2009-10 Game Forty-Four: Wild 4, Flames 1

The Minnesota Wild weren't looking to lose five games in a row. They certainly didn't want to hand the hated Calgary Flames a sixth consecutive victory. So, from the initial puck drop all the way through the final buzzer, the Wild played like they had nothing to lose, and everything to prove.

It worked, as the Wild also didn't look like a team playing in the second night of back-to-backs. They attacked the Flames all night long, using a strong forecheck, effective reads, and good defensive positioning to keep Calgary from assembling much of an attack. It also marked the first time in seven games that the Wild held their opponent to fewer than three goals, as they easily coasted to the victory.

One of the interesting things that did come out of the game is the Robbie Earl situation, and that's something that may get repeated again soon with Clayton Stoner, who's nearing his own 10th game. Earl now requires waivers to be sent back to Houston, but it seems like he might be with Minnesota to stay. Earl seems to play the style of hockey that the Wild want to see more of, and he's definitely made an impact on the team, scoring three goals in his ten games. The question now is how the Wild will shed some of the extra players on the team, hopefully to get something in return. After all, with the way he's played, nobody should expect that Earl would clear waivers at this point.

Game pluses:
- Cal Clutterbuck. How do you set a tone against a division rival? Well, for the Wild, it worked to have Clutterbuck get a big hit right away. He was rewarded later in the game with a nice goal, but all game long, Clutterbuck was getting under the skin of the Calgary defense.
- Eric Belanger. Welcome to game 600. Belanger eclipsed that mark, and did so in fine fashion, notching two goals, one on a great deflection, and the other with a wicked backhand.
- Niklas Backstrom. The Wild goalies haven't been very solid as of late, so it was nice to see Backstrom put together a very solid effort. The one goal that got past him was due to a huge rebound that he could have controlled better, but the rest of the game was just solid.

Game minuses:
- Guillaume Latendresse. Truthfully, Latendresse had a pretty good game from start to finish. But players have been dinged in this space for getting chances and not finishing before, and that's where Latendresse falls after the Calgary game. It's a matter of finishing, although Latendresse did have a sure goal stolen away from him, thanks to a brilliant save.
- Line changes. The Wild still hasn't learned. After getting exposed by both New Jersey and Chicago, one would think that Minnesota would start being more careful about when they make a line change, so as to not create an odd-man chance.
- Slow start. The Wild almost gave this game away right from the beginning, coughing up the opening goal in the first two minutes. Oddly enough, though, this team tends to play better if they don't get the first goal.

Next up: The Wild can fly high after beating Calgary, but they can't get too unfocused. After all, next up is a return engagement with the conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks.