A Newfoundland native who loves to fight? Naturally, my girlfriend loves Ryane Clowe, but now we both may have to hate him for 4 to 7 games. Image via The Bay Area Bias/Flickr

I guess that will count as a strong finish. The St. Louis Blues took advantage of the mistakes given to them by the Dallas Stars after licking their wounds from Friday night’s beating, taking the battle to the Stars and taking home a 3-2 victory to bring the team into some kind of a momentum swing leading into the playoffs (even if it’s not very negligible). There was a fight in this contest as well, featuring tough veteran Barret Jackman and scrappy youngster Ryan Garbutt, in a fight that was a rare victory for “SIR JAXX”. I recapped this fight as well as the two fights from Friday’s game in this Fight Card piece. As noted in that Fight Card write-up, the Blues finish with 42 fights in the regular season, good for a tie for seventh place in the National Hockey League with the Minnesota Wild, and the Blues’ fight record ends up at a very stellar 17-7-18.

And now, the playoffs begin. As most of you know, the gloves generally stay on during the playoffs, yielding to tight checking, sheer will and determination and low-scoring affairs that feature few – if any – fights. If there ARE fisticuffs, usually they arrive late in games after they are decided as a team tries to turn momentum a different direction from game to game. With this in mind, I will only be doing one Throwdown Lowdown report per series (and hopefully, there will be a total of four series to report on), starting with the Western Conference Quarterfinal series that will start Thursday.

And the lucky opponent for this first round series is none other than our old nemesis from Northern California, the San Jose Sharks. A perennial powerhouse in years past, the Sharks staggered at times this season, getting caught up in a mess at the bottom of the playoff standings. As it turns out, they received a 7 seed, earning this draw with the Blues, a team they lost four out of four to in the regular season. This is not to say that this series will be easy . . . this Sharks team can get hot at a moment’s notice and can reach out and grab anyone, the Blues included. We’ll see how this goes. We covered the Sharks four times this season (October 15th, December 10th, February 12th and March 3rd). The Sharks were a middle-of-the-pack fighting team this season as they generally end up being every year, finishing in a four-way tie for 14th in the NHL with three teams that did not make the postseason – the Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets. Their fight record was relatively average at 11-12-12.

The Sharks are led in fights by Newfoundland native and bench puck player Ryane Clowe (6’2”, 225lbs, 3-1-5) with nine fights on the season. An old friend of ours, Brad Winchester (6’5”, 230lbs, 2-1-3), follows him with six fights, while veteran defenseman Jim Vandermeer (6’1”, 210lbs, 0-3-2) fought five times this season. Andrew Desjardins (6’1”, 210lbs, 1-2-0) fought three times this season. Fighting twice each as Sharks are now-Avalanche forward Jamie McGinn (6’1”, 210lbs, 1-0-1 as a Shark and 1-0-2 overall, sent to Colorado as part of a six-piece trade) and Tommy Wingels (6’0”, 190lbs, 1-0-1). Eight Sharks have fought once each, and they include Dan Boyle (5’11”, 190lbs, Win), Colin White (6’4”, 215lbs, Win), team Captain Joe Thornton (6’4”, 230lbs, Win), Douglas Murray (6’3”, 240lbs, Loss, currently day-to-day with an undisclosed injury), Frazer McLaren (6’5”, 250lbs, Loss, currently with AHL Worcester), Joe Pavelski (5’11”, 195lbs, Loss), Justin Braun (6’2”, 200lbs, Loss) and Torrey Mitchell (5’11”, 190lbs, Loss). Also of note are newcomers from the Avalanche from the aforementioned trade, Daniel Winnik (6’2”, 210lbs, 0-2-0 including, ironically, a loss to Clowe) and TJ Galiardi (6’2”, 190lbs, Draw).

Again, with the playoffs, it’s a crapshoot to predict who will fight who, and you really can’t predict such activity anyway, as usually such activity comes in late-game activity from late hits, net scrums and the like. As such, I will not be able to give even reasonable guesses as to who will fight who, but I will predict that there will be some fisticuffs in this series at some point.

