OK, OK. The Walk is late. Sue me. Better yet, sue Nathan. No school today, and I slept in. Life is good.

Today's Walk is relatively short, so we'll be right back on schedule in no time. Some news about the game, some thoughts from the Edmonton side, and some commentary from this side of the coin as well. Nothing overly shocking or surprising out there today. Lots of talk about Niklas Backstrom, and both papers have stories on hitting in the NHL.

Stop by the Hockey Wilderness Facebook page, give it a like, and answer the Question of the Day if you deem it worthy. Otherwise, make the jump.

First Things First

The time to join the Hockey Wilderness Movember team. Or, if you prefer, donate to the team. You will feel better about yourself and the world in general. I can promise you that.

Wild News

Backstrom rebounds, aces a shootout test as Wild beats Edmonton again | StarTribune.com - Gamer from Russo.

Backstrom rebounds in shootout to knock off Edmonton | StarTribune.com - Post game Rants.

Rule cramping Cal Clutterbuck's style | StarTribune.com - The Shanaban has changed a lot of things. Clutterbuck is one of them. Of course, other players continue to put themselves in harm's way to draw a call.

Wild players adjusting to new rules on hitting - TwinCities.com - Pioneer Press version.

Tom Powers: Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom again proves that the path to success can be a quiet one - TwinCities.com - Our good friend Tom looks at the meditative state of Niklas Backstrom. I wonder if he noticed Mikko Koivu is pretty quiet, too. Probably a coincidence.

Oilers Perspective

Oilers’ winless skid in St. Paul extended to 17 games - 17 games. Yikes.

Lennart’s long NHL wait over, makes regular-season debut against Wild - He played well, but was mostly unnoticeable.

RNH: Learning on the job | Edmonton Journal - Going to be tough to learn at 4 minutes a game. Not sure the HWSRN school of developmental thinking is the best for a number one overall pick.