Our winner is Lonnie:

"You suck Jackman. And the guy with the mullet yelling from 324 thinks so too." ~ Lonnie (Caption the Photo Winner 2-5-12)

As this week’s winner, Lonnie will receive a pack of Promotional Blues Trading Cards (Set 1) that were given away at the February 3, 2012 game.  This is the first of 3 promotional sets of cards the Blues plan on giving away.

Congratulations to our winner, and we can’t wait to see the next round of captions starting this Sunday!

**Winning Captions Do Not Reflect the Opinions of BlueNoteZone**

What will the winner of this contest get?? Each week’s winner will get their caption put *permanently* in the photo’s description.  The winner will also receive a small Blues themed gift.  In future weeks, the prize will be listed with the photo, but we’re not quite prepared for this inaugural post.

 Contest Dates: Sunday February 5th 10:00 am (CST) through Wednesday February 8th 5:00 pm (CST)

CONTEST RULES: Comment on the contest post to enter (Facebook comments and Twitter replies will not be entered into the contest).  Give us your best caption; it can be as short or long as you would like.  You can include as many lines as you want pertaining to as many aspects of the photo that you would like.  Keep your captions clean! Major profanity (ie “the F bomb”) will not be accepted in this contest.  Any comments that do not follow our guidelines will be deleted.

Prize: TBD (~$5 value Blues item)

Photo:  Give us your best caption for this shot from the Blues vs Kings game on February 3rd!

Steve Ott has an ‘A’ on his sweater, and I always imagine it stands for “A**hole”. Image via ladybugbkt/Flickr

The St. Louis Blues can win a game in the shootout? Holy crap! And so it was done on Saturday, as the Blues played the Minnesota Wild to a 2-2 tie in regulation and a scoreless five-minute overtime period, and took the victory in a shootout, most undoubtedly the single dumbest way I can think of ending a hockey contest (JUST END IT IN A TIE). The great news, aside from the win, in this one is that there were three (!) fights in this game. For starters, David Backes earned 19 minutes of penalties in sticking up for David Perron on what turned out to be a clean hit, “fighting” Justin Falk to a draw (video here, and this situation is exactly why the Instigator Rule is a load of crap). Then, rather inexplicably, Clayton Stoner went at it with Chris Stewart, with Stewart taking the win (video here). Finally, in what has to be the Blues’ fight of the year so far, Ryan Reaves and Brad Staubitz squared off in what I thought was a pretty excellent fight, a fight that displayed all the reasons why fighting should never be taken out of the game (A BIT OF NSFW LANGUAGE IN THIS LINK). Somehow, a decision was rendered in this fight, and it was given to Reaves (video here, and if you don’t like what you see, I’m sorry . . . but you are not a fan of hockey fights).With these three fights to add to the total, the Blues ratchet up to a tie for 11th place in the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins, who each have collected 20 fighting majors on the season. The fight record, with the two wins and the draw added, now goes up to 9-2-9.

We now welcome to town former Norris Division mate and possible future division or conference mate, the Dallas Stars. You might recall that the Stars did pay a visit recently. The Blues and Stars have played one in Dallas (October 13th) and one in St. Louis (December 26th) this season. As you can see by the date, the St. Louis meeting was very recent, and some foul happenings took place in that game. It was also a close contest that was won by the Blues, one of very few the Blues seem to have won over the Stars recently. Is it an indicator of what is to come tonight? Probably not, as momentum is usually only as good as your next game. The Stars have fought 18 times this season, currently good for a tie for 16th in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche and the Florida Panthers. The Stars’ fight record is not bad – a solid 5-4-9.

The Stars are led in fights by former Blackhawk Jake Dowell (6’0”, 198lbs, 1-2-2) with five fights. Following him is well-known pest and one of my least-favorite players ever, Steve Ott (6’0”, 190lbs, 1-0-3, including a “victory” over Barret Jackman), who has fought four times this season. Then, there’s Krys Barch (6’1”, 237lbs, 1-1-1 as a Star and 2-3-3 overall, traded to the Panthers on December 7th) with three fights as a Star. Team Captain Brenden Morrow (6’0”, 205lbs, 1-0-1) has fought twice. Among solo fighters for the Stars are future superstar Jamie Benn (6’2”, 205lbs, Win), veteran defenseman Sheldon Souray (6’4”, 237lbs, Draw with Stewart), hulking defenseman Mark Fistric (6’2”, 233lbs, Draw) and a son of former Islanders royalty, Eric Nystrom (6’1”, 193lbs, Loss).

