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GameBlog 3-11-10: Blues vs Islanders

By Jeff Quirin on March 11, 2010

New York Islanders

vs.

St. Louis Blues

Pregame

After last night’s action the Blues come to Long Island just 6 points back of 8th place Calgary and 8 points back of 7th place Nashville.  The playoff push continues with the second half of their 6 game road swing following the Olympics tonight.

The Islanders are not a team to be taken lightly., even if David Perron has a big bag of tricks to pull on Mark Streit. The Islanders were contending for the 8th spot in the East for most of the season and only recently have fallen down due to three straight losses (after one win) exiting the Olympic break. The Islanders are not out of it yet and look to start a new winning steak. The Islanders are kicking off a three game home stand with the Blues. We heard the same thing Saturday as well. Let’s hope the Blues have learned from that poor effort.

For those who don’t follow the East, you may have missed the Islanders and their young players. They are lead by rookie standout and first overall selection in the 2009 NHL draft, John Tavares. An amazingly gifted goal scorer at every level of play. Blues fans see a lot of Patrick Kane, another first overall forward. Think of the same level of impact with less point production. Tavares is the face of a growing core of young players. Tavares is in the middle around players like Kyle Okposo (who is leading the team in scoring), Josh Bailey, and Matt Moulson. Okposo, Bailey, and Tavares are three of the top five team scorers and are all between the ages of 19 and 21. This young core is lead by wily veterans like Trent Hunter, Streit, and Captain Doug Weight (we all know Dougie). Players who have been around the block and know what it takes to win. Just because you may not know the names, it doesn’t mean you should discount this team.

The Blues Net Nemesis Dayne Roloson stands between the pipes most nights.  This guy just eats up the Blues.

I say this a lot. I’ve said it all season in fact. The power play needs to be a vital part of the Blues victory. The Blues transition game is not athletic enough to be counted on to produce even strength results. Effort makes up for a lot of deficiencies, but in this case it’s not enough over the course of 82 games. The power play needs to be on point and capitalizing to give the Blues some offensive edge. The Islanders are one of the worst home penalty killing teams. They rank 26th in the NHL with a 77% kill rate. Yes, I know the Islanders are not that great at 5 on 5. They have given up the 5th highest total of even strength goals in the NHL. That said, the power play has been largely inconsistent all season. The Blues need to get it rolling if they want to hang with the toughest teams down the stretch. Sometimes the best way to overcome a shortcoming is to make it a priority even when it may not be one. Basically every game is an opportunity to make power play conversions happen and to build momentum and confidence to carry the conversions forward.

The Blues are not so hot while taking the opening lead of a game. They have a 52.6% winning percentage when leading first. The Islanders have won only 7 games out of 36 games when trailing first, a 19.4% winning percentage. Get on them early, often, and hold them back. If you let them out in front first, they win 63.3% of those games.

Is this game a total must win? Not yet, but its as close as were going to get before it becomes a must win. With tonight’s schedule Nashville, Detroit, and Calgary could all win and not take anyone else the Blues are competing against down. A loss puts the Blues down 10 points from 7th and 8 points from 8th.

According to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post Dispatch (via Twitter) Keith Tkachuk is still out injured. DJ King and Daryl Sydor will be the healthy scratches. Cam Janssen is still suspended. No news on the goaltending situation. Though I fully expect Chris Mason to get the start.

Reminder – Game is at 6:00pm Central due to the East Coast start time. No HD.

Recap

Truly an interesting game. I can’t say that I’ve seen a game so dominated by offensive zone play by the attacking team that produced only two goals. It’s like the neutral zone was the wrong place to be, everyone wanted in and out of it quickly.

The Islanders really matched the Blues at even strength. Isn’t it amazing what a lot of  “will” can do when added to “skill”. The Islanders are a rag tag bunch of young guys and veterans, but they hung with the Blues like it was no big deal. The Blues aren’t a great team (compared to others), but they are 11 points ahead of where the Islanders are in a much tougher conference.

The goaltending looked “uneasy” last night. Neither Biron or Mason looked spectacular. The edge does go to Mason who did look better than Biron.

How good has Patrik Berglund been under Payne? Wow. Mammoth game for Berglund. Using his body, making moves to the net, taking care of defensive responsibilities. This is the player Blues fans (and front office) expected to see this season. Backes? Great physical presence game as well. I was really surprised that The Islanders let the Tavares line take on the Backes line. The Backes line got chances and just couldn’t produce.

The power play has to be better. While the Backes unit had a few good chances (mainly due to Johnson doing the hockey equivalent to keyboard mashing), they were stagnant and not moving enough. Conversely, the all left handed point unit with Colaiacovo and Steen were very good paired up with the Berglund line. That line produced the Blues only goal. Berglund from McDonald and Steen. It was nice to see Perron back to himself. Good second effort and getting under the skin. Too many times he made moves with no speed and he was take out. The Islanders did a good job collapsing on him. They can’t always stop him (and they didn’t a few times), but they limited his chances on the fancy moves.

The officiating was a little touchy last night. For the most part, I thought it was consistent. Barret Jackman needs to not take that late boarding call in OT. The refs made the call earlier in the game, why take the risk? When will players learn that hockey is changing and you just can’t do things you did 10-15 years ago. Hitting a player from behind while on teh boards is bad now. Adapt.

Shootout? Great job by Oshie, Mason and Boyes. Boyes may be struggling, but he has been a solid contributor in the shootout. That’s what his 3rd or 4th game winner in the shootout? Sure feels like it.

Overall, a fun game to watch and a great team victory to nab the two points. Players who started poorly came back to improve their games and everyone got in on the action. Sorry for the shortened recap, daughter’s birthday was yesterday and I had other stuff to focus on. Hockey came second…and on the DVR.

