Word is that you MIGHT remember this guy. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

Road wins are really cool, y’know. The St. Louis Blues were able to snag a big two points in Ottawa on Tuesday in Brian Elliott’s return to the place he called home to begin his National Hockey League career, earning a win over the Ottawa Senators 3-1. There was an early scrap between two familiar opponents, and it was recapped here. Zenon Konopka is ready and willing to throw down at a moment’s notice, and he did just that with BJ Crombeen, though the fight was largely unspectacular and ended in a draw. With that fight, the Blues move up to 26 fighting majors collected on the NHL season, still good for a 10th place tie with the Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild in that category. With the draw, the team’s record moves to 12-3-11. That is still quite impressive, I would say.

Welcome to the swamp! The Blues’ road train moves to Newark, NJ to face the New Jersey Devils. You may recall that a recent popular figure on Blues teams of the past signed with this squad in the offseason, and while I’ll mention him later, you can only imagine how fired up he will be to see his old squad. As a result of some tough veteran members of the team, some youngsters needing to play because of injuries and some other acquisitions through various sources, the Devils have themselves a fisticuffs-ready club, top to bottom. The Devils are tied for seventh in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks, each team having 28 fights. The Devils’ fight record is quite alright at 11-8-9.

You may recognize the Devils’ leader in fighting majors this season, as he is our aforementioned “Old Friend” (and one of my personal favorites due to his sheer perseverance). Yes, I’m talking about the one and only Cam Janssen (6’0”, 215lbs, 0-1-5), who has collected six fights this season. Following CamSmash is the veteran duo of Eric Boulton (6’1”, 225lbs, 4-1-0) and David Clarkson (6’1”, 200lbs, 3-1-1), who have each fought five times. Ryan Carter (6’1”, 200lbs, 0-2-1, Day-To-Day with a hand injury) has fought three times, but is not expected to play tonight. Brad Mills (6’1”, 195lbs, 1-1-0, recently sent to Albany of the AHL) has fought twice this season. Mark Fraser (6’4”, 220lbs, 1-0-0 as a Devil and 1-0-1 overall, traded to Anaheim in December and currently in the AHL) fits a special category as he HAS fought twice this season, but only one of them was with New Jersey. Other Devils “solo fighters” include another guy in that Anaheim trade, Rod Pelley (5’11”, 200lbs, Win, traded to Anaheim in December), as well as team superstar Ilya Kovalchuk (6’3”, 230lbs, Win), Tim Sestito (5’11”, 200lbs, Draw, currently with AHL Albany), Alexander Urbom (6’4”, 215lbs, Draw, currently with AHL Albany) and Calder Trophy candidate Adam Henrique (6’0”, 195lbs, Loss).

I’m pretty sure if Janssen plays, he will be fighting someone. Expect the opponent to be the guy who basically took his job, Ryan Reaves, if anyone. It would be hard to imagine him fighting anyone else.

Two wins in a row over the Eastern Conference would be mighty fun, for sure.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Suppose I should mention who’s scouting in the building: CHI, TOR, TB, PHX, PHI, NSH, NYR, STL. Not going to read anything into it.

— Eric Stephens (@icemancometh) February 9, 2012

For those who don’t know Eric Stephens is the Orange County Register beat writer. Not exactly the kind of guy to make stuff up.

Certainly the conspiracy theorists will say this is a sign that the Blues are hot on the tale of Tuomo Ruutu, Brian Allen or even Eric Staal. Maybe even Bobby Ryan!

Those with agendas much the opposite look ahead to the schedule and see Anaheim coming up on March 8th and the Hurricanes a week later on the 15th. They’ll also point out that Dave Taylor, Director of Player Personnel, lives near LA and likely takes in many Ducks (and Kings) games.

Team Yearbooks are so useful…

Honestly, reports of scouts typically don’t mean much. Teams do advance scouting quite frequently. It’s a staple of the business. A scout’s presence is just magnified in the stretch of games connecting the All Star Game and the Trade Deadline. Something must be going down if they’re there because those in the know say so.

No. Not always.

Yes, eyes are always open. Notes always taken. These guys are not fools. They don’t get where they are by being one. But going to a game to solely look at trade targets like raw meet on the slab at the corner butcher shop is not their job description. Seriously.

For those like me, who just want to see the connections, its pretty obvious in this case.

A tough stretch of games lies ahead over the next 6-8 weeks. The Blues need to be as prepared as possible. Advance scouting is a must. No games can be taken lightly in March. That said, Doug Armstrong is not the type of GM to be ill-prepared for February 27th. Two teams out of the playoff race are playing in LA and a pretty important person in terms of personnel evaluations and decisions (if you can’t tell by the man’s title…) lives near by the location.

