| Record | Pts | Div. Rank | G/G | GA/G | PP% | PK% | |
| Minnesota Wild | (11-9-2) | 24 | 3rd NW | 2.54 () | 2.73 () | 25.0%() |
83.5% () |
| Calgary Flames |
(9-12-2) | 20 | 4th NW | 2.70 () | 2.96 () | 14.1% () | 82.3% () |
| Minnesota Wild | |||
| Top 5 Scorers: | G | A | Pts |
| 1. #24 Martin Havlat | 5 | 17 | 22 |
| 2. #9 Mikko Koivu | 4 | 14 | 18 |
| 3. #7 Matt Cullen | 5 | 12 | 17 |
| 4. #8 Brent Burns | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| 5. #20 Antti Miettinen | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| Top 3 Penalty Minutes: | PIM | ||
| 1. #16 Brad Staubitz | 38 | ||
| 2. #8 Brent Burns | 33 | ||
| 3. #4 Clayton Stoner | 22 | ||
| Goaltenders: | GAA | SV% | |
| 1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (8-7-2) | 2.66 | .916 | |
| 2. #60 Jose Theodore (3-2-0) | 2.66 | .922 | |
| Calgary Flames |
|||
| Top 5 Scorers: | G | A | Pts |
| 1. #40 Alex Tanguay | 6 | 13 | 19 |
| 2. #12 Jarome Iginla | 9 | 9 | 18 |
| 3. #17 Rene Bourque | 11 | 6 | 17 |
| 4. #8 Brendan Morrison | 4 | 11 | 15 |
| 5. #18 Matt Stajan | 1 | 13 | 14 |
| Top 3 Penalty Minutes: | PIM | ||
| 1. #15 Tim Jackman | 45 | ||
| 2. #13 Olli Jokinen | 28 | ||
| 3. #5 Mark Giordano | 28 | ||
| Goaltenders: | GAA | SV% | |
| 1. #34 Miikka Kiprusoff (8-11-1) | 2.75 | .909 | |
| 2. #35 Henrik Karlsson (1-1-1) | 3.16 | .875 | |
It appears that the first round of post-holiday letdown is upon us. I don’t know about you, but I always feel that the holiday weekends always pass too quickly. I suppose part of that is due to the fact that our travels for Thanksgiving involved a four-hour (each way) drive. Then, you often expect the chance to relax, yet find yourself keeping busy with family. While I refuse to take part in Black Friday shopping, I can imagine that many found their long weekend eaten up by venturing into their nearest shopping mall.
Letdown has reared its ugly head for those involved with the Wild. Friday’s game against the Nashville Predators seems to be the bright spot lately. Wild fans went into the Thanksgiving holiday with depressing losses against both the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers. I know I was nervous about Friday’s game, as that Black Friday game hasn’t always been kind to the Wild. Fortunately, they came out to play hockey and played a strong game. However, it appears that the turkey-laden hangover didn’t come until Saturday’s game in Denver.
While the Wild came out strong in the first period, the second period wasn’t so kind. For some reason that defies all logic, the team falls completely apart. It has become so bad lately, that even head coach Todd Richards has started to express his frustration. While he’s still holding to his original agreement to never call out individuals in the media, he has finally laid some of the blame at the feet of some of the team leaders. One thing Richards has begun to wonder about is whether or not to praise the team for a job well done. According to Richards, he praised the team during the first intermission in Denver, when they were winning. Of course we all know what happened after that first intermission. Richards also mentioned that these players are professionals. Perhaps it’s time for some more criticism. It doesn’t have to be public, but perhaps it is time for Richards to take a page from Jacques Lemaire.
With more holidays just around the corner, there is plenty of time for more post-holiday letdown. I’d rather they figure a way to get their heads back into the game. They must figure out a way to put forth a solid sixty minutes of play. Most can forgive a loss when they play a complete game, but we cannot forgive a loss as we saw against the Avalanche.
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