Everything Else

Beard Of The Day – April 14th: Finn Balor

By 1756

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While not the biggest guy, much like the Hawks (at least in the past) WWE NXT champ Finn Balor uses his speed, flair, and creativity to better his opponents. While Balor is a great wrestler and watch in his normal gear, for the big occasions he has to “unleash the demon” and comes out possessed and unpredictable.

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As we’ve seen with the Hawks, when the chips are down and they have to have it, they find their own “demon,” and generally no one can stick with them. At some point this series we’ll see it, and the Blues will know they have a true fight on their hands.

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You Smoke Her Like She’s Incense: Hawks 0 – Blues 1 OT (Blues lead series 1-0)

By 1508

Boxscore

Event Summary

War On Ice

I suppose if I were on the other side of this (meaning I was about 50 pounds heavier and hell of a lot uglier and I’m not pretty now), I would say that the Hawks have scored one goal against the Blues in about 130 minutes of play the past two games against them. I would say that it doesn’t matter that the Blues are doing exactly what they shouldn’t against the Hawks, i.e. backing up and trapping and grinding, because even with Keith returning for Game 2 he’s still the only trap-buster the Hawks have. I suppose I would say that the Blues probably can play better and they still have a 1-0 lead.

But I’m not on that side, so all I can help but say is, “Haven’t we seen this before?”

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I’m Saving Myself For Something Beautifully True – Hawks at Blues – Game 1 Preview, Debt Consolodation

By 1473

evil empire at imos blues

Game Time: 8:30PM CDT
TV/Radio: CSN, NBCSN, SportsNet360, TVA-S, WGN-AM 720
If A Urinal Cake Were A Town: St. Louis GameTime

As far as inevitabilities go, the Hawks and Blues meeting in the first round of the playoffs this year is right up there with death, taxes, and David Haugh writing something profoundly ignorant, stupid, and damaging. And with this series, all of the old war horses once again will be trotted out, from the Hawks “turning it on” and hockey followers everywhere from local to national believing beyond a shadow of a doubt that this time it will be different for the Blues.

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Fireside Chat – 1st Round Playoff Edition

By 1272

Aren’t we all glad the regular season slog has ended? I know I am. If I had to turn NBCSN on one more time to see the Bruins and Flyers play in front of 17,000 comatose fans, I was going to go mental. More than usual, at least.

It is funny how quickly the regular season became a sideshow around these parts. It seemed like every outcome during the ’08-09/’09-10 seasons had life-changing implications. The 5 goal comeback vs. Calgary. Hossa’s 2 goal debut in a Silicon Valley spanking. The Toews hat trick on construction hat night vs. Pittsburgh. Vancouver thumping the Hawks 4-0 towards the end of the ’08-09 season to lock up home ice, put them on the fast track to the Pacific Division title and an ending which helped put Alex Burrows down in infamy.

I would be hard pressed to come up with three memorable regular season games in the past six years since. Maybe the game vs. Colorado where Carcillo scored in the final minute to extend the Hawks unbeaten streak to however many games and…I don’t think I can think of anything else.

If that’s not First World Hockey problems, I don’t know what is.

But that’s not why you called.

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Take Me To The River, Take Me To Where All The Poisons Go – Blues Series Preview: The Forwards

By 1454

We keep moving along through the river, well to be more apt this underground garbage fire of a preview that is slowly encroaching on nuclear waste, to the forwards of the St. Louis Blues. And once you get past the first line, it gets pretty automaton, but you probably already knew that. It’s a raft of palookas and hired goons that are meant to make a bunch of sounds flashed on the screen from the Batman TV series (live-action, Pure West, not the cartoon, which I haven’t seen but am told isn’t bad). You know the plan, you know the players, it’s just a question of if the Hawks can execute the plays.

Alex Steen-Jori Lehtera-Vladimir Tarasenko

I’ve spent so long thinking that Alex Steen is just a guy that’s taken about two years for me to pivot and finally admit that he’s a plus forward. Is he really a first liner? No, probably not. But he’s struck up an understanding with Tarasenko that’s become pretty deadly and really Steen doesn’t do anything wrong. He’s always in the right spot making the right play, he just doesn’t do it with any flash so you have to really pay attention to him.

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Take Me To The River, Take Me To Where All The Poisons Go – Blues Series Preview – Goalies & Defense

By 1465

And so it begins anew, and the braintrust of the NHL gets what they ultimately want again with the divisional playoff format with a perennial occurence of legacy NHL rivalries along with an effort to fabricate new ones. The Hawks and Blues will meet in the first round for the second time in three years, with the Blues once again having home ice advantage thanks to their usual solid regular season. But even the florid, toothless cretins along the river are beginning to realize that that type of success and $2.50 gets one on the bus.

Because everything the Blues does is predicated on the prevention of quality chances against, it’s appropriate to take a look at their back end of the blue line and their goalies first.