These two teams have a recent past of brawling each other, and with the kind of fight matchups that happened in the first two meetings of the two teams, I would not be shocked at anything at this point. For posturing purposes, my pick for the night will be Dowell and Reaves, but don’t bet on it . . . bet on something else (ANYTHING else).

Two home wins in a row? As long as it doesn’t go to overtime, I’m cool.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

- – -

A good bit of news came out Wednesday from the Blues beat writers and MSM folks. If you missed anything, here is what you need to know.

On Alex Steen…

The Blues’ Alex Steen is on the ice working with asst coach Scott Mellanby. #stlblues

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) January 11, 2012

Hitch says Steen will skate tomorrow too. Not out of realm of possibilty that he plays. “We’ll see how he feels,” Hitch said.

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) January 11, 2012

Steen confirmed he passed baseline. Felt good after coming off ice today. #stlblues

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) January 11, 2012

Steen said he’ll talk to docs in the morning about playing tomorrow night. #stlblues

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) January 11, 2012

On Andy McDonald…

I would expect Andy McDonald to shed red jersey at any time now. #stlblues

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) January 11, 2012

On Barret Jackman…

Jackman getting some rehab work done today. 50-50 for tomorrow. Depends on how today goes. #stlblues

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) January 11, 2012

Rivermen will lose rookie D-man Cade Fairchild to call-up by the Blues late this afternoon. Blues will send Evgeny Grachev down to Peoria.

— Dave Eminian (@icetimecleve) January 11, 2012

The Blues have assigned Evgeny Grachev to Peoria. Cade Fairchild has been recalled from the Rivermen. bit.ly/wN2XTR #stlblues

— St. Louis Blues (@St_Louis_Blues) January 11, 2012

On Kris Russell…

Also talked to Kris Russell, said he’s feeling better; probably another week or so with him. Hitch was encouraged by today’s skate #stlblues

— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) January 11, 2012

Impact & Analysis

Alex Steen is on IR per the Blues website, but no corresponding move would need to be made to accommodate his return. The lineup head count is currently at 22 and Steen woudl push them to the max of 23. Where does he fit back in? With his spot on David Backes‘ line filled nicely by David Perron he is candidate to take Matt D’Agostini‘s place on Patrik Berglund‘s left. Personally, I like the idea of Steen and Berglund with D’Agostini to provide a ton of speed and shooting ability down the side, but TJ Oshie provides the necessary playmaking tendencies to make the line click.

Make no mistake, the Blues will miss Barret Jackman if he is unable to dress tonight. Anecdotally he has had success containing the Sedin twins. Though the back pressure is usually strong, the defense will need to be prepared to handle the Canucks highly skilled attack. Jackman provides a presence that keeps the opposition on their toes, reducing their effectiveness. His absence also breaks up a strong pairing at Brad Shaw’s disposal. Who will Kevin Shattenkirk skate with? I’d bet Ian Cole.

How should we take the promotion of Cade Fairchild and demotion of Evgeny Grachev? As I’ve said before and will continue to beat like a dead horse, it means management (and the coaching staff) want to Grachev to play. They need to see how he reacts to the challenges presented to him and how he performs in game situatuions. This is a good thing for now. Peoria needs the help.

As far as Fairchild is concerned it means he continues to be the best healthy recall option on the blueline in Peoria. He will not see big minutes, save for a big injury or game misconduct to a fellow defenseman. Still, any recall is a good recall for a first year pro.

