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

On paper tonight’s tilt down at 14th and Clark doesn’t look all that exciting. The Oilers are floundering around the bottom third of the conference again and are without one of their young guns, 2011 1st overall draft pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Blues don’t help very much based on their lack of goal scoring proficiency at regular strength and the man advantage.

Safe to say NHL Tonight isn’t likely salivating to get their hands on the highlights.

Sure, the good guys have a respectable chance at bringing home two points in regulation, but that doesn’t always get the blood going when getting ready to head to the game. There just really aren’t any obviously enticing storylines to follow. Fear not though. Interesting secondary storylines are there for the following.

Dig deeper with me. Here is what I’ll be watching for tonight.

Dueling Enigmas: Blues winger Chris Stewart and Oilers centerman Sam Gagner come from very different backgrounds, but they meet in the NHL with similar situations. Both have earned high praise and expectations with solid efforts in their first full NHL campaign.

Stewart scored 28 goals in 77 games for Colorado in 2008-09. Gagner was part of the young core that nearly made the 2008 playoffs with a strong late push. His 36 assist and 49 point effort had many thinking he would develop in to a very good playmaking center.

In the years that have followed Gagner stagnated and Stewart has glided up and down between the waves of production multiple times. Both stand to become Restricted Free Agents come season’s end and neither are in a great position to demand a raise.

But opportunity comes for both early in 2012.

With RNH out and captain Shawn Horcoff ailing, Gagner has the chance to take over the top center role at a critical juncture of the season. Edmonton sits 10 points back of the playoff line. A road heavy month of January could easily sink them. If amid the strife he can keep the ship stable, it speaks volumes to what he can still become.

With Alex Steen out with a concussion, Andy McDonald still trying to return from his third in two years and the Blues in the bottom half of league scoring, Stewart’s scoring touch is in desperate need of return. It seems as if captain David Backes may have sparked it’s return as evident with Stewart’s performance Tuesday against Phoenix.

Edmonton is exactly the team to play against now to get Stewart rolling. In two games with the Blues against the Oilers last season he buried 3 goals. Two of which game on the power play. It’s going to happen, tonight is as good as a chance as there will be.

With Backes likely taking matchup duty against the oppositions top line, Stewart and Gagner will be on the ice together quite often. Who wants it more?

The Stealthy Dangler: Shuuuush… Don’t tell anyone but David Perron has been back for 14 games and has 13 points (2 goals, 11 assists). A mark good enough to lead the team over that stretch. He’s returning to puck wizard status and is creating more scoring chances than anyone else in a bluenote sweater. He’s quietly playing very well.

Time to break the silence against a weak defensive team? Probably.

The Return of the Monster: Jaroslav Halak had a horrible start to the season. The death of Pavol Demitra surely had something to do with that. The time of troubles may have felt like an eternity, but they truly were not. With the closure that the memorial night brought so too came an improved Halakness Monster.

His recent numbers show he is returning to form. In his 13 games for all of November and December, Halak was 6-2-5 and allowed only 24 goals on 344 shots against. A .930 save percentage and allowing 1.85 goals per game isn’t too shabby. Neither is taking 65% of the points possible.

Despite the success on the ice and in the stats book, many fans still cut him down. Thought Edmonton is without Nugent-Hopkins, they still have a deadly duo in Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. Those two have combined for 28 goals and 69 points in 70 games. Don’t forgot the Oilers own the second best power play in the league. Halak will be tested.

Will he continue to perform up to the same high level he has for two months? Keep an eye on him so you can tell the doubters “I told you so” later.

Techno Viking Power: Speaking of whipping boys – boy that’s been the whole post – Patrik Berglund needs to get back to his confident ways in the same manner Stewart does. Much like Stewart again, there is no better team than the Oilers to break the dam with.

Last season Berglund lead all Blues skaters with 1 goal and 4 points in 4 games against the Alberta based club. A weakened blueline corps (see today’s GameDay preview for the extensive list of injuries to the Oilers backend) certainly plays to his advantage.

