Games Seventy-five and seventy-six

In the hunt for a playoff spot, the Minnesota Wild are doing a lot of standing still. They aren't out of the chase yet, but they aren't making up ground against the teams ahead of them, either. With six games remaining, the Wild can possibly end the season with 92 points, which can only happen if they find a way to win out their remaining games. Even given that, they'll need help from teams playing against those teams directly in their way.

Of course, it doesn't help when the Wild can't even help themselves, as was the case Saturday night against the Calgary Flames. Niklas Backstrom did everything he could to keep the Wild in the game, and the officials even chipped in, waving off two Calgary goals, but Minnesota was unable to keep the momentum they generated first by opening the scoring, and later by tying the game at 2. It certainly didn't help that the Wild was only able to manage 15 shots the entire game, and that none of them came off of the stick of Marian Gaborik.

After losing to the Flames 3-2, the Wild had to look at Sunday as being either a chance to get some extra life support, or the final nail in the coffin. Their opponent was the Edmonton Oilers, and the Wild, largely thanks to some very skilled play by Gaborik and Andrew Brunette, along with great saves by Niklas Backstrom, was able to edge out the Oilers 3-2. Not only did this bring the Wild within a point of Edmonton, and keep them only three back from the eighth playoff spot, but it was done in an arena that the Wild had been struggling in. The Wild was also opportunistic, as the game-winning goal came during a delayed penalty call, giving the Wild an extra attacker.

Game pluses:
- Stephane Veilleux. Veilleux seemed like he was everywhere in the past two games, creating opportunities with his linemates all weekend long. Maybe the loss of Pierre-Marc Bouchard has lit a fire under Veilleux.
- Niklas Backstrom. The Wild netminder did everything he could to allow the Wild to beat Calgary, but it's hard when your team is outshot 40-15 and you suffer a lower body injury. Still, Backstrom came out hard the very next night against Edmonton, and showed exactly why the Wild are still in a playoff chase.
- Mikko Koivu. The Wild captain returned exactly one week after suffering a knee injury, and his presence on the ice helped free things up for the team. The difference between the Wild with Koivu and without Koivu is marked.

Game minuses:
- Martin Skoula. In his first real bad game of the season, Skoula contributed (either directly or indirectly) to all three Calgary goals. The Flames game winner? That came during a 2-on-1 caused by a bad line change between Skoula and Nick Schultz.
- Marc-Andre Bergeron. On Saturday, Bergeron played on the wing. On Sunday, he was back on defense. On neither day did he look confident or have good puck possession.
- Shooting. The Wild are a team that has been outshot all season. While they held the shots close against Edmonton (until the third, when the Oilers tried to mount a comeback), they were blown out of the water by Calgary. When you score twice in ten shots against a good goalie, that should give you the confidence and desire to shoot more often, but that doesn't seem to be the case for Minnesota.

Next up: The Wild have just suffered through a stretch of 14 of 17 games on the road, and they finally return home for a couple at the Xcel Energy Center. Unfortunately for Minnesota, they haven't been that sharp on their home ice this season, either. To keep their playoff hopes alive, the Wild are looking for a win Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Game Seventy-four: Wild 6, Islanders 2

The Minnesota Wild played Wednesday night like their season depended on it, and, in a lot of ways, it did. A win would give them some hope towards playoff positioning. A loss would pretty much put the final nail in the coffin for this season, and force the team to start looking forward. Add to that desperation a last-place New York Islander team filled with AHL call-ups due to injury, and you had a recipe for disaster.

Except this time, the Wild didn't play down to their opponents skill level. While the Wild and Islanders both took more than their fair share of penalties through the game, Minnesota kept applying offensive pressure, at points having little problem controlling the play. It helped that players stepped up last night in Mikko Koivu's absence, most notably Marian Gaborik and Owen Nolan, as the Wild ended up skating to an easy 6-2 victory. The win puts them one point out of the playoffs.

