Capitals @ Wild - Mon 11-24 - View from My Recliner
Tonite, with arguably the best offensive player in the NHL in town in Alex Ovechkin for Washington, the Wild found their scoring touch. A touch that has been missing for quite some time. 2 goals from Cal Clutterbuck (his 1st goals ever in the NHL), a goal from Marek Zidlicky, and James Sheppard's 1st of the year. Wild win 4-3 over a very good Capitals team. The Caps did not wake up until they were down 4-0, and scored a couple goals late in the 3rd period, the 2nd of which was a nasty wrister by Ovechkin with about 3 and a half minutes left. A penalty call on Marek Zidlicky added more drama, and Nicklas Backstrom (the Caps forward) beat Niklas Backstrom (the Wild goalie) and the Wild had to hang on for dear life.

Up until the last 4 minutes this was a very nicely-played game by the Wizzy. They seemed to have alot more jump and confidence than in recent games. The much-maligned Pierre-Marc Bouchard even started zipping around a little more in the offensive zone after he assisted on Sheppard's goal. I was about ready to call for the end of the scoring funk, but the way the game ended they lost that momentum. The funk will continue.

The Most Important Thing
What's the most important thing? The Wild were able to beat former Avalanche G Jose Theodore, who was possibly the biggest reason the Wild were eliminated in the 1st round of the playoffs last season. Excersise those demons!

Next on the Docket - Stars @ Wild - Wed Turkey Day Eve
Tough to say what will happen Saturday. Wild found some goals tonite but generally do not play so well against Dallas. Their record is slightly better at home than in Dallas however. Dallas lost to Philly tonite, and recently lost their heart and soul Brendan Morrow for the season. They're in a bit of a funk. I'm going Wild 3 Stars 2