The Heartbreaking End of the St. Louis Blues' Cinderella Run
St. Louis Blues squarely accountable for Round 1 elimination at the hands of the Jets.
The Blues' catastrophic loss in the opening round to the dominating Jets is a blow they'll undoubtedly ponder for seasons to come. They gave the Jets fits all series long, especially pushing Connor Hellebuyck to the edge, and had them on the brink.
In Game 7, the Blues jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and kept a two-goal advantage heading into the final frame. They held the Jets at bay until the final minutes, but goals in the last 1:56 took the game into overtime.
This was a golden opportunity to topple the Presidents' Trophy champions and advance to the next round, only to be denied by a heartbreaking loss. The Jets are now poised to surge forward, leaving the Blues to grapple with the disappointment.
The Blues likely felt confident entering the decisive game, with Mark Scheifele sidelined and Hellebuyck in a slump. However, they failed to seal the deal and protect their lead until the final buzzer.
Jim Montgomery had a commendable debut season at the Blues' helm. He took over the squad midway through the season and engineered an astonishing push to the postseason. Unfortunately, he was unable to rectify the team's major pitfall, ultimately leading to this disappointing outcome.
6-on-5 Defense Cracks Under Pressure
The Blues sported a glaring flaw during the 2024-25 season – a psychological weakness in defending when leading, particularly when the opposition pulled the goalie. They surrendered a dreadful league-worst 13 goals in this scenario during the regular season.
The team somehow managed to avoid disaster through the first six games of the playoffs, but Game 7 was a different story. The Jets pulled their goalie with a two-goal deficit, and Binnington let in two goals in the final two minutes. It wasn't Binnington's fault; the entire Blues team crumbled when the Jets put that extra man on the ice.
It's bewildering why the Blues couldn't find a solution to capitalize on Hellebuyck's struggles. In his losses alone, Hellebuyck conceded 16 goals from 66 shots – a staggering statistic that might not have been possible without the Blues' failure to execute their game plan and pummel him with shots.
Game 7 was the epitome of the Blues' struggles to generate shots, with only 29 shots on goal. This is inconceivable, considering that most goalies rack up 50-60 saves in a double-overtime game. The Jets, on the other hand, fired 47 shots at Binnington, a team predominantly focused on defense.
The Blues scored two early goals in Game 7, and a third might well have sealed Hellebuyck's fate. However, the Jets' stubborn persistence, and the Blues' defensive lapses, kept Hellebuyck in the game and ultimately turned the tides in their favor.
In the heartbreaking defeat in Game 7, the Blues' 6-on-5 defense faltered under pressure, allowing the Jets to score two late goals and force overtime. Despite Hellebuyck's struggles in the playoffs, the Blues were unable to capitalize on his weaknesses, resulting in a series loss and an early exit from the NHL playoffs. The catastrophic loss could have been avoided if the Blues had been able to execute their game plan effectively, especially in crucial moments during betting on the playoffs in sports like hockey.
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