It’s playoff time. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long while now. Get it done, gang. Hopefully, a fresh report will be yours before the Western Conference Semifinals. Until then . . .

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

We’ll start with the first of two fights Friday night, featuring noted agitator Raffi Torres and pesky third-line winger Matt D’Agostini. It did not end well for D’Ags:

I don’t know about either the boarding call that D’Ags received or the Instigator Torres received (then again, I hate just about every Instigator call because that should not be a rule that’s still on the books . . . but I digress). What I DO know, though, is that D’Ags – while showing he was a willing participant – got his ass kicked in the brief time this fight lasted, not really getting one punch away while Torres landed several rights. This fight kinda sucked, actually, as it lasted about 10 seconds and didn’t really show much.

Next, a scrap between former Jacket Rostislav Klesla and a guy who has been a bit of an enigma all season for the Blues, Chris Stewart. This was interesting and kinda stupid:

This had been brewing for a time, because of how testy the game had gotten, and after a couple hits on a few Coyotes players by Stewart, Klesla decided he’d seen enough. As for the fight itself, it was basically a grab, a couple punches, a pull and a takedown. It was a clear draw, and really not worth my time.

Finally on Saturday, grizzled veteran Barret Jackman showed his mean side with youngster Ryan Garbutt in an affair that did not end well for the young Stars forward:

This started out as a gropefest, which is the fault of both players, but once Jackman – a natural southpaw – got his left arm free, this one was over for Garbutt, who tried getting his right arm loose for a few shots but basically flailed at air. A few lefts from Jackman, and we’ll call this an easy victory for the veteran, who gets props for letting up after Garbutt was kneeling on the ice.

The weekend’s win, loss and draw put the Blues at 42 fights on the regular season, good for a tie for seventh overall with the Minnesota Wild, holding a fight record of 17-7-18. Generally, a team that finishes third overall in the NHL standings doesn’t do that well in fights, but this Blues team has been defying expectations at all levels this year, so it’s not a shock to me.

On Wednesday, look for my Unscientific 2012 First Round Predictions. On Thursday, look for my Throwdown Lowdown preview of the Blues’ Western Conference Quarterfinals series with the San Jose Sharks (yes, one post for the whole series). And at some point after the playoffs are over for the Blues (hopefully after the Stanley Cup Finals, eh?), I will post videos of every fight the Blues were involved in during the 2011-2012 regular season and postseason. But for right now . . . to borrow a phrase from broadcaster Joe Buck used to describe the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals . . . “What a team. What a ride.”

Paul Bissonnette has one of the league’s top personalities. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

A great defensive and goaltending struggle happened between the St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings, and it ended in a 1-0 loss after a shootout (GOD I HATE THE SHOOTOUT!). But screw that . . . THERE WAS A FIGHT IN THE GAME! Yes, Chris Stewart dropped the gloves with Kyle Clifford and was able to defeat him on points, as was recapped in this Fight Card piece. So the Blues move up to 38 fights on the National Hockey League season, good for a tie with the New Jersey Devils for eighth position on that ladder. With the fight win, the Blues’ fight record goes up to 16-5-17, which is pretty much brilliant.

To the desert the Blues go to face another Pacific team on the playoff prowl, the Phoenix Coyotes. After absolutely lighting the league on fire in the month of February and getting themselves in the playoff conversation, the Coyotes have cooled off down the stretch. Their then-spectacular goaltending has regressed closer to the mean, the team has been felled by a few injuries and their schedule is a bit tougher than it once was. But they’re still a factor and are not to be taken lightly. We’ve covered the Coyotes a couple times already (December 23rd and January 3rd). Needless to say, their fighting has picked up since the last Blues-Yotes meeting, but they’re still very low in the fight standings – 24th place in the NHL, to be exact – fighting 24 times total, with results that are relatively even at 7-8-9.