With Kris Russell still a week or so away from a return, what does Ian Cole need to do till then? Continue to prove he belongs in the NHL. That means better positioning, fewer mistakes and less time spent in the box. The front office wants him to see as much game time as possible. Just like Grachev. He may stay up when Russell returns, but if all are healthy when Kent Huskins does, Cole is destined for Peoria. A good showing now makes sure Fairchild doesn’t get the first recall after that.

- – -

Open Question: Who means more to the lineup upon their return? Steen or McDonald?

Fellow blueliners Kris Russell (groin) and Kent Huskins (ankle) are still on IR which brings the Blues down to only five healthy defenders (Jackman, Colaiacovo, Pietrangelo, Polak, and Shattenkirk) who can play on Tuesday night.

Cade Fairchild (image TSNphotography)

So it’s pretty obvious that the Blues are going to have to recall a player from the Peoria Rivermen. Considering their play as of this season, the top two options for a recall, in my mind are Cade Fairchild or Danny Syvret.

Fairchild, a rookie out of the University of Minnesota has made a big impact  for the Rivermen this season already. His 17 points (4 goals, 13 assists) have helped the Rivermen to a 17-15-2-1 record this season.

He’s already had one call up this season, and he didn’t look out of place in his only game played. He finished the night with a clean score sheet, an even +/- and no penalty minutes. He’s my number one option of getting a recall in fill in for Cole.

Danny Syvret (image TSNphotography)

Syvret is not to be looked over also, as a potential call up. His 20 points (3 goals, 17 assists) leads all defensemen on the Rivermen squad and tied for fifth among AHL defensemen this season.

What Syvret brings, however, which could give him the heads up on Fairchild is his experience.  His 59 NHL games and 10 playoff games rank much higher than Fairchild’s one game, and that alone could give Syvret an edge  in his chances of being called up. He has 3 goals, 4 assists in those 59 regular season games while recording zero points in his ten playoff games.

If I was in Doug Armstrong‘s shoes, I’d go with Syvret. He gives you the experience, he plays an offensive game but isn’t inadequate defensively either. While the call up is likely only going to be for the three games, it doesn’t force the Blues to put to much pressure on the call up either.

While I could see positives for Fairchild, I’d like to see him develop a little more in the AHL this season and get his call ups next season when he’s a little bigger, stronger, and more experienced.

Yet again, however, I’m not Doug Armstrong, so the call up could eventually be between two entirely different defenders. Watch me debate Fairchild and Syvret, then Mark Cundari gets the call up.

We should find out later today on who gets the call up.

“Why won’t Coach Babs let us fight, Drew?” “Because we suck at it, Justin.” Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

Obviously this 2011-2012 St. Louis Blues team did not want to keep remembering the ass-kickings they took at the hands of the Dallas Stars last season and early in this one, earning a hard-fought 5-3 victory over their former division-mate and soon-to-be conference-mate. There was a fight in this game, and as I was suspecting, Steve Ott got himself involved. He has a tendency to rile up whoever happens to be the “Whipping Boy” defenseman in St. Louis. So yes, he got into it with Barret Jackman this time. I happened to be in attendance, and watching this one develop was quite interesting, to say the least. And in this instance, it almost led to a second fight, which was pretty fun (check the video of the whole incident here). As an added bonus, it was on national television! So now, many more hockey fans than before know about how much of a jerk Ott is. The fight itself was relatively weak, as after Ott got up from Jackman taking him down a second time and after Jackman face-washed Ott, Ott punched Jackman WHILE HIS GLOVE WAS STILL ON (a douche move), then after shedding the gloves he got a couple rights in, after which the two hugged it out and fell on the ice. Somehow, this was not voted a draw – instead, Ott was declared a winner. I have a feeling that result may change, but nonetheless . . . the Blues move up to 14 fights on the season, good for a tie for 15th in the National Hockey League with the Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets and last night’s opponent in that category. With the loss, the team’s fight record “slides” to 5-2-7.

