2009-10 Game Twenty-Two: Wild 3, Islanders 2

It wouldn't have come as much of a shock to anyone if the Minnesota Wild had come out as fiercely as they did against the New York Islanders, and still ended up losing the game. After all, this Minnesota team is still getting itself together, and learning a brand new system (which, contrary to how it looks, does not rely on the team forgetting how to play hockey at least three times per game). Add to that the number of players out injured, including a couple that found out they'd be missing the game in the 24 hours running up to it, and it wouldn't be surprising at all to see the New York Islanders skate away with the win.

But that wasn't in the cards for either team. The Wild came out playing a very physical game, and, in the end, got some gritty goals from their oldest player, outdueling New York and skating away with the one goal win. Again, Niklas Backstrom did a lot to keep the Wild in the game, but that's become somewhat standard. Thankfully for Minnesota, Backstrom was back to being on top of his game, and he stopped some beautiful scoring chances, including a couple off of the stick of the most recent number one draft pick, John Tavares.

Game pluses:
- Owen Nolan. He's been playing NHL hockey as long as Tavares has been alive, and he came up big. His second goal, set up by a great Eric Belanger play, showed that he still has a shooter's touch.
- Mikko Koivu. Koivu still relies too much on passing first, but it's hard to fault the guy who finally broke the Wild's power play drought, and did so with a great redirection.
- Playing with fire. The Wild came out of the locker room energized, gritty, and a little mean. Fights and big hits in the first period set the tone, and gave Minnesota the energy to play hard.

Game minuses:
- Officiating. There was no consistency from the officials. Calling an instigator penalty when it was clear that both guys were ready to fight? Missing high sticks and cross checks all game long? True, both teams had their fair share of power plays, but the officials still almost let this game get out of hand with their stunning lack of consistency.
- Defensive puck handling. Far too often, the Wild would get the puck onto the stick of one of their defensemen, and they'd make a miscue, letting it slip away from them. It was no more glaring than during the Wild's long 5-on-3 power play.
- Power plays. True, the Wild is missing a lot of key power play guys. True, they finally found a way to score one. But there's no excuse for coming up short during the 5-on-3, and for missing on so many others. Passing is all well and good, but you can't score if you don't get the puck on the net.

Next up: The Wild have a little time to recover, but hopefully that will just bring injured players back, as opposed to a system shutdown. The Wild play host to the Boston Bruins the night before Thanksgiving, and bring out their newly acquired center, Andrew Ebbett, who was claimed off waivers.