It’s only because the bar is SO low for our defense these days. The Blues are such a pathetic team that any defenseman that doesn’t look like one of the worst players in the league will get praise now.
It’s sad but that’s the reality. I remember the days when Lord Voldemort was our #1 d-man and was actually a top 5 D in the league. That was worth getting excited about, and we’ve fallen so far from that.
But now, all Parayko has to do is play somewhat decently and you’ll have JR and the rest of the St. Louis media talking about how “incredible” he has been this season, despite the numbers not backing it up. And I feel bad for Parayko, he gets tough usage and has no help on this team. But it’s still kinda laughable to read.
Blues fans still don't seem to get that team defense requires all 5 guys to do their job. It's not all on the 2 d-men to stop everything. You could have 6 all-stars on the blue line and still lose if your team can't keep possession, turns the puck over constantly and misses assignments all game. Obviously our defense is well below average right now, but putting all the blame on the d-men is not really fair. When the Blues were a top 5 defensive team we also had a corps of hard-working forwards that helped shut down the other team's chances and was very good at cycling and maintaining sustained pressure in the O zone. Reading fan comments it seems like Blues fans expect the 2 d-men on the ice to stop all 5 opponents by themselves.
Just because Parayko had a horrible game last night doesn't mean he hasn't been playing well most of this season. Not sure what "numbers" you're talking about, but advanced stats aren't the end all be all. People who have been watching hockey all their lives can recognize the difference between good and bad players....well, most of the time. Petro is on a 4-goal, 37-point pace and has been a - player on a great team most of the year, so not sure he's the savior many believe he is.
I think I might need to stop watching games for a bit. I can't remember the last game we played where we even looked competitive. This team is f***ing dogshit. Bring up Bolduc and Dean for all I care, at least I can get excited watching prospects learn to play in the NHL. Fire our entire defensive unit, Brayden Schenn, and Armstrong into the f***ing sun at this point.
I guess you missed the recent 12 games stretch where we beat some good teams and went 8-4? Maybe you should take a break if you're this upset over a loss. I thought Blues fans wanted the team to be bad to get a higher draft pick. Some even said they hope we lose. Well, guess those people are getting their wish. Congrats.
It's been apparent for awhile that this is a one-line team. If the top guys aren't playing well, we have almost no chance to win games. At least Walker has been playing well since his call-up. Hopefully fans will give him one of the three stars this time because he got robbed after scoring a goal in his first game back with the team. If the rest of our team played with the heart Walker does, we'd be in a lot better shape.