I’ve figured out what’s wrong with the Blues

[skilles]

We definitely have an underestimated amount of youth and inexperience in the lineup

[Mr.Snuggleupagus]

I wonder did the team have a self imposed cap? The Blue had space to add a veteran 3rd pair guy but they ran with Tucker, Kessel, Mailloux instead which is perplexing

Yeah, Tom Stillman said "you can only spend $91.8 million this year, the other 3.6 is all mine".

You really "wonder" about that?

Spoiler

Cuckoo-Cuckoo

[ManitobaBlues]

Do you all think that Game 7 last year is still in there heads and they lost confidence....Unless this team is trying to create an identity that is really not there game. Are they trying to be the next Florida Panthers???

[Bacchk29]

Do you all think that Game 7 last year is still in there heads and they lost confidence....Unless this team is trying to create an identity that is really not there game. Are they trying to be the next Florida Panthers???

I think it’s the latter. The system they’re trying to play doesn’t maximize the players they actually have.

[stlblue06]

Remember that the Blues cup winning team was just as big of a mess due to VERY bad goaltending and that team was MUCH better than this team.

[bgwinn01]

The basic issue is this team was built to play a pressure forechecking game . They aren't going to out skill anyone they aren't big and physical so when they don't play that style they lose games. Go back to the run they went on last year and the playoff series they played well as 5 man units and they were suffocating teams with their forechecking. They were tight and cohesive. This year they look like random names coming out of a hat they are mentally weak it seems like they think they can win on pretty plays alone.
Thomas, Kyrou, Buch and Holloway do not seem willing to play hard enough to win, win puck battles, get into the crease to score they are strictly playing a soft perimeter game.
And the guys that do play pretty hard are limited as to how much they can affect a game Schenn, Sunny, Toro, Walker, Suter.
And like others have said the 3rd D pair is odd

This is a good post.

[Harry S Deals]

The basic issue is this team was built to play a pressure forechecking game . They aren't going to out skill anyone they aren't big and physical so when they don't play that style they lose games. Go back to the run they went on last year and the playoff series they played well as 5 man units and they were suffocating teams with their forechecking. They were tight and cohesive. This year they look like random names coming out of a hat they are mentally weak it seems like they think they can win on pretty plays alone.
Thomas, Kyrou, Buch and Holloway do not seem willing to play hard enough to win, win puck battles, get into the crease to score they are strictly playing a soft perimeter game.
And the guys that do play pretty hard are limited as to how much they can affect a game Schenn, Sunny, Toro, Walker, Suter.
And like others have said the 3rd D pair is odd

This is a good post.

Its frustrating for me when they dont play very hard, thats the one thing that pisses me off a bit. This group isnt going to overwhelm with skill, they wont punish you although they sure did vs the Jets. They seem totally unglued right now, hard to fathom.

[Ziggy3]

Plenty of things aren't right, but the one that's got me confounded and is a total 180 from their play under Monty last season is the forecheck. There's something fundamentally wrong with it. I'm not an astute enough observer to really pinpoint why, but other teams typically have a laughably easy time exiting their zone.

I really don't think it's just an effort issue. There is never even a single line standing out with their forecheck ability. They're constantly throwing the puck into places where they're already outnumbered, rarely in good position to disrupt a breakout. Early in the season there was a lot of commentary about how focused they were in the preseason about having an aggressive D in the O-zone; could that be the problem? You'd think that would help, but not if they have poor personnel for that strategy, or forwards that struggle to pick up assignments on the fly.

They look almost exactly like they did under Bannister right now. I have to wonder if coaches see something on paper with this team that they think lends to some strategy that just doesn't pan out at all. It would make sense that when Monty took over mid-season he might've kept the strategy simple, then fell into the same trap Bannister and maybe even Berube did in the offseason by formulating some gameplan that this team just can't execute. Idk, it is a real head-scratcher...

[stlblue06]

It feels like Groundhog Day with the same players causing the team to be inconsistent in the first 2-3 months of the season. You can not have Scheen and Buch combining for 13 points in a combined 38 games.

Offense from the defense is a big part of Montgomery’s system and we have Colt and Fowler with ZERO goals. Last season Colt was shooting non stop while jumping in on the rush getting 15 goals while missing the final month. Fowler’s offensive downfall is very noticeable.

The other team’s game plan is very simple and easy to execute against the Blues. They know the goalies suck while the defenders are SOFT. Most of the Blues goals against have 1 forward parked DIRECTLY in front of the blue paint either uncontested or a soft stick check to take away a tip but screens the goalie worse.