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Throwdown Lowdown – Blues @ Islanders 3-11-10

By Tyler Atwood on March 11, 2010

Tim Jackman is ugly

Looks like Tim Jackman is Mike Ricci's cousin. Image via sharkspage.com, and avert your eyes before clicking the photo for the full-size version

Off-Topic to start: if you don’t know (chances are likely that you don’t), my favorite music band is 311.  Today, March 11th, is a national holiday for us 311-heads.  Yes, it’s 311 Day!  They’re playing a huge live show in Las Vegas, which is being webcast worldwide.  Since I know just about all of their tunes by heart and there will be hockey on the tube, I won’t watch.  But I’m sure it’ll be fun.  And if you listen to any alternative radio stations today, you’ll probably hear a few 311 tracks today, as traditionally today is the day a whole bunch of fellow 311-heads are calling to hear their favorite 311 tunes.  Happy 311 Day, y’all!

The Blues are coming off a disappointing effort on Saturday against the Colorado Chris Stewarts Avalanche.  There was one early scrap involving BJ Crombeen and Cody McLeod, which ended in a draw after Crombeen fell on top of McLeod.  The draw brings the Blues to 57 fights on the season, still staying strong at 5th league-wide.  Their ‘09-’10 fight record now stands at 23-18-16.

The New York Islanders have one of the younger, more exciting rebuilding teams in the league.  I won’t compare them to the Pittsburgh Penguins circa 2005, since that would be unfair to both squads.  However, they have high-end young stars in John Tavares and Kyle Okposo, among others.  But with this youth comes an unwillingness to throw down the gloves.  They have done so only 24 times this season, good for 26th in the NHL.  Their fight record is a God-awful 4-9-11.  Among the seven players that have contested these fights, only two are currently in Uniondale, representing 11 of those 24 fights.  When the Blues and Islanders matched up on November 21st in The ‘Lou, the two teams predictably did not throw down the gloves.

There is only one current Islander that is a threat to get into a fracas, winger Tim Jackman (6′4″, 210lbs, 2-4-4), pictured above.  Jackman, who is of no relation to our own Barret Jackman, brings size and a nasty mean streak about him.  He is not a threat to score, but he is the kind of guy that does the dirty things to help young teams along a rebuilding process.  The only other fighter still with the Islanders is defenseman Bruno Gervais (6′1″, 205lbs, 0-1-0).  The other five fighters that are not currently with the Islanders are center Nate Thompson (6′0″, 207lbs, 1-1-3 with the Isles and 1-1-4 overall, waived to Tampa Bay on January 21st), defenseman and noted Philadelphia SUV-defeater Brendan Witt (6′2″, 223lbs, 0-1-2, in the AHL since February 5th), defenseman Andy Sutton (6′6″, 245lbs, 0-1-1, traded to Ottawa on March 2nd), winger Matt Martin (6′2″, 192lbs, 1-0-1, in the AHL since February 11th) and winger Joel Rechlicz (6′4″, 220lbs, 0-1-0, in the AHL since October 21st).

My dream fight matchup this evening involves a couple of heavyweights, but it is all dependent on how Blues coach Davis Payne wants to play his hand.  Assuredly, you would think Tim Jackman would play, but will the Blues ride with DJ King?  King did not suit up on Saturday.  If he’s not in the owner’s box tonight, I want him to face off against Jackman.  They’re both big, strong, tough and ornery.  This is about the only fight I would want to see between these two teams, but admittedly, the chances of a fight in this one are slim even if King DOES play.

If you want to be a playoff team, this is a game the Blues MUST have.  Go get it!

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

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GameBlog 03-06-10: Blues vs Avalanche

By Jeff Quirin on March 6, 2010

Colorado Avalanche

vs.

St. Louis Blues

Pregame

Since the Olympics ended the Blues are 2-0-0 following decisive wins in Phoenix and Dallas. In both games, the starting netminder for the opposition was chased. Tonight’s task against the Colorado Avalanche will be much more difficult. If the Blues want a chance to split the season series (they are 0-2 so far) and gain ground on the 8th spot in the West, the post Olympic trends need to continue.

- Quick puck movement.
- Responsible defensive play by all five on the ice.
- Speed through the neutral zone (I’m watching your David Perron).
- Three lines producing goals.
- Chris Mason plays like its March 2009 all over again.

Colorado is no push over team. They are no “Cinderella” anymore either. While they did surprise most of the NHL nation by not being in the bottom three, they have maintained that high level of play all season. After the Olympics they have been presented with a challenge. Their #1 center was the #1 center for Team USA and is likely a little tired following his Silver Medal performance. They have made multiple deals at the deadline, altering their team chemistry. Since the Olympic break they are 1-2-0, giving up 3 goals in and at least two power play goals in each game. The Avs are at a cross roads. They can either gain their winning ways back as they open a  three game home stand with the Blues or slip down as teams like Nashville and Detroit move up. After these three games Colorado has six of their next nine on the road. Colorado needs a big game.

The Blues need to prepare for that big game and early jump from the Avs. The Avs have beaten the Blues twice and will use that to build confidence and momentum.

The Blues need the prototypical road game. Tight checking, high energy, smart decisions and timely goaltending. One key will be getting pucks on net. In each of the Avs last three games they have yielded at least 30 shots on goal against Craig Anderson. Anderson has been good, but he has seen a lot of rubber and let in more goals than usual. The Blues recent finishing ability needs to continue.

The play of the Steen-McClement-Boyes line needs to continue as well. Boyes has two goals in the last two games. Steen and McClement each have one. Timely secondary scoring will be huge of Colorado and shut down either the Backes or Berglund line.

