Rd 1 Gm 2 @ Avalanche | 9:30 pm CT | CNBC, BSMW, 101 ESPN

[Portland Blues]

Eat a dick Colorado.

[theohall]

I just don't see the Blues sustaining the style of play needed for 60 minutes every night to beat the Avs. If they slip at all, at any point in a game, the Avs will take advantage of it. Don't want to say this, but that's the way it is.

[Portland Blues]

I just don't see the Blues sustaining the style of play needed for 60 minutes every night to beat the Avs. If they slip at all, at any point in a game, the Avs will take advantage of it. Don't want to say this, but that's the way it is.

It's tough to put aside being a Blues fan and seeing that the Avs are just that much better than us this year. Winning the cup in 2019 really drove home how important having 4 good lines that clicked was. To me it feels like we're missing too many pieces from 2019 to really be any kind of threat in the playoffs this time around.

[WaukeeBlues]

I just don't see the Blues sustaining the style of play needed for 60 minutes every night to beat the Avs. If they slip at all, at any point in a game, the Avs will take advantage of it. Don't want to say this, but that's the way it is.

It's tough to put aside being a Blues fan and seeing that the Avs are just that much better than us this year. Winning the cup in 2019 really drove home how important having 4 good lines that clicked was. To me it feels like we're missing too many pieces from 2019 to really be any kind of threat in the playoffs this time around.

No Sundqvist, which would be huge as a defensive forward presence. No Pietrangelo (It's a net negative, I'm sorry but it is. I'd rather have Petro at $9 AAV + another $4 million AAV defenseman than Faulk + Krug. And I don't even think it's close). Tarasenko has some moments but overall since he's been back he's a ghost of his former self... on and on.

This series has been flat out embarrassing. We're getting (Franking) dominated, let's just call it what it is. Yea we have some moments but like you said it's probably impossible for them to do that for an entire game. I'm glad the boys didn't just roll over last night, I legitimately wondered if it'd be a repeat of the 8-0 massacre. It was heading that way.

Only question for me for the rest of this series is if the Blues are getting swept or not. That's all.

But hey guys at least "we don't do" full NMC's! So there's that! Yay!!!!!

[JCShutout]

Is tank done? Will he get back to a 30 goal scorer?

[gaijin]

Is tank done? Will he get back to a 30 goal scorer?

I think he could hit 30 again if the NHL goes back to a full 82-game schedule next year and Tank stays healthy the entire season. If either of those two things don't happen, then no. I am not optimistic.

[gaijin]

Faulk got hammered.

Shoot, I'm WAY ahead of him.

[theohall]

Faulk got hammered.

Shoot, I'm WAY ahead of him.

[theohall]

No Sundqvist, which would be huge as a defensive forward presence. No Pietrangelo (It's a net negative, I'm sorry but it is. I'd rather have Petro at $9 AAV + another $4 million AAV defenseman than Faulk + Krug. And I don't even think it's close). Tarasenko has some moments but overall since he's been back he's a ghost of his former self... on and on.

Parayko playing through a back injury and it shows. This current "you tested positive thing, but you didn't really, so sit out for awhile." Haven't really found a replacement for what Steen provided. Same for Bouwmeester, but Mikkola is starting to show promise with more ice time - granted - not the way you want him to get more ice time. While Gunnarson is technically a 7th defenseman, he'll be missed if Bortuzzo and Fauk can't go. Then there's the dinosaur. While Pat Maroon may not be a great regular season presence, his presence in the playoffs is evident. It's shining through with the Bolts just like it did during the Blues Cup run and the Blues have no one like that. Kadri is probably the closest for the Avs. And that's about everything.

IMO, the younger generation, while they got to experience a Cup run, haven't developed the years of experience, including some guys bulking up like they should (just look what MacKinnon has done), to make them more effective in the playoffs. Seriously, go look at footage of MacKinnon in his first 3 seasons and look at him now. It's very noticable. The two players who could benefit most from doing something similar - Kyrou and Thomas. Granted MacKinnon is 25 already, but that's a goal to shoot for as long as it doesn't negatively impact their speed.

[Portland Blues]

Faulk got hammered.

Shoot, I'm WAY ahead of him.

[WaukeeBlues]

No Sundqvist, which would be huge as a defensive forward presence. No Pietrangelo (It's a net negative, I'm sorry but it is. I'd rather have Petro at $9 AAV + another $4 million AAV defenseman than Faulk + Krug. And I don't even think it's close). Tarasenko has some moments but overall since he's been back he's a ghost of his former self... on and on.

Parayko playing through a back injury and it shows. This current "you tested positive thing, but you didn't really, so sit out for awhile." Haven't really found a replacement for what Steen provided. Same for Bouwmeester, but Mikkola is starting to show promise with more ice time - granted - not the way you want him to get more ice time. While Gunnarson is technically a 7th defenseman, he'll be missed if Bortuzzo and Fauk can't go. Then there's the dinosaur. While Pat Maroon may not be a great regular season presence, his presence in the playoffs is evident. It's shining through with the Bolts just like it did during the Blues Cup run and the Blues have no one like that. Kadri is probably the closest for the Avs. And that's about everything.

IMO, the younger generation, while they got to experience a Cup run, haven't developed the years of experience, including some guys bulking up like they should (just look what MacKinnon has done), to make them more effective in the playoffs. Seriously, go look at footage of MacKinnon in his first 3 seasons and look at him now. It's very noticable. The two players who could benefit most from doing something similar - Kyrou and Thomas. Granted MacKinnon is 25 already, but that's a goal to shoot for as long as it doesn't negatively impact their speed.

There is no greater supreme irony in this season than part of the reason Army feeling comfortable letting Petro walk with Parayko replacing him... and Parayko has a herniated disc 16 games into the next season. I'm frankly surprised it didn't happen day 1.

