Tonight the Wild looked a liiiiitle bit better than they have over the last couple weeks. They got to practice the powerplay alot as well, and that certainly helped. The Wild had 8 powerplay opportunities while Colorado had 3, and both regulation Wild goals came on the powerplay .They scored the lone goal in the shootout to get the extra point and just like that we’ve doubled our win total for the season! We’re comin!

Mikko Koivu
Mikko Koivu, in his first game as the first real Wild captain, had a very strong game. He scored the tying goal in the 3rd on a redirected puck in front of the net, and he scored the game winner in the shootout. However, I will not call him “Captain Koivu” as FSN play-by-play guy Dan Terhaar chose to do. Ugh.

Niklas Backstrom
Backy was great again, making 35 saves plus 3 in the shootout. He is the constant on this team, again not flashy but there when you need him.

2nd Period Still Ugly
The Wild dominated the 1st period with the help of Avalanche penalties. But in the 2nd they reverted to the team we saw on the west coast. The Avs outshot the Wild 18-4 in the 2nd when we saw sloppy defensive play, poor breakouts, and an inability to clear for long stretches. Wild D Brent Burns looked especially lost as he ineffectively tried to clear the puck, regained it, then turned it over inside the defensive zone, which led directly to the Avs go ahead goal. Gotta tighten that up.

Busted Glass
It seemed the loudest cheer of the night from the “Team of 18,000” came when an Avalance player knocked Wild D Nick Schultz into the glass at the scorers table just before the end of regulation and the glass shattered into at least 1,394,238 pieces. It was a little comical to see the official timekeeper shield himself from the wreckage while stopping the clock. Good work sir.

Third Jersey
I really like the new sweaters. It was awesome to see the boys in green again, and I think the script lettering on the front is striking. Also, I like that they are 1-0 in them.

Next
Wild hop a plane for a quick rodie to St. Louis on Friday, 7PM No TV (FSN FAIL) The Blues look improved over last season, but they don’t exactly instill fear into my heart.The Wild should show some pride, play a “good road game” and get their first road win of the year.

ETC
Congrats to the Philadelphia Phillies for putting away the Dodgers tonight to advance to the World Series. Assuming it’s Phillies v. Yankees, I’m all about a Phils repeat.

Wasn’t that a Tesla song? They had more songs than “Signs” ya know…

Wild put together a very nice game tonite in Colorado. Niklas Backstrom got the shutout in net and Owen Nolan scored both Wild goals and the Wizzy win 2-0. Tonite’s game is how I envisioned the Wild needing to play to make the playoffs. Gritty on offense and very strong defensively. It helped that the Avs are not very good right now and can’t score goals, but we’ll take ‘em where we can get ‘em. And just like that the Wild are starting to look like a team that could make some headway.

FSN color guy Mike Greenlay made an interesting point. Actually I think it was a question from a fan via text message, but Greenlay answered it. It just might be that with Marian Gaborik having surgery tomorrow and now the team knows he will be out for most of the season, they now know they don’t have him waiting in the wings to “rescue” them. Each player knows that they need to get their job done and step up their games. The Gabby thing isn’t hanging over their heads anymore. So hopefully now they know what they need to do to beat teams. I harp on the the fact that the Wild are not very talented up front, especially without Gaborik, but if you think about it, a few of the Wild forwards have not lived up to expectations this year. Pierre-Marc Bouchard needs to find himself. James Sheppard has developed slowly (although he’s been good of late). Benoit Pouliot is back on coach Jacques’ bleep list. Andrew Brunette hasn’t scored in quite some time. Add to that the fact we’ve got a bunch of kids from Houston trying to play NHL hockey. It’s easy to see why it’s been a tough go the last month.

But the recent play of Owen Nolan has me fired up. If he can stay healthy, he gives this team grit, leadership, and a sense that they can persevere. Keep the “C” on Koivu, keep Nolan with the “A” and I think we’ll see the Wizzy build some character they will once again make us proud.

