Best twelve game start to the season in their history. I think they sat back a little too much these past two games. They've gotta keep attacking and start separating themselves from opponents. Halak and Conklin won't be perfect every night. I don't think we've seen them at their best yet, and that is pretty exciting.
I've only really watched the last two games closely, and after not having FSMW for the last two years....WOW what a difference. I was glad to see them get an odd man rush goal tonight, but I still feel like the passing just isn't as crisp as it needs to be coming into the offensive zone. Because of that, I don't think they get as many good scoring chances as they should.
Halak and Conklin have been absolutely outstanding, but the defense really continues to impress me just as much. They get in passing lanes really well and all of them are more than willing to get in front of the puck to block a shot.
Lack of offense still worries me, but man with this D/goalie combo maybe we don't need any. This sure has been a great start to the season, it's been a long time coming.
Swingingbunt wrote: I still feel like the passing just isn't as crisp as it needs to be coming into the offensive zone. Because of that, I don't think they get as many good scoring chances as they should.
A big part of the lack of crispness in the passing was due to the lousy ice. The Knicks played earlier in the day at the Garden.
We might not be scoring much, but we're doing a good job of forechecking in the offensive zone, in putting on the pressure. And we've out shot our opponents in every game but one.
I would , though, like to see changes in our point men on the power play. It seems Steen & Oshie aren't setting up the plays well.
In the first month of the season, the St. Louis Blues are proving to be a pretty darn good hockey team. They have only one regulation loss in their first 12 games, going a sensational 9-1-2. That figures to a league-leading .833 points percentage.
They ran their current winning streak to seven games with back-to-back weekend road wins over the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers.
With them playing so well, I thought I'd dedicate this edition of the Monday 10 to the Blues. Here are 10 things that I like about the skaters from St. Louis.
1. GM Doug Armstrong made one sweet deal getting last spring's playoff hero from Montreal during the offseason. Jaroslav Halak has picked up where he left off in his new crease. The Slovak stopper is a near perfect 8-1-1 with a 1.46 goals against average and a .944 save percentage. Those are sweet numbers. Halak is the biggest reason why the Blues are allowing a league-low 1.42 goals per game.
2. Little-known Davis Payne was promoted to St. Louis from the club's AHL affiliate last January after team management decided to dismiss veteran head coach Andy Murray. The team responded to the change with a 23-15-4 record. Where Murray seemed to stifle the team's many young talents, Payne was willing to give them more room to grow -- and skate. He likes an up-tempo approach. Payne looks like the right coach at the right time in St. Louis.
3. The Blues definitely have a committee approach. No player is averaging more than Erik Johnson's 22:25 minutes per game. And, the Blues have 14 skaters (playing at least seven games) averaging more than 16 minutes per tilt. This team comes at you in waves.
4. For the first two-thirds of the 2009-10 season, the Blues didn't do much for the loyal fans in St. Louis, going 11-18-5 at the Scottrade Center. They turned things around late in the year, though; winning their last six at home. They've carried that run into this season, winning their first six home games. After visiting Columbus on Wednesday, the Blues will look to run that home string to seven against the Predators on Thursday.
5. Real teams can play at even strength. The Blues are definitely playing well at even strength. They lead the league with a 2.00 5-on-5 goals for/goals against ratio. This category is usually indicative of team success. The first eight teams in this category have a winning record.
6. Good teams also have a healthy shot differential. The Blues have that going for them, too. In the first 12 games, they're averaging 33.1 shots per game, while allowing 26.5 shots against. That's nearly seven shots more than their opponents per game. That tells you that they're holding a territorial advantage.
7. Young Alex Pietrangelo, selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft, is making an impact in his first full season in St. Louis. The 20-year-old defender is playing to a plus-7 rating with six assists, averaging nearly 20 minutes (19:35) per game. At 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds, Pietrangelo has good size to go along with puck skills and hockey smarts. I figure Erik Johnson and Pietrangelo will be cornerstones on the Blues' blue line for many years to come.
8. The league's real time stats aren't perfect. They're measured a little bit differently in each building. So, I'm sometimes wary to site them. But, I think they are consistent enough to give us a general idea about a team's performance in several different statistical categories. With that disclaimer, I'm impressed that the Blues have been credited with just 62 giveaways. That's the second fewest in the league. When you aren't giving away the puck, you aren't giving opponents unnecessary scoring chances.
