Raise Awareness! Help Find the Wild's Game

Watching this team struggle to put anything together besides a good period or two on the road in Chicago, it seems clear to me this team goes through waves where they are too comfortable in their skin out there, and that transitions into a place where the team is really white knuckling it. They put the pressure on themselves and all semblance of the smart defensive game we saw down the stretch goes out the window. Then in between we find the team that stretches out the opposition, finds the holes in the defense and finds ways to score.

We've seen this team play well when the chips are down and their backs are against the wall. For this to happen the players need to begin trusting each other, they need to be focused and aware, and they need to communicate. This is supposed to be the year it all comes together. Our veteran leadership combined with the youth movement should be hitting their stride now, and for much of the new year, they have been.

Awareness and communication. The Wild are going to need to add these attributes to their game if they want to force this series back to Chicago. They can do it, I have every faith in that. The Wild faithful are hungry for a win. Being that as the case, I would implore any of you glass pounders at tonight's game to feel free to call out to a Wild skater in danger. This team needs to give the masses something to believe in right now, and they may need your help.

We've spotted the Hawks 2 games, now lets turn this thing around before we're discarded like a loaf of moldy bread.