everything
Lack of offense. Solid goaltending one night, shaky the next. Poor (if not awful) officiating. Lackluster effort. Sloppy passing. Ineffective defense. These are just a few of the reasons why the Blues likely will be left on the outside of the playoff picture. So which one is the main culprit? The answer you hear will depend on who you ask, but for me it is a little bit of everything.
On Super Bowl Sunday, prior to the TV switching to football, I was focused on the Washington/Pittsburgh game – a matchup of two of the best teams in the league. With my vision mostly focused on the Blues specifically of late and absent on the rest of the NHL, I was surprised at just how noticeable the differences between our Blues and these teams were. Now I know the Blues are far from being a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, but I still anticipated this team finishing in the top-8 in the West and securing a playoff spot.
Instead, I find the team in 13th with just 59 points. Once again the games played total (58) has climbed to just shy of the total points mark – a mark your team never wants to be close to.
Washington leads the NHL in points (88) and Pittsburgh isn’t too shabby (72). Obviously these sides have their stars such as Crosby and Ovechkin, but aside from the star power, so much more overwhelmed me about this game. Crisp passing. Inventive and creative offense. Quick outlet plays and few instances of cycling back into one’s own zone. Speed.
Frankly, the WAS/PIT game was one of the best I have ever watched. These two sides have their faults, but clearly they have built a model of success.
Last night I turn on the Blues game. This was the first (aside from a few minutes of the PHI/NJ game) NHL action I had watched since that WAS/PIT game. With that game fresh in my mind, the Blues came out and found themselves on the losing end of a 5-2 score. The score was ugly but more so was the play on the ice and the overall attitude and schemes this team uses on a regular basis.
Countless times a Blues’ defenseman will skate to bring the puck out of his own zone, approach the blue line, then loop back into his own end to start over. Again and again, the Blues wait rather than breaking out. This is not only a schematic issue, but a personnel issue. The Blues squad and style just are not ones that can win regularly.
So then why did this team win so much at the end of last season? They hustled and showed desperation. How many games this season have the Blues played with that sense of urgency? Not many. This team looks confident in letting the play develop rather than dictating and bringing the play to their opponents.
The speed of that WAS/PIT game was ridiculous. Two fantastic offenses that can move the puck, with accuracy.
If you are scratching your head reading this article, consider watching a St. Louis power-play and comparing it to one of the better teams in the league. The differences are painfully obvious. The Blues approach usually is very predictable and rarely comes off as threatening. Tic-tac-toe passing has become a rare sight rather than the norm, which when you are skating with a man advantage, there is no excuse for flagrant passing.
Do you want to know how to shutdown a Blues’ power-play? Pressure the points. This usually leaves a man open low, but the team can not seem to manage to find him. On the occasions where the open man does get the puck, we can usually expect a one-timer to sail several feet wide.
Obviously offense is an issue for this team, that is more than clear. Obviously motivation, urgency and effort have been called into question as well. But it’s not until you watch the higher ups that the differences between “us and them” seem so great. The Blues not only need to figure out their roster for next season, but need to preach that getting hemmed into your own end won’t score you many goals. The passing and power-play still need a lot of work to be threatening on a consistent basis. Players need to crash in, and maintain possession of the puck instead of constantly losing it down low (Kariya).
This team has a lot of moving parts, but frankly I’m beginning to wonder just how many will be a good fit for this side moving forward. This year brought hope and great expectations, but the Blues look to be in worse shape than they have been in quite some time. At some point, more changes will come and this time it is bound to be player related.
A coaching change was already made, now it’s coming time for a trade.
Tags: Paul Kariya, St. Louis Blues, What's Wrong
By Tony Scharf on Feb 9, 2010
This is a great article.
I watch “NHL on the Fly” every night on NHLN to keep up on highlights from around the league, and every night I am reminded of how the Blues hardly ever have anything to contribute to the highlight reels, except for fighting.
In my opinion, there are two obvious problems the Blues have; Chris Mason and a lack of offensive chemistry.
It’s not just enough to say that Conklin is a better goalie, I have to say that Mason is just downright terrible. He is not a contender. He is not exciting to watch, and he has cost the Blues more games than I would like to remember. The Blues will NOT make the playoffs if we continue to start Mason. It’s that simple.
Second, the Blues need to stop skating around the offensive zone like it’s their first time playing hockey. They have done an excellent job lately at controlling the puck, but then they never create any good scoring chances. The only way they seem to know how to score is to throw the puck at the net from the point and try to force it in. This works sometimes, but when we are consistently out shooting teams and still not scoring goals, that has got to tell you something.
I think that part of the reason the Blues have struggled to score goals is the lack of chemistry. There’s no question that we have guys that are capable of putting up big numbers. McDonald, Kariya, Boyes, Oshie, even Steen are all excellent goal scorers, but where are the goals? I’m not a coach, but it seems to me that players would work better together if they played on the same line together for more than just one game. Also, why aren’t we trying to stack our first line like other teams have had success with? Look at San Jose; They have their three best forwards on the same line and it has worked out well for them. I don’t see why we shouldn’t throw McDonald, Oshie, and Kariya on a line and see what they can do.
I’m not sure if we’ll be able to solve this scoring problem this season, but the goaltending is an easy solution. BENCH MASON!
By David Rogers on Feb 9, 2010
Thanks for the feedback – love to get a dialogue going with readers and fellow fans.
My thoughts are similar to yours. I knew Mason/Conks would do sort of a 60-40 split this season, and that next year Mason likely wouldn’t return. Based off his play, that part seems even more true now than it ever has before. With some keepers on the market, I figure one will eventually land here, either during the trade window or over the summer.
I like the idea to try a new line, but I also think the problem stems from the players themselves. Boyes has had his opportunities. At least once a game he will blast a one-timer wide and right (usually) on shots he used to bury in previous years. Outside of tonight against Detroit, Kariya has been a non-factor and just loses the puck. He will be moved as well before next season.
No one quick fix – lots of work to do across the board.
By Tony Scharf on Feb 10, 2010
Kariya is a weird one. He still looks good out there, I just can’t say he’s earning his salary. I think he’d make good trade bait for Tim Thomas.
I don’t think our problem is a lack of effort or skill by any one individual (except for Mason of course) I really think it’s a lack of chemistry. There is a piece of the puzzle that is missing that is hard to put a finger on. I would quicker point the finger at coaching than I would the players. Our system here in St. Louis is broken, and unfortunately it doesn’t look like Payne is the man to fix it.
Is it too late to get Quinville back? LOL
By David Rogers on Feb 10, 2010
Kariya’s play last night looked improved which makes me wonder if he knows his time here is limited and thus needs to raise his stock. With Thomas and Turco out there (I’d rather have Thomas), Kariya could be a part of that swap, along with Tkachuk.
I think several pieces are missing, with a few more not aligned correctly. Of course, if you asked the Blues’ marketing department the fans were the last piece. With 23 some odd sellouts, I’m thinking it’s something else.
By Tony Scharf on Feb 10, 2010
All season, Kariya has demonstrated great speed and awareness, but just simply hasn’t been putting the puck in the net. I’m not sure if it’s him, or the team, but either way, he gets paid 6M/yr so he certainly hasn’t been earning that salary.
I’d hate to see Tkachuk go. I feel that he is part of the identity of the Blues and great experience to keep on the team to be a role model for a lot of our younger players (as long as he doesn’t teach them how to constantly take bad penalties).
Another goalie we could probably grab after this season is Toskala. I don’t think the Ducks want to pay his salary as a backup goalie and we could grab him in free agency.
Bottom line is we have $9M tied up in Kariya and Mason, both of which haven’t made a positive impact this season, so that’s a decent chunk of money to grab a goalie and maybe a coach.
By David Rogers on Feb 10, 2010
You really hit the big factor on the head there – production that doesn’t live up to the price being paid. Kariya has definitely had his moments, but not $6,000,000 worth by any means.
I’d also hate to see Walt go – his leadership is really priceless, but I could see a team wanting him as a rental. It is believed he’d love to go back to his hometown (Boston), but that’s really just speculation.
Going back to payroll, in addition to Kariya’s $6 million is another $5 million from Boyes and $4.5 million from Brewer. Lots of themes/issues this season, but obviously players are not making a good return investment on their large salaries. Lots of money coming off the books for next year so really anything can happen.
By Tony Scharf on Feb 10, 2010
Well, if Walt wants to go back to Boston, then I guess I wouldn’t mind seeing him go if we could get Thomas out of the deal. Kariya + Tkachuk is a little over 8M, but we might have to pad the deal anyway if they didn’t feel Kariya was worth 6M, which he probably isn’t anymore. Either way, we could use a goalie and they could use some offense.