Backstrom, Backstrom, Backstrom

That about sums it up for how the Wild won last night's game against the offensive-laden San Jose Sharks.  Backstrom was a monster in net last night and was the difference maker in the game to even allow the Wild to have a chance for the 1-0 win over the Sharks.

The Wild seemed to have spent the entire night in its defensive end, playing prevent defense for the most part, sans the 9 powerplay opportunities that the Sharks gave them.  But apart from the lone tally of the night from Andrew Brunette on a 5-on-3 powerplay, the Wild weren't able to generate any prime scoring opportunities  on the powerplay.

The defensive play last night was huge against the Sharks. Mikko Koivu, Eric Nystrom, and John Madden were great in their own end, as well as many of the other forwards.  And the defensive pairing of Burns-Schultz was just awesome against the Sharks top line.

Notes:

• First shutout for Backstrom since April 3, 2009, a 4-0 win against the Calgary Flames.
• The Wild defeated the Sharks in regulation for the first time in 16 meetings.
• Koivu's assist on Brunette's powerplay goal gives in a 7-game point streak.
• I've honestly soured on my opinion of Marty Havlat since that article about his "misuse" came out :[ ...who knows, maybe if he starts scoring in droves my opinion on him will change.

UP NEXT: Friday vs. Calgary Flames, 7:00pm CT

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Wild Limit Reigning President Trophy Winner, Win 2-1

The Wild by far played one of its better games against the Washington Capitals last night, holding them scoreless until the last 1:36 of the game when Alexander Ovechkin scored spoiling Niklas Backstrom's shut out.  The Wild put out a solid effort defensively against a offensive juggernaut with the likes of Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, and Mike Green, holding them to 22 shots in the game (4-7-11=22), and it didn't hurt that the Capitals were in Carolina the night before.

Chuck Kobasew scored the first goal of the game, his first point of the season, in the first period burying a great feed across the goal crease by Andrew Brunette.  Kobasew, who has been bothered by a groin injury this season, was moved to the first line with Antti Miettinen not playing because of an illness, played well along side Brunette and Mikko Koivu.  Koivu would later score the game winning goal late in the second period with the Wild on powerplay and with a delayed penalty being called.

Backstrom was just solid last night, making the easy saves along with a couple spectacular ones like this post to post save on Mike Knuble on the powerplay.

Backstrom, along with the defensive corps, was able to stymie the Capitals, frustrating them at times.  Brent Burns and Nick Schultz were a solid defensive pairing, and were often pitted against Ovechkin.  Just a good solid 60-minute effort by the Wild, one of the few ones that fans have seen in a long time.  If the Wild could play like this the rest of the season they'd be set =).

Notes:

•  I'm really starting to like Justin Falk-Clayton Stoner d-pairing.  For a pair of rookie defensemen they haven't made any glaring mistakes, they've just been solid.  Stoner didn't play well in camp so I had my reserves about him and Falk has impressed me so far.
• With all eyes on Martin Havlat after his agent Allan Walsh comments on his underuse in the Wild lineup, he did nada.  Havlat ended the night with one shot in 17:27 of ice time.
• Colton Gillies played his first NHL game since the 2008-2009 season and Casey Wellman made his home debut.  Gillies and Wellman replaced Guillame Latendresse (groin) and Miettinen (illness).
• When a sellout streak stops, it really stops.  I was surprised that the X wasn't sold out seeing as it was the Caps the Wild were playing.
• The Wild took only 2 penalties last night...YAY!

UP NEXT: Saturday vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 7:00pm CT

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Wild's Powerplay Prevails Over Oilers

With so much hoopla surrounding the team and the team itself putting an emphasis on the game, home openers are always my favorite games to go to.  The pre-game ceremonies were well done, as usual, with the introduction of some members of the inaugural (loudest ovation going to Darby and Walz), the announcement of the number one moment (Bruno's OT goal, obvious), and the introduction of the roster.  On to the game...

The Wild had a good game, not a solid 60 minutes (and as a Wild fan you start to expect the Wild to only play 2 solid periods of good hockey), but at least a good 45 minutes. The Wild came out pretty well in the first period, but they got bogged down by penalty troubles.  The Edmonton Oilers weren't able to connect on their powerplay chances early on as the penalty killers were on their game last night.  Antti Miettinen was able to get the Wild into the 2nd period with a 1-0 lead but the Wild did what they always do and came out sluggish in the 2nd.  For the first 10-15 minutes of the game it was all Edmonton, with Dustin Penner's powerplay tally and Tom Gilbert's rocket off of the face-off giving them a 2-1 advantage, but you never really felt like the game was out of the reach for the Wild.  The Wild were able to tally 3 unanswered goals, all on the powerplay,  two from Mikko Koivu and from Matt Cullen, and essentially put the game away.

