Blues Bytes: Anxiety over the goaltending 3 hours ago • Bernie Miklasz bjmiklasz@post-dispatch The Blues are in their first Official Slump of 2014, having lost four of their last six games. These things happen over the course of 82 games, so I dont believe the sky is falling. If the sky comes down on the Blues, it wont spill until the postseason. The playoffs will deliver a final verdict, a final judgement, on the 2013-2014 Blues. Until then, were all spewing fumes ... me included. Theres increasing unrest over the teams goaltending. In recent days Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak have taken turns being erratic and unreliable, and that leads to a couple of questions: Will either goaltender assert full control of this job? Is either goaltender capable of playing up to the standard required to make a serious postseason run? BERNIE VIDEO: STLS SLUMPING TEAMS Theres no question that the Blues feel Halak has more upside and is more capable of stonewalling opponents in the postseason. They saw Halak do it for Montreal in 2010, when he led the Canadiens to big-time upsets over Washington and Pittsburgh. Thats why the Blues acquired Halak from Montreal and gave him the generous contract that expires after the season. In 2012, Halak was injured in Game 2 of the first-round series vs. San Jose and never returned. It was a shame; he appeared to be sharp in the early stages of that series. Elliott took over and was solid as the Blues pushed by San Jose to advance to the second round. But the team and Elliott deteriorated in the four-game sweep by Los Angeles. Last year, Elliott played very well in the first two games of the Los Angeles series last spring, but couldnt keep it up as the Blues lost the next four to get bounced in the first round. Halak wasnt a factor in the Blues brief 2013 postseason. A groin injury kept him out of the final 14 regular-season contests and Elliott was tabbed for the LA series. Halak and coach Ken Hitchcock quarreled on the morning of Game 4 against the Kings. I suppose its possible for Halak to go back time and find the postseason form that so enraptured the Blues. Barring injury, it doesnt appear that young Jake Allen is an option. His time should come next season. So the Blues may not have a choice but to ride it out with Halak _ if indeed he ends up being the choice over Elliott. And heres the thing: I wouldnt dismiss the possibility of Halak catching fire at the right time. And really thats all it takes. Just get hot, and stay hot, and take it long way. That kind of randomness can kick in and work in a teams favor. I really believe that. Postseason goaltending performances arent as as predictable as they used to be. The NHL has largely moved away from the superstar King of the World goaltender who could vanquish foes and deliver multiple Stanley Cups for his team. Consider that over the past 12 seasons, 12 different goaltenders have won the Stanley Cup. Obviously a big part of that has to do with the fact that 10 teams have captured the past 12 Cups, with Chicago and Detroit each winning two over that time. It isnt easy to assemble a dynasty-type team and keep it intact. And that underlines the point: if your playoff-entrant team is built to go on a sustained run, and can get their goaltender locked in and peaking at the right time, then glory is attainable. Chicago won with Antti Niemi in 2010, parted ways with him to save salary-cap space, then won another Cup with Corey Crawford last season. Detroit won it all with Dominik Hasek in 2002, and recycled Chris Osgood to get the Cup in 2008. (Hasek did see limited postseason action for the 08 Red Wings.) Thats why I subscribe to my theory of goaltending randomness. In a 30-season period between 1974 and 2003, seven goaltenders combined to win 23 Stanley Cups. Heres the list: Ken Dryden 4, Billy Smith 4, Grant Fuhr 4, Patrick Roy 4, Martin Brodeur 3, Tom Barasso 2 and Bernie Parent 2. After that its largely been an exercise of hitching a ride with a goaltender that elevates his play at the right time. Brodeur has been the last of the King of the World goaltenders, winning the Cup with New Jersey in 2000 and 2003. After that weve seen some some goaltenders jump out to have excellent postseasons, but its pretty much a crapshoot. Of the last seven goalies to win the Stanley Cup, four are no longer with the team that won it. What does that tell you? There are no more Drydens, Roys, Fuhrs, etc. There is, however, the random postseason outbreak of Cam Ward or Nikolai Khabibulin. And thats why the Blues still have a chance. Randomness could become Halaks friend, just as it did back in 2010. The Canadiens were eliminated in the Eastern Conference finals that year, but Halak knocked off teams led by Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby and took his team on a wild trip that lasted longer than anyone envisioned. No one expected that from Halak in 2010. Just as few expect it from him now. You just never know. Having a great team is more important. That said ... If Blues GM Doug Armstrong wants to make a trade for Buffalos Ryan Miller, thats OK, too. FYI: Armstrong discussed the goaltending and various Blues-related issues in an interview with Jeremy Rutherford earlier today on STLtoday ... Thanks for reading … -Bernie Armstrong