Game pluses:
- Marian Gaborik. For the second game in a row, Gaborik showed hints of how good he will be once he fully recovers. The sharpshooter scored twice, and added two assists, providing offensive leadership that the Wild have struggled to find all season.
- Owen Nolan. The grizzled vet, fresh off of a frustrating game against the Rangers, extended his team lead in goals, and added another two assists of his own. Imagine the output if Koivu and Gaborik could be healthy at the same time.
- Cal Clutterbuck. The Wild rookie entered the game needing only one hit to tie the NHL record. He tallied seven, according to the official scorekeepers. While the stat is somewhat subjective from rink to rink, Clutterbuck's energy, physicality, and clean play are not, and he's set to be a difference maker next season.

Game minuses:
- James Sheppard. With Koivu out, all of the centers needed to play tighter and better. Unfortunately, Sheppard could have really used another year of development, instead of being rushed into the NHL. He had trouble with the puck most of the night, and isn't a player that should be stepping into fights.
- Marc-Andre Bergeron. Once again, the Wild defenseman had trouble keeping puck possession, and made bad passes. He provides offense from the blue line, but he's making too many mistakes on the defensive side of things.
- Discipline. The Wild are normally a very disciplined team, not taking a lot of foolish penalties. And yet, they skated themselves right into the penalty box, allowing the Islanders to antagonize them. More than once, the Wild negated a power play opportunity with a penalty of their own. And when's the last time an extended 3-on-3 opportunity was seen?

Next up: If the Wild want to keep their playoff hopes alive, they need to find a way to keep the offense moving, while giving Backstrom the space to shine. They also need to figure out how to win in Calgary, as they face the division-leading Calgary Flames on Saturday night. And yes, these are the same Flames that loaded up at the trade deadline.

Game Seventy-three: Wild 1, Rangers 2

It was incredibly apparent just how much the Minnesota Wild missed center Mikko Koivu on Tuesday night. The team just couldn't seem to get much going, and was beaten badly most of the night in the face-off circle, as the New York Rangers skated away with a tough 2-1 victory. The Wild played a gritty game, with even Marian Gaborik tallying hits, but bad penalties and an overall lack of direction resulted in the Wild slipping even further in the standings.

Another presence that was missed for Minnesota was that of an enforcer. Whether that enforcer was Derek Boogaard, Craig Weller, or John Scott, there just wasn't anyone to play that role for the Wild. End result? Their hits leader and key energy guy goes off thanks to a fight with Sean Avery, and their leading scorer scraps with Colton Orr. Losing Cal Clutterbuck and Owen Nolan for those penalties only added to the Wild's on-ice woes, as they tried to get things working without their best all-around player.

Game pluses:
- Marian Gaborik. Not only did he score in his second game back, but he started showing a physical side that has been missing through much of his career. It was a surprise to see that Gaborik was the one to floor Markus Naslund.
- Dan Fritsche. Fritsche just missed getting the tying goal in the third period. He played well against his former team, stepping up well in Koivu's absence.
- Cal Clutterbuck. Take away the fight with Avery, and Clutterbuck played his game the same way he has all season. He was another player with a great opportunity to tie the game in the third.

Game minuses:
- Shooting. Once again, the Wild struggled to get shots on net. They actually had more shots in the second period against Edmonton than they did the entire game against the Rangers. Hard to score when you aren't pulling the trigger.
- Marc-Andre Bergeron. Bergeron continues to look lost on the ice, making errant passes or getting chased down only to have the puck stolen from him. How he has avoided being a scratch lately is one of the Wild's biggest mysteries.
- Antti Miettinen. Miettinen started the season very strongly, but has been floundering as of late. He took a bad penalty to negate a Wild power play, and never really got the puck anywhere near to where he wanted to. It looked like he was stuck in the mindset of making set plays, regardless of where his teammates were on the ice.

Next up: The Wild try and put the game against the Rangers behind them, and hope that they can skate away from New York City with a better chance at a playoff berth. Tonight, they take on the New York Islanders. The biggest problem for the Wild? They tend to play up (or down) to their opponents, depending on the skill of the other team. The Islanders are in the league's basement.

