I’ll be starting in the eastern conference with the 1st seed vs the 8th seed My winner will be bolded, the loser in italics.

New York Rangers (1) – Ottawa Senators (8)

The first place New York Rangers are taking on the Ottawa Senators, and as much as my heart wants to say Ottawa upsetting the Rangers, I just don’t see it happening. Offensively, defensively, and in net, the Rangers just outmatch the Senators in every way. I have the Rangers winning this in six games.

Boston Bruins (2) vs Washington Capitals (7)

If you asked me this with a healthy Vokoun/Neuvirth, I’d actually pick the Capitals to upset here, but I don’t think the 22 year old goaltender Brayden Holtby  can back this team to the second round. If Dany Sabourin gets in net, then watch out. It wont be pretty. Bruins in five games for me.

Florida Panthers (3) vs New Jersey Devils (6)

Jose Theodore has to be a factor if the Panthers want to get out of the first round.

The Florida Panthers are a very tricky team to sort out. Depth is not a problem for them, whatsoever, yet their goaltending is up in the air, and their all around team is just really hard to pick apart. They face the New Jersey Devils, who offensively, take the cake, no question. But the Panthers defense has the edge over the Devils.

If we were talking five years ago, I’d be taking Brodeur over almost any goaltender in the league, but he’s past his prime, and has been less than stellar in the post season. Jose Theodore also has a history of being dominant in round one (while collapsing in round two), but all the same. I think Broduer might not have it and Hedberg isn’t going to be able to carry the team if Marty fails them. I have the Panthers in six games.

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs Philadelphia Flyers (5)

My  favorite match up of the first round has to be between the Pens and the Flyers. In state rivals who just don’t like each other. Both high offensive clubs with solid defenses and very solid goaltending.

I have this series going seven game. It’ll be an all out war, my question is, who wants it more? Will the Crosby led Penguins trump a Kimmo Timonen lead defense? Can Giroux out battle Letang? Can Bryzgalov step up his game and match up against Marc-Andre Fleury? Truth be told, I have no idea, but I’m saying Penguins in seven games. Just a gut feeling.

Now we are off to the western  conference where the match ups are a little interesting in my opinion. That might be because four central division clubs have made the post season and the match up makes for very hard fought games.

Vancouver Canucks (1) vs Los Angeles Kings (8)

Can Quick lift the Kings over the Canucks? I think he can.

My only upset in the first round, comes from the eighth seeded L.A. Kings, taking on the President Trophy winning Vancouver Canucks.

Why? I love the match up. The deep yet over the top offensively built Kings take on a steady defensive club with a very good offensive game, missing, arguably, their top player.

In my opinion, without Daniel Sedin, the high flying Canucks aren’t so high flying and come down to be a beatable team. Their goaltending has shown it’s beatable in the post season, their defensive is solid but a constant forechecking team can rattle their cages. Missing Sedin drains a lot of offense from their club.

The Kings have many weapons offensively, and were the second best defensive club in the NHL this year. Jonathan Quick could very well end up as a Hart finalist this year as well. I think that will be to much for the Canucks to handle. I have the Kings upsetting here, winning this in six games.

St. Louis Blues (2) vs San Jose Sharks (7)

Much like the Kings, the Blues have depth offensively, were the top defensive team in the NHL and have two Jennings winning goaltenders with Halak and Elliott.

The Sharks, while having more star power, just wont have enough grit and drive to take on this Blues club. The Blues over power the Sharks in five games.

Phoenix Coyotes (3) vs Chicago Blackhawks (6)

They say defense wins championships, and in my first to west previews, this holds true, and it doesn’t change here. Any Dave Tippet lead club will be sound defensively and have superb goaltending, which Mike Smith has been all year, superb. Add in their offensive depth with Ray ‘The Wizard’ Whitney, and Radim Vrbata’s 35 goal season, they will have what it takes to take down a Hawk team missing their leader, Jonathan Toews. I have the Coyotes taking a bite out of the Hawks in six games.

Nashville Predators (4) vs Detroit Red Wings (5)

I think I’ve mentioned defense already here, and again, the defensive Predators take down a older Wings team.

