Game Forty-seven: Wild 6, Maple Leafs 1

When the Minnesota Wild move the puck with precision passing, they can play against any team in the league. When their opponent is slumping fast, as the Toronto Maple Leafs have been, it can easily lead to a blowout. That's exactly what happened as the Wild took advantage of an inexperienced goaltender and some shoddy Leaf defense en route to a 6-1 throttling.

The scoring was started in the first period as Cal Clutterbuck wristed a shot once again high into the corner of the net, scoring his eighth goal of the season. The Leafs were able to tie the game early in the second, but, four minutes after knotting the score at 1-1, the Wild were suddenly up by a score of 4-1. Another goal in the second period gave Minnesota a four-goal cushion, and they scored another in the third. The Wild was able to utilize touch passing and some great skating against the Leafs, and more often than not, it looked like Toronto was stuck in ruts on the ice. Constantly out of position, the Leafs left young Justin Pogge hang out to dry, while Niklas Backstrom was once again stellar, including a great triple stop on Nik Antropov.

Game pluses:
- Pierre-Marc Bouchard. A miscue by Bouchard led to the Antropov chance, and, after a benching, he got his revenge with two pretty goals and an assist.
- Eric Belanger. Belanger set up the go-ahead goal with a great play on the forecheck, and was strong defensively.
- Cal Clutterbuck. He started the scoring and was an assist away from completing the Gordie Howe hat trick. Plus, Clutterbuck once again led with his body, and, for now, leads the NHL in hits.

Game minuses:
- Power play. When you're skating against the worst penalty killing team in the NHL, there's no excuse to spend two power plays without even a shot.
- Shots. Tied into the power play statistic is the fact that the Wild was outshot all game long. They made the most of the shots they did take, but they spent too much time looking for the pass, instead of shooting it and looking for a rebound or a tip-in. Pretty plays make highlight reels. Garbage goals lead to the playoffs.
- Marek Zidlicky. The one Maple Leaf goal came off of a few defensive miscues, but the worst was Marek Zidlicky, who took neither the player nor the puck out of the picture.

Next up: The Wild head to Canada, where they will first visit a team with an identical record, the 24-20-3 Edmonton Oilers. It's only the second meeting of the season for the two teams, with 5 games remaining, and the bad blood has already been stirred.

Looking past the break

The NHL's All-Star festivities take over this weekend, giving fans a chance to see players that they might not see otherwise. It'll also be a nice break for writers, coaches, GMs, and players alike, because, after the weekend is over, the entire league looks to a point on March 4. That point, of course, is the trade deadline for the league.

The Minnesota Wild will have some tough decisions to make during that month, not the least of which being trying to make a guess as to whether or not they are a playoff team, or if they'll find themselves sitting on the outside of the bubble looking in. This is also a team that could be searching for a new coach after this season ends (but, with Jacques Lemaire, every year has that potential), and might also be in the search for a new GM. Needless to say, Doug Reiseborough hasn't had the best of luck when it comes to the team he's put on the ice. Consistent? Yes. Dominant, and a Cup contender? No.

Still, no matter what the Wild's position is, there are some players that they should at least look into shopping around, and some players that they should make sure stay with the organization for a long time. First up, the potential trades.

Niklas Backstrom
The Wild netminder has been sparkling all season, and he's often been the thing keeping them in games. Still, he's due to be a UFA at the end of this season, and the Wild hasn't had the best luck resigning their unrestricted talent (Brian Rolston ring any bells?). Plus, with his selection to the All-Star game, it will allow other GMs to see just what he can do. While Josh Harding isn't as strong in net as Backstrom is, he also wouldn't pull the same kind of value in a trade, and the Wild could use the offensive help, while giving a young goaltender some valuable time in net. Plus, Backstom does like the Wild, and there's always the potential that a trade would be more of a loan to another team, and he could be back in St. Paul next season with a new contract.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard
Bouchard is a great skater. Nobody questions that. But this season, he's looked completely lost on the ice, possibly due to having new players to skate with. Still, in Lemaire's system, new players every shift isn't unheard of, and Bouchard just hasn't found a way to get his game back on track. Maybe the thing that PMB needs to get his game going again is a change of scenery. Plus, he should have a decent value in the trade market.

