The NHL season kicked off in spectacular fashion last night with a four-game slate that no doubt knocked every last one of your socks off.
We wrote a nice little preview for each game, which you can find here.
Let's take a look back, with the help of those previews, and see just what we learned on the NHL 2014-15 season's opening night.
Boston Bruins 2, Philadelphia Flyers 1
What we were looking for: How the Flyers - under a new GM and in their first full year in Coach Craig Berube's system - would perform and if the Bruins - ousted from the playoffs earlier than expected last season - were ready to return to form and vie for the Cup again.
What we saw: A Flyers team that is still searching for an identity, and a Bruins team that's full of talent and very much in the picture for the Stanley Cup. The Flyers' top line of Captain Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Brayden Schenn only got two shots on goal all night, thanks to a strong two-way performance from Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, who basically spent the night eating Giroux's lunch. The score was close and it took a late goal from Chis Kelly to lift Boston, but the Flyers showed they aren't yet ready to compete with the class of the NHL.
Vancouver Canucks 4, Calgary Flames 2
What we were looking for: How the Canucks would kick off their reclamation tour, and if the Flames could prove that their strong run to close out last season was for real.
What we saw: Vancouver looks good and 33-year-old Radim Vrbata, who came over to the Canucks from Phoenix in the off-season, is going to have himself one heck of a season playing alongside the Sedins. The Flames are a strong team, that's for sure. They out-hit the Canucks 32-16, and they won 61 percent of the faceoffs. But they went 0-for-4 with the man advantage, and failed to capitalize on chances. Last season wasn't a fluke, but much like the Flyers, they don't yet look ready to compete with the best teams in the league.
Montreal Canadiens 4, Toronto Maple Leafs 3
What we were looking for: Continued growth for the youngsters on the Maple Leafs and a quality showing by the Canadiens that would prove last season's playoff run wasn't a fluke.
What we saw: A tough game that showcased the youth on both sides. Tomas Plekanec had two goals for the Canadiens, including the game-winner with 42.9 seconds left. Young superstars Max Pacioretty and defenseman P.K. Subban also scored for Montreal. Nazem Kadri deflected one past Carey Price for the Leafs, as did Tyler Bozak. Youth was served in this game - both teams are well on their way to improving their fortunes this season and beyond.
San Jose Sharks 4, Los Angeles Kings 0
What we were looking for: If the Kings would suffer an early seasons malaise or Stanley Cup hangover and if the Sharks did enough soul-searching in the off-season to bring their team together and play up to their talent level.
What we saw: The Sharks spoiled the Stanley Cup party for the Kings in pretty convincing fashion (the Kings only lost two games all of last season by at least four goals). Brent Burns, who moved back to defense for the Sharks this season, played well, as did Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who is returning from injury. Goalie Johnathan Quick didn't have a good night for the Kings, and was eventually pulled for the third period. It seemed very much like the Kings weren't all that focused or ready to play, and the Sharks were determined to start the season off right. It remains to be seen which of these trends continues.