Now, the Blues take their first trip to Joe Louis Arena on the season, not to mention their first of two trips to that arena in less than a week. Yes, it’s our old “friends”, the Detroit Red Wings! I’ve spoken twice about these folks this season, both for home contests (November 15th and December 6th, to be exact). There really isn’t much to say about the Wings that you don’t already know. They don’t drop the gloves as often as any other team in the league, and they are rarely baited into a fight. You can’t go into a Red Wings game thinking there WILL be a fight, actually. The Wings are currently all by themselves, DEAD LAST in the NHL with four fighting majors collected on the no-longer-young 2011-2012 season. To put this in perspective . . . coming into tonight’s game, there are 39 NHL players who have fought four or more times – 26 of those players have fought five or more times (including our own Ryan Reaves, who has fought five times), and seven of THOSE players have fought at least eight times, or DOUBLE the amount of fights the Red Wings have been part of as a team. That’s incredibly hard to accomplish as a team, if you ask me. Anyway, in these fights, the Wings have gone 2-2-0, which I guess is not horrible.

Of those four fights, Justin Abdelkader (6’1”, 219lbs, 1-1-0) has taken part in two of them. The other two were battled by Jonathan Ericsson (6’4”, 221lbs, Win) and youngster Jakub Kindl (6’3”, 216lbs, Loss). So obviously, there is not much to sift through when talking about fights with the Red Wings.

And as you could guess, I do not anticipate there being any more fights to add to the list tonight. Sorry!

Great news on the fisticuffs front for the Blues . . . third-line grinder BJ Crombeen, who tied for the team lead in fighting majors in the 2010-2011 season, returns to the lineup tonight after missing the first 35 games of THIS season due to a broken scapula suffered in the preseason. Former Blues pugilist and current Blues radio color commentator Kelly Chase broke the news on Twitter this morning. While he’s not the most skilled player on the team, his return adds a definite grit factor to the team and adds to the surplus of forwards the Blues have been accumulating since players have been coming off Injured Reserve with their injuries. Also, I love the way this guy plays, and many partial Blues observers also have taken a liking to him as he displays a hard-nosed style to his game. A further report on BJ’s return is upcoming on The BlueNote Zone.

The Blues have won both games against the Red Wings this year. Can they make it a third? Please, let this happen.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Photo Courtesy of St. Louis Blues

Starting at last night’s game, the Blues are selling “Pucks for Paws” 2012 calendars.  The calendars feature a different player each month. The player is featured with his pets and an adoptable pet, or just an adoptable pet if his pet wasn’t in the area at the time of the shoot.  Obviously David Backes and Barret Jackman are featured in the calendar with their pets, but they are joined by Alex Steen, Christ Stewart, Jamie Langenbrunner, Jaroslav Halak, Scott Nichol, Patrik Berglund, BJ Crombeen, Carlo Colaiacovo , TJ Oshie, and Roman Polak.Thinking you’re set because you got the free Blues (Ford) Calendar at the home opener?  This calendar is way better.  The guys actually have on their jerseys in the pictures with adoptable pets, and you can tell they are on location and not photo-shopped onto a background.  Best of all: you get to see their personalities come out with their pets.  My personal favorites: Patrik Berglund with an adoptable kitten, Alex Steen and his two dogs (one is a Great Dane), and Carlo Colaiacovo with his two bull dogs (they all three look alike!).  The Blues held a special “Pucks for Paws” kick off event on December 4th at Scottrade; pictures from that event are available on the Blues site.  The proceeds from the calendars calendars will be going to Stray Rescue of St. Louis, Five Acres Animal Shelter, All Paws Rescue, St. Louis Senior Dog Project, and Operation SPOT.

If you are intersted in these calendars, they are $12 each or 2 for $20.  The calendars will be on sale at Scottrade (and you can meet cute adoptable puppies!) at the December 8th, 10th, and 15th games.  They are also available for purchase online- they are only charging and additional $2 for shipping (the site says they will be shipped within a week or the order being placed).

