Game Eleven: Wild 1, Sharks 3

Maybe the Minnesota Wild were thinking about the historic election. Maybe they were just a little too-banged up. Either way, the team fell to 7-3-1, losing to the San Jose Sharks by a score of 3-1. While the Wild opened the scoring first, they simply couldn't match the Sharks intensity, or their shots. When the second period ended tied 1-1, it became clear that the only reason Minnesota still had a chance in the game was because of the tremendous play of Niklas Backstrom in net. By the end of the game, Backstrom had registered 46 saves, but the Wild couldn't put together enough offense to give him the win.

In the first two periods, while the Wild did seem to hold its own, San Jose spent time acting like their namesakes. The Sharks were circling, delivering crisp passes, big checks, and shots from all over the ice. As the third period opened, the San Jose style paid off, and they got goals off of a couple of nice bounces. Meanwhile, the Wild, who had been struggling to keep their footing through much of the game, seemed to fall a little more apart. Obviously, the injury to Brent Burns affected the team, as the entire night, the Wild looked a little sluggish, with the exception of brief flashes of speed.

Game pluses:
- Niklas Backstrom. The netminder deserved a win, stopping 46 shots, but that was a daunting task for the Wild, who never really seemed to click on offense.
- Mikko Koivu. Koivu was once again a force on the ice, making something out of nothing most of the times he touched the puck. Too bad for him his linemates coated their skates in molasses.
- Aeros. Both Krystofer Kolanos and Cal Clutterbuck started the season in Houston. Both players tried to provide a spark to the Wild in the game against San Jose. Kolanos did it with a goal, and Clutterbuck did it with his body.

Game minuses:
- Speed. The Wild are usually the faster team on the ice. In San Jose, they never got their legs under them.
- Shoot it. Again, the Wild fell victim to being heavily outshot. Too many shots were lost because the Wild keep trying to get the perfect pass. When they did get the puck on net, they couldn't get a body in front to scoop out a rebound.
- Defense. Maybe it was the fact that Burns (and his replacement, Tomas Mojzis) were out, but the defense needs to stop opposing teams. No goaltender should be expected to make 40+ saves on a semi-regular basis.

Next up: The Wild visit their first divisional opponent on Thursday, as they head to Denver to take on the 5-7 Colorado Avalanche.