*Taylor Hall notched his first NHL hat trick in an Oilers victory over the Thrashers, who are clearly needing offense and a healthy Tobias Enstrom.
*Todd Bertuzzi scored the shootout winner in Detroit's victory over Minnesota. It was his 1,000th game in the NHL, which is proof that he's moved on from the near-career killer in 2004 (Those who follow the Canucks know what I'm talking about).
*Even though the Islanders want to shed the sympathy label (as evidenced by the 2/11 brawl vs. the Penguins), there's no way that I can do that. John Tavares will be good, Matt Moulson is proving that he is indeed, a 30 goal scorer, and don't look now, but Michael Grabner is making the Florida Panthers look stupid for putting him on waivers before the season. And yes, I do know Grabner was traded from Vancouver before that, but what were the odds of him breaking the top two lines? I'll be dealing with that in detail another time.
Now, to the entrée of the weekend, the Heritage Classic. Except for the ice conditions, which were as such that the Zamboni couldn't be on there, for fear of breaking the surface, it was everything that I would have hoped for. A spectacle in and out of McMahon Stadium, it was well received, and Flames fans went home happy, too, as the Flames shut out the Montreal Canadiens 4-0. So, what can make this game better? How about having it in either December or January? Granted, the weather was cold enough to make it work, but February is a little too close to playoff contention time. As for the ice issue, if the Zamboni couldn't be on the ice, why not have some of the players who were willing to clear the ice do so? It would really add to the atmosphere, and it was worth is to see the likes of Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky do that when the Heritage Classic was in Edmonton in 2003.
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