--A few days ago, it didn't look like defenseman Joni Pitkanen would see the ice again on Edmonton's five-game road trip. He pulled a groin in the first game and it simply wasn't coming around the way they'd hoped. But he felt good enough to go Tuesday night in Florida. With Matt Greene returning from a broken ankle two games ago, it marked the first time since the first month of the season that Edmonton's had all of its blueliners healthy.

--"The Kid Line" of Sam Gagner, Robert Nilsson and Andrew Cogliano is making Craig MacTavish an offer he can't refuse. The Oilers' coach has been reluctant to put three small, inexperienced kids on the same line, but after he did so out of desperation in the 7-2 loss to Carolina, they responded with three goals in the next four periods -- enough to keep them together for the time being -- and two more goals Tuesday in Tampa. "They look good," said MacTavish. "They're sure proving that they can play together, so far."

QUOTE TO NOTE
"You can't say enough about the young guys on our team this year. There's going to be some growing pains and there's going to be stretches where they're not great, but overall, this is as good of a class of young guys that I've seen come into a team." -- Defenseman Steve Staios, on Edmonton's youth.

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