Will he find the bull and run north in to the china shop? He better, because if he doesn’t ans Stewart does, Berglund may find himself in “Erik Johnson’s skates”.

Enjoy the game my fellow blue bleeders. There is much to see, if you’re looking for it…

(19-9-4)

vs

Colorado Avalanche

(16-17-1)

at

Pepsi Center

Game Time 8:30 pm CDT

TV-FS-MW(HD) Radio- KMOX 

Blues Team Recap- Here comes Santa Claus here come Santa Claus right to 14th n Clarrkkk… One could make an argument that Christmas has come early here in the Arch City. With the return of David Perron from over a year on the IR with post concussion syndrome, the Blues have many things to be thankful for this Christmas season. The front office and GM Doug Armstrong recognized a pattern early in the season and decided it would be a good thing to hire a coach with a proven track record of winning and a new look on life and the way he coaches hockey. Little did the fans here in St. Louis know, but the arrival of Ken Hitchcock has jump started this team to one of the most incredible stretches of hockey that I have seen them play in a number of years. Tonight will be another chance for this Blues team to secure two more points allowing them to leap frog Detroit for a second time in less then a week in the standings. Now is not the time to regress and play weak hockey. The hill only gets steeper from here going forward with less games at home over the next few weeks. It was a interesting development the other night against Columbus to see forward Chris Stewart playing fourth line minutes. Hitch is sending Stewart a message that his next stop is the press box if he does not light a fire under his butt and get to playing the hockey we all know that he is capable of playing. There really is no excuse for his lack of effort and inability to win puck battles along the boards. Stewart is 6’2 232 lbs, clearly he should be capable of using his size to his advantage. Stewart had best wake up and in a hurry or Army just might find a way to make him ship out of town.

Blues Keys To The Game- Do NOT go to overtime with the Avs tonight. The Avalanche are 8-1 this season when the game goes to overtime. In their last game the Avalanche bested the Philadelphia Flyers in a shoot out winning the game 3-2.  Earlier this season the Avalanche beat the Blues in overtime in a shoot out in a game that the Blues most likely should have won. That being said, if you can not protect leads in this league and extend them by adding goals in the later half of games your going to find yourself on the short end of the stick more nights then not. The Blues are known for being a team that, since Ken Hitchcock took over as a team, never quits. The Blues will go into Denver tonight looking to seal up two more points and another W in the win column. The Avalanche always seem to get up for the Blues and it makes Blues fans shake their head every time we play the team from the Mile High City. There always seems to be this ability for them to score goals and make the Blues look really silly when they do it. Last season when the Blues traded for Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk we all believed that we had just pulled off the best trade in hockey. With Kevin “Captain Kirk” showing Blues fans every game why it was an amazing trade the same can not be said about Chris Stewart. Stewart came to the Blues last season in the trade that sent former first round first overall pick in the 2006 NHL entry draft Erik Johnson to the Avs. Stewart immediately started to produce scoring multi-goals on several nights after his arrival. This season rolled around and it was touted that the combo of Berglund and Stewart would be one of the hottest combos in the entire league. Where as Berglund has held up on his end of the deal to this point Stewart has been a complete and utter wash. With 4 goals (229th in the league) and 7 assists (254th in the league) for 11 points (265th in the league), Stewart has not given Blues fans many reasons to sing his praises this holiday season. The Blues could use the big man to open his eyes and get to the front of the net where he belongs instead of circling like a nurse shark in shallow waters along the boards. Tonight The St. Louis Blues need to take the heat to a good Colorado Avalanche team. Get some goals in early on a very young team and let them make the mistakes that the Blues should be disciplined enough not to make. The note need every 2 point game they can come up with and tonight should be nothing different.

