West Coast Wrap Up

Wild 2, Kings 4      Wild 3,  Ducks 2

Wild Remain in 6th Place 

Late Games Suck
Everybody who knows me knows what I think of the Wild being lumped in with the California time zone teams.  So I won't spend a whole lot of time whining about having to stay up past midnight on a weeknight in order to watch my team - win or lose.  I mean, it's not really the league's fault that Blogger doesn't publish posts until after midnight.  Sometimes, depending on how much longer after midnight it gets to be while I'm writing, my posts will sit until the next 24 hour cycle.  That means unless I'm blogging while watching the game it can take up to 2 days before you all are treated to my rantings.  And then it's kinda like, why bother? 
**Note to self - check out hosting a web site.  That may be the ticket to instant publishing?  Any of you technogeekyinternetsuperhero types out there with some advice for me?

Wild vs Kings
The Wild took on the Kings and gave them a run for their money, for the most part.  Driving Miss Daisy kept popping up in my head while watching this game and it's because I kept screaming for the boys to be Driving The Net.  They tried, but not as much or successfully as the Kings did.  For me this game felt a lot like watching the Wings game last Sunday.  The Wings are very aggressive on their forecheck and don't like to give their opponents a lot of room once across their own blue line.  They also drive to the net like maniacs, believing that every shot on goal has the potential to go in. 
That's how the Kings played us and it paid off in the end.  I'm not saying our guys didn't try to do the same thing.  I'm saying our guys just didn't do it for all three periods, losing big time in the faceoff department.  I'm not saying our guys didn't play their hearts out for three periods.  I'm saying our guys, minus Koivu and Brodziak, just didn't have what it took to dethrone the Kings - who were wearing their royal purple throw back jerseys.  I'm sorry, but I swear those jerseys were blue, not purple.  I kept thinking we were in St. Louis.

Taking A Licking and Still Ticking...For Now
The Wild centers appear to be falling apart like a cheap watch.  

• Koivu's out with a broken finger. 
• Brodziak's got the plague, according to Russo's blog.  Just stay home and keep your germs to yourself Kyle, please. 
• Cody Almond played in L.A. and is now out with a lower body, er - let's go with mid body, wait - make that upper body injury.  Russo and the Wild's web site are at odds on the actual location of said injury but Cody is also out of the lineup.  
• John Madden got checked into the bench (pause for Paula's tsk-tsking me about this) during the Kings game and played hurt the rest of the game against the Kings.     

Up and Down
Houston Aeros center Warren Peters was called up to replace Cody.  For those of you wondering if our GM is frantically making calls to get a healthy and raring-to-go center by Monday's trade deadline - probably not.  Russo explains there's not much out there to choose from without making a negative impact on the salary cap.  That doesn't mean something's not brewing but chances are we'll go with what we've got and pray for miracle-type healing along with stellar effort from our rookies. 
Wild and Russo stating Nate Prosser was sent back down to make room for Warren Peters to come up.  That's a good enough reason for this time around.  Sorry, hometown boy fanatics but I'm of the opinion that Nate's not ready for the NHL.  I understand that defensemen take longer to develop and I really believe that Nate needs more time to do just that - in the AHL.  Why have him up here just to be scratched after one game when he could be logging ice time in Houston?       

It's now just a couple of hours before the Ducks game and so far nobody else has fallen to a flu bug or a new injury so I'm hopeful the remaining players are ready to go.  Note to Wild training staff: please carry Matt Cullen into the arena and carefully place him before his stall in the locker room.  

Wild vs Ducks
I hate Corey Perry.  He's a thug.  He's a skilled thug, but a thug nonetheless.  And he's just plain old stoopid.  I mean really, what the hell was he thinking when he skated across the rink to commit a charging penalty while his team is on the powerplay?  IDIOT.  I also hate Ruutu, but who doesn't?       

That first powerplay had me hyperventilating over how UNDERWHELMING the Wild were with the man advantage.  I don't know why I'm not used to that from our guys, but I'm not.  Seemed to me there were three shorthanded drives to the Wild net the Ducks made over the course of two minutes while killing a boarding penalty.  Good thing Jose wasn't showing any signs of rust.  The remaining Wild powerplays weren't any better.     
  
Faceoffs were an issue for the second straight game and here's where we're really missing Koivu and Brodziak.  Good thing Kyle's feeling better and is expected to be ready to go for Monday's game at home against the Blackhawks.

Penalties were an issue for the Wild in this game.  There are some professional divers on the Ducks but mostly the Wild were a step behind, having been caught flatfooted or they were turning pucks over and running to catch up.  I'm guessing Ortmeyer is in the doghouse - while he's on his way back to Houston.   

With every point being so important in the Western Conference right now was it any surprise the Ducks were taking cheap shots on every shift? 

• Pierre Marc Bouchard  (Bob Kurtz Calls The PMB Play) will be the number 1 player of the game for the winning goal in overtime but...
• Jose Theodore was clearly The Man Of The Game.   
• Cullen and Madden - making plays happen no matter how they're being pressured.  I'm still not a huge Madden fan but he's working his way off of my 'Why'd We Sign Him?' list.  At least he's starting to score goals.
• Miettinen finally stepping up his game, getting three assists tonight.
• Good for Clayton Stoner, getting his second goal of the season. 
• Not the best game from the Wild but this was a great showing for the second night in a back to back game schedule.   
• I want to give out hugs and kisses to the Wild Blue Line but when they let Jose face 45 God Damn shots in regulation I just can't.  I know they threw themselves in front of pucks, threw themselves at the Ducks, threw themselves into the net behind Jose.  But it's absolutely unacceptable for them to hang their goalie out like that.  

 This and That

• Great article by Russo here: Ortmeyer and his personal journey to live the dream.  
• Russo indicated via twitter that chances are 'good' regarding a Kobasew trade.  Not surprising, in my opinion.  Yes, he played well tonight but it probably was due to having multiple NHL scouts in attendance.  

 

Big Night For Oiler Natives, Former Oiler Players, Schoolers of Khabibulin

WILD 4 - OILERS 1

SPURGE!!
What a great night for Jared; finally getting his first NHL goal, doing it in front of the Wild fans, doing it to his actual hometown team.  Spurge, my nickname for the little guy-which seems to have stuck according to the three texts I got from folks when he scored, is from Edmonton.  Very apropos and not at like what Bertuzzi did to us on Sunday, despite what Todd would have us believe.

Kyle Kicks Butt
Brodziak scored the winning goal, his 13th of the season, against his former team.  That's gotta feel good, huh?  