Games Seventy-one and seventy-two

The Minnesota Wild haven't been home for anything longer than a brief visit throughout the month of March, and this past weekend continued that trend. After beating the Colorado Avalanche at the Xcel Energy Center, the Wild went on a quick trip to New Jersey. Of course, when a team has been struggling to find consistent offense, the last thing you want to face is the winningest goaltender of all time, and that's just what the Wild had to do. It certainly didn't help that Marek Zidlicky played one of his poorest games in a Wild sweater, and, by the end of the night, Martin Brodeur had not only extended his own record, but he was able to step closer to the all-time shutout record, as the Devils knocked aside the Wild 4-0. The Wild returned home, still clinging to playoff aspirations.

If Minnesota had been able to play every game this season like they played the final 40 minutes of their game against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday, they might be vying for the division lead with Calgary. The Wild got a boost from the return of Marian Gaborik, Niklas Backstrom had another terrific bounce-back game, and Owen Nolan continued to prove that he's got a nose for the goal as the Wild shut down the Oilers 3-0. Questionable officiating and an injury to Mikko Koivu made the game tighter than it should have been, but the Wild rose to the challenge.

Game pluses:
- Owen Nolan. His first goal against Edmonton came thanks to some hard gritty work in front of the net, and he was the final recipient. His second goal was all started by his own smart play, allowing the Wild forecheck to catch up to the play.
- Marian Gaborik. He didn't score, but, in his first game back since before Christmas, Gaborik was moving fairly well. His legs and his hands aren't quite back up to 100% yet, but the Wild is a different team with #10 in the lineup.
- Niklas Backstrom. Ultimately against New Jersey, Backstrom was victimized by bad defense and bouncing pucks. He returned to form against Edmonton, and played amazingly well. He's been the biggest reason why the Wild still has a shot to sneak into the postseason.

Game minuses:
- Marek Zidlicky. Zidlicky played incredibly poorly against New Jersey, and was directly responsible for two of their four goals. It may be something of a blessing in disguise that he missed the Edmonton game.
- Marc-Andre Bergeron. With Zidlicky out of the line-up, Bergeron seemed like he wanted to emulate him, including coughing up the puck to Oilers attackers a couple of times on Sunday. It was only thanks to great saves by Backstrom that Bergeron's mistakes didn't cost Minnesota more than puck possession.
- Shooting. The Wild started both games with a ridiculously small number of shots, only taking four in the first period against New Jersey, and two against Edmonton. The remainder of the Edmonton game showed the Wild what they can do when they put the puck towards the net.

Next up: The Wild once again leave their home rink behind, and will possibly be leaving team captain Mikko Koivu as well, as they once again head east for a Tuesday night game against the New York Rangers.

Game Seventy: Wild 3, Avalanche 2 (SO)

The Minnesota Wild entered St. Patrick's Day looking for a little Irish luck. As it turns out, having an Irishman on the team may have just been enough, as the Wild was able to pull out a very important two points by beating the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in a shootout.

The first period, the Wild looked like a team energized by their own playoff chase, and they were buzzing around Peter Budaj's net all period long. Even Derek Boogaard was able to produce some good scoring chances, and he almost tallied his first goal in over a year because of it. Still, at the end of the period the score was 0-0, and the Wild knew that they would have to be even better. Unfortunately, they also had yet to experience their mid-game slump, which started the second period. After letting Colorado take control of the game in the first half of the second, the Wild started to bounce back, but the score was still 2-1 after two. The third period produced a better effort again, and Nick Schultz blasted a shot for his second goal of the season, sending the game into overtime.

During the overtime period, neither team got a ton of chances, and both goaltenders were up to the task, so it came down to the shootout. Wojtek Wolski continued to demonstrate superiority on the shootout as he blasted a shot past Niklas Backstrom, and Mikko Koivu quickly answered with a backhand over Budaj. After Backstrom stopped two Avalanche players, and Budaj stopped one Wild skater, it came down to Marek Zidlicky, and he put the puck into the net, giving the Wild the win and keeping them close in the playoff hunt.

Game pluses:
- Defensive shots. Both Wild goals started on the sticks of Wild defensemen. Martin Skoula and Nick Schultz both unleashed big shots, jumping into the play at the right times.
- Fourth line. Derek Boogaard created scoring chances. Dan Fritsche moved the puck well. Peter Olvecky fought hard. The Wild's fourth line may have been it's most consistent all game, and it was good to see the grinders getting some chances.
- Eric Belanger. The play he made to keep the puck in the offensive zone and eventually create the Schultz goal was a great example of hard work paying off. Even more impressive? He'd taken a stinger not too much earlier.

