2009-10 Game Thirty-Eight: Wild 4, Blues 3

The stockings may have been hung by the chimney, and sugar plums may have danced in people's heads, but, in the NHL, Christmas means some time away from the ice. However, barely a week removed from the bizarre equipment fire, the Minnesota Wild had one more gift left to give to their fans, and was delivered by one of the newest faces in the building, as the Wild skated to a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues.

The game itself was fast, hard-hitting, and featured some things that wouldn't have been predicted before the puck hit the ice. With recent history as a guide, who would have guessed that the Wild would score first? Who could have predicted that the defensemen would be so active? And yet, the Wild did just that, and they kept the pressure on a St. Louis team that had recently been trouncing Northwest Division opponents.

Game pluses:
- Guillaume Latendresse. A change of scenery has done "The Tenderness" wonders, as he has put up 6 goals since coming to the Wild, including two goals against the Blues.
- Kim Johnsson. The much-maligned Wild defenseman (especially here, admittedly) turned in a terrific performance against St. Louis, even without his stellar play to create his own goal.
- Marek Zidlicky. Zidlicky was active all night, moving the puck well, stick handling when needed, and finding the open man. Latendresse may have scored the game winner, but Zidlicky set him up with great plays.

Game minuses:
- Nick Schultz. Schultz got victimized on Blues goals, getting turned inside out. He was out of position more than a few times, and St. Louis capitalized on it.
- Cal Clutterbuck. Sometimes, Clutterbuck's willingness to hit anything he gets in his sights works against him, as it did when the Blues scored during a 4-on-4 stretch of hockey. Clutterbuck connected with a Blues player, but it completely removed him from the play, and set up St. Louis for a quick rush.
- Eric Belanger. Belanger is a face-off specialist, but, after the puck was dropped, he became a detriment. He seems to be trying to accomplish some of the same things that Mikko Koivu is doing, but he seems to be trying to do them without Koivu's awareness or skill.

Next up: The Wild take a quick trip to California, starting tonight against the Los Angeles Kings.

2009-10 Game Twenty-Five: Wild 3, Avalanche 2 (SO)

While it wasn't a standard back-to-back situation for the second game of the home-and-home series between Minnesota and Colorado, the game did carry some of the main symptoms. Both teams jumped out trying to get a fast start. There was a bit of a drag in the middle, and then the end came with some flurries and some lucky bounces. At stake were big divisional points, and the Avalanche were trying to solve the Wild, as Minnesota had beaten Colorado in both previous games.

Well, the answer still isn't there for Colorado, as Minnesota overcame a 2-goal deficit, some weird bounces, and, for one player at least, a lack of practice to defeat the Avalanche for the third time this season. The injuries and illnesses that the Wild have faced have led to the team already having a different look than the one presented at the beginning of the season, but that look, high energy, physical, and offensively-minded, is starting to show positive results.

Game pluses:
- Guillaume Latendresse. For a guy who wasn't getting a lot of looks in Montreal, and didn't get the chance to practice with his new teammates, he played well. Not only did he get the game-tying goal, but he played a basic yet physical brand of hockey, which should net him some quick fans.
- Andrew Ebbett. True, his goal in the shootout was a lot of luck, but Ebbett also had a goal waved off in the third period after it bounced of his glove. Ebbett is able to create opportunites by showing an awareness for getting to the front of the net.
- Josh Harding. Harding came up big, keeping the Wild in the game when mistakes created Colorado chances.

Game minuses:
- Opportunity. The Wild had a number of chances at wide-open nets, but they couldn't seem to put the puck where it counted until late. If the Wild had converted, they would have easily taken the game in regulation.
- Power play. True, a lot of the Wild's main power play guys were out of the line-up, but the team just looked like they were floundering. It certainly didn't make things any better that, if it hadn't been for a huge save by Harding, the Wild would have given up their sixth shorthanded goal of the season.
- Kim Johnsson. One thing that has plagued Wild defensemen this season is stick awareness. It hurt Nick Schultz when he redirected the puck into his own net earlier this season. It hurt Johnsson when he tripped Harding in this game, practically giving Colorado the two goal lead. Johnsson also misplayed the puck more than a few times, including on the cough-up that almost gave Colorado the shortie.