weighs in on Blues recent struggles 4 hours ago • By Jeremy Rutherford jrutherford@post-dispatch 314-444-7135 NEW YORK • Per rules of the NHLs collective bargaining agreement, teams are required to take four days off per month. Several weeks ago, the Blues scheduled today as one of those days. The mental break probably came at a good time, following Tuesdays 7-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils. We had an awful game against New Jersey, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. I mean right from the opening face-off for 60 minutes, I havent seen our team that consistently poor. But maybe its good to have it all in one night and now we can refocus and get going. The Blues will be back on the ice Thursday, as they continue their four-game trip against the New York Rangers. There is plenty to fix on the heels of the Blues fourth regulation loss in their last six games. The club gave up seven goals on 23 shots Tuesday, and while goaltending appears to be an issue again, many would agree that there are issues across the board. I think that weve lost our focus, Armstrong said. Were a team that is the sum of all of our parts and we need the collective buy-in as Ken (Hitchcock) likes to call it. We havent been as sharp as we have been in the past. I dont want to over or under react to it. You never like to go through stretches like this, but they do happen in a season. Hopefully were going to learn from it and come out stronger and better at the end because were going to play some very difficult teams from now till the end of the season and obviously in the playoffs. We have to be able to overcome adversity maybe a little bit better than we have in this stretch. BERNIE: ANXIETY OVER BLUES GOALTENDING Here are few more thoughts from Armstrong, and I will have more in tomorrows Post-Dispatch... On the root of the Blues problems lately: I think part of it is, when were not having success, the guys take a lot of pride in it, and then they try to play outside of what we need them to do. Sort of the harder they try individually, its a detriment to the overall success of the team. We just need the guys to feel comfortable, and if they do their job, the guy beside them will do his. Thats what makes a good team, not trying to do other peoples job. I think they want to have success and theyre trying to worry more about whats happening around them. They just need to focus on their own games. On whether he needs to respond to the recent downslide with any movement: I understand the frustration from the fans, but Chicago went on a downturn, and Pittsburgh got pumped the other night by Florida. I dont think you can react as management on a game-to-game basis. You win a few and people think the Stanley Cup is just a matter of getting to that point in the season, its going to happen. You lose a few and people react that youre never going to win. You have to find balance and our balance is putting a good game on the ice day after day. We have to get back to that....I think you have to trust that the leadership group is going to take charge of this. Its not a coaching issue. This now becomes on the fabric of the leadership to grab a hold of the team and get it going. Ken can give them the game plan, but he cant give them the desire and the drive. That has to internally. The desire to compete for the guy beside you, that has to come from inside the room. On the performance of the goaltending: I think were a strong team when we defend well and we havent defended as well as we need to. And obviously you need timely saves. I know the guys want to give us better games than weve gotten in the last week and Im comfortable that they will. On whether hes considering bringing up Jake Allen from the minors: As I said, you dont want to overreact on a game-to-game situation. We know that we have very good players in the American Hockey League, whether its Allen or (Dmitrij) Jaskin and (Chris) Porter. So we have replacement players if needed. But I think right now, were going with this group. Theyve put themselves in a good position this year. Were going through a downturn. I cant act like its not happening. Were not getting the results that are needed to be a successful team. But I dont think every time you hit a bump in the road you want to reinvent the wheel. Blues seek solutions, not changes 59 minutes ago • By Jeremy Rutherford jrutherford@post-dispatch 314-444-7135 NEW YORK • Ken Hitchcock can’t yet answer the question. Are the Blues simply in a rut, or is there a larger problem that may require attention from general manager Doug Armstrong? The club has lost four of its last six games, and there were issues that didn’t go unnoticed in the two wins during that stretch. No one could hide, however, in the Blues’ 7-1 beating by the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday — a game that highlighted a disconnection in team play, the continued disappearance of specific players and inconsistent goaltending. The Blues had a scheduled day off in New York on Wednesday, a break required by the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, and perhaps it was timely as Hitchcock and Armstrong survey the situation. “I don’t know, it could be a rut or it could be a hole ... it depends on how fast you come out of it,” Hitchcock