Game minuses:
- Second period. The Wild recovered later in the period, but they decided to take the first half off. While both Colorado goals came with lucky bounces, the Wild from the rest of the game weren't even allowing those chances.
- Playing from behind. Once again, the Wild fell behind, and had to play for the tying goal. For a team that's also behind in the standings, they can't keep letting their opponents get the lead.
- Marc-Andre Bergeron. Far too often this season, if a defenseman is seen chasing the puck because they didn't hold it in the zone, it's been Bergeron. Bergeron also was making some very bad passes, including coughing up the puck once in the first period that almost resulted in an early Avalanche lead.

Next up: The Wild travel east to take on the NHL's winningest goaltender, Martin Brodeur, and the rest of the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.

Games Sixty-eight and sixty-nine

The season is quickly becoming a lost cause for the Minnesota Wild, and that's their own fault. After suffering a shootout loss to the worst team in the West, Wild fans had to hope that playing against two teams also fighting for a playoff spot would give the Wild some life.

Unfortunately, the Wild decided that they wanted to keep playing the game only when down by a couple of goals. Dallas jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the Wild Saturday night, and skated away with a 3-2 OT win. Sure, the Wild got a point in the standings, but a win would have vaulted them into 7th place, where the loss dropped them to 10th. But Dallas was already ahead of Minnesota in the standings. Surely the Wild could do something against a team that they were trying to hold off from sneaking back into contention.

As it turns out, the Wild seemed to think that the St. Louis Blues were very similar to the San Jose Sharks, and spotted them three goals, only to try and mount a comeback and eventually fall 5-3, and drop further in the playoff chase. This all coming shortly after Wild GM Doug Risebrough called the players out, asking for stronger play, less complaining about the schedule, and a better team mindset. Of course, when this is coming from the person who hasn't really drawn in players to help support the young Wild core, those comments may have actually been seen as a negative, instead.

Game pluses:
- Andrew Brunette. It's recently been made clear that Brunette is skating on a damaged knee. And yet he still notched four points in the two games over the weekend, playing strongly.
- Cal Clutterbuck. Clutterbuck took multiple shots to the head in these two games, and still refused to pull back from his game, insisting on bouncing off of opposing players.
- Owen Nolan. Even when Nolan isn't scoring, he's creating problems and traffic in front of the net, and he continues to fight for the puck, no matter what the situation.

Game minuses:
- Giving away the lead. The Wild played with a porous defense in both games, and had a hard time putting shots on net, especially against St. Louis. While the team has put together some thrilling comebacks, they can't keep trying to play from behind.
- Penalties. The Wild spent far too much time in the penalty box, and sometimes for really bad calls. A prime example? Marek Zidlicky flipping the puck out for a delay of game while Cal Clutterbuck was serving a four-minute double minor, resulting in a long 5-on-3. The Blues scored, then scored again, and put the game just out of reach.
- Defense. Again, Marc-Andre Bergeron and Marek Zidlicky have trouble keeping the puck in the offensive zone. Kim Johnsson and Nick Schultz make ill-advised passes. John Scott is still adjusting somewhat to the NHL level. Martin Skoula tries to do too much on his own, and ends up out of position. For a defensive-minded team, the Wild have some of the least-consistent blue liners in the league.

Next up: The Wild try and keep their slim playoff hopes alive when the play the Colorado Avalanche at home Tuesday. Will St. Patrick's Day bring luck to Owen Nolan and the rest of the Wild?

Game Sixty-seven: Wild 1, Avalance 2 (SO)

Minnesota Wild coach Jacques Lemaire has been asking for consistency all season long. He got some consistency Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche. Unfortunately for the Wild, that consistency was tied to missing passes, having difficulty clearing their zone, and not being able to get shots towards the net. Thankfully, Niklas Backstrom was fantastic in net, and the Avalanche showed their season-long futility.