Obviously the Wild was great on the powerplay against the Oilers going 4 for 6 last night and generating great opportunities with Cullen at the point and Brunette behind the net, the real question now will be whether or nor the Wild can generate those same chances even strength.  The pkers have to be the unsung heroes of the night with some debatable calls, but they were able to keep the Oilers in check sans the Penner goal.

Notes:

• Loud ovation for Pierre-Marc Bouchard when the players who weren't dressed were announced...and I giggled to myself at the polite applause when James Sheppard was announced (though I kind of felt bad when I saw him wave).
• I'm totally in love with Cullen now.  He was great on the powerplay and I definitely noticed him, in a good way, everytime he was on the ice. 
• Honestly, I didn't really notice the Oilers' young phenoms.  Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle were non-factors throughout the game, and I only noticed Magnus Paajarvi because of his size and him drawing penalities (and occasionally falling down).
• I don't really like the new game programs, it's probably because it's still the same price as the old ones but now they're smaller (just a folded up poster-sized paper).
• Oh, and I'm kind of late on this, but a great article by Mike Russo on former Wild now Oiler Kurtis Foster.
• Question: Were the refs in this game NHL refs or replacement refs because some of the calls were absurd.

UP NEXT: Saturday vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:00pm CT

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Wild Rally Back from 3-0 to Win 4-3 in OT

It's a good thing that I decided not to leave the home opener early like I was planning to after it was 3-0 at the end of 2, but who would have blamed me or anyone who left after 2 the way that the Wild were playing.

The first period was uneventful, mainly because most people in attendance were still wrapped up with the Twin-Tigers game (and the crowd roared with applause and cheer when the Twins won). The second period was just an utter disaster. Passes weren't on target, the Wild couldn't get any sustained pressure in the offensive zone, and when the Wild were able to get shots, they were either not on target or they were shooting into the body of Ducks player (note that they were shooting into the Ducks player, not that the Ducks players were blocking them). And like Richards said in his postgame, the defensemen were trying to create something that wasn't there and stepping up in the offensive zone at unnecessary times creating odd man rushed (I saw a 4-on-1 twice) and the Wild, like in the Columbus game, were scrambling in their defensive zone, and just like that it was 3-0 Ducks. The lazy and lackluster play of the first 40 minutes of the game took the fans out of the game, but the turning point in the game has to be the George Parros vs. John Scott fight, it definitely woke the crowd up again.



Mikko Koivu, Petr Sykora, and Eric Belanger scored in the third to tie up the game, and Andrew Brunette score in the overtime on the powerplay after James Wisniewski took a retalatory penalty on Kyle Brodziak to secure the overtime win for the Wild, and Todd Richards' first win as an NHL coach.

Fans saw in the third period how well Todd Richards system could work for the Wild, we'll see if the Wild can do what they did in the third for a full 60 minutes.

Notes:

• Pierre-Marc Bouchard was a late scratch due to ongoing headaches. He'll be out indefinitely until the organization figures out what's wrong with him.
• Loudest ovations during lineups to Brent Burns, Koivu, Niklas Backstrom and Cal Clutterbuck.
• A Wild player got hit in the first period and was just dumped into the bench...can't seem to find who it is though, anyone know?
• Joffrey Lupul took a puck to the face in the first period, but came back in the second to score the first goal for the Ducks.
• The Wild actually won in the faceoff department, winning 63 percent of the faceoffs, with Koivu winning 76 percent of his faceoffs.
• Can you honestly tell me that the home opener was a sellout when the suites and club levels were mainly empty, the lower level had a bunch of rows that were empty, and the end opposite of the one that I was sitting across was just bare?...Well, it is tickets distributed, not how many people actually show up...

UP NEXT: Thursday @ Los Angeles Kings, 9:30pm CT

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Predators, 4 vs. Wild, 8

The Wild did their part in this game, it's just too bad that they didn't do their part in the season, as the Wild have now been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with St. Louis defeating Columbus and Anaheim defeating Dallas. Onto a pretty good game by the Wild...

