Minnesota Wild 1 - 3 Columbus Blue Jackets

For Columbus perspective, please visit The Cannon.

Another wholly forgettable effort by the Minnesota Wild tonight. It was very clear from the outset that there was little interest from the buys in white in playing this game. The Jackets controlled the zone for long stretches, were getting clean shots on Niklas Backstrom, and the Wild had no desire to play physical in order to assert their presence. The Wild looked tired and lost from the very beginning, and not much would change as the game progressed.

Nate Prosser would get the goal he wanted to celebrate his newly signed deal, but that would be it for the Wild "offense" tonight. The few chances they did get were stopped by Curtis Sanford, who had about the easiest night an NHL goalie can ask for.

The Wild power play has to be addressed, and soon. Tonight, they made the 30th PK in the league look like the best PK to ever play the game. Just another embarrassment from an offensive corps desperate for anything at all to go their way.

To cap it all of, Devin Setoguchi wad dropped to a third line consisting of himself, Darroll Powe and Erik Christensen. That line was a -2 on the night, generated no offence, and provided little or no defense in return. It shall hereby be known as the "Zidlicky Line."

Speaking of Marek Zidlicky, his level of atrocious play was high enough to stand out on a team that put forth an ugly effort throughout. What the solution is for him is out of Mike Yeo's hands, but if it's me, he doesn't see the ice again. If I'm chuck Fletcher I either trade him to the first team to offer anything in return or I put him on waivers. Yes, waivers. It's gotten that bad. He is flat footed, slow, doesn't shoot enough, and when he does he puts it into a set of shin pads. His passes are not crisp, his game is completely gone. It's time for this to end.

In full credit to the Jackets, they played a great game in all aspects of the game. The PK was solid, the PP looked good, and the even strength game was impeccable. They looked like a playoff team tonight. Of course, they looked like a playoff team against the Wild, so maybe that doesn't say much.

Ugly one in Columbus tonight for the Wild. Something's got to give at some point. Start winning, or start losing, but stop being mediocre.

The Bennett's Chop & Railhouse Stars of the Game:

1. David Savard (1G, 1A, 3 SOG)
2. Rick Nash (1A, 6 SOG)
3. Nate Prosser (1G, 5 PIMs)

Remember, when you begin and end your night at Bennett's, you're the star! Easy parking, drink and food specials and a free shuttle to and from the Xcel Energy Center. Check them out athttp://bennettschopandrailhouse.com/.

Five Questions:

1. Can the Wild avoid playing down to the opponent? Not tonight, no.
   
2. Is there a way to stop the Wild Killer? An assist and 6 SOG? Nope.
3. Can Backstrom continue to hold his team in the game? He did his best, but his team didn't show up.
   
4. Is tonight the night Christensen makes his presence felt? -2 on the evening. This is not the impression he wants to leave.
   
5. First game for Gillies against the Wild. How does he respond? He played well. Got the assist.

Minnesota Wild (25-19-8) at Columbus Blue Jackets (14-32-6)

Nationwide Arena @ 6:00 PM CST
Television: FSN+
Listen Live at: KFAN (100.3) or Wild.com

For the Columbus perspective, check out The Cannon

The Columbus Blue Jackets are a mystery wrapped in an enigma and served with a side of WTF. Looking at the names skating with the offense, the Jackets should be a scoring machine. Rick Nash and Jeff Carter are tasked with carrying this team, but it seems the woes of the defense and goaltending have spread throughout the team.

All of that is really too bad. The Jackets have a passionate fan base that gets zero credit for the way they support their team, mostly due to the face that the team is just never very good. The Columbus area remains one of the places on the NHL map where people look at it and say, "Really? There's a team there?" A winning team would get rid of that, and the fans deserve that.

The state of the Jackets this year is as big a surprise as any other team in the league. If you predicted the Jackets to be in dead last, raise your hand. Now, anyone who isn't fooling themselves into thinking they made that prediction, keep your hand up. Anyone left? Didn't think so.

Still, the Jackets have been the bane of their expansion brethren since the beginning. Nash is a Wild killer extraordinaire. No matter the position of these two teams, the Wild need to be ramped up for a tough battle. The two teams tend to bring out the worst in each other. Fights, bad hits, and chippy plays from both sides are to be fully expected tonight.

The news sounds like Mikko Koivu remains out, Niklas Backstrom starts. Kassian in for Brad Staubitz. Everything else looks to remain the same. This lineup played well against the Stars, save for a bumbling Marke Zidlicky coming back from his time off. The guess has to be if he looks like he did in Dallas, he won't be in the lineup again come Thursday.

