2009-10 Game Eighty-One: Wild 2, Flames 1 (SO)

At the start of the season, it would have been hard to anticipate the outcome of the Minnesota Wild's penultimate game for the 2009-10 season. The way that the Calgary Flames lit up the competition in their first ten games, very few people expected that they would skate into game 81 having been eliminated from playoff contention. After seasons of futility against their division rivals, nobody could have anticipated that the Minnesota Wild would be looking for their fifth win in the season series, having only dropped one game at home. Even looking at recent history, with the seemingly crippling number of injuries and the amount of untested players being asked to contribute, it seemed unreal to believe that the Wild could topple the Flames.

Topple them they did, though. In a hard-fought, physical game, filled with penalties for both sides, the Wild and their young guns came out the victors. A scary moment came in the third period, with the score tied at 1 and the Wild on the penalty kill, as Niklas Backstrom took a puck to his throat and had to leave the game, but Minnesota responded by continuing to shut down the Flames fizzling offense, and, in the shootout, the only player who didn't use Mikko Koivu's signature move was Koivu himself, as both Brent Burns and Antti Miettinen tallied goals to give the Wild the win.

Game pluses:
- Youth movement. A lot of credit has to go to the way that Cody Almond, Casey Wellman, Robbie Earl, and Nate Prosser played. None of these players were with the Wild to start the season. With the exception of Earl, none were with them at the trade deadline. And yet those four are showing a lot of potential, and they could all make big splashes on the NHL stage next season.
- Penalty killers. The Wild found themselves shorthanded often enough that they may have thought a new rule was inserted that only gave them four skaters on the ice. And yet the penalty kill came up huge, especially with players like Greg Zanon sacrificing themselves to stop the puck.
- Niklas Backstrom. Backstrom has had a shaky season, and had to struggle through injuries. Against Calgary, though, he was brilliant, with the only Flames goal coming thanks to one bad rebound.

Game minuses:
- Power play. The Wild got their regulation goal on the only power play that looked like it had an idea of what to do. The rest of the time, Minnesota couldn't get set up in the offensive zone, and couldn't move the puck well.
- Communication. Passes went to the wrong places, and more than once, it looked like Wild players didn't know where their teammates were.
- Injuries. The Wild came into the game having lost 333 man-games to injury, and were missing another six players before the puck dropped. Over the course of the game, another two players went down, and at least one is guaranteed to not play in the season finale. The Wild definitely have to look at how their guys are training, to help keep them from injury. By the same token, the NHL needs to look more seriously at how some players are getting injured, and how some penalties are doled out. This is a league-wide problem, and, while the first step has been taken, at least with regards to head-shots, sometimes it's the boarding and other assorted penalties that carry larger impacts.

Next up: The Wild finish the season against the team that used to call Minnesota home, and they get to do it in front of their hometown fans. The Dallas Stars come calling on Saturday as the 2009-10 season wraps up.

2009-10 Game Eight: Wild 1, Oilers 4

The Minnesota Wild skated into Edmonton banged up, and still reeling a bit from their recent losses. Neither of those may be bad things, overall. With the number of injured players, and the fact that the team is just playing to finish out the season, some of the newer faces are getting an opportunity to play with the big club. While the Wild doesn't want to finish the season looking like a team holding try-outs, the experience being given to their rookies could prove to be very valuable down the road.

However, while the rookies are showing a lot of compete, and some flashes of brilliance that could make for a memorable season down the road, the team as a whole just isn't playing together as a unit. When the forecheck is there, players can't get into the lane to take shots. When the shots are there, passes may be completely off the mark. Defensive breakdowns hang their goaltender out to dry, and the player between the pipes hasn't been able to keep soft shots from fooling them. This season has definitely worn the Wild down, but, thanks to injuries, fans might be getting an early preview for next season.

Game pluses:
- Nate Prosser. Prosser wasn't expected to do anything more than practice with the Wild since he was signed as a free agent. The injury bug changed all that, and Prosser put up some big minutes against Edmonton, also netting his first NHL point with an assist.
- Casey Wellman. Wellman has game-breaking speed and ability. All he needs is focus, and a better handle on when to shoot. Those will come, hopefully sooner, rather than later.
- Cody Almond. Another of the Wild's young guns played well, providing a spark when he was on the ice. Almond has struggled with injuries this season in Houston, but getting the chance to play with the Wild should bring big results for next year.

Game minuses:
- Power play. Not to sound like a broken record, but again, the power play was less than futile, and it coughed up yet another shorthanded goal.
- Cam Barker. Barker is just coming back from a couple of games away due to injury, but he hasn't shown the mobility and physical nature that made him an intriguing acquisition this season.
- Niklas Backstrom. Yes, Backstrom was hung out to dry on a few shots, and he made some of the impossible saves look easy. But Backstrom was also victimized by weak shots, and definitely doesn't look like the same goaltender as last season.

