Blues getting sHalak'ed

[KennyBanyeah]

T.J Oshie suffered a broken ankle with 10 minutes left in the 3rd period. Ouch.

I love his game. He's a significant loss for the Blues.

 

[filosofy29]

Yeah.. .they're off to a slow start but they'll get in.

How much of the slow start has to do with the loss of the regular season beast Nabokov?

I can't see much change in the lineup other than him.

I think so.....they're just too good not to (in the regular season anyway, lol).

Not really much, Niittymaki has been phenomenal. Most of it has to do with the HORRID job Doug Wilson did of evaluating off-season needs. He signed Niclas Fucking Wallin to a $2.5million contract. The good thing about Wallin is that not only is he terrible offensively, he's slow as shit and has trouble with shifty forwards and reading plays in the defensive zone. He's absolutely terrible. He's great as a 5th or 6th defenseman.....as a top 4.....not so much. Also, Antii Niemi is a terrible goalie.....we can now appreciate how GOOOOOOOOOD Chicago's defense was last year.

Rob Blake was a really underrated defenseman as he aged. He was awesome positionally and he was a threat from the point. A lot of things I think a lot of hockey fans don't appreciate (in general.....I'll get off of my pedestal soon, I promise, lol) is the uncanny ability to get shots on net. Blake (at least with the Sharks) got his shots on net a ton. He'd even take power off of his shots to look for deflections or get it on net. He also was a puck moving defenseman from his own zone. He had no speed, but the guy could make an outlet pass like nobody's business. He could thread the needle to our forwards up the ice to start the play. When you replace Blake with Wallin.....bad things happen.

Keep your eye on Jason Demers though, he was great offensively last year and terrible defensively.....but he's done the opposite this year. I think the kid will develop nicely in a couple years. He's got great patience and ice vision.

 

[KennyBanyeah]

I think so.....they're just too good not to (in the regular season anyway, lol).

Not really much, Niittymaki has been phenomenal. Most of it has to do with the HORRID job Doug Wilson did of evaluating off-season needs. He signed Niclas Fucking Wallin to a $2.5million contract. The good thing about Wallin is that not only is he terrible offensively, he's slow as shit and has trouble with shifty forwards and reading plays in the defensive zone. He's absolutely terrible. He's great as a 5th or 6th defenseman.....as a top 4.....not so much. Also, Antii Niemi is a terrible goalie.....we can now appreciate how GOOOOOOOOOD Chicago's defense was last year.

Rob Blake was a really underrated defenseman as he aged. He was awesome positionally and he was a threat from the point. A lot of things I think a lot of hockey fans don't appreciate (in general.....I'll get off of my pedestal soon, I promise, lol) is the uncanny ability to get shots on net. Blake (at least with the Sharks) got his shots on net a ton. He'd even take power off of his shots to look for deflections or get it on net. He also was a puck moving defenseman from his own zone. He had no speed, but the guy could make an outlet pass like nobody's business. He could thread the needle to our forwards up the ice to start the play. When you replace Blake with Wallin.....bad things happen.

Keep your eye on Jason Demers though, he was great offensively last year and terrible defensively.....but he's done the opposite this year. I think the kid will develop nicely in a couple years. He's got great patience and ice vision.

Forgot about Blake, lol. I was thinking the Sharks D might be somewhat worse this year and couldn't remember why. Blake was still awesome at 40.

I like Demers too. He should be good.

A couple of years ago I thought Pickles was gonna be something special, but he seems to have regressed in my eyes. Am I wrong?

Ya know what you guys need? Someone like Erhoff from Vancouver. That guy can play. :p

 

[filosofy29]

Forgot about Blake, lol. I was thinking the Sharks D might be somewhat worse this year and couldn't remember why. Blake was still awesome at 40.

I like Demers too. He should be good.

A couple of years ago I thought Pickles was gonna be something special, but he seems to have regressed in my eyes. Am I wrong?