The Blues will soon be holding their annual Barkin’ for the Blues event at Scottrade.  This annual event offers discounted tickets to fans while giving back to Stray Rescue of St. Louis and Five Acres Animal Shelter.  This season, the event will be held on January 21, 2012 at the Blues vs Sabres game.  Tickets can be ordered online, and three different levels of discounted tickets, with three different donation amounts, are available for fans.  Fans can also choose which of the two featured charities to donate to with their ticket purchase.  You can find details on how to order for each charity on the Barkin’ for the Blues page.  The discounts and donation amounts are:
Club Corner: $95 (regularly $120); $20 goes to charity
Plaza Center: $80 (regularly $125); $15 goes to charity
Plaza End Low: $65 (regularly $76); $10 goes to charity

Barkin’ for the Blues will also feature in arena activities to benefit the shelters.  There will be an adoption area on the concourse with animals available to meet.  They will also have a special themed silent auction and “Doggie Bags” available for purchase (these bags are usually $25-$30).

If you are an animal lover, be sure to help out a good cause by either grabbing a calendar (they would make a great Christmas gift for a Blues fan!) or getting a ticket for Barking for the Blues!

Since Kent Huskins suffered an ankle injury blocking a shot back on October 28th in Calgary, the prognosis has been difficult to determine. First considered fractured and requiring a stint on IR, then not. On Tuesday this week the media reported that there is in deed a fracture.

Huskins bravery will cost him up to two months of the season and a trip to the surgeon.

The duration could be reduced if he heals like TJ Oshie…

The Blues announced via Twitter Wednesday that the surgery was performed successfully and reevaluation will come in roughly eight weeks.

In 9 games this season Huskins has tallied 2 goals, 4 points with a Plus-6 rating while averaging 16:55 ATOI. He was utilized as Alex Pietrangelo’s primary even strength pairing partner.

Impacts on the Blues Blueline

With Taylor Chorney already shipped back to Edmonton after his rental via waivers, Ian Cole’s time in St. Louis has been extended. His assumption of the seventh defenseman role says that the Blues believe he’s hit NHL readiness and sticking with the big club is more important than icet in Peoria. The move could be taken as an odd change of direction following Doug Armstrong’s comments this summer regarding first and second year pros playing in Peoria rather than sitting in the Scottrade press box, but is likely more indicitive of Cole’s improved level of play and the need to have quality options given situation and performance.

On a related side note, the absence of Cole from the Rivermen lineup has increased the workload on Mark Cundari, Cade Fairchild and Brett Poinch. Three young defensemen jostling for position in the organization who will take all of the playtime they can earn. Danny Syvert, a “forogtten” depth addition this summer, has stepped up his play. For example, he logged over 30 minutes in last Friday’s epic 7-6 comeback win over Rockford when Jake Gannon, an AHL contract defensemen playing very well for Peoria, left the game due to injury.

Cundari is having sophomore struggles while Fairchild is pleasantly surprising in his first pro campaign. I will have more on these two, Ponich and others in my AHL Road Trip wrapup post coming later this week.

For those clamoring for the benching (or trading) of Carlo Colaiacovo in favor of Cole following the Kris Russel trade, don’t expect it anytime soon. In the four games under Ken Hitchcock Colaiacovo has three assists with a Plus-1 rating paired up Pietrangelo.

Russell will remain in the lineup, at least through Thursday’s game against Florida, but he could easily sit for Cole is the situation warrants going forward. Russell has averaged just 14:24 ATOI in the two games since the trade and his role on the power play is already being filled by Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk and Colaiacovo.

Translation: Since Cole fills a different role being a “left handed Roman Polak” the two could easily be interchangeable.

A final thought. Is it a coincidence that Barret Jackman’s ATOI is down over a minute and a half compared to last season and he is playing some of his best hockey since late in 2009? I don’t think so. There is a lot of tread on Jackman and decreasing his workload maximizes output. It is also worth noting that the exceptional play of Pietrangelo and Shattenkirk are allowing old number 5 to do more with less.