And if not, then we go after Risebrough. At least this fan is watching again.

Wild @ Avalanche - Western Conference Quarterfinals Game 6 - View from the Couch
Did the great Minnesota band (I use the term great loosely) Soul Asylum write that song for us Wild fans?

Wild season dead in Colorado tonite, after a 2-1 loss to the Avs in game 6. Avs take the series 4-2. There's not much to write about in the way of analysis on this one. Colorado scored 1st again, Wild tied it up in the 2nd, Colorado takes the lead again in the 2nd, and the Wild didn't have much of a sniff the rest of the game. They managed 35 shots, but it wasn't the same kind of near miss onslaught as in game 5. Most of the shots were from the perimeter, and Avs G Jose Theodore made the easy saves to finish up the series.

Marian Gaborik did finally get an assist with a nice pass to Aaron Voros for the lone Wild goal, but he was bottled up again tonite. No one else was able to step up and take charge, and the Avalanche move on to round 2.

I do have to shout out to Nick Schultz, who played tonite for the 1st time in the playoffs after his appendectomy. He gave what he had for the team, and that is why he is a stalwart on this team.

I will also give credit to the Avalanche, who led over 100 minutes in this series. The Wild only led just over 4 minutes. In the end their big stars were better than the Wild's big stars.

Fight to Bring the Cup to St. Paul
The Wild Marketing Team better not bring back "Fight to the End" as the slogan next time the Wild make the playoffs. Both years they used it, the Wild fizzled to the end and were out 1st round, and both times I didn't see much sense of fight. Matter of fact, Game 4, the game in which the Wild had 111 ridiculous penalty minutes, turned the momentum to the Avalanche and they never looked back. Thugnation cost us this series.

Honeymoon is Over
After their 2nd 1st round exit in a row, the tide has now officially turned in the Wild's fan base. It's been building, but you can expect the organization to start to feel the heat of not producing a winner. My heat is laserline-focused on GM Doug Risebrough. More to come in future posts on that topic.

Next on the Docket - Free Agency
Who did we see play their last game in a Wild sweater tonite? Brian Rolston? Pavol Demitra? Pierre-Marc Bouchard? Rolston was asked after the game about next year and his pending free agency, his answer...my time here in Minnesota was great, we'll see what happens next year...didn't sound much like someone that expected to be back. It could get nasty this summer.

More to Come
I'll still follow the Cup playoffs and this offseason is critical to the Wild, so keep an eye out for more posts. While the Wild flags will come down and the jerseys will go back in the closet for 6 months, remember we have a banner to hang next October, and another chance at bringing home the Cup.

Avalanche @ Wild - Western Conference Quarterfinals Game 5 - View from Section 209
No, I wasn't in mourning or anything...this post was late because I got home at midnite-thirty last nite. Also because I wanted to detach myself a little bit from the game. As most of you know, Wild lose 3-2 to Colorado in game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead in a game that the Wild absolutely dominated for 2 periods. Shots on goal were like 30-15 (give or take) after 2 periods. Jose Theodore was a freaking rock and kept the Wild off the scoreboard save for a 1st period powerplay goal by Pierre Marc Bouchard. The 2nd was such a fun period for the fans. The X was so loud, but every "aaaah" turned into "oooooh" instead of goal horn. It was very emotional and disappointing from a fan standpoint. I had troubles thinking about what I wanted to write. So, here it is.

Let's start with my keys for the Wild to win from the previous post...let's see which ones happened.

• Thugnation plays smarter - Yep
• Wild score in 1st or 2nd period - Yep
• Gabby gets at least a point - Not so much
• Thugnation plays smarter - Yep
• D-men get their wind back - Only Til the 3rd
• Sean Hill doesn't fall over - Didn't fall over, but took a penalty that led to the go ahead goal
• Jose Theodore actually allows goals - Theodore was even better
• Thugnation plays smarter - Yep
• Crowd is off the hook - Yep

Unfortunately listing Thugnation's mild manner 3 times wasn't enough to overshadow the things that didn't happen. Gabby is now trying too hard, attempting to create what isn't there and fanning on one-timers to open nets. Adding Eric Reitz into the defensive corps was a good move and he played well, but in my opinion it should have been for Sean Hill, not Pterri Nummelin. Because Sean Hill is old and can't keep up with most forwards, he had to hook someone after a defensive-zone turnover. And Jose Theodore has clearly made a pact with someone unsavory as he is stopping everything that the Wild throw at him.

The crowd at the X was great. From the opening video on it was bonkers. So loud. The Wild finally get a 1st period goal, but it was to tie the game, not the 1st goal of the game. In the 2nd, they played so well, they pressed so hard, but they couldn't get anything by Theodore. What Theodore didn't stop hit the posts. The puck was in the Avs zone for what seemed like the entire period. It seemed they had finally gotten one by Theodore when Pavol Demitra fired one past Theodore from the blue line on the rush, but someone, I'm not even sure who it was, skated into the zone before Demo got the puck past the blue line. Go from pandemonium to what is going on in the crowd. Grrr.

In the 2nd intermission, the place just didn't have a good vibe. Everyone was so into the 2nd but to not score...definitely came down from a high. They put Caps v. Flyers 2nd OT on the video board (and on the ice...that was cool) and I'm not sure who was paying attention, but I was, and there wasn't alot of flow to it. When the boys came out, instead of the whole place loud, cheering, waving towels like before the game and before the 2nd period, it was only a handful of people. The place just seemed drained, and so did the Wild. Mikko Koivu turned the puck over in the defensive zone, that led to the Hill penalty, and the Avs scored on the powerplay. So you're thinkin...ok...there's time left to tie it up...but Paul Stastney broke out of his scoring drought in a big way with a pretty top-shelf backhand to beat Backstrom, and that was all she wrote. The Wild were barely able to get the puck in the Avs zone the rest of the period. Brian Rolston's goal from the point off a faceoff with 2.5 seconds left added to the frustration. It was your typical hockey gods laughing at the irony of too little too late after playing a great game. The hockey gods are interfering way too much in this series - Andrew Brunette scored his 3rd of the series tonite too.

Fight to Bring the Cup to St. Paul
They're really going to have to fight now. Avs lead the series 3-2. Wild need to win the next 2 to continue the fight.

Wild @ Avalanche - Western Conference Quarterfinals Game 3 - View from the Couch
The hockey gods sure have a sense of humor. If you recall, about a month ago Kurtis Foster was run into the boards on an icing play that resulted in a broken femur for Foster, ending his season and putting the Wild shorthanded on D for the playoffs. After that play, the outcry from Minny, me included, was that we needed no-tough icing. The other leagues have no-touch icing, and how many icings are actually negated by an offensive player beating the defensive player to the puck? Well, tonite the sentiment around the State of Hockey is undoubtedly, "I love touch-up icing!!!"

It started out as a tight checking game tonite. The Wild had plenty of opportunities through 2 periods tonite but could not get anything past Avalanche G Jose Theodore. I liked the chances they got, but I gotta say Theodore was the difference early...and that would turn into a theme as the night rolled on. Granted the Wild took too many penalties that tired out their depleted defensive corps, but when they had offensive time they put some good shots on net. The only goal in the first 2 periods was by our old buddy Andrew Brunette, and the Avs took a 1-0 lead into the 3rd.

Once again apparently the Wild felt they didn't need to score until the 3rd. With around 12 minutes to go, Todd Fedoruk tossed the puck deep, got his own dump in off the boards and tossed it out front, where Mikko Koivu was crashing the net to knock it past Theodore. Great goal. I love Todd Fedoruk.