Nashville got the first lead of the game when turnovers in the Wild's defensive zone lead to Jason Arnott's first goal of the game, but on a delayed penalty Dan Fritsche scores on the breakaway to even up the score. Andrew Brunette caps off the scoring in the first period when he scored with 25.2 seconds left in the period on the powerplay to give the Wild a 2-1 lead going into the second. The Wild got the two goal lead in the second period when Marc-Andre Bergeron, but what really overshadowed the goal was Fritsche laying on the ice. As Fritsche was searching for the puck, Jordin Tootoo comes across with a high elbow and Fritsche laid on the ice, while Bergeron scored, and had to be helped off the ice. Kim Johnsson then adds a powerplay tally, but not long afterward Arnott cuts the lead in half as he notches in his second goal on the night. And as Tootoo is in the box, Bergeron gets his second goal of the game on the powerplay to make it 5-2 at the end of the second period. In the third, the Preds make it 5-3 on the powerplay as they had a 5 on 3 powerplay, but not long afterward, Mikko Koivu scores shorthanded to give the Wild a 6-3 lead. Steve Sullivan makes it 6-4 with a goal, but with less than two minutes left in regulation, Nashville pulled their goalie Pekka Rinne, and Cal Clutterbuck and Marek Zidlicky score empty netters to end the game and the home finale a 8-4 victory.

I guess it's a small consolation that the Wild eliminated the Predators from playoff contention...

Notes:

• Looks like Gaby's not going to be coming back next year (big surprise) as at the end of the night he took a lap around the rink and waved buh-bye, and the crowd gave him a big ovation, which did include me
  
• Dan Fritsche will not travel with the team after receiving a high hit from Preds agitator Jordin Tootoo. It will be the first game that Fristche has missed since being traded from the Rangers. My problem with the hit, it's obviously a hit to the head, and there are two refs watching the play and call nothing...and he was playing so well during the game...
  
  I really wished that the refs would've let John Scott get at Tootoo.
  
• The writers during JL presser really wanted to know whether or not he would be back next season. When asked if JL would be curious to see what the team would be like if he had a full team, he responded in true JL fashion that he's "curious but not that curious", but apparently he's already made a desicion on his future in coaching.
  
• SI's Allan Muir comparing Martin Skoula's physicality to a "pre-pubescent Zac Efron" really made my day...and for the record, I like Skoula...
• “Only in the NHL: A linesman had to pause the game for a few seconds to pick up two teeth from the mouth of Brunette after he was hit in the face with a puck in the second period” ~AP
  

UP NEXT: Saturday @ Columbus Blue Jackets, 6:00pm CT (I know that the guys are really disappointed in not making the playoffs, but I really hope we beat the Jackets badly tomorrow for not helping out cause.)

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Wild, 3 vs. Oilers, 2

The Wild keep their playoff hopes alive, if only for a couple more days, with a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Niklas Backstrom made 31 saves on the night for a franchise record 34th win and improved to 13-1-0 against the Oilers, in a rare win for the Wild at Rexall Place. The Wild got the scoring start when Marian Gaborik fanned on a shot that went directly to Andrew Brunette who scored while falling down as the powerplay had just expired, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead. And just 1:51 later, the Wild built a 2-0 lead when Martin Skoula scored from the point, his 2nd goal in 3 games. After a scoreless 2nd, the Oilers began to make it interesting, cutting the lead in half when 1:04 into the third, Oilers captain Ethan Moreau drove to the net, and Fernando Pisani tipped the puck in past Backstrom. But the Wild answered back, when on a delayed penalty drawn by James Sheppard, Gaborik comes on the ice as the extra man and scored, giving the Wild another 2 goal lead. The Wild were outshot 16-4 in the third period, and eventually the Oilers cut the lead down to one again on an Ales Kotalik goal with just under 5 minutes to play, but Backstrom's play was solid and the Wild were able to leave Alberta with 2 out of 4 points on the weekend road trip.

The Wild got the win and the two points last night, but so did the Preds, Blues and Ducks...it's going to be hard for them to get into the playoffs with the other teams ahead of them playing as well as they have been.

Notes:

• Mikko Koivu returned after missing 3 games with a knee injury, he had a TOI of 19:06 and won 13 of 20 faceoffs.
  
• Pierre-Marc Bouchard missed his 2nd consecutive game with what the Wild are now saying is a concussion, most likely occurring during the Islanders' game when Nate Thompson checked Bouchard.
  
• Kurtis Foster was a scratch, along with Colton Gillies and Peter Olvecky, who was out after blocking a shot during the Calgary game; Krys Kolanos played after being called up earlier in the day.
• LOL, during John Scott's fight with Zack Stortini, Stortini ripped of Scott's nameplate, and Scott had to play the rest of the first period with only his #36.
  