The real key to the game came during almost 6 minutes of power play time in the second period. The score was tied 1-1, and the Wild have the opportunity to put their game into high gear, blow past Colorado, and skate to a much-needed victory. Instead, they cycled the puck until they lost it, only getting one shot before they were penalized for having too many men on the ice, cancelling out the remaining time on the penalty. The Wild are a desperate team when it comes to playoff positioning, but they haven't figured out how to regularly play like one.

Game pluses:
- Niklas Backstrom. Backstrom turned aside 40 shots in the game, compared to Peter Budaj only having to face 17. Backstrom was the only thing really keeping the Wild in the game after they fell apart in the second.
- Marc-Andre Bergeron. The defenseman put his booming shot to good use, putting the Wild on the board early. Who knew it would be the only goal they had?
- Cal Clutterbuck. He got saddled with a diving call that should never have been made, but Clutterbuck gets credit for playing his game, even after taking two different crosschecks to the head.

Game minuses:
- Shooting. The Wild just seemed unable to pull the trigger. Too many open shots were abandoned in favor of another pass, and too many shots were taken only once there was no space in front. Getting 17 shots on one of the worst defensive teams in the league?
- Passing. It wasn't just the lack of shots. The Wild had problems keeping the puck on their sticks all game, and too many passes missed their mark, often by a few feet. Luckily for the Wild, Colorado wasn't much better at controlling the puck.
- Second period. Sure, giving up an early power play goal took a bit of wind out of the Wild's sails, but that's no excuse for the punchless extended power play that the Wild had and did nothing with. After the second, with the Wild spending too much time scrambling around in their own zone, how could anyone expect anything different in the third, where it took the Wild 15 minutes to get their first shot on net.

Next up: The Wild have a chance to make up some of the ground that they squandered Thursday night on Saturday, when they head into Dallas. The Dallas Stars are currently sitting one point ahead of Minnesota, holding down the eighth (and final) playoff spot in the west.

Game Sixty-six: Wild 4, Sharks 5 (OT)

Playing the conference leaders for the second time in less than a week, for a while it looked as though the Minnesota Wild were experiencing deja vu all over again. A poor first period, a three-goal lead, and a fluky goal all helped make it feel as though the final game of the season series would be almost a carbon copy of the last game that the Wild had played against the San Jose Sharks.

This time, the fluky goal was scored by the Sharks, and credited to Joe Thornton, after a shot was blocked by Nick Schultz, bounced up over the head of Niklas Backstrom, and ended its journey in the back of the net. At the end of the rough first period, the Wild were staring at a two-goal deficit, and a huge mountain to climb. Things didn't get much better when Thornton scored his second goal of the game, giving the Sharks a three-goal cushion, but that's the point where the ice started tilting the opposite direction. Peter Olvecky fought hard to get his second NHL goal, giving the Wild a glimmer of hope that they could pull off the impossible twice in a week.

That hope was extended when Pierre-Marc Bouchard fired a shot from the circle that blew past Brian Boucher, closing the gap to one goal. The Sharks looked to put an end to the Wild's chances with a sharp angle goal, but that's when Owen Nolan turned on his game, and scored his 400th and 401st career goals, tying the score at 4-4, and giving the Wild one point. That was all they could muster, as the Sharks scored the game winner in overtime, but that single point keeps the Wild in the playoff hunt as they embark on a three game trip to Colorado, Dallas, and St. Louis.

Game pluses:
- Cal Clutterbuck. Clutterbuck notched an assist on the Olvecky goal, and also provided a team-record ten hits in the game. He was able to create offense simply by continuing to use his body as a bowling ball. Clutterbuck's going to be feeling all of those hits this summer, but right now, he's doing exactly what he needs to do to spark the team.
- Owen Nolan. The veteran scored both of his goals thanks to good puck awareness, and placing himself right where he needed to be. His two goals also kept the Wild from being the last team with a 20-goal scorer.
-Mikko Koivu. Making up for a miscue earlier in the game, Koivu helped complete the Wild's comeback, and almost put the pieces together again in overtime. Once again, as Koivu goes, so goes the Minnesota Wild.