Defensively, I have the Coyotes over the Wings. In net, the same holds true with Pekka Rinne vs Jimmy Howard. Offensively, I’d give that edge to the Red Wings, but I just don’t seeing it being enough. Alex Radulov will be a key player to watch in this series, if he hustles, back checks hard, and can produce offensively, I think he’ll be a key component in the Predators winning. I have Nashville winning in seven games.

There are my predictions everyone, let me hear yours!

I’m not a fan of this guy. Image via PNLT_BX/Flickr

Not good. In a possible playoff preview, the Phoenix Coyotes took the fight to the St. Louis Blues, winning a 4-1 decision. There were two fights in the game . . . one between Rostislav Klesla and Chris Stewart that appeared to be a draw, another between Raffi Torres and Matt D’Agostini that Torres appeared to win. I’ll report on these in a Fight Card piece next week, but this brings the Blues to 41 fights on the season, good for a tie for eighth in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Blackhawks. With the draw and loss, the Blues’ fight record moves to 16-7-18.

And now, the final regular season game for the Blues, facing the Dallas Stars. The Stars were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Thursday, so this is their last hurrah. We’ve covered them three times this season (October 13th, December 26th and January 16th). The Stars are currently tied for 22nd in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers and last night’s opponent in that category. Their fight record is an average 7-7-13.

The Stars are led in fights by former Blackhawk Jake Dowell (6’0”, 198lbs, 2-3-4 including a Draw with Scott Nichol) with nine fights. Following him is well-known pest and one of my least-favorite players ever, Steve Ott (6’0”, 190lbs, 1-0-5, including a “victory” over Barret Jackman), who has fought six times this season. Then, there’s Captain Brenden Morrow (6’0”, 205lbs, 1-1-1) and Krys Barch (6’1”, 237lbs, 1-1-1 as a Star and 4-4-4 overall, traded to the Panthers in December) with three fights each as a Star. Son of former Islanders royalty, Eric Nystrom (6’1”, 193lbs, 0-2-0) has fought twice. Among solo fighters for the Stars are future superstar Jamie Benn (6’2”, 205lbs, Win), youngster Ryan Garbutt (6’0”, 190lbs, Win), veteran defenseman Sheldon Souray (6’4”, 237lbs, Draw with Stewart) and hulking defenseman Mark Fistric (6’2”, 233lbs, Draw).

With this being the final game of the season for the Stars, expect there to be some fisticuffs. In what manner, though? I’m not sure, but a rematch between Dowell and Nichol seems possible, if Nichol plays.

Finish strong.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Jared Boll usually isn’t left licking wounds after fights. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

Well, the division title is still in range for the St. Louis Blues, as they gained a point in a game they probably didn’t deserve to get one in after losing to the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in a free-throw shooting contest. But while there were a few mild skirmishes, there were no fights to speak of in this game. So the Blues stay at 38 fights on the National Hockey League season, good for a tie with the New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks and the Hawks on that ladder, and the team’s fight record sticks at a very good 16-5-17.

I could spend an hour talking about how horrible tonight’s opponent, the Columbus Blue Jackets, has been this season. But, it would do no good, really. This is the last meeting of the season between the Blues and Jackets, so we’ve covered them on five occasions on this report (November 27th, December 18th, February 14th, March 10th and March 11th), and there have been seven total fights between the two teams in those five games, with videos to each below. The Jackets are currently tied for fourth in the NHL with the Ottawa Senators with 52 fighting majors collected on the season, sporting a fight record that’s relatively average at 18-20-14.

The Jackets are led in fights by Jared Boll (6’2”, 219lbs, 5-6-5 including a Draw with Ryan Reaves and a Draw with Chris Stewart) and Derek Dorsett (6’0”, 192lbs, 5-8-3 including a Loss to BJ Crombeen), who each have fought 16 times this season and Cody Bass (6’0”, 205lbs, 2-3-1 including a Win over Reaves, currently with Springfield in the AHL) with six. Dane Byers (6’3”, 204lbs, 0-1-2 including a Draw with Roman Polak and a Loss to Crombeen) has fought three times this season, while Derek MacKenzie (5’11”, 180lbs, 1-0-1, out indefinitely with a concussion) and Derick Brassard (6’1”, 202lbs, 1-1-0) have each fought twice. Seven former and current Jackets have fought once each this season, and they are current Blue Kris Russell (5’10”, 172lbs, Win), James Wisniewski (6’0”, 208lbs, Win, Day-To-Day with a concussion), Fedor Tyutin (6’2”, 216lbs, Win, out with a broken hand), Jack Johnson (6’1”, 231lbs, Win, acquired in trade from the Kings), Colton Gillies (6’4”, 208lbs, Draw, claimed off waivers from the Wild), Darryl Boyce (6’0”, 200lbs, a Draw with Chris Porter, claimed off waivers from the Maple Leafs) and RJ Umberger (6’2”, 220lbs, Loss).