Class Is In Session
Pierre -Marc-Bouchard executed his spin-o-rama move to score the 4th goal, successfully making a fool out of Kabibulin's for the second time in his career.  The last time PMB laid that move on the Bulin Wall was when he was goaltending for Chicage and it was during a shootout. 

This wasn't the prettiest of games and there were an awful lot of stupid puck turnovers (Bouchard, Miettinen) and bad passes (Burns, Spurgeon) much like in the Detroit game, but our guys pulled together and figured out what they had to do.  Backstrom had at least three monster saves again tonight in addition to standing on his head, as usual.  And if he's going to give a goal up it might as well be from our good friend and forever honorable-Wild-team-member, Kurtis Foster.  This was a must win game, not only from a playoff berth standing, but as a means of recovery from the Detroit game on Sunday.  It took the guys until the third period to figure out how to play hockey but once they picked up on it they never looked back.

Chicks vs Guys
 It was the Dagget women plus myself in our upper level seats tonight while those Dagget guys sat in the lower level.  We girls had much more fun and had a better perspective on the game.  Here's how much of a hockey mom Paula is - she's busy talking defensive moves with Alex during the game, just like Dave does.  You can't tell me this game isn't in her blood just as much as her kids! 

Video Judge/Replay Booth Tour
Dave was kind enough to invite me along for a one-on-one tour of the video judge booth and replay booth after the game.  Dave refs with one of the judges and we got a nice tour of the press box, Fox Sports North Stage in addition to getting some great insight into how these guys do their jobs.  I'll share the pictures and how ga-ga we all were over the replay process in the next day or two.

Coach's Day!
The most important thing about tonight's game is that it was Coach Dave's birthday.  This guy is all about the hockey; coaching, reffing, hockey dad, fundraiser, shuttlebus driver, mentor.  And where does he spend his birthday?  At the arena with his family watching the Wild win.

Show And Tell

In a perfect world my photoshop elements software would actually synch up with my photoshop.com account like it's supposed to and sharing pictures here wouldn't be so much of a monumental pain in my ass.  I did come up with a way to get a couple of shared albums out there for you all to see so for the time being I'm a happy camper.  I'm sure once the good folks at the Adobe Help Desk call me they'll be able to point out what it is I'm doing wrong and make me feel like the idiot I am.  

Why Am I Here?
I'm a big believer in God's reasoning behind everything that happens in life, even the craptastic stuff.  There's a reason why I haven't left Minnesota just yet, and it really comes down to not being ready to say goodbye to my hockey team just yet.  There are those loved ones in my life, in any number of states, who think I'm completely off my rocker for having decided to stay put this last 18 months.  They don't understand the amount of comfort I've found over the last ten years being a part of growing a franchise from the ground up as a season ticket holder and as a passionate hockey fan.  Any given night at the arena, win or lose, it's my place of zen and peace.  Yes, there's an awful lot of screaming and yelling during the games, which doesn't seem very peaceful or zenlike on the outside.  But when everything around me was crumbling to pieces and I had no control over it, there was hockey at the X to get me back to my center.  Once I park the truck and fall in line with fellow Wild fans walking into the arena I'm always well on my way to being healed.  

When your evening with the Wild starts like this you gotta believe that being here is the right thing, for right now.       

Chalk Talk 2.20.11

On the loose in the arena and loving every minute of it!  Wandering around the belly of the X, watching as Nick Schultz and Chuck Kobasew make their way to the locker room before the game.  

Arena Tour and Rookie Roundup 2.12.11

I'll be back later with actual hockey stuff but now I'm off to tackle the driveway, for the third frigging time in 24 hours.  I'm really not going to miss this.  AT. ALL.

Pulling On The Same Rope, Barker Still Blows, Living The Dream!

Wild vs Canucks - Bastards Won, We Lost

It wasn't for a lack of trying, especially on Cal Clutterbuck's part Tuesday night against the dreaded rival Vancouver Canucks.  Cal was hitting everything in his line of sight and when he wasn't delivering bone-crushing hits he was scoring the Wild's only goal of the night in the first period.  It was a beautiful Bad Angle goal, one that I got to see up close and personal thanks to a brand new hockey friend I met at Sunday's Aeros game.  But Cal didn't stop there.  He continued throwing pucks on the net, hitting the post and getting robbed by Schneider time after time.    

It wasn't just Cal putting forth a monster effort, Nystrom was busy forechecking and coming out of corners with the puck.  Bruno was, well - he was Bruno.  Say what you will about his speed or age, this guy NEVER gives up around the net and makes plays happen out of nowhere.  Cullen was all about the do or die on every one of his shifts.  Our defense was mostly stellar, but struggled, here and there (Burns and Spurge).  Backstrom gave up a goal that he admitted he should have had - but that shit happens on any given night to any given team. 

A loss never feels good, especially against the Canucks, but last night's drive home was a happy one for me.  I mean, shit - when was the last time the Wild OUTSHOT their opponent??  When was the last time the Wild owned the opponent's zone for ENTIRE period??  I was thrilled with the effort and filled with happy anticipation for Wednesday's game in Chicago.   

At the very first Chalk Talk the Wild hosted this season Wes Walz was asked what he thought the problem with the Wild was regarding their lack of consistency and work ethic.  This was back when the team wasn't showing up for entire games at a time.  Back when we fans were calling out the coach, the players, the GM and the owner because we just couldn't understand what or who was the problem.  Wes didn't hesitate for a second before responding that it was the players who needed to come together and find a way to make it work as a team.  He used the phrase "pulling on the same rope" and the need for certain players to step up and work with their team mates to get them on the same page. 

What I saw last night, despite the 4-1 loss on the jumbotron, was a Wild team pulling on the same rope right down to the last second of the third period.  To be fair, the team has been playing as one synchronized unit for some time and the wins have been tremendous.  But it's during a loss, like last night to a division rival, that tests the character of a team.  Keep pulling on that rope together guys and you'll find the way to win.  

Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now?

Cam Barker is stuck between a rock and a hard place right now.  He's never been the player he was hyped up to be when he came to the Wild via a trade with Chicago that netted them Kim Johnsson and Nick Leddy.  He was called out for it almost immediately, by the fans and the media.  Yet he did nothing to change his game or our perception of his ability.  Coach Richards took a whole year to FINALLY notice and even went so far as to publicly call Barker out in the media.  Yet Cam did nothing to change his game.  Coach called up Jared Spurgeon who grabbed hold of his opportunity and has given us every reason to believe he belongs on the team permanently.  Yet Cam did nothing to change his game.  Coach started playing Clayton Stoner when Zhidlicky went IR and Stoner recognized his opportunity to show the team he finally understands what it takes to be an NHL defenseman.  Yet Cam did nothing to change his game.  The Wild players started to click together, to buy into Coach Richards' style of play.  This included a defense that could step up into plays and score - something that Cam was supposed to have brought to the team in the first place, although if you look at his career stats I'm not sure where that delusion came from.  Yet Cam did nothing to change his game.   

