Throwdown Lowdown – Blues @ Kings 1-9-10
One large Latvian. Image via insidesocal.com
With Cam Janssen and George Parros scratched for Thursday night’s affair in Anaheim, members of each team had to pick up the slack as far as fisticuffs go. And since both squads go 10+ deep as far as fighters are concerned, there was no doubt it would happen – and it did.
The only fight from that game worked out to the St. Louis Blues’ advantage, because let’s face it – if Chuck Norris David Backes is gonna drop the gloves, he might as well take one of the Anaheim Ducks’ best players with him. This time it was Corey Perry, and Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights users unanimously picked Backes as the winner of the bout. That pushes his record in fights this season to 2-1-0, with both wins coming in the last week. ‘Atta boy, David!
This season, the Los Angeles Kings are on the lower end of the NHL’s fighting spectrum: compared to 32 Blues fights, there have only been 16 by the Kings. Then again, when you’ve been playing as well as the Kings have this season (that is to say, out of their minds), you can get away with such inactive fists.
Big Latvian winger Raitis Ivanans has taken part in a cool half of the Kings’ 16 fights. Built like an NFL tight end, the 6’4″ 255 lb beast is NOT the kind of guy you want to meet in a dark alley with an ill temper. Ivanans is 3-1-4 on the season, according to Fried Chicken and friends. Two of those victories were over certified NHL goons (Jody Shelley of San Jose and Jean-Francois Jacques of Edmonton), while Parros was the other combatant in one of the four draws. The only three other fighters on the team with more than two fights this season are defenseman Sean O’Donnell (0-0-3), winger Wayne Simmonds (0-1-1) and defenseman and alternate captain Matt Greene (0-2-0). Notice there are no victories among those three fighters – the Kings are 3-5-8 this season, which means Ivanans holds all three fight victories for the Kings this season.
Fight-wise, there’s not much to look forward to in this game, unless it’s initiated by Ivanans or a member of the Blues. If the gloves come off, let’s hope The Note chooses wisely this evening (i.e. anyone other than Ivanans. PLEASE!).
LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!
Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights.