Next up: The Wild may not want to leave Colorado or the Avalanche behind, but they return to St. Paul to face the Nashville Predators on Wednesday evening.

2009-10 Game Sixteen: Wild 3, Stars 2

After one of the worst performances of the young season against Vancouver, the Minnesota Wild responded with one of their strongest performances against Dallas. The result? The Wild notched another win, putting Niklas Backstrom one away from 100 in his career.

Unfortunately for Minnesota, even winning came with a price, as Dallas took some liberties with high hits. Mikko Koivu got lucky after he got slammed into the boards, but the same can't be said for Petr Sykora, who is questionable for now, thanks to an elbow to the head, delivered by Steve Ott of the Stars. The league talks about wanting to cut down on head injuries, which is all for the best. However, Ott skated away without so much as a penalty, and it doesn't look like he'll be disciplined in any way for the hit. This game also showed what can happen when the officiating isn't consistent, as, by the end of the third period, things were starting to get seriously out of control.

Game pluses:
- Cal Clutterbuck. Was there any doubt? The Wild winger scored his third goal of the season on a beautiful shorthanded play. Clutterbuck seems well on his way to a 20-goal season, and almost inched closer, ringing a shot off of the pipe late in the game.
- Mikko Koivu. The Wild captain got a goal of his own, thanks to some very hard work and perseverence from the side of the net.
- Martin Havlat. The goals still aren't coming, but Havlat looked more relaxed than he's seemed all season. If he can keep skating just as smoothly as he did against Dallas, he'll soon return to form.

Game minuses:
- Consistency. The Wild fell apart a bit in the second period, but it would have been hard to keep up the first period pressure. Still, they allowed Dallas to tie the game before a fluke goal gave them the lead.
- Nick Schultz. There's something to be said for positioning. There's also something to be said for having better stick control. Schultz put the first Stars goal into the net himself, and almost did it again in the third. Even worse, the second time he almost took out Backstrom.
- Penalty kill. Take away the Clutterbuck goal, and the Wild didn't handle responsibility well short-handed. Defense were often out of position, and the Stars moved the puck too easily. This should have been an area where the Wild dominated, and it gave the Stars life.

Next up: The Wild hope to string two wins together as they head off onto the road again. They face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night, in a battle between two of the worst teams in the league.

2009-10 Game Thirteen: Wild 3, Rangers 2

The Minnesota Wild continued their homecoming week, hoping to reverse the trend of the previous two games, by playing host to the New York Rangers. The homecoming in question this game? The return of Marian Gaborik, who left Minnesota this summer. Of course, given that Gaborik was meant to be playing against the Wild for the first time, it was of little shock that the star winger had to miss the game thanks to a lower body injury. It certainly didn't help that the Rangers have been in a bit of a spiral all their own, but, far too often, the cure for a losing streak is playing the Minnesota Wild.

Instead, the Wild decided to end a losing streak of their own, and they secured their first regulation victory of the season. Niklas Backstrom was strong in net, and Petr Sykora responded to his benching against Nashville by putting together a strong game against the Rangers. Even Derek Boogaard got involved in the offense, as the Wild skated to the 3-2 victory.

Game pluses:
- Petr Sykora. Sykora had been benched for not playing to his ability the previous game, and he stepped up big against the Rangers, tallying a goal and an assist.
- Mikko Koivu. The Wild captain kept generating offense, and ended the night with two assists.
- Niklas Backstrom. It's been said plenty this season already, but Backstrom held the Wild in the game with some great saves. It was nice to see Backstrom get some help from his defense, as well.

Game minuses:
- Nick Schultz. Schultz had an uncharacteristically weak defensive game for Minnesota, even becoming the screen for New York's second goal.
- Power play. The Wild could have extended their lead, and given themselves a cushion, but they just couldn't get things clicking on the power play. Thankfully, they are starting to skate well 5-on-5.
- Martin Havlat. Havlat actually played a fairly strong game, but the guy's just snakebit right now. He needs to put a puck in the net, and maybe he'll be able to relax a bit on the stick.

Next up: The Wild looked to take the momentum gained against the Rangers, and put it to use against the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.