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.