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Game #12 – Oilers vs. Hawks Q&A: A Strange Form Of Existence We Know As SL

By Sam Fels 1475 0

That’s all we can say. We had to go through several layers of security to get to him, and then found ourselves in a strange location we would not be able to identify. But he seemed to know what he was talking about, so we went with it. Follow him on Twitter @thescottlewis.

With all the noise about the Oilers, and the constant, fair criticisms of their wingers, how does the fact they may have horribly whiffed on Jesse Puljujarvi get missed?
 
If we flashback to the night of the 2016 Draft, the Oilers landing Puljujarvi at No. 4 was viewed as something of a steal at the time. People were busy laughing at the Blue Jackets taking Dubois with the third pick, which has turned out to be a fine selection for them. In a perfect world for the Oilers, they would be trotting out Matthew Tkachuk or Mikhail Sergachev on a nightly basis right now… but it’s the Oilers, so here we are. I’m not ready to close the door on Puljujarvi quite yet, so I’ll chalk it up to another case of management shitting the bed on development. He might still be something. Maybe. Hopefully. Probably not!
 
Is playing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on a wing really a solution? Because it leaves them short at center. Or is this a “cover your head, your feet are cold, cover your feet your head is cold” kind of situation?
 
Personally, I’d love to see him back at center full-time. BUT… he’s producing and his possession totals are looking pretty good so far. It’s definitely a patch job by the coaching staff, so it would be ideal to address the personnel shortage up front sooner than later if this team is to be taken seriously. We’re taking them seriously, right?
 
People seem to be coming for Leon Draisaitl, because he’s not playing with McDavid anymore. Yet he had the same season last year as the one before where he exclusively played with Run CMD, and is a point per game this year. We missing something?
 
To me, the criticism of Draisaitl is a product of his $8.5-million cap hit. He’s proving capable of carrying his own line, even if the possession metrics are pretty ugly so far this season. Canadian blowhards get worked up very easily when a player gets paid, but it’s hard to argue with the production so far. McDavid-Draisaitl ain’t going to be Crosby-Malkin or even Tavares-Matthews, but it’s as good a 1-2 punch you need when No. 1 is Run CMD.
Was it premature to toss that kind of money at Draisaitl right away? Yes. Was it even in the top-5 of GM Peter Chiarelli’s worst decisions since taking over? Nope. Let the kids play and hope you can alleviate the coming cap crunch by sending Milan Lucic to live on a farm in rural Alberta.
 
Our yearly Darnell Nurse update, please. 
 
I soured on Nurse early in his career and didn’t see a whole lot last season to convince me he was ever going to become the player that Hockey Men continued to project him to be. He’s played over 27 minutes in a couple games so far this season, and in my opinion played his best game of the season in the Oilers’ 4-1 win over the Capitals Thursday night. So there’s that.
He’ll turn 24 this season, so it’s becoming less and less likely we’re going to see a huge step forward. At $3.2 million through next season, his ability to command a big raise will be tied to the club’s success. Bottom line, the Oilers need some pieces to improve, and given the fact that a lot of GMs still evaluate players like the old scouts sitting around the table in Moneyball, Nurse might be the Oilers best trade chip.
 
Ryan Strome will probably never live down being traded for Jordan Eberle. But moving to a third line center role at least sees him crushing it possession-wise so far this year. Maybe this is where he belongs?
 
Strome deserves a break on the Eberle chat, simply because that was a Chiarelli crime. It’s doubly frustrating having listened to GMPC cry about the club’s lack of wingers last season after he traded one of the best players in the league with Taylor Hall and a good second-line guy like Eberle. That said, Strome has looked decent in a third-line role while producing absolutely nothing to this point. Some semblance of production would be nice.

 

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Game #12 – Oilers vs. Hawks Douchebag Du Jour: Change Your Damn Name, Cooper Marody

By Sam Fels 1851 0

We get it. The NHL is going to be more and more populated by kids with the dumbest goddamn names you’ve ever heard over the coming years. Deadspin wouldn’t run a “Best Names Of The WHL Draft” every fucking year if it wasn’t, and it’s there you can see the wave of Rykers and Jaces and Aidens and whatever shitty-ass mushrooms led some dweebs to dub their progeny “Jaxsen.” What the fuck is that?

But seriously, Cooper Marody? First of all, it’s San Jose that’s supposed to have all the dumb prospect names like Barclay and Joonas. And that was fine, they’re in Northern California where you’re supposed to be pretentious and stupid. We could accept that?

But Cooper Marody? Isn’t that Bradley Cooper’s name in “A Star Is Born?” No, we haven’t seen it and no, we’re not going to because seriously, fuck Lady Gaga. Go rip off Madonna again you twerp. And if that isn’t his character’s name, it should be.

Cooper Marody is a pop-country star who sings songs that are coded language about oral sex. He makes truck commercials that are only subtly xenophobic. Cooper Marody is John Mellancamp’s alter-, shittier-ego. Or he’s some singer that Mellancamp discovers and puts him on his label to make more money while he’s on the toilet.

That is not a real name. And if it is he should change it before he hit an NHL rink. He could become a 50-goal scorer, but are you ever going to take him seriously? Of course you won’t. And the NHL wants the sport to grow. If Dave Chappelle is right and “Draymond Green” is the definitive black name, then “Cooper Marody” has to be its counterweight.

And he’s from Michigan! Supposedly the rugged, true America state where they build the trucks that a Cooper Marody would sing a ballad about. How did this kid get through school with that name? Oh right, because he’s from the Detroit suburbs where everyone fled to get away from the future Draymond Greens of the world. Still, a Cooper Marody should have been getting a daily swirly, and possibly one every morning and afternoon. It’s why he’d be so goddamn sensitive that he’d write a song like, “The Only V4 Engine I Need Are The Four Chambers Of Your Heart” and he’d sing that as a duet with Taylor Swift on the AMA’s or something.

Connor Fucking Marody. Jesus.

 

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Game 11 – Blues 7, Hawks 3 – Hellllhoooole

By Matt McClure 1920 0

Box Score
Event Summary
Natural Stat Trick

Look, at this point it’s a cliche, but it always happens. The Hawks go into West East St. Louis on a Saturday night, that team teetering on quitting on whatever coach they currently have behind the bench and with the florid-faced, meth-addled MAGA chuds in attendance baying for blood from the word “go”. Sometimes the Hawks rope-a-dope and let the Blues skate themselves out of position and eventually turn to retaliatory bullshit, and others, like tonight, the pucks go in (extremely) early and the Blues walk away with two points having left everyone feel dirtier for having watched it.

  • Tonight was another study in neo-cubist defensive positioning, and it wasn’t just the utterly atrocious pairing of Brandon Manning and Jan Rutta, though at least Rutta finally got his ass benched and didn’t see a shift in the entire second half of the game. Henri Jokiharju was across the river on the Blues second goal, and he and Duncan Keith had a rough go of things all night long. The forwards didn’t help either, as Dominik Kahun did his best Roger Dorn impersonation on Ryan O’Reilly in the game’s opening seconds.
  • This is the most anyone has been forced to watch John Hayden handle the puck likely since he attended hockey camp in junior high (the last time he attended a meaningful class in school, don’t believe that Yale bullshit), and he’s going to give everyone an eye infection if he keeps pulling up just inside the blue line to set up shop and look for a pass.
  • The Toews line was basically nowhere to be found tonight, despite a 62% share and Mike Yeo combating Toews with ROR. The line wasn’t nearly dangerous enough, and when only one of the top two lines on this team marks the sheet against even remotely competent teams, the defense is going to have a hard time keeping the hounds at bay.
  • Conversely the Saad-Wide Dick-Garbage Dick line were all hovering around 40% and “created” all three goals, as much as anyone creates anything when Jay Gallon is letting in Downey soft bullshit like he was.
  • Speaking of which, it could be said that Chad Johnson came in and bailed the Blues out after Allen was rickety even on the shots that hit him right in the solar plexus, but the Hawks didn’t exactly mount a furious rally in the third, when everything was kept to the outside.
  • During said “rally” two seperate icings within about 2 minutes of one another were waved off by the linesmen because both Erik Gustafsson and Alexandre Fortin slacked ass on coming back even on a hybrid icing. That’s flat out inexcusable and just as benching-worthy as everything Jan Rutta did (which was plenty).
  • Other than the power play goal in garbage time, there really wasn’t a damn thing to be done by Corey Crawford on any of the 5 he allowed. He still looked sharp.
  • No time to wallow, as McJesus and his dipshit apostles arrive on West Madison tomorrow having just beat the Preds in Nashville and Cam Ward to shoot at.
Everything Else

Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight – October 27th

By Sam Fels 1085 0

First Screen Viewing

Jets vs. Leafs – 6pm

While you’ll probably be out in a Halloween costume you paid too much for at some party where some or more are taking it way too seriously, there is some hockey around. It’s the return fixture of the only All-Canadian matchup I can remember ever gracing NBCSN on a Wednesday night. And it lived up to it, so no reason to think this one won’t either. These are two of the best three teams in the league. and the last time they’ll meet before any possible Final that will have Gary Bettman throwing himself out of his window. Even without William Nylander, the offensive force on display here is pretty jarring. Enjoy this one as your pregame drinking background.

Second Screen Viewing

Canadiens vs. Bruins – 6pm

Another classic rivalry, and the first time these two have met this year. I don’t buy the Canadiens for a second but they’re 5-2-2 and the Bruins are right there with them, so they’re at least feeling themselves a bit at the moment. Andrew Shaw will be a healthy scratch which is hilarious. Montreal’s underlying numbers suggest this isn’t a fluke, and everyone seems to think Claude Julien is a good coach and maybe this will prove it. Not that this is where Boston will have its focus tonight, assuming anyone is still awake.

Other Games

Capitals vs. Flames – 3pm

Sabres vs. Blue Jackets – 6pm

Avalanche vs. Wild – 7pm

Lightning vs Coyotes – 8pm

Penguins vs. Canucks – 9pm

Everything Else

Game #11 – Hawks vs. Blues Preview: I Never Did Like It All That Much And One Day The Axe Just Fell

By Sam Fels 1712 0

 vs. 

RECORDS: Hawks 6-2-2   Blues 2-4-3

PUCK DROP: 7pm

TV: WGN

MIKE MATHENY’S NEW PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT: St. Louis Gametime

As you’ll have seen/will see in our Q&A with grade-school dropouts and Missouri state congressmen St. Louis Gametime, games against the Hawks tend to be watershed moments for Blues coaches. Not only is it how the fanbase defines their tenure, but they tend to signal the beginning/end of their time behind the Blues bench.

That appears to be the case against tonight, and Mike Yeo is basically having the black hood put over his head and the rope placed around his neck. All that’s left is for the players, yet again, to signal to the hangman to drop the floor. “This Time It Will Be Different” is coming off getting it shoved up them sideways by the Jackets at home on Thursday, where they gave up a touchdown and the PAT. They’ve got two wins on the season, and are rooted to the bottom of the Central. Their underlying numbers blow too, though I wouldn’t be convinced the Blues’ front office pays attention to that kind of thing, mostly because I’m not convinced the Blues’ front office can read. Gives them a nice symbiosis with the fanbase, you have to admit.

There are so many factors here contributing to the Blues state. One, it’s a wonky roster. They have some of the same problems the Hawks have. Their defense just isn’t that quick and isn’t that good, and that’s in a conference that moves toward hyper-speed more and more. Yeo’s directive was to play a more open, expressive, and faster style than Hitchcock, but that’s hard do when the defense isn’t really built for it. What the Blues don’t have is a world-class goaltender to bail them out nor as much top line scoring as they need to counteract their defense. Especially with Vladimir Tarasenko off to something of a slow start (and his -7 is a touch unsightly after nine games).

Whatever their give-a-shit levels or their desire to get yet another coach turfed, the biggest problems remain in net. Overall, the Blues are getting a .895 SV% at evens. You’re not going anywhere with that. They could have cracking analytic numbers and still be bottoming out because their goalies can’t get in front of a manatee in the sand. This seems to be a problem they want to have, because they keep foisting Jay Gallon the team like your grandmother and her coworker’s child because you’re not getting any younger! (Just me?) There are only three teams that have given up more goals than the Blues.

