Now And Then Through 30

Now, through 30, we can see enormous differences with last season, and we're going to look at some of them after the jump.

Join me for a blast from the past.

Part 1: Storylines

Bobby Ryan scores with Koivu's stick 12/12/10 (via

Things were really looking bleak, the Wild were in 12th place in the Western Conference, no encouraging signs to get us thinking things were going to get better, Patrick O'Sullivan wasn't panning out as a waiver pickup we hoped would spark the offense, the fans were occupying the X less and less and everyone was already about ready to give that season up and look forward.

Part 2: A few numbers:

This year, from game 21 to game 30, the Wild have an 8-2-0 record, outscoring opponents 32 - 24 in the stretch.

Last season, from game 21 to game 30, the Wild went 3-5-2, getting outscored 36 - 25 in the stretch.

This season, Mikko Koivu is leading the team with 26 points, Kyle Brodziak is leading with 10 goals.

This year, through 30, the Wild have 79 GF, 64 GA (according to Wild.com)

Last season, through 30, they had 73 GF, 83 GA

Wild have a franchise-best 43 points through 30, last season, they had 30 points in 30 games. Hell of a difference now.

Part 3: Coaching

Last season, the fans were starting to doubt coach Todd Richards' ability to have his players play his system, having them play the best they could. The feeling was that he wasn't able to communicate with his players properly. He was quickly losing his team (although later in the season, we would forget those troubles with a very nice stretch of games, until the captain got injured, we'll talk about it more when the time comes). He was giving the fans the impression that he was a decent practice coach, but a poor in-game coach, seemingly incapable of making adjustments when needed. He was afraid to juggle the lines, change his strategy and was inexplicably keeping the goalie in net after he let in 6 or 7 goals. He was losing the fanbase's faith in him.

Speaking of faith, this year, we have the Church of Yeo. At the start of the season, while the Wild still had a modest record, Yeo claimed his system would work after a 30-game process. It's been 30 games, the Wild are 1st in the league and the story of the year so far. When we heard about how Yeo liked to put players in the right situations for them to succeed, well he wasn't kidding. He's playing the right players at the right places and that's so important for them to not feel lost on the ice. He's not putting guys on the 1st line that shouldn't be there unless he really has to. He's found some beautiful line combinations. He's balancing the d-men's ice-time, so they almost all play identical minutes, which means no one is over-utilized or under-utilized, he's trusting everyone and the players are responding beautifully. Rookie-schmookie, this guy knows how to coach a hockey team.

So 43 points, 30 games. Last year, 39 games were needed for 43 points. The Wild aren't even showing signs of slowing down, despite being hit quite heavily by the injury bug lately. Everyone is playing the system exactly the way Yeo intends it to be played. Now that's progress. Progress is the key word of the year right now, if you ask me. However, just like a lot can change in a year, the Wild can't forget that a lot can change in a month, or even a 10-game stretch. They say they're not sitting on their laurels right now, they're not happy with a measly 4 point lead on the league, they're not celebrating yet, and I'm glad to read all of this, because this means they're still motivated, they're still working. They know, I know, we all know the Wild aren't perfect. There's still a lot of work to be done, but this season, the feeling is that they WILL be able to work out the kinks and become even better.

In Fletch we trust, in Yeo we believe. Believe, or be defeated.