Game Thirteen: Wild 0, Canucks 2

It's never easy when facing a goaltender on an incredible hot streak, as the Minnesota Wild had to on Saturday night when they played Vancouver. Roberto Luongo for the Canucks came into the game having posted back-to-back shutouts, and was looking to notch a third in a row against a team that's frustrated him in the past. Unfortunately for the Wild, Luongo was in top form, and stifled every chance that they got, as the Canucks were able to edge the Wild and leap frog them into first place in the Northwest Division.

There were a number of great chances for the Wild, but they were unable to turn those chances into goals, thanks to Luongo's sparkling play in net. Pierre-Marc Bouchard alone had to feel snakebit, as some of the best chances for Minnesota came off of his stick. Andrew Brunette also had a couple great opportunities, including one on a breakaway, but the Wild were unable to solve the Canucks goalie.

On the other end of the ice, Niklas Backstrom was almost as proficient, but a great Vancouver screen lead to the first goal, and a defensive lapse created the second. Overall, though, the Wild put together a good game, and returned home from an injury-depleted road trip with a 2-2 mark. The Wild will play 10 of their next 12 at the Xcel Energy Center.

Game pluses:
- Pierre-Marc Bouchard. "Butch" was creating chances, and had some beautiful looks at the net. It just seemed like Luongo was in perfect position all night long.
- Andrew Brunette. The breakaway alone should have resulted in a Wild goal. He was also creating havoc around Luongo's crease, but, again, couldn't find an answer.
- Niklas Backstrom. If Salo's power play goal hadn't come off of a screen (and possible tip), we could easily have been staring down a 0-0 tie late in the game.

Game minuses:
- Colton Gillies. Maybe it was nerves from playing in his hometown, but Gillies took the boarding penalty that led directly to Salo's goal.
- Defense. For large portions of the game, the defense held strong. However, Vancouver was able to put the game away because the Wild found themselves out of position, forgetting about the Sedin twins.
- The first period. It was the end of a long trip away from home, but, with only 4 games played, the Wild couldn't have been that tired yet. In the first period, they were unable to come out strongly, and the march to the penalty box put them into an early hole.

Next up: The Wild have off until Thursday night. Their last four day stint had them come back against a Buffalo team that ripped them apart in 5 minutes, and they haven't looked the same since. Will they fare better against the 7-6-0 Phoenix Coyotes, who play Columbus the night before?