St. Louis Blues

(29-12-6)

at

Detroit Red Wings

(32-15-1)

at

Joe Louis Arena

Game Time- 6:30 pm CDT

TV- NBCSN(VS) Radio- KMOX

Blues Team Recap- The St. Louis Blues don’t seem to be slowing down in their quest for the top of the mountain. The Blues, led by Captain David Backes, trounced Buffalo on Saturday night 4-2. In the game Backes had two goals and 2 assists adding yet another line in the book of get this man a Selke. In the NHL today, what team has a player that does all of the things that David Backes can do and do them consistently better than he? That’s right folks, there is not a forward in the league that can do all of the facets of the game as well as Backes. Count the Blues fortunate and lucky to have his services for the next 5 years. The Blues look to continue their impressive 8-1 January with a game in the Motor City. Detroit has won 18 home games in a row, which is a franchise record for the Red Wings. Detroit also sits one point ahead of the Blues in the standings, so tonight we will either leap frog over them or be three points behind. Tonight is a very important game and will be a good test to see just how serious the Blues are about competing with the big boys in the league.

Blues Keys To The Game- Domination. Plain and simple the Blues need to be on top of Detroit every second of every moment in this game. Do not give them any time or space to think or move. Puck domination with an overpowering forecheck will be a second key. The Blues have to be the more physical of the two teams when the puck drops tonight. The Blues should look to be disciplined and stay out of the box, but push the envelope right to the edge with feisty, hard nosed checks. Jimmy Howard has been phenomenal lately and will test the Blues and their ability to score goals on a consistent basis. The Detroit Red Wings need to be taught who the big dog in town is now, and tonight would be the perfect time to place the tail of the Red Wings squarely between their legs and make them run home to mama. Stay out of the penalty box!!!!! Do not give Detroit the chance to use special teams against you. If they Blues loose their cool and give Detroit chances with the man advantage it will be a baddddddd night.

Detroit Red Wings Team Recap- The Wings are 8-2 this month and own a 18 game winning streak at home, which is a franchise best. The Wings are coming off of a shoot out victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets in a game where Henrik Zetterberg was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct for a from behind push that sent defenseman Nikita Nikitin into the boards awkwardly, injuring his knee. After reviewing the video one can clearly see that Nikitins skate catches a valley and the slight hand placement on his back from Zetterberg is enough to send him sailing. Zetterberg is not known for being a dirty player and it was not his intent to injure Nikitin. The league decided to take no action against Zetterberg and, for once, the league got one right. That does not excuse them from the atrocities they have handed down to countless players and the countless suspensions and fines that have not be given out. Detroit will look to cool the jets on a red hot Blues team tonight when they come calling at the Joe. Detroit currently sits atop the Western Conference with 65 points and with a win tonight could pull out to a three point lead in the Central Division. If the Blues win they would trail St. Louis by 1 point in the standings.

Detroit Red Wings Keys To The Game- Find a way to get more shots on goal and traffic in front of the goal tender. Tonight the Red Wings will have a tough task on their hands. The Blues will be coming at them with a lot of physicality and speed in transition. The Wings will have to be able to match the physical play and keep the puck out of their zone. St. Louis will be hunting in front of Jimmy Howard tonight for any rebounds that may squirt away from his capable hands and bury them in the twine. If Detroit can lure the Blues into taking minor penalties and then capitalize on those man advantages, they will have a good chance at grabbing the two points from St. Louis. If Detroit allows St. Louis to get their game plan in action, which is tough defensive with quick transition and traffic in front of the net, its going to be all over but the crying in Detroit. Look for a strong effort from the Wings tonight as they are well aware of how hard this Blues team works. Do not think that Mike Babcock will let them forget just how talented they are.

Tonight’s Blues Line Up  (per Jeremy Rutherford)

Forward Lines  

Perron-Backes-Oshie 

 Sobotka-Berglund-D’Agostini

Langenbrunner-Arnott-Stewart

 Porter-Nichol-Crombeen

Defensive Pairings:

Colaiacovo-Pietrangelo

Jackman-Shattenkirk

Russell-Polak

Starting Goaltender- Halak

Game Night News- Blues forward Alex Steen did not accompanying the team on this one game road trip.  Only tomorrow’s night home game against the Penguins is left for the Blues prior to the All-Star Week break. Though Steen may return tomorrow at home, it is likely Steen will use this time to continue to rest and skate to get his legs under him as well as make sure he is fully ready to return to the line up when play resumes in a week and a half. Andy McDonald has not taken off the red jersey yet and, according to rumors, is closing in on that date in the very near future. With the long ALL Star break upon us, I would look for Andy to shed that red jersey in the very near future. Kent Huskins still has no definite time table for return but is headed in the right direction working on conditioning and getting himself back to game ready condition. Huskins has been out of the line up since blocking a shot in Calgary in October with an ankle injury that required surgery.

Tonight Detroit will be with out the services of Patrick Eaves as he remains on the IR. No additional players are listed on Detroit’s IR for tonight’s game.

Red Wings Line Up (per Daily Faceoff)

Forward Lines:

Franzen-Datsyuk-Bertuzzi

Filppula-Zetterberg-Hudler

Miller-Helm-Cleary

Emmerton-Abdelkader-Holmstrom

Defensive Pairings:

Lidstrom-White

Kronwall-Stuart

Ericsson-Commodore

Starting Goaltender- Jimmy Howard

Tonight is a big night for St. Louis. I know we keep saying that the next game is the most important game yet. Tonight it holds true once again and will take maximum effort for the Boys in Blue to secured two more points and the top spot in the Western Conference! LET’S GO BLUES!!!

This guy stepped on Taylor Hall’s face with his skate. By accident. But still. Image via Dinur/Flickr

What a run this team is on, albeit aided by lots of home dates. A great setup led to a spectacular goal in the St. Louis Blues’ 1-0 victory over the Dallas Stars in what can best be described as a slugfest of a game on Monday night, in front of a captivated home crowd AND a semi-national television audience. We even got to see a fight! After Jake Dowell pretty much did the same thing to Scott Nichol that David Backes did to Alexandre Burrows last Thursday, Nichol got up and put his fists to work on Dowell, working a draw out of the scrap (the full video of the incident is here). For some dumb reason, Nichol was assessed an extra two-minute minor for roughing along with his five minute fighting penalty, while Dowell was just given five. If you need any proof that the officiating in the National Hockey League is in need of a serious fix, look directly at THAT play right there. But I digress . . . the Blues have now fought 21 times on the season, good for a tie for 10th in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild in that category. With the draw, the team’s fight record ratchets up to 9-2-10 on the season. Not bad at all, actually.

Continuing the Home Stand That Lasts For Days On End, we welcome the youthful Edmonton Oilers for a second Thursday out of the last three. We have covered the Oilers twice this season (October 30th and, as alluded to, January 5th). You probably already know this is a young team with a few vets just to keep the seats warm and a team that will probably be really good in a few years, so I won’t waste your time there. As far as fighting is concerned, however, the Oilers are tied for 21st in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks and Toronto Maple Leafs with 15 fighting majors on the season. They hold a fight record of 4-4-7.

The Oilers are led in fights, as most teams are, by a pair of journeyman brawlers – in this case, it’s Darcy Hordichuk (6’1”, 212lbs, 2-2-0) and Andy “Are You An Expert?” Sutton (6’6”, 245lbs, 0-0-4, and I will never tire of re-posting that YouTube clip . . . EVER), with four fights each. Following them are tough younger brawler Theo Peckham (6’2”, 235lbs, 1-0-1) and the oft-injured Sam Gagner (5’11”, 195lbs, 0-1-1) with two each. Solo fighters include AHL veterans Lennart Petrell (6’3”, 198lbs, Win, currently with Oklahoma City in the AHL) and Josh Green (6’3”, 218lbs, Draw) as well as former Blackhawk Ben Eager (6’2”, 240lbs, Loss).