Even with the Blues now boasting a full roster and even with the fact that the “goons” will probably sit out, I still anticipate a fight or two in this contest. Look for Scott Nichol to get involved somehow. The best possible matchup size-wise might be Dorsett, but that may be a bad fight for Nichol to take.

Win the game. Win the division. Clinch at least a 2-seed in the West. Do it.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Game Info:

Location: Chicago

Opposing Netminder: Corey Crawford (per Daily Faceoff)

Blues Probable Line Combos: (per Jeremy Rutherford)
Forward Lines:
Perron – Backes – Oshie
Schwartz – Berglund – Stewart
Steen – Arnott - Langenbrunner
Sobotka- Nichol – Reaves

Defensive Pairings:
Colaiacovo – Pietrangelo
Jackman - Shattenkirk
Russell  - Huskins

Starting Goalie:
Jaroslav Halak

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Daniel Carcillo fighting Andrew Shaw in training camp. I bet Shaw beat Carcillo’s ass. Image via HockeyBroad/Flickr

That may have been the biggest win of the season on Tuesday night. The St. Louis Blues have had all sorts of problems defeating the Nashville Predators this season, and finally they were able to vanquish them in regulation, 3-0, in a game that did more to determine postseason seeding for both teams than anything else. Despite Patric Hornqvist attempting his best Esa Tikkanen impersonation down the wire in that game, there were no fisticuffs. So the Blues stay at 38 fights on the National Hockey League season, good for a tie with the New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks and tonight’s opponent for eighth position on that ladder, and the team’s fight record sticks at 16-5-17. That’s really good, if I haven’t noted that enough lately.

Now, a third meeting this month (and second in the Windy City) between the Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks is nigh, not to mention the final meeting between these two squads in the regular season. After sputtering for part of the home stretch, it seems the Hawks have things back together again, but they’ve played a Jekyll & Hyde show against the Blues this year . . . sometimes looking great, sometimes looking horrible, while the Blues have been pretty much steady throughout these five matchups, which were covered thusly (November 8th, December 3rd, February 19th, March 6th and March 13th). The Blackhawks have fought 38 times on the season, which as noted earlier is good for a tie for eighth with the Blues and Devils. Thanks to the help of three guys in particular, the Hawks sport a very solid 15-10-13 fight record.

The Blackhawks are led in fights by one of my favorite former Blues players of all time, Jamal Mayers (6’1”, 222lbs, 4-1-6 including a Draw with BJ Crombeen), who has fought 11 times this season. Following him is recent call-up and St. Louis area native Brandon Bollig (6’2”, 223lbs, 5-1-1 including a Win over Ryan Reaves and a Draw with Reaves) with seven fights in a short span with the Blackhawks. Next, a guy I despised even before the Blackhawks signed him, Daniel Carcillo (6’0”, 203lbs, 1-3-1 including a Loss to Ryan Reaves, Out for the season after having knee surgery which happened because of an illegal hit that he got suspended for), who fought five times this year before doing the “most Carcillo thing ever” and, somehow, earning a two-year contract extension in the process. Recently-traded John Scott (6’8”, 270lbs, 4-0-0 with the Hawks including a Win over Reaves and 4-0-1 overall, traded to the Rangers at the deadline) fought four times with the Hawks before being dealt. Andrew Shaw (5’10”, 180lbs, 1-2-0) and Steve Montador (6’0”, 210lbs, 0-2-1, recently removed from IR) have each fought three times. Bryan Bickell (6’4”, 233lbs, 0-0-2) has fought twice. Solo fighters include Dave Bolland (6’0”, 184lbs, Draw), Sean O’Donnell (6’2”, 238lbs, Draw) and Jimmy Hayes (6’6”, 221lbs, Loss). Also, be on the lookout for Johnny Oduya (6’0”, 190lbs, Draw as a Jet, acquired from Winnipeg at the deadline).