Colorado Avalanche Team Recap- O Colorado Avalanche, where do I begin… A team that has stars like Paul Stasny, Matt Duschene, and up and comer Gabriel Landeskog should have a better record then they do. Sitting 12th int he West with only 33 points the Avs need to get this boat headed in a better direction. At 5-4 on the month of December Colorado will look to get to .500 on the month when they take on St. Louis tonight at Pepsi Center in Denver. For what ever reason the Avs have had the Blues number for the past several seasons. Winning over 75% of the meetings between these two teams in the last two seasons is nothing short of an interesting stat when you consider just how terrible Colorado has been in recent past. Now you might ask, gee, why so harsh in regards to the Avs? The Avalanche organization has made it perfectly clear to most that it is in the midst of a revitalization or rebuild. There are going to be a lot of problems and issues that creep up on a young team such as the Avs are now. I expect the Avalanche to grow in to a very talented and well oiled team in the coming seasons. As many Blues fans know all too well, those rebuilding years can be some painful and frustrating times to go through. Avs fans will be rewarded for their patients so long as the front office does not continue to fire sale its talent.

Avalanche Keys To The Game- Make the Blues take bad penalties. Get the Note to sit in the box and capitalize on those mistakes. The Blues are giving up fewer then 25 shots a night to their opponents and are 2nd in goals against. When the opportunity for the Avs comes to score goals tonight they had best be on their toes. Brian Elliot will be in Goal for the Blues an currently holds a 13-2 record with a .948 SV% and a goals against average of 1.43. Those numbers are tops in the NHL. Elliot also has 4 shut outs to his name this season. The Avalanche will need to keep the puck in the Blues zone and work the cycle effectively. Time and time again the Blues show that if you wear them down and make them go extra long on shifts you will get wide open chances in fron the the Blues net minders. Clearing the puck out of the defensive zone has been some what of a hindrance for this Blues team this season. Look for Colorado to try and take advantage of those situations tonight and keep that puck low in the zone. Keep a close eye on #9 Matt Duschene as he loves to slip in front of the net and get that tip in type goal on the weak side.

Blues News- It was reported last week that Matthew Hulsizer was getting very close to closing a deal that would make him the majority owner of the St. Louis Blues. No information has come out in the recent days that would suggest to fans that this deal is getting anything closer to a sure thing. It is always advisable to take things with a grain of salt until they are announced officially. The NHL has set a deadline of December 31st for Checketts to sell the team to Hulsizer. After December 31st, Tom Stillmann and his group are expected to take another shot at purchasing the Blues. With Brett Hull and the billionaire Taylor family (Enterprise Rental Car Company) looking to be on board with his group, Stillmann is sitting eagerly awaiting the chance to own his home town franchise.

Blues fans, Get up off your butts and get your hands in the air. The Blues are on the airwaves tonight from Colorado. Lets bring home two more points and another big W in the win column for the good guys! LET’S GO BLUES!!!

Brandon Prust knows a thing or two about fighting. Image via slidingsideways/Flickr

If you’re going to have five days off, you may as well go into it with a smile on your face. That’s what the St. Louis Blues did Saturday by beating the San Jose Sharks 1-0 in a very tight defensive struggle, which was relatively expected with it being David Perron’s first game against the Sharks since the concussion and the two teams’ well-noted recent offensive struggles. There appeared to be a few opportunities for the two squads to get into skirmishes, but no fights ensued from such activity. So the Blues hang tight at 11 fighting majors on the season, currently placing them in a tie for 17th in the National Hockey League in that category with the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs. The team’s fight record remains at 5-1-5, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen this team fight . . . which needs to change.

Enter tonight’s opponent – the New York Rangers. The “Rags” come in as one of the most violent teams in the NHL as far as fisticuffs are concerned. Sure, many of their fights come from one man, but that’s still quite impressive for a team that is supposed to be a perennial Stanley Cup contender (but never is). The Blueshirts come into tonight in first place all by themselves with 24 fighting majors collected on the season, with a fight record that’s less than outstanding at 5-7-12. This is despite the fact that the team lost Derek Boogaard to a premature passing in the offseason, but perhaps their fight total can be seen as a tribute to “The Boogey Man”. Last season, the Rangers were sixth in the NHL with 62 fighting majors on the season, holding a solid 24-16-22 record.