Should be a fun one, folks.

PLEASE NOTE FSN+ TONIGHT. FSN+. NOT FSN, FSN+. ONE MORE TIME: FSN+.

Five Questions:

1. Can the Wild avoid playing down to the opponent?
   
2. Is there a way to stop the Wild Killer?
3. Can Backstrom continue to hold his team in the game?
   
4. Is tonight the night Christensen makes his presence felt?
   
5. First game for Gillies against the Wild. How does he respond?
   

Minnesota Wild 1 - 2 Dallas Stars (SO)

For the enemy perspective, please visit Defending Big D

9 years. That's how long the Wild hadn't won in Dallas before the game. It didn't change.

In the first period, things started quite quickly as Steve Ott was being Steve Ott: Questionable hits, interference penalty, being a major dumbass (Salutes Major Dumbass à la Ted Mosby and Robin Scherbatsky). That seemed to spark some momentum into the Wild, just like in the last meeting, but Kari Lehtonen was up to the task, stopping some golden opportunities, mainly from Dany Heatley, who had 4 shots in the period. As much as the Wild were controlling the first 3 quarters of the first period, that's how much the Stars controlled the 4th quarter of the same period. Niklas Backstrom stood just as tall as Lehtonen though, so the period ended in a scoreless tie with the Wild outshooting the Stars 13-10.

Second period was quite uneventful. Some back and forth action mostly, a few penalties, but the only thing of note that happened was a Mike Ribeiro powerplay goal. For some reason, no one tried to stop him from shooting while he skated in front of the net while Backstrom was lying down. It was an ugly piece of defending. The shots ended 10-10 in the period, but the Stars had the advantage, and sadly for the Wild, the Stars were one of 4 teams to be undefeated when leading after 2 periods. Of course, that shouldn't mean anything, but I guess tonight it kind of did.

The third period was dominated by the Wild, once again. After Kyle Brodziak missed a golden breakaway opportunity in the second period, he made up for his mistake by scoring after Nick Johnson, who is on fire since the end of the All-Star break, prevented the Stars from clearing the zone. The Wild outshot the Stars 10-4 and was all over the puck in the third period. Brodziak was probably the best player not in either crease. Winning battles along the boards, feeding Heatley with prime chances, scoring a goal and drawing a penalty in the dying seconds of the game, which the Wild carried into the overtime.

Sadly, the Wild weren't able to do much with the minute of overtime 4-on-3 time. After the penalty ended, the Stars were all over the Wild, even darwing a penalty of their own as Cal Clutterbuck got caught with a tripping penalty. The Wild survived though, so on to the shootout, where we could see Wild newcomer Erik Christensen do what he does best.

Christensen went first. My friends and I joked that he would do the one-handed move popularized by Peter Forsberg, because he did it a few times. Sure enough, he actually tried it, but Lehtonen stopped it with the tip of his pad. While Christensen missed his attempt, it was a very strong attempt and he showed how good his hands are, but in the game, he was unnoticeable, just like the Rangers fans had predicted. Loui Eriksson then beat Backstrom 5-hole, Cullen beat Lehtonen with a nice deke, Jamie Benn beat Backstrom blocker side and Jared Spurgeon was stopped, Dallas wins 2-1 in the shootout. Niklas Backstrom seriously needs to work on his shootout skills.

While it's a shame the Wild had to give 2 points to a team hot on their tails in the standings, it's good that they were able to steal a point. The Wild are 3-1-1 in their last 5, which suggests they may have stopped the bleeding and figured out what made their game so good early on in the season. When Mikko Koivu comes back, it should make the Wild even better, if they don't suddenly forget how to play right again. Pretty good effort by the Wild tonight.

The Bennett's Chop & Railhouse Stars of the Game:

1. Kari Lehtonen (33 saves, many very important saves.)
2. Kyle Brodziak (Goal, great work and energy, 21:28 TOI)
3. Niklas Backstrom (26 saves)

Remember, when you begin and end your night at Bennett's, you're the star! Easy parking, drink and food specials and a free shuttle to and from the Xcel Energy Center. Check them out athttp://bennettschopandrailhouse.com/.