Game minuses:
- Niklas Backstrom. Sure, the first San Jose goal was fluky, and the fourth Sharks goal was from an impossible angle, but Backstrom seems to be floundering a bit at this point in the season. He needs to tighten up if the Wild want a chance.
- Marc-Andre Bergeron. The Wild defenseman has a cannon of a shot, but has made too many defensive miscues. Too often, the player who kept the Wild from holding the offensive zone was wearing number 47 in red.
- Mikko Koivu. He gets credit for pulling it together, but San Jose's short-handed goal was partly because of a Bergeron mistake, and partly because Koivu wasn't backchecking as hard as he should have. He may have been near the end of a shift, but applying his speed earlier than he did may have stopped the goal, and changed the complexion of the game.

Next up: The Wild head to Denver to play against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. Colorado is in the position to play spoilers, but the Wild could get a boost from taking three of four points from San Jose and their fellow passenger, Marian Gaborik.

Games Sixty-three, Sixty-four, and Sixty-five

The Minnesota Wild entered San Jose looking to put the Canadian swing of their road trip and their lack of movement at the trade deadline behind them. What better team to try to rebuild focus against than the one of the best in the West? The Wild started the game rough, going down 3-0, but quick goals in the second put the Wild into a competitive spirit, and a dump-in by Marek Zidlicky took a weird bounce and squirted into the net, tying the game at 3. After a late San Jose power play was killed off, the Wild took the game into overtime, and, with 13.3 seconds remaining, Mikko Koivu was able to gather a pass from Brent Burns and drop the puck into the open net. Suddenly, Minnesota looked like they might have that fire they've been missing so long.

A mere two days later, the Wild were in Los Angeles, trying to keep themselves from getting swept by the Kings. Unfortunately for Minnesota, Niklas Backstrom was very shaky in net, Josh Harding gave up a goal on the first shot he faced, and the Wild just couldn't mount their second comeback in a row, as they fell 4-3 to the Kings. Los Angeles stifled the Wild passing game by simply being aggressive at their own blue line, and Minnesota just couldn't find an answer to that pressure.

Entering Anaheim, the Wild were looking at a 1-4 road trip, but were still only three points out of the eighth and final playoff spot. A win over the Ducks could really help their chances, and the team stepped up, securing the 3-2 victory. The Wild actually took a 3-1 lead late into the game until a late whistle allowed the Ducks to knock the puck from underneath Niklas Backstrom's pads, giving them a chance to get an equalizer.

Pluses:
- Dan Fritsche. He may not have scored any goals against San Jose, but he played a great game, and was able to provide energy to a floundering team.
- Kurtis Foster. Making his first start just shy of a year since breaking his femur, Foster played a solid game, and didn't make any glaring mistakes in the loss to Los Angeles.
- Stephane Veilleux. The Wild's preseason goal leader put two pucks into the net against the Ducks, and helped put the Wild one point away from another playoff spot.

Minuses:
- First period. The Wild have had problems with the first period all season, so they just decided to take one off completely. Unfortunately, they did so against the San Jose Sharks, and found themselves down 3-0 before they could really get their skates under them.
- Niklas Backstrom. The usually solid netminder was worse than shaky against the Los Angeles Kings, allowing two rare five-hole goals. Luckily for Wild fans, he was able to bounce back and play a strong game against Anaheim.
- Marek Zidlicky. A defenseman can jump into the offense once in awhile, for added effect and to provide a chance. When it leaves a spot open, or, even worse, when that defenseman can't keep the puck in the offensive zone more often than not, maybe they should be a little more stay-at-home. With Foster and John Scott being in the line-up, none of the Wild defense can afford to have any more lapses.

Next up: The Wild return home to face the San Jose Sharks, hoping to close out the season series 3-1. There couldn't be a better, and more dangerous, time to play the Sharks, who are embroiled in a long losing streak.

Trade Deadline 2009: Flames heat up, Wild sit

Well, the 2009 NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and, if you're looking for a big winner out of the proceedings, look no further than the Northwest Division. While Edmonton made a small splash by jostling around some players, notably getting Patrick O'Sullivan, it was the division leading Calgary Flames that burned the brightest in the league. First, they made a move with Colorado, bringing Jordan Leopold back to the team, and giving them a good puck-handling defenseman. Then came the big news of the day, as the Flames reeled in Olli Jokinen, drawing him away from Phoenix.