9. I like teams that can finish strong. The Blues are doing just that. They've outscored their opponents, 10-4, in the third period. That's the sign of a well-conditioned team.
10. Acquired from the Leafs in 2008, the 26-year-old Alex Steen has developed into an underappreciated performer. After netting both goals in a 2-0 win over the Rangers in New York on Sunday, Steen has nine points and a plus-7 rating. An important offensive cog, he has two game-winning goals, a short-handed goal and he leads the club with 46 shots. All that and you rarely hear anyone outside of St. Louis mention his name.
In the first month of the season, the St. Louis Blues are proving to be a pretty darn good hockey team. They have only one regulation loss in their first 12 games, going a sensational 9-1-2. That figures to a league-leading .833 points percentage.
They ran their current winning streak to seven games with back-to-back weekend road wins over the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers.
With them playing so well, I thought I'd dedicate this edition of the Monday 10 to the Blues. Here are 10 things that I like about the skaters from St. Louis.
1. GM Doug Armstrong made one sweet deal getting last spring's playoff hero from Montreal during the offseason. Jaroslav Halak has picked up where he left off in his new crease. The Slovak stopper is a near perfect 8-1-1 with a 1.46 goals against average and a .944 save percentage. Those are sweet numbers. Halak is the biggest reason why the Blues are allowing a league-low 1.42 goals per game.
2. Little-known Davis Payne was promoted to St. Louis from the club's AHL affiliate last January after team management decided to dismiss veteran head coach Andy Murray. The team responded to the change with a 23-15-4 record. Where Murray seemed to stifle the team's many young talents, Payne was willing to give them more room to grow -- and skate. He likes an up-tempo approach. Payne looks like the right coach at the right time in St. Louis.
3. The Blues definitely have a committee approach. No player is averaging more than Erik Johnson's 22:25 minutes per game. And, the Blues have 14 skaters (playing at least seven games) averaging more than 16 minutes per tilt. This team comes at you in waves.
4. For the first two-thirds of the 2009-10 season, the Blues didn't do much for the loyal fans in St. Louis, going 11-18-5 at the Scottrade Center. They turned things around late in the year, though; winning their last six at home. They've carried that run into this season, winning their first six home games. After visiting Columbus on Wednesday, the Blues will look to run that home string to seven against the Predators on Thursday.
5. Real teams can play at even strength. The Blues are definitely playing well at even strength. They lead the league with a 2.00 5-on-5 goals for/goals against ratio. This category is usually indicative of team success. The first eight teams in this category have a winning record.
6. Good teams also have a healthy shot differential. The Blues have that going for them, too. In the first 12 games, they're averaging 33.1 shots per game, while allowing 26.5 shots against. That's nearly seven shots more than their opponents per game. That tells you that they're holding a territorial advantage.
7. Young Alex Pietrangelo, selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft, is making an impact in his first full season in St. Louis. The 20-year-old defender is playing to a plus-7 rating with six assists, averaging nearly 20 minutes (19:35) per game. At 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds, Pietrangelo has good size to go along with puck skills and hockey smarts. I figure Erik Johnson and Pietrangelo will be cornerstones on the Blues' blue line for many years to come.
8. The league's real time stats aren't perfect. They're measured a little bit differently in each building. So, I'm sometimes wary to site them. But, I think they are consistent enough to give us a general idea about a team's performance in several different statistical categories. With that disclaimer, I'm impressed that the Blues have been credited with just 62 giveaways. That's the second fewest in the league. When you aren't giving away the puck, you aren't giving opponents unnecessary scoring chances.
9. I like teams that can finish strong. The Blues are doing just that. They've outscored their opponents, 10-4, in the third period. That's the sign of a well-conditioned team.
10. Acquired from the Leafs in 2008, the 26-year-old Alex Steen has developed into an underappreciated performer. After netting both goals in a 2-0 win over the Rangers in New York on Sunday, Steen has nine points and a plus-7 rating. An important offensive cog, he has two game-winning goals, a short-handed goal and he leads the club with 46 shots. All that and you rarely hear anyone outside of St. Louis mention his name.