Two games have gone by between these two teams, and no fights have occurred, despite Eager’s presence and Sutton’s constant lunacy on the ice. So to anticipate a fight in this game would be silly. I honestly doubt there will be a fight, actually.

I’m not greedy if I ask for three home wins in a row. I won’t even question it. So let it happen.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

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

Another is line role.

While teams are asking for more offensive production out of their plumber lines than ever, the top two are still expected to carry the load. To be the “go to” trios that score the majority of the goals. Ken Hitchcock, as updated as his system has become, hasn’t gone so far in to the nu-era to diverge from this norm. The system isn’t cute, so don’t expect him to bring cuteness anywhere.

He’ll leave that to Oshie…

For those paying attention to the Blues, or their fantasy leagues, their is a clear top line in St. Louis. Alex Steen, David Backes and TJ Oshie have combined to menace opposing teams with their relentless attack in all 200 feet. Again, no cuteness. No fancy suits. Just a blue collar and lunch pail. Registering a grand total of 28 goals, 28 assists and a Plus-26 in 29 games this season. Some of that success has come from shifts and games apart, but in general they’ve done the wrecking together.

With three players as dominant as those three have been and the Blues record sitting pretty (ok a little cuteness) at 17-9-3, surely the secondary unit is getting in on the action, right?

Wrong.

The Blues wrapped up the 2010-11 season 10th overall in scoring with a 2.88 GF/G rate. To date this season their dead last, 30th, in the NHL with 2.03 GF/G. Yes, you’re reading that right. Just two goals per game.

Don’t dwell on how bad that number looks. Then you’ll start thinking about where they’d be without Brian Elliott…

The numbers to look at are of those who aren’t getting their job done.

Chris Stewart: His torrid run following the late night blockbuster trade acquiring him has fizzled in to distant memory. Gone are the dreams of his 15 goal and 23 point in 26 game pace materializing in to an elite scorer. No, he doesn’t look like Jarome Iginla 2.0.

The reality is that 4 goals and 10 points in 26 games this season is not acceptable. Nor is his periphery play and deferral of the puck. As a goal scoring threat he has to have the puck in a favorable position. This season has been spent in the exact opposite place he should be.

Matt D’Agostini: For all the reasons why his 2010-11 season stood to be a breakout there were equally as many saying it was a flash in the pan. After netting 21 goals and 46 points last season expectations were high for a repeat. So far D’Agostini’s 6 goals and 11 points have him 15 points behind last season’s mark. Fortunately his well rounded overall game has been a continued bonus. At least if he isn’t scoring he’s working hard on both the fore and back check.

Can he get going again? Sure, anyone can, but the odds are not in his favor. A good chunk of his production came as a part of the top unit with Backes and Andy McDonald. With the captain steering his line in the right direction and McDonald on IR with post concussion symptoms, Dags just may not be the secondary punch the front office hoped he would be.

Patrik Berglund: The brass certainly consider the big Swede part of the secondary attack this campaign if he isn’t one of the primary threats. Especially following his strong second half of 10-11 and his performance at the World Championships. At least in terms of the figures on the score sheet, he hasn’t. His stat line runs the same as D’Agostini’s: 6 goals and 11 points in 29 games. The disparity in pacing between this season and the last is worse. Berglund is 21 points off last season’s mark.

Also like D’Agostini his play otherwise has not been adversely affected by his lack of pucks in the net. Berglund has become a solid two way center who is taking care of the details in all three zones perhaps better than he ever has before. Sadly his work is not paying off as well as it should be. Yet.

A reason for reduced concern (and optimism) regarding big number 21 is that most of his season has been spent with the at times apathetic Stewart and without the playmaking abilities of McDonald or David Perron. With Perron’s return Berglund is likely to get a boost and begin padding his stats once again. Stewart went south instead and has fallen down to the dirty work lines to rediscover his edge.

