Wilderness Walk- 02-01-2013: Game Day Edition

Another day, another Game Day, this time against the Ducks.

Anyway, not a ton of news on the Walk today, folks, so it'll be pretty easy to keep up with this one. The Ducks are off to a nice start in five games this year, and most of it is the rebounding (though it's a small sample size) of their star players. After disappointing (for Hart Trophy candidates and heralded Centers, anyway) seasons for Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf last year, they're both off to a nice start with five points in five games. They've also been helped by an unexpectedly hot start from Daniel Winnik. If Slap Shot extra Bruce Boudreau can figure out how to get perennial trade candidate Bobby Ryan going, Teemu Selanne's (The original Finnish Baby Jesus) last season could be a good one.

So, can the Wild triumph over the top-heavy offensive firepower of the Ducks? Can Mikeal Granlund outdeul draft-classmate Emerson Etem? Will I be able to come up with a sufficient third question to finish off this paragraph nicely? Watch the game to find out! In the meantime, on to the links.

Wild News

Minnesota Wild: Tom Gilbert helps defense pick up the pace - TwinCities.com- A feature on how Not Nick Schultz is starting to make a name for himself. If he continues to play well, we might soon start calling him "Not Nick Schultz, But That's Actually A Good Thing Now". And if he continues to score points at a really good rate, we might even go cray-cray and call him "Tom Gilbert".

Myers: Confidence growing for Wild but many questions and tests remain | 1500 ESPN Twin Cities- This talks about the changing nature of expectations with the good start, but the Wild were trying to keep the expectations low, but now they're going to grow, because of the hot start, but then we're not managing expectations, but they look pretty decent and should get better, but the Western Conference is tougher, but the Wild started well last year, so what should I ex- oh, I've gone all crosseyed.

First Round Bust: Minnesotans watching the Wild in record numbers- So much for all that tough talk we had during the lockout, huh? But I'm really confused as to the excitement I've seen on the Twitterverse about the Wild-Blackhawks game having the 3rd highest rated game in the history of regular season NHL games on the NBC Sports Network. That network just launched in January 2012. So, we're really talking about last January-April, and then the last two weeks. While the local ratings are impressive, that particular line about NBCSN just doesn't do anything for me, unless we're also talking about the VS. years.

Five Keys to Success on the Road for the Minnesota Wild - Gone Puck Wild- These are very good keys, but it would be great if the Wild adhered to these keys strictly when they played at home, too.

Tending the Fields

Last second goal leads Greenville Road Warriors to shootout victory over Orlando Solar Bears in ECHL. - OrlandoSentinel.com- Hard-hitting Solar Bear news. Also, I know none of the names mentioned in this article.

Off The Trail

In shortened NHL season, effort beats aesthetics | StarTribune.com- A look at the changes the shortened season from coaches perspective. Good insight.

Trying to put a finger on just what Nail Yakupov is allowed to do after scoring a big goal | Backhand Shelf | Blogs | theScore.com- A nice follow-up to last week's Yakupov "celly" talk. Derek Morris didn't like Yakupov celebration, even though it was a more traditional, less showy celebration. Worth your time.

Ranking the 10 most fear-inducing powerplay units of 2013 | Backhand Shelf | Blogs | theScore.com- I was surprised that Parise-Koivu-Heatley didn't make the cut, but then I looked it up, and saw that the PP only had a 16% conversion rate. I was sad.

Hockey and ’30 Rock’: Inside plentiful puck references as Tina Fey’s sitcom reaches finale | Puck Daddy - Yahoo! Sports- As a barely casual fan of 30 Rock, I wasn't super into this post, but I'm sure that there are hardcore fans who might need this as a pick-me-up after the season finale. I'm so sweet for putting a link up to an article that I had nothing to do with.

Enemy News

For news on the Ducks, visit our sister site, Anaheim Calling, or if you want some newspaper stuff, read the Orange County Register. To make up for the shortened walk, here are some stories to get you started.

Ducks Should Cut Losses And Trade Corey Perry Before Deadline, He Doesn't Like Us Anyway - Anaheim Calling- Strong words from a strong blog, Anaheim Calling. Luckily, being Wild fans, there's no way we can sympathize with a team whose reluctance to deal a star player determined on walking away potentially coming back to haunt them.

Even with strong start, Ducks' Boudreau tinkering | The Orange County Register- Ducks Notebook. Mostly a nice look at Boudreau.

Anyway, that's all from me this week. I'll be back Wednesday, bringing the A/V Club with me, where I'll post the best podcasts and videos from the week before. Thanks for making me a part of your days this week!