It's not rocket science to know that when you are at center ice and the other ref is in the appropriate position to make a call on a play nearest to him, you don't make a call unless you are 100% sure on it.
- Antilles

Have you ever reffed before? It is not even close to as easy as you are making it out to be. Let alone when you have 18k+ there who think they could do a better job.

All of this is true. But I would like to see the referees along with the linesmen confer on calls and be willing to waive off a penalty if one of them saw the play better.

The call on Stastny by the back referee was terrible.

They shouldn't be too proud to get the calls right.

Nice comeback today. It was great to see guys chipping in.
- bcallaway

you mean its about damn time the rest of the team showed up?

Haven't seen such whistle happy refs all season. At least the PIM's ended up evening out in the end.

Lot of speculation here about Steen and Cole. Steen would be one of the last guys they trade right now. And Cole, he should have sat long before today's game.

Very impressed by Butler. After his first couple games I thought there was no way this guy could hack it on this team but he has proven me wrong. I never realized how good he is offensively. They still need J Bo back though, especially if Gunnarson ends up missing time.
- fattyboubatty

just a guess, but, i think Gunnar is out with a concussion. that leaves Cole(NO NO NO) and Lindbohm(yes) on the 3rd pairing or maybe Butler and Lindbohm(anything but Cole)

i was pulling for Cole to get some regular playing time for the last 2 years, this is why i am not a professional coach or gm. Cole has looked terrible defensively. Butler looked that way his first couple of games but has shown improvement as of late

There was one really weak call on the Islanders. Three really weak calls on the Blues. And an obvious 5 minute major on the Islanders that the refs missed entirely. Saying there were weak calls both ways implies it was poor but fair officiating. It wasn't. Islanders were given a distinct advantage by the poor officiating.
- Antilles

I disagree, but in the end it really doesn't matter. I don't recall seeing someone so bent out of shape after a win though. while Lee made contact with the elbow and while it should have been a penalty, I wouldn't say it was intentional. careless? yeah. absolutely should have been called and I'd be surprised if he didn't get a game for it, but he definitely didn't power through the hit with the elbow, it was just careless for him to extend his arm as he went for the hit.

**I'm not excusing it, and like I said it should have been called, but he's not a dirty player. Just a bad decision that he will likely be punished for.

just a guess, but, i think Gunnar is out with a concussion. that leaves Cole(NO NO NO) and Lindbohm(yes) on the 3rd pairing or maybe Butler and Lindbohm(anything but Cole)

i was pulling for Cole to get some regular playing time for the last 2 years, this is why i am not a professional coach or gm. Cole has looked terrible defensively. Butler looked that way his first couple of games but has shown improvement as of late
- BluesDroogie

Dude where can I get whatever is you are taking?

just a guess, but, i think Gunnar is out with a concussion. that leaves Cole(NO NO NO) and Lindbohm(yes) on the 3rd pairing or maybe Butler and Lindbohm(anything but Cole)

i was pulling for Cole to get some regular playing time for the last 2 years, this is why i am not a professional coach or gm. Cole has looked terrible defensively. Butler looked that way his first couple of games but has shown improvement as of late
- BluesDroogie

Defend Jackman and Shattenkirk's defensive game.

Haven't seen such whistle happy refs all season. At least the PIM's ended up evening out in the end.

Lot of speculation here about Steen and Cole. Steen would be one of the last guys they trade right now. And Cole, he should have sat long before today's game.

Very impressed by Butler. After his first couple games I thought there was no way this guy could hack it on this team but he has proven me wrong. I never realized how good he is offensively. They still need J Bo back though, especially if Gunnarson ends up missing time.
- fattyboubatty

That is why I wanted the Blues to trade for him back when he was with the Sabres. That and he is a fellow Chaminade alum.

But Cole has hardly been a problem since early in the season. I think he got hurt a bit in the last game or two. One of them he took a bit of a head shot. He has had concussion issues in his past.

But left handed dmen are in spades on the Blues so with his value and upside if they could land something good you have to consider it.

I do not put much stock in the game today. The Islanders might be good especially out east but they looked weaker on the puck than the Blues have recently. I mean Lidstrom was carrying the puck and making plays. Plus Halak is easy to beat.

The Blues have goal scorers. Stastny impressed with his goal from the good play of Lidstrom. I have seen players on this team miss such empty nets in the past.

