Friday Links: Brian Elliott's Ryan Miller Shutout

First & foremost, I hope all of you in the area are safe this morning. Spring storms in the Midwest can be brutal.

I tweeted this late last night, but here's an interesting stat: only two Sabres last night had a corsi rating over 50% (aka, average): one was our old friend Matt D'Agostini. If anyone can guess the other without looking it up, you get a Gold Star.

BLUES NEWS:

• Bluenotes topped Buffalo 2-1 to set a new team record with 52 wins, and Brian Elliott collected his first Ryan Miller Shutout. Ok, so it wasn't pretty, but since when have Blues fans given a shit about style points? (Oh that's right, since they've been looking for excuses to say that the best season in Blues history still is incapable of winning the whole damn thing.) In any case, here's your recap from Lou. [In The Slot]
• Usually I'd post a recap from the opposition's perspective here, but as of this writing, I can't find one on DbtB or an official Buffalo beat writer. At this point in this season with that team, I don't know if I blame them. But in place of that, here's the highlight of their season: #BUTTGOAL!!! [#BUTTGOAL]
  
• Although he didn't play due to injury, Chris Stewart did make the trip to town, and he evokes a famous reality show when asked about being traded, saying he was "voted off the island." Personally, I'd use a different famous game show phrase to describe what went down. [STLToday]
• This will be mentioned more tomorrow morning, but the Avalanche are the current Conference III Title Belt holders, and tomorrow's 1:00 game against them at DrinkScotch is their last divisional game of the season, so a loss would see Colorado retain The Belt all summer. It goes without saying that cannot be allowed to happen. Here are all of the possible scenarios remaining for The Belt this season. [III Communication]
• I can't find a link for it (feel free to comment with one if you find it), but rumblings are that T.J. Oshie will be on The Today Show this morning to, among other things, give an update on the health of young Lyla Grace. Keep your eyes peeled for that.
  
• Hey, single game tickets for games 1 & 2 against Dallas in the first round go on sale tomorrow morning at 10am. Last year I was able to buy two tickets to game 1 against LA on Stub-Hub for less than $35 less than 36 hours before puck drop. That's great for me, but not great for the team. Let's not let them get that cheap this year, eh? [Blues]
• *sigh*...look, you've read this article before. Maybe not this specific one, but the same kind of article. But let's face it: until it happens, we're going to keep getting them. And to be fair, this one is a lot better than most, with some great quotes from Army, David Backes, & even Bob fucking Plager: Is this The Year for the Blues? [ESPN.com]
  

HOCKEY NEWS:

• Did you know that other teams played last night too? I know, right? [NHL.com 4/3]
• Seven games tonight, but unless you feel like seeing the Devils and Capitals fight for who'll be eliminated from the playoff picture first, the only one of any relevance are the Coyotes hosting the Oilers. The Yotes can take advantage of Dallas' 4-1 loss last night to the Canes and jump back into 8th place. [NHL.com 4/4]
• The Blues are 3 points up on the Ducks for the top seed in the West with both teams having 6 games left. And we once again control our own destiny in the President's Trophy race, if you're into that sort of thing... [NHL.com Standings]
• ...after the Bruins lost in overtime to the Maple Leafs after coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the 3rd. Because the Toronto Maple Leafs insist on drawing out their misery as long as possible. [PPP]
• The marquee match of the night saw the Sharks outlast the Kings 2-1. [Fear the Fin]
• Speaking of the Sharks, could Marc-Edouard Vlasic win the Norris Trophy? Probably not, no, but his argument is a lot better than you might think. (They also compare Vlasic with a number of other candidates, including Alex Pietrangelo.) [Fear the Fin]
• Also in that game, Drew Doughty left the game early with an "upper-body injury" and did not return. Reports say he will make the trip to Vancouver, but if this is a long term thing, that could be a seismic shift in the Western Conference playoffs. (Possibly no Doughty, possibly no Kane, maybe no 100% Toews, only have to play one Cali team...if a second line slump does in the Blues this year, I don't even know...) [Pro Hockey Talk]
• Douglas Murray has been assigned a 3 game Shanaban. So congratulations, Canadiens, on not having to play Douglas Murray for 3 games. [NHL Department of Player Safety]
• Jets forward Evander Kane has been hit with a civil suit accusation of assault by a Vancouver resident. Although he is facing no criminal charges as of yet, should these allegations prove true: congratulations, Winnipeg, on finally having a legitimate reason to dislike a black hockey player. [CBC News]
• Not to get political, but I'd say it's pretty safe to assume that the Founding Fathers didn't write the 2nd Amendment so you could have your handgun with you on the ice of your beer league hockey game. Although if your game is based on intimidation... [Puck Daddy]

OTHER SHIT:

• The grounds crew of the D.C. area NFL team that I refuse to use the name of recently ate a Fudruckers, and "accidentally" tail-ended a car in the parking lot with a Dallas Cowboys license plate. I suppose they were just jealous of those 5 shiny Super Bowl rings I assume the driver was wearing. [Deadspin]
• Now that he's seen the final (hopefully) demise of his long time nemesis, David Letterman announced that he'll retire from The Late Show in 2015. [Variety]
• Have you ever thought about Popping the Question at a baseball game? You'll probably want to know how much it'll cost you - especially if were planning on doing it at Dodger Stadium. Years ago, I went to a Cards game at Busch II, and a guy walked down the aisle to the front of our section with a sign saying "Will You Marry Me?" We all applauded, until he found his lady love, who nonchalantly shrugged him off, as if he were asking her if she wanted to split a plate of nachos. I hope that guy got his money back. [Swimmingly]

VIDEOS:

This Sunday night on HBO will be the season 4 premiere of Game of Thrones, which means that today is the beginning of Westeros Weekend! I wouldn't be the nerd that I am if I didn't help you guys get in on the fun - so for those of you who are still on the fence on watching it, here's the new Honest Trailer (I'm posting the spoiler-free version, but if you're like me and fully caught up with the first 3 seasons, I highly recommend switching to the Full Honest Trailer.)

Later this morning, a SLGT Roundtable discussion on the Blues' recent secondary scoring slump from a number of different angles will be posted for your enjoyment. I wasn't apart of it (because I...errr...forgot...), but I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more of them in the future. In any case, having seen & been a part of a few of these debates on Twitter, I assume the roundtable will go something like this:

What's that? There are things going on in the world other than Blues hockey and Game of Thrones? I don't believe you - you'll have to send me some links to prove it.

• jasonmcadams1120 AT gmail DOT com
• @JMill1120

Like I said, the Roundtable will be brought out later this morning - we even dusted off the nice tablecloth, so don't miss it!