2009-10 Game Thirty-Six: Wild 3, Avalanche 4

There's no place like home, and, after the way the most recent road trip ended up, the Minnesota Wild had to be happy to return to their arena. They also got the benefit of playing against an opponent that they've had the number of over the last few years, including a 4-0 mark against this season. It was bound to help shake some of the problems lingering from Ottawa.

Well, maybe the Wild took Colorado for granted. Maybe the players still don't have their heads fully in the game. One thing that is certain is that the Wild didn't put together much of an effort as a team until the third period, and that they actively worked to cripple themselves. Of course, it also didn't help that the officials didn't do a lot to control the game at the start, and, by the time that the game became a physical contest (one which took the Wild out of their own heads), it was too late for the refs to do anything more than call a few weak penalties. Unfortunately, a fair number of those went against Minnesota, including one simply because #24 was the one doing the hitting.

Game pluses:
- Clayton Stoner. The kid can definitely play with the big boys, and got to prove that for the first time in front of the home fans. Aside from his physical play, Stoner also delivered the beautiful pass creating Martin Havlat's goal, and almost put a shot in for the tying marker.
- Owen Nolan. Give the veteran a lot of credit for a patient goal, and for playing well in his return from injury. The biggest thing that Nolan brought, though, was his old self, as he flew to the defense of teammates all game, even being willing to take penalties to make sure the Avalanche knew who was on the ice.
- Cal Clutterbuck. Clutterbuck is the type of guy to get under your skin, and he drew a couple of penalties to give the Wild chances to climb back into the game. He also got the scoring started for Minnesota, thanks to a beautiful shorthanded goal.

Game minuses:
- Greg Zanon. Zanon wasn't his usual imposing, defensive self against the Avalanche, and he had problems staying on his feet. A less-than-effective Zanon was a strange experience for this year's Wild team.
- Niklas Backstrom. Equipment struggles or not, Backstrom just isn't on top of his game, and he hasn't been as stellar this year from start to finish as he has been in year's past. Many of the shots that have beaten him this season have been pucks that he would normally have stopped, and he got victimized yet again, giving up four goals for the second game in a row.
- Power play. Something has to give. The Wild power play has been awful recently, and a misplayed puck coupled with a bad line change handed the Avalanche their fourth goal on a silver platter. Fixing what's wrong won't be easy, but something has to be done to help this team out, or the man advantage will continue to be a detriment.

Next up: The Wild get to stay at home, as they welcome the Edmonton Oilers to their rink.