The Coyotes are led in fights by The Most Awesome Twitter Follow In Hockey, Paul “BizNasty” Bissonnette (6’2”, 216lbs, 1-2-4), with seven fighting majors on the season. He’s followed by two journeyman veterans of the practice, Kyle Chipchura (6’2”, 203lbs, 2-2-2) with six fights and veteran agitator Raffi Torres (6’0”, 208lbs, 1-1-2) with four fights, not to mention long-time Yotes Captain Shane Doan (6’1”, 233lbs, 2-0-0, Currently “Shanabanned”) with two fights. There are five solo fighters on this list, and they are Taylor Pyatt (6’4”, 228lbs, Win, day-to-day with the dreaded “Upper Body Injury”), Chris Summers (6’2”, 209lbs, Draw), former Blue Jacket Rostislav Klesla (6’3”, 223lbs, Loss), Martin Hanzal (6’6”, 236lbs, Loss) and Keith Yandle (6’1”, 190lbs, Loss).

Ryan Reaves seems to be my go-to guy for a fight against a battling team, but he doesn’t really match up size-wise with the best fighters on the team (he’s too big). So, unless he’s a healthy scratch again, BJ Crombeen going at it with either BizNasty or Chipchura would probably suffice, if a fight happens.

Today’s my 31st birthday. All I ask is for a win from these guys tonight, to stay ahead of the others in the chase for the number one seed in the West. Is that too much to ask?

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Mark Recchi wants Maxim Lapierre to bite his hand. Image via slidingsideways/Flickr

When the St. Louis Blues have all cylinders firing, they are a scary club to watch if you’re an opponent. We caught a glimpse of that kind of hockey club last night in seeing them dismantle the young Edmonton Oilers piece-by-piece last night in a 5-2 victory where the score really didn’t indicate how much of a dominating performance The Note put on. There were fighting majors issued in this one to Ryan Reaves and Darcy Hordichuk, though as you could tell from this Fight Card piece, you could argue that neither of them really deserved that much because Hordichuk slipped early. With that fight, though, the Blues are still 10th in the National Hockey League in fights with 31 on the season, but now tied with the Minnesota Wild in that category. With the draw, the Blues’ fight record moves to 13-6-12.

And westward we go to face the top team in the Western Conference, the Vancouver Canucks. Last year, when the Canucks were making their playoff run, people thought of this team as soft (though it wasn’t exactly founded on truth). Wary of this, the Canucks have added some tough guys to their bunch to give the team a bit of a rugged feel. You’ll see some of those newcomers below among the fighters, but really, they didn’t need to do much to their team to be near the top of the league. Nevertheless, they were active at the trade deadline and did pick up some useful pieces. We’ve covered the Canucks three times this season, all games in which the Blues picked up points against this squad (October 26th, November 4th and January 12th). The Canucks are seventh by themselves in the NHL with 34 fighting majors collected on the season, carrying a relatively mediocre 9-16-9 record.

The Canucks are led in fights by two bona-fide pests, Maxim Lapierre (6’2”, 207lbs, 2-4-1 including a Loss to Roman Polak) and Dale Weise (6’2”, 210lbs, 0-4-3 including a Draw with BJ Crombeen), with seven fights each. Next is a man that’s done for the season with injury, Aaron Volpatti (6’0”, 215lbs, 0-3-2, on IR after having season-ending shoulder surgery), with five fights and a man whose season MIGHT be over, Keith Ballard (5’11”, 208lbs, 3-1-0, on IR with headaches) with four fights. Kevin Bieksa (6’1”, 198lbs, 2-0-1) has fought three times, while Byron Bitz (6’5”, 215lbs, 2-0-0, currently with Chicago of the AHL) and Andrew Alberts (6’5”, 218lbs, 0-1-1) have fought twice each. There are four solo fighters, and they are Mike Duco (5’10”, 200lbs, Draw, currently with Chicago of the AHL), David Booth (6’0”, 212lbs, a Loss to Scott Nichol), Victor Oreskovich (6’3”, 215lbs, currently with Chicago of the AHL) and Aaron Rome (6’1”, 218lbs, Loss). Another man to look out for is the newly-acquired Zack Kassian (6’3”, 214lbs, 1-0-1 as a member of the Sabres).

Some intriguing rematch possibilities lie in this game, but I’m going for the big one here . . . namely, a fight between Kassian and Reaves. Kassian wants to endear himself to his new teammates, and Reaves matches up almost perfectly size-wise to the big man. It is certainly possible.

