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Reactions: St. Louis/San Jose Users say Sharks will be singing the blues
Posted: Monday April 24, 2000 05:23 PM
Just as the Super Bowl excitement begins to subside, the fans in St. Louis are back with Stanley Cup fever. Many users believe the Blues won't have any trouble with the Sharks. But a few know that San Jose loves to play the role of the spoiler. A collection of some of our users' most interesting responses follows: Going up in St. Louis, you get used to hearing that 'this is the year for the Blues', only to be knocked out of the playoffs in the first or second round, again. But after watching a team that no one thought would have such a successful season, it makes you wonder what talent lies in many of these young, almost unknown players stepping up when it matters most. Sure Detroit, Dallas, and Colorado are all very deep and will be exceedingly difficult -- but the Blues are playing with no "payroll player expectations." There is less pressure because every night is a team effort. Don't count these Blues out just yet. Blues in five-this series. I'll stop before I jinx them, again!
Do the Sharks have a chance? Well, I suppose anything is possible. There's a chance that an airplane could crash into the White House. There's a chance that I will win the Powerball on Saturday. There's a chance that the XFL will be successful. The more correct question should have been, "Do the Sharks have a REALSITIC chance?" Because that's an easy question -- no.
The Blues have not lost to the sharks all year. The Blues defense has shown all year that it can shut down teams and they never lose when they score three goals which is what they will do every game.
The Blues are for REAL! They can and will beat any team that they have to. Thus, the Sharks don't stand a chance. St. Louis Blues- 2000 Stanley Cup Champs!
The Blues were good all year. The Sharks were good for two months. It's not that hard to see who'll win. Use common sense. The Blues will sweep.
San Jose doesn't stand a chance. Not only do the blues have a better defense (by far), they have arguably the best goalie in the league, Roman Turek, compared to San Jose's Steve Shields. The only question is how many goals can St Louis score without all-star Pavol Demitra and Scott Young. If they can find a way to score (which shouldn't be too hard) then St. Louis will sweep the sharks in four easy games.
St. Louis did have an unbelievable record this year -- but I smell an early round upset by the Sharks.
Come on! To think that the Sharks can beat the Blues in seven is really stretching it. The Blues were No. 1 in the regular season for a reason. They beat everybody else consistently! The Sharks won't be able to score with MacInnis and Pronger on the ice -- and then they have to get past Roman Turek! The Blues beat the Sharks 4-0-1 in the regular season, which goes to show that even though the Sharks are a decent team they are still not a match for Blue Notes.
St. Louis has a huge edge in this series, with goaltending and their defense it's going to be tough for anyone to get big points on them. They know how to win and how to finish off teams (winning 53 straight games when leading by three goals or more after two periods). They have come up short every year but are very persistent. They want it and the city of St. Louis deserves it. So in other words GO BLUES!
I've been following Blues hockey closely since the mid '80s, and this is the best team they've ever had. The key ingredient is not talent, but discipline and team defense. Coach Joel Quinneville keeps them composed in close games, and they seldom make poor defensive choices. On the heels of the Rams Super Bowl victory and a quick start for the Cardinals, the fans will have the Kiel Center rocking and provide the Blues with a clear home-ice advantage. This fact, coupled with their excellent play on the road, will make it difficult for San Jose to steal any games in this series. The Blues are an opportunistic team that excels in gaining a lead and then keeping their opponents away from the net.
The sharks are going to win for sure because they have been known to play a lot better during playoffs. Also, the problem with the Sharks is that they lose to awful teams but play well against the upper tier. I guess it's a psychological trick. The Shark's will surprise everyone and go pretty far. They are going to leave everyone in St. Louis singing the blues.
Despite the loss of Pavol Demitra, The Blues should have no problem taking the series in no more than five. The Blues showed this year they can play without their top players (Turgeon, MacInnis) and still win their games. After winning the president's trophy and an excellent regular season, The Blues as of right now are unbeatable in a seven game series. Guided by the best coach in the league, having a horde of playmaking players, and with the best hockey fans in the U.S. behind them, the Blues will make quick work of the lowly Sharks.
No one should count the Sharks out before the series even starts. How many times have they been counted out, only to upset a top-seeded team in the first round? Detroit and Calgary sure remember from a few years back. And even if they do lose, no one should be surprised if they make it a long series for the Blues.
St. Louis is going to dominate all the way to the Cup. This has been a long time coming and, as a former resident of the city, I know how bad the whole city as well as the team wants this. We can't be stopped. There's just too much will to win over here. Woe to those that cross the page of the Blue machine. WATCH OUT NHL! Go Blues!
With Demitra on the shelf, the Sharks have a chance to win the series. But they need to play at 100% the whole way. There is no question the St. Louis is a powerful team, and even with Demitra gone, they still pack a powerful punch. If San Jose wishes to prevail, they will need stellar goaltending, and Nolan needs to fire up the team. San Jose is an excellent young team. But unless they play like a team, they will be hitting the lynx by next weekend.
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