Stephane Veilleux
Veilleux had a great pre-season, and has returned to his form from the past couple of seasons as the games have ticked off the calendar. He's also been somewhat less necessary to the Wild, thanks to the play of Cal Clutterbuck. Veilleux used to be the Wild's energy guy, and he can still provide a spark, but he could also net a more offensive threat from a team looking for some more grit.

Marian Gaborik
True, there's almost no chance he'll be moved, but his name has to be thrown out there. The only way for the Wild to get something in return for his departure (which will happen after this season, unless something drastically changes) is for a trade to happen. For that, another GM will have to show a willingness to trade based on potential and hope.

Now, for the players that the Wild should fight to keep.

Mikko Koivu
Koivu is looking more and more like his big brother every day, with one exception. He's got even more natural talent. An emerging leader, and a player that many think should remain as the captain of the Wild, Koivu has shown that he's a fantastic two-way player, and a huge asset. Other teams might come looking, but the Wild should spend time protecting him.

Cal Clutterbuck
The rookie has made a huge impact on the league, trailing only a couple of guys for hits in the season. He's also started to get comfortable on the ice, and has started to find his scoring. Clutterbuck may never be a top line guy, but he could easily be the anchor to a strong second (or third) line, and the Wild need the depth.

Brent Burns
Burns hasn't had the strongest season, but he's also had to bounce back and forth from defense to wing. Without that distraction earlier, there's a good chance his game would have improved to the point where Niklas Backstrom wasn't the only Wild player in the All-Star game. The Wild's system is built around their defense, and Burns is a key figure to that.

So there you have it. Needless to say, the next month or so will be very interesting in the State of Hockey.

Game Forty-six: Wild 2, Kings 5

When looking for a word to describe this season for the Minnesota Wild, it just might be schizophrenic. From a strong October and November to a December that they're still trying to crawl away from. Taking their game against the top teams in the league and playing well, while getting throttled by teams that they should beat handily. Seemingly incapable of figuring out how to play against many of the teams in their own conference, while being beasts against the teams in the East. A strong win against a Chicago team that should have outclassed them, featuring some amazing defense, followed immediately by a game where it looked like the Wild were asleep on their skates.

The opponent on the scoreboard last night was the Los Angeles Kings, but the real opponent was the Minnesota Wild itself. After knotting the score at 1, thanks to an Owen Nolan power play, the Wild floundered until it was too late to do anything. Finding their legs in the third period, they finally started skating and putting shots on net, but, by that point, the damage had already been done, and the Wild were staring down another loss on their home ice.

Game pluses:
- Owen Nolan. Nolan has provided the Wild with someone willing to pick up the rebounds from the front of the net, as he did again last night, tying the game early.
- Derek Boogaard. His fight late in the game perked the Wild up, but it was too late. He also had some offensive chances, and almost found a way to puck the puck into the net.
- Marek Zidlicky. Zidlicky was able to bring the Wild to within one, setting a new team record for power play goals by a defenseman.

Game minuses:
- Brent Burns. Burns has been off his game for a while now, and it was glaringly obvious against the Kings, as he turned the puck over a number of times, had bad positioning, and took needless penalties.
- Marek Zidlicky. Yes, we gave him a plus for the goal, and he had other strong elements, but he also took some very needless penalties and couldn't seem to pass the puck clear. His delay of game that set up the go-ahead goal for Los Angeles was a foolish play.
- Colton Gillies. At the start of the season, the Wild kept Gillies with the team to develop him. Maybe the time has come for him to develop in Houston, as Gillies hasn't yet shown more than flashes of an understanding of how to play the game on an NHL level.