Then, enigma #1 Brian Rolston appeared on a pretty short-handed goal, assisted by Pavol Demitra on a 2-on-1. Honestly, before this kill started, I said, out loud, we're gonna get a shortie. I'm a great prognosticating mind. Demo put on a great deke from inside the Wild's blueline to start the break. He got around the Avalanche defenseman who was trying to keep the puck in the zone, then went in with Rolston, faked the shot and waited just long enough for the lone D for Colorado to slide out of the way, then dished it to Rolston who had an open net to shoot at, and Rolston made sure he didn't miss.

But it wouldn't be that easy. The Wild couldn't clear the zone shortly after the goal and Joe Sakic scores with about 5 minutes left to tie the game and ignite the Pepsi Center crowd. Things were complicated on that goal. Aaron Voros launched Brunette into Niklas Backstrom, so he pretty much had no chance to make a save on Sakic's shot.

The Wild put on some great pressure in the final 30 seconds, Mikko Koivu was an absolute stud and drew a tripping penalty with 8 seconds left in the 3rd. Time expired, and no surprise that we go to overtime. More free hockey to burn out our tired defense.

And Theodore kept it up in OT. He stopped Gabby point blank, then Demo on a 2-on-1 with PMB. The Wild absolutely dominated the overtime, but as time went on it seemed like this game could go forever. Finally, just seconds after the Wild telecast showed Andrew Brunette end Patrick Roy's career in '03, the puck took a funny carom on a would-be icing on the Wild. Colorado D Jeff Finger apparently had his eyes closed and went behind the net while the puck bounced to the side of the net. Brian Rolston got to the puck 1st to negate the icing, then passed to enigma #2 Pierre-Marc Bouchard in the slot, and PMB fired a wrister top-shelf to finally beat Theodore. Wild win, 3-2, and the dog wakes up because I'm jumping around the family room.

I'd be remiss not to mention the game Backstrom had. He played very solidly tonite, stopping 44 shots. I was really surprised he had that many saves. Throughout the game I thought the Wild were outshooting the Avs. Props to Backstrom for keeping the Wild in the game. Also, although he didn't score, enigma #3 Marian Gaborik had a TON of chances. That bodes well for the next couple games.

Oh, and Mikko Koivu is a stud.

Fun with Numbers
That's an oxymoron, but chew on this:

• The last 5 Wild/Avs games this season have gone to OT.
• The last 5 Wild/Avs playoff games have gone to OT.
• The last 6 Wild/Avs playoff games finished with a 3-2 final.

Fight to Bring the Cup to St. Paul
Wild now up 2-1 in this 1st round series. They have 2 wins out of the 16 necessary to win the cup. I know, I know, one series at a time...ok, they need 2 more wins to win this series.

Next on the Docket - Wild @ Avalanche - Tues 4-15-08
Gotta do it all over again tomorrow nite for game 4. FSN has my back with Twins v. Tigers then Wild v. Avalanche, both in HD. So you can guess what I'll be doing tomorrow evening. The way this series rolls you gotta think the Avs will win, but I'm going with the Wild. I think they gain alot of momentum, The Three Enigmas are starting to roll, and there is karma coming to set up game 5 at Xcel with the potential to wrap up the series. Wild 3 Avs 2

Avalanche @ Wild - Western Conference Quarterfinals Game 2 - View from All Over My Living Room
Don't know where to start. So many emotional swings. In a game that had more drama than game 1, the Wild beat Colorado 3-2 in another overtime thriller. Keith Carney scored the winner off an Avs skate just over a minute into OT. It was a great goal for the old guy; you gotta feel good for him.

It was a frustrating game through 2 periods. It was either an excellent forecheck or just Wild jitters that gave them trouble getting out of their own zone. They seemed to get caught up in the emotion in the 1st, after some bodies went flying, a stick went flying into the stands, they were caught watching Peter Forsberg skate through the slot and wrist one by Niklas Backstrom (Martin Skoula had an opportunity to get it off his stick but he didn't go for it). In the 2nd, Mikko Koivu/Aaron Voros and Marian Gaborik hit 2 posts 15 seconds within each other, and the puck hopped Pavol Demitra's stick just as the period expired.

