Minnesota Wild vs San Jose Sharks: Game Re-Cap

I had a bad feeling about tonight, I'm not going to lie. After scheduling the game thread three times, it failed to publish before the game started. Couple that with an election night game that I figured would have me distracted all night, and it was shaping up to be a bad evening.

The Wild had other plans.

Despite the fact that the Wild won the game (which they did), and the fact that Minnesotans appreciate a solid defensive effort (they do), this game was painful to watch. The Wild were out shot 36-16, and the Sharks truly controlled the play of the game. If not for the most impressive effort I have ever seen from Backstrom, and a multitude of blocked shots, the Wild easily could have lost this one.

Niklas Backstrom gets the win, the shutout, and Andrew Brunette should petition to give Backs the game winning goal as well. Without him, this game is easily 6-1.

The Wild now have a couple days off, and play nemesis Calgary on Friday. It's OK to breathe now, Wild fans. It really did end 1-0.

Game Notes (Courtesy Wild PR):

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars:

1. Niklas Backstrom (36 saves, shutout)

2. Niklas Backstrom

3. Niklas Backstrom

Five Questions:

Can the Wild keep the top line for the Sharks off the score sheet? Completely. Ver solid defensive effort.
Will @ClutterStache register more hits than Cal Clutteruck? Clutterstache is phenomenon, and if Clutter isn't careful, it will take over the world.
Can Backstrom continue his phenomenal start? Uh. Yeah.
Will Marty Havlat finally score a goal? Not tonight. Pretty nice assist, though.
Who will make "Murderer" jokes at Heatley's expense, with Nathan laid up with the flu?  I made one. That has to count for something.