St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Vladimir Tarasenko, STL – Got off to a very quick start, with 5 points in his first 2 games.  He has points in 7 of St. Louis’ 9 games this season and is a +5, playing just under 15 minutes per game.

Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Cory Conacher (89) t. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Cory Conacher, TBL – Part of the Lightning quick strike offense (pun intended) the 2012 AHL MVP has multiple points in 5 games so far this season.  He has been held off the score sheet 3 times in 9 games.  He also has 2 game winners for the Lightning

Edmonton Oilers right wing Nail Yakupov (64) . Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Nail Yakupov, EDM – Has recorded a point in his last 6 games, Yakupov could be the most consistent rookie.  Made more headlines for goal celebrations than his play on the ice, but is a dangerous sniper who gets prime opportunities in Edmonton.

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Justin Schultz (19) Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Schultz, EDM – Leads all rookies with over 23 minutes of ice time per game.  Leads all rookie defensemen in scoring with 3 goals and 3 assists, and is a +1.

Montreal Canadiens center Alex Galchenyuk (27) Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Galchenyuk, MTL – Consistency might be the only thing holding him back, as he has points in only 4 of his 9 games.  Has 3 games where he recorded 2 assists.

Those are the top 5 rookies of the season so far.  There is still a ton of time left, and I will check in later on to see if there are any changes.  Players that will have something to say about it before the end of the season might be Jonathan Huberdeau, Dougie Hamilton, Simon Despres and a pair of Senators, Jakob Silfverberg and Mika Zibanejad.

Jan 30, 2013; St. Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Matt Cullen (7) scores on Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford (50) during the shootout at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Blackhawks 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

1. Matt Cullen had the shootout winner as the Minnesota Wild snapped Chicago’s six game winning streak 3-2.  Zach Parise also scored in the shootout for the  Wild, as only Jonathan Toews could beat Niklas Backstrom in the Wild net.  Josh Harding started the game for the Wild, but was pulled after allowing 2 goals  on 4 shots in less than 7 minutes, despite only trailing 2-1.  Backstrom came in and stopped all 28 shots he faced to get the win in relief.
2. Nail Yakupov had the OT winner and a rather subdued celebration followed, to give the Edmonton Oilers a 2-1 win.  Despite the relative composure by the Edmonton Oilers rookie (as compared to his “Theo Fleury” last week), Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Derek Morris didn’t like it and tried to get at Yakupov, but Ryan Whitney stepped in to take the punishment on behalf of his young teammate. Edmonton had carried a 1-0 lead for almost 55 minutes, but Nick Johnson broke Devan Dubnyk‘s shutout bid and eared the Coyotes a point with his goal 19 seconds before the end of regulation.
3. Roberto Luongo made 27 saves in his second consecutive start as he blanked the Colorado  Avalance 3-0.  Free Agent signee Jason Garrison finally scored his first goal of the season in the first period and it proved to be the winner.  Maxim Lapierre and Zack Kassian also scored for the Vancouver Canucks, who if they didn’t already have a goalie controversy, they do now, with Luongo’s strong play.

There are 9 games scheduled for Thursday night, including an important Northeast Division matchup between the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres.  Sens Fans are hoping for a regulation win for either side and the lack of a 3 point game.  Edmonton will try to stop the last remaining unbeaten team when they travel to San Jose for a tough end to back to back games.