2009-10 Game Thirty-One: Wild 2, Flames 1 (OT)

A sign that a team really is different from year-to-year is the way that they approach an opponent, and an arena, that has often thwarted even their best efforts. While the Minnesota Wild may not be ready to completely shake off the demons of playing in Calgary, for one night, at least, they were able to do something they hadn't done in almost three years; they won inside of the Saddledome.

In previous years, the Wild were a team that didn't spend a ton of time in the attacking zone. They would get their chances, but then they would retreat into a defensive style of play, and just try to hang on. This time, the Wild utilized a strong forecheck to keep the Flames from assembling much of an offense, and, if it hadn't been for the Wild trying to shoot through Miikka Kiprusoff instead of around him, the Flames wouldn't have even gotten a point out of the game. For one night, at least, the Calgary demons that have haunted the Wild in the past were put to rest.

Game pluses:
- Martin Havlat. Havlat played great against the Flames while in Chicago, and leave it to Calgary to find a way to reignite his game. Great feeds lead to scoring chances, and his puck awareness put the winner into the yawning net. Wild fans are starting to see what kind of player Havlat can really be.
- Niklas Backstrom. The Wild netminder didn't have to duel with Kiprusoff in total shots faced, but he performed just as admirably when the game was on the line. One of these two goaltenders will probably be starting for Finland in the Olympics.
- Derek Boogaard. Take away Boogaard's fight early on, and you still have a pretty good game. Boogaard was a presence on the ice, almost getting the puck into the net once, and he was right there, just in case James Sheppard couldn't make his goal count.

Game minuses:
- Power play. The Wild had an extended 5-on-3, and couldn't get the puck into the net. Antti Miettinen had the best opportunity, but the Wild just couldn't get the man advantage to click.
- Shot selection. Kiprusoff is a big goalie, but that doesn't explain why the Wild decided the best place to put the puck was right into the center of his chest on far too many shots. The Wild heavily outshot the Flames, but just couldn't move the puck enough to fool Kiprusoff most of the night.
- Kim Johnsson. For a defenseman who's supposed to be an offensive asset, and someone who's supposed to have good overall awareness, Johnsson needs to show that he knows where things are on the ice. Too often, he makes mistakes at the blue line that could cost the Wild the game.

Next up: The Wild left Calgary, but stayed within the Northwest Division, wrapping up their road trip with a visit to Vancouver.