John Kelly FYI’d on Twitter today that Milan Hejduk will be back tonight. Big boost to their offensive punch coming back. Hejduk, Stewart, and Mueller down the right side…not too shabby.

I haven’t heard about who is in net for the Blues yet, my guess would be Mason. I would also think that Davis Payne doesn’t alter the lines and pairings. We shall see. I will be out this afternoon, so if I catch any updates I will get them posted as soon as possible.

UPDATE @ 630pm:
Dan O’Neill has the Morning Skate blog up for StlToday today.

Line-Up FYIs:
King and Sydor Scratches.
Janssen Suspension (out)
Winchester back in (my guess is w/ Crombeen and D’Agostini).

O’Neill also talks about Alex Pietrangelo being named the #1 rookie to watch for 2010 by The Hockey News. Sorry Dan, that’s old news. We got the story here before today. ;)

First Period

It was a rough first 90 seconds, but the game started flowing after that.

The Blues did a good job matching the Avs physical presence and pace.

Barret Jackman had a couple of mental gaffes. NOt sure why he felt the need to cross over in front of Polak.

Blue shad good possession and chances on the power play, just no conversion.

Brewer got a shot through and Perron tips it home. Avs quick strike back and make it 2-1 at the end of the period.

Mental breakdowns defensively have left Mason out to dry on both goals. EJ has been good save the blunder with him and Brewer behind the net leading to Stewart’s goal.  Who, by the way, is killing the Blues with 4 goals and 3 assists in 2 games and 1 period against the Blues this season.

Second Period

The Avs sure have Chris Mason’s # this season. After the Blues chase teh starter in two straight, Mason is chased in the second.

As much as the first two were on the 5 skaters on the ice in front of Mason, the next two were on him.

Chris Stewart…though the second he now has 6 goals and 4 assists in the three games against the Blues this season.

The Avs have just capitalized on their chances where the Avs have really locked down the Blues second chances. Between Anderson’s rebound control and the Avs blocking out, the Blues aren’t generating much after the initial shot.

Every time the Blues crawl back, the Avs stomp on their hands, not much longer before the fall.

Where was the response to the Ryan Wilson hit? He’s creamed Oshie already and now D’Agostini. Was the only “tit for tat” Backes on Hejduk at the end of the second?

Speaking of Backes, where has that line been tonight? The 4th line has created more than the Backes line has. Not that impressed with all three dfensive pairings. No impact from Colaiacovo. Weaver is Weaver. Some mental mistakes by Johnson, Brewer, and Jackman have lead to goals. Polak is Polak.

Two out of three ain’t bad?

Final Thoughts

In big games, your best players need to step up. Colorado had theris, but the Blues best did not.

Where was the Backes line? Did The 6 defensemen decide to just half ass it? Did Chris Mason need to sit in favor of Ty Conklin? Should Payne have played the historical stats for once? Lots of questions, but not so many answers.

This game had a 1st half of 09-10 feel to it. Wishy-washy goaltending, lots of shots and many low % in tight chances that Colorado boxed out. The Blues had matched pace and play, but were run down by the blitzkrieg like counter attack of the Avs. David Backes said it very well in teh post game interviews. We (Blues) didn’t play our game and didn’t have guys winning battles.  When we lost battles they transitioned back up ice (paraphrasing). What the Avs did to the Blues is what they did to the Coyotes and Stars. Pressured them at every turn and took their game away. The Blues stood and watched a period (like Backes said) and it cost them the game.

Blues fans should give credit to the Avs. They are no push over team. They have high end talent with Stastny and Hejduk supported by a solid supporting cast that is well coached. They can attack and score with the best of teams. The Blues had no answer tonight. The right answer would be better goaltending and smarter play from first to last whistle. That just didn’t happen tonight. Anderson out performed Mason, big time.

The Blues need to look at this game as a reminder of what can go wrong when you don’t work hard enough from player 1 to player 20.In the first three games of this trip, the Blue shave 2/3 of the possible points, 4 out of 6. In a maintenance scenario where you are already in the post season, that’s fine. When you need to climb and will spend Sunday through Wednesday off, you need 5 of 6 or 6 of 6. Perhaps that is unrealistic, but its what would have to happen.

If there are any bright spots for the Blues it would be the play of the Berglund and McClement lines. Those 6 players combined for 3 goals and 6 points in the game. Steen continues to take his game to another level as does Berglund. D’Agostini played another solid game on limited ice time.

Winchester started hot and finished bland. A growing trend that is very troublesome as the Blues need Brad to create needed energy and enthusiasm.

I know that Backes and Johnson are tired and want to go home, but the Olympics are not a valid excuse when they played as well as they did in the two games prior.

The Blues now have 4 full days off before their next game on Thursday against the Islanders in New York. The reset button was pushed and the third period began the process. Now comes the time for the players to recharge and right their ship again. Blues fans were flying high after two good games, now comes a dose of reality. The Blues are close, but have a very difficult task. The games aren’t that easy adn teh team as a whole needs to remember that.

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Throwdown Lowdown – Blues @ Avalanche 3-6-10

By Tyler Atwood on March 6, 2010

David Koci

"Hey dude, wanna have a beer after the game?" Image via UPI (but you probably won't be seeing David Koci tonight)

The Blues aren’t just beating people on the scoreboard, they’re punching people too.  There were two fights on Thursday between the Blues and Dallas Stars – one featuring expected contestants and one featuring not-so-expected contestants.  First, we had the long-awaited rematch between DJ King and Krys Barch.  King broke his hand on Barch’s helmet in their last fight back in November (a fight that King won).  King won the rematch handily.  Next, it was the second fight of Erik Johnson’s career.  He squared off against Jamie Benn, who was in the first fight in a regular season NHL game in his career.  Johnson controlled Benn early but Benn charged late and won the battle.  Despite the two fights, the Blues sunk back into 5th place in the league with 56 fights on the season and now sport a fight record of 23-18-15 in ‘09-’10.

