The Edmonton Oilers are a young, fast team who can have overwhelming speed. Dustin Byfuglien is a young, powerful defenseman who can have an overwhelming shot. So far, both of those have wound up scoring a goal.
Buff started the scoring at 4:37 of the first period with a booming shot that smoked past Oilers Devan Dubnyk. Byfuglien has two goals and two assists in the past two games. Apparently getting Enstrom back is exactly what the other half of the Thrashers’ star defensive pairing needed.
The game was goal-less again until fifty-nine seconds into the second period, with Andrew Ladd getting a pass from new arrival Blake Wheeler. Ladd fake shot it, got the puck back, faked again, shot, and then fired his own rebound back into the net in front of Dubnyk to put the Thrashers up two.
The Oilers were getting chippy, with Theo Peckham getting lippy with Evander Kane until Eric Boulton stepped in and “diffused” that situation. Peckham continued to talk, but refused to go. A little later in the period, Jean-Francios Jacques, owner of the most stereotypical French Canadian name possible, laid a nasty hit on Kane. Mark Stuart promptly stepped in and did something that Thrasher fans haven’t seen for a while – laid into a guy who hit a teammate. Outstanding first impression. That, coupled with the positive, smiling first intermission interview, can give Thrasher fans a good feeling about the new D-man.
Magnus Paajavari (sans Svenson) squeaked a shot between Mason’s pads at 14:57 of the period, but generally Mason’s been solid for a goaltender who hasn’t played for a month. The Thrashers are currently outshooting the Oilers, 22-11.