Throwdown Lowdown – Avalanche @ Blues, 02-01-11

Cody McLeod just LOOKS like a fighter. Image via the CBC

*****UPDATE: I guess you can disregard this info for now, as the game has been postponed.  No reschedule date has been announced.*****

So conventional wisdom would have foretold a fight in the Blues’ 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames, as both teams are quite violent.  It was not to be, however, as the Flames rejected all of the Blues’ overtures and vice-versa.  So The Note ended the first half of the regular season tied for first place in fighting majors with 49, the same total the Anaheim Ducks have on the season.  And therefore, the Blues stood at the end of the first half with a 19-17-2 fight record.

We have covered the Colorado Avalanche twice before in games that were played in Denver (November 15th and eight days ago, January 24th).  While a total of 20 fighting majors is nothing to scoff at, it is not a huge total compared to the rest of the league.  The good news here is that the Avs do seem to enjoy throwing fists at the Blues – four of their 20 fights have come against The Note.  Those 20 fights, by the way, ties the Avs for 22nd in the NHL with the Minnesota Wild, and the team’s fight record is 7-6-7, which isn’t bad for one of the lower-end teams fighting wise in the NHL.

Cody McLeod (6’2”, 210lbs, 4-2-1 including a draw with Brad Winchester) leads the team with seven fights.  Following him are Chris Stewart (6’2”, 228lbs, 1-0-1), Ryan Wilson (6’1”, 207lbs, 1-0-1) and former Blue David Koci (6’6”, 238lbs, 0-1-1, including a draw with Cam Janssen) with two fights each.  The rest of the fighters have fought once each, and they are David Liffiton (6’2”, 210lbs, Win, currently with Lake Erie of the AHL), veteran Adam Foote (6’2”, 220lbs, Draw), Brandon Yip (6’1”, 195lbs, Draw), John-Michael Liles (5’10”, 185lbs, Loss), Phillipe Dupuis (6’0”, 196lbs, Loss), Matt Duchene (5’11”, 200lbs, Loss . . . to Vladimir Sobotka) and Ryan O’Byrne (6’5”, 234lbs, Loss . . . to BJ Crombeen).

We were treated to a Janssen-Koci tilt in the last matchup.  I think Janssen goes at it with McLeod this time, though, and works a good fight out of the big man.  Though with one-fifth of the team’s fights against the Blues, anything is possible when the Avs come to town.

It’s a new half.  Hopefully it’s a new, recharged Blues team as well.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights