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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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. Blackhawks, 1

Wow, that game last night was all Josh Harding, and if Hards didn't stand on his head all night, the Wild wouldn't have gotten the win. It was an interesting game, but definitely a brutal game for Wild fans. They just couldn't get possession of the puck, and when they had the puck, they couldn't penetrate the zone, but the Wild actually got a goal call go their way on the Fritsche (aka Apple Fritter) pp goal that was a borderline high stick. Good for Peter Olvecky in getting his first NHL goal, and it ends up being the GWG. Like I said this game was all Joh Harding, well-deserved 1st star of the night.

Notes:

• Owen Nolan left early in the second period with a 'lower body injury'...that's just wonderful, especially when Jacques says it doesn't look good..."call 911", SERIOUSLY!!!
• What's with the Wild lately taking so many penalties...a lot of high stick calls.
• Martin Skoula played in his 700th NHL game, he had a TOI of 21:04 and an assist on Olvecky's gamewinner.
• Jonathan Toews scored at the 10:03 mark of the second, and if fans remember correctly, in the last game against the Blackhawks, Martin Havlat scored at the 10:00 mark to give a lucky Hawks fan $1million.
• I like Blackhawks rookie Kris Versteeg (he endeared me with his singing of Fergie), but him saying that the Wild are "boring to play against, and boring to watch" kind of PmO.
  

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

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Wild Aquire Dan Fritsche

The Wild trade Eric Reitz, who had 2 points (1-1-2) in 31 games for the Wild, to the New York Rangers for Dan Fritsche, who had 4 points (1-3-4) in 16 games for the Rangers.

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