Stream of Consciousness...

There were a ton of games tonight, many with intriguing story lines.  Here are some post-game thoughts and opinions...

The Montreal Canadiens defeated Edmonton in Bob Gainey's return to the bench boss role.  TSN claims his presence has had an immediate impact.  Relax everybody, it's just one game, and it was against Edmonton.  Sorry Oiler faithful... Sheldon Souray left the game in the third period.  The extent of his injury is not yet known, but with Visnosvky already out, the Oilers better hope this is only a minor problem... I'll take the aforementioned "relax everybody, it's just one game" approach and apply it to what has happened with the Sabres over the last four days.  And stretch out its applicability so it includes two games... The Blues beat Dallas 5-2 in a game that has major implications on the standings.  Yesterday on Hockeycentral at Noon, Doug MacLean referred to St. Louis as "the best team in the Western Conference."  I thought I misheard, but then he repeated it a minute later... Martin Havlat is hurt, but the good news is he's only listed as day-to-day.  Who had over 64.5 games played in their injury pool?... Owen Nolan scored his 400th career goal today.  Yes, that Owen Nolan.  He plays for Minnesota in case you were wondering... There's some chatter about Alexei Yashin returning to the NHL next season.  I'd take him on my team... What's the deal with Boston?... I don't want to discount the nine shutouts Steve Mason has this year, but what is alarming is the amount of goals he lets in when he's not getting shutouts.  Look it up... Fighting is all the rage at the GM's meetings right now.  Let's hope they emphasize on reducing the amount of staged fights, and worry less about enforcing the instigator rule.  The spur-of-the-moment fight is the one the fans love to see... Don't look now, but the Penguins are on a huge roll.  I still think they're toast against New Jersey, Washington, or Boston in the playoffs though... Miro Satan hasn't reported to Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate, so if you see him, call Ray Shero... The honeymoon between Olli Jokinen and the Flames appears to have been short-lived.  After dominating Philadelphia in his debut, Calgary has lost three straight... 

That's all for tonight, check back during the week for more updates and analysis.  I will post a special report in response to the decisions made at the conclusion of the GM's meetings.