said. “It’s the same common denominator in our game. We’re built very much the sum of parts and when we get individualistic, we break down even further. It’s about our skating. When we stay with it, we’re very effective.” CHAT: RUTHERFORD LIVE AT 1 PM Even in the midst of the slide, the Blues are 33-11-5 and sit in second place in the Central Division heading into tonight’s game against the New York Rangers. The current group is responsible for that success, and Armstrong is attempting to keep that in mind. “I think that we’ve lost our focus,” he said. “We haven’t been as sharp as we have been in the past. I don’t want to over- or under-react to it. You never like to go through stretches like this, but they do happen in a season. “When we’re not having success, the guys ... try to play outside of what we need them to do. Sort of the harder they try individually, it’s a detriment to the overall success of the team. They just need to focus on their own games.” In three of the Blues’ last four losses, an offense that ranks second in the NHL with 3.41 goals a game has netted just one goal. The club has been forced to rely on its top lines for more and more minutes, receiving negligible contributions from top-six talent that has been dropped to the bottom of the pack. Chris Stewart has just one point in his last six games and has registered more than 13 minutes, 50 seconds of ice time only once in that stretch. Derek Roy also has just one point, and his ice time has been kept under 14:49 in the same span of games. The Blues have missed Maxim Lapierre, who has been out five games with a lower-body injury. But even when Lapierre returns, and perhaps re-energizes the fourth line, the club needs to be able to count on two players who have combined for 23 goals and 56 points. “We don’t have a free-lancer that can just go end to end and help us through the game,” Hitchcock said. “We’re built differently, and so when your team play gets tested by an opposition that is really resilient, then these losses have been familiar. The correction is in the group being able to stay on our strengths and not allow our weaknesses to get exposed.” Meanwhile, once considered a strength, the Blues’ goaltending has been exposed recently. Brian Elliott played well in a 2-1 loss to Vancouver, but in the team’s last four defeats, Elliott and Halak have combined to allow 15 goals on 94 shots, a save percentage of .840. Obviously not helped by the seven goals on 23 shots Tuesday, the duo has seen its season save percentage fall to .910, dropping the Blues to No. 18 in the NHL from No. 9 in a week’s time. Hitchcock says the Blues are giving up too many chances. “Our goalies need to be better, our playing for the goalies needs to be a lot better,” Hitchcock said. “In other words, our commitment to keep the puck out of our net has to be a lot better.” Added Armstrong: “We’re a strong team when we defend well and we haven’t defended as well as we need to. And obviously you need timely saves. I know the guys want to give us better games than we’ve gotten in the last week and I’m comfortable that they will.” Still, the recent performances in net have led to more speculation about whether Halak and Elliott are the answer. Questions persist about the Blues’ outside interest or whether they would turn to Jake Allen, who is 16-10-2 with a 2.14 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in the American Hockey League. “We know that we have very good players in the American Hockey League, whether it’s Allen or (Dmitrij) Jaskin and (Chris) Porter,” Armstrong said. “But I think right now, we’re going with this group. They’ve put themselves in a good position this year. We’re going through a downturn. I can’t act like it’s not happening. We’re not getting the results that are needed to be a successful team. But I don’t think every time you hit a bump in the road you want to reinvent the wheel.” Armstrong said the onus is on the Blues’ leaders, not making changes. “This now becomes on the fabric of the leadership to grab a hold of the team and get it going,” he said. “Ken can give them the game plan, but he can’t give them the desire and the drive. That has to come internally. The desire to compete for the guy beside you, that has to come from inside the room.” Hitchcock agreed. “We’re all in this boat together, we’ve just got to row together,” he said. “We’re all in this thing to try to help each other get out of this thing. We’ve got to find a way to play better as a group, that’s the best way I can describe it.” A rut or a hole? The Blues don’t know yet, but they’re on the same page about why they’re in it, and how to get out of it. “I understand the frustration from the fans, but Chicago went on a downturn, and Pittsburgh got pumped the other night by Florida,” Armstrong said. “I don’t think you can react as management on a game-to-game basis. “You win a few and people think the Stanley Cup is just a matter of getting to that point in the season, it’s going to happen. You lose a few and people react that you’re never going to win. You have to find balance and our balance is putting a good game on the ice day after day. We have to get back to that.”
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 16:18:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015