Rangers players who have fought this year begin with Brandon Prust (6’0”, 192lbs, 3-1-6), who not only leads the team with 10 fights on the season but is second overall individually in the NHL in that category. Following him are Andre Deveaux (6’4”, 234lbs, 2-1-0, currently with the AHL’s Connecticut Whale) and the NHL’s most famous metrosexual, Sean Avery (5’10”, 195lbs, 0-1-2) with three fights and former Penguin Mike Rupp (6’5”, 243lbs, 0-1-1, on IR with a knee injury) and Kris Newbury (5’10”, 205lbs, 0-2-0, currently with the AHL’s Connecticut Whale) each with two fights. Solo fighters include Mike Sauer (6’3”, 213lbs, Draw, Day-To-Day with a concussion), team Captain Ryan Callahan (5’11”, 190lbs, Draw), Brian Boyle (6’7”, 244lbs, Draw) and young star Brandon Dubinsky (6’1”, 210lbs, Loss). Among current Blueshirts that fought last year, Prust (7-3-8) led the way with 18 fights. Following him were Avery (4-4-4) and Rupp (also 4-4-4) with 12 bouts each, Sauer (1-2-4) with seven fights, Dubinsky (3-1-0) with four fights, Newbury (1-0-2) and Boyle (also 1-0-2) with three fights each and Callahan (1-0-1) with two fights. Solo fighters and players to still look out for on the ice include Ruslan Fedotenko (6’1”, 200lbs, Win) and Dan Girardi (6’1”, 206lbs, Loss).

The prevailing thought I have is that Ryan Reaves might be a bit of an overwhelming matchup size-wise for Prust, but I’ve seen crazier things happen, and Prust is not one to back down from a challenge. That all being said, the best fight matchup I see in this game would be Avery squaring off against Scott Nichol. They match up relatively evenly size-wise, and it would be a perfect combination of agitators going at each other. We’ll see if anything comes of it.

Holy hell, there’s HOCKEY tonight! Who’s ready?

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

(15-9-1)

vs

 St. Louis Blues

(16-9-3)

at

Scottrade Center

Game Time- 7:00 pm CDT

TV- FS-MW(HD) Radio- KMOX

FOR FANS DRIVING TO TONIGHT’S GAME- BE ADVISED THAT 64 EB WILL BE CLOSED FROM JEFFERSON TO 6TH STREET! INFO AVAILABLE HERE.

St. Louis Blues Team Recap- O when the Blues, Go marching innnn, O when the Blues go marchinggg innnn. That was the opening ditty by Charles Glenn on Tuesday night when the Blues Hosted the Detroit Red Wings. Scottrade Center was full of Blues fans eager to see their team put a whoopin’ on the boys from the motor city. You can feel the tension in every fan when the Wings comes to town. The recent decade is a testament as to the torture we have felt year in and year out as they have had their way with us like a cheap prom date.  When the Wings played the Blues you never knew what was going to happen or which blues team was going to show up. The tides in St. Louis have changed. In the last three meetings between these two teams, the Blues have not only played well but they have dominated the majority of the play. A three game sample set is by far not a scientific data set by any stretch of the imagination. That being said, when was the last time the Blues truly dominated the Wings in three straight games? The score of the last game only looked close due to yet more horrific officiating and weak calls (admittedly on both sides of the ice).

The Blues ride high in to tonight’s game sitting 4th in the Western Conference. With a win tonight, they could pull 2 more points closer to Minnesota and Chicago who sit ahead of them in points. The dismal Pacific Division Phoenix Coyotes sit third because they are first in their division with on 33 points (the Blues have 35 points). David Perron has 2 points (1g 1a) headed into to tonight and he will be looking to get his dangle on against the team that put him on the shelf for 97 games. If Ryan Reaves gets into the game against the Sharks, I would look for some large hits to be laid on “Ol’ Jumbo.” Hitchcock continues his impressive reign with the Blues and the fans are falling in love with the portly, white haired coach, What ever he is doing we do not want him to change it!

