| Record | Pts | Div. Rank | G/G | GA/G | PP% | PK% | |
| Minnesota Wild | (25-19-5) | 55 | 3rd NW | 2.65 (19) | 2.65 (11) | 21.1% (6) |
82.3% (15) |
| Los Angeles Kings |
(27-22-1) | 55 | 5th Pacific | 2.76 (13) | 2.48 (8) | 16.8% (20) | 82.7% (12) |
| Minnesota Wild | |||
| Top 5 Scorers: | G | A | Pts |
| 1. #24 Martin Havlet | 14 | 30 | 44 |
| 2. #9 Mikko Koivu | 14 | 29 | 43 |
| 3. #8 Brent Burns | 14 | 17 | 31 |
| 4. #7 Matt Cullen | 10 | 21 | 31 |
| 5. #15 Andrew Brunette | 12 | 16 | 28 |
| Top 3 Penalty Minutes: | PIM | ||
| 1. #16 Brad Staubitz | 87 | ||
| 2. #8 Brent Burns | 62 | ||
| 3. #4 Clayton Stoner | 32 | ||
| Goaltenders: | GAA | SV% | |
| 1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (15-11-3) | 2.52 | .922 | |
| 2. #60 Jose Theodore (8-7-2) | 2.66 | .913 | |
| 3. #35Anton Khudobin (2-1-0) | 1.59 | .942 | |
Los Angeles Kings |
|||
| Top 5 Scorers: | G | A | Pts |
| 1. #11 Anze Kopitar | 16 | 33 | 49 |
| 2. #14 Justin Williams | 18 | 21 | 39 |
| 3. #23 Dustin Brown | 17 | 20 | 37 |
| 4. #94 Ryan Smyth | 19 | 14 | 33 |
| 5. #3 Jack Johnson | 4 | 29 | 33 |
| Top 3 Penalty Minutes: | PIM | ||
| 1. #13 Kyle Clifford | 81 | ||
| 2. #19 Kevin Westgarth | 59 | ||
| 3. #17 Wayne Simmonds | 58 | ||
| Goaltenders: | GAA | SV% | |
| 1. #32 Jonathan Quick (22-14-1) | 2.15 | .920 | |
| 2. #45 Johnathan Bernier (5-8-0) | 3.08 | .893 | |
Welcome back from the All-Star break. It’s a weird time. We all went on this mini-break, and are now back. With no games on Monday, it’s truly hard to find much that is hockey related to talk about. However, we all know it’s been a much shorter break compared the the once-every-four-years Olympic break. Yet, it’s enough of a hiccup to make a person feel out of sorts.
For the Wild, they have a long-standing tradition of performing poorly after any sort of extended break. As fans, we’ve all seen a team playing well going into the break, and expect them to come back well rested, and to pick up where they left off. However, time after time after time, they’ve come back from said break and have fallen apart. Rarely can a team afford a streak of poor performance. Now is one of those moments in a team’s season where losses are more than being simply unfortunate. Looking at the standings, I know that for once I would greatly appreciate a streak of success after a break.
Now that the All-Star Break is behind us, the next chapter in the NHL season will soon be upon us. This particular chapter creates a rash swirl of rumors and anticipation. The chapter in question is that of the trade deadline. The Wild aren’t known for being big buyers, or even sellers for that matter, at this annual cattle auction. Minnesota has a full slate this month. Depending on how things go this month should determine the course the Wild’s General Manager, Chuck Fletcher approaches the frenzy surrounding the trade deadline. And as we all know what happens at the trade deadline and how the season ends, often affects what happens when Free Agency opens up in July.
So yes, we are entering the final push. Or as that great song by Europe, “The Final Countdown.”
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