Ya know what you guys need? Someone like Erhoff from Vancouver. That guy can play. :p

Yeah, he wasn't the same force he was when he was younger, but he was still an awesome defenseman. Even though he got reamed by several Sharks posters on the ESPN board, lol.

Yeah, I really think he has all the tools to be really good.....but you know as well as I do that that doesn't always translate into success. I just see a lot of good in the kid.

Me too man, he's been a bone of contention for a lot of Sharks fans. I think he's got mad game.....he's just a huge pussy. He doesn't play with an edge and he seems to be just fine with his 'defense first" approach which has stymied his progression as a player.....he put up a lot of points playing for Patty Wah in juniors. He seems content with where he is. He's a solid #4 when he could be a solid #2.....now he just plays like a #2, lol. Anyway, long story short, you are 100% correct.

I always loved Ehrhoff, there were about 3 posters on the ESPN Sharks Message Board who did and we got shit for it constantly (myself, Cmon _II and Korky15). Cmon_II is a great guy and a smart, smart hockey guy.....I wish he'd post here more. Ehrhoff couldn't get his shot on net to save his life as a Shark, but he's got a mean streak, he's great in his own end (and even when he misreads, he's got the speed to make up for it) and he can rush the puck end to end. He's a great young talent and Vancouver is lucky to have him. He's probably their best overall defenseman. The kid is a warrior. And no, I'm not bitter at all

 

[Darkstone42]

St. Louis is my dark horse pick to come out of the West. Just isn't there night tonight. You know they will bounce back.

Are they really a darkhorse? They've kind of been on the rise the last few seasons thanks in large part to perhaps the strongest minor league system in the league, and now they have a top-notch starting goalie. As soon as the Blues acquired Halak, I kind of saw this coming...

But at the same time, I suppose they are a darkhorse in that they haven't been real contenders lately.

 

[forty_three]

T.J Oshie suffered a broken ankle with 10 minutes left in the 3rd period. Ouch.

Seriously? THAT? THAT broke his ankle?

The Voracek play? Maybe it was something else. If it was that, that's sad. Voracek nudged him with a hip check. I've hip checked my wife harder in the kitchen trying to get to the cookie jar. He went down like a sack of rocks and took a bit to get up.

Edit: Yep. I missed that Pahlsson fell on him after he ran off and came back to join the fight. Sucks to be him. But I can't feel too sorry for him. I've seen a multitude of cheap shots coming out of him. He put Nash out for a few games last year.

Video here. Amazing how a tough guy can be knocked on his ass by a panty-waist.
http://www.stlouisgametime.com/2010/11/10/1807092/t-j-oshie-has-broken-ankle-surgery-needed

 

[pixburgher66]

Dang it...I was banking on CBus being ehhhh this year. I mean, I'd like to see the Pens WIN when I go on the 4th.

 

[Automattic]

Seriously? THAT? THAT broke his ankle?

The Voracek play? Maybe it was something else. If it was that, that's sad. Voracek nudged him with a hip check. I've hip checked my wife harder in the kitchen trying to get to the cookie jar. He went down like a sack of rocks and took a bit to get up.

Edit: Yep. I missed that Pahlsson fell on him after he ran off and came back to join the fight. Sucks to be him. But I can't feel too sorry for him. I've seen a multitude of cheap shots coming out of him. He put Nash out for a few games last year.

Video here. Amazing how a tough guy can be knocked on his ass by a panty-waist.
T.J. Oshie Has Broken Ankle, Surgery Needed - Including Video - St. Louis Game Time

Is your wife ok?







:p

 

[filosofy29]

I've hip checked my wife harder in the kitchen trying to get to the cookie jar.

Video here. Amazing how a tough guy can be knocked on his ass by a panty-waist.
T.J. Oshie Has Broken Ankle, Surgery Needed - Including Video - St. Louis Game Time

So your wife was able to overcome the hip check eh?

 

[pixburgher66]

Yeah, that fall was a bit rough. Ouch. Good luck not getting infection Oshie. *sigh*

 

[forty_three]

So your wife was able to overcome the hip check eh?

Why I aughta