clifton needs to sit...

i have yet to see pulling the goalie early has worked for any team this playoffs..need to have possession deep...

Just a bad effort ... Missed opportunities. Been too many no-shows all series.

This Blues team is dirty. Highly unlikeable. Bluebbitry.

Looked flat all game. Uterus and pasta particularly bad but no one looked good. Chara is definitely out. I’m guessing broken jaw. He wouldn’t miss a period for stitches

having 5 Dmen has killed the team in both losses

they are not effective when forcing plays and need to dumb it down

missed opportunity considering didnt play well..

first 2 lines not effective tonight but at least 1rst line created some zone time...2nd line is putrid..beside a couple of hits Backes hasnt created much...why not kuhlman with his speed?

Entire top 6 asleep the whole fkn game. I just don't fkn get it

Looked flat all game. Uterus and pasta particularly bad but no one looked good. Chara is definitely out. I’m guessing broken jaw. He wouldn’t miss a period for stitches
- salvadorsanchez

down Miller...Gryzz and losing Z is huge if he is gone...would mean Kampfer is in and Clifton still plays...not ideal

clifton needs to sit...
- busher

Put him at forward in Backes' place. Damn goes down you're covered. He'll go for it at least

Put him at forward in Backes' place. Damn goes down you're covered. He'll go for it at least
- gforce

he looks frozen out there now to me..has not played well all series IMO

he looks frozen out there now to me..has not played well all series IMO
- busher

That's true but it's not from lack of spirit like some of the passengers I'm seeing

That's true but it's not from lack of spirit like some of the passengers I'm seeing
- gforce

yep...i dont recall Krejci and Jake playing so poorly for this long a stretch..contributing nothing and actually a detriment...tough to sit backes against his old team but cant continue to have 2nd line do nothing

Krejci, Jake, Pasta, Marchand ... Need to get these guys going. Somehow.

Z status for game 5 uncertain..names mentioned to replace are Kampfer..Vaak or Lauzon

Cassidy seems not happy with Chuck...not boxing out guys enough especially on winning goal

This was a big big wake up call. Blues took it to them and there wasn’t a sustained response or any urgency whatso(frank)ingever. Had the chance to go up 3-1 heading home and they looked like they were playing on a Tuesday night in February. Wake the (frank) up

This was a big big wake up call. Blues took it to them and there wasn’t a sustained response or any urgency whatso(frank)ingever. Had the chance to go up 3-1 heading home and they looked like they were playing on a Tuesday night in February. Wake the (frank) up
- salvadorsanchez

Yeah once the Blues had that 8 minute shift in our zone it was curtains. After the 1st I was confident in a W but the bottom 6 couldn't carry the top 6 forever.

Seriously it's pretty hard for D to perform when they're constantly getting hammered because your 'best players' can't keep the puck at the other end for more than a minute the entire fkn game. That's not even an exaggeration

Krejci, Jake, Pasta, Marchand ... Need to get these guys going. Somehow.
- JEFF SPICOLI

You said it. I have leniency for 46 cuz he's a proven war horse but the other guys look unwilling. 88 and 63 are just handing pucks over with zero resistance

Z status for game 5 uncertain..names mentioned to replace are Kampfer..Vaak or Lauzon

Cassidy seems not happy with Chuck...not boxing out guys enough especially on winning goal
- busher

Miller would look great right now. Could Vaak even survive getting thrown into it now against a team who is crashing like this?

Cassidy said one possibility, if they’re without both 33 &48, is that they could go with 7 D and use a couple D in more specialized roles...

Cassidy said one possibility, if they’re without both 33 &48, is that they could go with 7 D and use a couple D in more specialized roles...
- busher

I’d assume Backes probably the one to sit if that happens?

Don’t hate the idea honestly, although the talent pool for this kind of situation (getting thrown into a SCF game after not playing) is thin. Kampfer probably the best option ... After that it’s a bit of a crap shoot. Hell, let’s be honest. Kampfer himself is a crap shoot. Lauzon? Vaak? Yikes. Maybe someone steps up.

Miller would look great right now. Could Vaak even survive getting thrown into it now against a team who is crashing like this?
- gforce

Yes and maybe.

Miller would look great right now. Could Vaak even survive getting thrown into it now against a team who is crashing like this?
- gforce

probably not fair to put him in a game 5 in SCF...saw him in Vancouver on world juniors...pretty slick player i thought...

I’d assume Backes probably the one to sit if that happens?

Don’t hate the idea honestly, although the talent pool for this kind of situation (getting thrown into a SCF game after not playing) is thin. Kampfer probably the best option ... After that it’s a bit of a crap shoot. Hell, let’s be honest. Kampfer himself is a crap shoot. Lauzon? Vaak? Yikes. Maybe someone steps up.
- JEFF SPICOLI

i guess have to wait and see what happens..Kampfer stepped in ok against Canes but he is a right and seems Bruins like guys playing on the side they shoot..

could be down 2 leftys on thursday..Lauzon likes mixing it up if i recall...lefty too

Tough call on what to do without Z and Gryz. Backes is big and throwing weight around a bit which is something sorely lacking. Maybe switch up pasta and Heinen and backes do pasta plays with Ute, backes with bergy and heinen to the 3rd.

I have tough time seeing Z able to play with broken jaw on Thursday. Gonna be interesting. The aforementioned names have to get their heads out of their asses and step up.

I like the idea of Vaak, but the kid might end up very overwhelmed.

I have tough time seeing Z able to play with broken jaw on Thursday. Gonna be interesting. The aforementioned names have to get their heads out of their asses and step up.

I like the idea of Vaak, but the kid might end up very overwhelmed.
- mikeq672

Backes (sadly), despite using all the gas he’s got left in the tank, has contributed exactly jack squat. He’s slow and the Blues have been abusing him particularly after the whistle ... And he hasn’t been able to even draw a penalty from it. Sadly to say, but if he were a horse, he would’ve already been led out back of the Enterprise Center and taken one directly between the eyes before being shipped off to the glue factory. I mean if playing against your former team for the Stanley Cup doesn’t bring out any kind of defining presence, then what the hell will??? 4 game in and not a single defining moment for Backes... stick a fork in him.

I like the idea of dressing 7 defenseman. Kampfer (sadly) is probably our safest and most ‘game ready’ option, but Vaak has the most potential upside. If I’m Cassidy, I scratch Backes next game and ice both Kampfer and Vaak with the intention of utilizing Vaak more if he can hang. If he can’t, you load Kampfer up with more minutes and use Vaak in specialized situations only. Either way, it doesn’t handcuff you to use one or the other ... Hopefully Vaak seizes the opportunity and runs with it.

Tough decisions ahead as it appears that Chara is indeed done ...