2018 - 2019 Blues (Hockey) Season

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GeddyWrox
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Re: 2018 - 2019 Blues (Hockey) Season

Post by GeddyWrox »

Thanks Popeye. Makes me wonder why teams don't play this way against us 5 on 5 as well then... until we prove we can beat it.

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Re: 2018 - 2019 Blues (Hockey) Season

Post by Popeye_Card »

5-on-5 is almost always played tighter, since you can basically play a zone-based man-to-man system. The PK structure is altered so you can account for that odd man.

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Re: 2018 - 2019 Blues (Hockey) Season

Post by tlombard »

Today I learned that Pat Maroon spent a lot of time in "in-school suspension" because he would get into fights and never did his homework. He told his teachers that he didn't need to do his homework because he was going to be a professional hockey player.

I guess he won those arguments in the end.

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Re: 2018 - 2019 Blues (Hockey) Season

Post by TheoSqua »

That is the bizarre part though. The problem the Blues have on PP is that they can't cycle to an open spot to get the pass into the "house" that Popeye mentions. But on 5v5 the Blues have been absolutely phenomenal at cycling the puck and keeping possession in the offensive zone. This is why both the Sharks and Stars have had moments where they have had 1 shot for an entire period or were outshot 25-2 over portions of games, stuff like that.

And the same players who make maddening mistakes on the PP are the same players who are winning puck battles and successfully executing tight passes on 5v5. It's truly bizarre at this point and makes me think it has to be some sort of mental block.

This Blues team has had a problem with overthinking play all year - really it dates back to Hitchcock - and was part of why Yeo was removed and replaced with an interim coach. Part of Berube's success has been telling the team that he has confidence in them and letting them play their game rather than trying to force the team into a more complex coaching structure.

I wonder if it's a mental thing that the Blues are grasping to overcome, so they're making it harder than it looks. I suspect that if this wasn't the smack middle of the playoffs the team would go back to a very basic PP format and ad-hoc a lot of the plays. But it's not really the best time of year to scrap your PP strategy and start over.

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Re: 2018 - 2019 Blues (Hockey) Season

Post by GeddyWrox »

Yes! Your first two paragraphs is where I am at too, Theo.

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Re: 2018 - 2019 Blues (Hockey) Season

Post by TheoSqua »

Popeye_Card wrote:5-on-5 is almost always played tighter, since you can basically play a zone-based man-to-man system. The PK structure is altered so you can account for that odd man.

I think the biggest difference is that on the PP the defending team kind of concedes the corners of the ice to the PP unit, where on 5v5 they don't. The blues strength during their strong possession moments has been winning the puck battles in the corners and beating the other team to better scoring chances.

On the PP the defending team is collapsing to the "house" as you say, but I wonder if the extra man being off the ice is actually hurting the team because the Goalie has a clearer view to the point and some of the big shots from the perimeter that are getting through on 5v5 are more visible during 5v4 with the extra man in the middle of the ice missing.

I think it's where the Blues miss the heavy power forwards they've had in the past. An in-his-prime Backes or Brouwer would do wonders to the PP by forcing the PK to collapse in on the goal and clogging up visibility for the Blue's PP style. Maroon is really the only guy we have like that, and he tends to skate around the goal more than just plant himself there. The other players we've tried in that spot like Schenn, Thomas, and Perron just aren't big enough to keep the space and keep getting pushed out.

Next year I could see the Blues transitioning from a pummel-from-the-peremeter PP style to a cycle-from-the-corners style similar to Washington's PP and have Tarasenko take up residence in an office similar to Ovechkin. When the Blues had Shattenkirk as the 2nd PP defenseman and didn't have the booming shot of Parayko that was more the style they used. And it's what they used the last time Tarasenko cracked 40 goals.

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Re: 2018 - 2019 Blues (Hockey) Season

Post by Popeye_Card »

Great discussion. I’m in agreement that this is a bad time to drastically change things. I’m sure they’re watching video and are focused on exploiting some holes and correcting mistakes. Just breaking theough with a goal or two on the PP will go a long way in getting everyone to relax.

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Re: 2018 - 2019 Blues (Hockey) Season

Post by GeddyWrox »

I am teh nerv3s

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Re: 2018 - 2019 Blues (Hockey) Season

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I’m not nervous. Just counting down the hours until I head to the Enterprise Center. I am teh pump3d.

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Re: 2018 - 2019 Blues (Hockey) Season

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Image

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