But the Wild were able to carry a powerplay and the momentum into the 3rd, and Demo tied it on a nice slapper from the left circle. Play went back and forth until the 18:30 mark, where Koivu fired one from just inside the blue line to give the Wild the lead. The crowd was bonkers. I was bonkers. Looked like we were going to Denver tied at 1. The Avalanche brought the pressure tho, and Kin Johnsson had to hook Ryan Smyth with a minute to go. On a 6 on 4 powerplay with the goalie pulled, the Avs were able to tie it on one that seemed to have eyes deflecting off Milan Hedjuk. So we go to OT.

Fittingly, it was a great forecheck that got the Wild the opportunity to win it. Brian Rolston, Mikko Koivu, and Pierre-Marc Bouchard were able to turn the puck over in the offensive zone. Koivu kept the puck while fending off Joe Sakic, and fed it to PMB on the sideboards. PMB tried to center to Rolston, but it deflected back to the sideboards, where Carney had pinched. He fired towards the net, and it deflected off Ruslan Salei's skate, and the Xcel Energy Center crowd goes home ecstatic - and I breathe again.

Jots

• I don't know if it was jitters, bad ice, or what, but the Wild just seemed to be clutching their sticks a bit too much. They would overskate the puck, fan on shots, pass too hard. Trying a bit too hard to win the game with one fantastic play.
• Man the D looks tired. Carney and Burns looked like they were going to pass out in their post game interviews.
• Niklas Backstrom was absolutely stellar in net tonite. He stopped a handful of glorious scoring chances and was positionally sound all nite. I couldn't count how many times the D came up and gave him a tap on the pads for bailing them out.
• Mikko Koivu is a stud.
• Peter Forsberg is really hitting stride. Gotta find a way to shut him down, and Brent Burns' xtra work on him in the 2nd was a nice start.
• I do not like Wild play-by-play guy Dan Terhaar as a play-by-play guy, but his voice cracking on the game winning call was classic. If the Wild win the Cup, I will hang a poster-size print of him on my wall...right next to all my other Wild prints. I think it would look great right between the 8x10s of me with the Cup and my wife with Matt Johnson.
• Great job to FSN-HD tonite. The game was visually pretty and it added a ton to the game experience at home tonite.
• I almost forgot to mention the karma I experienced tonite. After the 2nd period, in frustration, I switched jerseys - from the green to the white - and it paid off. Needless to say I'll be wearing the white Monday.

Fight to Bring the Cup to St. Paul
The win ties the series 1-1, with the series now shifting to Denver. We're now 15 wins from Lord Stanley's arrival. And there will officially be a game 5 in this series. Sweet for me and whoever winds up going with me.

Next on the Docket - Wild @ Avalanche - Mon 4-14-08
Hoping the Wild can carry a little momentum into the next game. The extra day off should be good for resting our tired D-men, as well as a banged up Branko Radivojevic. Ever the optimist (at least before the game starts) I say Wild 2 Avs 1.

Avalanche @ Wild - Western Conference Quarterfinals Game 1 - View from My Living Room
I can't take 7 games of this. This game had classic Minnesota Wild ebb and flow. Wild dominate the 1st but don't score. They don't show up for the 2nd and get down 2 goals. Mikko Koivu gets a goal off a skate and then tie it up on a pretty pretty powerplay goal by Todd Fedoruk. Then you get the drama of an Avs penalty shot with less than 5 minutes left against the worst shootout goalie in the history of the NHL, and Niklas Backstrom makes a great save to stay alive. They hold off a surging Avalanche team to get to overtime. The OT was back and forth, the Wild get 2 glorious chances to end it but Avalanche G Jose Theodore stops Brent Burns and the Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra. Then Wild killer Joe Sakic scores the game winner, Avs win 3-2. Pretty much how you would script this game.

Now I gotta go to work all early and bummed tomorrow.

Jots

• Wild were 1 for 5 on the powerplay with the one goal in the 3rd that tied it up. Connecting early on one of those PP opportunities would have jacked up the crowd and could have meant something different in the outcome. Conversely, Colorado was 1 for 1.
• The Wild were terrible in the 2nd. The defensemen were trying to swipe the puck away from the Avs instead of taking the body, like they did in the 1st.
• Sticking with the D, they're going to have to tighten up. Replacing Nick Schultz with Pterri Nummelin is obviously not a good situation, and it showed a bit tonite. On the 1st Avalanche goal, Kurt Sauer beat Keith Carney to get in front of the net and took a pass from Joe Sakic for the lead. It was bang bang, and if Carney can stay in front of him it doesn't happen.
• Mark Parrish left the game with a head injury in the 2nd period. He went hard into the boards at the Wild bench and play was stopped for several minutes while he was helped off the ice. He just gets back into the lineup and goes out with an injury. Tough break for the hometown boy.
• I liked the resiliency of both teams tonite. The Wild for tying it in the 3rd, and the Avs for coming out strong after that tying goal. They carried the momentum for most of the way after that, and unfortunately the Wild could not counter.
• Niklas Backstrom played a real good game tonite. He kept the Wild in it, especially on the penalty shot against Ryan Smyth, who really needs a haircut.
• The Wild seemed to go into home-run pass mode in the OT. Their two big chances came that way, but they weren't able to sustain any pressure down low. That translated into finally breaking in and allowing the game-winner.
• Brian Rolston still on the playoff hot seat.
• It was painful watching the highlight of Sakic's goal on Versus. It was in HD so it looked real good, while the actual game at my house was in ug-o-vision on KSTC 45. Friday's game is scheduled for FSN-HD.

The Fight to Bring the Cup to St. Paul
Wild are now down 1 games to 0 in this best of 7. Best-case scenario - Wild win the next 3 to make game 5 to win the series. That's best-case because I have tix to game 5.

Next on the Docket - Avalanche @ Wild - Fri 4-11-08
Gotta do this all over again Friday. I thought losing game 1 was worst-case scenario for the Wild. They fought so hard to win the division, and now it doesn't matter because now Colorado has home-ice advantage. They HAVE to come out strong for all 3 periods and win Friday. They need to get more chances in front of the net. The team seemed pretty upbeat and encouraged that they played a solid game, and there's some truth to that as they very well could have won the game had the puck bounced a different way. I think they win Friday. Wild 3 Avs 1

Game of the Week on NBC - Rangers v. Penguins
I like the GOTW on NBC cause it's a nice early start and it's almost always an east coast matchup, usually the Pens, so if I miss it it's not a big deal, but if I can watch, it doesn't interfere with anything esle. Wasn't really watching this game, but it was on in the background while I was putting primer on the trim in the nursery. Not too much vested interest in who won, but if I were to root for one of them it would be the Pens, and they won 3-1. Most important thing is that more progress was made on the nursery...actual paint next weekend!

NCAA Regional Final #1 - Boston College v. Miami Ohio
Saw the OT in this game. BC won to deny Miami their first trip to the Frozen Four. Again, didn't really care who won.

NCAA Regional Final #2 - Wisconsin v. North Dakota
Not a fan of either of these teams, however, my wife and mother in law are HUGE UND fans, so I become a Sioux fan when the UMD Bulldogs finish the year, and that's usually as soon as the playoffs start. Bucky Badger shouldn't even have made the tournament with a sub-500 record, and this game was played in Madison so it was a home game for them. Made me really want UND to win. Bucky carried the play through the 1st and 2nd periods, but Nodak woke up and scored 2 quick goals in the 3rd and won it in OT. The Sioux go to the Frozen Four for the 3rd straight year, and 15th overall. The Frozen Four is now set: North Dakota v. Boston College and Notre Dame v. Michigan. Games are Thursday April 10th from Denver on ESPN2.

