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.