One: The Blue Jackets had good puck movement, especially on the power plays. They also had quality shots on goal, which is an almost complete turnaround from the preseason games. The key is to build on their play vs. Buffalo and take that forward through the season.
Two: Very good/great teams roll four lines throughout a each game. That trend really began last year for Columbus. Head coach Todd Richards continued that trend against the Sabres, rolling all four lines deep into this hockey game. Part of that may be due to managing Ryan Johansen's ice-time, but it's more a testament to the trust Richards has in his bottom-six forwards.
Three: All three rookies (Alex Wennberg, Marko Dano, Michael Chaput) played very well, in Game 1 of the new season. The stick-tap has to go to Wennberg for the vision and poise that he showed all night. Those same words were used one year ago to describe then-rookie Ryan Murray. If this is what Wennberg shows after sixty minutes of NHL hockey, just imagine what he can show at the Game 82 mark of the season.