Two birds. One stone. Makes a lot of sense.

Could Ducks defenseman Lubmir Visnovsky be on the move? HNIC thinks so. (Image via BridgetDS/Flickr)

The best produced and most informational discussion segment in all of hockey media is The Hotstove during the second intermission of Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. Sadly, many puckheads in the US miss this because they don’t have NHL Network or are too enthralled in their teams game that isn’t on HNIC. Fortunately there is this great “thing” called the Internet – I hear it will be all the rage in 2012! – and the video is posted to CBC’s website.

You can see last night’s here. It’s worth the less than 8 minute time investment. Just drink your coffee and eat your breakfast while you watch. Not because the Blues are directly referenced (they aren’t), but because connections can be made.

The panel of Ron McLean, Mike Milbury, Eric Francis, and Elliotte Friedman talk extensively about concussions. A topic the Blues are far too familiar with. I know many of you reading this are tired of the bopped noodle banter, but its interesting to note that when discussing Crosby, Francis talks about how players are constantly badgered which causes them to question how they actually feel. Milbury suggests sending players away from the team’s city to get them out from under any size microscope. Think back to when David Perron was missing from the lineup. How did GM Doug Armstrong handle the situation? Sent Perron home to Quebec, let him heal and micromanaged contact and updates on his status.

On the topic of ownership in Phoenix there is apparently significant interest and a potential scenario that can develop to lead the Yotes to Seattle. Basically the NHL, as of January 1st, 2012, has the ability to “shop” the team to other cities. The owner of the Chicago Wolves (AHL) wants to put a team in the Emerlad City. Friedman suggests there are no short term plans to engage in relocation talks. Perhaps that’s to deal with the Blues? Remember that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman placed a December 31st deadline on Matthew Hulsizer and Dave Checketts to close a deal. No deal was announced yesterday. Your move commish…

In the final 90 seconds or so the crew often talks trade rumors. Either to get news out or clarify reports. The names mentioned by Friedman should be of interest to Blues fans. Defensemen Tim Gleason of Carolina and Lubomir Visnovsky of Anaheim. With the Hurricanes already too far back of the pace UFA to be Gleason is generating a lot of trade interest according to the panel. Visnovsky would have to waive his no trade to be moved, but could to escape a deteriorating situation in SoCal. His offensive abilities on the backend will be sought after.

The Blues do struggle to score – an issue made woefully apparent the last two games – but their depth on defense is low. After number eight on the chart, Ian Cole, the list is dangerously thin in terms of acceptable replacements for injured blueliners. Shifting some of the forward logjam in to bolster the backend is looking more like a reality during the season. It’s just too difficult to add a key scoring figure by the deadline. The price is likely just too high. As he’s done before, Armstrong will probably look to add where he can without taking out a bad mortgage.

Both Gleason and Visnovsky fit squarely in to square holes.

Tim Gleason: A potential partner for Petro? (Image via BridgetDS/Flickr)

Gleason is a steady defense first type who has eaten many a minute for bad Canes teams. He was paired with one time Blue Erik Johnson on the Team USA blueline at the 2010 Olympics. So the knowledge and respect of his game is high in the front office. A game that would be a proper counter balance to current number one Alex Pietrangelo or number two Kevin Shattenkirk. At age 28 he’s entering the prime of his career and would give the Blues leverage in dealing with fellow UFA defenseman Barret Jackman this summer. His salary for this season is $3.5 million even though his cap hit is $2.75 million.

Visnovsky could help the Blues anemic power play. (Image via Bridget DS/Flickr)

Visnovsky is a veteran offense producer from the point. In his career, 727 NHL GP, he has registered 433 points. A 48.8 points/82 game pace. Visnovsky also owns 168 power play points in his career or 18.9 PPP/82 games. The numbers prove he can help the Blues not only score at even strength, but also on the man advantage. His status as a less than stellar defender may be less of a concern considering the improved play of Pietrangelo, Shattenkirk and the usually stingy forward back checking. Visnovsky boasts a large cap hit, $5.6 million this season and next,  but is only due $3 million in salary for the final year of his current contract.  His 11-12 salary is $5 million.

What say you blue bleeders? Wouldya either one? As always, not here to create or further rumors, just thinking out loud and pondering if a connection exists.

