1. #SVENSANITY – Rookie forward Sven Baertschi made a splash in his AHL debut with a power play assist and a delightful dangle to beat Jake Allen and put the Heat ahead 4-0. Two points… Just like his season average last year in the WHL. It’s an awfully impressive resume he’s building when you consider the three goals in his first five NHL games last season on emergency recall. Baertschi is one reason you may want the lockout to keep going, he may not be here once it is over.
2. NEW MASK, SAME OLD TAYLOR – Danny Taylor sported his new red lid tonight, but looked just as solid as the ‘White Ghost’ that fans grew to love last season, after being added in December. With Brust and Irving also in the battle for starts in net, Troy G. Ward may not be closer to a final pairing being settled on, but Taylor certainly made a great first move. What’s next is anybody’s guess!
3. ALIU + BOUMA = COLLISIONS – It’s as easy as A-B-C; Aliu, Bouma, Collisions. The two wingers played most the night on the opposing sides of the rink, but their play very much complimented each other as they drove shoulders in Peoria players with regularity. The duo were centred by Quintin Laing last season soon after Aliu’s arrival and were tremendously effective before Bouma’s NHL call up. Great to see them wreaking havoc together again.
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