Minnesota Wild vs Los Angeles Kings: Game Re-Cap

Minnesota Wild 2 - 2 Los Angeles Kings

For LA perspective, please visit Jewels From The Crown.

Two Wild goals, two complete miscues by Jonathan Quick. Other than that, there were only one or two other times the Wild had real, solid scoring chances. The drive by Martin Havlat to the net that drew a hooking call on Drew Doughty, and a Zidlicky shot on the power play in the third period were about the only big saves Quick had to make.

Other than that, this game was all Kings. Almost constant offensive zone pressure from the home team led to ????? of their goals, with the Wild chasing the puck around, never quite being able to catch up. Twice Wild players lost their sticks while short handed. On one, Eric Nystrom did everything he could and stayed in the lanes and the Wild survived. The other, Antti Miettinen was seemingly too afraid to get in the way of a shot, and the Kings capitalized.

The pressure was not just an overall offensive zone nightmare. There was always a big Kings body on top of Jose Theodore. The two fights the Wild found themselves in were absolute beat downs in favor of the Kings, including what has to be the worst loss in Brad Stubitz's career at the hands of a 19 year old. No matter which area of the game you look at the Kings were dominant in it.

The number of high sticking penalties the Wild took, and there should have been more, is unacceptable. Greg Zanon got away with one on Ryan Smyth, but the refs did not miss the blood draw Miettinen put on Dustin Brown late in the third. The double minor to kill came at a terrible time for the Wild, leaving just four minutes left in the third, and everyone of the players wheezing after the kill.

With John Madden and Matt Cullen both injured and not playing, the amount of penalties the team took tonight makes you laugh to keep from crying.

With the Wild hanging on through the third period, and the single point secured (thank you , Mr. Quick), the over time period would open things up a bit. Theodore would come up huge on a point blank shot, and the Quick would have his own game saving moment at the other end.

However, on a terrible penalty for Doughty to take in OT, Brent Burns would pot the winner on a beautiful setup from Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Patrick O`Sullivan. Burns was pinching in the slot, and drilled it through Quick for the game winner. Burns is on pace for 20 goals this season, and that one should count for two.

The Wild should be proud they fought through everything, and absolutely ashamed with the way they played through the first three periods. Pluses, minuses. Just another day in the life of the Minnesota Wild. Big two points, big two game winning streak on the road.

Next up... Anaheim. Tomorrow.

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

1. Brent Burns (1G, 28:15 TOI, huge defensively)
2. Jose Theodore (24 saves)
3. Jonathan Quick (2A for the Wild)

Five Questions

1. Does Peters play, and how does he look? He did play. Complete non-factor. 3:57 TOI. Send him back to Houston.
   
2. Can the top line continue their success? Koivu had the nice SH goal, and the line played well all night.
   
3. Do the Wild build off their momentum, or let it slip away? Is "both" an acceptable answer? Yuk.
   
4. Backstrom looked good against the Coyotes, does that continue? Nope. Didn't play. Theodore looked pretty good though.
   
5. Have many terrible movies will be made in Hollywood while this game is being played? At least sixty. "Hollywood's calling for the movie rights, sayin 'Baby, let's keep in touch.'"