So tonight seems to be a nexus for the Blues. Either they’ll show some actual professional pride against a team that they still consider their biggest rival, realize it’s still quite early, and they could turn things around with a feel-good win. Or they’ve completely checked out, as seems to be their way, stand aside and watch it crumble so they can get another solution and the Hawks will gleefully drive the final nail in Mike Yeo’s coffin and the Blues will once again be trying to change course. It was ever thus.

Things are much smoother on the SS Westside Hockey Club. They’ve won three of four, are coming off two confidence-building wins against hanging curveballs Anaheim and the Rangers. There have been signs of life from Brandon Saad, there might be an actual third line with Alex Fortin, SuckBag Johnson, and Nick Schmaltz, even if it doesn’t make any sense. Erik Gustafsson and Brent Seabrook have been pretty good when not under serious duress. Corey Crawford looks like Corey Crawford, which of course is the biggest thing.

So it could be quite the atmosphere in Whatever-The-Fuck-It-Is-Now Center. The natives got awfully restless in that loss to the Jackets on Thursday. They’re already aching for change. And it’s a Saturday night against the Hawks, which we know they get just about as gassed up for as the ol’ Family Pit Fight out back to decide who will get Brutus The Mule this year. An early Hawks lead could turn it pretty poisonous. Or the Blues will come out flying in response to being embarrassed (if they’re capable of such a thing anymore) on Thursday and it’ll be the normal bullshit the Hawks find down there. What it won’t be is boring, you can be sure of that.

Again, this is a pretty soft part of the schedule. The unimpressive Oilers await tomorrow, and then a jaunt to Western Canada and its various wayward children on the road. It’s really not until around Thanksgiving that the Hawks face what you’d call a “gauntlet,” and with the way the rest of this division looks you need to grab every point while you can when you can. Ruthlessness is vital, and putting Mike Yeo out of his misery is part of that.

 

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Game #11 – Hawks vs. Blues Spotlight: Dead Yeo Walking

By Sam Fels 1745 0

In some ways, it was never going to work out for Mike Yeo in St. Louis. One, the guy who replaced him Minnesota, Bruce Boudreau, has gotten better regular season results with basically the same roster that Yeo had. That always colors a view of a coach.

Second, and more importantly, the whole “succession” plan with Ken Hitchock was doomed from the start. When you tell a team that their head coach’s replacement is standing right next to him on the bench every night, you can’t be surprised when they’re not totally invested in what the coach is selling. Especially when it’s the Blues and were aching for an excuse to quit on Hitch yet again. But by then that lack of give-a-shit and bad habits are already entrenched. You don’t get the bounce of a fresh voice when they’ve been listening to that voice already and it was the one they knew was coming anyway. There isn’t a surprise or a lift on a new atmosphere at work.

Third, Yeo has been saddled with Jake Allen, a slow roster in a league that’s speeding up rapidly, and a lack of scoring depth. His charge was to play a style that was a little more free than what Hitch was running that killed everyone’s soul. Except the Blues haven’t really had the horses, especially with Robby Fabbri‘s (or Fabby Robbri’s) and Jaden Schwartz‘s injury problems. The acquisitions of Tyler Bozak and  Ryan O’Reilly was meant to address this, except Bozak apparently showed up with his give-a-shit still in Toronto to stay.

Still, after all this time, Yeo has only coached one team to 100 points in a season. That was 2014-2015, which got the Wild a second-round sweep by the Hawks. And that was on the back of Devan Dubnyk suddenly becoming a firebreather. It’s not a very impressive record at all, even if his teams consistently have finished around 95 points…that is before they quit on him. Yeo maxed out what he had in Minnesota, and he did it by trying everything. He was the players’ coach. He was the hard-ass. They pressed and harried up the ice. Sometimes they trapped. It seemed at the time like Yeo was trying to keep opponents guessing. Now it seems like he was just trying everything until something clicked.

Until the Wild realized he had played every card, and waited him out. Based on the Blues giving up a touchdown to the Jackets at home on Thursday, the Blues don’t seem to be too far behind. Whenever the axe comes down on Yeo, it’ll probably be due to decisions that came too late. Jay Bouwmeester hasn’t been a top-four d-man in three years at least. Only this year has he been relegated to the third pairing. Vince Dunn is finally getting a look with Alex Pietrangelo. Carter Hutton was clearly playing better than Allen last year. He got two starts in the season’s final month as the Blues tumbled out of the playoff spots.