Next up: The Wild skate to Calgary for the penultimate game of their 2009-10 season.

2009-10 Game Seventy-Nine: Wild 3, Canucks 4 (OT)

In their first game officially out of the playoff race, the Minnesota Wild looked like a team that was on the brink of depression. At least, they did for the first forty minutes, where they just couldn't muster much in the way of offense, team spirit, or even a willingness to take to the ice. This was most notable in the lackluster response given when members of the Vancouver Canucks bowled over goaltender Niklas Backstrom. The Wild just didn't have a response, and, even though the power play was given chance after chance, nothing was happening.

That is, until the final period of the game. In those last twenty minutes, the Wild played some tough hockey, and capped it with a thrilling final minute of play, to push the Canucks into overtime. In the end, it wasn't enough, as the Wild fell yet again, but the last minute heroics may have set the stage for some things Wild fans might want to get used to next season.

Game pluses:
- Niklas Backstrom. It takes a tough goaltender to get run over all night long, and still keep his team in the game. Backstrom was the only reason that the Wild were within reach of Vancouver all night long, and he almost helped his team steal the game, even when being knocked flat onto the ice.
- Cody Almond. The Wild rookie notched his first NHL goal, scoring off of a pretty pass from fellow rookie, Casey Wellman. It helped create the last-minute heroics.
- No quit. The Wild haven't played the entire season like they had nothing to lose, but they managed to put together a thrilling twenty minutes based on pride and hard work. If it hadn't been for a questionable call in the overtime, Minnesota might have been the team skating away with two points.

Game minuses:
- Power play. No doubt about it, the Wild power play has struggled all season, and again came up empty with an extended 5-on-3. They also coughed up their NHL-leading 12th shorthanded goal, looking foolish while doing so.
- Penalties. Both teams got thrown into the box numerous times all night long, and that might mean a short postseason for Vancouver. However, some of the penalties (namely, the high sticking against Greg Zanon in the overtime, and the hooking against James Sheppard to give Vancouver a 5-on-3 advantage) really seemed like calls that shouldn't have been made, and dramatically changed the tone of the game.
- Playing for team. The Wild didn't have much of a team mentality through the beginning of the game. They allowed their goaltender to get pushed around, and, while interference penalties were called, Minnesota didn't do anything on their own to deter Vancouver from continuing to play that style.

Next up: The Wild skate into Edmonton, to finish their season series against the Oilers.

2009-10 Game Seventy-Seven: Wild 0, Blackhawks 4

No late game heroics were on the table this time for the Minnesota Wild. The last time the Chicago Blackhawks were in town, the Wild pulled off their most impressive, and most unlikely, come-from-behind victory. This time around, they could barely pull off a standard pass, as Chicago just took it to the Wild all night long.

At this point in the season, the Wild talk about playing for pride, and looking towards next season. However, that shouldn't mean coming out completely flat, especially against a team currently riding a three-game losing streak. The Wild have made a habit this season out of breaking other team's losing streaks, and they've also made a bit of a habit out of playing well and hard for one game, and then coming back the next with a lackluster effort. That was incredibly apparent against Chicago, as the Wild couldn't keep the Blackhawk's fourth line from scoring. Meanwhile, Minnesota barely sniffed the net all night long, and came up empty on an extended 5-on-3 opportunity. At this point, even if the Wild were looking at playoff hockey, they couldn't be looking deep, as the team's glaring inconsistencies keep being showcased.

Game pluses:
- Brent Burns. Arguably the most talented defenseman that Minnesota hockey has seen in a long time, Burns was one of the more solid areas of the ice. His four shots also lead a team that could barely think about getting the puck on net.
- Fourth line. They may not have created a goal, but the line of Cody Almond/Casey Wellman/Derek Boogaard actually looked like they had a bit of a jump in their step, and they applied some early pressure to the Blackhawks.
- Discipline. The Wild returned to their disciplined hockey, at least with regards to the penalty box. One lone penalty was charged against Minnesota.

Game minuses:
- Antti Miettinen. Give Miettinen an open net, and he'll miss it completely. A miscue by him at the end of the first also created the first Chicago goal. Miettinen needs to find his game if he wants to continue to receive top line time, especially looking ahead at next season.
- Andrew Brunette. A minus-3 for the night, Brunette looks like a tired and banged up hockey player. When he and Mikko Koivu are both on, they can elevate the team as a whole. When they aren't, the team tends to get bogged down with them.
- Mikko Koivu. The Wild captain is not free from blame for this game either, and he had a mistake that created the third Chicago goal. While he is obviously more comfortable in a playmaker role, Koivu needs to realize that he's on a line without certified goal scorers, and therefore he needs to be more willing to fire the puck on net.

Next up: The Wild continue to play out the remainder of the season, and they face another of the West's best, as the San Jose Sharks return to town.