And why should he?  I mean, the guy's got it made.  He's making millions of dollars regardless of how sub par his play is.  He can't be sent down to the farm team because he'd have to clear waivers.  He can't be traded because who the hell would want him.  What's the worst that could happen - he spent a couple of nights in the press box.  Really, what incentive was there for Cam to do anything but what he was already doing which was simply collecting a big fat paycheck from his $3,083,333 per season cap hit?

Well, apparently it's pride in workmanship.  At least that's what he's quoted with in Russo's column.  From the article: But Barker says he's feeling much more confident about his game and it starts with "being more assertive, more aggressive. For my sake, I just wanted to start playing better, especially with the playoff push here. I want to help this team."   Evidently the decision to man up and play had nothing to do with the fact that Richards made it clear in the local print that Cam is the obvious choice to sit out now that Zhidlicky is ready to play again.  Yeah, right.  Well, whatever the motivation is for Barker, I can't help but think it's too little too late.  This is a guy who's well into his career and is just now deciding he can, and will play hockey with his team.  Despite his better play and attempts at 'fighting' in the last four games there are two guys on the team right now who've worked their asses off to make Richards take notice - Stoner and Spurgeon.  They deserve the spot, not Barker - In My Humble Opinion.      

Best Hockey Weekend Of My Life!

• Wild beats the Blues in St. Louis on Friday night in an epic battle that came down to the last seconds of the third period to tie the game, through overtime and nine one-on-one attempts for the win in the shootout.  I did not drive home from the local watering hole, having consumed large quantities of tequila.     
• Tour of the Excel Energy Center on Saturday Vicki's first time) and a Rookie Roundup session with the Wild's GM, the Aeros coaching staff and three of Aeros players.  These two fun things would have been enough to send Vicki and me to bed with sweet dreams all by themselves but then you add... 
• Wild beat the Blues on our pond later on Saturday night in the second of a home-and-home series.  There was blood letting and scoring and it was good.  Vicki and I played through our own back pains to be there for the team, cuz they need us, right!   
• Picked up my Year Ten jersey...DEE-ICING proudly lettered on the back! 
• Wild hosted an autograph session at the X on Sunday morning for which I had to be totally caffinated for in order to have the energy at that point.  It was a challenge but I ended up with Zhidlicky, Cullen, Scandella, Zanon, Brunette, Spurgeon, Madden, Theodore, Schultz, Stoner, Bouchard and Latendresse signatures on my new DEE-ICING jersey!  Once again, I'm amazed at how big Latendresse is - I'm standing, he's sitting and we're eye to eye.  
• Houston Aeros played the Peoria Rivermen in a Wild/Blues "baby teams" match up Sunday afternoon.  With Robyn and Rich, Vicki and Dan joining the fun it was a grand afternoon of watching our Wild youth and the future of the team.  Oh, and Coach Dave showed up at some point - he was busy reffing games through the late morning/early afternoon.  And now Robyn, Rich and Dan are able to put the face on the man Vicki and I talk about all the time.  Unfortunately, it wasn't such a grand afternoon for the Aeros.  Our babies were very nervous to be playing in front of the parent club fans and it didn't go well for them.  In addition to losing 3-1 to the Rivermen the Aeros were hit even harder.  Tyler Cuma who, in true injury-riddled fashion, tore his ACL in a freakish turn of events that sent him crashing into the boards feet first.  He was taken off the ice by stretcher and will be out for six months.  This kid can't seem to catch a break from the injuries early on in his career.  
• Aeros players signed autographs after their game and while they weren't happy about the loss they were thrilled beyond words to find hordes of Minnesota fans waiting just to see them.  Kudos to the Houston fans who made the trek to the State of Hockey for the weekend's events, including Hockey Day in Minnesota, and to see 'their' boys play on the NHL ice.  I had some of the best conversations with these folks and I'll tell you what - a true hockey fan is the same no matter what GodForsaken state you come from...ours or theirs ;)  

I'll dedicate an entire blog this week to the pictures from the weekend's events cuz there's some great ones and I don't want them to be cut off because of too much text...ie: STFU, Dee.
      

Never Blog When You've Been Drinking

Wild 5  - Blues 4

We're Down, We're Tied, We're Down, We're Tied, We're Down, We're Tied, We're Down, We're Tied, Overtime and 9 Rounds of Shootout Later - We Win!

Wastin' Away In Margaritaville

I've ever emailed or blogged while under the influence.  I have to believe it's just not a good idea.  That's why I didn't hit the "post" button after coming home from watching the game at the local pub with the gang.  I was a tad bit on the beveraged up side of things when I was putting together the game review.  In the light of day there were a lot of effinghiemers to clean up along with some pretty confusing grammar.  Herradura tequila will do that to your brain cells.   

I was still fairly sober during the first period but that Staubitz v Winchester fight would have been ugly no matter what my blood alcohol content was.  Geez Brad, what a waste of energy.  The Blues clearly outplayed the Wild.  Our guys spent the period running around and running behind.  Bruno's goal was sweet but the Blues took the 2-1 lead into the intermission.  Oh, and Spurgeon has a new nickname/battle cry: SPURGE!   I know Rich will get it ;)   
I'm pretty sure there was a new Wild drinking game invented last night.  

2nd and 3rd Period
I freely admit these two periods kind of slid together thanks to how smoothly those tequila shots were going down.  There was booing whenever the Blues scored and hearty cheers followed by shots whenever the Wild tied it up.  There was a ton of cheering in the third period, but this time it was for the waitress bringing the pizza.  Ole Piper Supreme, baby!  Lots of happy noises from the group but mostly because we were devouring our food and talking about hockey player butts.  Sally would approve.  The table had a consensus that the Wild were going down for the count but Vicki would be proud to know I was having no part of it.  When the Wild went on the power play and then pulled Jose for the extra-extra man advantage I was standing up in front of the nearest t.v.  Good thing everyone was yelling along with me otherwise I'm sure I would have gotten more than just a couple of weird looks as I shouted "who's your man, Vicki, who's your man!!!"  Marty got the goal but that was Koivu's set up of the season without a doubt.  Back to the table for overtime - and a round of Herradura...followed by the shootout...which lasted 9 rounds before John Madden closes the door on the Blues!  Whodathunkit?   
             
Oh, Zanon really made a convincing argument to have his name plate on the back of my new jersey.  Nah, I'm still going with DEE-ICING on the jersey, but I think Zanon needs to be my new last name.            

Busy weekend with the Blues in town Saturday night and the Houston Aeros playing at the X on Sunday.  I'll leave you with the following tidbits to get you through until I'm back on a normal schedule again come Monday.  Right now I gotta go pick up my truck - it was not my night to be the designated driver last night, as if you couldn't figure that one out.  

Jacques Lemaire picked up his 600th win.  I miss Jacques.  Congratulations! 


Hudson Fasching - More than just an Apple Valley High School hockey player.  If this doesn't melt your heart and some of the ice off your roof, I don't know what will.

Hockey Felon 
Matt Cooke is the heir apparent to Chris Simon and he's well on his way surpassing his predecessor.  Here's a rundown of his most recent *ahem* accomplishments:

1. Knee-on-knee hit on Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin just last week
2. Monday, Matt made news again because Bruins centre Marc Savard was shut down for the season due to a concussion Cooke caused when he delivered the blindside hit that gave Savard his initial concussion last season.
3. Then on Wednesday, the Penguins' agitator made headlines for a third time after being handed a four-game suspension for his hit from behind on Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Fedor Tyutin.  It will cost Matt $88,000.00 in lost wages - ooh, that's really hitting a multi-millionaire piece of shit where it hurts, huh? 

Can stomping on an opponents leg, arm or neck be far behind for Cooke?  What's next - swinging his stick at someone's head?  He's certainly not leaving much room for anyone, including his own team, to come to his defense.  In case you're wondering, that would be the Pittsburgh Penguins.  A team that's already missing it's star players due to concussion (Crosby), knee surgery (Malkin - done for the season) and Kunitz (listed as day to day with lower body injury). 

And Things Got Out Of Hand
I'm not a Pittsburgh fan but what the NY Islanders did to the Pens in last night's game is simply disgusting and uncalled for under any circumstances.  The Islanders, clearly looking for revenge from having been embarrassed by the Pens in their previous outing, went head hunting from the get go.  Eight fights  - link/video courtesy of hockeyfights.com.  It will be very interesting to see what suspensions and fines come out of this for Trevor Gilles, Goddard and Matt Martin of the Islanders. 

Penalty Summary - in case you wanna check the math yourself 
1st Period
02:37 NYI Micheal Haley : Roughing - 2 min
10:22 NYI Micheal Haley : Fighting (maj) - 5 min
10:22 PIT Craig Adams : Fighting (maj) - 5 min
14:33 NYI Travis Hamonic : Hooking - 2 min
15:51 PIT Eric Tangradi : Too many men/ice - bench - 2 min
17:56 PIT Eric Godard : Fighting (maj) - 5 min
17:56 NYI Trevor Gillies : Fighting (maj) - 5 min
20:00 NYI John Tavares : Slashing - 2 min
2nd Period
05:21 NYI Josh Bailey : Fighting (maj) - 5 min
05:21 PIT Pascal Dupuis : Fighting (maj) - 5 min
05:21 NYI Travis Hamonic : Fighting (maj) - 5 min
05:21 PIT Michael Rupp : Fighting (maj) - 5 min
05:21 PIT Deryk Engelland : Game misconduct - 0 min
05:21 NYI Travis Hamonic : Game misconduct - 0 min
05:21 NYI Matt Martin : Instigator - 2 min
05:21 PIT Deryk Engelland : Roughing - 2 min
05:21 NYI Josh Bailey : Game misconduct - 0 min
05:21 PIT Pascal Dupuis : Game misconduct - 0 min
05:21 PIT Michael Rupp : Game misconduct - 0 min
05:21 NYI Matt Martin served by Trevor Gillies : Fighting (maj) - 5 min
05:21 NYI Matt Martin : Misconduct (10 min) - 0 min
05:21 NYI Matt Martin : Game misconduct - 0 min
07:51 NYI Frans Nielsen : Slashing - 2 min
17:20 PIT Eric Godard : Roughing - 2 min
17:30 PIT Zbynek Michalek : Slashing - 2 min
3rd Period
01:19 NYI Kyle Okposo : Roughing - 2 min
01:19 PIT Brooks Orpik : Charging - 2 min
04:47 NYI Micheal Haley : Fighting (maj) - 5 min
04:47 PIT Maxime Talbot : Fighting (maj) - 5 min
04:47 PIT Craig Adams : Roughing - 2 min
04:47 PIT Craig Adams : Game misconduct - 0 min
04:47 PIT Eric Godard : Roughing - 2 min
04:47 PIT Eric Godard : Roughing - 2 min
04:47 PIT Eric Godard : Game misconduct - 0 min
04:47 PIT Eric Godard : Game misconduct - 0 min
04:47 NYI Micheal Haley : Instigator - 2 min
04:47 NYI Micheal Haley : Misconduct (10 min) - 0 min
04:47 NYI Trevor Gillies served by Jesse Joensuu : Elbowing (maj) - 5 min
04:47 NYI Trevor Gillies : Roughing - 2 min
04:47 NYI Trevor Gillies : Roughing - 2 min
04:47 NYI Trevor Gillies : Misconduct (10 min) - 0 min
04:47 NYI Trevor Gillies : Game misconduct - 0 min
04:47 NYI Micheal Haley : Fighting (maj) - 5 min
04:47 NYI Micheal Haley : Game misconduct - 0 min
04:47 PIT Brent Johnson served by Marc-Andre Fleury : Fighting (maj) - 5 min
12:12 PIT Brett Sterling : Roughing - 2 min
12:12 NYI Kyle Okposo : Interference on goalkeeper - 2 min
12:40 PIT Tyler Kennedy : Holding - 2 min
16:04 PIT Kris Letang : Misconduct (10 min) - 0 min
16:04 NYI Kyle Okposo : Misconduct (10 min) - 0 min
16:04 NYI Jesse Joensuu : Too many men/ice - bench - 2 min
16:04 PIT Kris Letang : Roughing - 2 min
16:04 NYI Kyle Okposo : Roughing - 2 min
16:04 PIT Maxime Talbot : Roughing - 2 min
16:04 NYI Zenon Konopka : Roughing - 2 min
16:04 PIT Maxime Talbot : Misconduct (10 min) - 0 min
16:04 NYI Zenon Konopka : Misconduct (10 min) - 0 min
16:12 NYI Jack Hillen : Misconduct (10 min) - 0 min
16:12 PIT Brett Sterling : Misconduct (10 min) - 0 min
17:43 NYI Andrew MacDonald : Fighting (maj) - 5 min
17:43 PIT Joe Vitale : Fighting (maj) - 5 min
17:43 PIT Joe Vitale : Cross checking - 2 min
17:43 NYI Andrew MacDonald : Cross checking - 2 min
17:58 PIT Ryan Craig served by Alex Goligoski : Cross checking - 2 min
17:58 PIT Ryan Craig : Misconduct (10 min) - 0 min

Happy 135th Anniversary!
This week we celebrate the 135th anniversary of the first time the term "hockey puck" was used in a newspaper.  Enjoy this read, including a great video of Top 10 Hockey Puck Moments.  

