Chipchura would go on to land a majority of the blows, but both combatants threw enough punches to tire themselves out after 40 seconds and earn a spot on the “Frozen Fisticuffs Fight of the Night” for Tuesday, January 24, 2012.

Both McLeod and Chipchura were able to land numerous shots during this exciting bout, making it difficult for us to pick a winner, but easy for us to award them both with a spot on the “Frozen Fisticuffs Fight of the Night” for Monday, January 16, 2012.

Similar to other lists we’ve done recently (like the best places to watch college basketball), in evaluating NHL venues, we’re looking at a combination of fan enthusiasm, venue amenities, ambiance, and of course quality hockey. Some of the places that made the list have all but one of these qualities. Some have none. Still, creating the list was obviously an exercise in subjectivity, so keep that in mind as you read on.

So who made the list? Click on to find out.

But even when Pavelec wasn’t able to get a piece of his body on the puck, there almost seemed to be a magical force (if you will) helping him out in goal.  That certainly appeared to be the case late in the third period.

With the Coyotes pressing for the game-tying goal, a shot from the point deflected off Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien and appeared to be headed towards the back of the net before taking an inexplicable right turn inside the crease.

That inexplicable right turn, which we’ll assume was the work of some ghosts the Coyotes left behind during their tenure in Winnipeg over 15 years ago, helped secure the Jets’ 1-0 victory.  You can check it out in the video below.

With a 1-3 record in three starts this season to go along with his 3.28 goals against average and .893 save percentage, some Phoenix Coyotes fans might tell you that Jason LaBarbera couldn’t even stop a balloon.  It appears as though the Coyotes’ back-up netminder has proven them right after failing to get his stick on this balloon, which made it’s way onto the ice during a recent game against the Washington Capitals.

Nothing says playoff hockey quite like the face of Johan Franzen, which looks like it has just been shredded with a cheese grater.  The Red Wings’ forward was drilled face first into the boards by Shane Doan early in the first period of Game 2 today against the Phoenix Coyotes.  He had to be helped off the ice and missed a period of action before eventually returning to the game.  The Wings would go on to record the 4-3 victory, giving them a 2-0 series lead.

Only two fights took place around the league last night, and BizNasty was involved in both, as he took on Ryan Reaves in the first period and Tyson Strachan in the second.  The bouts seemed to spark his team, as the Coyotes bounced back from a 1-0 deficit to take the game by a score of 2-1.  As for BizNasty, he would earn a much deserved spot on our “Frozen Fisticuffs Fight of the Night” for Tuesday, March 22, 2011.

Here is a look at both fights.

While the scoreboard makes it appear as though the Coyotes were the dominant team in this game, that was far from the case.  Instead, they were forced to rely heavily on the stellar play of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, who stopped each of the 39 shots he faced for his sixth shutout of the season.

With the win, the Coyotes improve their record to 3-0 against the Flames this season, and they have also moved ahead of them in the Western Conference standings as a result of having one fewer game played.  These two teams will hook up once more on March 15th, giving the Flames a few days to figure out a way to beat Bryzgalov.  They couldn’t do so last night, and as a result, the Coyotes netminder earns our “Stat Line of the Night” for Thursday, March 10, 2011.

The Lightning took advantage of a Phoenix team that appeared to be tired one night after earning a tough overtime victory in Philadelphia, as they cruised to an 8-3 win thanks to an offensive explosion that was paced by Vincent Lecavalier.  The Lightning captain entered the game with only 30 points on the season, but he upped his total significantly with a five-point performance.  His one goal and four assists, along with Teddy Purcell’s first career hat-trick, helped the Lightning jump out to a 7-0 lead.  They wouldn’t look back from there.

With five points, Lecavalier tied ten other players for this season’s highest NHL single-game total.  One of the players on that list is teammate Martin St. Louis, who recorded five assists against the Philadelphia Flyers on November 18.  It is also the second time the Coyotes have watched a member of the opposition reach the five-point total, as the Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin did so on December 20.  This time it would be Vincent Lecavalier assaulting the Phoenix goal, as he earns our “Stat Line of the Night” for Wednesday, February 23, 2011.