That was combined with things out of Yeo’s control. First off, the directive to play Allen might have come from above, because they forced him on Hitchcock as well. They traded Paul Stastny out from under him at the deadline. Alex Steen got old in a hurry, and players like Patrik Berglund and Vlad Sobotka had flattered to deceive for years before last year. Yeo wasn’t the first nor will he be the last to not get that much out of them.

Once again, Yeo has been trying everything, which signifies a lack of answers and desperation than a confidence in one’s decisions and lineups that stability would. Bouwmeester has swung from healthy scratch to third pairing to top pairing in the span of a week. Vinnie Dunn has done the same. Edmundson has played on all pairings. Lines have been shuffled with the kids in and out every night.

And this is still mostly the same roster that torpedoed Hitchcock. At some point, it can’t be the coach anymore. Maybe someone can come in and get this team to play at a pace to match Winnipeg and Nashville and Colorado. It’s at least what the Hawks and Stars are attempting. There isn’t that much time. While the Blues do boast some kids they like, Tarasenko, Schwartz, O’Reilly, and Schenn are in their primes right now. Pietrangelo is 29. There are some years left, but not that many.

Yeo seems like the kind of coach to max out a team that’s looking to scrape into the playoffs with limited talent. Maybe the first coach in a rebuild. But the Blues signaled with their trade for Ryan O’Reilly and signing of Bozak that they were after more.

Then again, firing Yeo seems to have worked out ok for the Wild. Maybe it’s the key log the Blues have been looking for their entire existence.

 

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Game #11 – Hawks vs. Blues Q&A: How Can We Miss You If You Never Leave?

By Sam Fels 1658 0

Believe us, we’re even more sick of them than you are. But with Hawks-Blues games being crammed into the first month, we have to put up with @StLouisGametime together. Just close your eyes and think of a happier place, and soon it will be over. 

 

When’s Mike Yeo getting fired? Is it tomorrow? It’s tomorrow, isn’t it?

Here’s a fun story. When Andy Murray took over for Mike Kitchen as head coach of the Blues, his first game behind the bench was against the Hawks. When Murray got replaced by Davis Payne, his first game was against the Hawks. When Payne was cut loose, Ken Hitchcock’s first game was against the Hawks. You remember Joel Quenneville used to be the Blues head coach, right? His last game with the Blues was a Hawks game. And here we are, Mike Yeo, embattled Blues head coach, piloting a quickly sinking ship and it’s a Hawks game. Too bad Craig Berube, the associate coach who has experience stepping in mid-season, wasn’t hired yesterday. So Yeo could follow in Q’s footsteps and make tonight his last game. When they beat Toronto a week ago, Yeo said after the game he didn’t know why his team played better. After Thursday’s blowout loss, he said something to the effect of the Blues focused a lot on the end goal for the Blues and not the process of becoming a team. That’s some mumbo jumbo bullshit that frankly sounds like an indictment of his own coaching. He’s tried to be nice. He’s tried to be mean. Nothing works. Maybe this is telling: when the axe finally falls and a new guy is in charge, Alexander Steen and Alex Pietrangelo will still be Blues. Petro was a young guy just coming in, but Steen was established when he came to St. Louis. The next guy will be their fifth head coaches in St. Louis (Murray, Payne, Hitchcock, Yeo, Berube). If Berube is only the interim and they name another permanent head coach, that would be six. These are two of the leaders of the team. Maybe they shouldn’t be.

When’s Jake Allen getting fired? Is it tomorrow? It’s tomorrow, isn’t it?

Jake Allen has to fucking love Mike Yeo. He probably offers him a discreet over the pants HJ on the team plane as a thank you. Because hardly anyone is talking about Jake Allen in St. Louis right now. In eight games this season, his goals-against average is 3.93. He’s pushed his career GAA to 2.53. If he tries hard enough (doesn’t try enough?), he could double his career average this season. Only one more goal a game. And I think he can do it. He’s stopped only 87.6 percent of the shots he’s seen this season. Those numbers would get most goaltenders put on waivers and then not claimed. Of course Allen is in the second year of a four-year deal paying him more than $4 million a year. It’s not Brent Seabrook bad, but even Cam Ward wonders how Allen got that contract. But like I said, no one is even mentioning Allen as an anchor pulling the Blues to the bottom of the ocean. So no, he’s not getting fired tomorrow. Even if he deserves it. He’s problem 1B on a list as long as my arm. And I have long arms.

