Western Conference: Chicago Blackhawks (C3) vs St. Louis Blues (C2)

[MXHockey]

so from your Mom then?

Awkward..............

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Swing and a miss again from Mcgoo, pretty sure my 4 year old nephew could come up with a better mom joke. Although, I do expect my 4 year old nephew to have more intelligence then yourself, who I would probably compare to a wood-burning fireplace.

Awkward........................

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lmao...he still doesn't get it

AND he replies with a sweet Dad quote...****ing awesome!

enough dude, enough already I'm gonna go laugh myself to sleep

Getting more awkward..............

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Awkward train wreck happening here...

[Shake]

You two knuckleheads are jacking up my Hawks win with this bullshit. Take this crap to one of the Maple Leaf threads hehe.

[rataylor22]

lmao...he still doesn't get it

AND he replies with a sweet Dad quote...****ing awesome!

enough dude, enough already I'm gonna go laugh myself to sleep

Permanently? We'd all celebrate for days.

[MXHockey]

Permanently? We'd all celebrate for days.

Lots of awkward here.................

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You two knuckleheads are jacking up my Hawks win with this bullshit. Take this crap to one of the Maple Leaf threads hehe.

Less awkward...........

[AwesomeSince86]

Diehard Blues fan, but I'll give it to the Hawks. The difference in the series was their big players stepped up when they needed them, ours disappeared. Miller was meh but by no means did he lose us the series. The series was lost on the PP for the Blues. Sadly, this is becoming a recurring theme for STL in the playoffs. I don't understand how a team can be so good on the PP all season and so clueless once post-season hits.

I think the Hawks will beat the winner of the COL/MIN series but just barely due to the physical toll this series probably took on them. Whoever the Hawks play in the conference final (ANA, LA, SJ) will beat them. Also, I hope someone really sticks it to Keith next series. If nobody does in the playoffs, he can be sure a healthy Backes will come next season. Keith's stick-work and cowardly, shit-talking really takes away from how good of a player he is.

With regards to Miller, I still think we make a move to sign him, albeit a half-ass one. We gave up too much to just let him walk even though that's exactly what we should do. The Blues priority in the summer should be a difference making 1C. Let Allen/Elliot do the whole 1A/1B thing next year or make a move for someone like Hiller and let Allen play backup and jump in the starter spot when Hiller has his downward spiral weeks. Use the free cap space to go for someone like a Stastny (if UFA) or Spezza. The players going the other way should be Berglund and possibly Shattenkirk depending on the return.

Finally, the two guys hearing going back in forth sound like a couple school girls. Grow up fellas. Nobody likes a keyboard warrior.

[doulos]

Diehard Blues fan, but I'll give it to the Hawks. The difference in the series was their big players stepped up when they needed them, ours disappeared. Miller was meh but by no means did he lose us the series. The series was lost on the PP for the Blues. Sadly, this is becoming a recurring theme for STL in the playoffs. I don't understand how a team can be so good on the PP all season and so clueless once post-season hits.

I think the Hawks will beat the winner of the COL/MIN series but just barely due to the physical toll this series probably took on them. Whoever the Hawks play in the conference final (ANA, LA, SJ) will beat them. Also, I hope someone really sticks it to Keith next series. If nobody does in the playoffs, he can be sure a healthy Backes will come next season. Keith's stick-work and cowardly, shit-talking really takes away from how good of a player he is.

With regards to Miller, I still think we make a move to sign him, albeit a half-ass one. We gave up too much to just let him walk even though that's exactly what we should do. The Blues priority in the summer should be a difference making 1C. Let Allen/Elliot do the whole 1A/1B thing next year or make a move for someone like Hiller and let Allen play backup and jump in the starter spot when Hiller has his downward spiral weeks. Use the free cap space to go for someone like a Stastny (if UFA) or Spezza. The players going the other way should be Berglund and possibly Shattenkirk depending on the return.