Goalie Porn
The butterfly style of goaltending and it's related health issues is discussed in this great article by Russo in the Strib.  Here's an excerpt from the article.  It conjured up memories of Manny Fernandez's epic butterfly stretch in the net before the start of every period.  You gentlemen readers will probably want to look away for a minute...
Up and down. Up and down. Slide left, slide right.
Dripping with sweat, Backstrom finally got a rest.
In came Jose Theodore, less than a month removed from his hip injury. 
Up and down. Up and down. Left, right.
** wipes the gathering perspiration from my forehead**...Oh sweet Jesus, can I get me some more of that?  What?  People are looking at me?  Fuc...er, I mean...*ahem, cough - cough.


Well, moving right along - here are the related pieces Russo did on the history of the butterfly move and Backstrom's Game Day Ritual.


And because there needs to be eye candy to go along with this - here you go gals, enjoy!
** 44 second marker ladies **



** 30 second mark, ladies**


**39 second mark, ladies**


Next week I'll share some Zanon porn, if you're really good ;)

Name That Jersey!, Time Well Spent

Picking Out Names
Well, it's been settled, thanks to a majority vote.  I've finally decided which name is going on the back of my Year Ten Minnesota Wild jersey... *insert drum roll here* ... DEEICING... tada! 
Now I just need to decide if that needs a hyphen or not. Kind of like the hate mail Puck Daddy gets ;)


How I Spent My Year Ten Minnesota Wild Season
I'll be heading into the X early on Saturday night to hit the Hockey Lodge to put in my order for customization.  I bolded the word early, and Vicki's already laughing her butt off at this, because it's getting to be hysterical regarding the amount of hours we've had to put in at the arena for games and giveaways this season.

Saturday's game against the Blues is a great example: 8:00 p.m. puck drop

• It's a puck giveaway night - so instead of being at the gate by 7:00 p.m. we need to be there by 6:00 p.m. to be sure we're one of the first 3500 folks to get a voucher for the pucks.
• It's also a night where the GM, Chuck Fletcher, is doing a little chat session with some of us season ticket holders - at 5:00 p.m. 
• That means I'll be at the arena by 4:00 p.m. in order to have time to hit the Hockey Lodge, get my jersey picked out and the customization ordered before I need to meet up with Vicki at 5:00 for our meet-n-greet with Chuck.

It's a safe bet that I'll be in the arena for 8 hours on Saturday.  Add to it that it will probably be a short 10 hour turnaround before I'm back in the arena on Sunday morning - read on...

Houston Aeros Battle the Peoria Rivermen At Excel Energy Center Sun, Feb. 13
The game itself doesn't start until 1:00 p.m. but there are Wild player autograph opportunities before hand that will have a whole group of us hauling ass out of bed early on a Sunday morning.  

Schedule of Events:
 11:30 a.m. (Gates open) **I will be in line by 10:30 a.m. - I've been to enough of these events to know it will be a madhouse.  I'm betting that even at 10:30 I'll be 'late'. 

11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. – Minnesota Wild autographs 


1:00 p.m. – Aeros vs. Rivermen Game - no t.v. timeouts


3:00 p.m. - Postgame – Aeros player autographs 

Now let's get the calculator out:

2.5 hours before the game + 2 hours for the game itself (no t.v. timeouts) + 45 minutes to an hour for the boys to shower up and get to the autograph stations + 1.5 hours getting through a couple of autograph stations.  That's a grand total of 7 hours.   

Holy Hockey Hall Of Fame - Stalking the Wild really has become a full time job for me! 

Here's the list of Wild Player Autograph Table Stations prior to the Aeros game:
Station #1- Mikko Koivu, Antti Miettinen, Eric Nystrom, James Sheppard
(you'll find Vicki at this table, having left Dan in her dust back at the gate)

Station #2- Cal Clutterbuck, Josh Harding, Cam Barker
(you'll find Robyn at this table, having left Rich in her dust back at the gate)

Station #3- Niklas Backstrom, Kyle Brodziak, Chuck Kobasew, Brad Staubitz
(Bobbi will gaze longingly at this table on her way to...)


Station #4- Andrew Brunette, Greg Zanon, John Madden, Jared Spurgeon
(you'll find me at this table happily clutching my spiffy new jersey)


Station #5- Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Marek Zidlicky, Matt Cullen, Marco Scandella
(this is where you'll find Bobbi, feverishly reading her French dictionary)

Station #6- Nick Schultz, Guillaume Latendresse, Jose Theodore, Clayton Stoner
(if only I could clone myself and speak fluent French)


Exclusive Season Ticket Holder table: Brent Burns and Martin Havlat - Evidently I didn't rub my lucky rabbit's foot, or Vicki's foot for that matter, because my account didn't get pulled for this table :(

The Aeros players will be stationed at tables for autographs after the game (no charge) and you know I'll be hanging out to take advantage of this opportunity.  Some of these kids are expected to make the team out of camp next season.

