Game Twenty: Wild 3, Stars 4

The Minnesota Wild spent Thanksgiving Day hoping to erase the bad taste of a game that was full of weird bounces, questionable calls, and one huge momentum change. The visiting Dallas Stars were able to get an early 1-0 lead, but, before the first 20 minutes had expired, the Wild had erased that and were up 2-1. The second period featured the Wild continuing to pressure Dallas goaltender Marty Turco, extending their lead to 3-1. A little later in the period, on a power play, Mikko Koivu fired a shot at the net. The light went on, and the on-ice officials declared it a goal.

But that's also where everything started going wrong for the Wild. The goal was reviewed, and the replays fairly conclusively showed that the puck never actually went into the net. However, it took almost 10 minutes for the officials to come to that conclusion. The long delay allowed Dallas to get their footing back, and, before the period ended, they were able to close the gap to 3-2.

The third period featured two Dallas goals, and the Wild having great opportunities, but failing to capitalize on them. An Antti Miettinen shot needed to be swept off of the goal line, Eric Belanger missed an open net, and Mikko Koivu, thanks to a sprawling Turco, had a second goal disallowed. Turco had knocked the net off of its moorings, and, even though Koivu's shot would have gone in even with the net secured, it was waved off. On top of that, the Wild seemed to have no problems hitting posts all game long, but they couldn't quite get the puck into the net after the long momentum-killing delay.

Gmae pluses:
- Mikko Koivu. True, both of his goals were disallowed, but Koivu was taking great chances. His second goal deserved to stand, but Turco and the Stars took advantage of the dislodged net rules.
- Owen Nolan. Nolan's been flying around the ice for a few games now, and has been diving for the puck to create opportunities. It was nice to see the grizzled veteran score his second of the year.
- Martin Skoula. While he wasn't credited with the goal in the second, Skoula has been playing fairly solid for the Wild blue liners, and the shot that he fired (tipped at the last second by Andrew Brunette) was a smart attempt.

Game minuses:
- Third period. The Wild hasn't been able to figure out the third period as of late. Far too often this season, the third period has either let the opposing team back into the game. They need to figure out the final frame over the rest of the season.
- Defense. This ties largely into the third period woes, but maybe it's time for the Brent Burns Experiment to end. Burns is a solid defensemen, and, while he was put on the wing to help increase scoring, it might be time to move him back to the blue line, and let him quarterback the plays from there.
- Disallowed goals. The first Koivu goal was clearly not a goal, and yet took ten minutes to review. A James Neal goal may have come off of a high stick, but wasn't investigated in the slightest. And the second Koivu goal that was disallowed? It may be time to look at the rules regarding dislodged nets. After all, even if Turco hadn't fallen against the post and knocked the net off, Koivu's shot would have sailed in free and clear into the open net. It wasn't the Wild killer, but it was just an additional frustration to top off a bizarre game.

Next up: The Wild welcomes home Wes Walz as they take on the 6-8-7 Tampa Bay Lightning. The last time these teams met, the Wild won 1-0 in a shootout.