If tonight's games were any indication, the NHL has a very bright future. Tonight belonged to the rookies, and wow, did they shine. Lets take a look at what has happened so far tonight.
We'll start in Toronto where the Leafs fell 3-2 to Ottawa in the NHL's first ever shootout. Eric Lindros scored with 1:32 left in the third period to make it 2-1 Toronto, but Alfreddson scored shortly after, forcing overtime. It went to a shootout, which Ottawa won 2-1. Sundin left early in the first period after being struck by the puck above the eye. He missed the whole game, but the early rumour is that he will be fine to play by Saturday. More won't be known until tomorrow.
The Flyers, ranked by many as the top team in the NHL, fell to the lowly Rangers. Jagr had two goals and one assits (Did you take him in the Powerplay Fantasy League? I Did..). Mike Richards had a very nice goal for the Flyers. Sidney Crosby's debut was nothing special, as Pittsburgh lost 5-1. Crosby assisted on Pittsburgh's only goal, and Zach Parise scored his first NHL goal for New Jersey.
Montreal scored on the powerplay with 11 seconds left to beat Boston 2-1. Micheal Ryder scored the game winner. Buffalo showed the rest of the league that they have a solid offense, beating the Islanders 6-4. Maxim Afinogenov scored twice and J.P. Dumont notched a goal and an assist. Rookie Tomas Vanek also played well for Buffalo, getting one assist.
Alexander Ovechkin has a nice debut, scoring two goals in Washington's 3-2 victory over Columbus, and Paul Kariya scored his first goal as a Predator in Nashville's 3-2 win over San Jose. Back to that Columbus game, rookie Danny Fritsche scored both Columbus goals. Rick Nash left early with a leg injury.
Other scores to tell you about, Detroit rolled over St.Louis 5-1. Datsyuk had a goal and an assist. Tampa Bay cruised to a 5-2 win over Carolina, and Calgary got upset by Minnesota loosing 6-3. Marc Chouinard of the Wild scored his first career hat trick.
Roberto Luongo and the Florida Panthers shut out Atlanta 2-0, rookie goalie Lehtonen left the game in the first period with an undisclosed as of yet injury. Dallas came from behind and beat LA 5-4, Jeremy Roenick did score in this one for the Kings. The other final score to tell you about is Anahiem beat Chicago 5-3. Lupol scored twice for the Ducks, and Selanne and both Niedermayer brothers round out the scoring for Anahiem.
Two games still going on. Colorado and Edmonton are tied 2-2. Smyth and Horcoff have the goals for Edmonton, while Laaksonen and Clark have goals for Colorado. That game is in the second period. Finally, Vancouver leads Phoenix 2-0. Naslund and Ohlund have the goals for Vancouver.
Wow, hockey is back and I'm lovin it. The rookies appear to have taken over the NHL, and I can't wait too see how this season turns out. Who would have thought Philly and Calgary, two teams predicted to meet in the stanley cup, would lose their season opener? Did anyone see Buffalo scoring 6 goals, and how about the offensively challenged New Jersey Devils beating up on Pittsburgh 5-1? Then there was the battle of Ontario, which got off to a great start, with a great game in Toronto. These two teams meet again early next week, and hopefully the Leafs will have Klee and Sundin back for that one.
If you didn't notice, the full Power Play Fantasy League rosters are now up on the main page at http://www.hockeyleaks.com, so make sure to check them out. Remember, stats will not be updated till this weekend, probably Sunday morning. For any of you that attended a game tonight, I'd love for you to email me your stories, as I'd love to know what each team did to make sure they thanked you for coming back. After watching the game tonight, I really do believe that this is my NHL. Have a good night everyone!
