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?
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