Saturday Morning Coffee

• Travis Zajac made his season debut last night for New Jersey, but teammate Zach Parise stole the show with a career high-tying four point (1G, 3A) performance. Parise's been on some kind of roll lately as his big night now gives him 16 points in his last 10 games. Zajac, who missed the first 30 games of the season due to an offseason Achilles tendon injury, centered the Devils' third line and had 15:22 of ice time, including about a minute on the power play. He said he felt good physically but had a little rust.
• Parise is one of the best hockey players in the world, and he is one of the few that combines elite talent with scrappiness.
• Coming off last season's career-best 31 goal campaign, Drew Stafford has not had the start to the season he or the Buffalo Sabres envisioned. However, he scored a goal last night against Toronto and may be showing signs of breaking out as he now has a point in four of his last five games.
• Last night Chicago moved into a tie with the Minnesota Wild for the most points in the NHL after defeating Anaheim 4-1. In Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks might have the best 1-2 punch in the league, but it has been the phenomenal play of Toews that has pushed the team to the top of the standings.
• Former Sioux defenseman and current Los Angeles Kings assistant captain Matt Greene took a minute to briefly discuss his time at North Dakota: 

• Jason Gregoire returned to action last night for the St. John's IceCaps (AHL) following a lengthy lay off due to injury, and he registered an assist in a 4-2 victory over Manchester.
• Defenseman Aaron Schneekloth continues to propel the Colorado Eagles' run up the standings. He scored the game winning goal last night in a 3-2 victory over Utah, and he now has 22 points (10G, 12A) and a +10 rating in 25 games. After a bit of a slow start transitioning from the CHL to the ECHL, the Eagles have gone 10-2-2 in their last 14 to move into second place in the Western Conference's Mountain Division. Former Sioux Michael Forney earned the primary assist on Schneekloth's game winner and now has 17 points (6G, 11A) in 25 games.
• Sioux 2012 recruit Stefan Matteau jumped into the International Scouting Service's Top 30 ranked 2012 NHL Draft prospects.
• Sioux 2013 recruit Jack Rowe scored the game-winning goal and was named the game's 1st Star as Cedar Rapids defeated the Team USA Under-18ers 2-1 last night. It was the first USHL goal of his career.