5 questions:

1. How does Christensen look in his first game in a Wild sweater? Great shootout move, but I didn't see much of him during the game
   
2. Can Backstrom follow up his shutout with another solid performance? He was quite solid during the game, but looked silly in the shootout once again.
3. Can the curse be beaten? Nope
   
4. How does Zidlicky look in his return from the dog house? Meh.
   
5. If a game happens on a Saturday night, in Dallas, and no one watches, does it still count? I'm afraid it does.

Minnesota Wild (25-19-7) at Dallas Stars (26-22-2)

American Airlines Center @ 7:00 PM CST
Television: FSN
Listen Live at: KFAN (100.3) or Wild.com

For the Dallas perspective, check out Defending Big D

The Wild haven't won in Dallas since March of 2003. Does that mean anything going into tonight's game? The players will tell you know, the stat folks will try to tell you it doesn't matter. Of course, both would be dead wrong. There is a reason why the Wild haven't won in Dallas in nine years, even though the Stars have not always been the greatest team during that stretch.

Probably pure coincidence.

Tonight begins the Erik Christensen era for the Wild. He will slot in on the third line, maybe getting some power play time should the occasion arise. There is not a ton of confidence from his former fan base, but the Wild side of coin seem to be reserving judgment. Fans here have burned by trades too many times to get overly excited by them in the early goings. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

The Stars have a cobbled together roster that has cost them in the standings as of late. Sound familiar to anyone? They still certainly have the capacity to put a hurting on any team in the NHL, but they certainly aren't the glory days anymore. A cursory glance at the roster says the Wild, should they play their game, have a good chance to win.

History, of course, says otherwise.

Looks like Zidlicky gets his shot to return to the lineup. How he responds will be an excellent indication of his ability to handle adversity. You can bet your life if he goes out with a -3 tonight, he doesn't see the ice for a month. Or maybe that's just me.

It would be a lie to say there is a great deal of confidence exuding from this side of the computer screen. Stranger things have happened, but it is tough to beat a curse.

Enjoy the game

Five Questions:

1. How does Christensen look in his first game in a Wild sweater?
   
2. Can Backstrom follow up his shutout with another solid performance?
3. Can the curse be beaten?
   
4. How does Zidlicky look in his return from the dog house?
   
5. If a game happens on a Saturday night, in Dallas, and no one watches, does it still count?
   

Minnesota Wild 1 - 0 Colorado Avalanche

For the Dater-esque perspective, stop on over at Mile High Hockey.

Apologies for the late post. I'm starting to think that SkyNet is about to take over the internet. Anywho...

Despite the fact that the Wild had an epic meltdown Tuesday, you have to believe that Yeo was upbeat about the first 50 minutes the Wild totally dominated. If the Wild could come out and play that kind of hockey, then they give themselves every opportunity to win. If not...well, it could be a long night. How would the team respond after the St. Paul version of Chernobyl?

The Avs seemed to dominate a lot of the puck control early on, but the Wild didn't give them a whole lot of looks at the net. The one good chance was broken up by Nate Prosser, the Wild got the puck deep, and Colorado had to take an icing. Off the ensuing faceoff, Greg Zanon fluttered a seeing-eye puck to the net that got past a screened JS Cheater Giguere. It started to look like Minnesota would start to mount some pressure after the goal, but as we've grown accustomed to seeing, a lot of passive forechecking without shots getting to the net. Colorado turned up the heat to close the period, but the Wild hung on.

In what has become a staple when the Wild and Avalanche lock horns, the game started to devolve into bad offense and chippy play. Powe had some seriously questionable hits in the 2nd. McLeod squared off with Stoner. Kobasew (yeah, that guy) even dropped the gloves twice. It's not so much a rivalry anymore as it is a grudge match. Fortunately, fans on both sides were treated with some fantastic offside and icing calls to slow play down to a crawl. The Avs had another good late push, but Backstrom came up with some huge saves to preserve the 1-goal lead heading into the 3rd.

The Avs definitely had the early jump in the 3rd, but Backstrom came to the rescue to allow his team to settle back into the game. The fights and chippy play settled down for the final frame, and once the Wild settled in, the game slowed down again. It did get interesting when Falk was whistled for a cross-checking minor in the last minute of the game. Colorado had a 6-on-4, but never actually got a clean setup in the zone. Kudos to the Wild really digging their heels in and holding on in the 3rd, but you would like to see more attack with just a one-goal lead.

Not exactly what you would call an "exciting" game. Not a whole lot of good scoring chances, and the Wild really failed to get pucks to the net. Combined, there were 58 shots on goal compared to 62 faceoffs. Had this game been on the NBC Sports Network, the TV gurus probably would have killed themselves. That's how slow paced this game really was. Gritty win though, and one that was necessary given what happened on Tuesday night. The win gives Minnesota a 3-point lead over Colorado and Dallas for the 8th spot in the West. Next up: the aforementioned Dallas Stars.