Bergie had a hell of a deflection. I think the game was good for the team for a few reasons one of which has to be the confidence boost for some guys who have been struggling.

That said the dmen keep backing up and backing up giving plenty of ice and time to enter their zone.

Allen was left out to dry. I do not understand how the continue to give up such golden chances in the low slot and never put a body on the attacker. When Panger even questions the dmen playing a containing style you know something is off.

If you want to know about Tim Peel just google him. He is notorious for making calls on the other side of the ice sheet.

I didn't catch the first period, but it was really nice to see the team come together and play well after what I assume was a miserable start. This team is great when they're all in. Really glad to see Stastny and Oshie getting on the score sheet and even Berglund looked good (and not just because of his deflection).

Shatty had a fantastic game and Butler has been impressive in the few games I've seen him play. He's not flashy or anything, but he seems to make smart, solid plays with the puck. Lindbohm is also looking good; liking his physical play. Maybe he can help bring that element back to our D.

Defend Jackman and Shattenkirk's defensive game.
- BluemanGuruu

jackman i can defend as he is always a net front presence guy and pushing his weight around, limited mobility but tough as nails. shatty has just dropped the ball just like petro has
and the stuff i am taking is readily available over the counter. called mr jim beam and an 18 pack of pabst blue ribbon. you are welcome and cheers


cole is terrible defensively how can you not see this

also i have thought that this might be one of Jackmans better seasons to this date. he has looked well, and not iced the puck AS MUCH as he used to.

jackman i can defend as he is always a net front presence guy and pushing his weight around, limited mobility but tough as nails. shatty has just dropped the ball just like petro has
and the stuff i am taking is readily available over the counter. called mr jim beam and an 18 pack of pabst blue ribbon. you are welcome and cheers


cole is terrible defensively how can you not see this
- BluesDroogie

Because I see the game sober? PBR ugh. I have mot drank that since it was the cheapest beer in a Chicago bar back in college.

Beam.... Orefer wild turkey or JD.

Most of the year Jackman's partner has been Cole. Perhaps that is why he has not iced the puck so much? One day technology will be such I can cut and oaste snippets of the game to show exactly what I am seeing. I am seeing Cole being perfect but I am seeing a player making good plays. Everyone of these dmen has been caught pinching so it is not a question of that. The troubling thing is that all of these dmen are backing deep into their zone and not oressuring the ouck carrier.

Jackman does not have a good net front presence. It is there but even good?.... Man if I could cut some clips right now I would show a number of goals and you would question that statement.

All the same this team could be soecial.

Because I see the game sober? PBR ugh. I have mot drank that since it was the cheapest beer in a Chicago bar back in college.

Beam.... Orefer wild turkey or JD.

Most of the year Jackman's partner has been Cole. Perhaps that is why he has not iced the puck so much? One day technology will be such I can cut and oaste snippets of the game to show exactly what I am seeing. I am seeing Cole being perfect but I am seeing a player making good plays. Everyone of these dmen has been caught pinching so it is not a question of that. The troubling thing is that all of these dmen are backing deep into their zone and not oressuring the ouck carrier.

Jackman does not have a good net front presence. It is there but even good?.... Man if I could cut some clips right now I would show a number of goals and you would question that statement.

All the same this team could be soecial.
- BluemanGuruu

Maybe Cole is not quite as bad as Droogie is making him out to be but I really don't know how you can use words like tremendous to describe this kid's play. On his best nights, he's simply good enough not to have made any major gaffe's on the third pair and usually on night's that are easy wins when he's not being pressured. A few good plays here and there isn't enough to offset the type of mental mistakes he makes all over the ice. He just doesn't think the game at a high enough level.

Every teams D back in against certain players. If you step up and the guy makes a move and blows past you, it's a two on one. That's where you're depending on your forwards to have the late man covered so assuming they do, it's better to stay with your man and keep him to the outside.

Where I agree with the need for more physical play is in front of the net to the hash marks. It does seem like most teams make it harder to occupy this area than the Blues do.

I disagree, but in the end it really doesn't matter. I don't recall seeing someone so bent out of shape after a win though. while Lee made contact with the elbow and while it should have been a penalty, I wouldn't say it was intentional. careless? yeah. absolutely should have been called and I'd be surprised if he didn't get a game for it, but he definitely didn't power through the hit with the elbow, it was just careless for him to extend his arm as he went for the hit.

