Road Music: 03/15 @ Anaheim Ducks

Times like these, we should be thankful that the AHL affiliate is so close. San Jose has to draw from Worcester, MA when people get hurt. Think of all the frequent flier miles that they would rack up, should they ever have a year like ours. The Peoria Shuttle is active once again, as Nathan Oystrick joins the team for the California road trip. This is to fill the roster spot of Nikita Nikitin, should his injury keep him out. It seems that being a Blues skater is slightly more dangerous that being a drummer for Spinal Tap. In honor of Nathan's return, and to salute the bravery of those who don the BlueNote:

Don't Fear The Reaper / Blue Oyster Cult

PS... but do Fear the Reaver

The Enemy: The Mighty Ducks (snark) are currently sitting in 10th place, certainly in the thick of the race for a playoff spot but still on the outside looking in. They've won 5 of their last 10, and are hoping to rebound from a 5-2 loss to Phoenix on Sunday. Making this goal tougher is the absence of their All-Star goalie Jonas Hiller; the goalies we can expect are Dan Ellis and/or Ray Emery. Dan Ellis left Tampa Bay earlier this season with a 2.93/.889 stat line, and has posted 2.54/.902 in his 8 games with the Ducks. Ray Emery made his 2010-2011 debut in relief of Ellis in the Sunday game, stopping all 9 shots he faced in the 3rd period. The Emery Comeback Special began with a 3-game stint with  Anaheim's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. His numbers there were 2.62/.925. Also, according to his Wikipedia page, Ray has a tattoo on his right arm that reads "Anger is a Gift". How can you not like this guy? In scoring, they are led by Corey Perry (36G/39A), ancient Teemu Selanne (21G/42A), and Bobby Ryan (32G/28A). And this is too nutty to go without comment: not only is Blue Oystrick Cult getting called up to play for the Blues, he is also still on the books at Anaheim! His previous contract was bought out, and still counts against the Ducks salary cap for this year and next year, according to CapGeek.com. Lastly, we get to see old friend Brad Fucking Winchester tonight. He has 1 goal in the 6 games he's played with the Ducks.

Further Reading:

Anaheim Calling

Blues vs Ducks coverage

As is the case with West Coast games, it's a late start tonight. The puck drops at 9:00 PM St Louis time, with the GDT coming along shortly before that. The broadcasts are on the usual outlets, FSMW for TV and KMOX 1120AM for radio. Until then, this is your pregame warmup: Gather here, start your caffeine IV drip, express your appreciation for Girl Scout Cookies, and enjoy this clip that will help the young'ns out there understand my drummer reference above...

This Is Spinal Tap- Drummers Deaths (via Crimsonjett)

LGB!

-CrossCheckRaise