Credit the foresight of Doug Armstrong to bring in Jason Arnott, Jamie Langenbrunner and lockup Vladimir Sobotka. Not only for veteran presence, but for adding extra offensive depth. Arnott is 5th in team scoring with 4 goals and 10 assists. Langenbrunner has kept up with the kids. Potting a pair of goals and adding 10 points to the bottom line. Sobotka has provided speed, passing and playmaking ability (sorely missed McDonald traits) when called upon, leading to numbers that match Langenbrunner’s.

As thankful as Blues fans are, there is still a real problem the Blues must address with secondary scoring. The road to the playoffs is not going to be paved on the backs of the offensive efforts of Arnott. Too few pucks are going behind opposing goalies that don’t originate off the sticks of the SOB line. It’s surely something Armstrong will have to address because Ken Hitchcock’s efforts aren’t making a difference. The team is still winning, but by the skin of its teeth.

As division rivals of Nashville, we’ve seen that dynamic produce positive results only for so long. More aggressive changes will need to be made to prevent it from traveling west to St. Louis. All eyes are on your Mr. Chris Stewart. Time to get it together. Everyone else is pulling their weight one way or another. If you can’t, it’s probably going to be time to move again.

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!

I love me some Jarome Iginla. Image via AtomicPope/Flickr

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I will start off with the video of the “fight” between Colin Fraser and Scott Nichol that was not on the previous report. Someone actually voted that Fraser won the fight. That person should be shot on site, as should anyone that votes Nichol the winner. This should have been two minutes for Delay of Game on each player, because this was pathetic if you consider it a fight. But I digress . . . .

Confidence-boosting wins in a contender’s building are fun to watch, aren’t they? The St. Louis Blues went to Pittsburgh and defeated a very good Penguins team at their place, 3-2 in overtime. Not only that, there was a scrap in this contest albeit a short one. Deryk Engelland went at it with Ryan Reaves, and while the votes aren’t tallied yet, the video is up (here) and it appears that we can comfortably give Reaves a win in this one, though Engelland certainly held his own. This slides the Blues up into a massive tie for 18th in the National Hockey League with eight fighting majors collected on the season. The fight record moves up to 4-0-4 on the season.

We’ve discussed tonight’s opponent, the Calgary Flames, twice before in this segment (October 10th and October 28th, to be exact), and while they didn’t fight the Blues in either of those games, you never know what will happen in a third matchup. The Flames have a few guys who are willing to throw punches with just about anyone, though their fight record would not readily show this. The Flames are currently in a massive tie for 11th in the NHL with nine fighting majors on the season. Their record is a very solid 5-2-2 in these fights.

Of the Flames players that have fought this season, the ever-truculent Tim Jackman (6’4”, 220lbs, 3-0-2) leads the team with five of their nine fights on the season. “The Greek God of Hockey Violence”, Tom Kostopoulos (6’0”, 200lbs, 0-2-0) has fought twice, and Cory Sarich (6’4”, 207lbs, Win) and my favorite NHL player to watch that has never been a blue, Jarome Iginla (6’1”, 207lbs, Win) each have fought once this season. Among players currently on the Flames roster, the fighters from last year go like this: Jackman (3-6-3) led the way with 12 fights, followed by Kostopoulos (1-4-1) with six fights. Following him are Mark Giordano (6’0”, 203lbs, 1-1-1) and Sarich (0-2-1) with three fights each. Iginla (1-0-1) checks in with two fights.  Solo fighters include Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (6’2”, 215lbs, Win), former Blue Lee Stempniak (6’0”, 201lbs, Draw), Olli Jokinen (6’3”, 215lbs, Loss) and Curtis Glencross (6’1”, 200lbs, Loss). Raitis Ivanans and Brendan Mikkelson would have also been on this list, but they were sent to their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford in mid-October.