**I'm not excusing it, and like I said it should have been called, but he's not a dirty player. Just a bad decision that he will likely be punished for.
- Isles_since_6

We were at the game and the play happened in front of us to the right and live I didn't see it as a dirty hit. Watching the replay, seemed dirtier than live but still wasn't even as bad as the hit to oshie's chin a few games ago.

The call on de haan was also terrible. The officiating was poor in the game period but it happens and female dogging about it just doesn't do much becauase the nhl doesn't seem serious on working to fix it.

Also, I want my team (as do you probably) to win in spite of whatever the officiating is. no excuses.

The atmosphere on the island was great from a fan and crowd perspective, poor from an organization standpoint (clueless islander staff, no charity auction table on a basically sold out weekend game, etc) and of course bad from a building standpoint (just old and poor design).

Great fun though and some good fans. Cabbing back to the LIRR was an experience though, lol.

Funny aside for blues fans who have never been there.....

You have to appreciate the "if you hate the rangers and you know, clap your hands" chant....

We all need to really hope that lindstrom and stastny can develop some chemistry....that could be a big key to getting the balanced scoring going.

Butler made a lot of coverage gaffes away from the puck that didn't translate into bade things. If gunnar and jaybo are out for any significant more time, we are going to get exposed on the d line. Butler, Jackman and Cole are 5/6 d men at best and Lindbohm is impressive and was really strong in the game but i worry about him keeping it up, playing 20 minutes a night which is what will need to happen.

Also NYI asides, the allen and brodeur chants were funny. There were a lot of devils and brodeur fans at the game, a lot. I feel bad for the island fans as they will not be moving with their team and the Brooklyn islanders are going to have to create a new fan base. pretty sad for a once storied franchise.

Allen's rebound control was again an issue. The two really impressive saves he made with about 3 to go in the 1st were a direct result of his terrible rebound just prior. The third goal was also due to a terrible rebound. This is definitely developing into a pattern. I hope corsi and marty can help him sort it out.

Berglund's coverage in the d zone was consistently a day late and a dollar short throughout the game and it cost them on a goal or two. He just seemed a step behind.

Shatty had a heck of a game. The guy is money in NY, period. he really should sign there to maximize his points, lol.

BTW, you guys realize Steen has a NTC right? and most of the pertinent bruins have modified or limited NMC or NTCs as well.

BTW, you guys realize Steen has a NTC right? and most of the pertinent bruins have modified or limited NMC or NTCs as well.
- stljam

Yeah, most people forget little (huge) details. No biggie.

BTW, you guys realize Steen has a NTC right? and most of the pertinent bruins have modified or limited NMC or NTCs as well.
- stljam

A lot of over-reaction to his being scratched suddenly on Saturday. No time to murky the waters with trivial details. There must be a blockbuster trade coming......

By the way, the morning paper states that Brodeur gets the start tonight at home against Florida. Not that our crack blogger will have anything about this.......

A lot of over-reaction to his being scratched suddenly on Saturday. No time to murky the waters with trivial details. There must be a blockbuster trade coming......

By the way, the morning paper states that Brodeur gets the start tonight at home against Florida. Not that our crack blogger will have anything about this.......
- bcallaway

Looking forward to seeing Marty in net tonight at the game. Pretty sure there are tickets available. Get out and support the Blues, great night to be at the STC.

We were at the game and the play happened in front of us to the right and live I didn't see it as a dirty hit. Watching the replay, seemed dirtier than live but still wasn't even as bad as the hit to oshie's chin a few games ago.

The call on de haan was also terrible. The officiating was poor in the game period but it happens and female dogging about it just doesn't do much becauase the nhl doesn't seem serious on working to fix it.

Also, I want my team (as do you probably) to win in spite of whatever the officiating is. no excuses.

The atmosphere on the island was great from a fan and crowd perspective, poor from an organization standpoint (clueless islander staff, no charity auction table on a basically sold out weekend game, etc) and of course bad from a building standpoint (just old and poor design).

Great fun though and some good fans. Cabbing back to the LIRR was an experience though, lol.

Funny aside for blues fans who have never been there.....

