Cody McLeod is not afraid of Matt Bradley’s spit-take face. Image via clydeorama/Flickr

Ten goals, two fights and a victory are three good ways to shake out from a hard-battled, emotional road loss 24 hours previous. The St. Louis Blues also got some home-cooked enthusiasm in that 6-4 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. As for the two fights, they were both draws, though for different reasons I figured an edge would be given either way in both fights. First, Roman Polak FINALLY got on the fight board, and while his fight with Dane Byers (By the way, what in the bloody hell is a Dane Byers?) was adjudged a draw, I thought Polak might have been given the edge in that one because of some post-fight punching by Byers (video here). In the second bout, Ryan Reaves expectedly went at it with Jared Boll, and while Reaves started out decently, I felt Boll might have had the edge because he landed a big shot at the end of the fight (video here). Alas, both fights were called draws, and I can live with that in both instances. Also of note – Polak’s fight with Byers marked the first time a Blues player had picked up a major fighting penalty in nearly three weeks (November 29th, to be exact, was the previous time). The Blues now move into a tie for 16th in the National Hockey League with the Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets, each team earning 13 fighting majors on the season thus far. Adding the two draws, the Blues now hold a fight record of 5-1-7.

And the boys go back to Denver. It’s a two-game Mountain Time Zone swing that the Blues go on, first visiting “The Land of Tebow” (Yes, I am a long-time Denver Broncos football fan, sorry) and squaring off with the Colorado Avalanche. We covered this team a few weeks back (December 2nd, to be exact), and all things considered, when you take away the record and the goaltending, this is pretty much the Blues – a few studs offensively, a couple blue-line standouts and a few brawlers. But that goaltending . . . well, we’ll just leave that alone, as it’s not my area of expertise. The Avalanche have fought 14 times now this season, all alone in 15th in the NHL in that category. The Avs are a mediocre 3-6-5 in those fights.

This is about the point in the season where I forget about telling you how these teams fared in fights last year, as every team is now at least 30 games deep into the season. So let’s recap how individual Avs have fared in fights during the 2011-2012 season, shall we?

The team is led, not surprisingly, by fighter extraordinaire Cody McLeod (6’2”, 210lbs, 2-3-1) with six fights on the season. Following him are a trio of players with two fighting majors each – Shane O’Brien (6’3”, 230lbs, 1-0-1), Ryan Wilson (6’1”, 207lbs, 0-0-2, on IR with a head injury) and David Jones (6’2”, 210lbs, Day-To-Day with a groin injury). Two Avs players have fought once each, they are Ryan O’Byrne (6’5”, 234lbs, Loss) and Daniel Winnik (6’2”, 210lbs, Loss).

While McLeod may be a touch undersized for Reaves, the Manitoba native would likely not back down from a challenge by Reaves. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if McLeod challenged Reaves to a fight. But who knows what will happen, really? I’m just saying that McLeod and Reaves is the best bet.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

“PLEASE, MISTER REFEREE, TELL ME ARRON ASHAM IS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN!”, says Jay Beagle. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

Ugly wins count as marks in the win column, indeed, and it’s doubtful that many wins this season will be much uglier than the St. Louis Blues’ 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday evening. Speaking of ugly . . . I’m not sure exactly what the hell you would call this skirmish between Ryan Reaves and Cody Bass other than, well, kinda ugly, actually. Despite the fact that Bass pretty much slipped to finish the fight, but because of the fact that he landed some REALLY solid rights in the short time this fight actually was on, I (along with the voters) have to give the decision to Bass on this one (and yes, that means the Blues are no longer “undefeated” this season in fights). And lookie there! The Blues are now tied for 10th in the National Hockey League with three other teams (the Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks) with 10 fights on the season! I thought they’d NEVER make it to double-digits for a while there. Anyway, the Blues are now 5-1-4 in those 10 fights.

And now, the Blues head eastward for Washington. The Washington Capitals raised some eyebrows yesterday morning by announcing the dismissal of coach Bruce Boudreau and replacing him with long-time Captain and long-time Caps fan favorite Dale Hunter behind the bench. It will be interesting to see how the team reacts to the change, but in my estimation, the change can only be favorable to the Caps in the long-run, provided there is no looming comeback for Pierre Turgeon and Hunter does not skate out there to board him after a playoff goal (somewhat tragically, this – and the 21-game suspension that rightfully ensued – is what most people will always remember about Hunter’s playing career, when he was quite the impressive player for a long, long time in the NHL). All joking aside, the Caps are one of the lower-tier fighting teams in the NHL a year after they were one of the mid-range fighting teams in the league – currently tied for 27th with another team that just changed coaches yesterday, the Carolina Hurricanes, with five fighting majors on the season. Their current fight record is pretty decent, though, at 3-1-1. Last year, the Caps were dead-center, 15th in the NHL, with 45 fighting majors and a rather unremarkable 9-18-18 fight record.