Now the Blues are in Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche.  Four weeks ago, the Blues squared off in Denver, and the Throwdown Lowdown was on the case.  Since then, not including the two fights in their previous matchup with the Blues, the Avs have only fought twice.  They have no problems throwing down the gloves when they feel the need to, as evidenced by their 9th place standing with 47 fights.  Their fight record on the season is an underwhelming 9-14-24; however, two of those wins were against the Blues.  Both came in Denver on February 28th; David Koci edged King (and in a bit of irony, Koci injured his hand in the process) and Chris Stewart took down BJ Crombeen.

The only changes from the previous meeting are in the records of multiple fighters for the Avs: Koci is now 2-4-5, Stewart is now 3-0-2, Cody McLeod is now 2-3-9 and Matt Hendricks is now 1-3-3.  Otherwise, the information from the previous report is still accurate, except that Koci is on injured reserve

Despite Koci’s absence, I anticipate multiple fights in this game.  The Avs have played in three games since the Olympic Break (including one with mutual bitter rival, the Detroit Red Wings), but their only fight was on Wednesday with the Anaheim Ducks.  The Blues bring physicality, which seems to bring out the best in the big, tough Avs.  Assuming King suits up, look for him to fight someone like Stewart amidst the absence of Koci.  Also don’t be surprised if McLeod goes at it with someone like Crombeen or Brad Winchester.

The Blues haven’t lost since losing to Colorado, in Denver, back on February 8th.  Can the Blues avenge that loss, take down this almost-certain playoff club and continue this hot streak?  I SAY YES!

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

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Gameblog 03-04-10: Blues vs. Stars

By Jeff Quirin on March 5, 2010

There was a pretty important game played down in Dallas last night. Abut 18 Blues skaters and a goalie showed up. Dallas had about 6 and no goalie. In what was the biggest game for Dallas to date, they failed (fail is the operative word here) to show up. Hence, the Blues win 6-1 down in big D.

The Blues performance (save for some time in the second) was down right masterful. They looked like a top 5 team. The pressured Dallas at every opportunity, took away space, and most importantly made the neutral zone theirs. As Kelly and Pang alluded to during and after the game, the Blues did a great job of generating speed and pressure through the neutral zone. I know Jackman and Brewer aren’t ideal puck movers, but the team is getting it done with smart, decisive play (just like how Chicago does it).Dallas rarely, if ever, took time and space from the Blues entering the zone. That might have been the easiest time the Blues have had crossing the blue border line all season. Dallas just opened the door and said, “come on in, our goalie will not stop you”.

In a way I feel bad for Turco. He was a very fine goalie. HOwever, it seems he is going the route of JS Giguere. Time for Marty to have a change of scenery. I also feel bad for Eriksson, Neal, Richards, Riberio, Benn, and Robidas. In my opinion the only Stars who really showed anything and pressured the Blues.

As far as the Blues go, they were just too much. The spacing, passing, speed and decision making were some of the best we’ve seen all season. The Backes line has been strong and the top line for quite a while now. Does the team really have a second line? They haven’t till McDonald-Berlund-Perron started clicking. I would call last night that lines coming out party. Those three combined for a goal and two assists with good offensive zone pressure. The Steen-McClement-Boyes line was also very good as Steen and Boyes both scored very nice “goal scorers” goals.

The blueline was aggressive and physical. The EJ v Benn bout was fund to watch. EJ is going to use the Olympics to spring board on to his next stage of development and we saw that last night. Drop the gloves every once in a while to keep the forwards honest. Can anyone touch DJ King? Not Barch.

Mason was solid. I know that’s an odd comment on a 6-1 win, but he faced 30 shots. He came up with timely saves on Eriksson  and Skrastins to keep Dallas at bay.

3rd Star – Chris Mason
2nd Star – Berglund Line
1st Star – Backes Line

Next Up for the Blues are the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night. Blues are now just one point out of the 8th spot with Calgary and Detroit to leapfrog.

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Throwdown Lowdown – Blues @ Stars 3-4-10

By Tyler Atwood on March 4, 2010

Krys Barch

Krys Barch likes to punch people. Image via hockeyfights.50webs.com

A glorious two points earned by the Blues in the desert brings our squad back toward the pack fighting for the 8th spot in the playoffs.  Unfortunately, no official fights occurred (the scrum at the end of the 2nd period  notwithstanding), so the Blues drop to 5th place while remaining at 54 fights on the season.  The season fight record stands at 22-17-15.

The Dallas Stars – former Norris Divison rivals, don’tchaknow – sometimes have problems dropping the gloves.  But I won’t hold it against them . . . they’re mediocre at best when it comes to WINNING fights.  The Stars have registered 35 fights on the season – good for a tie for 16th in the league with the Florida Panthers.  Their fight record on the season is 11-12-12.  The Blues have fought with the Stars four times thus far this season, and the Note is 4-0-0, according to the good folks at Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights.  On October 24th in St. Louis, DJ King defeated Krys Barch in a battle that cost King some time with a broken finger . . . also, Brad Winchester defeated Brian Sutherby and BJ Crombeen dispatched of Steve Ott after a questionable hit.  In the November 25th game in Dallas, our own Captain Roboto, Eric Brewer, beat the living crap out of Ott in a performance that may have solidified Brewer’s captaincy for the rest of this season.