St. Louis Blues Keys To The Game-  The Blues will look to play a very physical game tonight against the Sharks. San Jose is still a big team with guys like Brad Winchester, Joe Thornton, and Patrick Marleau. Don’t get away from the game plan that the Blues have used for the last month and a half, 200 ft fast defensive quick transition hockey. Keep the puck out of the St. Louis zone tonight is key as the Sharks thrive on grabbing rebounds and putting them in the back of the net quickly. You can’t allow the Sharks to get set up in the offensive zone and get the cycle going. If they can camp in front the the Blues net it will spell disaster for our Notes. The Blues need to get on the Sharks early and out hustle them to the puck and out number them in as many places as they can.  Make smart decisions with the puck tonight: turn overs have lead to many of the goals against for the Blues this season and those are preventable goals. Take that extra half second and make sure that your passing lane is open and the you put enough steam on the puck so that it makes it to its recipient. Goad San Jose in to taking bad penalties tonight and capitalize on their mistakes could prove to be the Blues best friend. Two power play goals against the Detroit Redwings shows us that the Blues are in fact capable to score PP goals. While most fans clamor to decline the power play, I say give them as many chances as they can get. Someday they will have to figure out how to convert more times then not right?

San Jose Sharks Team Recap- The San Jose Sharks come to Scottrade Center 2-2 in the month of December. Coming off a 5-2 win at home against Dallas on Thursday night. Former Blues winger Brad Winchester had a goal in the game and is on a line with Joe Thornton. The Sharks have played cold hockey this season and it shows as they sit in the middle of the pack in the standings in the Western Conference. You can always bet that they will be in the middle of everything when it comes to the action in the NHL. Over a year ago Joe Thorton came out of the penalty box and laid a hit on Blues Winger David Perron, knocking the talented forward out for 97 games with a concussion. Thornton has since tried to make amends with Perron, sending him a congratulatory text prior to his first game this season. Many Blues fans, however, have a very large hatred for Jumbo Joe. Not much in the way of sending a message was done by the Blues in any of the following match ups with the Sharks. In fact the Sharks dominated the Blues last season in physicality, scoring, and wins. It will be interesting to see how these two teams interact on the ice tonight when they meet for their first go around this season in St. Louis.  Will the Sharks continue their dominate play over the Blues? Or will St. Louis stand up and take back some of the respect from the Sharks that they seemed to have lost when Thornton steam rolled Perron blind-sided? The Sharks are a proud team with a proud fan base, and I would expect nothing short of a physical fast moving hockey game from this talented team.

San Jose Sharks Keys To The Game-   The Sharks are going to have a very tough time tonight in St. Louis. The Blues are riding high and playing very well. They have matched up against and beaten a lot of very good teams this season. Not only have they beaten good teams, They have dominated against good teams. If the Sharks want to come into St. Louis and not get served up like appetizers, then I would suggest that they put on their game faces and bring the pressure. The Sharks will look to control the flow of the game tonight. Keeping the Blues hemmed into their zone has been shown to produce mistakes that lead to bad turn overs that in turn lead to the puck being in their net. The Blues are notorious for not being able to get the puck out of their own zone this season when a lot of pressure is applied. Time and time again we have seen where the Blues were not able to lift the puck out of the zone to let off the pressure and it ended up in the net. Big saves at key times have kept the Blues in the game and lead to them eventually grabbing control of the flow and making other teams pay. The Sharks can’t let St. Louis pressure the offensive zone. St. Louis has done a very good job keeping teams on their heels this season. San Jose is not a team that likes to spend time in their own zone. The Sharks will have to be smart with the puck as the Blues have shown that they can pick off passes and force turn overs with their physical, always on the puck play. Getting a few first period goals will help the Sharks quiet the loud St. Louis fans and gain them some much needed momentum in a building that this season is hard to win in. If the Sharks do in fact take control early they had better not let up on the gas pedal. The Blues have found ways to get it together and come back against teams that have let up their play. Will the Sharks come in to St. Louis with their “A” game tonight? If they want two points they had best not take St. Louis lightly.

