Just a few quick bullets on tonight's game to give you some topics for discussion and then we've got yet another hockey paper to start working on.
- Never mind the team, the crowd was on fire tonight. With the exception of the latter half of the second period, it was a wild, engaged, loud crowd. The players were clearly feeding off that energy at the outset of the game and it seemed like it gave them some extra jump in OT as well.
- Brett Hull got some more camera time during the game and went un-Hull on us all, giving us some nice soundbites that weren't nearly shocking enough to make the paper tomorrow. I kinda wished he'd have said something a little less thought out. Or taken another shot at Keenan.
- Keith Tkachuk in the crowd tonight and his appearance on the jumbotron got him a nice ovation too. Keith, no idea what you're waiting on, but it's time to get your teeth put back in. You're in public, buddy.
- The few Flyers fans in attendance tried to be as Philly as possible, but they ain't no Eagles fans. Of course, after the OT goal they got to take way more than their share of abuse.
- Eric Brewer and Barret Jackman are named the number three and number two stars of the game. Really? I thought Jackman played a solid, steady game, but Brewer didn't do anything that looked worthy of praise. With the exception of a poorly timed blowout while on the offensive point, I didn't think he did anything too bad, either. This smacks of a rig job to me.
- T.J. Oshie, do us a favor and take one big step to your right. Great, thank you. Jaroslav Halak, you may now assume the number one position on the Blues Fans Popularity Chart. I don't want to go too overboard on Game One, but Halak gave his team the type of goaltending we've been pining for around here for years. He made all the easy stops and he made some really difficult stops and he did it all while looking very technical in his movements. He was excellent at seeing the puck through traffic and didn't seem to get knocked off kilter when Flyers were parked right in his crease.
- Our Silent Jay McClement For Selke campaign got a nice boost today as we gave away hundreds of our free signs to people. Hopefully we'll see them popping up on the jumbotron over the next few games and people will start doing the research. This is no frivolous joke of a movement; we honestly believe that McClement is a legitimate Selke candidate and he has been in each of the last two seasons too.
- Carlo Colaiacovo drops the OT bomb:
Next game is Monday at 1 p.m. Good luck figuring an excuse out for that one. Unless your boss really believes you always take Columbus Day off. Or that you like to take a delayed Canadian Thanksgiving day off.