KEEP. WINNING.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Nope, STILL not used to this. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

That seemed easy, yet difficult. The St. Louis Blues easily handled a team in full free-fall mode, dominating the Minnesota Wild 4-0 in a game where a frustrated Wild team decided to resort to cheap tactics against a team they will not play again this year. Being that it appears the Wild will fall outside of the playoff picture despite a strong start, they will not see the Blues again until next year, and they sure acted like it. Despite the antics (which I will not get into here), there were no fighting majors issued in the contest. So the Blues stay at 27 fighting majors collected on the season, good for a tie for 11th in the National Hockey League in the category with the Buffalo Sabres and today’s opponent in that category. The Blues’ fight record holds steady at a very solid 13-3-11.

Forward to Chicago for a “Hockey Day In America” matchup with the despised Chicago Blackhawks. After losing nine straight games and appearing that they were dead in the water, the Hawks have taken two straight – one over the New York Rangers, the East’s top team, at their building . . . and one over the Columbus Blue Jackets, who despite their effort on Tuesday in beating the Blues, are a friggin’ disaster. We’ve covered the Blackhawks for two home games previously (November 8th and December 3rd). The Blackhawks, as alluded to earlier, are tied with the Blues and Sabres for 11th in the NHL with 27 fighting majors collected on the season (two of which came yesterday afternoon in Columbus). Their fight record stands near perfectly average at 8-7-12.

14 of the Hawks’ 27 fights are shared between two players, one of which is done for the season. They are Jamal Mayers (6’1”, 222lbs, 3-1-5) with nine and Daniel Carcillo (6’0”, 203lbs, 1-3-1 including a Loss to Ryan Reaves, out for the season after blowing out his knee in hilariously illegal fashion) with five fights. Following them are John Scott (6’8”, 270lbs, 3-0-0) and Steve Montador (6’0”, 210lbs, 0-2-1, on IR with the dreaded “Upper Body Injury” with three fights and Andrew Shaw (5’10”, 180lbs, 1-1-0, recently reassigned to Rockford of the AHL) and Bryan Bickell (6’4”, 233lbs, 0-0-2) with two fights each. The Hawks have three solo fighters, and they are Dave Bolland (6’0”, 184lbs, Draw), Sean O’Donnell (6’2”, 238lbs, Draw) and recent call-up Jimmy Hayes (6’6”, 221lbs,Draw).

I have been saying all season that I want to see Mayers and Reaves fight, and why not? They’re both tough guys, they match up very well size-wise and one’s a wily vet while the other’s a youngster just making it on his own in this league. I say it finally happens today.

Beat Chicago.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

(25/23/9)

vs

St. Louis Blues

(35/15/7)

at 

Scottrade Center

Game Time 1:00pm

TV- FS-MW(HD) Radio- KMOX

St. Louis Team Recap- The St. Louis Blues are coming off a 5-1 win over the New York Islanders in a game where the Blues scored more goals then they had on the previous 3 games. Once the Blues broke open the scoring it was all a down hill slide for Isle back up goal tender Al Montoya. With Nabakov out with the flu Montoya was called upon on short notice to take on the high flying Blues. It was obvious Montoya had not played in awhile and was very rusty with his angles and vision on the puck. The Blues welcome in the Minnesota Wild today and look to pick up another two points in an attempt to keep pace with the NHL darling Red Wings.

St. Louis Keys To The Game- It is very simple for St. Louis today. Stay out of the penalty box and funnel as many pucks to the net as possible. If they can keep it tight defensively and not allow a talented Wild team time and space the Blues should be able to pick up another W for the win column.

St. Louis Expected Lines:

57-42-74

10-21-15

17-44-26

32-12-25

Elliot/Bishop

Minnesota Wild Team Recap- Looking at the team now as opposed to a few months ago you will find that they are a meer shell of the team that at one point lead the entire NHL in the standings. Shotty goal tending and bad team defense has lead Minnesota down a loosing path that seems to be oozing blood still. Sitting in the 12th place currently 6 points out of a very tight western conference the Wild are on the outside looking in wondering just what the hell happened to their season. Key injuries to players such as Devin Setagochi and Mikko Koivu at points during the season really hurt the teams over all game. I am not convinced that the Wild have what it takes to make the play offs this season but I have been wrong before.