I would really like to see a fight in this game, but it’s not life or death. Tim Jackman could give Reaves a good challenge as they both match up size-wise, but who knows if both Reaves and Jackman will play? Also, a fight between Iginla and David Backes would probably set my heart on fire.

More home wins? I’d like them, yes.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights . . . with an assist today from HockeyFights.com

By the numbers…

Backes: 4 goals, 8 points, Plus-3 rating, 16 games played
Pietrangelo: 2 goals, 7 points, Plus-2 rating, 16 games played
Halak: 2-6-1 record, 2.78 GAA, .882 save percentage, 1 shutout, 9 games played

Hardly the numbers by in which many fans would classify an All Star. But keep in mind that the event is not all about who is performing the best sadistically and rewarding them with 15 minutes of fame.

The game is a significant opportunity for the league to “give back” to sponsors. Gather the biggest names and projected up and coming stars in the sport for a few days and bring advertisers in front of fans who are eager to consume the festivities on the TV. Any blatant snubary just brings more PR and the league loves PR.

Who on the Blue should rejected?

Brian Elliott certainly makes a strong case by out performing Halak to date. Posting a 6-1-0 record in 8 appearances with a league leading 1.49 GAA and second best .946 save percentage. He is also tied for fourth overall with Nikolai Khabibulin in shutouts with 2.

Kevin Shattenkirk leads the Blues in scoring with 11 points in 16 games (2 goals, 9 assists) and is second to Matt D’Agostini in Plus/Minus with a Plus-7. His 20:49 ATOI is second to only Pietrangelo’s 24:08 ATOI and they are the only two averaging more than 20 minutes player per game.

Do not fret those who wish to vote for those two, TJ Oshie or any other Blues players. There is a Write-In option.

To Vote:

1. Go to NHL.com/vote. You can vote this way up to 30 times each per Desktop and Mobile versions of the site.

2. Text BACKES or HALAK or PIETRANGELO or any Blues player’s last name to 81812. Message and data charges may apply. Up to 30 votes via text message are allowed.

My Ballot:
Forwards: Jamie Benn, James Neal, Phil Kessell
Defensemen: Kris Letang, Alex Pietrangelo
Goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury

How did you vote? Post your selections in the comments.

The game will be held on Jan. 29, 2012 at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Colton Orr battles, and chuckles at, our old friend DJ King. Image via clydeorama/Flickr

So the Ken Hitchcock Era begins. And it began with a flourish, as the St. Louis Blues defeated their old rivals, the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-0. A power play goal was scored, too! IT’S ANOTHER FESTIVUS MIRACLE! And as anticipated, there was a fight in this contest, though the contestants seemed to be somewhat of an odd couple. Daniel Carcillo – upset at seeing Ryan Reaves take down teammate Patrick Kane – went after Reaves. This would turn out not to be a wise move by Carcillo, as he pretty much got his ass kicked by “Mike Singletary On Skates”, in the judgment of both my semi-trained eye and a near-unanimous vote over at Fried Chicken’s place (video evidence is here). The Blues now have collected six fighting majors on the season and are moving up the charts, now placing in a tie for 15th in the National Hockey league with the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils and San Jose Sharks in that category. The fight record is now a sturdy 3-0-3.

Also, for the record . . . Pennsylvania State University – either in reality or concept, by nickname or otherwise – is dead to me, from this moment forward.

Game number two of the Ken Hitchcock Era features an Eastern Conference opponent that is familiar with all of us old Blues fans – former Norris Division rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Since taking over the General Manager reins in 2008, Brian Burke has molded this Leafs team into a likeness that would make his 2007 Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks proud – with a solid mixture of skilled veterans, young talent and violent wrecking-ball forces. However, that has not translated to success in even reaching the playoffs at this moment. Assuredly, though, that moment is coming soon. After a hot start, the Leafs are peeling back just a bit. The loss of young hot-shot goaltender, James Reimer, is not helping matters for the Blue and White. The Leafs come into this contest having received seven fighting majors on the 2011-2012 season, good for a tie for 10th in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets in that category. Their record in these fights is an okay 3-2-2. However, all those victories come from one man. Last year, the Leafs were 10th in the NHL by themselves with 50 fighting majors, collecting a rather average record of 14-15-21.

