RECAPS:

• STL 3 NSH 6 [SLGT] [On The Forecheck]
• NJD 2 STL 5 [SLGT] [All About The Jersey]
• CHI 6 STL 4 [Blues] [Second City Hockey] [The Committed Indian]

SLGT BLUES LINKS:

• We brought in resident analytics guy Robb Tufts on Episode 142 of Beyond Checkerdome to talk about recent games, analytics/stats, goalies of the past and more. [SLGT]
• How is the emergence of Brad Hunt making you feel about the prospect of trading Kevin Shattenkirk? (For me . . . uhhhhh, no.) [SLGT]
• The first episode of this season’s Road to the Winter Classic is reviewed. [SLGT]

OTHER BLUES NEWS:

• There’s going to be a league-sponsored tailgate party at the Winter Classic. And Nelly will be there! [NHL.com]
• Mike Yeo is starting to feel at home with the Blues. Now, time for the unbridled depression of being involved with this franchise! [StL Today]
• What’s Garth Butcher up to these days? [NHL.com / Blues]
• The Blues started Tuesday with Robby Fabbri, Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko on a line, in part exhibiting Ken Hitchcock’s continued commitment to never have Paul Stastny center a line with Vladimir Tarasenko on any kind of consistent basis as long as he’s the head coach of this fucking team. [In the Slot / Lou Korac]

OTHER HOCKEY NEWS:

• Canadiens goaltender Carey Price was not pleased after being pulled from a game after allowing four goals in less than 30 minutes earlier this week. [Montreal Gazette]
• Meanwhile, in Calgary, Flames goaltender Chad Johnson is straight up running with the starter’s job in relatively unexpected fashion. [Puck Daddy]
• So what should the Flames do with our old pal Brian Elliott then? [The Hockey Writers]
• The Capitals did a derp with a Face Swap thing. (LOOK, I DON’T SNAPCHAT, I HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE, OKAY?!) [SB Nation]
• Bruins forward David Pastrnak had what was termed as an “olecranon bursa” in his right elbow. This is also known as “Popeye Elbow”, and it’s a real thing that exists (and boy does it sound painful), but he was day-to-day after surgery to correct it. [NHL.com / Bruins]
• Stars forward Cody Eakin ran a fuckin’ train on Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and was suspended four games for it. Look, I don’t give a shit if Lundqvist flopped at all, that was some bullshit by Eakin and he EARNED those four games. [USA Today]
• Meanwhile, Senators forward Mike Hoffman did stupid things to Sharks forward Logan Couture and was told to ride the press box pine for a couple. [TSN]
• Oilers forward Connor McDavid seems to have the MVP race locked up, says Ryan Lambert. [Puck Daddy]
• Looks like Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick will be out longer than originally anticipated. [LA Kings Insider]
• The NHL and NHLPA will reportedly meet this week regarding player participation in the 2018 Winter Olympic hockey tournament. [Pro Hockey Talk]
• Peter Holland was recently traded by the Maple Leafs to the Coyotes. Not long after, Holland got a game-winning shootout goal to lift the Yotes over . . . the Leafs. [Sportsnet]
• Islanders forward Casey Cizikas got cut in the arm with a skate. Yikes. [Puck Daddy]

OTHER SHIT:

• The good news: Fireball now comes in a box! The bad news . . . my liquor retailer here in Kansas City wants $57 for a 2.5L box of it, when they’re charging $27 for a 1.75L bottle. Fuck. You. [Travel & Leisure]
• It got a bit snowy here in KC as well. Over on the Kansas side of the Missouri River, Northwest Missouri State played a football game in the white stuff at the place where Sporting Kansas City plays. And they won! Aided by this amazing play. [Deadspin / Screengrabber]
• 2016 can eat a pile of dicks. It was Alan Thicke’s turn . . . no less, while he was playing hockey. [TMZ]
• Craig Sager passed away too. Dude was awesome. Seriously. Fuck 2016. And #FuckCancer. [CNN]
• The CFL’s Montreal Alouettes had negotiating rights with one Tim Tebow (currently trying to become a baseball player for reasons no one understands), and their new GM decided to drop those negotiation rights, which have since not been picked up by any of the other eight CFL teams. [Sportsnet]
• Dexter Fowler! [SB Nation]
• If you’ve ever wished to order and eat ramen at a restaurant without interacting with anyone, there’s a place in Brooklyn (and another in Japan) with your name on it. [Travel & Leisure]
• Check out what 24 hours of New York subway travel looks like in a strange graphical form over a span of four minutes. [Mental Floss]

BEER OF THE FORTNIGHT:

• It’s Christmastime again, which means Boulevard gets to produce and distribute their lovely Nutcracker Ale once more. 7.8% ABV, slightly hoppy and quite delicious. [Untappd]

VIDEOS:

First . . . I doubt any NHL team is going to do better than the Penguins did for their holiday video:

Well. Done.

Also, Merry Goddamn Christmas everyone! One of my favorite Christmas tunes is the McKenzie Brothers’ version of “12 Days of Christmas”:

“This should just be the two days of Christmas, it's too hard for us!”

THE CLOSER:

Time to help BluesMay with the Boxing Day links:

• @BluesMay
• slgtlinks AT gmail DOT com