Next up: The Wild, except for Niklas Backstrom, take a week off for the All-Star game (Mikko Koivu should really be joining him, and Cal Clutterbuck should probably have had a shot at the YoungStars game) before returning to the ice next Tuesday against the 17-22-7 Toronto Maple Leafs.

Games Forty-four and Forty-five

A couple of very different games for the Minnesota Wild over the weekend. First up, they faced off against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, and lost 3-0. Two key events changed the tone of the game drastically, and, after the second, while the Wild kept fighting, it looked like they didn't have their hearts completely involved.

Those two events? One of which was, of course, Andrew Brunette slamming into the boards and being carried off the ice. It sent a shiver through the Wild, but they might have survived if they hadn't faced another roadblock. Once again, the Wild had a goal waved off due to an early whistle. The puck was bouncing around, completely uncovered by Jonas Hiller, but the officials called the play dead. Minutes later, a similar situation happened in front of Niklas Backstrom, with the Wild covering the puck, but the play was allowed to continue. The Wild's sails were deflated, and, while they hung on as well as they could, they just didn't have any jump after that one-two punch.

Monday, on the other hand, the Wild had plenty of jump, as they headed to Chicago and handed the Blackhawks only their third regulation loss at home for the season, winning 4-1. Marek Zidlicky provided two power play goals, and Backstrom stood tall in net, stopping 40 of 41 shots, only allowing one marker at the exact midpoint of the game. Even better for the Wild, Brunette was on the ice, maintaining his streak of consecutive games played.

Game pluses:
- Mikko Koivu. He played well against the Ducks, and was rewarded with three points against the Blackhawks, including the opening goal.
- Cal Clutterbuck. He may have only tallied an empty-net goal, but he also showcased why he's so good physically. When the rest of the Wild tucked tail against the Ducks, Clutterbuck continued to play his game.
- Niklas Backstrom. Bouncing back from a game where he didn't have a lot of defensive help, Backstrom shut down the high-powered Blackhawks offense.

Game minuses:
- Brent Burns. Burns may simply be having a mid-season slump, as his last few games have featured less-than-pinpoint passing. By the same token, Burns has been instrumental in positioning, keeping opposing offenses from getting clear shots.
- James Sheppard. The kid is starting to step things up in his game, but, with two separate breakaways against Chicago, he couldn't score on either one. He needs to figure out how to pull the trigger sooner.
- Officiating. The officiating seemed balanced against Chicago, but it's hard to not see a possible slant against Minnesota during the Anaheim game, especially with the debacle over covered pucks.

Next up: The Wild look to hold onto their playoff positioning as they face off against the 17-20-7 Los Angeles Kings tonight, playing their final game before the All-Star break.

Game Forty-three: Wild 5, Oilers 1; Goodbye Benny

Suddenly, a team that spent parts of the season living and dying by the power play has found a way to put together even-strength goals. In fact, the Minnesota Wild have scored 10 even-strength goals in the past two games, while only notching one power play marker. The first victim was the Phoenix Coyotes, who maintained a semblence of composure, even after the Wild opened up their lead late in the game. Last night, the Edmonton Oilers did no such thing.

The game got started early, as Krys Kolanos scored a goal 9 seconds after James Sheppard was sent off the ice for fighting. Yes, Sheppard was a fighter last night, which indicates how the remainder of this season series could go. The Oilers tied the goal after slapping an uncovered puck home, but that's when the Wild turned on the jets. Cal Clutterbuck scored the game winner off of a beautiful play by Sheppard and Pierre-Marc Bouchard, and the Wild entered the first intermission leading 2-1.

That's where the score stayed until the third period, when Bouchard was able to extend the lead to 3-1. At that point, the Oilers fell apart, and stopped chasing the equalizer. Instead, it seemed like they were more interested in taking penalties and shaking the Wild up with intimidation. This culminated in a fight between Craig Weller and Sheldon Souray. During the fight, Weller went down and looked dazed, unsure of his surroundings, but the Wild kept pouring the offense on, as Brent Burns and Eric Belanger scored goals late in the period to seal the game for Minnesota. Except the bad blood to continue between these two teams, as they have five games against each other remaining through the second half of the season.

