A most interesting thread very much diverted into a personal yamaha issue; I also smell more the journo than a a pro of our profession with a complete lack of understanding.
Of course is any 737 capable to take the stress of an overweight landing.
My Ops Man recommends even this procedure in the given case.
At night, with obviously not too many minutes of difference to a known environment, much easier terrain, well known ATC procedures, all ground-support available as one may want in these circumstances, I cannot see anything bad in the crew's decision.
I do not know the XL aircraft, there may have been even company support for the decision via Acars or HF.
Hope the DFO invites all crew on company expense for a nice dinner as it appears for 'real' professionals that the job was done as the books teach us.
yamaha, please back off until you and we others know more as the facts revealed here are not even enough to start guessing if there would have been a better solution.