Of Caps players that have fought this season, Matt Hendricks (6’0”, 211lbs, 2-0-1) leads the way with three fights, while John Erskine (6’4”, 220lbs, Win, out indefinitely with a shoulder injury) and Jay Beagle (6’3”, 215lbs, a rather infamous Loss to Arron Asham, on IR with a head injury) each have fought once. Among players currently on the Caps roster, the fighters are led by Hendricks (1-4-9) with 14 bouts. Erskine (2-0-4) followed him with six fights. Former Blackhawk Troy Brouwer (6’3”, 213lbs, 0-2-1) checks in with three fights and Mike Green (6’1”, 207lbs, 1-0-1, out indefinitely with a groin injury) each fought twice. Solo fighters included another former Blue in Dennis Wideman (6’0”, 200lbs, Loss), former Canadien Jeff Halpern (6’0”, 200lbs, Loss), überstar Captain Alexander Ovechkin (6’3”, 230lbs, Loss) and another former Canadein in Roman Hamrlik (6’2”, 206lbs, Loss). Former Blue DJ King would be on this list if he weren’t sent down to Hershey early in the season.

I’m having a hard time believing there will be a fight in this game, but the likes of Reaves and Scott Nichol have proven me wrong previously by working a fight with someone completely unexpected. Nichol would be best suited fighting someone like Hendricks, though that’s still a tough size matchup for Nichol to navigate. I just doubt there will be a fight in this contest.

“That train keeps a rollin’”, but not “on down to San Antone” as the Johnny Cash song goes. But hopefully another victory is on board.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Derek Dorsett seems unaware that Kyle Clifford could kill him. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

I love hard-fought victories. The St. Louis Blues were able to eke out a win over the Calgary Flames by a 2-0 score, and a fight with an unexpected result took place. Ryan Reaves, starting to assert himself as one of the league’s big bruisers, took on one of the toughest SOB’s in hockey today in Tim Jackman and absolutely eviscerated him for an easy victory (see the video here). The Blues are now sliding up the National Hockey League fight standings, now holding in an eight-team tie for 13th in the league with nine fighting majors on the season. The team’s fight record now slides up to 5-0-4. Nice work, gentlemen.

And now, the squad’s first encounter with the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets, in “The House That The Ohio State University Built”, Nationwide Arena (let’s not kid ourselves, folks). The Jackets made a slew of moves this offseason that seemingly foretold a run at the playoffs to be coming in ’11-’12. What they forgot to do is get a goaltender that did not suck like a vacuum cleaner, and the team staggered out of the gate in epic fashion. With the return of the squad’s biggest offseason acquisition, Jeff Carter, from an early-season injury, the Jackets seem to have stabilized themselves. But can they contend in a very rugged Central Division and Western Conference after having such a horrible start? The rest of the season will tell us the answer. For now, though, the Jackets are all alone in second place in the NHL behind the New York Rangers with 18 (18!) fighting majors on the season. Their fight record stands at a rather unimpressive 5-8-5, however. In 2010-2011, the Jackets were eighth in the NHL with 54 fights, holding a record of 14-21-19.

Of Jackets players that have fought this season, Derek Dorsett (6’0”, 192lbs, 1-4-3) is second in the league amongst individuals with eight fights on the season. Former Senators farmhand Cody Bass (6’0”, 205lbs, 1-3-1) and the ever-violent Jared Boll (6’2”, 219lbs, 1-1-1) follow him with five and three fights respectively, and two players with one fight each include familiar face Kris Russell (5’10”, 172lbs, Win, now with the Blues) and another big Jackets acquisition over the summer, former Canadien James Wisniewski (6’0”, 208lbs, Win). Among players currently on the Jackets roster, the fighters from last year go like this: Boll (6-8-9) was third among individual fighters last year with 23 majors. Dorsett (5-9-3) was tied for sixth among individuals with 17 fighting majors. After that, it gets hairy: Marc Methot (6’3”, 227lbs, 0-1-1) and Derek MacKenzie (5’11”, 180lbs, 0-1-1) each fought twice and former Penguin Mark Letestu (5’11”, 195lbs, Draw), the aforementioned former Flyer Carter (6’4”, 199lbs, Draw), Derick Brassard (6’1”, 202lbs, Draw) and former Islander Radek Martinek (6’2”, 210lbs, Loss, on IR with a concussion) each have fought once.

There’s a lot of possibilities between these two teams, that have already had a testy past not only because of division familiarity but some feuding about silly things such as “kicking a soccer ball around in the cavernous bowels of the arena” (REALLY, GUYS . . . GET A GRIP). Reaves and Boll match up very well size-wise, though Boll gives a lot of weight up to Reaves and is coming off a broken thumb. Otherwise, I’d think Dorsett would make a decent fight matchup with Scott Nichol or Matt D’Agostini, but you’re likely not going to see either of those guys go at it with Dorsett, and it’s not like Dorsett is a spectacular fighter to begin with. Or maybe Russell has a former teammate he’d like to go at it with? We shall see.