Avs v. Wild
This was the main event. Another big NW division game, and this on in HD. The Wild knew they had clinched a playoff spot before this game even started, because Nashville lost to Detroit in OT, so there is no way the Wild could finish any worse than 8th in the Western Conference.

The Wild came out fast in the 1st and carried play. Brian Rolston (his 30th) and Marian Gaborik scored to take a 2-0 lead to intermission. But, as a team who is fighting to stay in the playoffs is want to do, the Avs fought back and tied it in the 2nd. It was a reversal of the 1st. Colorado dominated the 2nd. The 3rd was pretty even. The Wild hit a couple posts, Backstrom made a couple good saves, and we go to OT.

Pretty good OT period. Colorado really needed the extra point, but the Wild denied them. Gabby and Pavol Demitra broke out on a 2 on 1 with just under 2 minutes remaining. Gabby dished to Demo, Demo corralled a bouncing puck, then sent it back to Gabby for the tip in. Crowd bananas. Gabby, 40th goal and 80th point. Sit it down Jeff Finger. The Wild get the extra point that will be huge in the quest for the NW division title.

Calgary @ Vancouver
Watched this game on NHL Network. The perfect finish to this day is Vancouver winning in regulation, 6-2. Keenan pulled Kipprosoff in the 2nd after the 4th goal. The Canucks really showed up for this one; I thought they were done after Friday's game at the X. The win also puts them back ahead of Nashville for that last playoff spot. Oh, and Jerome Iginla got into it with Matt Cooke's prodigy Alex Burrows.

Braves @ Nationals
Not hockey, but the Nat's new stadium looks pretty sweet. Only 2 more years left at Metrodome!

Jots

• Liked Eric Belanger's game tonite
• Backstrom was solid positionally
• Good to see Gabby get 2 tonite after getting alot of chances Friday without scoring...40 goals for the kid
• A quick check of Wild.com revealed 2 things: Playoff tickets go on sale Saturday morning and they're going with the same playoff slogan as last year, "Fight to the End." Hopefully this year's end isn't as quick as last year.

Avalanche @ Wild - 3-17-08 - View from the Recliner
The Wild returned to the type of hockey that has made them successful throughout their history tonite, coming out on top of a defensive, intense hockey game, 3-1. Brent Burns had a goal and an assist and Branco Radevioivic had the game winner on a deflection in the 2nd period.

The Wild gritted out tonight's win. They got good goaltending when they needed it from Niklas Backstrom and continually drove to the net to keep the pressure on Colorado. This is how they will need to play down the stretch to finish strong and make the playoffs.

The team appeared to be very focused tonite. They didn't get too up when they scored or too down when Colorado tied it. Burnsie beat up on Peter Forsberg. They just seemed to have an intensity tonite that they haven't had in a long time. With 9 games left, here's hopin' it stays.

BTW, the game looked awesome on VS. tonite.

Fight to Hang the 1st Banner
With the win, the Wild are alone on top of the NW by 2 points over Colorado and Calgary. Wild have 9 games left, Colorado 8, and Calgary 10. The key down the stretch is going to be to stay on an even keel; not get too high with each win and not get too low with each loss, as they will be playing all NW division opponents after Wednesday's game v. San Jose. The winner probably won't be decided until the final game. The team and we as fans can now settle back and watch it unfold, instead of worrying about the trend the team is on. (Easy to say now that they've won a couple games...)

Next on the Docket - Wild @ Sharks - Wed 3-19-08
The Wild embark on a huge 4-game road trip Wednesday at San Jose. Keep up the intensity and things should look good coming home for the final stretch. I expect the Wild to keep the scoring low. Wild 2 San Jose 1

• Another goal against with #41 on the ice...(this was a request from JB)
• Brian Rolston scored again - I am so a motivator!
• Jordan Leopold actually plays hockey!