#    Player                  Pos.  Shoots   Height   Weight   DOB                   Birthplace
4   Jamie Fraser        D        L              6-1         201          Nov 17, 1985     Sarnia, ON
7   Casey Wellman    C        R             6-0         186           Oct 18, 1987     Brentwood, CA
12 Cody Almond       C        L              6-2         217          Jul 24, 1989       Calgary, AB
14 Jon DiSalvatore   RW    R              6-1        200           Mar 30, 1981     Bangor, ME
15 Nate Prosser        D       R              6-2        207           May 7, 1986       Elk River, MN
16 Patrick O'Sullivan C       L              6-0        180            Feb 1, 1985       Winston-Salem, NC
17 Robbie Earl          LW     L              5-11     195            Jun 2, 1985        Chicago, IL
18 Colton Gillies        LW     L             6-4        208            Feb 12, 1989     White Rock, BC
19 Jarod Palmer       C        R             6-0       199             Feb 10, 1986     Fredley, MN
20 Chad Rau             C        R             5-11     186            Jan 18, 1987      Eden Prairie, MN
22 Jed Ortmeyer      RW      R             6-1        205            Sep 3, 1978       Omaha, NE
23 Petr Kalus            RW      L             6-1        208            Jun 29, 1987      Ostrava, Czech Republic
25 Warren Peters     C         L             6-0        203            Jul 10, 1982        Saskatoon, SK
26 Maxim Noreau     D         R            6-0        194             May 24, 1987      Montreal, QC
27 Carson McMillan  RW     R            6-2        194             Sep 10, 1988      Brandon, MB
29 Drew Bagnall       D         L             6-3        222             Oct 26, 1983      Oakbank, MB
30 Anton Khudobin  G          R            5-11     199              May 7, 1986        Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhst 
31 Matt Hackett       G          R           6-2         179              Mar 7, 1990        London, ON
32 Kris Fredheim    D          R           6-2         192              Feb 23, 1987     Campbell River, BC
39 Brandon Buck    LW       L           6-1         195              Aug 16, 1988      Delaware, ON
42 Matt Kassian      LW       L           6-5         252              Oct 28, 1986       Edmonton, AB
44 Justin Falk          D          L           6-5         215               Oct 11, 1988      Snowflake, MB
61 Tyler Cuma         D          L           6-2        192                Jan 19, 1990      Bowmanville, ON
62 Jean-Michel Daoust RW R         5-7        175                Nov 24, 1983      Valleyfield, QC

My Other Husband

This is a shout out to a guy who's been firmly entrenched in my life (whether he's wanted to be or not) for the last 20 years or so.  In fact, he's been my 'other husband' and I've been his 'other wife' for just about as long as he and Robyn have been legally married to each other- which is now going on 26 years.    

Rich got dragged into my life, for better or worse, as the vow goes, when Robyn and I became BFF's all those years ago at HealthPartners and has been a rock for me ever since.  He's been along for the ride all these years, quietly standing by, yet always seeming to know when I needed his presence.  Just like in a real marriage Rich has been there for me when things are good in my life and when things are decidedly crappy. 

He's even shared his home with me, literally putting a roof over my head when I needed it.  I've always suspected Rich didn't really have any say in that matter since he was deer hunting when the decision was made during a panicked phone call to Robyn.  There were some stressful times during those six months of cohabitation.  Rich suffered dearly for it, having to take crap off of two women and one of them had no right to be piping in on any of his business.  There came a point when he finally announced that having two wives was a bit overwhelming.  I could have died, feeling so embarrassed by my behavior.  Rich saw that and made light of the situation, because that's his gift during stressful times.  Ever since then I've been referred to as his other wife and he's been my other husband.   

There's a reason people come in and out of our lives.  Most of the time you just have to be open to not understanding the why or how come of it all.  Rich and I have come to understand the meaning of our connection over the years - to be there for someone we both love and because we 'get' each other when nobody else seems to.  I cherish my time with Rich.  He's a great friend, a loyal confidant, a fierce protector, and most of all he's a loving husband to Robyn and that's all I could ever wish for when it comes to one of my best friends.  Just because Robyn loves me doesn't mean that Rich has to, but he does.  I thank him for that.  

I beg his forgiveness for having let his birthday go by on Wednesday without acknowledging it.  I've been a little preoccupied but that's no excuse for not celebrating someone who's always got my back. 

Happy Birthday to my favorite skirt-wearing Other Husband! 

More Hockey Than You Can Shake A Stick At

Wild 3, Avalanche 2

Olympic Diving Back In The NHL
Yep, he's back: Peter Floppa Forsberg.  The Avalanche signed Floppa to a pro-rated contract for the remainder of the 2010-2011 season.  When he will actually play is still unclear as there appear to be some immigration issues that need to be resolved first.  For those of you unfamiliar with Peter's greatest ability and contribution to the NHL - he's the reason why the act of diving (embellishing) carries a misconduct penalty.   
 

Best tweet of the day, perhaps of all time, from Puck Daddy (Greg Wyshinski):  It's not so much that I get hate mail.  It's that I get hate mail from people who think there's a hyphen in "fuck you." 

Goalies Gone Wild
WTF is going on with NHL goalies this last week?  Are they amped up on Red Bull or 5 Hour Energy drinks?  Should we be testing for steroids? - cuz there's some serious anger issues in net these days. 

Rick DiPietro starts things out by getting in a goalie fight with Pittsburgh's Brent Johnson last week.  Brent cold-cocked Rick with one punch and now Rick is out for 4-6 weeks with facial fractures and knee swelling.  The knee swelling is a recurring thing for DiPietro - his porcelain knees and overinflated contract make Gaborik look healthy and underpaid by comparison *insert rim shot here*.   

Carey Price and Tim Thomas squared off in tonight's Bruins vs Habs game - actually this was one of those classic "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out" scenes.  Reminds me of the hockey of my youth.  *sigh*  Check out the boxscore of that game - it's 2 pages long!  The video link is courtesy of www.hockeyfights.com.  Great tweet about this game: @dangeroushockey rocco @wyshynski "I'm really enjoying VS new format for the NHL games. Goal, fight, goal, fight, goal, 2 fights, goal, 3 fights...interesting."There was one point in the 3rd period of the Wild game tonight where it looked like Matt Cullen was going to go toe-to-toe with Avs goalie Budaj.  Just about everyone on the ice, including Budaj was throwing punches and I thought for sure I was going to see my first goalie fight.  But the cooler head of Nik Backstrom prevailed and he just hung out at his net on the other end of the ice.  And I still don't get why we ended up with the extra penalty out of that kerfuffle - Coach, got anything for me on that?  



Oh, there was a Wild game tonight.  It was a good game, for the most part.  Our first period was fast and furious: Wild scored on the power play at 15:00, woo-hoo!  "Scoring for Minnesota - On The Power Play"...never freakin' mind, the Avs scored - 11 seconds later.  I hate it when our P.A. guy can't even get the Wild scoring information out before the opponent shuts us up by putting the puck past our goalie.  I hate that as much as I hate Wild players making cross crease passes in our own zone.  But wait, 40 seconds later we scored again and this time it sticks with a 2-1 lead going into the second period.  Just so that Bobbi doesn't think I'm only ragging on one particular player: Miettinen's power play goal is his first home ice goal since Nov. 17th.    

