This is from Daters blog after tonight's game,
"I talked with Stastny, who was terrific tonight, after the game. One of the first things he said was how O’Reilly’s return has really changed the complexion of this team. The luxury of being able to roll three lines with such quality centers is something that opponents are going to have a very hard time matching."
Not to over-read anything here, but you could take some hope from this that he doesn't feel threatened by O'Reilly's return. Which could give us a little hope that he wants to be here going forward and will be willing to sign an extention.
16M down the middle isn't unmanageable... (5.5/5.5/5M)
I'd really like to see all three of them kept, especially if we can get in some sort of groove with all three in the lineup. The wingers to fill out the top 9 will come, between getting Downie back, the draft, and some options in free-agency.
Mitchell looked like he is getting a little more used to playing wing as well. He was always said to have that ability but being bounced back and fourth made him look less effective there. Which didn't seem to be the case last night.
One 5 game hot streak and we are back in the game, but but.. Is this team able to do 5 game winning streak? I doubt it.
This game could do a lot to breath some real confidence back into the team, they seemed to all feel that the team was playing better and things were starting to click. Tonight validated their efforts, and will help build their confidence as a team as well.
This kind of win at this point could turn a season around, we'll just have to see how they come out against SJ. Which is another team they should be seething to prove themselves against.