Meanwhile, the Oilers weren't the only ones to get bad news last night, as Wild center Benoit Pouliot got the news that he was being demoted to Houston. Honestly, this should come as no surprise to anyone who's watched the Wild this year, as Pouliot, who unquestionably has a heap of talent, just couldn't seem to figure out how to play with Jacques Lemaire's style. Maybe Pouliot will find his footing again with the Aeros, but it also wouldn't be a shock to see him suiting up with a different team by next season.

Game pluses:
- Antti Miettinen. He played fairly solid all game, but he gets a nod for his assist on the first goal of the game, as he tossed the puck around an Edmonton defensemen for a beautiful play.
- Mikko Koivu. If we give a nod to Miettinen for beating one Edmonton player, we have to give credit to Koivu for beating two on his set-up for the Brent Burns goal. Any question that he should be making the trip to Montreal?
- Cal Clutterbuck. Clutterbuck got his first game-winning goal with another top-shelf tally. He also is filling an agitator role, as was evidenced by the penalties he drew after his clean hits. When you get cross-checked as you're about to go on the bench, you know you've gotten under the other team's skin.

Game minuses:
- Stoppage of play. The Wild has been victimized a few times this season by goals waved off after officials "thought about" blowing the whistle. A similar play happened last night for Edmonton, except the officials counted the goal. Thankfully, the Wild didn't get frustrated.
- James Sheppard. Alright, so the kid actually had a really good game, and almost got the Gordie Howe hat trick. Still, why is James Sheppard fighting, especially when both Derek Boogaard and Craig Weller are in the line-up for the night?
- Craig Weller. This again a fight-related minus, and it's because of the way Weller went down after his fight with Souray. Replays show that Souray had a plastic wrist guard on the fist that connected a lot with Weller's face. Not saying that it contributed, but Weller was definitely shaky after the fight, and is expected to miss at least the next game. But, like Clutterbuck, you know you're doing something right when two players are willing to drop the gloves at once against you (Ethan Moreau was going to step up until Souray pulled him aside).

Next up: The Wild tries to keep it's suddenly overpowering offense on track Saturday night, as they play the 22-18-5 Anaheim Ducks, who have a game tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Game Forty-Two: Wild 6, Coyotes 3

The Minnesota Wild entered the second half of the season looking to distance themselves from what had gone wrong in the first half. Aside from some scary moments in the third period, they did just that, as they were able to score almost at will, defeating the Phoenix Coyotes 6-3 at the Xcel Energy Center.

The Wild got the scoring going early, jumping out to a quick 1-0 lead before the first minute had even expired, thanks to the return of Marc-Andre Bergeron and his monstrous slapshot. Owen Nolan put a puck home later in the period, giving the Wild a rare two goal first period. Meanwhile, the Wild was able to play more physically than Phoenix, and they spent much of the game keeping Phoenix from getting good shots.

That is, until the third period. After a quick goal by Mikko Koivu, giving the Wild a 4-1 lead, the team seemed to rest a bit on its heels, and suddenly found themselves involved in a 1-goal game. Thankfully, for Wild fans, Cal Clutterbuck was able to snag a breakaway and bury the shot, providing the insurance goal that the Wild craved.

Game pluses:
- Cal Clutterbuck. He was a physical presence all over the ice, notched an assist, and scored a very deserved goal in the third, to help solidify the Wild win. Clutterbuck may not be a big guy, but you couldn't tell that the way he played against Phoenix.
- Marc-Andre Bergeron. Maybe it's something about coming back from injury, but, like Owen Nolan, Bergeron returned to the team, barely practiced, and scored a big goal in his first game back. Heck, even fellow returner Derek Boogaard almost got a goal.
- Balanced scoring. The Wild did more than just score six even-strength goals. They did it with six different goal scorers. This distribution of offense is exactly what the team needs, with no real breakout offensive threats.