Blues News- Defenseman Kent Huskins remains out on IR while nursing a fractured ankle. Huskins has not been seen on the ice at practice yet but should be just a few weeks away from getting back into the action with the Blues. Forward Andy McDonald has been reported as ” feeling better” by Andy Strickland. It is encouraging news to hear that Andy Mac is feeling better. The Blues will only become more of an offensive threat when speedy number 10 gets back into the game for St. Louis. BJ Crombeen continues to skate with the Blues in practice wearing the red no contact jersey. BJ is looking for an early January return to the line up with the Blues. BJ brings some grit and grind back to the line up that head coach Ken Hitchcock loves to have available. With the team playing so well right now will Crombeen find it hard to get back into the line up? Only time will tell as he gets closer to a return.

It’s Saturday night and the Blues are on the ice… Get up on your feet and cheer on our Blues to another two points and a continuation of awesome play this season! LET’S GO BLUES !!!

Ericsson vs. Clowe is Swede-On-Newf violence. Image via pyle313/Flickr

What started out as awesome ended up being . . . not so much. David Perron scored a goal in his long-awaited return to the St. Louis Blues, but the Chicago Blackhawks carried the day with an impressive 5-2 win over the Blues. It was testy throughout, and there were several times that I was sure there WOULD be a fight, but never was there to be one. So the Blues stay put at 11 fights on the season and remain at a 5-1-5 record, but now that number of fights puts the team at a tie for 11th in the National Hockey League with the Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and Toronto Maple Leafs in that category.

When we last saw the Detroit Red Wings (November 15th, to be exact), the team had a total of four fighting majors on the season. Coming into tonight’s game, the Wings have . . . a total of four fighting majors on the season. That is good for a tie for DEAD LAST in the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning in that category, so this report is nice and concise since it has already been done in the previous issue. If you want to look up who has fought this season for the Wings both this season and last plus fight records for the team and all parties involved, please click on the link in the first sentence of this paragraph.

Will there be a fight in this game? I would say it is highly doubtful. But if I had to put money on someone fighting in this contest, being that Ryan Reaves is likely to be a healthy scratch in this one, it would have to be Scott Nichol fighting someone bigger than him . . . someone such as, say Justin Abdelkader. It seems like a very good match, really. Despite the big hit by Chris Stewart on Niklas Kronwall in the previous matchup, I just don’t see a big opportunity for a major bout in this one.

It’s Hated Rival Weekend, Extended. Can the Blues at least win one of the two contests at home? We’ll find out.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

To celebrate the return of the resident “danglesniper”, David Perron,  below is an assortment of the best pictures taken by Scott Neer of TSN Photography of @DP_57.

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Usually you save the best for last, but this just must come first. That infectious smile and attitude has been missing from the Blues. Can tell he’s just happy to be back.

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He looks pretty good coming down his offhand wing.

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Perron has had a nose for the net since he broke in fresh at age 18. He’ll be right back in the thick of it like he always is.

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Looking pretty graceful at practice on November 13th. Who needs moves like an geriatric musician when you can have the moves like Perron?

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As focused as ever on November 20th. Note that his sweater is blue, not red. Progress.

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Tinted visor? Check. White skates? Check.

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Ready to do this. Get me the damn puck.

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Halak: Dude, Sterls… stop talking a second… Did you see Perry? Look!

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Halak: Yeah, he’s ready.

Sterling: Ready for roasted chicken hawks Saturday. Yum.

Brett Sterling's first recall has been a success, but back to Peoria he goes.

With the return of David Perron,  Alex Pietrangelo getting over the flu and the progress of Carlo Colaiacovo a roster transaction or two is a given. Have to make space somehow. The Blues did just that Saturday.

From Blues.NHL.com:

ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced Saturday the club has assigned defenseman Cade Fairchild and forward Brett Sterling to the Blues’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen.

Sterling appeared in four games and Fairchild only one. Neither recorded a point.

The Rivermen, 4-1 losers to the Milwaukee Admirals Friday night, could use the offensive reinforcements and steadying presence. With their depth depleated they’ve dropped five of their last six and have been outscored 23 to 16. In the AHL there is little time to dwell, at least on the weekends. The two teams are back in action tonight in the Rivs host the Ads for their first home game since November 11th. IN the 9 game road trip the Rivermen won four and lost five.