Winger Barch (6′2″, 220lbs, 3-8-4) is the lead goon on this Dallas squad – and with his size and fighting ability, it’s not hard to see WHY he’s their enforcer.  Other multiple fighters for the Stars include center and general league pest Ott (6′0″, 193lbs, 4-2-2, day-to-day with an appendectomy and yes, both losses to the Blues), winger Sutherby (6′3″, 209lbs, 2-1-1, day-to-day with a shoulder issue) and defenseman Mark Fistric (6′2″, 232lbs, 1-0-2).  On the season, nine Stars have fought this season, including old friend and defenseman Jeff Woywitka (6′2″, 217lbs, 0-1-0).

It’s Cam Janssen’s 2nd suspension game of five, but with the addition of Matt D’Agostini and the subsequent send-out of Derek Armstrong, it’s still no guarantee that King will get playing time on this squad.  If King suits up, look for him and Barch to set a rematch.  Otherwise, Crombeen or Winchester may be your best bet to fight Barch . . . but I don’t like their chances against him.

Can the Blues continue their Olympic-extended hot streak?  Lord I hope so.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

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A Tough Deadline Day for the Blues

By Jeff Quirin on March 3, 2010

The feeling I had this morning, crawling out of bed after tracking the late night chatter, was that of a kid on Christmas. You’ve asked for things you think you can get, even though it might be hard for mom and dad to swing it. You’ve been good enough to deserve the coming gifts. You wake up and run to the tree….then realize you need to brush your teeth and eat breakfast. Ok, so that’s out of the way and you get to the tree. You and your sibblings open up all the boxes. Some get really cool toys, some get money to do what they want later. What do you get? A gift card to the bookstore, clothes, and a winter coat instead of that brand new computer. Yea, you can read the books you buy and wear the coat and clothes…but that computer lets you learn for tomorrow and have fun today.

The Blues (and their fans) were that kid today.

The trade deadline came and went today as 30 teams postured and positioned themselves to be a better team now or later. The St. Louis Blues are one of those 30 teams.  The Blues were able to cut multiple deals between March 1st and March 3rd. Were those deals impactful? Do they assist this team in making another improbable second half run? Do they make this team better coming in to the 10-11 season? I think are answers are maybe and maybe. I’m thinking it looks like a pair of Jeans and a puffy coat.

Let’s take a look at these trades and go from there. FYI – a full listing is on our Trade Deadline Blog.
*I’m throwing out the Wagner and Toivonen deals.

Trade 1
to St. Louis: F Matt D’Agostini
to Montreal: F Aaron Palushaj

At first glance this trade looks to be a minor one. An AHL winger traded for an AHL/NHL Tweener winger. When we dig deeper we see a prospect fairly well touted by the Blues traded for an inconsistent player who hasn’t really found much consistency at the NHL level. No, this isn’t Robbie Schrempf. Matt D’ Agostini posses a good shot and has been a scorer at levels below the NHL, but has yet to “get it” in the NHL. Matt has joined the Blues roster in Dallas where they play the Stars tomorrow night. His addition means the return of Derek Armstrong to Peoria. What does his addition mean when the Janssen suspension is up and Tkachuk returns from his pinkie injury? The Blues will have a few too many forwards. In that same line of thinking, where does D’Agonstini play? He isn’t a “grinder”, but the Blues wing positions are all filled up save for the “4th line”. Does he replace Winchester? With Armstrong’s leaving the Blues don’t really have a 4th line center, unless Brad Boyes moves back there. Maybe Boyes centers Steen and D’Agostini while McClement moves down to play with Winchester and Crombeen?

Aaron is still a smaller player and has encountered injury issues in Peoria already. That doesn’t mean he cannot strengthen his body to take the abuse of professional hockey in North America. The Blues gave up on quite a bit of long term upside to gamble on an inconsistent player they really don’t have room for on the NHL roster. At the same time, D’ Agonstini could find chemistry with his new Blues line mates and become an impact player. Right now, this trade is a toss up with potential to be good and bad for both teams.

Trade 2
to St. Louis: F Pierre-Cedric Labrie
to Vancouver: F Yan Stastny

This is yet another AHL trade made following the Bell, Wagner, and Toivonen trades. Yan Stastny was a tweener that couldn’t carve a spot out in St. Louis. Jay McClement did his job better than Yan could and there was no other room for him. YAn went to Peoria and played well as their Captain. Vancouver wanted a depth forwrd and they got one. Yan can play a limited role and kill penalties.

Pierre-Cedric Labrie is a big, physical forward who can bang the body. Does he have offensive upside? He has 15 goals in 175 AHL games. That should tell you all you need to know. My impression from some quick internet searching…the Canadian version of Brad Winchester.

Its a nice deal to acquire some size for Peoria’s stretch run, but Pierre really has little or no chance of making it to the Blues roster. This is a move to help Peoria, not the NHL club.

I want to be sure I clarify this. I do not think the Blues failed today. My review of the two deals are not to be taken that way.

The Blues were in an odd position. They are 3 points back of the 8th spot in the West. They also need to fend off the Minnesota Wild 3 points behind them and still leapfrog 4 other teams. That’s to easy task. You could also make the case that the Blues can win without Colaiaovo and Boyes. Both have been inconsistent producers, under Murray and Payne. They were assets that could be moved to acquire more assets for a later need and not cause a great detriment to this teams competition level. I agrue the same can be said about Paul Kariya. I love his play on the Backes and Oshie line, but he does not factor in to the long term plans. If you can move him, you do it. If you can’t, he gives you a great chance to push for the playoffs.

I implore Blues fans to keep that in mind when judging this trade deadlines level of activity (or lack there of). Fans are not privy to the offers the brain trust received. Is a 2nd Rd pick worth trading Brad Boyes and his production before this season? I don’t think so.  In reality only a few deals could have made sense to move Paul, Brad and Carlo. If those deals (or similar ones) didn’t materialize, there is no need for the trade.