Minnesota Wild Keys To The Game- Simple, Keep the puck out of your own zone. The Wild have to find a way to keep the puck away from the Blues. The Wild also have to find a way to make time and space for their players to maneuver in with the puck. The Blues do a superb job at eliminating these key factors of the game on most days which make it especially tough for the opposition to score on them. With Elliot expected to get the start for the Blues, the Wild will be facing a 1.61 GAA which is tops in the NHL. Pucks to the net with traffic will be key for the Wild and pestering the Blues into taking bad penalties will have to be part of the game plan for Minnesota. If the Wild don’t control the flow of this game it could get ugly in a hurry…. Think 5 or 6-1….

St. Louis Team News- Alex Steen remains out on the road to recovery from a concussion suffered over a month ago. Steen has skated with the team in practice but has yet to kick all of his symptoms. defenseman Kent Huskins has found his way back from injury and worked himself in just one game into Hitch’s favor. Hitch commented that Huskins was strong defensively and was steady and reliable. As for defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo, Carlo may be sitting for awhile while Huskins shows him how to be Pietroangelo’s partner. Carlo injured his wrist in practice this week and was a no go in the game against the Islanders. Carlo has since been released to play but Hitch will be sticking with Huskins for the time being. Matt D’Agostini was reported as being at the rink the other day but did not skate or participate in any practice activities. No time table for his return has been made offical. With Jaroslav Halak battling the flu Peoria super star goalie Ben Bishop will make the trip up to the big club to back up Brian Elliot today. Ben as many of you know will be a UFA at the end of this season and is poised to be a starting goal tender some where in the NHL this up coming season. Ben is eager to get into an NHL line up sooner then later but will fulfil his role as a Blue/Rivermen until said time comes for him to part ways with the organization.

It is Mardi Gras in St. Louis so make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to get to the Scottrade Center for the 1pm start this afternoon. Toot your horns and let out your inner Blunatic and cheer on the Blues to another victory!! Let’s Go Blues!!!!

Jason Arrrrrrrrnot, aka, Bluebeard the Pirate

What isn’t there to love about the 5-1 schlomping of the Islanders? The fact that only one person guessed Jason Arnott correctly as the Blues first goal scorer. Congrats Mike W!

Who will score first for the Blues tonight? Give us your best guess!  Remember, you just need to comment on this post to be entered into the contest; the person with the most correct guesses at the end of the season will win a Blues themed prize (prize still TBD).

Game Info:

Location: Scottrade Center – St. Louis, Missouri

Opposing Netminder: Nicklas Backstrom (unconfirmed per Daily Faceoff - Follow @RussosTrib or check DF later today.)

Expected Line Combos: Per Lou Korac’s Game Day post from February 16th – No changes expected
Forward Lines:
Perron – Backes – Oshie
McDonald – Berglund – Langenbrunner
Sobotka – Arnott – Crombeen
Porter – Nichol – Stewart

Defensive Pairings:
Jackman – Shattenkirk
Huskins – Pietrangelo
Russell – Polak

This is one of the top Wild enforcers due to injuries and demotions. Yes, Darroll friggin’ Powe. Image via Dinur/Flickr

That was a nice little bounce-back game, I’d say. You could say the St. Louis Blues were playing a weakened New York Islanders team, and I would probably agree with that (top goaltender Evgeni Nabokov could not play due to illness), but a 5-1 win over a team in playoff contention in the Eastern Conference is nothing to sneeze at, no matter what the circumstances, especially for a team like The Note that has had trouble scoring goals as of late. All that said, there were no fights in the contest, which was probably to be expected as the Isles don’t fight much and Ryan Reaves was told to take a spot in the press box buffet line anyway. I swear I’ll get over it. The Blues are now tied for 11th place in the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres with 27 fighting majors. There was a correction in BJ Crombeen’s fight – it was NOT a draw, and in fact he was judged (somehow?) to have won that fight. Taking away the draw and adding a win, the team’s fight record now stands 13-3-11.

