Jonathan Bernier paying immediate dividends for Toronto, the Blue Jackets top line is firing, Nathan Gerbe, Anton Khudobin, Jakob Silverberg and more in Scott Cullens latest blog. Vapormax 2020 . 1. When the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired G Jonathan Bernier from the Los Angeles Kings, the immediate reaction in many circles was, why? While there was little doubt that Bernier was a highly-touted goaltending prospect who was blocked by Jonathan Quick in L.A., James Reimer was coming off a strong season, one in which his .924 save percentage played a big part in the Maple Leafs making the playoffs. With the Maple Leafs having other needs -- improving their defence and finding a top-line centre among them -- it wasnt easy to reconcile the decision to give up two inexpensive assets (Matt Frattin and Ben Scrivens) as well as cap space, in order to acquire another goaltender. That it was Bernier wasnt nearly so much the concern. Then, as the Maple Leafs brass talked about having two good goaltenders and competition bringing out the best in them, they also signed Bernier to a two-year contract extension that comes with a cap hit of $2.9-million per season. With Reimer going into the last year of his deal, at $1.8-million, it didnt take a major reach to see a bigger commitment to the new goaltender. All those misgivings aside, the early returns from Bernier have been sensational. Hes stopped 113 of 116 shots in four games, his .974 save percentage leading the league. Of course this is a crazy small sample but, given the investment the Leafs made to acquire Bernier, its heartening that hes performed well and performing well has lifted him into the lead if there is still a goaltending competition in Toronto. Playing behind a Toronto team that gives up a lot of shots -- ranking 27th with 34.8 shots against per game -- Bernier could be busy, but if hes going to be play more than 50 games for the Leafs this season, he has a chance to provide value for the Leafs and fantasy owners alike. 2. When the Columbus Blue Jackets broke camp this year, rookie Boone Jenner was slotted on the left side of the top line alongside Brandon Dubinsky and Marian Gaborik. That didnt last long, as Jenner was bumped by Cam Atkinson, and now the Blue Jackets have a rather formidable trio at the top of the depth chart. They have combined for 11 points in three games and all three have strong possession numbers early in the season, with a Corsi percentage of 54% or better. It doesnt guarantee anything, but is at least a positive indication that this line could generate chances. Gaborik isnt sneaking up on anyone. Even though hes coming off a down season, hes a three-time 40-goal scorer, a known commodity. Dubinsky was a bit of a fantasy sleeper coming into the year because he is a two-time 20-goal scorer who has also had more than 100 penalty minutes three times. With an opportunity to play big minutes in Columbus, with a scorer like Gaborik, it was feasible to see value in Dubinsky. Atkinson adds another scorer to the mix. Coming into the year, he had 16 goals and 32 points in 62 career games, but also had 49 goals in 89 AHL games and 61 goals in 81 games over his last two seasons at Boston College. Hes small, but Atkinson has shown he can put the puck in the net and looks like hes getting a nice opportunity to do so with some skilled linemates in Columbus. 3. Sticking with small Boston College snipers, Nathan Gerbe is getting a prime opportunity in Carolina, playing more than 18 minutes per game and skating on the second line with Jordan Staal and Patrick Dwyer. Gerbe was mostly an afterthought in Buffalo, topping out at 31 points in 64 games in 2010-2011 before bottoming out with 10 points in 42 games last year, but has a track record as an offensive performer. He had 94 points in 101 AHL games after scoring 115 points in 84 games over his last two years at Boston College. Of course it would be easy to dismiss Gerbes three goals in four games as a small-sample fluke, what makes it attention-worthy is that Gerbe has 21 shots on goal in those four games. His 5.25 shots per game is fifth-best in the league to this point. This isnt to suggest that Gerbe is a sure thing, but he has the opportunity and pedigree to be a productive offensive player. 4. Now, with Gerbe playing a big role, its also noteworthy that Jeff Skinner is playing a career-low 15:17 per game. All is not lost with Skinner, however, as he does have five assists and has 14 shots in four games. His 13.7 shots per 60 minutes ranks 15th in the league. (Gerbe ranks second with 17.5.) With that kind of production, Skinners role ought to increase and his scoring will follow. 