(6-6-0)

vs

Minnesota Wild

(6-3-3)

At

Xcel Energy Center

Game time 7:00 pm CST

TV- FSMW (HD)

Radio- KMOX

Blues Team Recap-  Friday night there was a stir in the air at Scott Trade Center. The world champion St. Louis Cardinals were in the house for Cards and Blues night at the rink. Former cards manager Tony La Russa, 3rd Baseman David Freese, and starting pitcher Chris Carpenter were in attendance. In a ceremonial puck drop prior to the game, La Russa carried the World Series trophy out to center ice where he was flanked by Freese and Carpenter. Carpenter’s son dropped the puck between Blues Captain David Backes and Vancouver Captain Daniel Sedin. The pulse of the crowd was palpable as cheers came from every section in approval of the season just completed by the Red Birds. After the pre-game festivities were concluded, the puck was dropped to open the game and the Blues came out with grit and determination against a Canuck team that had the night before gotten trounced by the Minnesota Wild 5-1. The Canuckleheads came to play and was evident as they pressured the net striking first blood on a nifty wrist shot by Alex Burrows. The Blues answered right back on a goal from forward TJ Oshie. A slow start, to say the least, for the young left winger had left many fans wondering if he was going to show up as advertised this season. Oshie added a second goal in the second period and an assist in the third period on a goal by David Backes to put the blues up for good on the Canucks.  Brian Elliot once again came up big for the blues when they needed it the most stopping 29 of 30 shots. A few defensive lapses and puck give-aways lead to several sustained attacks by Vancouver. Elliot stood tall and weathered the storm in front of him with great positioning and good reflexes. With Elliot playing so well, it will take Halak working his tail off to regain the confidence from his team mates as well as his head coach. Treat yourself to a fun scrap and check out the fight card from the Nichol vs Booth fight from last nights game.

 Blues Keys To The Game- Minnesota has been playing some very good hockey lately. The Blues will need to cut the scoring chances of the Wild tonight if they want to waltz into Minny and pluck two points. Solid forechecking and puck possession will work to the Blues favor in this Saturday evening match up. Solid performances from the combination of Barret Jackman and Kevin Shattenkirk have helped the Blues to dominate their opponents in recent games. The continued great play of rising star Alex Pietrangelo is nothing short of exciting every night, and will need to be seen yet again tonight. Where o Where are you Chris Stewart? Like the old saying goes ” If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it does it still make a noise” Stewart has silently and with noted frustration underperformed up to this point. With only 2 goals on the season the offensive production from the touted possible 40 goal scorer has been all but absent. The Blues need Chris Stewart to play like the Chris Stewart of last season. Stewart came to St. Louis in February of last year in a deal from the Avalanche and showed just what a beast of an offensive power forward he can be. The big guns for the Blues have all but been silent so far this season with little to no production. At 6-6-0 can you imagine where we would be if our big boys Stewart, Berglund, and Oshie were producing in each game? With a solid 60 minutes of hockey tonight, the Blues have a great chance to steal away two points from the “North Stars 2.0.”  

Minnesota Team Recap- In the words of Darren Pang ” Holy Jumpin!” The Minnesota Wild have been firing on all cylinders and are coming off a very impressive 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks in their last game at home. Forward Matt Cullen had two third period goals to seal the deal for Minny. Cullen has 6 goals and 2 assists on the season for 8 points in 12 games played. Coach Mike Yeo currently feels very good about goaltender Josh Hardning and plans to start him against St. Louis tonight. Harding owns a 1.77 GAA and a .938 SV% to go along with a 4-2-0 record in his last six starts against the Blue Note. Things are going well for the Wild this season and they look to continue their winning ways tonight in an attempt to elongate their current winning streak to 4 games.

 Minnesota Keys To The Game- Tonight it is all about pressure and getting on a Blues team that is coming off a big win against Vancouver. The Blues arrived in Minnesota late last night after their game in the Lou and will be the more tired team. Not letting the Blues get the puck deep and retaining control in the offensive zone will be paramount for the Wild tonight. The Blues used puck possession and good cycling of the puck to create scoring chances which directly lead to their 2 point night last night. Capitalizing on mistakes made by a still young defensive core could help Minny sneak a few pucks in to the net. Yet to be revealed is the starting goal tender for the Blues. If the Wild face Halak they will need traffic in front of him. Get Jaro off his game early and often will lead to him making mistakes and missing positioning. If they face Elliot they may have a tougher job at hand. Elliot has been on with his positioning and his ability to adapt and respond to deflections in front of him. Screens and rebounds will be Minnesota’s friend in this game. Failure to create rebounds and failure to screen Elliot will lead to a very long night for the Minnesota Wild should he get the nod.