Ken Hitchcock returns to Columbus. Will the results be positive for the Blue Note? I hope so.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Out East, as they have been all year, the Penguins continue to turn heads around the NHL as Dan Bylsma has his team atop the Eastern Conference and in a tie for the best record in the NHL. Mind you, their winning ways have come without captain Sidney Crosby, who has yet to return to the ice. In his weekly power rankings, Pierre LeBrun has the Pens sitting at #2, as they have complied a 7-2-1 record in their past 10 games. With star center Evgeni Malkin on a torrid scoring pace, the Pens have continued to dominate play in their conference. Fifteen out of a possible 20 points is not a bad way to separate yourself both in your division and conference, and Pittsburgh continues to ride high while another team in the East has been falling hard. After a start that surprised many fans in the Empire State, the New York Islanders have been absolutely miserable as of late. Not only have they been playing three goalies, but they have only managed to conjure up one win in their past 10 games. If they have any hope of making this season competitive, they have to get their goalie situation figured out. Goalie carousels never seem to amount to much success, especially when one guy can’t separate himself from the other two. The Islanders haven’t had a solid squad in a long time, and fans in New York have waiting a long time for this franchise to rebound. One win in 10 games is pathetic, and any team in the NHL should be chomping at the bit to play the Islanders right now, with the mess that they’re currently in. 

In the West, the Chicago Blackhawks have come out of nowhere to take the Central Division and Conference lead, while also sitting atop the NHL with Pittsburgh with 25 points. They have been red hot as of late, winning their past three games after losing the previous three. It’s extremely difficult to survive in this league if you’re a streaky team, but luckily for Chicago, they haven’t endured a long losing streak to keep them out of contention. After losing a few, they gained back their momentum and offensive swagger with three quick wins that boosted them to the top of the Western Conference. In their last 10 games the Hawks have totaled 13 points, only losing three games in regulation. If they continue to score at their current pace, it’s possible that they will separate themselves even further in the Central, while teams like St. Louis and Detroit continue to trend upward. However, another Central division team is currently the laughingstock of the NHL. The Columbus Blue Jackets had a promising off season, acquiring Jeff Carter and James Wisnewski, but none of that matters when the team doesn’t produce. Sixteen games into their season, the Jackets have only managed to win three games and total 7 points. That’s obviously good for dead last in the league. Nothing is going right in Columbus – even their fans are turning on them already not even a quarter of the way into the season. How long will it be before Scott Arniel is axed and they attempt to right the ship in Columbus? They’re a dreadful team to watch, and even when they take a 2-0 lead early in a game, they still end up losing, as they managed to do last night against Minnesota. Losing streaks are obviously never fun, but for Jackets’ fans, their losing ways don’t seem to be subsiding anytime soon. It’s going to be a long, cold winter in Columbus.

Player of the Week

It was only a matter of time before this Blues fan picked one of his own as the player of the week, but I’d welcome criticism from NHL fans who don’t think that Blues goalie Brian Elliott deserves the nod this week. Elliott beat out St. Louis native and top goalie prospect Ben Bishop for the #2 job in St. Louis at the end of the preseason. There was definitely debate among Blues fans as to who Jaroslav Halak’s backup should be, but “Ells” has quieted all of those critics with his superb play in net thus far. With Halak struggling mightily early in the season, Elliott got a lot of starts under former coach Davis Payne. As he kept winning, Payne kept throwing him out there, leading to a “goalie controversy” in The Lou. When new coach Ken Hitchcock came on board, Blues fans wondered what he would do about the goalie situation – he dismissed any questions right away and adamantly proclaimed Jaro as the team’s #1. However, his motto is that if you pitch a shutout or stand on your head, you’re back between the pipes the next game, and that’s exactly what he’s done with Elliott. Elliott currently leads the NHL with a 1.43 GAA and is second by only one-thousandth of a point behind Josh Harding with a .947 save percentage. He has been spectacular for the Blues thus far, and now that Halak seems to have gotten his game back, this Blues goalie tandem can contend as one of the best in franchise history and in the NHL. It’s never a bad problem to have two goalies who are red hot, and as long as Elliott continues to stack the pads when he gets the call, he’ll remain atop the NHL in the goalie categories and deserves a look come All-Star time.

Happy trails to you, Nikitin, untill we meet again...

If Bob McKenzie of TSN is to believed, which he is, the Blues have made a trade late Thursday night.

Tis a sad night for Blues fans who love themselves some Russian flavor in the lineup. So long Nikita Nikitin. Be safe heading east.

Tis a good night for Blues fans who want to see a more dynamic play overall and starting with the blueline. Welcome Kris Russell. Watch out for that crazy giant cross on I-70 as yea head west. It’ll spook ya if you’re driving over tonight.

For those who don’t know much about the potentially newest blue, here’s the details.

Position: Defense
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 3rd Round (67th overall) in 2005 by Columbus.
Height/Weight: 5’10, 172 lbs
Current Season: 12 games played, 2 goals, 3 points, Minus-1
NHL Career Totals: 288 games played, 18 goals, 79 points, Minus-29

Scouting Report: Russell’s lack of size and strength is a concern, especially in his own end. However, he is a capable puck mover and an excellent skater. His skill set and abilities peg him as a third pairing defensemen who can help on the power play. A similar optimal role to that of current Blues defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo.

