Minnesota Wild Vs. Phoenix Coyotes: Game Recap

For the enemy perspective, please visit Five For Howling

I won't mince words here. Before the game, the Wild and Yotes were both sitting with 59 points, #7 and #8 in the conference respectively, with the Wild two games in hand in regards to the Yotes. Needless to say this was one of the more important games of the season, if not THE most important so far. The Wild needed to come out like they did against the Avs and sustain it for longer than 2 minutes.

You might be telling me '' They've still got 30 games to make it right.'' True, but the Wild just lost an advantage they had over the Yotes, which were the games in hand. They still have 2 games in hand, but are now 2 points behind. Also, it's much better to protect a playoff spot than to chase after one, and we know that full well. The Wild were on a roll, so there is no explanation for this game other than they didn't want it enough, or they were relying too much on a white-hot goaltender. Total lack of Sorry Tom tonight, they better get it together fast, because in this Western Conference, all it takes is a few losses in a row to be on the bottom of a hill that's tough to climb.

Game notes:

- Despite a brilliant 40 save performance by Backstrom in a 1-0 loss in which he absolutely robbed the opposition several times, someone judged it simply wasn't enough to award him one of the three stars of the game. It's quite trivial, but that's just plain stupid.

- I am enraged by the Wild's non-effort tonight

Hockey Wilderness 3 stars:

1) Niklas Backstrom (By far the best player on the ice, 40 saves, 1 GA)

3) Taylor Pyatt (GWG.)

5 questions:

1. "Kalling Kaptain Koivu. Kaptain Koivu, you have a kall on the kourtesy phone." Will he answer it? Hell no. He was invisible all night long. Had one SOG, that came in the third period.

2. Niklas Backstrom back in net, can he shut it down again? He did all that was humanly possible, but no one could've stopped that goal. 40 saves qualifies as heroic.

3. A win could propel the Wild into fourth place, a loss could drop them to 10th. Where will they sit at the end of the game? I don't quite know where they sit after the game, but they sure as hell sat DURING the game. Disgusting.

5. Does BizNasty get in the game, and is he actually part of the game? Didn't notice him much, but he did get in a few faces.