| Record | Pts | Div. Rank | G/G | GA/G | PP% | PK% | |
| Minnesota Wild | (35-28-7) | 77 | 3rd NW | 2.51 (25) | 2.61 (11) | 19.4% (9) |
83.4% (10) |
| San Jose Sharks |
(40-23-8) | 88 | 1st Pacific | 2.79 (11) | 2.56 (10) | 22.5% (3) | 80.2% (23) |
| Minnesota Wild | |||
| Top 5 Scorers: | G | A | Pts |
| 1. #24 Martin Havlat | 21 | 38 | 59 |
| 2. #9 Mikko Koivu | 16 | 35 | 51 |
| 3. #8 Brent Burns | 16 | 27 | 43 |
| 4. #15 Andrew Brunette | 17 | 22 | 39 |
| 5. #7 Matt Cullen | 12 | 25 | 37 |
| Top 3 Penalty Minutes: | PIM | ||
| 1. #16 Brad Staubitz | 127 | ||
| 2. #8 Brent Burns | 92 | ||
| 3. #4 Clayton Stoner | 66 | ||
| Goaltenders: | GAA | SV% | |
| 1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (21-18-4) | 2.41 | .923 | |
| 2. #60 Jose Theodore (12-9-3) | 2.63 | .919 | |
| San Jose Sharks |
|||
| Top 5 Scorers: | G | A | Pts |
| 1. #19 Joe Thornton | 19 | 40 | 59 |
| 2. #15 Dany Heatley | 24 | 34 | 58 |
| 3. #12 Patrick Marleau | 27 | 29 | 56 |
| 4. #29 Ryane Clowe | 23 | 32 | 55 |
| 5. #8 Joe Pavelski | 14 | 38 | 52 |
| Top 3 Penalty Minutes: | PIM | ||
| 1. #10 Jamal Mayers | 109 | ||
| 2. #84 Ryane Clowe | 84 | ||
| 3. #15 Dany Heatley | 50 | ||
| Goaltenders: | GAA | SV% | |
| 1. #31 Antti Niemi (27-17-5) | 2.46 | .916 | |
| 2. #30 Antero Niitymaki (12-6-3) | 2.57 | .900 | |
| . | |||
All I have to say is “thank goodness.” I am beyond happy that the trip to San Jose marks the end of this beyond abysmal road trip. I had a terrible feeling about this road trip when it started. I’m sad to say that those bad feelings were warranted. But being that I’m a realist that borders on being a pessimist, I knew things were going too well for the Wild. If you still believe that there’s a legitimate chance that the Wild will make the playoffs, I highly suggest you seek professional help.
To add insult to injury, or in the case of the Wild, injury to insult, the Wild will once again be without the services of Guillaume Latendresse. He is back in St. Paul to see his doctor. The good news is that the MRI shows nothing damaged. At this point he’s just sore, and it seems that he simply came back from IR before he was really ready. Of course the other injuries to his teammates probably made him feel he had to come in and help. Not only is he out against the Sharks, it is still up in the air whether or not he’ll be able to play against Columbus or Montreal in St. Paul. Mentally, he may really want to play his former team, but physically it might not be in the cards. And once again, Marek Zidlicky is questionable. If needed, Marco Scandella will take his place, who has been recalled.
It will be nice to have this road trip over and done with. Of course, once it is complete, it simply pushes the team closer to the end of the season. Part of me will be glad to have it over. The horrible start coupled with the continual up and down, has made this a season I look forward to putting behind me. