Minnesota Wild vs Columbus Blue Jackets: Game Re-Cap

Please visit The Cannon for the enemy persepctive.

Unreal. To sum it all up in just one word, it would be, unreal.

The Wild came out strong and played 59 minutes of flawless hockey. They controlled play in both ends, dominated the Jackets physically, and frustrated them mentally. Scoring at least on goal in all three periods, and scoring the first goal of the game for the first time in five games, the Wild looked to have the game in the bag.

The Jackets were frustrated mentally the entire game, taking penalties in bad situations and getting a bit chippy toward the end of the game. RJ Umberger was a pretty big tough guy from the bench as Schultz and Nash fought, and Umberger took a really dumb penalty late in the game. Most likely it was just to vent some rage, and it was stupid. Not really dirty by any means, but stupid none the less.

All in all, however, the game was a definite plus for the Wild. Backstrom was solid for 59 1/2 minutes. The team defense was perfect for 59 1/2 minutes. The forecheck was strong the entire game. The offensive side of the puck is definitely not a problem for this team any longer.

Big two points, as the Wild prevent falling further back in the standings, and now sit 6 points out of the final spot. They are going to need to find a way to win, and win a lot to catch up. Here's hoping.

Five Questions:

1. Can the Wild possibly come flying out of the gate? Indeed they did. Solid 59 1/2 minutes.

2. Can Rick Nash be held in check? I would say, yes. A goal, but a weak one. He was frustrated the entire game.
3. 21 hours of hockey on FSN. Any chance of burnout by the end of the day? This is a dumb question, sorry Nathan. No way there is burn out on HOCKEY DAY MINNESOTA!

4. The Wild are 13-3-1 against Columbus at the X. Can they make it 14-3-1? Why yes, yes they can.

5. Will Niklas Backstrom find his game again?  He had it for exactly 59 minutes, 38 seconds. Then it disappeared.

-Buddha