Blues Playoffs - Round 1 Game 1

Okay, so the Blues lost it in overtime which is frustrating.
They started out the first and third period in slow motion, giving up multiple odd man breaks and letting the Sharks walk all over them. And then the Blues would decide to skate for a bit and actually attempt to make a crisp pass that might possibly catch a Note in stride. (This was a rarity throughout the entire game.)
Why couldn't we push the puck into the net on that 4 minute power play?
Flood the crease, move the puck quickly and pummel the goalie with a relentless barrage from different points. Screen the shot, deflect the shot, take the shot! Anything.... Grrr...

Perhaps the most frustrating thing of the whole night was the announcing. Now I usually like Ken Wilson, and Bernie Federko is tolerable. I've grown up listening to them. However, several comments from last nights game put me on the edge of my seat in bewilderment. After a failed power play, they would both praise the Blues for good puck movement and good shots. After a few minutes of listless skating and keep away in the neutral or Shark's zone, Ken and Bernie would begin to rattle off endless adoration of the Blues dominating presence or how the Blues have taken ahold of the game and its tempo. Huh?

Now, don't get me wrong. I am a huge Blues fan. Always have been, and always will be. - may the Red Wings and Blackhawks forever die a slow, agonizing death. However, don't pretend that the fans watching at home cannot see the truth of the game. The facts were as follows:
We were out-hussled a majority of the night.
We made terrible passes throughout the game and never effectively transitioned from defense to offense.
We never hit anybody with any sort of fire or passion that the Stanley Cup playoffs demand.
We never scored on the power play, despite how pretty it may have looked - it was still ineffective.
We had moments of sustained pressure, but nothing that wore the Sharks out to any degree.
We played dump-and-chase hockey most of the night, but failed to do the "chasing".
We love to ice the puck for no apparrent reason.

I want to see the Blues win. I would love to see them go far. But until they start playing like it matters and they want to win, it will not happen. Until bodies start flying up the wing and passes start connecting in synch, we will not win. Until somebody, anybody, decides they will throw their weight around and be aggressive on the boards and forecheck, we will not win. Standing men up at the blue line is effective, but we must do it consistently...

I didn't realize how much I want them to win until right now.
And I didn't realize I could sound so full of hockey until right then either... Oh well!

Go Blues!