• Clutterbuck's getting a lot of attention lately with a NHL.com and THN article about him.
  
• Stats from the night: Skoula +3, Sheppard +2, Patrick O'Sullivan -3
  
• On a not Wild related note, I hope that some of you caught the Canucks-Blackhawks game last night, as a pretty interesting brawl erupted after Dustin Byfuglien checks Roberto Luongo in the face...it just gives me more reason to dislike Alex Burrows after watching him fight (I'm a girl and even I wouldn't pull hair in a fight ^_^). Really, they should put mics in the penalty box, I would pay to watch that show...
  
  
  LOL that the penalty box is full, and the bench is half empty.
  

UP NEXT: Tuesday vs. Vancouver Canucks, 7:00pm CT

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Today's News

Mikko Koivu will be out at least a week with a knee injury; he didn't travel with the team today.
Derek Boogaard also stayed behind on this road trip with an upper body injury.


Photo By Craig Lassig, Associated Press - Ap

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A Win at a High Cost

Obviously I was too lazy after yesterday's afternoon game to post my postgamer so I'm doing it now...

The Wild and Niklas Backstrom shutout the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 yesterday afternoon to move into a tie with Anaheim for ninth place (with Anaheim getting the nod over the Wild with more wins), but it comes at a high price. After the return of Marian Gaborik to the ice since before Christmas break, the Wild lose another important piece to the team in their loss of their captain Mikko Koivu. After coming out of the penalty box, Koivu collided in the offensive zone with an Oilers player, and fell awkwardly. Koivu played the rest of the first period, and part of the second, but did not return for the third period. And it must be serious because the team said that this is a knee injury and not the famous lower body injury term that they've coined this season, but Koivu will be reevaluated today before the team heads out to New York.

So...Koivu's injury overshawdowed a great win for the Wild, an important win for the team. Though they didn't get a great start to the game being outshot by the Oilers 15-2 in the first period, but they came back with a franchise record 23 shots in the 2nd period (isn't that usually their shot total for a game), with Owen Nolan getting first goal on the powerplay by going to the net and getting his own rebound. The Wild built up their lead in the third when Nolan again went to the net and got a great feed from James Sheppard to get the two goal lead. And then Stephane Veilleux scored...well sort of...Veilleux was the closest to the play when Tom Gilbert's pass deflected off of Sam Gagner's skate an past Dwayne Roloson, but I guess when you're a scoring like Veilleux has lately, it'll go in for him. But isn't it refreshing that the Wild had a 3-0 lead, and not trailing by 3-0? Oh...and Gaborik was back and on the ice for 17:43, had 24 shifts, and 6 shots.

Veilleux's Goal


Notes:

• Colton Gilles, Craig Weller, and Peter Olvecky were the healthy scratches; Marek Zidlicky is day-to-day with a lower body injury and Brent Burns is still out with concussion like symptoms.
• Backstrom got his franchise record 16th career shutout, and a franchise record 12th shutout at home, both surpassing...Dwayne Roloson, who now has surpassed Roberto Luongo for most losses against the Wild.
  
• I read the TaR article on SI.com about overrated coaches in the NHL and Jacques Lemaire was named...it was just a small snippet in an NY Post article by Larry Brooks...maybe I drink too much of the kool-aid that the Wild offer, but IMO Lemaire is the only reason why the Wild have been as competitive as they've been, especially early on in their history.
  

UP NEXT: Friday @ New York Rangers, 6:00pm CT (this one is going to be dubbed as Marian Gaborik vs. the New York Rangers and we'll see lots of replay of the 5 goal game leading up to it...but I doubt that this time Gaby's going to get 5 goals again)