Maple Leafs players that have fought this year include Mike Brown (5’11”, 205lbs, 3-0-1) with four fights, Luke Schenn (6’2”, 229lbs, 0-2-0) with two fights and designated team enforcer Colton Orr (6’3”, 230lbs, Draw) with one fight. Current Leafs who fought last year include Orr (6-5-2) with 13 fights, Brown (2-1-6) with nine, Jay Rosehill (6’3”, 215lbs, 1-2-4) and Mike Komisarek (6’4”, 243lbs, 1-4-2) each with seven, Dion Phaneuf (6’3”, 214lbs , 3-0-1) with four and Schenn (1-0-1) and former Devil and Capital Dave Steckel (6’6”, 215lbs, 0-1-1) with two fights each. Solo fighters included Clarke MacArthur (Win), Joffrey Lupul (Draw), Colby Armstrong (6’2”, 195lbs, Loss, on IR with a sprained ankle) and former Avalanche players John-Michael Liles (5’10”, 185lbs, Loss) and Philippe Dupuis (6’0”, 196lbs, Loss).

Honestly, unless Orr suits up for a third game of the season (and the likelihood is that he will not), there will probably not be a fight in this game. I would love to see something silly, like if David Backes fought against Brown or something like that. But I just don’t see anything happening in this contest involving the fists. However, I’ve been wrong before.

Two home wins in a row would be awesome. Go get it, boys.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

The St. Louis Blues recently blanked the Vancouver Canucks in their last meeting. Looking for a similar outcome on home ice this time around, the Blues found another victory against their Western Conference foes.

Brian Elliott started for the Blues after a solid game by Jaroslav Halak. Blues coach, Davis Payne, hoped for another shutout performance from the back up. Elliott was solid again stopping 28 of 30 to move his record to 5-1-0. He has looked very comfortable in the Blues uniform on the young season.

Even great goalies can be beaten by the Canucks top tier talent, and Alex Burrows started the scoring in the first period. After a classy move by Burrows punching an unsuspecting Barret Jackman in the face (no penalty called), the Canuck forward was credited with a goal that Chris Stewart gloved into his own net.

TJ Oshie would quickly tie the game with his second goal of the season. Great persistence and heads up play by Evgeny Grachev led to a smooth backhand pass to pressing Roman Polak. The big defenseman showed some flash, faking out Daniel Sedin to move the puck in front to Scott Nichol who found an open Oshie. The backhander that beat Roberto Luongo gave the Blues some momentum.

The Blues took the lead with the only goal in the second period which came from Oshie for his second of the night and third of the season. Strong puck presence from Vladimir Sobotka who drove the puck into the zone allowed the play to develop. With a wrap around attempt by David Backes foiled by Luongo, the loose puck found its way to Oshie to beat the Vancouver net minder.

Backes has done an excellent job of late against the Vancouver Canucks. Backes is personally shutting down the Sedin twins as they go without a point in the game. Credit Henrik Sedin with effort after he attempted to glove the puck into the net late in the second. Even though it is an illegal play, Vancouver has to enjoy their star doing anything he can to win.

Vancouver evened the game seconds into the third period. On the power play from a bench minor by the Blues, Dan Hamhuis unloaded a booming shot on Elliott. The initial shot was blocked but the rebound dropped down to Ryan Kesler who finished the play.

The Blues would get that one back from their captain. Quick whistles have doomed the Blues before, but not for this game. Luongo controlled the puck loosely as the relentless Backes banged away at his pads before it popped through for the game winning goal. Kevin Shattenkirk set up Backes with a strong pinch to keep the play going.

Up Next: Saturday at Minnesota Wild.

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