Gamethread: Wild at Hurricanes (4:00 p.m.)

The NHL saw fit to suspend the Panthers Lockwood 3 games for the hit on Fleury. The league won`t protect Brodin, Ek or Kaprizov, but apparently they will protect Fleury. 

The Wild are lucky they got that tip-in, cause that first period was absolute ass.  The Hurricanes are playing the way any team should: Shoot the puck, and force the other team to get around you and fail to get in the zone.

Gus needs to be spotted a keg after this game, given what the Canes are doing.

Wild gave the Jackets a 20-minute power play.  AHL effort.  None of our multi-millionaires can skate the puck in, split or jump around the defense and take an actual shot on goal.  Playing hot potato with the puck is their style.  Boldy needs to get sat for a period -- what a non-entity he's become.  Skates like a 40-year-old.  Kick around the trash can in the room, Hynes.  Bring in more cans to kick around.  

How in the hell are the Wild in the lead?

12 minutes ago, Citizen Strife said:

How in the hell are the Wild in the lead?

KK97

And of coarse Gus too.

Good penalty kills from stupid penalties.  Gus playing a complete game in the usual sense.  But this Wild team needs Gus to skate it out of the zone, into the O zone and get a shot on goal, because no one else can.  Just a shame that Kaprizov has no support, no one to play hockey with.  Shots 30 to 6.  Gus facing firing squad without benefit of blindfold and last cigarette.  No sad padre to offer last rites.  

The corpse stirred a bit and showed some life toward the end.  Maybe this Jekyll and Hyde team will scare somebody in the third.  Columbus must feel like they have to load the Zamboni with Holy Water to score on Gus.  

Is it my imagination or are the 3rd and 4th lines playing less than usual - almost nothing? Canes, we're tanking the best we can. Please do your part.

The good old Ek Flex like he's Paul Bunyan out there!

Ek goal.  Classic spade work in the crease.  Lunch bucket goal by the hardest worker out there.

Late and was listening to the 2nd, but LFGW.

This is no time to try to get KK97 a hatty Marco

...that however, will work!!!

Edited January 22 by UK_Soldier

🧢🧢🧢KK97 - this one was worth watching but I still want my lottery pick

Billy G, this weekend went way better than expected. Don't go do something foolish now!

Wild win it like a Rocky movie.  Saved by the bell in the first.  Rope-a-dope in the second, but landed a couple.  Then came off the ropes and KO'd the bad guy as "Eye of the Tiger" comes up in the background.  

 

Good game, Wild.  Got 4 points from the 3 game road trip.

Now all they need to do is keep up that 1.33 pts/game pace for the rest of the season (36 games / 48 points on top of the 45 they have now), and they might have a shot at the playoffs.