The Bennett's Chop & Railhouse Stars of the Game:

1. Niklas Backstrom (37 saves, 3rd shutout of the season)
   
2. Greg Zanon (GWG, 4 blocked shots)
   
3. Nate Prosser (5 blocked shots including one goal saver before Zanon scored, led Wild with 25:53 TOI)

Remember, when you begin and end your night at Bennett's, you're the star! Easy parking, drink and food specials and a free shuttle to and from the Xcel Energy Center. Check them out athttp://bennettschopandrailhouse.com/.

Five Questions:

1. Getting embarrassed can motivate or crush souls. Which will it be tonight? A step in the right direction, but it was noted that the Wild definitely played down to Colorado.
   
2. Backstrom back in the cage. Does it help? In a big way. Usually allowing zero goals leads to positive results.
3. Wild need a leader. Who will it be? The defense as a whole stepped up after Stoner went out, but Prosser in particular had himself a game.
   
4. Any chance, any at all, that the Wild play the system for a full 60 tonight? They didn't stray too far from the system, but the offense is still something to be desired
   
5. How many times does Adrian Dater make himself look stupid tonight? In an attempt to avoid migraine headaches, I didn't actually follow his "thread".
   

Minnesota Wild (24-19-7) at Colorado Avalanche (26-24-2)

Pepsi Center @ 8:00 PM CST
Television: FSN
Listen Live at: KFAN (100.3) or Wild.com

For the Colorado perspective, check out Mile High Hockey

Back in Denver for a rematch against the most exciting team in hockey. Woo.

Yes, the Wild were just in Denver. Yes the schedule makers for the NHL must think they are just so very funny. Yes the travel is ridiculous. But hey, the PA is worried about so many different aspects of the new alignment, it isn't just the travel (read: they want more money to allow the NHL to do what makes sense).

The Wild are coming off one of the worst loses in team history, the Avs wanting desperately to take the 8th spot from them, yet losing to the Oilers. Neither team is going to be happy, which could make a chippy "rivalry" even more so. Maybe this is the game Matt Kassian gets some revenge for the first meeting of these two teams. Maybe not.

Same lineup tonight for the Wild, as it looks like Mike Yeo gives his guys a chance to respond to the loss at home. Have to admit, I love the idea to not put Marek Zidlicky back in. Sends the wrong message, in my mind. Rather than seeing "We sucked, he's taking me out," the players see "If I whine enough, I can get back in." Big fan of the accountability level from Yeo.

There you have, folks. Big two points, as always. Enjoy the game.

Five Questions:

1. Getting embarrassed can motivate or crush souls. Which will it be tonight?
   
2. Backstrom back in the cage. Does it help?
3. Wild need a leader. Who will it be?
   
4. Any chance, any at all, that the Wild play the system for a full 60 tonight?
   
5. How many times does Adrian Dater make himself look stupid tonight?
   

Minnesota Wild 4 - 5 Nashville Predators

For the enemy perspective, please visit the good people of On the Forecheck

Finally, some hockey! Let it be known that I do not care for the All-Star Weekend at all. Make it at the end of the season instead of after the halfway mark. Now that that's out of the way, on to the show.

The Nashville Predators were white-hot before the All-Star break, but that didn't show in the first period, as they were completely man-handled by the Wild. Dany Heatley got things going with a one-timer off a beautiful feed from Rookie All-Star Nick Johnson, who had some passing practice, considering it's the only thing he did in Ottawa (Seriously, that's bogus. Why couldn't everyone participate in the elimination shootout?). Heater got his second goal of the night on the powerplay, which has suddenly become decent of late, by batting it out of mid-air. Beautiful. The Wild set the tone with some big hits, some timely blocks, a good penalty kill against the second-best PP in the league and some all-around great energy. The Predators looked stunned and sluggish. Shea Weber was not very happy. In fact, I could swear I saw his beard catch fire a little bit. It grew back though.

The Wild started the second period with another bang, as Cal Clutterbuck put the puck in the net after walking around Kevin Klein. Shortly after though, the sleeping beast awoke from it's All-Star hibernation. The Preds started firing on all cylinders, causing the Wild to ice the puck or simply dump it out of their own zone. They were caught by surprise. Matt Halischuk was awarded his 12th goal of the season (12!) on a fortuitous deflection off Greg Zanon's skate. Shots were dead even at 18 after two periods and the momentum was mostly on Nashville's side.

However, Kyle Brodziak scored 16 seconds into the 3rd period for a commanding 4-1 lead....maybe commanding's not the right word...how about ''fragile''?

