5 Things We Learned From Last Night's Games

(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

Last night, the NHL dropped the puck on its 95th season, each team starting with a clean slate and beginning the long month grind on the road to the postseason and for one lucky team, a championship. I noticed a few things during last night's game, so after the jump I'll tell you a bit about last night's odds and ends if you happened to not stay up or did not get the chance to watch every game. More after the jump.

•  Luongo needs to be more patient in the shootout- After being down 3-2 to Pittsburgh last night, the Vancouver Canucks fought back and forced a shootout to try to secure two quick points in front of a raucous home crowd, Vancouver eventually fell in 2 rounds to a Pittsburgh team that exploited Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo's impatience. Twice Luongo attempted a poke check, and was beaten both times by defenseman Kris Letang and forward Evgeni Malkin. While both moves were fantastic, Luongo needs to put himself in position to make more saves and not be so aggressive; other teams will start to notice and exploit that if not rectified. 
• Jaromir-Jagr and Claude Giroux pairing is lethal- Many didn't know what to expect in his first game as a Philadelphia Flyer, and after falling behind early the Flyers quickly snapped into gear. They scored 2 goals in a quick span and that was all they needed to dispose of the defending champion Bruins. The Vs. broadcast continually harped that the pairing of Jagr and Giroux on the same line would create big things for Philadelphia, and it did on this goal from Giroux from the stick of Jagr. Expect the combination of youth and experience to produce these type of opportunities and goals all season. 
• Ilya Bryzgalov looks like the answer- Speaking of the Flyers, Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov did a fantastic job neutralizing the Bruins last night. I've said before that I think the Flyers are the most talented team in the NHL, and my faith looked like it paid off last night. Bryzgalov was beat once by Brad Marchand and then promptly shut the door on any Boston player that dared try to put another puck past him. We'll see how things go for him and the Flyers the rest of the season. 
• Sidney Crosby is gonna be ready to go relatively soon- We saw on the Vs. broadcast a quick cutaway to Sidney Crosby working with of course no-contact practice, but he looked in good spirits and showed off the great hands that have got him so far in this league previously. If he continues without any setbacks, he should be back by Thanksgiving. 
• Reimer is the man in Toronto!- Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer was the talk of the town late last season, and in shutting out the hated rival Montreal Canadiens, he will once again be one of the most talked about players on a Toronto team that doesn't really have much to offer besides him. Look for him to bust loose and try to carry the Leafs towards the playoff race at the very least. Plus, there's this gem. 

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