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Avalanche, 2 vs. Wild, 3 SO

Mikko Koivu said that it may have been the biggest goal of the year so far for the team, it probably is the biggest goal in Nick Schultz's career (seeing as he only has 21 career goals in 7 seasons in the NHL), but it was the overall effort of the play that created the game-tying goal with 1:46 left in regulation that draws my praise. It was an unbelievable play (and great effort) by Eric Belanger to keep the puck from going over the blue line and getting it to Dan Fritsche, who eventually feed the puck to Schultz for his second goal of the season, and first since December 20 in St. Louis a span of 38 games. The Wild started the game out well, getting good scoring chances (a couple from Boogey), but after a good powerplay from the Wild when Cody McCormick took a penalty, the Avalanche turned on the pressure and were getting better scoring opportunities. The game went into the second with no scoring until Cody McLeod scored 9:21 into the second off of a Ben Guite wrap around. Stephane Veilleux scored 1:44 after McLeod tying the game at 1 when he tipped in a Martin Skoula shot from the point. Ryan Smyth scored almost 3 minutes after to give Colorado the one goal lead going into the third period, and then fans just got a sinking feeling going into the third look at the Avs stats: the Avs were 19-0-0 going into the third with a lead. For as bad as a team that Colorado has been this season, those were numbers that you wished that you could just ignore, and when Nick Schultz tied the game with just under two minutes to go in regulation, I was just glad that they got a point. The game eventually went into the shootout where Niklas Backstrom was able to stop Milan Hejduk and Marek Svatos (Wojtek Wolski scored...don't feel bad Backs, he's the NHL's best shootout scorer, going 10 for 11 this season) as Koivu and Marek Zidlicky (Pierre-Marc Bouchard was stopped)scored on Peter Budaj for the win, and the two points.

How good does a WIN make you feel?...at least for a couple of hours.

Notes:

• Happy birthday to Craig Weller yesterday! And his birthday present was being the healthy scratch for the Wild, along with John Scott and Colton Gillies. Brent Burns is still out and according to Russo, it'll be a while before Burns gets back.

• Kurtis Foster was back in the lineup for his second game of the season, his home debut, and his first game back at the X in a exactly a year, ironically it was against the Colorado Avalanche.

• Zidlicky is now 3 for 5 in shootouts as all 3 of his goals in the shootout have been the shootout deciding goal.

• Tom Reid, the Wild's color analyst on the radio, has shut it down to recuperate from knee surgery; Kevin Falness, the Wild's radio producer, will be filling in for Reid.

• 5 of the last 8 games for the Wild have needed extra sessions to decide the winner, in those five games the Wild have won 2 (one in OT, one in SO) and lost 3 (two in OT, one in SO).

• The Wild's April 5th game at Detroit has been picked up by NBC, so instead of a 4:00pm CT game start the game will start at 11:30am CT; it is only the 2nd time in franchise history that the Wild will be televised on NBC. NBC has also picked up a Detroit, Chicago game at the end of the season (and here I thought that NBC only thought that there were four teams in the NHL).

UP NEXT: Friday @ New Jersey Devils, 6:00pm CT (great...we get a well rested Martin Brodeur, because he won't be playing tonight against the Hurricanes, coming off of his 552nd NHL leading win...that's just wonderful!)

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Wild, 2 vs Stars, 3 OT

The last time that the Wild won in Dallas, Wes Walz had the GWG, with Richard Park and Lubomir Sekeras getting the helpers, it's been that long...March 21st, 2003 to be exact. What is it with this team that they like being down 2-0 or 3-0 that makes them actually get going...it's pretty annoying for a fan to watch. As it's been said all season, the Wild just can't seem to pull out a full 60 minute effort. Really, when was the last game that the Wild actually played 60 minutes of solid hockey? With a goal two minutes into the first period by Steve Ott, the Wild were down 1-0 early in the game. And 38 seconds into the second period, Ott scored his second goal of the game to give the Stars the two goal lead. The Wild then started the rally Cal Clutterbuck drew a high sticking call, and Mikko Koivu scored on the powerplay. Andrew Brunette scored 1:51 after Koivu to tie the game at 2. The game ended in overtime 2:23 into overtime when Niklas Grossman scored giving the Stars the win and the extra point.

Question, and I know that I'm reposting this but, Is it sad that the team is becoming satisfied with ONE point? At what point in the season is the team going to start showing the desperation that they've needed in the past month to make a push for a playoff spot. They showed it a little bit tonight, but the problem is that it may just be too late for this team to make the playoffs now as the teams competing with the Wild for the last two playoff spots look to be moving up, while the Wild are stagnant in their position.

Notes:
• Derek Boogaard returned to the lineup after serving his 5 game suspension, though he was eligible to return against Colorado, Boogaard was ill and not able. Colton Gillies, Craig Weller, and Kurtis Foster were the scratches, while Brent Burns still remains out with concussion like symptoms.
• All the teams that are bunched around the 7th and 8th seeds picked up points last night except for St. Louis, as Dallas of course won and got two points, Nashville won, an Edmonton picked up a point in an overtime loss to Colorado.

