By Nathan Eide -
Sure, the Wild outshot the Ducks tonight, but it really didn't matter. The Ducks took advantage of their opportunities and scored. The Wild didn't have nearly the number of quality chances that Anaheim created, and couldn't capitalize when they did.
The Wild power play was a mess. Sure, they scored twice, but it didn't matter. They kept getting stood up at the blue line, then passively tried to take the zone, but kept being forced to regroup in their own end. The fact that they scored twice will mask the fact that the power play was not good tonight.
Honestly, tonight the Wild were just out of sync. Nothing seemed to flow. It's not like they were really making horrible decisions or playing badly, but they were uninspired and had no consistent effort. It wasn't a Sorry Tom kind of game in St. Paul.
Oh, and the announced crowd was only 15,723, but I'd be shocked if there were 12,000 in attendance.
Bryan's Take: So... contribute to the gamer, huh? Well, let's see... there was the um... and then the... and then it was pretty cool when... well... the derp derp song was fun.
This is a game to forget. The Wild played unwell in every aspect of the game. The hitting was soft by anyone not named Brett Bulmer or Cal Clutterbuck, the passing was not sharp at all, the fore check was nearly non existent (due mostly to a complete unwillingness to throw a hit), and the penalty kill was more passive than a Norwegian birthday party. By the end of the game the fancy new lines were scrapped, Clayton Stoner was hurt, the D-pairings were jacked up, and all seventeen fans at the X left disappointed. I would chastise the fans for not being here, but the people who weren't here were probably the smart ones tonight.
There were a few glimmers of hope, with two power play goals, but beyond that, it was pretty ugly tonight. I'm sure someone out there in the Wilderness will tell me I am being pessimistic, but I really don't know what to tell you for a positive note. I really don't. If you have one, please share it.
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