| Record | Pts | Div. Rank | G/G | GA/G | PP% | PK% | |
| Minnesota Wild | (35-30-8) | 78 | 3rd NW | 2.51 (26) | 2.73 (14) | 19.4% (8) |
83.3% (12) |
| Toronto Maple Leafs |
(32-31-10) | 74 | 4th NE | 2.58 (24) | 3.01 (25) | 15.8% (24) | 77.8% (27) |
| Minnesota Wild | |||
| Top 5 Scorers: | G | A | Pts |
| 1. #24 Martin Havlat | 21 | 39 | 60 |
| 2. #9 Mikko Koivu | 17 | 37 | 54 |
| 3. #8 Brent Burns | 16 | 27 | 43 |
| 4. #15 Andrew Brunette | 17 | 22 | 39 |
| 5. #7 Matt Cullen | 12 | 26 | 38 |
| Top 3 Penalty Minutes: | PIM | ||
| 1. #16 Brad Staubitz | 150 | ||
| 2. #8 Brent Burns | 92 | ||
| 3. #4 Clayton Stoner | 75 | ||
| Goaltenders: | GAA | SV% | |
| 1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (21-19-5) | 2.51 | .920 | |
| 2. #60 Jose Theodore (12-10-3) | 2.78 | .915 | |
| Toronto Maple Leafs |
|||
| Top 5 Scorers: | G | A | Pts |
| 1. #81 Phil Kessel | 28 | 26 | 54 |
| 2. #84 Mikhail Grabovski | 27 | 26 | 53 |
| 3. #16 Clarke MacArthur | 20 | 33 | 53 |
| 4. #41 Nikolai Kulemin | 26 | 24 | 50 |
| 5. #42 Tyler Bozak | 12 | 15 | 27 |
| Top 3 Penalty Minutes: | PIM | ||
| 1. #28 Colton Orr | 128 | ||
| 2. #3 Dion Phaneuf | 82 | ||
| 3. #8 Mike Komisarek | 74 | ||
| Goaltenders: | GAA | SV% | |
| 1. #34 James Reimer (15-7-4) | 2.59 | .922 | |
| 2. #35 Jean-Sebastien Giguere (11-11-4) | 2.90 | .898 | |
| 3. #50 Jonas Gustavsson (6-13-2) | 3.29 | .890 | |
When you’re getting ready for dinner tonight, and setting your table, make sure you set out an extra fork. This fork isn’t for dishing up a slice of meat or in the event that someone drops their fork on the floor. It’s simply there for purposes of reminding us that this season is officially over. And for that, I am thankful.
This has been a season of bad habits. Those bad habits run the gamut of poor play and effort to lack of team play to untimely penalties. Those habits have essentially held this team back from what it could have been. However the greatest (and probably most unforgivable) bad habit comes from Wild head coach, Todd Richards. The bad habit he is guilty of, is one of the cardinal sins of coaching. Yesterday, Richards gave the team the day off. This was a day off after suffering the worst and most embarrassing loss in team history. While it’s too late for Richards to hold a dreaded bag skate to inspire them to play better, there is absolutely no excuse for not holding a practice. This has been a season where we have witnessed this coach holding either optional or no practices, and usually after a poor performance. If it had been the Wild that had won 8-1 on Sunday, then having no practice wouldn’t have been so bad. If you or I had completely messed up a project at work, we certainly wouldn’t have been rewarded with a day off. Heck, we’d probably have a permanent day off.
This season has officially come full circle. The season started off poorly, and it’s looking to end poorly. We had that glimmer of hope just after the All-Star break. Then we officially hit our high point on February 22nd, when the team climbed into the fifth spot in the Western Conference. When injuries or illness happened, the team somehow managed to fight through the problems. Yet every team in the NHL has suffered the same problems, however at least sixteen of them have found ways to continue pushing through the difficulties.
The remaining thing that Wild fans have to look forward to happens in late June, the 2011 Entry Draft at Xcel Energy Center. At this point, the Wild have two options. The first is to play spoiler to teams in the playoff picture or those just on the outside looking in. However that option effects draft standing. I don’t think I’ve ever suggested that the Wild “play” for draft positioning. With a team that’s just starting to rebuild its prospect pool and has limited assets and cap space when it comes to trades and free agent acquisitions, it is important to draft well. This will be the first real draft without the influence of Tommy Thompson. It would be nice to get a true gem of a prospect for once. The better the draft position, the better chance the Wild walk away with a good player.
Yes my friends, stick a fork in it. This season is over.
You can follow us on Twitter at @StateofHckyNews where we will have Live in game tweets updating you on the action.
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