You have to appreciate the "if you hate the rangers and you know, clap your hands" chant....
- stljam

fully agree, the penalty calls were brought up by another poster here and I disagreed with him that they were all going the Isles way. In the end, it doesn't matter and when your team can't kill a penalty then it doesn't matter what the call was for. Good game by the blues, solid team.

Maybe Cole is not quite as bad as Droogie is making him out to be but I really don't know how you can use words like tremendous to describe this kid's play. On his best nights, he's simply good enough not to have made any major gaffe's on the third pair and usually on night's that are easy wins when he's not being pressured. A few good plays here and there isn't enough to offset the type of mental mistakes he makes all over the ice. He just doesn't think the game at a high enough level.

Every teams D back in against certain players. If you step up and the guy makes a move and blows past you, it's a two on one. That's where you're depending on your forwards to have the late man covered so assuming they do, it's better to stay with your man and keep him to the outside.

Where I agree with the need for more physical play is in front of the net to the hash marks. It does seem like most teams make it harder to occupy this area than the Blues do.
- fattyboubatty

Sometimes you contain a player it is true. It is called reading the play and knowing when to close the gap. But you see teams do it well against players who have phenominal one on one skills and speed all of the time. The Blues D are backing up against everyone even with back pressure and good coverage.

But all the same no one gets by you when you look at their hips. Where you fool a player is you get them to focus on the puck, your face, skates or stick.

Cole's issue is not with pressure on him. That is one of his better attributes being able to escape pressure. He might do better to read plays in the offensive zone or parts of the neutral zone and those are important but his biggest weakness is when he has time to make a play. All of this is improving.

I also have issue with him around the net but I have the same issue with all of the dmen which tells me it is part of the team structure.

Have you ever reffed before? It is not even close to as easy as you are making it out to be. Let alone when you have 18k+ there who think they could do a better job.
- carcus

Yes, I have, though obviously not in front of 18k. And yes, it is that easy to avoid making calls that aren't yours to make unless you are 100% sure the call HAS to be made. As evidence, look at how many super weak calls Sutherland made from across the rink that game. None. Peel is a terrible ref.

fully agree, the penalty calls were brought up by another poster here and I disagreed with him that they were all going the Isles way. In the end, it doesn't matter and when your team can't kill a penalty then it doesn't matter what the call was for. Good game by the blues, solid team.
- Isles_since_6

Except no one said they were all going the Islanders way. Just that the officiating greatly favored the Islanders. It did. When a hit requires a hearing from the DPS, it was supposed to be a 5min major. Even if you want to ignore the weak calls being in your favor, I'm not sure how you can ignore the refs missing/ignoring a 5min major against you.

Maybe Cole is not quite as bad as Droogie is making him out to be but I really don't know how you can use words like tremendous to describe this kid's play. On his best nights, he's simply good enough not to have made any major gaffe's on the third pair and usually on night's that are easy wins when he's not being pressured. A few good plays here and there isn't enough to offset the type of mental mistakes he makes all over the ice. He just doesn't think the game at a high enough level.
- fattyboubatty

This is also Cole's first full season. This exact paragraph could have been written about Eric Johnson his first full season with the Blues, or Chris Pronger the season after we got him. I'm not suggesting Cole will be an MVP like Pronger, or a solid #2 guy like Johnson is becoming; but I think people need to remember that defensemen struggling when they first play regularly in the league is normal, and guys like Petro being good right away is weird.

Yes, Cole is 25 and has been around a while. But this is the first year he is actually getting regular play time, so some struggling should be expected.

Now Lee is getting a NHL hearing...

I guess there spin on the wheel of discipline was under review with the war room and them eventually overruling the disciplinarians in the room.

Is there any reason the NHL wonders why they get ribs about being second tier, garage league, etc on certain things? (not saying he didn't deserve one but how does it go from he isn't to he is...)

Yes, I have, though obviously not in front of 18k. And yes, it is that easy to avoid making calls that aren't yours to make unless you are 100% sure the call HAS to be made. As evidence, look at how many super weak calls Sutherland made from across the rink that game. None. Peel is a terrible ref.
- Antilles

Ok, I appreciate your response. But if someone sees a penalty, they should call it. Regardless if the guy in the zone is going to call anything. The entire ice is open, and should be, to both refs.

But I don't disagree that Peel is terrible.