Minnesota Wild (20-13-5) 45pts 4th in the Central
2.16 Goals For (29th)
2.32 Goals Against (8th)
19.7% Power Play (9th)
78.0% Penalty Kill (26th)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #11 Zach Parise ~ 15G 12A = 27pts
2. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 7G 20A = 27pts
3. #29 Jason Pominville ~ 17G 8A = 25pts
4. #20 Ryan Suter ~ 0G 21A = 21pts
5. #22 Nino Niederreiter ~ 6G 11A = 17pts
Top 3 PIM's:
1. #28 Zenon Konopka ~ 55 PIM's
2. #4 Clayton Stoner ~ 35 PIM's
3. #2 Keith Ballard ~ 29 PIM's
Top Goaltenders:
1. #37 Josh Harding (18-5-3) 1.51GAA .939%SP 3SO
2. #32 Niklas Backstrom (2-7-2) 3.19GAA .895%SP
Vs.
Philadelphia Flyers (16-16-4) 36pts 4th in the Metropolitan
2.44 Goals For (22nd)
2.78 Goals Against (17th)
16.7% Power Play (18th)
82.9% Penalty Kill (14th)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #28 Claude Giroux ~ 9G 22A = 31pts
2. #93 Jakub Voracek ~ 9G 14A = 23pts
3. #17 Wayne Simmonds ~ 8G 11A = 19pts
4. #10 Brayden Schenn ~ 7G 12A = 19pts
5. #24 Matt Read ~ 10G 8A = 18pts
Top 3 PIM's:
1. #36 Zac Rinaldo ~ 90 PIM's
2. #17 Wayne Simmonds ~ 63 PIM's
3. #37 Jay Rosehill ~ 59 PIM's
Top Goaltenders:
1. #30 Steve Mason (13-9-4) 2.40GAA .922%SP 1SO
2. #33 Ray Emery (3-7-0) 3.23GAA .885%SP 1SO
One of the greatest lesson I (and many of us) learned as a kid, was to be careful what you wish for. As adults, we're told that the grass is always greener elsewhere. While we continue to hear these cliches throughout our lives, they are there to remind us that we need to take the life we have and make the best of it. It's never going to be smooth sailing, but life is what you make of it. If you're bound and determined to be a victim of your circumstances, then you're probably going to live a miserable life, and probably make the people around you miserable as well. The feel good stories we see in the news, especially during this time of the year, are the ones where the person (or people) was dealt a life-altering event, but manages to rise above it. In my day job in customer service, I could easily be the grumpy representative on the phone (and trust me, some of my customers can be really challenging). However, my mother taught me that it's much easier to be nice to others, and it really is. So those life lessons we're given truly are words to live by.
During last night's abysmal showing in New York, we were reminded of many lessons. Last night's lesson of choice was to be careful what you wish for. One of my favorite Wild fans brought up the fabled 2002-03 Minnesota Wild team led by the incomparable Jacques Lemaire. He and I both remember the complaints of people in those days, from both opposing fans and a few Wild fans. These fans would complain about how boring the Wild were, even when they were winning all the way to the Western Conference Finals. We heard many claim they'd rather watch a 6-5 Wild loss than a 1-0 Wild win. I said this then and I will continue to say this, I would much rather watch a win. Wins are exciting. Losses are just that, losses. Losses are disappointing. I don't care how many goals the Wild score, only that they score more than their opponent. What's even more ridiculous, is that right now the Wild are losing, and not by any close score. The 4-1 loss in New York and the 5-2 loss in Pittsburgh are even worse. I hate losing. I'll accept the occasional loss, because we can't win all the time, but the occasional loss when you're successful more times than not is what can be called an "acceptable" loss. Those old 1-0 wins back in the days, were smart, hard-fought wins with some luck mixed in. Those were exciting. I was on the edge of my seat wondering and hoping that the Wild would be able to fight off their opponent until the end of the game. I'll take those games any day of the week over a 6-5 loss.
With tonight being the last game before the Christmas break, we here at the State of Hockey News would like to wish you and your families a wonderful Christmas. We have our first family holiday gathering this evening, so we will not have a post-game article, as we will be dining on some fine holiday fare during the game and enjoying the time spent with family. I hope Santa brings you something you really want and need. And if Santa can find a little time to bestow some gifts of offense on the Minnesota Wild, I won't complain.
Merry Christmas all!
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