Will the real Minnesota Wild please report to the Xcel Energy Center? Is the Wild the team that rattled off ten wins through December, thanks to some opportunistic goal scoring and impressive defense? Or are they the team that's currently in a tailspin, finding themselves further and further from a playoff spot thanks to a four-game losing streak, while surrendering at least three goals for the past six games?
More troubling, are both teams the current representation of the Wild? The last four losses, with the exception of the game against the Ducks, the Wild were playing against teams that have propelled themselves towards the NHL's elite, and the last two games specifically have been against conference leaders. The Wild simply don't have the finishers to make themselves competitive against some of the better teams in the league. Maybe today's call-up of Robbie Earl will help pull this team off of their recent skid, but even Earl's call-up makes for some interesting managerial moves.
Plain and simply, Robbie Earl playing tonight, unless it gets deemed an emergency call-up due to players being injured, means that he'll have to be thrown on waivers before returning to Houston, so he could end up being here for the long haul. This is due to Earl not being on an entry-level contract, so his free call-up time was limited. With the Wild's playoff hopes dimming rapidly, it might also be the best time of year for GM Chuck Fletcher to start seriously evaluating who he would like to see wearing a Minnesota Wild jersey next season, and start trying to work his magic through trades to improve the team in the long run. Remember, it wasn't too long ago that the Chicago Blackhawks were one of the worst teams in the league, and through good drafting and smart trades, they assembled themselves into a powerhouse. It's time for Fletcher to start making moves to help the Wild do that in the next couple of years.
Game pluses:
- Guillaume Latendresse. Proof that Fletcher can spot talent that fits his team, Latendresse has been a huge acquisition for the Wild, and he notched another goal against the Blackhawks. He had another couple of chances later in the game, but was stifled on each.
- Martin Havlat. Wild fans are starting to see the type of player that Havlat can be on any given night, as he continues to direct the play around him. He helped set up the Latendresse goal, and created chances for plenty of other players.
- Clayton Stoner. Stoner may not have had the strongest game of the season, but his poise while playing against some of the bigger and tougher NHL teams has been impressive, and he hasn't made any glaring mistakes.
Game pluses:
- Kyle Brodziak. Yes, the line of Brodziak/Havlat/Latendresse was buzzing the net all night, but Brodziak was one of a few Wild players to show a problem that the team has. When the puck ended up on his stick, he just couldn't finish and take the goal.
- Andrew Brunette. Brunette suffered the same problems as Brodziak, not being able to finish. Brunette had opportunities at wide open nets, but delayed too long, allowing Chicago to get back into position, turning a golden opportunity into a momentum breaker.
- Greg Zanon. The third minus almost went to the Wild for allowing so many odd-man rushes, or to the officials for some glaring no-calls, especially when Josh Harding was knocked down shortly before Chicago's second goal. However, Zanon was plagued all night by bad passes and out-of-position play. His clearing attempt in the third period that gave Chicago the 5-on-3 power play was just the capper to a rough night.
Next up: The schedule just doesn't look good for the Wild, as they come fresh off of playing the New Jersey Devils and the Chicago Blackhawks, only to return home and face the Calgary Flames, a team that has regularly had the Wild's number.
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