2009-10 Game Twenty-Seven: Wild 5, Ducks 4 (SO)

The Anaheim Ducks should be glad that they won't have to come back to Minnesota any more times this season. The first time that the Ducks came to St. Paul, the Wild pulled off an improbable overtime victory, bouncing back from a three-goal deficit. This time, the Wild gave up two different two-goal leads, only to win the game in the shootout.

To think, this Wild team faced it's share of struggles earlier in the season. While they probably aren't out of the water completely, they seem to have turned a corner, understanding the new system, and they're playing with confidence. Not many NHL teams could find themselves down 2-0, and then 4-2, and still bounce back. A lot of that credit can go to the veteran players, who are stepping up at the right time, but there also has to be credit given to GM Chuck Fletcher, who has shown a willingness to make roster moves to help the team, and, thus far, his in-season acquisitions have shown great promise.

Game pluses:
- Mikko Koivu. The Wild's captain outplayed his older brother, and helped bring the Wild back from both deficits.
- Antti Miettinen. Before he went down with the flu, Miettinen was starting to really hit his stride. He hasn't lost a step since coming back, and his shootout goal made things a little easier on Niklas Backstrom.
- Andrew Brunette. Without great passing, the Wild would have missed out on a couple of their goals, and few move the puck better than Brunette.

Game minuses:
- Giving up the lead. The Wild have been struggling much of this season, playing from behind in so many games. While it's a huge plus that the Wild came back from two two-goal deficits, the big minus is that they allowed the Ducks to score like that.
- Niklas Backstrom. Backstrom once again had another subpar game, allowing too many pucks through. Maybe the new system is exposing the goaltenders more, but Backstrom hasn't looked as focused.
- Defensive positioning. Part of the reason Backstrom has been having his problems is because, with the exception of Greg Zanon, the Wild defense seems to run around in their own end, without rhyme or reason. For a team that used to be know for it's defensive identity, this is more than troubling, only being glossed over because they finally have firepower to cover it.

Next up: The Wild left the comforts of home, and headed to Nashville for the second of back-to-back games.