Quote:
Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug
So offense isn't the problem. Great. Defense? Goaltending? Just bad puck luck?
In the San Jose series, I thought they were the second best team. In my opinion, the Sharks generated more sustained pressure and more chances and absolutely deserved to win it in 6.
For the Blues, their goal is and should be the Stanley Cup. They are a strong team (as I indicated in my first post), but do they stand pat and hope for the best?
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Of course not. The Blues should and will make adjustments to be even more competitive next year, but I wouldn't say that they suffer from a lack of scoring options that is likely to hold them back. The reason SJ looked so much better had a LOT to do with that ever elusive synergy that must occur for teams to succeed: they have a solid, competitive roster that came together at the right time and under the right circumstances. For what it's worth, I don't think the Sharks are a Western Conference powerhouse, and will be unsurprised to see them out of the playoffs again next season.
Don't kid yourself: the margin between winning and losing in the NHL playoffs is razor thin. Call it "luck" if you will, but whatever it is, it determines the outcome of the playoffs most of the time. I'm not convinced that the "best" team wins every year: more likely, one of the "better" teams always wins, but there are always three, four, five, even six that have every reason to think that they have the right mix of talent, experience and desire to win. The Blues were one of those teams this year, and should be again next year.