Take the alleged Avalanche offer. Supposedly they offered Wolski or Lilies for Boyes. In a one of one deal, is that worth it? Liles would add another $4mil to the blueline and Wolski has been as inconsistent as Boyes. Should Colorado over pay? Hence no deal. Perhaps the Canucks wanted Berglund, Eller, Pietrangelo, etc in a package deal to get Schneider? The Blues won’t pay that (rightfully so) and Vancouver walked away. Their GM later came out and said no one got them an offer they thought was right for Schneider. Maybe LA didn’t want to part with Bernier so they settled for secondary guys like Halpern and Modin.

I do agree that the timing of the announcement of the season ticket price increase right before the deadline with little movement is great fodder for bloggers, columnists, and message board threads. Why tell me you are raising my prices and do little to improve the product I am seeing now? In all fairness to the Blues, you won’t pay more till next season and that gives the Blues the draft and off season to justify your rate increase.

Dan O’Neill of the St Louis Post Dispatch put up a blog today about the players reaction to the deadline. In it Kariya reiterates that he was not asked to waive his NMC (which to me says they had no viable offers). Brad Boyes was also disappointed that he was made available. News flash Brad…you haven’t produced and you didn’t start playing a consistent game till Payne arrived. The Blues as an organization have some hard decisions to make regarding player retention and external upgrades. You eat up $4mil of our cap space and a combined $8.5million in salary over the next two seasons. It’s human to feel hurt, but its logical to understand that your value and roster spot are in question. Interesting tidbit from the article…Chris Mason has again said he wants to stay here. If Chris in 2010 can be the Chris of 2009, he has a chance. Assuming Armstrong doesn’t want Turco and/or the Blues decide not to peruse a goalie like Schneider, Harding, etc. Would you pay Mason more than he makes now? Maybe a two year deal with most of the money loaded in to next year’s salary? That’s a whole other blog.

The deadline was exciting if you are a fan of hockey and the nHL in general. The Caps made moves to keep up with the Pens. Carolina went in to full swing with their rebuild (expect for not moving Whitney). The Coyotes made big moves to get Wolski, Stempniak, Morris, and Mathieu Schneider. I will be back later tonight with a  blog on my thoughts on the other 29 teams.

For now the Blues move on with Matt D’Agostini to take on Dallas and continue their playoff charge Thursday night.

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Blues Acquire Matt D’Agostini from Montreal

By Jeff Quirin on March 3, 2010

Aaron Palushaj - Image via mlive.com

Late night reports from Blues Insider Andy Strickland indicate that the Blues have traded former 2nd Rd Pick Aaron Palushaj to Montreal in exchange for Matt D’Agostini. The deal is also being confirmed by KMOX Blues announcer Chris Kerber.

In Palushaj’s first professional season with the Blues AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, Aaron has 5 Goals and 22 Points in 44 Games Played. Aaron had a productive training camp with the Blues this past fall. His NHL projection is a skilled “Top 6-ish” scoring winger. Injuries have hampered Aaron’s play time in Peoria this season. The knock on him is size. He has the height, but not the bulk. When I saw him this summer at the Susan G Komen walk, he looked like a SLU soccer player, not a professional hockey player.

Matt D’Agostini - Image via habsnews.ca

Matt D’Agostini, 23, has appeared in 40 NHL games this season, amassing 2 Goals and 4 Points. In the 08-09 Campaign D’Agostini chipped in 12 Goals and 21 Points in 53 Games Played. He is listed as roughly 6′1 and 200 lbs. In his NHL career Matt has 94 Games, 14 Goals, and 25 Points.

With the addition of D’Agonsiti, the Blues have another “Top-9″ type forward on their NHL roster. Could this be a move to add NHL depth to the roster pending a deal to move Brad Boyes or Paul Kariya (or Keith Tkachuk)? D’Agostini has a scoring touch that they hope he can develop in St. Louis.

D’Agostini is a Restricted Free Agent this summer. He should give the Blues another option for a cheap roster filler.

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Trade Deadline Blog

By Jeff Quirin on March 2, 2010

The point of this blog will be pretty simple. From “now” till the deadline on Wednesday BNZ will keep you up to date on all the trade happenings. Be sure to also check out our Blues buddies over at Frozen Notes, they have a Live Deadline Blog as well. Hockey Independent also has a Live Chat with some well known names going as well. Puck Daddy @ Yahoo has a Live Chat and Blog as well.

Deals Done March 3rd

to Colorado: F Stephane Yelle & Harrison Reed
to Carolina: F Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll & 6th Rd Pick

to Nashville: F Dustin Boyd
to Calgary: 4th Rd Pick

to Edmonton: Aaron Johnson & 2010 3rd Rd Pick
to Calgary: D Steve Staios

to Vancouver: Andrew Alberts
to Carolina: 3rd Rd Pick

to Anaheim: D Lubomir Vishnovsky
to Edmonton: D Ryan Whitney

*BNZ Analysis – Big upgrade for the Ducks. Whitney just wasn’t the right guy for Anaheim. Ray (S)hero wins another trade.

to LA: F Fredrick Modin
to Columbus: Future Considerations

*BNZ Analysis – LA ended up not taking Whitney, Poni, Torres, Kariya or any other impact forward. Instead they take an aging Swede and Jeff Halpern. GOod moves for depth, but doesn’t really help THAT much in my opinion.

to Washington: D Joe Corvo
to Carolina: F Oskar Osala, D Brian Pothier & 2nd Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis -This is a good deal for the Caps in their “win now, at all else” attitude. Osala could have been important since they could lose soem forwards while trying to find money to lock down Backstrom long term. I’m a Corvo fan (not just because he is on my keeper league team), he should do well pounding shots from the point in the nation’s capital.

