Wilderness Walk: Bye For Now

In the second most recent podcast (haven’t had a chance to listen to the most recent yet but I’m sure it’s gold), Tony and Joe discusses some of their unpopular musical opinions. It seemed like a fun game and I wanted to play. So at the risk of having an opinion too unpopular and never being allowed to join in the podcast’s reindeer games, I have always enjoyed Alien Ant Farm. Best known for their cover of Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal, I would describe listening to them as just plain ol’ stupid fun.

What was not stupid fun was watching Jonathan Toews hang five points on the Wild last night. Perrenial Selke-contender Toews might be better known for his overall two-way play, but he put his offensive acumen on loud display last night. While I don’t think the Wild and their fans need to panic about a potential showdown with the Blackhawks in the playoffs just yet, Bruce Boudreau and his team should probably take a few hard earned lessons home about the Toews line. Apart from that, I thought both Corey Crawford and Devan Dubnyk made some highlight reel saves, so it was a fun game for hockey fans that like goalie acrobatics AND high scores.

Wild News

At it again: Five-point night for Toews powers Blackhawks over Wild - StarTribune.com
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, 13 days after scoring twice against the Wild, lit Minnesota up with three goals and two assists in the Wild's last game before a bye week.

Jonathan Toews proves too much as Wild fall 5-3 to Blackhawks
MN Wild had no answer for Chicago Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews in a 5-3 loss on Tuesday night at the Xcel Energy Center.

Parise questions double standard of penalties called/not called near net - StarTribune.com
Few players — especially lately, it seems — get mugged as frequently as Zach Parise does around the opposing net.

Could the Wild Look Abroad for Roster Help?
With a looming salary cap crunch, the Minnesota Wild could look at bringing over some free agent talent from the KHL. Who might be available?

On Frozen Pond

College hockey players of the week: Minnesota's Pitlick tops Three Stars | NCAA.com
Rem Pitlick, a freshman forward from Plymouth, Minnesota, led the Golden Gophers to a sweep of Penn State in Hockey Valley in Big Ten action.

TMQ: Penn State plummeting, Atlantic Hockey surprising :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online
Men's and Women's D-I and D-III College Hockey News, Features, Scores, Statistics, Fan Forum, Blogs

Off the Trail

Gotta See It: SKA St. Petersburg's insane playoff promo video - Sportsnet.ca
Some ad campaigns rely on subtlety to win over its audience. Others punch you in the face. SKA Saint Petersburg of the KHL went with Option 2 for their playoff push video.

Rumor Roundup: What will Maple Leafs do with additional cap space? | The Hockey News
The Maple Leafs suddenly have as much as $15 million to work with at the trade deadline which they could use to make a big deal; Avalanche stars could stay put.

Down Goes Brown: Best trade-deadline adds in NHL history - Sportsnet.ca
Need a reminder that great things do happen at the deadline? Well, here you go. We compiled a full roster of the best trade deadline–week acquisitions in NHL history.

Thornton’s 1,000th assist set to put him in exclusive company | The Hockey News
Joe Thornton is two assists away from becoming the 13th player to reach the 1,000-assist milestone, and it should have him considered among the greatest playmakers the league has ever seen.

Trade Deadline Predictions: 26 Potential Deals, 11 Involving Canadian Teams
It’s that time of the year again — time for my annual trade-deadline predictions. This year, I've gone out on a limb to predict 26 potential deals.

Habs top Rangers in SO to earn Julien first win - Article - TSN