The Wild didn't think they needed to bother playing the full 60 minutes with a 4-1 lead. Nashville, being the Predators, jumped on the sleeping prey. The last 15 minutes was Nashville, Nashville, Nashville. After Brandon Yip's goal was deemed good upon further review, the Preds had wings. They were outplaying the Wild north-to-south and after the win seemed imminent, the Wild collapsed even harder than they did against San Jose a few games back. A huge Pekka Rinne save off a 2-on-1 between Clutterbuck and Cullen sparked 3 Predators goals in the final 3:30 of play, making it 5-4 for the visiting team. While it could be argued that there should have been a whistle on Patric Hornqvist's goal that made it 4-3 after Harding appeared to have frozen the puck with his glove, he needed to be stronger on his post instead of drifting away from it and putting his glove in clear view for the poking. There's not much he could have done on the tying goal, it was simply a defensive collapse and a pretty passing play finished by Mr. Carrie Underwood (Mike Fisher). Mr. Underwood would score the deathblow goal with a fluttering shot from the half wall which somehow eluded Harding with 20 seconds remaining in the game.

Remember when a 3rd period Wild lead was insurmountable? Clearly the Wild don't. Mike Yeo has to be fuming after what he just witnessed. The Wild suddenly became lemmings on the ice, spinning around, looking lost, unable to clear the zone...and Harding... I don't mean to be hard on him, but that last goal should not go past an NHL-caliber goalie. He lost his focus at the most crucial of times. I dare say this was the most painful loss of the season...hell, it was one of the most painful losses I can remember.

A few facts:

Heatley has 4 goals against the Predators this season.

Heatley has 7 points in his last 3 games.

Nick Johnson is the best waiver pickup ever. (Yes, he is, don't fight it)

Via Russo on Twitter: First time the #mnwild has blown 3-goal lead for a loss since Feb. 14, 2009 (Ottawa), but that 3-0 lead was in first

The Bennett's Chop & Railhouse Stars of the Game:

1. Carrie Underwood's husband (Crushed a entire fanbase's hopes)
2. Dany Heatley (2G, 1A)
3. Nick Johnson (2A)

Remember, when you begin and end your night at Bennett's, you're the star! Easy parking, drink and food specials and a free shuttle to and from the Xcel Energy Center. Check them out athttp://bennettschopandrailhouse.com/.

5 questions:

1. Who steps up for the Wild tonight? Dany Heatley got things going early. Nice performance ruined by ugly meltdown
   
2. Is the Zidlicky situation a distraction at all? Who?
3. Can the Wild find a way through some of the best defense in the league? Yup, but they overlooked their offense.
   
4. Shoot early, shoot often seems to be the only way through Rinne. Can the Wild get to him? He looked pretty weak, but bounced back beautifully, making many key saves.
   
5. Can the kids continue to step up? Nick Johnson did very well. The others were quiet, but decent.

Don't forget to vote for DTBL: http://joiningforces.challenge.gov/submissions/4651-defending-the-blue-line

Minnesota Wild (24-18-7) at Nashville Predators (26-22-2)

Xcel Energy Center @ 7:00 PM CST
Television: FSN
Listen Live at: KFAN (100.3) or Wild.com

For the Nashville perspective, check out On the Forecheck

Welcome back to real, honest to goodness, NHL hockey.

This should be an interesting stretch run for the Wild. As of this evening, Marek Zidlicky is not happy, and has all but requested a trade out of Minnesota. Note, that he has not asked for it, but read between the lines. Should be interesting how that plays out. To be blunt, the Wild are a better team without him, but he seems to be a good guy, so hopefully everything works out for both sides.

On the hockey side of things, it is nice to have live action in games that count back again. The Preds is always a fun match up, both on the ice and off. Great team, great players, great fan base. Just watching Weber, Suter, and Rinne is worth the time.

The Preds are also red hot right now, and making a charge through the standings. The Wild will need to shake the rust off early and play the system perfectly if they hope to have a chance. As you all may know, these two low scoring teams often pile up the goals against each other, so perhaps this will be another one of those games.

Enjoy the game tonight. JS has you through the game and beyond as Nathan celebrates his daughter's birthday., and I celebrate my wife's. If you have a chance, please make sure to go vote for DTBL in the Joining Forces Community Challenge.

Five Questions:

1. Who steps up for the Wild tonight?
   
2. Is the Zidlicky situation a distraction at all?
3. Can the Wild find a way through some of the best defense in the league?
   
4. Shoot early, shoot often seems to be the only way through Rinne. Can the Wild get to him?
   
5. Can the kids continue to step up?