There were two fights in the last game between these two teams and some feistiness in Tuesday’s Nashville tilt. The presence of Bollig leaves open the possibility that Reaves would play tonight, but doesn’t guarantee it. If there’s a fight, I think it happens between secondary fighters such as Scott Nichol against Shaw. We’ll see how it shakes down, though.

See that top seed? Grab it. A win tonight gives the Blues the Central Division, which is a step toward it.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Jordin Tootoo pictured in front of a Lemonheads sign is about the most Jordin Tootoo thing ever. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

The St. Louis Blues didn’t need that 4-0 win over the Phoenix Coyotes as much as the Yotes needed the win, but they sure played like it. It may have had something to do with the end of a long road trip. It was brilliant to watch. While there were a couple near-skirmishes, there were no fighting majors handed out in this contest, though. So the Blues stay at 38 fights on the National Hockey League season, good for a tie with the Chicago Blackhawks and New Jersey Devils for eighth position on that ladder, and the team’s fight record sticks at 16-5-17.

Wait, the Blues are allowed to play home games? WOW! Anyway, now comes an important home date with the Nashville Predators, a team the Blues have struggled to defeat all season. How badly? Well, the Preds are 4-0-1 against the Blues and, summarily, the Blues are 1-2-2 against this team. But this is a different Predators team than the Blues have played all season, one that’s retooled for a postseason run but is measurably slower in many areas than this current Blues squad, which is something the Blues should take advantage of. We have covered the Preds on five occasions already this season (October 8th, December 17th, December 30th, February 4th and February 23rd). Yes, this does mean that this is the last matchup between the two squads in the regular season, which – considering these two squads could be on a collision course for a Western Conference Semifinals or Western Conference Finals matchup, makes this game VERY important. What doesn’t help matters as far as this report is concerned is the fact that the Preds don’t fight much . . . they are 28th in the NHL with 19 fights on the season, sporting a pretty good record at 8-5-5.

Preds players who have fought this year begin with journeyman enforcer Brian McGrattan (6’4”, 235lbs, 5-1-0 including a Win over Ryan Reaves, Day-To-Day with the dreaded “Upper Body Injury”) with six fighting majors on the season, Jordin Tootoo (5’9”, 199lbs, 2-1-2), with five and Brandon Yip (6’1”, 195lbs, 1-0-1, claimed off waivers from Colorado) with two. Solo fighters as Preds include Blake Geoffrion (6’1”, 190lbs, Draw, traded to the Canadiens as part of the Gill deal), Matt Halischuk (6’0”, 185lbs, Draw), Mike Fisher (6’1”, 208lbs, Draw), Colin Wilson (6’1”, 210lbs, Loss, Day-To-Day with a groin injury), Francis Bouillon (5’8”, 198lbs, Loss) and Zack Stortini (6’4”, 215lbs, Loss to Reaves, currently with Milwaukee of the AHL). Other players to look out for are Paul Gaustad (6’5”, 212lbs, 2-2-0 as a Sabre, traded by Buffalo at the deadline) and Hal Gill (6’7”, 241lbs, Loss as a Canadien, traded by Montreal before the deadline).

Being that McGrattan hasn’t been playing lately, the likelihood of a fight doesn’t seem very high. But something could happen, such as Tootoo going after someone like Barret Jackman. That may be unexpected as well, but anything is possible, I suppose. But don’t count on a fight tonight.

Win hockey games.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

It’s Kyle Clifford . . . in PURPLE AND GOLD! Image via underactive/Flickr

Last night’s game was beyond frustrating but was bound to happen eventually. The St. Louis Blues lost 4-3 to the Anaheim Ducks in a game where it appeared the Ducks really wanted to have more than the Blues, which has not happened too often this year. Fights? There were none, so the Blues stick and stay at 37 fighting majors on the season, still tied for ninth in the National Hockey League in that category with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blues’ fight record stays at 15-5-17. Not too shabby.

