"Canada may have won this one, but it's still the US's hat"

The only time that I cracked a smile after the first period was when I heard that line from Falness coming home from a 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. There were a good number of Habs fan in the house tonight, where usually you would only see a handful of opposing jersey in the stands, there were a handful of opposing jerseys to my right. I guess that's what kind of fan base you have when you've been around for 100 years.

Special Teams
It was Pouliot's holding penalty that Markov scores the go ahead goal, but it was ultimately the suspect slashing call on Mikko that allowed the 5-on-3 opportunity and the Habs opportunity to score the goal. Where was the powerplay in the second? With four 5-on-4 chances and three 5-on-3 chances in the second, the Wild weren't able to get any offense created. Now I understand that you want to pass the puck and get the perfect pass back to create more chance and wider shooting lanes, but what ever happened to sticking a body at the front of the net and throwing the puck at the net? If the Habs are going to march into the penalty box and leave their team shorthanded, why not take advantage of it?

Bench confusion?
I'm sitting in my seat, watching the second period of the game and I see that it's 4-on-4; well, why would this be a big deal? Because the Wild were on a powerplay. I never really notice how many players are on the ice when I'm at the game, or watching on TV (because you can't see the entire ice sheet), but after the third time of it being 4-on-4 when it should have been 5-on-4, I started to notice it more. Does this occur a lot in games, or is it just me?

Notes...
~ Funny, they do the "Let's Play Hockey" after they dropped the puck...refs must've been really anxious tonight.
~ I was hoping to go the whole season without seeing Nordy at the arena, but as I look to my right during the second intermission there he was on FSN ledge.
~ Owen Nolan was a scratched for tonight's game with a "lower body" injury...oh, and this new injury policy is getting on my nerves.
~I'll post more thoughts on the game after I digest the lost more.

Up Next: Saturday @ Phoenix, 9:00pm CT

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Tonight's Games: Results

Buffalo Sabres, 3 vs. New York Rangers, 1
The New York Rangers were handed their first loss by the Buffalo Sabres as they lost 3-1, with their only goal coming from Scott Gomez. Ryan Miller made 17 saves to get the win, while Thomas Vanek scored two goals and Ales Kotalik stopped the Rangers' 23 consecutive penalty kills with a powerplay goal in second to tie the game at 1-1.

Boston Bruins, 3 vs. Montreal Canadiens, 4 SO
How about the Montreal Canadiens who blew a 3-0 lead but winds up winning the game against the Boston Bruins in a shootout with a goal from Tanguay in the shootout and Carey Price stopping all 3 Bruins shooter, including the last shooter former-Canadien Michael Ryder (who was booed every time he touched the puck).

Phoenix Coyotes, 1 vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 4
The Chicago Blackhawks get their first win of the season as they beat the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1 at home. Nikolai Khabibulin made 29 saves en route toward the win as Brian Campbell and Colin Fraser score their first goals as Blackhawks (Fraser's first in the NHL), along with goals from Patrick Sharp and Martin Havlat. Peter Mueller scored for the Coyotes, his first of the season.

Nashville Predators, 4 vs. Dallas Stars, 6
There were a lot of first NHL goals as Patric Hornqvist and former Minnesota Wild draft pick Ryan Jones scored their first NHL goals, and Fabian Brunnstrom scored his first goal, along with his second, and his third in a closely contested game against the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars, in which the Stars get their first win of the season. It is only the third time in NHL history that a rookie has scored a hat trick in his first NHL game (I guess that's why there was all that hype about him during the offseason). Nashville also got goals from Martin Erat and Radek Bonk, while Dallas got their other goals from Mike Modano (2 goals) and Stephane Robidas.

Edmonton Oilers, 3 vs. Anaheim Ducks, 2
Jonas Hiller was strong in his season debut in goal, but his offense was not able to convert on their scoring chances, losing to the Edmonton Oilers 3 – 2, and remaining one of only two NHL teams to have not registered a point in the season (Colorado is the other team).

My 3 Stars of the Night:
1. Fabian Brunnstrom, 3 goals
2. Nikolai Khabibulin, 29 out of 30 saves
3. Thomas Vanek, 2 goals (1PPG, 1SHG)

In other news: anyone find it weird that the first guest on NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's radio show NHL Hour is Whoopi Goldberg? The NHL says that she's a long time NHL fan, but have you ever heard her talk hockey?

~ FOTW

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