Impressed with Backlund. Had a terrible first, mediocre second, but a really solid third period. Battled hard for pucks and made a couple key stick lifts and goal mouth clears in the last frame, and picked up a bonus assist for the trouble, and his line kept the Oilers' top offensive guys off the board at ES. Really shows the difference between the so-called "old" Backlund and the player he has turned into, when he can throw out a couple lackluster periods and bear down when it counts to help pick up the win. Added bonus, playing him almost 20 minutes against the top guys allows Monahan and (especially) Colborne to take advantage of some more favorable matchups in their 13-15 minutes.
Finally, loved Byron tonight. Hardest working guy and seems to have really found his game.
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