Yes, it’s STILL strange seeing Jamal Mayers playing for the Blackhawks. Image via clydeorama/Flickr

So . . . overtime? I hate the National Hockey League’s idea of overtime, but we had to endure it once again in a 3-2 shootout loss by the St. Louis Blues to the Colorado Avalanche. Furthermore, there were no fights in the contest, so the Blues hold steady with 11 fights this season, currently good for a tie for ninth in the NHL with the Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins. The team’s fight record stands at 5-1-5 on the season.

Remember the 90’s? Well, the Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks seem to have turned back the clock to a time when both divisional opponents were really good . . . y’know, like they were back in the 90’s. This time around, both teams seem to be doing it in different ways – the Blackhawks with more of a scoring touch, and the Blues with more of a defensive approach. Either way, the two teams are very close in both the Central Division and Western Conference standings, and hopefully it stays this way throughout the season. Not only that, it will be hard to imagine the crowd being any more charged than tonight, what with the return of David Perron to live action after a long concussion recovery. Fight-wise, the Blackhawks are also not too far away from the Blues, having squared off in only (two) fewer fights than the Blues. Yet the Hawks are currently tied for 19th in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets with nine fighting majors on the season. The Blackhawks are 1-3-5 in those nine fights. And yes, we have covered the Blackhawks once before this season on Throwdown Lowdown (November 8th, to be exact).

Blackhawks players that have fought this year include former Blue Jamal Mayers (6’1”, 222lbs, 1-1-3) with five fights on the season, Daniel Carcillo (6’0”, 203lbs, 0-2-1 including this loss to Ryan Reaves) with three fights and former Sabre Steve Montador (6’0”, 210lbs, Draw) with one. If you’d like to see a more complete detail on Blackhawks fighters and their fight records from 2010-2011, you can find that in the link above to the November 8th report. It’s starting to get to the point in the season where last year’s fight records are becoming irrelevant compared to this year’s fight records, and while they will not be cut off immediately, I’ll stop posting them for previous opponents and probably stop posting them altogether VERY soon.

What would be hilarious, considering his mouthing-off to Reaves about “ducking” him recently, it would be awesome if, say, Reaves got into it with, say, Mayers . . . WHILE John Scott was on the ice. And let me make this perfectly clear regarding Scott . . . I have a hell of a lot of respect for you as a fighter, but dude, you are not even close to a competent National Hockey League performer, and Reaves has a six-inch height and 30-pound weight disadvantage on you. He is NOT in your weight class, and he is NOT ducking you. So please proceed to shut your tall, wide trap and LEARN HOW TO PLAY RESPONSIBLE HOCKEY IN THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE. /END RANT

What a charged atmosphere this is going to be tonight. Boy, am I glad I will be there. I cannot wait.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

After missing 97 games David Perron will return to the lineup Saturday. Just one day shy of 13 months after suffering a devastating concussion at the shoulder of San Jose’s Joe Thornton.

I could drone on and on about the back story and such, but I’ve done enough of that in the last year. Just search “David Perron” over there on the right. You’ll find it all… I’m honestly tired about giving the one my podcasting cohort Curt Price calls “douchebag” any more attention.

A simple “HOLY CRAP THIS IS AWESOME! PERRON IS BACK!” will suffice.

Be excited.

For those curious about in what capacity we’ll see Perron, Jeremy Rutherford at the Post has the deatils.

Blues coach Ken Hitchcock indicated this week that when Perron did return to the lineup, the team would not be taking it easy on him. Sometimes when top-line players return to the lineup from a long-term injury, coaches work them back in on the third and fourth lines to help them slowly get their timing back.

“No, you can’t do that,” Hitchcock said. “He’s a top-six forward, so if he’s going to play, he’s going to play. … If he gives us the OK, there’s no working him back in. You’re in, you play. No different than (Sidney) Crosby or any of these other guys. No such thing … We’re going to deal with him like he’s a current player and he’s just coming off training camp and go from there.”

Hitchcock plans to play Perron on a line with Patrik Berglund and Chris Stewart.