Money Matters: Currently in the second year of a three year, $3.9 million contact. The salary structure is not escalating, meaning Russell is due to make $1.3 million in 2011-12 and 2012-13. He will be a Restricted Free Agent in the 2013 off season.

The trade on the surface appears to be a part of a shakeup taking place in Columbus following their poor start. Beyond that Russell has become expendable. His prolific junior career and exceptional skating ability lead the Blue Jackets to consider Russell one of their top prospects. Over the last few seasons he has not developed to the player they hoped he would, at least as quickly as they needed. the emergence of David Savard at Traverse City and in the preseason as well as 2009 1st round pick John Moore put Russell as overpaid for is production level and role.

Niktin, in theory, provides Columbus needed size and defensive strength on the backend while not sacrificing all puck moving and offensive ability.

From the tin foil hat department… This move could easily assist in setting up an additional deal or two down the road as those like Kent Huskins and David Perron who are out of the lineup return.

When the deal is confirmed by the teams, the post will be updated. in the between time, what say you blue bleeders? Yay or Nay? Let it out in the comments.

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Update 9:20am CST: The Blues have confirmed the trade via a posting on official website.

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Backes Takes Over JR’s Chat

Blues fans all know and love the weekly chat St. Louis Post Dispatch beat writer Jeremy Rutherford does. From time to time he brings in special guests to ease his typing burden for a day. He’s had Petro and JR, well now its Captain Inglorious’ turn.

Hit the link and go send your questions to David Backes. Questions will be answered live on Thursday at 1:00 pm Central.

Would Ya Like to Take a Survey? You Should for the 14 Fund!

If you follow this site you know that we at BNZ are big, BIG, supporters of the Blues charity and community activity efforts. We’re donating to the Demitra-Korolev fund Saturday as well as participating in the Commodore 64 shenanigans and we’ll always do the Komen thing. I’m really glad to see this rub off a little on our fellow blue bleeding fans and bloggers.

St. Louis Gametime needs your support. Hit the link and take a survey. If enough folks do so in the name of STLGT, SB Nation will donate $500 to Gametime’s charity of choice. They picked a good one with the Bluse 14 Fund.

Hit the link now! Do it!

Shanahan’s New Video is a Must See

The Dean of Safety in the NHL has taken his fair share of flack for the record setting number of suspensions this preseason. Personally, I love what Brendan is doing with the heightened element of transparency. The videos plainly show fans everything they need to know about new rule enforcement. The latest video posted today is clip after clip of clean, legal, big hits. Which are the by far the norm more than the villainous cheap shots from known predators.

From the Department of Scottrade Security: Know Your Enemy Links

Columbus Blue Jackets: The Cannon ponders rookie Cam Atkinson’s chances at being a 2011-12 Calder candidate. Hey, if folks think Matt Read over in Philly has a shot, a fellow Hobey Baker finalist in CBus has a chance, too. [JacketsCannon.com]

Nashville Predators: Don’t know anyone on the Preds blueline besides Shea Weber and Ryan Suter? No, Ryan Ellis doesn’t count, he’s in Milwaukee. Get to know Teemu Laakso. Man, that’s just a cool name to say. [ontheforecheck.com]

Chicago Blackhawks: The Hawks are keeping their 2nd round pick in this summer’s draft. Apparently this may end up being more than the standard 9 game audition before whisking back to his junior club. The Pittsburgh native has agreed to an ELC and will start the season on a line with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp. In other news, if you have an open roster spot on your fantasy team, he wouldn’t be a bad gamble. [Joe Yerdon, ProHockeyTalk]

Detroit Red Wings: Blues fans may love to hate the Wings, but you cannot deny that they do two things very well. Develop players very well and take player’s careers to new heights with a change of scenery. It looks like Corey Emmerton and Fabian Brunnstrom are the latest two examples and appear to be cracking the Evil Empire’s lineup. [Ansar Khan, MLive.com]

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Most of you are familiar with just how rugged the Central Division is. The road definitely doesn’t get easier in 2011-2012.

The Blue Jackets made some offseason strides with big pickups like Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski. The Predators are coming off a postseason that featured their first-ever playoff series win.  The Blackhawks keep locking up members of their core to long-term deals while shedding dead money.  And the Red Wings are, for better or for worse, the Red Wings.

This leaves our beloved Blues, who did not make a huge splash in free agency but did tie up some loose ends, despite the team being for sale with no owner imminent.  The youth movement is getting closer to creating a playoff contender, and it may happen starting this season with the right combination of skill, luck and grit.

Look for Nashville to take the division in a bit of a changing of the guard.  It is not unthinkable to believe that four teams could make the playoffs from this division, though, and that should include our home team.

