Game #17: Minnesota Wild at Anaheim Ducks, Sunday November 13, 2011 at 7:00pm (CST), Honda Center [GAME PREVIEW]

Eight.  That was the number of penalties, including another major penalty the Wild took against Los Angeles last night.  Seriously, you cannot expect to win on a consistent basis if you continue to tally that many penalties every game.  All you will do is where yourselves out, and put yourself at an even greater risk of being behind.  As bad as Saturday’s game was, Minnesota was very lucky that they only gave up one power play goal.  However, perhaps what Minnesota needed was to get scored on each and every time they were on the penalty kill. Maybe just maybe, that would teach them a lesson.

The penalties themselves were simply a reflection of the team as a whole.  They came out flat and sluggish.  When you come out that way, you make lazy plays and take lazy penalties.  Not one penalty last night could be classified as what is deemed a “good” penalty.  Feet were not moving, there was no emotion, and even worse, it looked like not one person really cared.  The one bit of emotion we did see was from Josh Harding as he pitched his fit heading down the tunnel when he was pulled after the fourth Los Angeles goal.

At the very least, we once again have a coach that is willing to put the players’ feet to the fire.  After having Todd Richards who rarely said anything and rarely (if ever) called out the team in the press like his predecessor Jacques Lemaire did, it is nice to see Mike Yeo hold people accountable.  Yeo’s best line after last night’s loss, really says it best:  They should be embarrassed.  I’m embarrassed.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  If you or I performed in our jobs like the Wild played in theirs, we’d either be on a tenuous at best probation or we would be fired.  The best way I can compare it is this.  In my “day job” I am a customer sales/service associate for a catalog company.  People call me to order shirts, sweaters, sheets, etc.  Let’s say you called to order a pair of men’s dress slacks and a button-down shirt and instead I set up your order for a dog leash and a pair of little girls shoes, I’d be one of the millions in this country currently without employment.  I am easily replaceable at my job.  It’s too bad that the men wearing Wild jerseys don’t feel that they’re easily replaceable as well.

Tonight, Minnesota has another chance to redeem itself on this roadtrip.  I don’t know why, but I’m not holding my breath.  In a way, I’m glad I’m working tonight so I won’t have to be subjected to possibly another disappointment.  Last night, I went to sleep after goal number five.  I missed the two Wild goals, and let’s just say I’m not heartbroken over it.  Those two goals were akin to putting adhesive bandages on a crack on a crumbling Mississippi River levee.  Let’s just hope that I”m wrong with those sentiments.

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