-- The Blues often chose to put the Patrik Berglund line on the ice against the Pavel Datsyuk line early in this game. With Berglund being a rookie, David Perron a second-year player and Paul Kariya a defensive liability, you wouldn't think that would be a prime matchup for Coach Andy Murray. But the threesome did quite well against Datsyuk, Marian Hossa and Tomas Holmstrom. Murray changed his forward lines in the second period and the matchup ended, but it worked for a short while.

-- St. Louis goes with five forwards on its first power play, using Kariya and Lee Stempniak on the points. I'm not sure when the last time that a team did that for any length of time. It is unusual, but it's working for the Blues. Does anyone else remember Scotty Bowman in the late 70s using two defensemen at the net on the power play and two forwards on the points?

-- OK. The most controversial thing I've said in the past year was that Ty Conklin overplayed his angles in his first game as a Red Wing. As far as controversy goes, I'm pretty weak. Now I'm in a spot where it's difficult to say that Conklin played great in his second game -- which he did -- because I don't want to seem as though I'm caving to pressure. So I won't say how impressive Conklin was, how spot-on he was with his angles, how quick he looked. But maybe I can say that Conklin could have been a few inches further out challenging Brad Boyes on his goal. There. Dancing with controversy once more.

-- Tomas Holmstrom is playing as well as he ever has. Such a difference from last year's goals-being-waved-off start. Is Homer playing ever so slightly further out from the crease than before?

-- Pavel Datsyuk has to be the best player in hockey right now.