Ginger kids can make you cry

Two for roughing, two for unsportsmanlike conduct and two for the Canucks. In a nutshell, that was Raffi Torres's forgettable two-for Tuesday at Rexall Place. And if you're looking to hang another debilitating Oilers loss on somebody in the home unis, the enigmatic winger who can be dangerous at both ends of the ice is certainly your man.
- Edmonton Journal

I know some well intentioned people despise Matt Cooke, but he was well worth every damn penny towards the cap last night. Besides, isn't what Cooke was doing precisely why you keep a guy like Torres around anyway? Torres could have done the same thing and forced the Canucks to over react, so it is what it is. Live and learn.

Special thanks to the Blackhawks for rising from the dead to steal a point from Calgary. Now, please go back to the grave tonight so we can retake first.

Three quick points:
1. I like that Dallas is within reach and San Jose is within striking distance too. The entire Northwest division is going to mess up the upper echelons of this conference. Mikey like.

2. Messier is like the Dick Cheney of the NHL: few outside his inner circle want him around, he maintains an indoctrination center to break the will of the young, and almost no one challenges the absurdity of his statements. Although it would be great to watch the Rangers fall flat with him at the helm, we've all seen that happen since the end of 1994 if I recall accurately (save for the few years he took off to kick the Canucks in the groin for $6 mil a season). Even questionably credible folks in NY are aware of this. (h/t Kukla)

3. As for the "Ultimate Canuck's Fan" contest, it took all of 24 hours for it to go from moronic to frightening and borderline illegal.

You betta bring it. Oh it's already been broughten!

Vancouver should be angered at blowing a game against the Blue Jackets, the very same team that the ideally-tired Oilers just spanked last night. With three straight games against the stubborn Alberta teams, this is certainly no time to have confidence issues in how the Canucks have played the past few. Listening to 1040 during the day you’d think the Canucks were Los Angeles, the fair-weatherness is absurd. Last I checked we still have that long haired guy in net and Tomax and Xamot up front and clearly capable of leading this team. Time for guys like Pyatt and Bulis to step up and Mattias and Beeeska to clamp down in their end and this team will be fine.

Tonight’s Prediction: 4-2 Canucks. Cooke and Torres, respectively, punish anything that moves. Then they meet at center ice and Cooke removes more of Raffi's teeth. The teeth themselves get thrown in the stands and are on eBay this time tomorrow morning.