PREDICTED DIVISION FINISH:

1) Nashville Predators

2) Detroit Red Wings

3) St. Louis Blues

4) Chicago Blackhawks

5) Columbus Blue Jackets

Whenever you think of the central division your mind as a hockey fan turns your attention north and east in comparison to the rest of the division. Yes, I am referring to that city where Octopi and some red tire with wings on it reigns supreme.  The Detroit Redwings have been a dominate competitive team for over a decade now.  With the likes of Scotty Bowman at the helm who gave way to Mike Babcock the wings have been a playoff bound well oiled machine. Since 1995 the wings have nabbed 4 presidents trophies and 4 stanley cups. Anchored by their Captain Nik Lidstrom, Detroit looks to be a contender as it has been in years past. With the addition of Mike Commodore, Ian White and the resigning of Jonathan Ericsson to a 3 year deal the loss of Brian Rafalski does not appear to be a factor for them. Detroit plays a very skill heavy game with tons of crisp clean passing and plays that just make you shake your head in disbelief. With a continued solid stable ownership in Mike llitch and a crafty and very smart GM Ken Holland running the show Detroit will once again give teams fits this season. The one thing that strikes me about Detroit at the current position is their lack of forward depth. This season they signed veteran back up goalie Ty Conklin to a one year deal as well as resigning back up goalie Joey Macdonald.  Last season key Injuries to the likes of Jimmy Howard and Pavel Datsyuk threaten to derail their season. But, in true Detroit RedWing fashion the team pulled through and made a run into the playoffs landing the third seed in the western conference just one point shy of the San Jose Sharks. If the injury bug creeps back in and bites more then one or two of Detroit’s top 9 ( more so top 6) they may be in for a very long year.

Once you have shaken off the Redwings the next place down the line you probably would hear most fans around the NHL babbling about would have to be Chicago. The Hawks after winning the cup in 2010 had problems with cap space and the ability to resign some big names from that cup winning team most notably Dustin Byfuglien. This off-season the Black Hawks have been very busy. GM Stan Bowman has made it clear that he wants this team to not only have the finesse to be able to put the puck in the net but Bowman also wants to have two lines that are able to check and be physical taking the game to the other team and turning up the heat in terms of physicality. For just that role Bowman signed Andrew Brunette, Jamal Mayers, and Daniel Carcillo all to one year contracts. The team has gotten more gritty and Bowman is excited to be able to bring that style of play to his team. The Hawks were also looking to replace Defenseman Chris Campoli as it was clear that he wanted to test the free agent market and not agree to terms that the Hawks had laid out for him. With Corey Crawford in net the hawks have the capability to yet again have a very solid season. When Corey is on his game he is one of the best net minders in the bigs. That being said.. last season Crawford had his ups and downs as a rookie. Corey will have to be consistent for Chicago this year if they hope to keep pace with the ever tightening Western Conference and Central Division to be specific. Listed currently on the roster as the back up gaol tender to Corey Crawford is 24 year old Czech Born Alexander Salak. Salak had two NHL appearances with the Florida Panthers in the 2008-2009 season which resulted in 6 ga and an 0-1 record. Last season Salak played for the AHL Rochester Americans where he played 48 games. Alexander put up a respectable 29-14 record with a SV% of .910 and a GAA of 2.89. If I were the GM of the Chicago Blackhawks I would be very concerned with handing the back up duty to this young man. He needs more time in the AHL to bring his game up to the level of an NHL back up tender. The current situation in net leads to some major questions for Chicago if Crawford goes down for any amount of time at all. Fans in ChiTown should probably feel a bit uneasy about this going into 2011-2012… I know I would be….

Ok hockey fans… Take a sip of your drink and lets take a little jaunt out east to the city of Columbus Ohio. It seems that The Blue Jackets this offseason have tried the addition by subtraction method coupled with a few tarot card readings and some fancy cloak and dagger maneuvers… OK, who am I kidding, Adding Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski will NOT save the sinking ship in Columbus. The Blue Jackets are paper thin at Defense and with a huge question mark in the net in Steve Mason the Jackets are in a very peculiar position. Where will the scoring come for out side of Jeff Carter and Rick Nash? both players are not known for any type of overly physical play and the two alone do not posses enough talent to allow Columbus to be a team that uses skill and finesse to out wit and out play their opponent. With a lack of the aforementioned abilities it then comes down to can they grind out hard enough to beat teams with a blue collar work ethic. Loosing the likes of Jakub Voracek who in the last three season since his first round selection in the 2007 NHL Entry draft has played in no less then 80 games and played with a fire and tenacity in his game. Carter may have scored 30+ goals in his last three seasons but that was on a very talented Philly team with talent all around him. The Jackets recently signed Vinny Prospal in hopes of shoring up some depth at the forward position. With Jan Hejda leaving Columbus and James Wysnuski coming in the defense for Columbus has taken to a different path. Get younger and hope that the group of Dmen around Wisniewski can grown and become a cohesive unit. I am skeptical that this will happen but I have been wrong before and only time will tell if GM Scott Howson has made moves that have truly bettered his team or just sufficed as moves to make it seem as though the cash strapped team is making leap and bound changes. Coming in at 24th on the goals for stat league wide it is apparent that if Columbus wants to compete for a playoff spot they are going to have to find a way to put the puck in the net more often. Columbus fans… With a shaky net minder an unproven back up goalie and a anemic offense it may turn out to be a very long winter in Ohio this season.

