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A busy (and exciting) Thursday night in the NHL. Roy, Gaborik, Bishop, and Jagr were all difference makers in their respective debuts with new teams.

 

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Picked a good Canucks game to go to – Pavel Bure was in the house, and got a rousing standing ovation from the crowd. He's the reason I fell in love with hockey. What a great moment.

 

 

For the Oilers, their kids line was really good at creating offense. The rest of the team… not so much. Sam Gagner has been great in 2013, but he was awful last night.

 

 

Derek Roy looked really good for Vancouver – he was dynamic with Chris Higgins. They created at least five or six high quality scoring chances. Roy is going to fit in quite nicely down the stretch run.

 

 

Cory Schneider was rock solid in goal – he wasn't tested early but made some  nice saves down the stretch.

 

 

Roy also played on the PK and second PP unit.

 

 

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Jaromir Jagr scored his first goal as  a Bruin, and Tuukka Rask did the rest – 40 save shutout.

 

 

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Evander Kane looks a little angry here, no? 17 PIM must help a few pools out there:

 

 

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Flyers/Leafs game was a lot of fun to watch. Spotty goaltending, hits, offense, this game had all of the ingredients for great TV.

 

 

Joffrey Lupul left after getting smashed by a few Flyers, but apparently he isn't concussed. Hopefully not – he has battled some serious injuries recently, and has been playing great hockey since coming back.

 

 

Here is more on Lupul from the post game pressers.

 

 

James van Riemsdyk scored his first goal in 11 games for Toronto. He had a great game, and was taking the puck to the net more than he has in recent games (and not a surprise it led to a goal).

 

 

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Ben Bishop sure made quite the Tampa debut – 45 save shutout. What a performance. Bishop is going to play a lot down the stretch as the Lightning already know what they have with Garon and Desjardins.

 

 

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Another two points for PK Subban, who is playing his way towards a Norris Trophy.

 

 

Michael Ryder added two goals and an assist – he adds a dynamic to the Montreal offense (quick strike offense) that they may have been missing before the trade. Ryder isn't overly big or fast, but he knows where to go on the ice, and he always has his stick ready to fire the puck on goal.

 

 

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Dubinsky and Gaborik looked great together for the Rangers, erm, the Blue Jackets, last night. Gaborik scored the game winner.

 

Bobrovsky stopped all but one of the 39 shots he faced. His sensational season continues.

 

 

It will be interesting to see how the Jackets spread their offense out – they suddenly have a pretty potent attack with the Gaborik trade and Dubinsky returning from injury.

 

 

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Phoenix goaltender Chad Johnson was great last night – 32 saves on 34 shots. Did anyone make the smart move and scoop him off the wire? Phoenix goalies are money in the bank.

 

 

Keith Yandle had two helprs last night, but he saw less ice time than Stone, Ekman-Larsson, Morris, and Klesla.

 

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Some beauty goals in this shootout last night:

 

 

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One of my favourite prospects in hockey, Nick Bjugstad, is making his NHL debut this Saturday for the Panthers. Florida’s prospect pool is incredible, and Bjugstad has top line upside. It will be interesting to see how the team deploys him in the future, as Drew Shore and Jonathan Huberdeau are also centers (although Huberdeau has been on the wing in 2013).

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I admire Dave Nonis’s stones for sticking with Reimer and Scrivens. Luongo would have been an instant upgrade for that team, but he didn’t want to take on the term of that contract (and many are speculating how serious he really was in the Luongo trade from the beginning).

I think the draft presents a better chance for the Canucks to move Luongo, and as crazy as it sounds I still wouldn’t count out the Flyers (buying out Bryzgalov). What a nightmare in goal for them once again. And before I get criticized, I realize Bryzgalov has had some great/good stretches of play this season. But it just isn’t working out for him in Philly. And if Steve Mason is the answer, I’ll eat some crow (seem to be doing that a bit lately).

Here’s a post-deadline roundup of the Luongo reactions, from the various sides and sources.

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This title sums up the Oilers – it’s Taylor Hall’s bus and we are just along for the ride. Wow has he been good this season, especially over the past month or so. 50 goals on the horizon within the next few years? If the Oilers can get a few more d-men who can move the puck, it could be within the realm of possibility.

And Hall’s season is even more impressive with some historical context behind it:

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Reid Boucher is off to quite the start with the Devils AHL club – the diminutive forward has four points in two games. Tons of offensive upside (top line), but he’s a risk to get there. Small, and still a bit raw. However, encouraging early returns in the pro game, which is a great sign.

John Merrill has five assists in his first three pro games with Albany – again, he is a prospect with a lot of upside. Great skating two-way defenseman who plays with an edge. He will be in New Jersey very, very soon.

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There are some KHL rumblings around Michal Neuvirth, which has to excite Braden Holtby owners. Neuvirth hasn’t been very good this year (a contract year, too).

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Some harsh words from On Frozen Blog (Caps blog) – on the Erat/Forsberg swap – a “desperate move by a desperate GM.”

I can see the reasoning behind the deal – the time to win in Washington is the next two or three years, and Erat helps more over that time than Forsberg does (and he has a reasonable cap hit/contract for a top six winger). However, Forsberg is a highly-touted prospect, and this is the kind of move that could come back to bite Washington in the behind in the (not too distant) future.

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Down Goes Brown with eight reasons why the trade deadline is getting worse.

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According to Jason Botchford (Canucks reporter), Ryane Clowe wants/wanted an eight-year, $34 million contract extension. Wow. I wonder what the Rangers will give him? That cap hit is OK for a top six winger (which Clowe has been in the past), but giving that kind of term to a non-superstar is rarely a move that works out for the team involved.

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Bure, Bure, Bure!