2009-10 Game Twenty-Four: Wild 5, Avalanche 3

The day after Thanksgiving, the Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche got an early start. Maybe it was all of the food from the day before, and maybe it was the afternoon start time, but it took a little bit for either team to get moving quickly. That did change as the game progressed, and the Wild ended up stepping forward in a big way, continuing a recent trend of taking points from games.

The Wild also got to see hats rain down on the ice for the first time since Marian Gaborik lit up his current team for 5 goals, thanks to an impressive performance by Chuck Kobasew. If it hadn't been for an illness to Antti Miettinen, Kobasew wouldn't have found himself with his linemates, and might not have been able to make as much of an impact. It was a good thing, too, as the Wild had to overcome a sloppy performance by Niklas Backstrom, and an energetic performance from the Avalanche.

Game pluses:
- Chuck Kobasew. Sure, his third goal was an emtpy-netter. But his first two goals were opportunistic and well-placed.
- Mikko Koivu. The Wild's captain continues to make plays that seem impossible, and dishes the puck better than anyone else on the team.
- Derek Boogaard. The big man is playing better, and looks to be getting some offensive confidence. His assist came thanks to a great pass, and he could find himself getting his first goal in 2+ seasons before too long.

Game minuses:
- Slow start. The Wild once again started the game by giving up the first goal, but they were able to respond. They need to get a better start to the games, whether the puck drops at 8:00pm, or 1:00pm.
- Niklas Backstrom. Backstrom did enough to keep the Wild from losing the game, but he gave up uncharacteristic rebounds, and got lucky thanks to a puck that danced along the goal line, but never across it.
- Transition hockey. The Avalanche came out the better team when it came to odd-man rushes. The Wild defense needs to be stingier.

Next up: The Wild finished the home-and-home series the next night, looking to keep their record against the Avalanche perfect on the season.