UP NEXT: Today @ St. Louis Blues, 5:00pm CT

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Wild Rally Falls Short in OT

When the Sharks went up 3-0, fans kind of hoped that there would be another rally like last Thursday night in San Jose, and low and behold I had hope after Olvecky's goal in the second. The Wild dug themselves into a hole (how many times has that been said this season) but the rally began in the second with Peter Olvecky scoring his second goal of the season (and of his career) to get the Wild within two, and I had hope with the thought that the Wild have rallied before down 3-0 against the same Sharks team, and then Pierre-Marc Bouchard scores 1:02 into the third, just after a powerplay, to cut the deficit to one. Milan Michalek then scores to give the Sharks the two goal lead again, but Owen Nolan comes to the rescue. Nolan scored his 400th career goal tipping in a shot from the point by Marek Zidlicky, and then was able to tied the game at 4 with just over two minutes to play in regulation on a great effort by Koivu to get the puck to the net. The Wild were able to generate pressure in the offensive zone and scoring opportunities in overtime, but with Miettinen making a bad pass and Christian Ehrhoff getting to the puck before Zidlicky, Ehrhoff was able to put the puck up high into the net to score the gamewinner. A deflating loss for the Wild after the effort that was put forth to try and get the two points.

And with the overtime loss, the Wild leave the X with a point and move into 9th place, 1 point out of a playoff spot. Is it sad that I was kind of satisfied with 1 point...I really hope the players weren't...

Notes:

• Brent Burns out with concussion-like symptoms.
• Something that hasn't been said much this season, but Backstrom was not good in this game, allowing a couple of soft goals.
  
• With Nolan scoring his 20th goal of the season, and 401st goal of his career, the New York Islanders are now the only team remaining without a 20-goal scorer on their roster.
• The Wild had THREE shots in the first period...three freaking shots, and two came in the last two minutes...ughhhh!
  
• I'm on twitter now.
  

UP NEXT: Thursday @ Colorado Avalanche, 8:00pm CT

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Wild Rallys from 3-0 to Win in OT

Who would've thunk it, huh? I really didn't (as you can see in my random thoughts), and I'm positive those in Minnesota watching this late game didn't, but the Wild rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3 in OT to steal 2 points from the San Jose Sharks. Gosh, how excited was Mikko Koivu when he scored the GWG in OT with 13.3 seconds left?, and he outta be. After Joe Pavelski scored his second goal of the game in the second to make it 3-0 Sharks, this game looked done for the Wild, but the Wild did what so many teams have done against them this season. The Wild scored two late goals in the second period 1:28 apart by Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard to cut the deficit to one goal, and the momentum was swinging toward the Wild. And with 7:37 left in regulation, the Wild complete the comeback off of a Marek Zidlicky bouncer from behind the red line that got through Brian Boucher (I love that Zidlicky didn't even know that he scored until his teammates told him because he was headed for a change).

There's just something about this team...just when you think that there done and out, they pull you back in with a win like this against a team as good as the Sharks. But I've still jumped ship, and am planning to stay off until I see what happens at the end of this road trip. Maybe then I'll consider coming back and hoping the Wild make the playoffs...for now, I'm a pessimist (even though the Wild are only a point out of 8th).

Here's a look at the game tying goal by Zidlicky (LOL at the lone Wild fan cheering that goal):

Notes:

• The Wild weren't the only team last night that rallied from a 3-0 deficit as the LA King defeated the Dallas Stars in 5-4 in OT.
• The Wild had no powerplay opportunities in the game, only the 4th time in franchise history that this has happened.
• Russo: "Apparently, by the way, Owen Nolan was very sick tonight. He played through it, but he got sick — so to speak — throughout the game on the bench. He only played nine minutes."...You gotta love his dedication to the team and the game.
  
• It looks like Kurtis Foster is going to get his first NHL game this season in almost a year since breaking his leg at HP Pavilion on March 19th either in LA or Anaheim; apparently he could've played last night, but expecting that would've been too much.
• Anyone see how Calgary's trades did last night? Jokinen with two goals, including the GWG, and Leopold with a goal.
  

UP NEXT: @Los Angeles Kings, 3:00pm CT

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March Captain

Drum roll please...and the captaincy goes to...Mikko Koivu. Not a big surprise there; so Brunette and Nolan will be the "A"s.

