‘No one’s buttholes got tight’: Middleton on win in Montreal

The Minnesota Wild finally had what felt like a comfortable win last night against the Montreal Canadiens. While other points this season were earned by scrambling around, trying to last until the final whistle or push into an overtime result, it was their second win of the season where everything felt fairly calm.

And maybe everyone even felt a little loose, as defenseman Jake Middleton explained after the win.

“It felt like we had that swagger,” Middleton said when asked if it was tense holding a one-goal lead in the third period. “When I came in here, no one’s buttholes got tight, like, nothing like that in the 25 games I played. It was exactly how it felt again tonight, so it was nice.

“Everyone kept their composure, even if there was a slight breakdown, the other four guys on the ice were there, covering. It is how we feel we should be playing and hopefully we can keep that going. It feels great.”

Yes, that was a bring problem for the Wild so far this season, clenching.

Middleton mentions the 25 games (or so) that he played last year for the Wild, after being traded from the San Jose Sharks, and there was certainly a feeling during that time that Minnesota could take on anyone. During that actual stretch of 21 regular season games he played, the Wild earned a record of 16-2-3, a remarkable feat as the team was hoping to earn their first playoff series win in a very long time. It didn’t end that way, but we know that if this team is feeling good and all cozy, then they can win a lot of hockey games.

While the quote and analogy is hilarious, Middleton does make perfect sense. Maybe the more hockey-friendly euphemism is holding the stick too tight or something of that ilk, but it is the uncomfortable feeling of not trusting your team or knowing that you need to play better so you end up performing tight and rigid.

The 26-year-old blueliner must have been feeling good. Middleton led all Wild skaters with 21:07 TOI, earned an assist, and attempted six shots with four of them forcing Jake Allen to make a save. A pretty damn good performance from the top-pairing defensemen and if he wants to credit loose body parts, then he should feel free to.

As the Wild continue on this road trip, they can use all the comfortable cavities they can afford. While they aren’t facing the top teams in the league — they already did some of that earlier, and lost — they are playing the scrappy Ottawa Senators, a Detroit Red Wings team that wants to prove something, and the Chicago Blackhawks, who seem to have gotten wins over much better teams already this season. While no game is easy, these are certainly in that middle tier of tough.

Just one game at a time, but it certainly feels good to get that confidence back and looseness.