These trades make Calgary a legitimate contender to win the Stanley Cup this year, but could cripple their chances for much next season. They were already riding a bit of a hot streak, and running away with the (weak) Northwest Division. Now, they can secure their sights on San Jose and Detroit, and possibly catch both teams before the season ends. It wouldn't be shock, especially after today's dealing, to see Lord Stanley's Cup being fought over in Calgary at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild, a team that couldn't afford to do nothing, did exactly that. Rumors swirled that attempts were made to move Marian Gaborik, but the chances of that were somewhere between slim and none. The Wild themselves claim to have been involved in a major deal, but that it fell through. Was this another case of putting all of their eggs into Jokinen's basket, only to get burned again? Minnesota has left itself crippled through mismanagement of trades and draft picks in the past, and are looking at this upcoming summer without either a second- or third-round pick. They might be able to move Josh Harding after the season to get one of those back, but they are also in severe danger of losing a few UFAs for nothing (Gaborik only being the best known out of the bunch). The Wild could have taken a chance at today's deadline to confirm that they have started to look at rebuilding. Instead, through inaction, the front office has written off the rest of this season (pending a miracle by the players), and hoped against hope that next season can be career years for everyone currently under contract.

Game Sixty-two: Wild 2, Canucks 4

How do you prepare for the trade deadline in the NHL? If you're the Minnesota Wild, you spend the night before giving away everything in a total collapse. Of course, this team has been doing that for awhile, and, on a night where they watched the teams that they're chasing for the playoffs all secure points, the Wild dropped a game that they should have won.

And, if it hadn't been for that first intermission, the Wild probably would have won. They jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, and held a 2-1 advantage going into the second. They had Owen Nolan back in the line-up. They were getting contributions from their fourth line. Niklas Backstrom was riding high on a new contract. And yet, as soon as the second period started, the Wild looked like they'd been replaced with a high school team, and a bad one at that. Crisp passes became slaps at the puck. Checks were shrugged off, or not even applied. Shots towards the goal rang off the boards and slipped around. And the Wild spent most of the second period pinned inside their own zone, thanks to shoddy defensive play.

Ah, but they could weather the storm, and they did. It wasn't during the long Vancouver possessions that the goals were scored. The Canucks goals came from turnovers, players not skating, and missed assignments. With today's trade deadline, the Wild need to do something if they don't want to watch their season slip away on this road trip, with San Jose, Los Angeles, and Anaheim coming up.

Game pluses:
- Dan Fritsche. Fritsche's goal early in the game gave the Wild a bit of a jump. Too bad it couldn't last.
- Colton Gillies. The kid is still learning the game, and still growing into his talent. Still, he made some great decisions last night, including a smart move that set-up Fritsche's goal.
- Owen Nolan. No, the veteran didn't have a great game. But, keep in mind that he missed the past three games due to a broken toe. That display of leadership should help the team next season, provided the kids listen to the Irishman.

Game minuses:
- Brent Burns. Burns made bad plays when he had the puck (trying to split three Vancouver defenders on a rush?) and bad plays when he didn't. His defensive partner, Marc-Andre Bergeron, wasn't any better.
- Mikko Koivu. On a day when Backstrom was the big contract signing, Vancouver had one of their own in Burrows. On Burrows second goal, Koivu stopped skating, giving away a breakaway that Backstrom had no hope of stopping.
- James Sheppard. The game is tied 2-2, and you've got the puck on your stick. Sheppard, instead of trying to move it, gave it away to Vancouver and, before you blinked, the game is 3-2 Canucks.

Next up: This dismal road trip continues Thursday night when the Wild skate into California to face the conference-leading San Jose Sharks. Can playing the best in the West spur the Wild on to a consistent effort?

A goal signed

According to reports, the Minnesota Wild have locked down one of their two goaltenders for the next four years, and included a no-trade clause (with some stipulations), keeping that player with the team well past tomorrow's trade deadline. Now that the Wild have agreed to keep Niklas Backstrom between the pipes for them, does this mean that Josh Harding could be getting moved? Especially given that the Wild has a bit of a history of signing one goaltender to a nice contract, and then moving the other one shortly thereafter.

