A few thoughts about the game and season so far:
Zucker's fall looks very much like one I took about a decade ago. The damage for me was caused by my foot being twisted underneath me and ended up pointing at the back of my head by twisting the "wrong" way. (think of sitting on your foot, now rotate your toes down and keep rotating until your toes point straight back and then lean back on it, but all of this very violent and fast) if that was they way his leg/foot went, that's going to be a bad one. Side note on him, he's been working hard all season. Some games have been good, others have been poor decision laden but as far as effort is concerned I think he is one of the bright spots all year.
+++Geno looked like he was feeling it for the first time all season. I think the might be the most confidence based player I've ever seen. When he fails a slick move, he spends the rest of the game second guessing himself and nothing works and he ends up forcing plays and creating bad turnovers. This game, that goal gave him a ton of confidence and he was back to trying and completing some very slick stuff. Will be interesting to see if he starts believing in himself again, if he does, he will be back in a big way.
Matheson has been far better than expected and adds a much needed "pace" to the d-core. Sample size matters, but he is slowly alleviating my "WTF were you thinking JR?" mentality. That said, that first goal is 100% him. I think he would be the first one to tell you he played that wrong and should have just forced the guy behind the net instead of going for a half puck/half body play and getting out muscled. I'm excited to see how he develops in an organization that seems to be giving him a chance to redeem himself.
POJ most unexpected attribute for me has been his confidence. I didn't expect him to show up and act like he's been here for years. However, with health returning to the blue line, I agree that his minutes should be regressed to a more reasonable level. Depending on how he does with that, make decisions after based on his play and progression.
Blueger is as solid of a 3C as team could ask for. I'm with @UgeneMalkin though, I'm not prepared to anoint him more than that. Maybe he will be, but I don't think he is... yet.
Sid/Jake are the best example of time off/lack of practice affecting play. Their timing wasn't their early and Sid looked pretty bad because of it. Jake always looks good because he plays such a smart game but Sid's ability to do things at speed that the other team can't defend is what makes the line so dominant IMO. Now that their timing is back, they look dangerous every game if not every shift.
Letang is the player that intrigues me this year. I feel like he is realizing he needs to be a bit more deliberate in his risk taking. He's always going to have one or two amazingly brain dead decisions per game but you know Le'good with Le'bad. That said I feel like his schtick of trying to do too much for an entire game is more tempered than it has been in the past. I would be curious to hear other's thoughts on that.
I could go on for everyone but it's already a wall of text. Thanks for giving me a place to compare my perceptions even if I often don't agree with the recency bias that I feel a majority here are affected by. Back to lurking.