to Phoenix: F Lee Stempniak
to Toronto: 4th & 7th Rd Picks

*BNZ Analysis – Phoenix adds another experienced player to their roster with former St. Louis favorite Lee Stempniak. I am honestly happy for Lee. After getting dumped in Toronto he gets to move to a playoff contender where he can contribute and not have too much expected of him.

to Washington: D Milan Jurcina
to Columbus: 6th Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – Not sure what is up here. The Caps can’t take on too much salary. Something else has to be coming for them to absorb Belanger, Walker and Jurcina.

to Atlanta: Clarke MacArthur
to Buffalo: 3rd & 4th Rd Picks

*BNZ Analysis – MacArthur helsp bolster the credentials of the Thrashers forwards. He adds size and a scoring touch. Replacement for Kozlov if he is moved?

to Buffalo : F Raffi Torres
to Columbus: D Nathan Paetsch & 2nd Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – The rumored 1st Rd pick for Torres was way too much. A depth player and 2nd rd pick isn’t too bad. Torres replaces MacArthur

to Calgary: G Vesa Toskala
to Anaheim: G Curtis McElhinney

*BNZ Analysis -Why? A more “capable” back up for Mikka?

to Washington: F Eric Belanger
to Minnesota: 2010 2nd Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – Given the history between Belanger and current Cap Chimera, its an interesting deal. Not sure if the CAps need another forward, unless another is moving out.

to LA: F Jeff Halpern
to Tampa Bay: F Teddy Purcell & 3rd Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – Sounds like an even swap of bottom 6 forwards with Tampa geting a draft pick.

to Phoenix: D Mathieu Schneider
to Vancouver: Sean Zimmerman & Conditional 6th Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – Phoenix adds another defensemen to their corps of blue liners. What’s important here is power play help and experience. Phoenix is trying to make sure they stay in the Top 8 teams in the West.

to St. Louis: F Pierre-Cedric Labrie
to Vancouver: F Yan Stastny

*BNZ Analysis – Randall has a blog up and will provide more thoughts. Vancouver got it’s depth Forward as Yan can be a good energy, 4th line guy who kills penalties. Too bad Cory Schneider wasn’t the Canuck to come back…as so many Blues fans were hoping to see come from Vancouver.

to Phoenix: F Wojtek Wolski
to Colorado: F Peter  Mueller & F Kevin Porter

*BNZ Analysis – Good deal for the Avs as they move out an inconsistent forward for a younger and cheaper inconsistent forward. Rumor is that the Avs had interest in Boyes, but were not interested in a straight swap for Wolski or JM Liles.

to Washington: F Scott Walker
to Carolina: 7th Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – CAps add more grit and toughness to their forward depth. I heard this likened to the Pens picking up Roberts.

to Edmonton: F Ryan Jones has been claimed off waivers from the Nashville Predators

*BNZ Analysis – Edmonton wants to obtain young players with upside to kick off their rebuild. Take Jones off waivers is a low risk acquisition.

to Anaheim: D Aaron Ward
to Carolina: G Justin Pogge & 2010 4th Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – Anaheim gets a little physical and defensive toughness on their blue line for a stretch run. Also gives them a warm body to replace Whitney or Wisniewski.

to Florida: F Craig Weller, F Byron Bitz, & 2nd Rd Pick
to Boston: D Denis Seidenberg & D Matthew Bartowski

*BNZ Analysis – Boston gets a “better” player in Seidenberg than what they had in Morris. Boston is still trying to find a scorer up front. Trading their 2nd Rd pick makes their second 1st Rd pick too valuable to trade?

to New Jersey: D Martin Skoula
to Toronto: 2010 5th Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – Not a shcoking trade. Burke is doing whatever he can to acquire young assets. Skoula had to come with Caputi to make the Poni deal work. NJ likes adding defensemen depth at the deadling (remember Salvador?). Burke gets another pick to play with.

to Phoenix: D Derek Morris
to Boston: 2011 4th Rd Pick

*BNZ Analysis – The deal opens up cap space for Boston to add a scorer. This also gives Phoenix depth on their blueline. However, Phoenix still needs to address their gap in the Top 6 with Upshall out. The lack of scoring was apparent against the Blues last night. Soem early thoughts are that Boston will run at Torres now. Might over pay as the rumor mill has indicated and use their 1st Rd pick and hold on to Toronto’s.

to St. Louis: F Matt D’Agostini
to Montreal: F AAron Palushaj

*BNZ Analysis – Blog Here. If Keith Tkachuk wasn’t injured, I would think this deal would signal his movement. D’Agostini is a guy with a scoring touch who could help now with a change of scenery. He is 6′0+ and around 200 lbs. Size the Blues need on their roster. Matt is a RFA at season’s end and give the Blues a cheap, internal option to fill an open roster spot for a UFA like Tkachuk or Winchester. It’s a good deal for Montreal adding an offensive upside winger who has a fair amount of skill. Aaron was pretty good at camp for basically coming straight out of College (Michigan). However, his size is an issue. He looked like a soccer player this summer, not a hockey player. With that said, Aaron has a lot of raw skill and could turn in to a productive player with size and experience. Something else is likely in the works if they are moving a touted player with some upside.

Deals Done March 2nd

to Toronto: F Luca Caputi & D Martin Skoula
to Pittsburgh: F Alex Ponikarovsky

to Ottawa: D Andy Sutton
to New York Islanders: 2010 2nd Rd Pick

to Chicago: D Nick Boynton
top Anaheim: Future Considerations

Deals Done March 1st

to Atlanta: F Evgeny Artyukhin
to Anaheim: D Nathan Oystrick & 2011 Conditional Draft Pick

to Pittsburgh: D Jordan Leopold
to Florida: 2010 2nd Rd Pick

to Edmonton: 2010 2nd Rd Pick
to Nashville: D Denis Grebeshkov

to St. Louis: G Joe Fallon
to Chicago: G Hannu Toivonen & D Danny Richmond

Deals Done before March 1st

to Minnesota: D – Cam Barker
to Chicago: D – Kim Johnsson & D – Nick Leddy

to Ottawa: F – Matt Cullen
to Carolina: D – Alex Picard & 2nd Rd Pick

to Montreal: Dominic Moore
to Florida: 2011 2nd Rd Pick

to Pittsburgh: D Steve Wagner
to St. Louis: D Nate Guenin

to Dallas: G Kari Lehtonen
to Atlanta: D Ivan Vishnevskiy & 2011 4th RdPick

to San Jose: D Niclas Wallin & 2010 5th Rd Pick
to Carolina: 2010 2nd Rd Pick

to Atlanta: D John Oduya, F Niclas Bergfors, F Patrice Cormier, 2010 1st Rd Pick, 2010 2nd Rd Pick
to New Jersey: F Ilya Kovalchuk, D Anssi Salmela, 2010 2nd Rd Pick

to Calgary: F Ales Kotalik & F Christopher Higgins
to New York Rangers: F Olli Jokinen & F Brandon Prust

to Toronto: D Dion Phaneuf, D Keith Aulie, F Fredrik Sjostrom
to Calgary: D Ian White, F Matt Stajan, F Niklas Hagman. F Jamal Mayers

//

to Toronto: G Jean-Sebastien Giguere
to Anaheim: G Vesa Toskala & F Jason Blake

to Washington: F Jason Chimera
to Columbus: D Milan Jurcina & F Chris Clark

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Throwdown Lowdown – Blues @ Coyotes 3-2-10

By Tyler Atwood on March 2, 2010

Paul Bissonnette

Obviously Matt Greene whizzed in Paul Bissonnette's Cheerios that morning. Image via mlive.com

Well . . . welcome back.  It was a long, exhausting Winter Olympic break, but we’ve all finally made it through the horror that is the NHL break.  Congratulations to David Backes and Erik Johnson in doing your mightiest to help the United States defend Her honor in Vancouver and for helping give us a hell of a show on Sunday.  Sure, silver is disappointing to you guys, but thrilling to most of us.  Also, big props to Roman Polak, who played well despite his Czech Republic team falling short of the medal round.

The end of the Olympic break means two things: 1) St. Louis Blues hockey is back, and 2) THE THROWDOWN LOWDOWN IS BACK!  YYYYYYYYYES!  So let’s get to it.

The final game before the break was an upset of shocking proportions over the Washington Capitals that included suspension-actionable activity followed by a tail-whipping of a fight.  Cam Janssen – brainiac he is never known to be – pummeled Matt Bradley to the ice a full three seconds after Bradley released a pass toward the net.  To Janssen’s credit, Bradley DID stand there and admire it for a while.  That doesn’t excuse what he did; however, five games may have been a bit much for a suspension.  Anyway, the questionable hit was followed by an absolute hammering by Janssen over Quintin Laing, who was in trying to defend his teammate.  Admirable, but futile.  Janssen is now 9-3-3 in fights this season and gets to sit next to Larry Pleau and Company for a short while.  The Blues move into a tie with the Philadelphia Flyers for 4th in the league with 54 fights and a record of 22-17-15.

The Phoenix Coyotes have been quite the story in the 2009-10 season.  Mired in bankruptcy hell in the offseason and nearly sold (and moved to Hamilton) to the Blackberry Blabbermouth, the club let go of Wayne Gretzky after his ownership responsibilities were properly relieved and picked up a solid coach in Dave Tippett.  They’ve been on an absolute steamroll since.  The only problem is that they’re not much of a fighting team – only posting 27 fights this season (spread amongst seven fighters), which is good for a tie for 23rd in the league with the lowly Carolina Hurricanes.  Not good to be in the same position as THEM this year.  In two games against each other, there has not been any fighting.

The conversation about the team’s enforcer role starts and ends with winger Paul Bissonnette (6′2″, 211lbs, 7-4-7).  Count ‘em up . . . he’s been involved in 18 of the Coyotes’ 27 fights this season.  That is a staggering percentage (for those of you scoring at home – it’s 67%).  The other six fighters for the ‘Yotes this year are centers Martin Hanzal (6′5″, 218lbs, 0-1-2) and Vernon Fiddler (5′11″, 201lbs, 1-0-1), defensemen James Vandermeer (6′1″, 211lbs, 1-0-0) and Keith Yandle (6′2″, 195lbs, 0-1-0), winger Petr Prucha (6′0″, 175lbs, 0-1-0, day-to-day because of this obscenely illegal hit by James Neal) and winger/captain/face-of-the-franchise Shane Doan (6′2″, 224lbs, 0-0-1).

Since Janssen can’t be part of the dream matchup for the next five games, we’ll have to pick another.  Well, why not DJ King and Bissonnette?  Sure, let’s dream that one.  If team stars going toe-to-toe is more your thing, why not Backes and Doan?  Doan was eligible for Team Canada, after all.  Fact is, though, that Backes may be a bit banged up from playing his cojones off in Vancouver.  An even size matchup may be Hanzal against Brad Winchester.  The possibilities are endless, but to predict a fight against a team that doesn’t fight is sometimes futile.

It’s Game 1 back from the Winter Olympics bizarro world, and it’s time for the playoff push.  GET IT DONE, BOYS!

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

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