Beyond Checkerdome

Hello there! Long time no speak! In past years, we got in the habit of asking at the opening of every show "Has _____ signed yet?". Whether it was Vladimir Tarasenko, or Alex Pietrangelo, or whoever, there was always one loose end that needed to be tied up. This year, we have everything done before July ended. The last major piece of the puzzle (aside from the fans, natch) was Jaden Schwartz . With his signing, and the other RFAs, and the expectation that Vladimir Sobotka is coming back, we now have our cap-limit and contract-limit team. Also, it looks like Kevin Shattenkirk will be with us for another season - which ain't a bad thing. We talk about these things, and then speculate about the line combinations. There are a lot of questions about this team leading into camp, and we'll have to wait until the dust settles before we can answer them. All this, and a few chuckles along the way -

Hey - whaddya know. Bonus Podcast! We briefly covered the 2016 Draft in episode 129, but we knew we couldn't do it justice. So we recorded a second conversation with Gametime's own Prospects Department. We have a great chat about the selections that St Louis provided as well as the ones that St Louis made at the draft. Brian fleshes out some of what we know about these kids, and has some great info about their performances at the Combine. Some good info here, and several reasons to be optimistic about this group of players.

Wow ... we knew there would be a lot happening between episodes this time around, but not this much! Since we last chatter, there's been the NHL Awards (#NHL17Tarasenko), the NHL Draft, and then the beginning of Free Agency. We see the departure of Brian Elliott, David Backes, Troy Brouwer and Steve Ott, and the return of David Perron. We've added Carter Hutton to the roster, and a whole slew of draft picks. Heck, we even brought in another assistant coach. This is actually the first of two shows, with all of the info coming out right now. Heck, we're barely into July and it's already been a helluva offseason!

Hello there Blues fans! More time has passed, and more news has happened. The biggest news (to date) around these parts are the hiring of Mike Yeo as Associate coach and heir-apparent, and also Rick Wilson as the assistant coach. That fills two of the recent vacancies, and also sets up what happens in the post-Hitchcock era. Also, there's the new contract for Dmitrij Jaskin, but no news on the other free agents. Other league hirings include Brad Shaw in Columbus, and Randy Carlyle in -LOL- Anaheim. This time of year also brings around the annual Hawks salary/talent dump, and also awarding the Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh. Finally, we say a farewell to Mr Hockey, Gordie Howe.

In only a little over a week's time, so much has happened! We give our last regards to the Blues 2015-2016 season, and then start looking at what has gone on since it ended. We talk about the return of Hitchcock, and the departure of some of the other coaches in the organization. The Blues are already looking at some new faces, and we cover that as well. And then there's the local media's treatment of Vladimir Tarasenko. You can pretty much guess how that goes. We talk a little about the players that the Blues will have to decide upon this summer, as well as some changes in our personal plans for the future. All of that, and the usual tangents along the way.

What's to say, when your team loses and the season ends? A lot, apparently, because this is a little longer than the usual Quick Shot. Safe the say that there are a lot of mixed emotions. A horribly disappointing end to a really fantastic season. There are a lot of questions to ask, but we really can't answer them right now. Pour yourself a stiff one (we did, before, during, and after this was recorded) and listen along a little. More to come in Episode 127.

Unlike the calamity of Games 3 and 4, this was much more of a back and forth game. Unfortunately, that included Kevin Shattenkirk going back and forth to the box and Blues players going back and forth to center ice for a faceoff after a Sharks goal. The Blues did carry the play at times, but did not get enough payoff to cover for the times that they didn't. The PK certainly didn't get the job done. And, while Jake Allen wasn't the problem ... we can't say he was the solution, either. So, we have another mess to clean up, tape to be watched, and then it's back to work again come Wednesday. A lotta folks seem to already know how this turns out, but I don't ... so I'll be watching. We hope you will be, too.

We sure picked a doozy of a game to do #ShotsForGoals !! The Blues needed a win in the worst way, and it turns out that they got a win in the best way! Although there was a bit of let-up in the third period, we all knew that the Sharks were too good to stay down for long. The Blues were able to score a few in the last period as well, and kept the pressure up. The bottom line: a damn satisfying 6-3 win. The Sharks started to play a little more goonishly, and Brent Burns and Joe Thornton took some cheap shots. The Blues did not fall prey to that bait, and instead took revenge where it counted most - on the scoreboard. We saw some possible injuries to David Backes and Vladimir Tarasenko, but we won't know the extent until later. The key thing - a win and a tied up series.

So the Blues made a few lineup changes and then came out actually looking good. Unfortunately, once a mistake or two ends up in the net, things can fall apart. Still a better game than Game 2, that is admittedly a pretty low bar to set. The bottom line is, the Blues didn't get the job done, and now are in a 2-1 deficit for the series. We were expecting 3 losses in route to a 7-game series, so that really isn't much cause for concern. However, the margin for error is evaporating, and the Blues better pick up a win - SOON.