With the looming NHL realignment coming in the 2012-2013 The Nashville Predators have some questions to answer in the coming year. Do they want to move to the eastern conference? Can they some how figure out a way to resign Captain Shea Weber? O, annnd can they also find a scoring forward that can help them on a nightly basis score more goals?To address one question lets look at Nashville’s ability to score goals. Not unlike our beloved St. Louis Blues the Nashville Predators rely heavily on a physical and tough game. the Preds grind out their wins with hard work and determination on the boards and a never quit attitude on the puck especially around the net. The loss of Joel Ward from this team will certainly take its toll on the ability to stand in front of the net and get those dirty goals that he is so very good at making happen. With that said, Nashville is one of the leagues best at drafting players and working them up through the system allowing them to grow and develop. The farm in the Ville is stacked with some very promising scoring talent that is not to far from making its way to the NHL. Kids like Michael Latta and Taylor Beck who are up and coming Power Forward type players. This past season while playing for Guelph Storm of the OHL Latta planted 42 goals and a total of 95 points on the season. Beck was able to tally 34 goals and a total of 89 points on the season. With young talent such as Patric Hornqvist, Sergei Kostitsyn, and Colin Wilson ready to take on another NHL season the scoring woes of this team may be coming to the twilight of their existence. Do I think these kids will catapult the Preds into the top 5-10 in goals for… Probably not this season.. Will they get there soon.. I would like to think so. The second question I would like to address is whether or not they will be able to resign Veteran Dman and Captain Shea Weber. According to various fan based web sites the 100+ mph slap shot giant is looking for a short term deal with the preds and that is something that is leaving a bitter taste in GM David Poile’s mouth. Poile is one of, if not the smartest GM in the league. A deal should be struck with Shea if at all possible.  The health of the farm system speaks for itself when you look at how many good to great Defenseman they have drafted as well as goal tending. Shea Weber is the anchor of the Nashville Locker room. To let him walk away at this point without a clear successor to take over his roll as leader of this young team would be a travesty. When times are tough and the chips are down you can bet that Shea put this team on his back and helped carry them to their first playoff series victory in franchise history.  Another piece to Nashville’s puzzle is Pekka Rinne. Rinne is one of the elite goal tenders in the league at this point. Nashville would not have made it as far this past season if it was not for the outstanding play of the Finnish net minder.  Pekka posted an insane .930 SV% during the regular season with a GAA of 2.12 which was one of the best in the entire league this past season. With Anders Lindback as his back up who posted a .915 SV% and a GAA of 2.60 over 16 games the Preds are set at the back stopper position for the season. Looking at your screen you are probably wondering… OK, we have address these questions.. Now, How about that realignment question… It has been said from the front office of the NHL that the realignment will not be a small nor simple shift of a team or two. Indications are that there will be a big jumble up mixer when they set off to do the deed. Instead of doing the simple thing of moving Nashville to the South East, Winnipeg to the Central like they should have done Bettmann and his possey are gearing up to change the whole thing. There truly at this point is no great answer to give you on where I think the Preds will end up but if I had to give you an answer I think they will land in a Division with the Florida Teams and Carolina along with Washington and maybbbbe either Columbus or Jersey. The fans in Nashville have a lot to be happy about even if Poile didn’t go out and spend every last cent they have!

Cross the Mississippi River stands an Arch. The gateway to the west… The City that is at the Crossroads of an entire nation…. Where people raise their families on strong Midwestern values of hard work, respect, and Generosity toward others.  This is the home where for 40 + years fans have religiously flocked to St. Louis to cheer on their beloved Blues. Through Hard times and bad years the faithful kept the lamps burning brightly along the old Mississip… A tradition of Hard working, Community Loving, Hockey Passionate men have planted the seed in this city and this region. Rich hockey culture can be seen at many local rinks in and around the St. Louis Bi-State area. It is this very base that the men who step out on to that Scott Trade Center ice draw their strength from. 19,150 screaming, cheering, adoring fans pack the house night after night hoping to somehow give a small piece of themselves to the players and elevate their game, to push them to a victory. That is where I begin my outlook on our St. Louis Blues. Of course my opening act streams with bias ideations that somehow this town truly is the best hockey city in the country. Well you would be right. Annnd now for the facts to back up my gush of blue blood bias flattery.