The Blues now head across town (basically) for a date at the Staples Center with the Los Angeles Kings, a team that is battling for one of the last Western Conference playoff spots. Being as such, this could be a possible playoff preview, though this Kings team scares me coming down the stretch. They retooled near the deadline both by calling up youngsters and making some key trades, including one defense-for-forward swap that changed the face of both franchises in one dramatic swing. We’ve covered the Kings a few times already (October 18th, November 22nd and February 3rd). Ever since making the aforementioned moves, though, the Kings have been less pugilistic and more finesse, though they have plenty of big bodies in their stead. The Kings are in 20th place in the NHL with 27 fighting majors collected on the season, sporting a relatively-bad overall fight record of 5-11-11.

The Kings are led in fights by Kyle Clifford (6’2”, 208lbs, 1-3-4) with eight fights on the season. Following him is former Blackhawk Colin Fraser (6’1”, 191lbs, 1-5-1 including a draw with Scott Nichol that shouldn’t have even counted as a fight) with seven fights. Veteran brawler Kevin Westgarth (6’4”, 234lbs, 1-0-2, has been a lineup scratch every game since February 16th) and former Flyers Captain Mike Richards (5’11”, 199lbs, 1-0-2) have each fought three times, and Willie Mitchell (6’3”, 208lbs, 0-1-1) has fought twice. The Kings have four solo fighters, namely Jordan Nolan (6’3”, 227lbs, Win), pancake-eating extraordinaire Dustin Penner (6’4”, 242lbs, Draw), team Captain Dustin Brown (6’0”, 204lbs, Loss) and Matt Greene (6’3”, 232lbs, Loss).

If Nolan and Ryan Reaves were to go at it, that would be awesome, actually. In that matchup, you would have the son of a former football player squaring off against the son of a former hockey player and coach, and it would be brilliant. But I seriously doubt there will be any fighting tonight, especially with the Blues coming off a loss last night.

Get back to winning, and get back to being road warriors.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

A blast from the past . . . George Parros, then with the Kings, fighting Matt Walker, then with the Blues, in 2005. Image via MPR529/Flickr

That’s more like it. To earn a playoff spot, the St. Louis Blues needed to beat the teams that they were clearly better than on paper, and the Tampa Bay Lightning would be one of those teams. And with the 3-1 victory Saturday over that squad, the Blues DID earn that long-elusive playoff spot and put themselves closer in their run for the top playoff seed. As anticipated, there were no fights in the contest, so the Blues stick and stay at 37 fighting majors on the season, which is now tied for ninth in the National Hockey League in that category with the Chicago Blackhawks. After recalibrating the win-loss-draw total (AGAIN), the fight record now stands at a very stout 15-5-17.

Across the country the Blues go, stopping first in southern California for two games, starting with the Anaheim Ducks tonight. While the Ducks are still mathematically alive in the playoff hunt, recent play has dictated that they will not reach the postseason despite a valiant push in February to get near the Top Eight in the conference. They are not to be taken lightly, as they possess a great deal of firepower. We’ve covered the Ducks a few times already (October 16th, December 8th and March 8th). As those who pay attention to this segment are aware, the Ducks are one of the more willing fight participants in the NHL, as evidenced by their current sixth place standing amongst fight participants with 40. Their fight record is very comparable to that of the Blues’ record, actually, at 15-9-16.

There’s a logjam at the top of the Ducks fighters list, but the chief among the conglomerate – perhaps to no one’s surprise – is big George Parros (6’5”, 228lbs, 7-1-2, find the big man on Twitter here) with 10 fights on the season. Following him are Matt Beleskey (6’0”, 204lbs, 3-2-3) with eight fights and Sheldon Brookbank (6’1”, 202lbs, 2-2-3) with seven fights. Luca Sbisa (6’2”, 207lbs, 1-0-2) has fought three times while Francois Beauchemin (6’0”, 207lbs, 1-1-0), team Captain Ryan Getzlaf (6’4”, 221lbs, 0-0-2) and Corey Perry (6’3”, 212lbs, 0-1-1) have each fought twice. Six Ducks have fought once each with the Ducks, and they are Jean-Francois Jacques (6’3”, 231lbs, Win, currently with Syracuse of the AHL), Bobby Ryan (6’2”, 209lbs, Draw), Mark Bell (6’4”, 220lbs, Draw, currently with Syracuse of the AHL), Rod Pelley (5’11”, 200lbs, Draw as a Duck and 1-0-1 overall, acquired in trade from the Devils in December), Andrew Cogliano (5’10”, 188lbs, Loss) and Lubomir Visnovsky (5’10”, 197lbs, Loss).