Personally, Gleason get’s my vote. Primarly because I tend to favor a balanced approach to constructing a defensive core. A left handed and right handed shooter on each pairing with one more proficient in their own end and another more proficient in the attacking zone. That said, Visnovsky makes the most sense. By the time a trade would be made, the majority of his salary would be paid, – reducing the Blues burden – his salary then reduces greatly but maintains a higher cap hit to make it easier to reach the floor all while adding a potent power play presence.

Hey, big cap numbers = wins, right?

My favorite NHL Newf. Image via Dimur/Flickr

A great showing from the Home Six on Thursday led to an easy 4-2 St. Louis Blues win over a reeling Anaheim Ducks squad. The likelihood of a bout was significantly lowered when it was learned that Ryan Reaves would be a healthy scratch, which he was. So no fights on the game means the Blues are tied for 13th in the National Hockey League with six other teams (the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets), sporting a record of 5-1-5.

The San Jose Sharks are relatively even in the fight standings with the Blues, but just like the Blues, the fight record does not tell the full story. Both teams have veterans to lean on, and they’re both physical at the point of attack. The Sharks have one fewer fight on the season – 10, if you’re scoring at home – than the Blues. But because of ties, the Sharks are tied for 21st on the season in fights with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders. They carry a fight record of 3-4-3. I covered these guys on a previous report, October 5th, to be exact. That’s where you can find info about the Sharks and their fight work from 2010-2011.

Newfoundland native Ryane Clowe (6’2”, 225lbs, 0-1-2) leads the team with three fights this season. Old friend Brad Winchester (6’5”, 230lbs, 2-7-0) and Jim Vandermeer (6’1”, 210lbs, 0-1-1) each have fought twice this season, and Jamie McGinn (6’1”, 210lbs, Draw), Andrew Desjardins (6’1”, 210 lbs, Loss) and Douglas Murray (6’3”, 240lbs, Loss) each have fought once.

I’m not going to say that the chances of this game not having a fight are spectacular, but the chances of a fight in this one are so slim even the die-hards of both teams wouldn’t even anticipate it.

FINISH THEM.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

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Who’s Playing: Anaheim Ducks (away) and St. Louis Blues (home)

Location: The Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Where You Can Catch The Game: 7:00pm CST on Fox Sports Midwest HD and on KMOX 1120 AM.

Previous Meetings: The game will be the second of four this season. Anaheim was the 4-2 winner on October 16th at the Honda Center..

Who’s Hot: The Blues at home with a 9-3-1 record. Chris Stewart with 1 goal and 2 assists in his 3 games. Patrik Berglund with 2 goals and 3points in 3 December games. David Perron with 1 goal and 2 points in his first two games this season. Jason Arnott with three power play assists in his last three games. Teemu Selanne has 1 goal and 5 points in his last 3 games.

Who’s Cold: The Ducks away from home. Owning a cellar dweller educing mark of 2-5-4 on the road.

Who’s in Goal
*As per Dailyfaceofff.com…
Anaheim: Jonas Hiller (presumed) – 7-11-5, 3.13 GAA, .902 save percentage, 1 SHO

St. Louis: Jaroslav Halak- 4-7-3, 2.40 GAA, .903 save percentage, 1 SHO

Who’s Out: Forwards BJ Crombeen (fractured left scapula) and Andy McDonald (post concussion symptoms) remain out of the Blues lineup. Defensemen Kent Huskins is continues to recover from a fractured ankle.

For a list of Anaheim injuries please see FoxSports.com.

Expected Lineup

The lineup is not set per media reports Thursday morning. Speculation is that head coach Ken Hitchcock is deciding between Chris Porter or Ryan Reaves for the 12th forward. The rest of the lines and pairings are not likely to change.

Lineup from Tuesday’s victory over Detroit:
Forward Lines
Alex Steen – David Backes – T.J. Oshie
David Perron – Patrik Berglund – Chris Stewart
Matt D’Agostini – Vladimir Sobotka – Jamie Langenbrunner
Chris Porter – Jason Arnott – Scott Nichol

Defensive Pairings
Carlo Colaiacovo – Alex Pietrangelo
Barret Jackman – Kevin Shattenkirk
Kris Russell – Roman Polak

Defenseman Ian Cole is the likely odd man out again. One of Porter or Reaves will sit with Evgeny Grachev’s re-assignment to the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL.

Fun Fact

- Blues forward Jason Arnott will make his 1,200 NHL appearance tonight. Kudos to the Blue Pirate. Why is he a pirate you ask? Because Tom Calhoun calls him “Jason Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrnooot!”. Check out the video of Arnott discussing the milestone.