I think that's an exaggeration of why McDonald is playing like crap, but it doesn't take away from the fact that he's been incredibly ineffective in this year's playoffs. I do think he's at the end of the line right now, though.
- Chip McCleary

I agree. Did you see his quote in JR's column?

“You’re cycling the puck and you might not be generating enough in terms of quality chances,” McDonald said. “How do you get the puck into scoring areas? It’s beating your guy to the corner, turning and making a pass to a guy that’s in a scoring area. I just think sometimes you get caught up in that o-zone time and you think you’re accomplishing something, but the reality is we need to get the puck closer to the net in the scoring area.”

Maybe McDonald should help coach game 6 rather than play or at least take his own quote to heart.

Also, Elliott back in net according to JR's column posted around midnight cst.

I still don't think this core has what it takes to win a game like this. Between the mental errors and the propensity to coast we've seen all year, I have no confidence there will be a game Monday.

Wheres the sniper?

Tarasenko cant be a sniper if hes in the pressbox and no one on this team is a true sniper.

Give me Carter, Williams, and Kopitar. Those guys have the finishing skills that the blues have been missing since the late 90's.

Yes Boyes and Young scored 40 goals but they were not true snipers. IMO

Since we're discussing Halak ...

http://www.ktrs.com/news/...lems-in-blues-locker-room



Keep in mind, the "source" for this is Hadley - who's only slightly more reliable than Adam Lambert is knowledgable about being heterosexual - but given other comments about Halak this season (especially Oshie's comment about Halak deciding he couldn't play right before one game), when there's smoke ...
- Chip McCleary

It could also bring validity to the rumor that a lot of people shot down, that the Blues had a trade in place for Ryan Miller before Halak got injured. You can almost say for certain that Halak will probably end up getting traded this offseason (drops 4m of salary and is much more affordable than Luongo so should get a lot of interest). You don't need that kind of cancer in the locker room, its only going to hurt the team. I'm surprised Allen hasn't been sitting on the bench over Halak.

I'm surprised Allen hasn't been sitting on the bench over Halak.
- jpl0219

If this is all true and they are planning to trade him, there is no way I would put Allen as the backup unless I thought it was probable that Allen would play. I think you have to keep up appearances so as not to deflate Halak's value more. Why deflate his perceived value more when all you do is expect him to sit on a bench and watch?

If this is all true and they are planning to trade him, there is no way I would put Allen as the backup unless I thought it was probable that Allen would play. I think you have to keep up appearances so as not to deflate Halak's value more. Why deflate his perceived value more when all you do is expect him to sit on a bench and watch?
- stljam

I don't think Halak's value is going to be inflated by him sitting as the backup, or deflated if he's in the press box. Other teams already know about him and how he plays, and can deduce how he'd fit into the locker room by talking around; the only question is whether he's ready to play now. That, you won't find out until he actually hits the ice - and the Blues aren't about to play him in an elimination game in order to showcase him for a potential trade this summer unless either (A) Elliott is hurt and can't play, or (B) they feel supremely confident that Jaro is ready to go - in which case, they're probably not looking to trade him this summer unless someone knocks their socks off with an offer.

BTW, note to all: Gameday blog will be up later this afternoon, depending on when I can shake out of work.

I don't think Halak's value is going to be inflated by him sitting as the backup, or deflated if he's in the press box. Other teams already know about him and how he plays, and can deduce how he'd fit into the locker room by talking around; the only question is whether he's ready to play now. That, you won't find out until he actually hits the ice - and the Blues aren't about to play him in an elimination game in order to showcase him for a potential trade this summer unless either (A) Elliott is hurt and can't play, or (B) they feel supremely confident that Jaro is ready to go - in which case, they're probably not looking to trade him this summer unless someone knocks their socks off with an offer.

BTW, note to all: Gameday blog will be up later this afternoon, depending on when I can shake out of work.
- Chip McCleary

Value in this sense is not what a player is worth on my time but what i think I have to give up to get him. It's a complex issue where value factors could include how desperate I think you are to move a player and who else I think might be interested; Are you overloaded there and have to make a move?; Do you have cap issues and have to make a move?; Is the guy injury prone? Does he have a good or bad reputation in the room? All of that stuff impacts what gms offer. Of course all of them have different opinions on the various factors, lol.

For me its about perception and it could add to the "bad teammate" stereotype. If there hadn't been player comments (Oshie if i remember correctly), Halak not even flinching when Elliott went down early in the series, Hadley's report, etc., then i wouldn't care at all but this would be just another thing suggesting there is a problem. Of course, all of this may be unfair as the trainer may have given him a signal so Halak knew he wasn't going to have to go in. Hadley could have his information off. etc.

I just can't see him getting any ice in this game (nor Allen for that matter) unless a) Elliott gets hurt or b) Elliott gets lit up and it won't matter who has mop up duty.

Like I said, Hadley is somewhere between a 4th-hand source and "for a good time, call _____" written on a bathroom stall - but I also agree with you that Halak's not going to see the ice this series unless it's the scenarios you describe.

I know a lot of the Blues guys probably also checkout stuff from JR but Helene Elliott (no relation I presume) is pretty good. She is the Kings beat writer.

http://www.latimes.com/sp...-20130510,0,6192419.story

Her offering there discloses that Regehr did re-break his nose Wednesday which is why presumably the Kings were allowed to change him off even though they committed icing. He also got hit with a shot in the ear in an earlier game.

Her article confirms what I was thinking about how Sutter is overloading 4 D with minutes. If we can keep banging them (read CPR line and others) and they keep overloading minutes, maybe we can take advantage of them more as the games go on. Of course, i would rather then put out Muzzin and Ellerby for a ton of minutes but Sutter is too smart for that, lol.

Rutherford confirms there was a "verbal argument" between Halak and Hitchcock earlier in the series, but he doesn't have details.

http://live.stltoday.com/...herford_at_10_AM/76341686

I must be getting soft in my older age because I just can't seem to loathe the kings like I did the Sharks, Black Hawks, Redwings and even Canucks in years past.

They are too similar a team to ours and generally win games the old fashioned way. They earn Ws. It's just been a mostly clean, hard fought series. Sure Doughty had the high sticking dive and Brown might go over the line at times but generally the series has been played "the right way" while still being a rugged, tough, entertaining series.

The other thing that jumps out of JR's chat, and it's not really a surprise to me: he describes the locker room as being "disjointed" - not really split into factions a la 2004 (when it was reportedly Weight vs. Pronger) but more "they're not a cohesive, seamless group" kind of thing.

Whenever the Blues are done with the playoffs, it's something I'll mention (I was going to post it as a question before this).

The other thing that jumps out of JR's chat, and it's not really a surprise to me: he describes the locker room as being "disjointed" - not really split into factions a la 2004 (when it was reportedly Weight vs. Pronger) but more "they're not a cohesive, seamless group" kind of thing.

Whenever the Blues are done with the playoffs, it's something I'll mention (I was going to post it as a question before this).
- Chip McCleary

I've read and heard this a number of times over the last couples years in a few different ways. I've seen/heard it referred to as small groups that like to spend time together, various clicks, or even inferred by mentioning gruops of partying players. Like you said - not really a surprise.

I think I see it on the ice sometimes. Everybody pulling as hard as they can but not neceesarily exactly in the same direction or at the same time.

Pronger sure had some drama around his career(not always his fault)......Traded for Shanahan; Perhaps factions in locker rooms (St. Louis and Philadelphia); Whatever happened in Edmonton to get him to force the team to trade him; having his knee blown by Steve Yzerman, and of course the concussions.....all while being a perennial Norris Contender, reaching the SCF three times (once with an 8 seed) and winning one

FYI. JR just reported that the Blues lines and lineup are the same for game 6.

Rats but as expected.

FYI. JR just reported that the Blues lines and lineup are the same for game 6.

Rats but as expected.
- stljam

Not really shocking, tonight should be pretty intense. I'm hoping that LA can close this one out, but I can really see this thing going the distance, and I have a hard time believing St Louis is going to lose 4 games in a row here. I read somewhere that Elliot has yet to win in Staples, and St Louis hasn't won an elimination game in a long time, so it's only a matter of time.... Makes me a bit nervous, if this goes to Game 7, I think the Blues will feed off a win tonight and take the series.

Game will be intense, I'm probably going to need heart pills by the end of it, these games are too intense for a first round matchup.