Afternoon games? Yes, there are two of them this weekend, and we start with possible future division/conference mate, the Minnesota Wild. When the Blues played the Wild on November 5th, Minnesota was in the thick of the playoff race. When the two teams played on November 19th, the Wild were second in the Western Conference and first in the Northwest Division. When the two teams squared off on January 14th, the Wild were sliding back in the playoff hunt but still held onto eighth place in the conference. Today, the Wild are in full free-fall mode, and while they’re still 10 points within a playoff spot, they’re thought to be possible trade deadline sellers. Hot starts can be a bitch, especially when you don’t follow up on them. Anyway, the Wild have fought 29 times this season, currently ahead of the Blues and good for a tie for eighth place in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils in the category. Their fight record, however, is relatively average at 10-9-10.

14 of the Wild’s 29 fights are shared amongst two players, neither of whom will be playing in this game. They are Brad Staubitz (6’1”, 215lbs, 4-3-2 including a Loss to Reaves, currently with Houston in the AHL) with nine and Clayton Stoner (6’3”, 225lbs, 2-2-1 including a Loss to Chris Stewart, on IR with a “Lower Body Injury”) with five. Following them is youngster Matt Kassian (6’4”, 232lbs, 2-0-2) with four fights and Justin Falk (6’5”, 215lbs, 2-0-1 with the Draw coming against David Backes) and Darroll Powe (5’11”, 212lbs, 0-0-3 with a Draw against Scott Nichol) with three fights apiece. Solo fighters include Carson McMillan (6’1”, 200lbs, Draw, on IR with a “Lower Body Injury”), Nick Johnson (6’1”, 183lbs, Loss), Warren Peters (6’0”, 195lbs, Loss), Nate Prosser (6’2”, 195lbs, Loss) and Cal Clutterbuck (5’11”, 213lbs, Loss).

Call it a hunch, but I don’t really expect a fight in this contest, especially with so many rematch possibilities falling by the wayside due to the injuries and demotions and such. But if there’s something to happen, expect it to be Crombeen going with Kassian. It would be an interesting tilt and a grand departure from the marathon Derek Dorsett tried to goad Crombeen into on Tuesday.

A second win heading into a nationally-televised game in Chicago would be quite nice, actually.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

Word is that you MIGHT remember this guy. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

Road wins are really cool, y’know. The St. Louis Blues were able to snag a big two points in Ottawa on Tuesday in Brian Elliott’s return to the place he called home to begin his National Hockey League career, earning a win over the Ottawa Senators 3-1. There was an early scrap between two familiar opponents, and it was recapped here. Zenon Konopka is ready and willing to throw down at a moment’s notice, and he did just that with BJ Crombeen, though the fight was largely unspectacular and ended in a draw. With that fight, the Blues move up to 26 fighting majors collected on the NHL season, still good for a 10th place tie with the Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild in that category. With the draw, the team’s record moves to 12-3-11. That is still quite impressive, I would say.

Welcome to the swamp! The Blues’ road train moves to Newark, NJ to face the New Jersey Devils. You may recall that a recent popular figure on Blues teams of the past signed with this squad in the offseason, and while I’ll mention him later, you can only imagine how fired up he will be to see his old squad. As a result of some tough veteran members of the team, some youngsters needing to play because of injuries and some other acquisitions through various sources, the Devils have themselves a fisticuffs-ready club, top to bottom. The Devils are tied for seventh in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks, each team having 28 fights. The Devils’ fight record is quite alright at 11-8-9.