The St. Louis Blues come to camp in September with a bit of a twist in their undies. You see, This team sat and watched playoff hockey from home for 4 of the past 5 seasons since the lock out. A taste in their mouth that is not going over well at all. Blues Centermen David Backes and most notable candidate for Captain was asked what he thought of watching playoff hockey from home and his response was not far from my own. It SUCKS! GM Doug Armstrong has made it very clear this off-season that the team is moving into a position that the time to win is now. Not keep rebuilding or pushing off until next season when o yea we will be better then toils in most peoples heads as a redundant excuse that we have all used for years. The Blues made a very huge trade in February of 2011 that set the ground work and the precedence for the direction this team was going to go in. That direction was plane and simple. Win. Win with better goals scoring ability.. Win with harder working players and players who want and desire to better themselves. To send a very clear message to every single member of this team that if you do not produce or carry your weight you will be put on the block and dealt.  Doug Armstrong has put together a roster that is filled from top to bottom with a competitive spirit. Come time for camp in September it has already been said that if you want to play on this team you are going to have to put forth the effort and earn it. The blues last season after acquiring the services of Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk sky rocketed to 10th in goals scored for the regular season. Chris Stewart in only 26 games netted 15 goals and 8 assists catapulting him to one of the blues most deadly scoring machines. Let us take a look at the possible line combinations that the blues might roll out on opening night come October. The top line should lead off this Perron(If Healthy)- Berglund- Stewart followed up by AMac-Backes-D’Ags followed up by Oshie-Arnott-Steen and finished up with Porter/Grachev- Sabotka/Nichol- Langenbrunner/ Crombeen.. If Perron is not healthy then I would line em up something like this.. Steen-Berglund-Stewart  AMac-Backes-D’Ags Oshie- Arnott- Langenbrunner   Porter/Grachev- Nichol/Sabotka- Crombeen/Reaves  The defensive parings can be a bit more tricky for this team. There really is no stand out LH Dman that can play on the top line with Pietrangelo and eat up the type of minutes that this kid is going to get. That being said I would bet the blues and Davis Payne roll out something like this. Jackman/Colaiacovo-Petro   Jackman/Colaiacovo- Polak   Huskins/Nikitin- Shattenkirk. I could see Nikitin playing with Polak at some points as well as Huskins. This set up gives the blues three very solid lines not only in terms of ability to score but those are three lines that are on most nights very good at coming back on the back check. Also blues fans, Don’t let that fourth line fool you. They will do just fine at pushing the puck into the oppositions end and using some gritty in your face play to keep it there. I am calling it right now that the player who will have the most dominate season this year will be none other then our own Patrik Berglund. With a proper line mate in Chris Stewart, Berglund started to move himself up the mountain in terms of reaching his skill potential. With a great showing at the IIHA World Hockey Championships for team Sweden number 21 will be lurking on the ice this season and he is ready to tear things up. It would not surprise me in the least to see him net 70+ points this season. It is clear that the front office wanted to add depth to the club after last seasons whopping (approximately) 285 man games lost to injuries. When the injury bug comes calling this year the blues will be in much better shape to shuffle more experienced players into those roles until the injured player can return. It is inevitable that injuries will occur during the season. I just hope along with all the other blues fans out there that the bug passes us by more often this season. With a potential 40 goal scorer in Chris Stewart, Several 30+ goal potential scorers in Amac, Perron, Backes, and Berglund followed by several 20+ goal scoring potential scorers in Steen, Oshie, D’Agostini and Arnott the fans of St. Louis should be smiling from ear to ear with what Amry has been able to put together. One more piece to the Blues Jigsaw puzzle will most undoubtedly have to be the play of Jaroslav Halak. At times last season Jaro was as dominant of a goaltender as you could find in the NHL. Then there were some nights when you just shook your head as the most silly of shots or softy goals seem to elude him. With a healthy and well conditioned Halak in net this team has a very good shot at being a team that finishes some where in the 5-8 range in the western conference. With Elliot and Bishop fighting it out in camp for the back up spot it will put pressure on them to be at their very best when camp opens its doors in September. Goaltending can steal you those few games that come april mean a lot in this ever strengthening western conference. In my humble opinion the balance of this season does not lie on the forwards  as they will put up sufficient offense. The questions for this team will be can its Defensive core remain healthy and shut other teams down in their own zone? Annnd Will Halak become that steady number 1 net minder that Army sees in him?  The games must be played in order to truly answer all of the questions and summations that I have placed into your lap. I have a good feeling about this blues team for this season. If we can secure a solid owner who is willing to invest in the team and give them the tools they need to make a true dynasty the fans of this great team will be rewarded for years of patients. So, Until that night in October when we are all shoulder to shoulder Screaming LET’S GO BLUESSSSS I say sit back and enjoy the ride!

Eeej still has the locks. Still losing fights, though. Image via Yahoo

What an IMPRESSIVE win by the Blues over the despised Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.  Yes, the season is over, but a 6-1 victory over a divisional opponent NEVER gets old to watch.  And there were two scraps!  First, Ryan Reaves and Derek Dorsett went at it in a fight that Reaves made close, but Dorsett clearly won (video here).  Then, of all people, Vladimir Sobotka had a go with Kris Russell and defeated him (video here).  The two fights move the Blues to 74 fighting majors on the season, still good for tops in the NHL.  Their fight record moves to 31-22-21.

This is the fourth and final meeting between the Blues and the Colorado Avalanche on the season.  In the previous three meetings (November 15th, January 24th and February 22nd, a make-up game from a February 1st “ice-out”), the Blues fought four times with the Avs.  All of those fights came in the first two match-ups . . . in other words, before the blockbuster trade that gave the Blues Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk and gave the Avs Erik Johnson and Jay McClement.  Coincidence?  Actually, I do think so.  The Avs have garnered 38 fighting majors on the season, and while that’s not nearly as many as the Blues, it’s not bad in today’s NHL.  In fact, they are good for 16th overall in the NHL with those 38 fights.  Their fight record, though, is not spectacular at 10-12-16.