The Blues lost game 2 in just about every way they could. As we have learned over and over again with this team, they never ever do nothin' nice and easy. Everything has to be done the hard way. In that vein, the Blues now head to San Jose with an even series and a lot of issues to work on. Oddly enough, this team seems to do better on the road, so there is certainly reason for hope. There are no guarantees, but there is still confidence. So, go pour yourself a stiff one and come commiserate with us.

Holy Crap what a game. There are no fingernails left in the St Louis area, as they've all been chewed off by Blues fans watching this game. The Blues were playing with fire but somehow just barely avoided getting burned. The special teams did pretty good, and we have some praise for other players as well. Moose was his exceptional self as well. I hope we never reach the day that we take Brian Elliott for granted. Check out our reactions as we bask in the glory of winning Game 1.

It's become a meme online, but it is also true for Blues fans: What a time to be alive. We take the opportunity to sit down with a former blogger at Fear The Fin and long time Sharks fan Matt Taylor. He's a great follow online as @dak_ralter and will definitely have some things to say during this series. We talk about the goaltending matchup, the similarities and differences between the offenses and defenses, and other comparisons between the teams. We're all anticipating a long series. There's also some wonderful tangents along the way. At some point, it becomes a Star Wars podcast for a little while. Apparently, the Blues are the Empire ... and I'm OK with that.

We're officially in uncharted territory here, folks. What a game to close things out. Even though it's a day later, we're still a little giddy. Come listen to us a celebrate, and turn an optimistic eye towards Round 3. Nashville, or San Jose? Or does it matter? Right now, everything is coming up Milhouse for Coach Hitch and the boys. See you for Game 1 on Sunday!

In the words of the immortal St Louisan Tina Turner "We never, ever, do nothing nice... and easy". And so it goes with the St Louis Blues. Our boys spotted the Stars a 3-goal lead, and then tried like hell to catch up. They darn near pulled it off, too. But, they did not and now we have Game 7 to look forward to. If Game 7 looks anything like the 2nd or 3rd periods, we should be in good shape. Both of us agree on the starter for Game 7, which shouldn't be a shock. And we also agree to #FreeEddy. Of course, there's a lot that can happen between now and then.

So, the Blues needed a win today and got one. It wasn't as dominant as Game 3, but it didn't need to be, either. To make a deep run in the playoffs, you need a deep team. You need to have contributions from all over the lineup - and today it was Robby Fabbri, Paul Stastny, and .... Dmitrij Jaskin ?? Yes, Jaskin made his 2016 playoff debut and scored the game-winner today. They can stop one of us, but they can't stop all of us. Now it is on to Game 6, where the Blues will surely have to withstand Dallas' best shot and seize the opportunity to close out the series on home ice. How sweet it is!

Man, what a hollow game that was. Very very weird. It really happened, but I don't believe there'll be much to say about it. It's probably noteworthy in comparison to Game 3: When the Stars blow a game, they lose 6-1 and get dominated in every sense of the word. When the Blues blow a game, they almost win it a couple of times anyway, but lose in OT. Alas, it was not meant to be, and we march onward to Texas. See ya Saturday for a nooner in Big D.

From here on out, through the rest of Blues History, if anyone ever asks what the meaning is of "60-Minute effort" or "200-Foot Game" , you'll just have to point to tonight's game. This was just an amazing game from beginning to end, with every single player giving it all, and the Blues just dominating the Stars. The boys in blue out-hit, out-shot, and most importantly out-scored the Stars. The PP was on point, and the PK held up their end as well. David Backes held court with 2 goals and 9 hits, Vladimir Tarasenko had a 3-point night, Alexander Steen had a pair of goals, Brian Elliott was a MONSTER in net, and Ryan Reaves put the punctuation on the night with a fight and a kiss for the Stars bench. Everything that could go right .... did. That's a rare thing, Blues fans.

Is there a better way to celebrate your birthday than to score a GWPPOTG? With that, David Backes now has 2 OT goals to his credit this postseason, and the Blues can now take a 1-1 record back to #DrinkScotch to press home the advantage. The Blues sure didn't do themselves any favors with that awful third period, but rather than fall apart like we've seen before, they buckled down and came out swinging in OT. How many times do we have to remind ourselves - this is a Different Blues Team.

This is the first time in history that we have ever done a Round 2 Quick Shot. We can only keep doing what we've always done and see how it works out. It got us this far, right? In the same vein, the Blues were a little unsteady and unsure in Game 1. They seemed to capture a little more of their essence in the third period, and if they can continue that further into this series we'll be just fine. We didn't really learn much of anything new: Roussel is an asshat, and Brian Elliott is amazing right now. We have a few questions for the team, hopefully they have answers in Game 2.

I don't know about you, but I'm still riding the high from beating the Hawks. We're allowed that luxury, but the Blues themselves have to focus on the task ahead. To follow their lead, we also turn our attentions to the Stars and what we can expect from Round 2. Our buddy Josh Lile joins us to talk about them - he's formerly a writer for Defending Big D and currently writes for Dallas-area ABC affiliate WFAA. He has some interesting insights about this match up, and gives us some things to watch for. We also discuss who to follow online for the series. We all make picks for the series, and you can guess who the asshole is.