THE ROUNDUP: Canucks Attempt Torts Reform

Round On The Ends, High In The Middle- Next stop, Columbus. The Canucks look to get back into the win column for the first time since 2011 as they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight. The good news, is that they’re well rested, and taking on a Blue Jackets team that played last night. The bad news? They lost to the Buffalo Sabres in that game. You can bet Torts will have his team fired up to not lose to another basement dweller tonight.

Panarin paying off- In spite of the loss, former Chicago Blackhawk Artemi Panarin is having a tremendous season in Columbus. SBN’s Mary Clarke looks at the Bread Man’s year so far.

Losing Hedman Will Hurt- A lot of things have been going right for the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. Steven Stamkos has stayed healthy, and there may not be a more offensively deep team in the NHL than the Bolts. But they will be without D Victor Hedman for a while after suffering a knee injury, a blow to a team that looks to be a legit Cup threat this year.

Flames Rolling- Credit where it’s due, the Calgary Flames are playing some damn good hockey right now. They rattled off their 5th straight win as they continue to march up the Western Conference standings, in that 5-1 dismantling in Tampa last night.

We Regret To Inform You The Oilers Are Back On Their Bullshit- As bad as management has been in this town, they simply cannot hold a candle to the dysfunction in Edmonton. A team that has been gifted top picks for a decade that has somehow managed to screw that all up is once again bailing on a top prospect, this time it’s Anton Slepyshev. It really makes you wonder how on earth the Canucks lost to a team run by Peter Chiarelli and Jim Benning, doesn’t it?

A Little Positivity For You- Look, I know I am not a glass is half-full guy. So to perk you up before a pretty miserable weekend weather-wise, here’s something to hope for. A draft lottery win and we could see this guy on the blue line.

GAME DAY BATTLE HYMN

Staying in Ohio, today we’re offering up a listen to Cleveland’s Pillars, a crust-doom trio that have just released a new album entitled ‘Abandoned’. You can give the whole thing a listen on Bandcamp, and it’s available in digital form for $6 US or get a physical copy for $8 US. Support underground metal, and enjoy the game!