Minnesota Wild vs. Chicago Blackhawks: Game Recap

Martin Havlat needed only 84 seconds to enact revenge on his old squad, burying a Benoit Pouliot centering pass past a sprawling Antti Niemi. Havlat wasn't done though, as he added his second goal of the preseason and second in a Wild sweater from Cal Clutterbuck and Kim Johnsson.

Petr Sykora also got his preseason off to a flying start with a tip-in goal in the third period, assisted by Owen Nolan and Kyle Brodziak.

Aside from the three goals, it was a big of an ugly, chippy affair with five fights and 79 total PIM.

Two home games, two 2-goal performances and two shutouts. Can't complain about the way the preseason is going so far.

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

1. Martin Havlat (2 G)
2. Petr Sykora (1 G)
3. Cal Clutterbuck (1 A)
   

Questions to Answer

1. Will Martin Havlat show up his old squad? Yes. Yes he did, and it is great to see him scoring already.
   
2. Is this the last we'll see of Andy Hilbert and Danny Irmen? Well, considering that Hilbert was a late scratch, that doesn't bode well for him. Irmen had 12:20 in TOI, but only amassed 2 shots and didn't count in the scoring.
   
3. Where on earth is Mikko Koivu? I think it's safe to assume Koivu will be playing in the either the next game at Columbus or the final preseason matchup against St. Louis.
   
4. Can Tyler Cuma shine in his first action of the year? Cuma had a fight, but logged 22:10 TOI in a decent performance. He's likely fighting for the final defenseman spot with Jaime Sifers.
   
5. Is Pouliot just leading us along to leave us wanting more, or is today his last chance to perform before heading back to Houston? Benoit Pouliot had a great assist, centering the first line of Havlat and Sykora, in only 12:10 TOI. That being said, Michael Russo was impressed with Pouliot tonight, and that says a lot to me.
   

Game Highlights

Todd Richards Interview

Petr Sykora Interview