Blues Notes- Forward David Perron continues to practice with the team still wearing the red no contact jersey. David has been rumored to be headed toward a late November or early December return. No official word has been given as to when he will begin to participate in full contact drills. Forward Andy McDonald remains sidelined with a concussion with no updates available as to his condition at this time. BJ Crombeen remains out of the line up on IR with a fractured shoulder blade. BJ hopes to be back by late December, but no time line has been officially given. Defensmen Kent Huskins did not skate with the team yesterday at the morning skate and was a scratch for last nights game. It is not known whether he traveled with the team to Minnesota, but at this point it is unlikely that he did so. Huskins remains day to day with a deep bone bruise of the ankle.

Blues fans, Take a moment and check out this post by Kelly Quirin of the Blue Note Zone. An auction of a signed Kevin Shattenkirk hat ( along with other blues players) is available to be bid on. All of the proceeds go to the Demitra Korolev #38 fund. Please check it out and leave a bid in the comments section!      

Beej will tell you that Maxim Lapierre is kind of a jerk. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

So . . . now what? Goaltending was not the issue in the St. Louis Blues’ 4-2 loss in Edmonton to the Oilers, this despite the presence of a struggling Jaroslav Halak. It was clearly the team in front of him that was playing at a lackluster level. Moreover, it seemed most of the team was a bit lethargic, which can happen at the end of a long road trip but should not be used as an excuse. Perhaps as a result, despite several chances to possibly start a scrape with the Oilers, the Blues did none of the sort. This keeps the Blues at a massive tie for 20th in the National Hockey League with three fighting majors on the season. And yes, once again, the Blues’ fight record STILL stands at 1-0-2. It’s early, but thus far my prediction of the Blues fighting much less than last year seems to be coming true.

You may recall that the Blues recently played tonight’s opponent, the Vancouver Canucks, at their place (this happened, in fact, on October 26th). Now, after playing Tuesday in Calgary (a 5-1 win) and last night in Minnesota, the Canucks return the favor by playing as the visitor in St. Louis. After a struggle to start the campaign, it seems the Canucks are back to being the kind of team that made the Stanley Cup Finals one season ago, hanging some brutal losses on some recent opponents.  Not only are they doing that, but they seem to show a willingness to drop the gloves this season, a problem they never seemed to solve down the stretch at the end of 2010-2011, nor did they want to solve it. As noted in the October 26th report, the Canucks finished 23rd in the NHL last season with 29 fighting majors and a mediocre-at-best 5-12-12 fight record, but this year they are tied for sixth with several teams on the young season with nine fighting majors. Their current fight record stands at a whatever 2-4-3

Canucks that have fought this year include former Ranger Dale Weise (6’2”, 210lbs, 0-2-1) and Aaron Volpatti (6’0”, 215lbs, 0-1-2) with three fights, super-pest Maxim Lapierre (6’2”, 207lbs, 1-1-0) with two fights and 2011 Playoff darling Kevin Bieksa (6’1”, 198lbs, Win) with one. Of those currently on the Canucks roster, the pickings are relatively slim, mostly due to Glass’s departure. Bieksa (2-1-0), Weise (1-2-0), former goalie-killer Keith Ballard (5’11”, 208lbs, 0-1-2, and I will never tire of posting that video to show how woefully stupid Ballard is) and Lapierre (0-3-0) each fought three times last season. Volpatti (0-1-1) fought twice in limited NHL action. Andrew Alberts (6’5”, 218lbs, Loss) and Aaron Rome (6’1”, 218lbs, Loss, on IR with a broken hand) each fought once.

If Ryan Reaves plays, look for him and Volpatti to go after each other. In a secondary card, I would not mind seeing a scrap between Lapierre and Barret Jackman to get the team’s blood flowing. What about David Backes? He is about due for a fight as he has not fought once since he was named Captain, and that should change soon.

Home games? What ARE these things? Do I have to attend these? Well, I guess I should (and will) anyway.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights