Game #60: Minnesota Wild vs Edmonton Oilers, Tuesday February 22, 2011 at 7:00pm CST, Xcel Energy Center [GAME PREVIEW]

  
For a while, Wild fans were pretty sure that the team would stay put when it came to the roster.  Of course, that’s not unusual considering the team.  In the ten year history of the team, there have been few trade deadline trades, let alone any of the blockbuster variety.  Even Minnesota General Manager, Chuck Fletcher has for the most part said that if the team was destined for the playoffs, that he wanted to do it with the team he had.  On Sunday, he said that he was not going to be a seller either, as he wants to protect, and hopefully, develop the talent that the team has.  However, that may change, and all it took was one broken finger.

That broken finger belongs to Wild captain, Mikko Koivu.  While it makes things tougher for the team in this push toward the post-season, there has come some good news.  On Monday, the Wild center had his finger examined by a hand specialist.  The diagnosis is that surgery is not required.  While Koivu doesn’t have to go under the knife, it doesn’t mean he’s going to be in the lineup in the immediate future.  Fletcher is hoping that Koivu will be back in time for the end of the season, which if all goes well from here on out, he’ll be back in time for the playoffs.  With Koivu’s absence right now, there is a possibility of bringing in a player.  However, it will have to be the right player for the right place.  I don’t see Fletcher trading away picks and he’s already said he wants to protect prospects.

With the Wild for the most part heading in the right direction, then there are teams like the Edmonton Oilers.  While the Wild have everything to lose, the Oilers have absolutely nothing to lose.  They can take risks, and as we all know, sometimes risks pay off.  While the Oilers have won 4 of their last 10 games, they haven’t found quite the success their Eastern Conference blue and orange team has had lately.  The lowly New York Islanders are currently playing spoiler. They’re doing a good job of it, and appear to be enjoying themselves.  In fact, the Islanders have had one of the better records since the All-Star break.  The Oilers fans are probably wishing their team was playing as well as the Islanders, but then so do a lot of teams right now.  If the Oilers start playing like the Islanders, they could cause a lot of trouble for their Western Conference brethren. 

This is a dangerous game for the Wild.  There’s nothing worse than playing a team with nothing to lose this close to the playoffs.  It is up to the Minnesota roster to prevent another let down.  However, if they can somehow channel the energy of being able to play for their fallen captain, they just might stand a chance.
  

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