2009-10 Game Fourteen: Wild 2, Penguins 1

Less than twenty-four hours after the Minnesota Wild earned their first regulation home win for the season, they faced a daunting task. That task? Head to the home of the Stanley Cup champions, and try to avoid extending their winless streak on the road. Who would have predicted that they would do just that, handing the Penguins one of very few losses?

Even more interesting, the Wild were actually outplayed in a lot of areas of the game. In a lot of ways, it was very similar to the way that the Wild played against the Edmonton Oilers a few weeks back, where the team that was better throughout the game ran into a hot goaltender and some stellar defense.

Game pluses:
- Eric Belanger. He paid a price late in the game, taking a stick across his nose. But his goal with 0.6 seconds remaining in the first stood up as the game winner, and it helped ease the pain.
- Niklas Backstrom. One again, Backstrom stood tall in net, keeping the Wild in the game. The difference this time is that he got a lot of help when he coughed up the few rebounds he did. Most of the time, however, it was one shot and an immediate whistle.
- Marek Zidlicky. Arguably, the best play made by the Wild all game was when Zidlicky goaded Sidney Crosby into a fight to end the second period.

Game minuses:
- Defensive zone possession. The Wild couldn't get the puck on their sticks in their own zone. Even worse, they couldn't seem to get the puck out without giving up a scoring chance.
- Opportunism. Aside from Kyle Brodziak's goal from the side of the net, and Belanger's quick release, the Wild just didn't seem like they could put themselves in the right place much of the game.
- Officiating. Both teams committed penalties that didn't get called, but Pittsburgh seemed to get a bit more benefit. While not every penalty can, or should, be called, sometimes games can get out of hand if the players are allowed to skate too freely.

Next up: The Wild have some time off, which might be the last thing they want with their current momentum. They'll face the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.