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Kings, 2 vs. Wild, 1 SO

Another failed opportunity to string more than two wins together for the Minnesota Wild, as rookie blueliner Drew Doughty scores the gamewinning goal in the shootout to push the Kings pass the Wild for the 2-1 win. But even with the loss, with the extra point, the Wild actually moved up a spot to the 7th seed in the West. It was a really tight, kind of boring game with not a lot of good scoring chances, where the only goals scored by either team was on special teams. Antti Miettinen got a great feed from Mikko Koivu after Koivu picked off a pass from Doughty to allow for the odd-man rush and the shorthanded goal for Miettinen, while Jack Johnson got the goal for LA on the powerplay as Kim Johnsson shot the puck in off of Backstrom. Miettinen was the only Wild player to score in the shootout (Zidlicky, Koivu, and Burns), while both Johnson and Doughty scored on Backstrom (Kopitar and O'Sullivan) to give Backs his first shootout loss this season, and the first shootout goals scored on him in the shootout. No real glaring mistakes by either teams, the Wild just wasn't able to generate any good scoring chances.

Onto this 6-game 11-day road trip...and the next 14 of 17 on the road...

Notes:

• Andrew Brunette returned to action after missing 2 games; Colton Gillies and Kurtis Foster were the healthy scratches.
• Congrats to Kings' captain Dustin Brown, who missed the game, on the birth of his second child.
  

UP NEXT: Friday @ Calgary, 8:00pm CT

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Oilers, 2 vs. Wild, 3 SO

Pretty crucial win for the Wild yesterday against Edmonton, but you can say that about every game until the end of the regular season as the Wild look to make the playoffs, I just wished that they didn't give Edmonton the 'loser point' yesterday...anyways...

Solid game by the Wild against the Oilers yesterday, not totally exciting, but at least there wasn't any major brain farts by the team. Niklas Backstrom had a solid game yesterday, even after being run over by the Oilers a couple of times, but where were the Wild while Backstrom was being run. I understand not wanting to take a retalitory penalty, but you got to protect the goalie, especially this goalie who has stolen games for the Wild, and especially the way that the Oilers were taking a run at Backs. Eric Belanger scored late in the first period to tie the game at 1, and Antti Miettinen (who actually didn't 'miss-the-net-again') got his first career shorthanded goal to give the Wild a 2-1 lead, but with a little over 6 minutes to play in the game Sam Gagner scores to tie up the game, and it headed into extra sessions. Backstrom stops all four attempts by the Oilers in the shootout, and Koivu scores the game winner to give the Wild the extra point. With the win, the Wild take over sole possession of second place in the NW division with 57 points, one point ahead of the Vancouver Canucks.

Notes:

• Great cele by Koivu with the shootout winner, just totally HILARIOUS! And he's sporting a pretty nice shiner too; wonder where he got that?
• With 7 hits against the Oilers, Clutterbuck becomes the first player to reach 200 hits this season.
• Schultz played in his 500th career NHL game; Nolan played in his 1,100th career NHL game.
  
• Wow, an actual win against a team that played the night before.
• Kurtis Foster played with the Houston Aeros in his first game since breaking his femur in a game against San Jose last March. Foster had 2 PIMs and didn't register a point in his return to game action, but it's obviously a huge step for him, and it won't be long until he'll be in the Wild lineup again. Aeros won 6-3 over the Chicago Wolves.
  

UP NEXT: Wednesday vs. Colorado Avalanche, 7:00pm CT

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Wild, 4 vs. Blackhawks, 1

Aren't the Wild happy that they have an all-star goaltender in Niklas Backstrom in net, stopping the pucks. without Backstrom last night the Wild may not have pulled this game out and grab two points from the Chicago Blackhawks. After grabbing a 3-0 lead against the Blackhawks, with a goal from Mikko Koivu, his 60th of his career, and two powerplay goals from Marek Zidlicky, the Wild just went into a defensive mode, especially after Martin Havlat scored midway through the game. The Blackhawks peppered goalie Niklas Backstrom with a total of 40 shots during the game, and had prime scoring chances. Great goaltending from Backstrom, capitalizing on early scoring chances, and scoring in powerplay opportunities, that's what won this game for the Wild.

Notes:
• Andrew Brunette was in the lineup for his 498 consecutive game after being injuried in the game against Anaheim. He had two assists in the game.
• Danny Irmen was recalled from Houston just in case Brunette wasn't able to play against Chicago.
• Irmen, along with Eric Reitz, were the healthy scratches for Minnesota.
• Martin Havlat scored at exactly the 10:00 minute mark of the second period, so one lucky Blackhawks season ticketholder just won $1million.
• Kurtis Foster made his first road trip with the team since breaking his leg in a game late last season against San Jose.