5. One more note on the Hurricanes. G Anton Khudobin has stopped 47 of 50 shots in two starts, prompting some question of whether or not he could supplant Cam Ward as the starter. Khudobin does have a .934 save percentage in 23 career NHL games, so that is enticing, but he also has a .912 save percentage in 156 career AHL games, and had a .912 save percentage in the KHL during the lockout last year. Those numbers suggest that the .934 NHL mark isnt going to last. At the same time, Ward had a .917 save percentage from 2008-2009 through 2012-2013, which ranked ninth among goaltenders with at least 150 NHL games. To give up on Ward after a few games into this season would be a very quick hook. Khudobin can close the gap and the longer he plays well and Ward plays poorly, the scales will change but, right now, its hard to envision Ward getting bumped aside for a guy who is just two years younger yet has played 410 fewer NHL games. 6. Lightning C Steven Stamkos connected for a hat trick against Florida (that probably wont be the last time someone goes for three against the Panthers this year), his first three goals of the season. Since the start of the 2009-2010 season, Stamkos has 188 goals, 31 more than Alex Ovechkin, who ranks second and 57 more than Patrick Marleau, who ranks third. Stamkos and Martin St. Louis skated with Ryan Malone at even strength against the Panthers. Always worth paying attention to who rides shotgun on that line. 7. With Tim Thomas nursing a groin injury, Jacob Markstrom has a chance to reclaim the net in Florida, and he stopped all 25 shots he faced in relief of Thomas on Tuesday, but allowing 18 goals on 24 shots against Tampa Bay isnt going to re-kindle a goalie competition. 8. Much was made of the Red Wings decision to add veteran free agents Daniel Alfredsson and Stephen Weiss in the offseason, with the idea that they could form the nucleus of the second line, along with veteran winger Johan Franzen. Its early, but the returns havent been great, as the trio combined to go minus-10 against Phoenix Thursday and they have combined for a total of four points in four games. 9. Ducks RW Jakob Silfverberg arrived in SoCal with a bit of pressure, as the centrepiece of a deal that saw Bobby Ryan go to Ottawa, but hes doing his part, scoring four goals and five points in his first four games with the Ducks. Silfverberg has 16 shots on goal (4.0 per game) and is skating with Mathieu Perreault and Teemu Selanne on the Ducks second line. Those may not be ideal linemates for continued production, but Silfverberg is going to have offensive potential that makes him interesting. 10. In Vancouvers 4-1 loss to San Jose Thursday, no Canucks skater played more than...Mike Santorelli. The journeyman forward skated a career-high 23:42 against the Sharks and has been spending the bulk of his time in the high-rent district on the wing with the Sedin Twins. Santorelli, who scored a career-best 20 goals and 41 points in 82 games for Florida in 2010-2011, has four goals in five games this season. Hes scored 176 points in 214 career AHL games (59 points in 208 NHL games entering this season), so Santorelli isnt altogether unfamiliar with what he needs to do in the offensive zone. Anyone playing with the Sedins -- from Anson Carter to Trent Klatt to Taylor Pyatt to Alex Burrows and all fill-ins in between -- has some appeal, but its too soon to get excited about Santorelli. See if hes still doing this in a week or two weeks, if hes not bumped by Zack Kassian or Burrows, and then well have a better idea if Santorelli can score consistently at the NHL level. FIRST NHL GAMES David Broll, LW, Toronto - A sixth-round pick of the Leafs in 2011, Broll is a burly winger who had 54 points in 67 games with Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) last season. Hes a banger, but not a thug and got a nice opportunity to skate on a line with Joffrey Lupul and Nazem Kadri in his debut. Josh Leivo, RW, Toronto - Taken in the third round by the Leafs in 2011, Leivo is a more skilled forward, who scored 73 points in 63 OHL Games last season. He played with Dave Bolland and Mason Raymond in his first game. CHIRPING "We never start with the puck. We chased pretty much the whole night and never created very much through the neutral zone." - Jets coach Claude Noel, after Winnipeg registered 15 shots on goal in a loss to Minnesota. "I sometimes pinch myself and wonder if I need to check his birth certificate, the poise he is showing for an 18-year-old kid. He is having fun, he is bringing passion, he is bringing excitement and hes learning. He is a pretty special kid." - Flames coach Bob Hartley, on rookie C Sean Monahan. "Tough training camp, tough start ot the year. Probably could have done more work this summer." - Darryl Sutter on Kings D Slava Voynov. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Fake Vapormax . -- Athletics manager Bob Melvin is already starting to run out of superlatives to describe Scott Kazmir. Vapormax For Sale .com) - Ryan Miller made 28 saves to record his fifth shutout of the season and second in as many nights as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 on Friday. https://www.cheapvapormaxoutlet.com/ .com) - The Atlanta Hawks have stepped up to every challenge during their 14-game winning streak and will face another daunting task Friday with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder in town. HOUSTON -- Jon Singletons major league debut didnt get off to a great start. The 22-year-old slugger, who is no stranger to adversity, made up for it at the end. Singleton shook off a game that included two strikeouts and a pair of errors at first base to homer in the eighth inning for his first major league hit and help the Houston Astros to a 7-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels. He was surprised by how he felt after he launched a towering shot off Matt Shoemaker into the bullpen in right-centre to make it 6-2. "I was taken back. It felt like Id never done it before, to be honest," said Singleton who slugged 75 homers in the minors. "It felt like it was something new. My heart was racing so fast once I hit home plate, it didnt make any sense. I was still excited, still pumped from the adrenaline." Singleton, a highly touted prospect expected to help Houston back to respectability, made his major league debut a day after agreeing to a five-year, $10 million contract. Fellow young talent George Springer, who was called up in April, stood up in the dugout cheering and yelling as Singleton rounded the bases on his homer. The players danced and laughed together when Singleton returned to the dugout, a rare scene in recent years as the Astros plummeted to Major League Baseballs basement. "Winning breeds that," manager Bo Porter said of the moment. "When you start to win and your confidence continues to grow, youre going to have more fun." Singleton served a 50-game suspension last season for a second violation of a drug of abuse. He told The Associated Press in spring training that he has an addiction to marijuana and had spent a month in a rehabilitation centre last year. He moved past his problems this season and got the call to the majors after hitting .267 with 14 homers and 43 RBIs for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He said that Tuesday meant even more because of his past struggles. "Its been a long road for the last 16 months so I cant be more appreciative and thankful of this moment I have right now," he said. Singleton is the fourth Astro to homer in his debut and the first since 2008. He joins Ken Caminiti as the only players in team history to walk and homer in their debuts. Chrris Carter followed Singletons home run with his opposite field shot to the seats in right field to give Houston back-to-back homers for the first time this season. Vapormax From China. . Jason Castro and Robbie Grossman drove in two runs apiece as Houston took the lead with a five-run third inning. The Angels were done in by C.J. Wilsons lack of control. Wilson (6-5) walked a season-high five batters, including four in the third, in just 2 2-3 innings. Wilson has been slowed by flu-like symptoms this week, but was making no excuses. "Youre not going to feel 100 per cent, so you just go out there and give everything you have," Wilson said. Josh Hamilton had a solo homer in the eighth inning in his return from the disabled list after breaking his left thumb on April 8. Fellow Angels outfielder Mike Trout was back after missing two games with a stiff back, but left in the second inning with more back trouble. "I just didnt feel comfortable," he said. "I didnt want to risk it by pushing it too much ... I dont think its that severe, but well see." Collin Cowgill replaced Trout and homered in the eighth. Wilson walked three of the first four batters in the third inning to load the bases. Castros single to right field to put Houston up 2-0. Matt Dominguez singled to load the bases again and Wilson walked Singleton on four pitches to give the rookie his first career RBI. Wilson struck out Carter for the second out before Grossmans full-count single drove in two more to stretch the lead to 5-0 and chase Wilson. Houston starter Collin McHugh (4-3) allowed two hits over five scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 2.52. NOTES: All three of Hamiltons home runs this season have been in Houston. ... The Angels optioned right-hander Jarrett Grube to Salt Lake on Sunday to make room on the roster for Hamilton. ... They also selected the contract of right-hander Cam Bedrosian from Double-A Arkansas and optioned right-hander Michael Kohn to Salt Lake. Bedrosian, a 22-year-old reliever, has a 1.47 ERA in 17 games this season for Arkansas. He struck out one in a scoreless sixth. ... Houston optioned 1B Marc Krauss to Oklahoma City to make room on the roster for Singleton. ' ' '