You may recognize the Devils’ leader in fighting majors this season, as he is our aforementioned “Old Friend” (and one of my personal favorites due to his sheer perseverance). Yes, I’m talking about the one and only Cam Janssen (6’0”, 215lbs, 0-1-5), who has collected six fights this season. Following CamSmash is the veteran duo of Eric Boulton (6’1”, 225lbs, 4-1-0) and David Clarkson (6’1”, 200lbs, 3-1-1), who have each fought five times. Ryan Carter (6’1”, 200lbs, 0-2-1, Day-To-Day with a hand injury) has fought three times, but is not expected to play tonight. Brad Mills (6’1”, 195lbs, 1-1-0, recently sent to Albany of the AHL) has fought twice this season. Mark Fraser (6’4”, 220lbs, 1-0-0 as a Devil and 1-0-1 overall, traded to Anaheim in December and currently in the AHL) fits a special category as he HAS fought twice this season, but only one of them was with New Jersey. Other Devils “solo fighters” include another guy in that Anaheim trade, Rod Pelley (5’11”, 200lbs, Win, traded to Anaheim in December), as well as team superstar Ilya Kovalchuk (6’3”, 230lbs, Win), Tim Sestito (5’11”, 200lbs, Draw, currently with AHL Albany), Alexander Urbom (6’4”, 215lbs, Draw, currently with AHL Albany) and Calder Trophy candidate Adam Henrique (6’0”, 195lbs, Loss).

I’m pretty sure if Janssen plays, he will be fighting someone. Expect the opponent to be the guy who basically took his job, Ryan Reaves, if anyone. It would be hard to imagine him fighting anyone else.

Two wins in a row over the Eastern Conference would be mighty fun, for sure.

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights

He’s a badass fighter, he’s a entrepreneur, he’s a face-off wizard and he has an awesome Polish name. This is the current NHL leader in fighting majors, Zenon Konopka. Image via BridgetDS/Flickr

Well, that sucked. The St. Louis Blues were hoping to break their struggles with the Nashville Predators, but instead found out how good Pekka Rinne really is . . . AGAIN . . . in a 3-1 regulation loss in Tennessee on Saturday. A great fight happened, and it was recapped here. Sure, Ryan Reaves performed admirably AND bloodied fight veteran Brian McGrattan, but McGrattan won by landing more quality punches. So the Blues move up to 25 fighting majors collected on the National Hockey League season, which is good for a 10th place tie with the Minnesota Wild in that category, and with the fight loss, the team’s record moves to 12-3-10.

Now, back to Canada, and in this instance it’s Canada’s national capital to face Brian Elliott’s former team, the Ottawa Senators. The Sens were hot to begin the 2011-2012 campaign, but since have cooled to the tune of losing six straight games leading into tonight’s match. Not only that, Elliott played well enough to earn an All-Star Game appearance in his old stomping grounds, and now he’s back. That said, this could be a trap game, but who knows? Anyway, the Sens are one of the top fighting teams in the league, largely due to one man (he is pictured above, but more on him later). They are in fifth by themselves with 36 fighting majors collected on the NHL season. Their fight record? It is perfectly even and average, at 12-12-12. (No, that is not a typographical error.)

The Sens’ leader in fights also leads individual fighters in the NHL and is a face-off wizard, Zenon Konopka (6’0”, 209lbs, 6-7-3), with 16 fighting majors collected on the season. Following him is Chris Neil (6’1”, 215lbs, 3-1-1) with five fights. Noted league meathead Matt Carkner (6’4”, 237lbs, 2-1-0) and Zack Smith (6’2”, 212lbs, 0-1-2) have each fought three times. Nick Foligno (6’0”, 210lbs, 1-0-1), rookie Colin Greening (6’3”, 212lbs, 0-0-2) and Jesse Winchester (6’1”, 206lbs, 0-1-1, on IR with a concussion) have each fought twice. Solo fighters include Brian Lee (6’3”, 205lbs, Draw, on IR with the dreaded “Lower Body Injury”), former Coyote Kyle Turris (6’1”, 195lbs, Draw) and recent top-ten pick Jared Cowen (6’5”, 230lbs, Loss).

My guess is that if there IS a fight, it would be between Reaves and Konopka, despite Konopka giving two inches and about 30 pounds to Reaves. Konopka is one tough S.O.B., and he commands respect just about every time he drops his gloves.

Time to get back to some winning, don’t you think?

LET’S GO BLUES!!!!!

Information obtained via the incomparable Fried Chicken’s Hockey Fights