Game minuses:
- Officiating. There wasn't a penalty called until late in the second period. While some of the incidents that happened earlier could be brushed aside to let the teams skate, there were other times where the penalty was so glaringly obvious that something should have been called. Maybe the whistles were frozen.
- Third period collapse. While the Wild were able to pick themselves up off the ice, there was still no reason why a Phoenix team that had been outplayed all game suddenly found themselves within one goal of tying the game.
- Brent Burns. Maybe he was trying to do too much, but there were a few too many times where Burns dished the puck right to a Coyotes player, or where he got beat badly. He certainly didn't look like himself on the ice.

Next up: The Wild find stay at home to play against the Edmonton Oilers, who share a 21-18-3 record with the Wild. It will be the first meeting between the divisional opponents.

Game Forty-One: Wild 2, Blue Jackets 4

For the second game in a row, the Minnesota Wild entered the third period tied 1-1 with their opponents. In previous years, that could lead Wild fans to being excited, given that the Wild used to control the third period completely. Now, it's a cause for panic. Once again, for the second game in a row, the Wild proceeded to give up three unanswered goals, this time getting one meaningless goal in the final minute to only allow the Columbus Blue Jackets to skate to a 4-2 victory.

And it could have been worse. Columbus was playing with many of their starters out with injury. Meanwhile, the Wild were playing without much of a hope, as they spent the entire game chasing the puck, and being schooled by a kid fresh from the World Junior tournament.

Game pluses:
- Antti Miettinen. While his defensive play wasn't as strong as it's been as of late, he finally seems to be understanding the concept of getting the puck towards the net. He was rewarded when Steve Mason lost track of the shot and it floated in.
- Marek Zidlicky. He notched another power play goal, keeping the Wild from going 0-for-two games with the man advantage.
- Cal Clutterbuck. In a scary moment, Clutterbuck was hit from behind into the boards by Mike Commodore. The plus is because Clutterbuck has been playing well most of the game, and because he's stressing that he's fine.

Game minuses:
- Josh Harding. Often, you can point to a lack of goal support as the reason Harding loses a game. Not this time, as he was out of position more often than not.
- Benoit Pouliot. The kid couldn't keep the puck on his stick. Some may consider him trade bait at this point, but, the way he's played, which other team would take him, and what could the Wild possibly get in return?
- Physicality. Once Clutterbuck got slammed into the boards, the Wild completely abandoned any sort of hitting. This just opened up the ice even more for Columbus, who used speed to their advantage.

Next up: The Wild return home and try to right the ship, as they face the 21-17-5 Phoenix Coyotes.

Game Forty: Wild 1, Flyers 3

For the first period, the Minnesota Wild looked like they might be able to skate to an easy victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. They were simply outplaying the Flyers in every part of the ice, and it forced Philadelphia to taking penalties in attempts to slow the Wild down.

Slow them down it did. Minnesota was granted eight power plays during the game, but couldn't convert on a single one, including over a minute with a 5-on-3 advantage. Meanwhile, Philadelphia simply kept applying pressure, snapping Niklas Backstrom's shutout streak at almost 150 minutes while pouring on 3 unanswered goals. It marks a rare Wild loss after scoring the first goal, and only their second regulation loss against the Eastern Conference.

The flu is also ravaging the Wild. Stephane Veilleux scored the team's only goal, despite not being expected to play because of the flu bug. Martin Skoula, who's been very consistent on the blue line this season, missed the game. And, with the way the Wild collapsed in the second period, it almost looked as if they all came down with the bug during intermission.

Game pluses:
- Mikko Koivu. Possibly trying to convince the powers-that-be that he was mistakenly left off of the All-Star roster, Koivu played a strong game in both ends.
- Brent Burns. While Marek Zidlicky made some flashy plays after snapping a stick, Burns casually went about his business, almost connecting on a few chances, including one that got barely pinned by Martin Biron.
- Krys Kolanos. Again, Kolanos played a very strong game, creating chances and simply outskating the Flyers defense. Like most of the Wild, though, he couldn't solve Biron.