UP NEXT: Today vs. Los Angeles Kings, 7:00pm CT

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Today's News

Mikko Koivu named captain for January...Gaborik opted to have surgery and will be out at least 10 weeks.

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A Look at the Week that's Past and Ahead: Nov 30 – Dec 6

The Wild went 3-1-0 this week with wins against the Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Nashville Predators, and a disappointing loss against Dallas Stars. After scoring 6 goals the previous four games, last week the Wild scored 17 goals in four games, nearly tripling the previous four game total. Unlike the week before, Mikko Koivu wasn't trying to hull the entire offense on his back, with the Wild getting offensive contribution from every line.The stud from last week is Mikko Koivu, who had 3 goals and 3 assists last week, and could have had more (hemm...Dallas).

The Wild will have the same schedule that they had last week, but with different opponents this week, as they have 4 games, the first three at home, then finishing the back-to-back on the road. The Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, and Vancouver Canucks will be in the building for a 3-game homestand for the Wild, as they will then travel to Nashville after the Friday game against the Canucks to finish the week in the place that they finished it off last week. With a four-game road trip starting on Saturday and going into next week, it's essential this week that the Wild get points and wins at home, especially since two of the four games this week are against divisional opponents. Johnsson with the C for December.

Monday – vs. Colorado Avalanche, 7:00pm CT
Wednesday – vs. St. Louis Blues, 7:00pm CT
Friday – vs. Vancouver Canucks, 7:00pm CT
Saturday – @ Nashville Predators, 7:00pm CT

Games to Watch this Week:
Monday, December 1, 2008
Anaheim Ducks vs. Detroit Red Wings, 6:00pm CT

Thursday, December 4, 2008
New York Rangers vs. Montreal Canadiens, 6:00pm CT
New Jersey Devils vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 6:00pm CT

Saturday, December 6, 2008
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings, 6:00pm CT

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Vancouver, 3 vs. Wild, 2

Disappointing loss last night, there's nothing else you can really say, especially when it's against a division rival and they got two points and we got nothing, and they were finishing back to back road games, ugh...we should've had this one. Mikko Koivu literally placed the team on his back last night when it came down to offense, ripping a slapper past Sanford to take a 1-0 lead, and the getting a shorthanded goal to take a 2-1 lead. What I, and a lot of fans, are concern about is the lack of goals. I understand that we're going to get a lot of 2-1 and 3-2 games, but to be able to get those scores so that they're favorable to the Wild, they have to be able to hold on to the lead, unlike last night. The other thing is getting shots to the net, where the puck won't miss the mark. Pavol Demitra came to bite us in the butt, with a goal and the assist on the game winner in his first game againt the Wild.

UP NEXT: SATURDAY VS. ST. LOUIS, 7:00PM CT

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4-3 OT Loss

Both Buffalo and Minnesota are still undefeated in regulation as the Wild give up a 3-1 lead going into the third and give up 3 goals in a span of 4 minutes. Jacques should permanently ban the use of the word "cushion" as one of the commentators use that word after Burns scores on that flukey goal, which really should be credited to Miller. I'm a little POed by the loss, seeing as they had a 2 goal lead going into the third, and at home usually that would signal a win, especially when Backs is in net (Backstrom is 34-0-2 when taking a lead into the third, now 34-0-3).

Who would of thought that Derek Boogaard would get a point in the game,and Koivu, Miettinen, and Brunette would be held pointless for the second consecutive game? At this rate Boogaard is set to score 15 points this season :) and it's only a matter of time before he gets that elusive first goal of the season. The top line did generate some good chances and played well defensively, but were just not able to put it in the net. Cal Clutterbuck played well, and did not look out of place on the ice. He lead both teams with 7 hits and had a couple of good scoring chances. Zidlicky was pretty good in his Wild debut, not registering a point but he had help set up the play on Veilleux's first goal of the season. The Wild were able to contain the Sabres on the powerplay, only giving up two powerplay chances to the Sabres, too bad they weren't able to contain Thomas Vanek who got the game tying goal or Derek Roy who scored 44 seconds into OT.

Don't think Jacques going to be too thrilled with the guys coasting the last five minutes of the game, though we'll see what happens in practice tomorrow. Well, we're at least we're done with Buffalo for the season, now onto the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Oh...funny line from the game recap from NHL.com on Pouliot's goal: "Ryan Miller saved Pouliot's initial shot and robbed Derek Boogaard in front." Funny because who would think that Miller would need to rob Boogie on anything.

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