Perron on COVID right before playoffs was just a swift kick to the nuts. Brutal. But... this is pro sports it's what happens. There's injuries and you gotta find a way through them: Sunny, Gunner, Perron, all of it.

Even WITH all those guys can you tell me honestly the Blues are "in" this series? Hard to say. Maybe it's closer but I don't think Blues win regardless.

I'm afraid the Blues are quickly settling in to the "messy middle" of the NHL: not rebuilding, but not a top contender, finishing 12th in the league every year and getting bounced 1st-2nd round every year in the playoffs. That's where it honestly looks like where we're headed.

[JCShutout]

I think the blues can still be a cup contender and not in the messy middle. They need a good offseason and tank needs to find his health and his old game. They could have as many as 4 new forwards, depending on what they do with bozak, Schwartz, Hoffman and rfa Sanford and barbashev.

And who knows. We do have a lot of solid pieces. Maybe there is a trade out there for the type of defenseman we need.

It’s a tall order, but they did it in 19.

[glen a richter]

As far as prospects, there's no real top tier guys in the pipeline who can reasonably be expected to slide into top roles. A lot of middle or bottom 6 forwards and again very thin at RHD.

Personally I'd be fine with giving a look to a number of guys next season, you have to reset somewhere and now's as good a time to do it. Neighbours, Alexandrov, Kostin, Laferriere, Perunovich, give 'em all a look. Why not?

[theohall]

Had Perunovich not needed shoulder surgery, we probably would have seen him this season.

As to re-tooling... Jack Eichel?? (no I don't even believe that's possible with his salary, plus the conflict it would create with him immediately becoming the highest paid player on the team and still dealing with his current injury).

I just don't see the Blues forward prospects as being #1 line type guys - not even Kostin. And the Blues need #1 line type guys. I could see Thomas and Kyrou becoming that, but they need to 1) get bigger and 2) understand that shooting is sometimes a better option than passing (but that's an overall team thing and is part of a Berube issue since he's a "quality shots only" type coach).

Defensively, they should improve massively - if 1) Parayko deals with his back situation. IMO, he should've had the surgery and just written off the shortened season. 2) The Blues move on from players who aren't improving and still make the same types of mistakes (Dunn) 3) Give players like Mikkola and Perunovich, if he's healthy, expanded roles - not bottom pairing roles. We know what the current top 4 provide. Let's see what the other guys can do if given a greater opportunity. They might be better than bottom pairing defenseman.

As to the current situation - even if the Blues were entirely healthy, I don't see them winning this series vs the Avs. They just have too much at both ends of the ice. The only thing the Blues have which is better than the Avs is Goaltending. Binnington is better than Grubauer, but the Blues barely test Grubauer in comparison to what Binnington faces. So many blatantly missed quality opportunities by Blues forwards which would make Grubauer not look so good when he gives up the rebound, puck goes to the guy who has the open net, but that guy shoots wide, skates over the puck, fans on the shot... it's ridiculous the number of Blues players who've missed open nets for one reason or another. If those weren't missed, it's a different series. Meanwhile, the Avs almost never miss open nets when given the opportunity.

The Avs are going to turn into a back-end monster for anyone to face when one considers the defenseman they already have and look at the defenseman they still have in the pipeline. They are proving that vs the Blues. If (when) the Avs get past the Blues, the only team I see challenging them would be Tampa, but the Avs D is better than Tampa and the Lightning have a habit of playing poor defensively when they face an opponent they can get into a track meet with.

[WaukeeBlues]

Yea Eichel is a pipedream for the Blues. We have no blue chip prospects. Even assuming something like "Thomas, Kyrou, Perunovich + 18th overall pick this year" would be enough (I don't think it is, we'd get blown out of the water by another team's offer) for him we'd still have to send salary the other way and anyone with any significant cap hit has a partial or full NTC who wouldn't waive it to go to Buffalo. Plus we're fine at center, plus Buffalo is never trading with us again. So yea no, the Blues aren't even in that discussion.

Agree on the breakdown on defense. Put this way: next year can't be much worse. Hopefully Parayko is healthy (that alone would be a game changer), Krug had a year in the system so he should be settled in and much better, hopefully Perunovich healthy and like you said maybe some wheeling and dealing, totally agree.

Goaltending we're set. We have a great starter plus the best $750,000 goalie in the NHL in Husso.

I think a mini-youth movement is a good idea. Keep that 18th overall pick, get another decent level prospect in the pipeline, maybe some trades or something... yea.

Don't know if it'll be enough.

Also, this is the best team the Avalanche (and Lightning) will ever be able to put on the ice. Landeskog had a fantastic year and he's due a new contract, Makar's ELC is up this year... those guys will want paid. The salary cap is going to finally start doing what it was designed to do so that will narrow the gap between them and us. Hopefully. Our core is only getting older though...

[glen a richter]

The core won us a Cup, we should forever be grateful for that and all things have to change eventually. I’d rather get a bunch of kids in next year and just get the rebuild underway rather than be a middling team for the next decade. It was bound to happen at some point so don’t delay the inevitable.

[JCShutout]

I remember suggesting a rebuild either here or on grb right before the turn around in 19. Maybe that’s influencing me too much, but I think too many core guys are prime age to blow it up. If tank is what he was, the you have a fine top line and a really deep middle six. This team’s mo is depth. Health and keeping and replacing the right guys probably goes a long way towards making us a really tough team on any given night. I still believe in ror, schenn, tank, Perron and Schwartz (if the price is right)

I just don’t think we are that far away. Something needs to happen on d, and I’ve no clue what, but it feels like we just need one “right” guy there (and health from Parayko-hell maybe healthy Parayko is that guy)