Vicki said it best during the second period when the Wild were sliding and struggling: "the other team has us running and that's when the Wild get into trouble."  She was right.  During the early part of the second period it looked like there were 3 Avs players to every 1 of our Wild guys on the ice.  But at the midway point Jared Spurgeon started the drive to the net and fed a pass to Cullen who set up John Madden for only his 8th goal of the year.  For Bobbi - Russo Tweet: "To those who asked me who Madden was yelling at after his goal, "Myself." trying to pump himself up, not happy w lack of goals lately."  Madden is also quoted in Russo's post game blog as not being happy with his goal production.  The best thing about Madden's goal was that he effectively chased Anderson from the Avs goal.  In an attempt to spark the team, the Avs brought in Budaj to see if his team mates would kick it into high gear.  The Wild took the 3-1 lead into the second intermission.  

Third period was interesting - from the standpoint of watching the Avs crosscheck, hook and trip the Wild relentlessly with no calls from the refs - who were watching from just inches away.  Then the bru-haha broke out and after everything was sorted the Wild ended up killing a 2 minute penalty - successfully, so there you stupid refs.  The Avs got their second goal of the game right off the bat in the third period.  David Jones scored both goals for Colorado, or as Bobbi said "Davey Jone's Locker - Curses"  That's what I love the most about Bobbi, her quick wit.  Anyway...the Wild hung on and in those last five minutes of the third Vicki and I were reaching for the Tumms and holding our breath and cursing under our breath and exhaling slowly until the puck was finally cleared out of our zone.  The buzzer sounded and we came away with a solid 3-2 win. 

Nik was spectacular tonight - that skate save move he's got going on...very dazzling piece of work.  Our defense as a whole, including Barker (tastes nasty in my mouth to say that), was SOLID. 

The tribute to Bruno before the game was top notch, first class:
  


Extra bonus points for those of you who can name five of the players on the bench during the video's first 15 seconds.  

Here's Simon, Bruno's dog, doing Let's Play Hockey with Andrew's younger brother.

 

I'm A Little Bit Country...

I spent Monday evening in the company of Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt.  The State Theater audience was not disappointed by either of these talented gentlemen.  My music soul was recharged and I had a few really good belly laughs on top of it.  All in all, a very well-spent night.  On the drive home I was remembering the music of my childhood. 

My parents were fans of both kinds of music: country and western.  My brothers were all about the rock and roll while my sister was all about acoustical and her voice was so beautiful to hear.  Being 12, 10 and 8 years younger than my siblings it's easy to see why my taste in music is so varied.  We all sang and/or played instruments growing up.  My sister and I both played in concert/orchestra band as well as the marching band in junior and senior high.  My brothers both played in local rock bands during their late high school and early college years. That was back in the day when mom and dad had to go along with the band in order for the boys to be able to be in the bar.  And guess who got to tag along?  Those were the good old days.  Is it any wonder that I'm an audiophile at heart?  

One of my favorite memories from my early childhood is being all jammied up after bath time and sitting on the bottom step of the basement listening to my brother's band practice.  I had a two song limit before having to head off to the land of nod.  My brother's bands progressed and changed styles over the years but there was one song that carried over without change.  It was always my last song of the night: 
  


This should make Dave smile, considering he's the die hard country fan in the group.  Being a captive of my parents house and rules I spent my youth being exposed to the likes of Chet Atkins, Patsy Kline, Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell and Loretta Lynn to name just a few.  I came to love the likes of Lyle Lovett and Dwight Yoakam on my own accord, many years after having escaped the nasal twanged choruses that delighted my mother so much in her day.  I'm sure if there's a redeeming bone in my body, where my mother's concerned, it's my unabashed love for the late great Buck Owens.  How can you not tap your toes and sing along:
   


That Dwight - He's got Elvis's pelvis ;)  Now, Lyle isn't much to look at but he's a talented writer, singer, musician and entertainer.  If you ever get the chance to catch Lyle and his Large Band please do so.  I guarantee you won't regret it, especially if it's in a small venue like the State or Orpheum theater.  I would list The Road to Encinada and Pontiac as my all time favorite Lyle albums.

Now, to burst Dave's bubble completely - my heart really belongs to rock and roll        


Back to hockey tomorrow folks, I promise!

Wild At Colorado, Foppa Sighting, Birthday Boy

Wild 4, Avalanche 3

Happy Birthday to the best next door neighbor I could ever ask for - Randy's The Man!  


The Return Of Jose
Boy, what an out of character start to a game by the Wild, huh?  Two goals within the first 1:01 of the first period.  REALLY evident that Colorado hadn't played since before the All Star break.  Good for us, not so much for them.  Kudos to Kyle and Andrew!   

Loved seeing Jose in net, getting some playing time against his old team.  He wasn't tested too much in the first period until the Wild took a really stupid penalty after being drawn into some roughing fisticuffs with the Avs.  Burns sure looked like he was jonesing for a brawl ;)  The Avs kind of took over at that point and ended up outshooting the Wild 12-5.  

Second period was all Avs for the first 9 minutes - they came out fast and hard, having shook off any remaining rust in the first intermission.  Getting to the halfway mark the shots on goal were even.  Barker actually made a really good defensive play and then tried taking on Yip in a fight.  Well, you really can't call that a fight, but they both took 5 for fighting.  I'm just so done with Cam - complete waste of defensive roster space.  Outstanding powerplay by MN, spending the first 69 seconds in the Avs zone putting heavy pressure on.  Avs not only killed off the PP they made a beautiful play to take the puck from the Wild and then drove in on a two on one and scored on Jose.  Wild 2, Avs 1.  Wild got 2nd powerplay with 5 minutes left and it expired like one second before Bruno gets his 14th goal of the season as the Wild go up 3 -1.  With two and a half minutes left the Avs take another penalty.  Wild don't capitalize on this PP, but Spurgeon fired a bazooka of a shot on goal - great to see him on the power play. 

Third period didn't get off to a good start for the Wild - Avs scored 45 seconds in.  Wild 3, Avs 2.  Avs continued to pressure, spent first 5 minutes completely overpowering MN in our zone.  Havlat took one of his infamous highsticking penalties, a 4 minute one at that.  MN defense worked thier asses off, minus Barker - who went missing from the bench, to kill it off.  Havlat better be buying dinner and drinks after that.  The Wild struggled just to stay on their skates through 10 and a half minutes - getting zero shots on goal.  Mikko took the puck to the blue line and dumped it in as he went to the bench.  Havlat gets a shot on goal, Avs deny but the rebound ended up on Bouchard's stick and in the net.  Wild 4, Avs 2 - whew, we needed that!  Three shots on goal with five and a half minutes left in the period.  Jose battled to keep the score static, even with the Avs pulling their goalie at 1:55 for the man advantage.  He got beat with 10 seconds left but held on for the win: Wild 4, Avs 3. 
Frickin' lucky, considering how poorly they played offensively - both stats sites showed three shots on goal in the third period.                