Game minuses:
- Special teams. As if going 0-for-8 on the power play wasn't bad enough (and it really was), the Wild gave up the go-ahead goal a mere seven seconds into Philadelphia's only power play.
- Puck possession. Maybe the Wild tried too many passes. Maybe the Flyers just clogged up the lanes. Either way, the Wild lost the handle on the puck too many times to count, including a number of times in their own defensive zone.
- Benoit Pouliot. Given a chance to play, one would hope that Pouliot would have reversed his course from the last few games. And yet, aside from one chance where he got his stick lifted on him, he couldn't keep the puck, and again overskated the play more often than not.

Next up: The Wild look to get back on track Saturday night, as they reach the midpoint of the season with a game against the 18-18-4 Columbus Blue Jackets, who will be coming off of a game tonight in Washington.

Game Thirty-Nine: Wild 1, Bruins 0

Apparently, the Minnesota cure for a month-long slump is to take on three of the top teams in the NHL, and call on Niklas Backstrom. After struggling through the month of December, the Wild are now 3-0-1 in their past four games, with all three victories happening with Backstrom in net. Even better for the Wild, Backstrom has shut out his last two opponents, solidifying his selection to the All-Star game.

Backstrom wasn't the only impressive netminder in this game. Former Wild goalie Manny Fernandez took the start for Boston, and, aside from a power play blast from Marek Zidlicky, he was also brilliant. Both goaltenders turned away shots that probably should have gone in, and both goaltenders had plenty of support from their defenses. It's no surprise that, when these two played for Minnesota, they took home the William Jennings trophy for fewest goals allowed.

Game pluses:
- Goaltending. Both teams had great plays made in net. Backstrom just edged Fernandez in an exciting 1-0 game.
- Mikko Koivu. He may not be going to the All-Star game, but he's definitely earned a spot. Another complete game from Koivu last night helped secure the Wild victory.
- Krys Kolanos. Another player who's turned it on recently, Kolanos got an assist on the Zidlicky goal, almost scored on a couple of wrap-around chances, drew penalties, and even blocked a puck destined for the open net behind him, saving Backstrom's shutout.

Game minuses:
- Benoit Pouliot. Pouliot got out of Jacques Lemaire's doghouse thanks to injuries to other forwards, but may end up there again soon. He regularly overskated the puck, and was responsible for a number of the Wild's offsides calls. It's hard to score when you can't keep the puck on your own stick.
- Flying pucks. Zidlicky caught a puck in the face. So did Boston's Shane Hnidy (although Hnidy's was worse). While both players returned, it could have been much worse.
- First period. The Wild started slowly, spending almost all of the first period chasing Boston and the puck. Three consecutive penalties against the Bruins in the second changed the momentum, but Minnesota almost gave it back in the third period.

Next up: The Wild see if they can't continue their success against the Eastern Conference on Thursday when they take on the 21-10-9 Philadelphia Flyers. And yes, the Flyers currently lead their division.

Games Thirty-Seven and Thirty-Eight

December has been gone for less than a week, but the Minnesota Wild are doing everything they can to quickly erase the taste it left in their mouths. They closed out the month with a surprise 3-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks, and then they had to face the Detroit Red Wings just a couple of days into the new year.

A week ago, if you'd said that the Wild would be the Sharks in overtime, and force overtime against the Red Wings, people would wonder where you were coming from. And yet, the Wild did just that, with the Wings getting a questionable goal late in the third period to tie the score at two, and then securing the only goal in a shootout, taking home the 3-2 (SO) victory. The Wild once again gave up the first goal, but never stopped battling, which resulted in two goals 31 seconds apart.

After the game against Detroit, the Wild had to head to Colorado to face the Avalanche the very next day, and, thanks to two goals by Owen Nolan and great goaltending by Niklas Backstrom, the Wild held on to a 2-0 victory. The Wild shutout Colorado for the first time in team history, as Backstrom sailed to his fourth shutout of the season.

