Minnesota Wild (1-2-1) 4pts 5th in the Central
2.25 Goals For (22nd)
2.50 Goals Against (14th)
26.3% Power Play (7th)
66.7% Penalty Kill (27th)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #11 Zach Parise ~ 3G 0A = 3pts
2. #25 Jonas Brodin ~ 2G 1A = 3pts
3. #24 Matt Cooke ~ 2G 1A = 3pts
4. #64 Mikael Granlund ~ 0G 3A = 3pts
5. #20 Ryan Suter ~ 0G 2A = 2pts
Top 3 PIM's:
1. #28 Zenon Konopka ~ 17 PIM's
2. #2 Keith Ballard ~ 7 PIM's
3. #4 Clayton Stoner ~ 6 PIM's
Top Goaltenders:
1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (0-0-2) 3.40GAA .849%SP
2. #37 Josh Harding (1-1-0) 1.11GAA .943%SP
Vs.
Dallas Stars (2-1-0) 4pts 4th in the Central
2.67 Goals For (18th)
2.00 Goals Against (5th)
20.0% Power Play (16th)
84.6% Penalty Kill (10th)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #91 Tyler Seguin ~ 2G 3A = 5pts
2. #12 Alex Chiasson ~ 3G 1A = 4pts
3. #14 Jamie Benn ~ 1G 3A = 4pts
4. #4 Brendan Dillon ~ 1G 2A = 3pts
5. #72 Erik Cole ~ 1G 0A = 1pt
Top 3 PIM's:
1. #21 Antoine Roussel ~ 17 PIM's
2. #16 Ryan Garbutt ~ 15 PIM's
3. #72 Erik Cole ~ 4 PIM's
Top Goaltender:
1. #32 Kari Lehtonen (2-1-0) 1.57GAA .953%SP
2. # Dan Ellis (0-0-0) 2.40GAA .957%SP
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Whew.
I think Wild fans, and especially head coach Mike Yeo, breathed a hugh sigh of relief after Thursday night's win against the Winnipeg Jets. With all the talk by the local broadcasters about how the Wild have been "dominating" our opposition in everything but the win column, you had to believe that eventually the L or OTL would turn into a W. Sure that win felt good, but Minnesota is far from being out of the woods just yet. And tonight is not going to get much easier.
One thing is interesting to note in Dallas, is they are finally going the way of the youth movement. For many years, the Stars have been an older squad. It's refreshing to see new faces in Dallas. I find watching young players duke it out on the ice often far more enjoyable than watching a team of All-Stars and future Hall of Famers play. To me, watching a bunch of rookies play is almost a purer form, hearkening back to when kids play pickup games on a frozen pond or a homemade rink that some dad made in the backyard. But going with a roster of young players is not without its growing pains. Teams of young players often become cannon fodder for those star laden teams. And while you're developing those young players, you can only hope you can keep them without losing them to free agency. It can be a long, emotional process, but in the longrun when it works out, it's a beautiful thing to watch.
Minnesota is clearly going through some of their own growing pains. It seems it's going to take a while for this roster to find its identity. In some ways, we should be glad the season is 82 games long and not 15 games. If it was hyst a few games long like the National Football League, I would be very concerned with the Wild's current record. Thankfully, the few games they've played do not make the season. However the drawback with an 82 game season, is that if you have enough games like what we've already experienced, the season becomes long for fans and players alike. But thankfully the season is far from over, and as one of the great classical music referenced sayings goes, it's not over until the fat lady sings.
And with that reference, I would like to take this time to honor the memory of my favorite college professor, and in fact all around teacher. Yesterday, myself and my fellow alums received word that Dr. Alice Hanson, a music history professor at St, Olaf College had passed away. She was truly a person I am honored to have known and studied with. Her lectures, especially those about Beethoven and opera, could only be described as epic. Her love of education and music were always evident, and she combined them with a dry wit. She was a drill sergeant of a professor, and we became better musicians and better people because of the ethics she instilled within each of us. Even better, she gave us the leeway in that we didn't have to like all forms of music, we just had to appreciate their place within the musical spectrum. But I am truly most thankful for her giving me the skills and knowledge to finally be able to love opera. So thank you Dr. Hanson. You will be missed dearly.
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