Despite the truculent ways of these two squads, in three games there have been no fights between them. I expect that to change tonight. I’d love to see Parros go at it with BJ Crombeen. Otherwise, look for the unexpected.

Just because a playoff spot is guaranteed doesn’t mean the Blues need to let off the gas. Win more.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

This is Tim Gleason getting “Baptized” by Jared Boll’s fists in 2007. Image via msmail/Flickr

Normally, when you play like crap against a desperate team in their building, you lose your ass. In this case, somehow the St. Louis Blues were able to garner a point in a 4-3 shootout loss to a Chicago Blackhawks squad that is desperately trying to stay ahead of the Western Conference playoff bottom-feeders. Things looked great in the first period for the Blues, and we even had a couple fracases – one involving BJ Crombeen and former Blue Jamal Mayers, another involving Ryan Reaves and Brandon Bollig after a hard hit by Reaves on Mayers. Both ended in draws, and they were recapped in this Fight Card piece. The Blues have fought 37 times now on the National Hockey League season, good for seventh overall in the category. Adding the two draws, the Blues’ fight record now stands at a solid 15-6-16.

And now, for the two-game Southeast portion of this road trip, starting with a date in Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes. It’s been a season of mostly lows for this Canes squad, battling injuries, a coaching change, leadership issues and – occasionally – talent not living up to expectation. Despite all that, they’re still dangerous. We covered the Hurricanes once earlier this season (October 21st). The two teams didn’t fight in that contest and it should be noted that despite how bad the Canes have been this season, they do not like to drop the gloves more often than they have to. They have only fought 16 times on the NHL season, good for 29th (Yes, that’s “next-to-last”) in the league in that category, only ahead of the Detroit Red Wings. Not only that, they’re not great at the practice when they do drop the gloves, recording a 3-5-8 record in those 16 fights.

The Canes are led in fights by four defensemen, starting with Tim Gleason (6’0”, 217lbs, 0-2-3) with five fights, Derek Joslin (6’1”, 210lbs, 0-0-3) with three fights and Bryan Allen (6’5”, 226lbs, 1-1-0) and Jay Harrison (6’4”, 211lbs, 0-1-1) with two fights each. The rest are solo fighters: Anthony Stewart (6’3”, 230lbs, Win, Chris Stewart’s older brother), Tim Brent (6’0”, 188lbs, Win), Justin Faulk (6’0”, 205lbs, Draw) and Brett Sutter (6’0”, 200lbs, Loss, currently with Charlotte of the AHL, Brian Sutter’s nephew).

I honestly do not expect a fight to happen in this game. Carolina isn’t known to fight much, and I doubt Reaves plays in this contest. It’s entirely possible Crombeen doesn’t play either, what with the arrival of Jaden Schwartz leaving the team to find the right times to play him.

Time to transform back into “Road Warrior” mode.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

First, there was this between BJ Crombeen and former Blue Jamal Mayers at the end of a shift for both:

You can tell just by watching the fight that: 1) Neither player should’ve fought, because they were both gassed from ending a shift, but 2) They were willing to participate, at least. In all, it should’ve never happened, and the fight showed that. I thought both should’ve been given double minors for Delay Of Game. Instead, it’s a draw.

Then, after Ryan Reaves lit Mayers up like a Christmas tree on a hit that looked high in live action but turned out to be hard but clean, Brandon Bollig came in and had a meeting with Reaves for the second time in as many weeks:

Unlike the fight from last week, though, this one was pretty much a hug-out. Both guys were able to get good punches in, but neither really were effective in the fight. It was a draw.

The more interesting aspect of this whole incident happened after the fight, when Mayers was jawing with Chris Stewart for some odd reason. You’d think he would’ve been bitch-slapping his defenseman (in this case, Duncan Keith) for throwing a pass toward him that left him open to such a tattooing. And remember, despite the uniform he now wears, I RARELY question Mayers or his motives.

This sets up for a really interesting final game between these two squads in Chicago on March 29th.