Finally, the two guys hearing going back in forth sound like a couple school girls. Grow up fellas. Nobody likes a keyboard warrior.

I was really rooting for the Blues this year, so I was pretty let down that they couldn't take the next step. Do you think injuries were a big part of why they couldn't push through against the Hawks? Guys like Backes and Sobotka, who are huge pieces of the team, were really banged up and probably not even playing if it was the regular season.

[AwesomeSince86]

I was really rooting for the Blues this year, so I was pretty let down that they couldn't take the next step. Do you think injuries were a big part of why they couldn't push through against the Hawks? Guys like Backes and Sobotka, who are huge pieces of the team, were really banged up and probably not even playing if it was the regular season.

Injuries were a huge reason why they couldn't get past the Hawks....but that's no excuse. Unfortunately, the Seabrook hit on Backes really turned things in their favor. We we're already thin at C before Backes went down but after we were stuck with Ott (not a top 2 line guy), Sobotka (hurt knee from Bickell and bum hand), Berglund (fresh off a shoulder injury...it showed). Add to that Oshie fresh off injury and Tarasenko fresh off a long spell out with a broken hand/wrist. Out of our top 9 forward, about 4 of them were relatively healthy. Still, no excuses. They played well enough to win the series, they just couldn't finish their chances and they blew game 3 in the 3rd with a chance to lead the series 3-0.

[doulos]

Injuries were a huge reason why they couldn't get past the Hawks....but that's no excuse. Unfortunately, the Seabrook hit on Backes really turned things in their favor. We we're already thin at C before Backes went down but after we were stuck with Ott (not a top 2 line guy), Sobotka (hurt knee from Bickell and bum hand), Berglund (fresh off a shoulder injury...it showed). Add to that Oshie fresh off injury and Tarasenko fresh off a long spell out with a broken hand/wrist. Out of our top 9 forward, about 4 of them were relatively healthy. Still, no excuses. They played well enough to win the series, they just couldn't finish their chances and they blew game 3 in the 3rd with a chance to lead the series 3-0.

Sometimes it doesn't have to be an excuse, but it's still true

They played well enough to win every single one of those games (even Game 6, had they cashed in during the second period when by what I hear they were all over the Hawks you'd have to think it was a different game), so I don't think they need to do anything too drastic to be a fantastic team again next season. The Blues have historically had the worst luck in the playoffs, and you need that to win a Cup. I know people say you make your own luck, and there's an element of that as well, but sometimes you just come out on the short end no matter what you do and that seems to have been the case for the Blues in a high number of cases.

[newfcollins]

The Blues have historically had the worst luck in the playoffs, and you need that to win a Cup. I know people say you make your own luck, and there's an element of that as well, but sometimes you just come out on the short end no matter what you do and that seems to have been the case for the Blues in a high number of cases.

You can blame the Blues for that. Down Goes Brown had a good article on Grantland this morning about it. Basically, around April 2 or 3, they were seven points up on the lead for the division, and somehow proceeded to suck for the remaining games (lost their last six straight) and end up with a tougher first round opponent.

One win was all they needed to have an easier first round opponent. They had a chance to make their own luck, and it cost them.

[doulos]

You can blame the Blues for that. Down Goes Brown had a good article on Grantland this morning about it. Basically, around April 2 or 3, they were seven points up on the lead for the division, and somehow proceeded to suck for the remaining games (lost their last six straight) and end up with a tougher first round opponent.

One win was all they needed to have an easier first round opponent. They had a chance to make their own luck, and it cost them.

Maybe, though they would have succeeded in a second round hellish matchup instead of a first. At the end of the day you don't win the Cup without beating really good teams.

[The Comish]

I think the Blues being banged up at the end of the season were more significant than many thought and, oh yeah, those Hawks are simply awesome in the playoffs. Crawford doesn't always bring it, but he doesn't get enough credit for the most part.