Obviously, tomorrow should be an interesting day, and the Wild may be preparing themselves for some moves, as they placed Craig Weller on waivers Saturday, and have now placed Peter Olvecky on the waiver line as well. This close to the deadline, a lot of these players are placed on waivers simply to clear up cap room and roster space before a move.

Of course, it's entirely possible that, no matter what the Wild does tonight and tomorrow, it won't really affect the playoff picture. Unless they can find someone who can provide an immediate offensive impact, the team will continue to struggle to put goals on the board, and try to rely on defense to win games. The old adage is always that defense wins championships, but they can't do that with a team that tends to have difficulty putting more than two pucks into the net.

Games Sixty and Sixty-one: 0 for Alberta

The Minnesota Wild started their current 6-game road trip firmly believing that they needed to win at least half of the games to have a viable shot at the playoffs. Friday and Saturday were not good ways to start. Even worse, the Wild seemed to look right past the Calgary Flames, focusing on their Saturday night game against the Edmonton Oilers, and it showed as the Flames trounced them 4-1. Neither team was able to mount anything in the first period, but, during the first shift of the second, the Flames jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and never looked back. But, for anyone that's followed the Wild over their history, losing in Calgary wasn't much of a surprise. Edmonton's rink often gives the Wild a better chance.

That better chance was shut down by former Wild goaltender Dwayne Roloson, who was especially strong during a third period where he faced 18 shots. Those 18 shots, by the way, were more than the Wild took during the entire game against Calgary, and it showed the desperation that Minnesota needed for the past month and a half. Unfortunately, Josh Harding wasn't able to replicate his performance against Chicago, and the Wild once again proved that they have difficulty getting the puck in the net, and they lost 3-2, falling out of the playoff picture.

The Wild has one more game before the trade deadline, and it seems fair that the Wild should be looking at this week as an opportunity to try to start the (much needed) rebuilding process. Mikko Koivu, if he continues to show the talent he's shown over the last couple of years, could very well be the centerpiece that the team is built around. Just think what the Wild could accomplish by giving Koivu a bonafide scorer, and adding a second offensive line.

Game pluses:
- Mikko Koivu. No, Koivu didn't have a good game against Calgary, but he was able to bounce back, and did a lot of the heavy lifting against Edmonton. Unfortunately, it was another game where too much pressure was put on him, and not enough players helped carry the weight.
- Cal Clutterbuck. Another player that bounced back from a rough game (especially those miscues that lead to the 2-0 Calgary lead), Clutterbuck could be another piece to the Wild's future puzzle.
- Desperation. Honestly, the Wild has needed to play desperate for a while now, but they finally showed it against Edmonton. Instead of playing a defensive trap the entire way through, they were applying offensive pressure, and taking shots without waiting for the highlight-reel pass. Unfortunately, when Minnesota stepped up, so did Dwayne Roloson.

Game minuses:
- Defensemen. Brent Burns. Marek Zidlicky. Marc-Andre Bergeron. Those three names immediately pop out, but none of the Wild defense were sharp. Zidlicky and Bergeron still don't really fit with Minnesota. The only up side? Kurtis Foster may be back on the ice soon.
- Tough guys. Derek Boogaard took a foolish penalty with his late hit at the end of the game against Calgary. He paid for it by getting hit with a 5-game suspension. The Wild respond by placing Craig Weller, their only other enforcer-type, on waivers. Clutterbuck may hit everything that moves, but he just doesn't have the size needed to really fulfill that tough role.
- Officiating. There were plenty of other problems on the Alberta ice for the Wild, but one thing that helped tilt the games was the officiating crew, who worked both of them. Best example? A late hit that almost took Andrew Brunette out of the game was left uncalled, which immediately led to Edmonton tying the game at 1. The Wild couldn't catch a break, and, when they seemed like they were about to, they were slowed down by a questionable penalty.

Next up: The Wild plays their last game before the trade deadline by visiting the Vancouver Canucks. The Wild also need to right the ship quickly, or it won't matter what moves they make by Wednesday.