• Is it just me or does Todd Richards appear to have lost a whole lotta more hair since taking the head coach job?  I did like his tie, though.     
• Man, I just can't help but watching Spurgeon every shift out there, to the exclusion of what's happening elsewhere on the ice.
• Yip - seriously, with a name like that don't you just want to take his head off at every opportunity? 

The Return Of Foppa?
Peter Forsberg is practicing with the Avs to see if his ankle/foot is good enough to go in the NHL one more time.  How desperate are the Avs to put butts in seats if they're entertaining the thought of signing Floppa?  Sad.         

If this doesn't give you nightmares I don't know what will - Cam is just creepy looking:   



Oh, and for Rich - this should answer your question about the size of things and hitting home...

Wild vs Kings Recap, Bruno's Milestone

We Won, They Lost

There - no muss, no fuss.  You can go about your bidniz now and be done with me. 

It's been suggested by some of you whiners  faithful readers that it would be great to see the final score of the game up front.  I appear to have been laboring under false beliefs - assuming that everyone who reads my humble hockey homily has either attended the game, watched or listened to the game on t.v. or radio, has already checked the box scores, perused the local media (print or electronic) and is just checking in here for some humor to add to their day.  I didn't realize that I had a higher call of duty.  I apologize and promise to better serve my loyal legions going forward. 
**There's a certain husband of mine out there I'm sure I'll be hearing from after this - bring it on! (inside joke, folks - nobody's missed a ceremony)

Bruno's Milestone
Before I break the game down I want to point everyone in the direction of Russo's fabulous column on Andrew Brunette playing in his 1000 NHL game on Tuesday night.  I'll tell you what - I have journalist envy when Michael Russo writes something like this.  This is the reason I dabble in the written word about the Wild, amateur and unpolished as I am.      

• Brunette Reaches Milestone
• The Bruno File -fun facts here about Bruno's stats and milestones while wearing a Wild sweater. 
• All Wild players received this t-shirt when they arrived in the locker room today: Twitter Pic
• Russo Tweet: "Just talked on phone w Dan Brunette. You know tonight's big: He canceled his curling match to watch son Andrew's 1,000th game."
• Puck Daddy also pays homage to Bruno. 

Bruno's Top 10 Video from wild.nhl.com:


Out of everything I've read about Bruno the last few days, it's not a quote by Ray Ferraro or Barry Trotz or even his peewee coach from back in the day that resonates with me.  It's this statement from Andrew himself: 

"We're playing a game. You don't work hockey. You play hockey."

The Wild will have a ceremony celebrating Bruno's milestone before the home game on February 9th.  I'm sure I'll have tears as I cheer loudly and proudly for one of the cornerstones of this franchise.  

One of my favorite pictures of Bruno - Just Happy To Be Here 

   

Vacation's Over Boys, Let's Play Hockey!
The Wild hosted the Kings in their first game back after the All Star break.  I don't know about the rest of you hockey peeps, but it feels like FOREVER since there's been hockey to watch.
First Period
I didn't expect such a quiet start to the game and was amazed when I realized we were approaching the halfway mark of the first period.  Both teams were kinda getting their hockey legs back and a feel for the game.  Just goes to show you what a week off from the game and training room does to these full-on athletes.  A few rushes for both sides but really, really quiet and uneventful until the Kings took a penalty with 3 minutes left.  Good thing Backstrom hadn't been lulled to sleep since he had to make a strong point blank save when the Kings drove in shorthanded.  We head into the first intermission with no score: Wild 0, Kings 0.
Second Period
Quicker pace to start the 2nd but the Wild didn't put a shot on goal in the first 5 minutes.  This is not a good sign.  Gotta be honest with you folks, this is a hard game to write about - neither team is playing outstanding hockey.  There have been chances at both ends of the rink, but overall this is badly played game by both teams with a slight edge to the Kings.  They've outshot the Wild 13 - 7 with Zanon blocking as many shots as Backstrom makes saves on during a Burns penalty.  To answer the question I got from a friend via text - yes, I have actually fallen asleep at a hockey game.  Wild 0, Kings 0.      
Third Period
Bruno tries his hardest to get us a power play goal in his 1000th game but it doesn't pan out.  The Wild apply some terrific pressure during the last 30 seconds of their power play and it's the most offense they've shown all game.  After 8 minutes the Kings are still outshooting the Wild and Zanon's established a career and nhl record by having blocked 7 shots in a given game.  Backstrom definitely getting the number 1 or 2 star - again.  Wild finally spend some quality time in the offensive zone with 7 minutes left.  The crowd wakes up but unfortunately, so does Bernier who turns away every shot the Wild get off.  I think our guys all took 5 Hour Energy shots during their last rotation on the bench - they are pressuring offensively and collapsing down in front of their goalie.  Too bad they didn't have this kind of vim and vinegar during the preceding two periods.  Now we're going into overtime.  Wild 0, Kings 0.  
Vick's running to the bathroom right now.  Afterall, she's got a whole minute in which to get there, do her business and get back to her seat.  She'll have about 15 seconds to spare.  
Overtime  
Havlat is the man, keeping the Wild in the offensive zone for most of the overtime.  Backstrom makes two or three MONSTER saves in our zone during the last minute and his best friend, the left post made another one for him.  We're going to the shootout...is Jose ready to go??  Oops, was that out loud?  Wild has lost 8 straight, Backstrom 10 of his past 11; Backstrom 27 saves for third shutout of season no matter what happens in shootout.     
Shootout
Kopitar up first and Backstrom pulled a rabbit out of his hat by pokechecking the puck away.  Wow.
Havlat makes a weak attempt and is stopped cold. 
Johnson up next and even though Nik went down he stopped the puck with his skate.  Double Wow. 
Bouchard's got the puck next - Bobbi's standing up in her living room right now.  He bobbles the puck, recovers and actually gets the puck to dribble in.  Hey, ugly totally works.  Bobbi's jumping up and down in her living room right now. 
Brown ready to have a go at Backstrom but the hockey gods are smiling down on Nik tonight and he's got himself a shootout win and a shutout!  Most importantly - it's a win at home. 
Wild 1, Kings 0. 

Pat yourselves on the back, boys and then buck up.  It's off to Colorado and yet another division rival to take on.  This will get old really fast, but it has to be the mantra for the Wild from here on out: Each Game Is A Must Win.  Remember, the Kings get a point out of the tie in regulation.  It's a point that could very well come back to bite the Wild in the ass in about 27 more games.