Why is Vince Dunn terrible this year? Is he getting fired?

Vince Dunn is not terrible. You see, Brad Shaw was an assistant coach here forever. All those coaches I mentioned above, he outlasted almost all of him. He was in charge of the defensemen. Now he’s in Columbus. And Mike Van Ryn is the assistant in charge of the defensemen. I’m sure he has a system. If you named it, the moniker might be Chase The Other Team Around Like A Puppy Chases His Tail And Never Get The Puck Like The Puppy Never Gets His Goddamn Tail. Van Ryn has Jay Bouwmeester go from a healthy scratch for the first time in his career to basically leading the defensemen in minutes the next game to third-pairing to practicing yesterday back on the top pairing. When Yeo gets fired, if he doesn’t pack up Van Ryn with him, there may be a riot. And if there’s anything we know how to do in St. Louis, it’s riot.

Your Schmaltz is as big as ours….

Jordan Schmaltz is a find third-pairing defenseman. He’s not too fast or tough. He’s ok. He’s fine. Don’t get me started on the mistakes the other defensemen are making on a nightly basis. I haven’t screamed his name at the TV or at the game yet. That’s a positive sign. He was a first-round pick, but was one of the slowest in his draft class to sniff the NHL. He’s fine. Honest.

When are you getting fired? Is it tomorrow? It’s tomorrow, isn’t it?

This is my seventh season running the Game Time paper. Before that, I wrote for the previous editor/publisher, Gallagher, for seven seasons — six on the front page. So this is my 14th season writing for GT. Our prospect guy is the only one who has written longer. During that time, the Blues have won four playoff series. All those coaches up above, I’ve written extensively about all of them from Kitchen on. I’m still here and all those guys are gone or will be gone soon. I’m the cockroach of St. Louis underground hockey writers. It’s going to take more than one shitty season to get rid of me. And if this wasn’t a well-disguised cry for help, I don’t know what is.

 

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Game #11 – Hawks vs. Blues Douchebag Du Jour: Another Night Of Fellating Ryan O’Reilly’s Faceoffs

By Sam Fels 1546 0

One of the many problems with cramming in this many games with one opponent in such a short amount of time is that we already know the narratives that will be belched out during the broadcast. Along with Eddie Olczyk’s newfound passion for slamming analytics or possession-numbers (he seriously must not have got a job or something because he wouldn’t consider them and thus is going to make everyone pay now), and the long-standing fascination with hit-stats, apparently the new argle-bargle for Pat Foley and Eddie O is faceoffs.

And there’s no one they love to talk about more on that subject than Ryan O’Reilly.

Sure, ROR is third in the league again in faceoff-win percentage at 62.4%. That’s par for the course for O’Reilly, who consistently has been among the league’s best. What it hasn’t stopped is his possession numbers from being middling at best, considering how much he’s starting in the o-zone this season, or his team from being a big ball of suck.

It’s not that faceoffs don’t matter. They just don’t matter as much as everyone seems to want to believe.

Last year, ROR was second in the league in FOW%. The leader was Antoine Vermette, He spent most of the season getting his head kicked in while a Duck and is now out of the league. Claude Giroux, Jonathan Toews, and Patrice Bergeron were behind ROR, and we know they’re some of the best possession players in the league. It can go either way.

Team-wide, faceoffs matter even less. Two of the top five teams in faceoffs last year didn’t make the playoffs, and a third, Philly, didn’t really have any business there either. Three of the bottom five and four of the bottom six were playoff teams. You find these kinds of numbers no matter what season you look.

It’s not that faceoffs are completely irrelevant. There are a few draws within each every game that do matter, and they’re usually on special teams or toward the end of a game. But there are so many that they become rather meaningless if you study them all at once. They’re a pebble in a river.

But that won’t stop Foley and Eddie from championing ROR as the cure for cancer and/or complaining about the lack of draws that the Hawks win. Strangely, Anisimov doesn’t win draws and yet can’t seem to do wrong in their eyes, though.  Some men you just can’t reach.

 

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