Weekend pluses:
- Owen Nolan. The veteran came back from injury, is less than 100%, and yet turned in great goals in each game.
- Goaltending. Backstrom secured a shutout, and Josh Harding held the Red Wings to only two goals before the shootout. Harding's numbers deserve a record better than the one he's currently holding (1-4-1).
- Krys Kolanos. The call-up from Houston has been playing well, creating opportunities, and converting some of his own. He's a big reason why Jacques Lemaire can sit Benoit Pouliot. Speaking of...

Weekend minuses:
- Benoit Pouliot. Pouliot didn't play in either game this weekend, and he's supposed to be one of the Wild's offensive threats. It's pretty apparent that Pouliot has landed firmly in Lemaire's doghouse.
- Shortening the bench. True, the Wild only gave up the questionable high stick goal after deciding to rotate only four defensemen, but that could have been so much worse. Fresher legs might have kept Franzen from being close enough for the shot to be reviewed.
- Marian Gaborik. This was a huge blow for the Wild, as their top scorer announced that he'll be having surgery on his damaged hip. Expect to not see Gaby in a Wild jersey again.

Next up: After taking on the best the West has to offer, the Minnesota Wild head East to take on the top team there, as they face the 29-6-4 Boston Bruins.

Game Thirty-Six: Wild 3, Sharks 2 (OT)

The Minnesota Wild ended 2008 in a huge way. While they've grown accustomed to playing with Marian Gaborik (and, if reports of possible surgery are true, they'll have to continue that mindset), they had abandoned the team play that led to the most successful November in franchise history, struggling through the month of December. When the San Jose Sharks came to town, holding the best record in the league, the Wild had to feel a little outclassed.

If they did, they never showed it. Putting together possibly the best all-around game of the season thus far, the Minnesota Wild shocked the Sharks, complete with Brent Burns scoring in overtime to seal a game that the Wild deserved to win. In fact, the Wild was 30 seconds away from handing San Jose only they're fifth regulation loss all season before Milan Michalek scored a late goal with the Sharks net empty, setting up Burns' heroics.

Of course, the Wild didn't get the win easily, which should be no surprise after the month that they'd had. It took two goals on one power play to get one to register, and there were plenty of other questions left on the ice as the Wild connected on post after post. Hopefully for Minnesota, they can take the momentum from beating San Jose into January, and take the lead from new team captain, Mikko Koivu.

Game pluses:
- Brent Burns. Not only did Burns score the game winning goal, and assist on both of the other goals, but he was a force defensively all game.
- Owen Nolan. Playing, by his own admission, at less than 100%, it was hard to tell that Nolan had barely practiced since returning from injury. The feisty Irishman scored the first goal of the game, and created plenty of chances as the time ticked down.
- Wild hockey. The top checking line shutting down the San Jose top scoring line. Great work in goal. Crashing the net. A Boogaard fight. This was the Wild team that fans saw in the beginning of the season.

Game minuses:
- Making luck. The Wild seemed to have rough luck, especially with the officials. Kris Kolanos almost wasn't credited with a goal that went in. Andrew Brunette had a goal waved off because of an early whistle. Niklas Backstrom was called for a delay of game, and Evgeni Nabokov was not on a similar play. The Wild kept pressing, but it looked like they were in danger of letting luck and officiating take them out of the game.
- Second period. While they were able to keep San Jose from doing more than tying the score, the second period was disjointed for Minnesota, as they spent too much time chasing the puck and not enough time controlling it.
- Marek Zidlicky. The Wild played a strong game in all ends. It seemed in many situations, however, that Zidlicky wasn't quite sure how to adjust to the style of the game, and he looked lost on the ice more than once.

Next up: The Wild take their big win with them into a game on Saturday night, as they face the 25-7-5 Detroit Red Wings, fresh off their own big win in the Winter Classic.