Cody McLeod (6’2”, 210lbs, 5-1-7 including a draw with Brad Winchester) leads the team with 10 fights.  Following him is former Blue David Koci (6’6”, 238lbs, 0-3-4, including a draw with Cam Janssen) with seven fights.  Ryan Wilson (6’1”, 207lbs, 2-1-1) follows with four fights.  Also included in this list are new Blue Stewart (6’2”, 228lbs, 1-0-1 with the Avs and 2-0-1 overall), Brandon Yip (6’1”, 195lbs, 1-0-1) and recent call-up Cameron Gaunce (6’1”, 203lbs, 0-2-0, Day-to-day with a hand injury) with two fights each.  The rest of the Avs fighters have fought once each as Avs, and they are David Liffiton (6’2”, 210lbs, Win, currently with Lake Erie of the AHL), veteran Adam Foote (6’2”, 220lbs, Draw), Daniel Winnik (6’2”, 210lbs, Draw), John-Michael Liles (5’10”, 185lbs, Loss), Phillipe Dupuis (6’0”, 196lbs, Loss), Matt Duchene (5’11”, 200lbs, Loss . . . to Sobotka), Ryan O’Byrne (6’5”, 234lbs, Loss . . . to BJ Crombeen) and former Blue Johnson (6’4”, 236lbs, Loss with the Avs and 1-1-0 overall).

Seriously, neither team has much to play for, so I will be clearly disappointed if there is not at least one fight in this game.  I would love to see McLeod square off with someone like Crombeen or Reaves.  That would make my night.

Second-to-last home game.  MAKE IT COUNT!

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

My man-crush with Derek Dorsett. I bet Iginla won. Image via Yahoo

I was honored to be witness to the Awesome That Is Jarome Iginla in the Blues’ 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on Friday.  And yes, I do have a BIT of a man-crush on Iginla.  While that’s true, I do still wish he had not single-handedly beaten my team like that.  Oh well, some things are unavoidable.  But what I wish WERE avoidable were the lack of fisticuffs, which Friday’s game definitely included.  There WAS some testiness, but no fights came of it.  So the Blues remain at 72 fighting majors on the season, still leading the pack in the NHL.  Their fight record holds steady at 30-21-21.

The Columbus Blue Jackets seem to hate the Blues.  The Blues seem to not really care, except when a Blue Jackets player decides they want to fight another Blues player, and then things get cool.  See, the Blue Jackets are to the Blues what the Blues are to the Detroit Red Wings: Yeah, we don’t really like you, but you really don’t matter to us.  It’s an odd thing, and something I’ve noticed over the years.  And then there was the whole thing with Samuel Pahlsson carelessly dropping TJ Oshie awkwardly and breaking his ankle in the first meeting between the two clubs on the season, and confusion further sets in.  Anyway, we’ve covered the Jackets on several occasions this season (November 10th, December 9th, January 22nd, March 7th and March 9th).  The Jackets have collected 51 fighting majors on the season, currently earning them a tie for seventh place in the NHL with the Dallas Stars.  Their fight record is not terrible but not terrific at 13-19-19.

Jared Boll (6’3”, 210lbs, 6-8-9 with a draw to Cam Janssen that really should have been a Janssen win, a virtually unanimous win over BJ Crombeen and a loss to Janssen) is one of the top fighters in the NHL with 23 on the season.  Derek Dorsett (5’11”, 187lbs, 4-9-3 with a loss to Crombeen, a draw with Brad Winchester and an EPIC LOSS to Chris Stewart) also is one of the top fighters in the NHL with 16 on the season.  From there, it gets a bit thin . . . .  Tom Sestito (6’5”, 228lbs, 3-0-1, traded to Philadelphia at the deadline) has four.  Chris Clark (6’0”, 196, 0-0-2 including a draw with Nathan Oystrick), Mike Commodore (6’5”, 245lbs, 0-1-1, currently with AHL Springfield) and Marc Methot (6’3”, 230lbs, 0-1-1 including a loss to Tyson Strachan . . . yes, he LOST TO TYSON STRACHAN WHO NEVER WINS FIGHTS) each have fought twice.  Derick Brassard (6’1”, 190lbs, Draw) and Derek MacKenzie (5’11”, 178lbs, Draw) each have garnered one fighting major this season.

I would be naïve to think Janssen-Boll won’t happen again.  I would also be naïve to think that there would be no fights in this game, as these teams have squared off eight times thus far this season, and this is the last game between the two teams in the 2010-2011 campaign.  I have a good feeling that if Ryan Reaves plays, he will get involved as well, but I’m not sure with whom.

If they don’t win, I won’t be sorely disappointed as long as the Blues play hard and play with pride.  I’ve gotten to that point.  So what will it be, boys?

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights