Throwdown Lowdown – Blues @ Canucks, 02-24-11

Apparently Tanner Glass is a bit of a Scrabble aficionado. I can get behind that. Image via Pass It To Bulis, a wonderful Vancouver Canucks blog

Quite a disappointing two-game swing at home, eh folks?  Following up an already-disappointing-enough loss to the division rival Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, the Blues turned around and laid a 4-3 regulation egg on Tuesday for the Colorado Avalanche to sweep up.  Yes, those were the same Colorado Avalanche that had done two things lately: 1) made a drastic change in plans by making a blockbuster trade with our Blues involving lots of youthful stars, and 2) had lost their last 50 gazillion games in a row.  (OK, so it was only 10 or so.  Whatever.)   Another disappointment?  Of course, I’m going to note that there were no fights in the game.  So yes, the Blues stand pat at 57 fighting majors on the season – a number they’ve been stuck on now since Saturday’s game with the Anaheim Ducks, which right now seems so long ago.  This total still keeps the Blues one ahead of both the Boston Bruins and those Ducks in second place in the NHL.  Their fight record remains at 23-17-17.

The Vancouver Canucks are, obviously, one of the best teams in the National Hockey League.   Despite that, the Blues have played some of their best games against the Canucks this season, including handing Roberto Luongo his first regulation loss since early December in the last outing between the two squads.  So obviously we have covered the Canucks previously (December 5th, December 20th and February 14th).  And obviously, in those three reports I have pontificated about the absence of Rick Rypien and the role of his absence in their lack of pugilistic activities.  Clearly, people like me HATE teams that lose fighting touch without their enforcers (usually because it’s their own fault), but obviously it is working for them, as they – barring an epic collapse – will easily make it to the postseason, something us Blues fans were thinking might happen with our team after October was over.  The Canucks are in 20th position in the NHL by themselves with 26 fights on the season.  Their fight record?  Not that spectacular at 5-10-11.

You may recall most of the particulars from the February 14th matchup about the Canucks’ stable of fighters, but I will recap in case you need it (one more fight was added to their total in the meantime) . . .

Tanner Glass (6’1”, 210lbs, 2-2-4) is the team fight leader for the Canucks with eight.  Following Glass are Kevin Bieksa (6’1”, 198lbs, 2-1-0), Keith Ballard (5’11”, 208lbs, 0-1-2 including a loss to Carlo Colaiacovo) and the aforementioned Rypien (5’11”, 190lbs, 0-2-1, on IR for personal issues) with three fights each.  Guillaume Desbiens (6’2”, 210lbs, 1-1-0, assigned to AHL Manitoba in mid-December), Raffi Torres (6’0”, 216lbs, 0-0-2) and Aaron Volpatti (6’1”, 201lbs, 0-1-1, assigned to AHL Manitoba earlier in the month) have each fought twice.  Canucks with one fight each are Alexandre Bolduc (6’1”, 197, Draw, on IR with a shoulder injury but currently on a rehab assignment), Andrew Alberts (6’5”, 218lbs, Loss, on IR with a wrist injury dealt to him by the Blues on February 14th) and Aaron Rome (6’1”, 218lbs, Loss).

Considering the history of testiness between the two teams and the way the Blues played in those last two home games, to say I would be disappointed without a fight in this one would be like saying a pig needs to roll around in slop.  My best guess would be a fight between Glass and either Cam Janssen or Brad “F.” Winchester.

Please do not make this a three-game slide, team.  I beg of you.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights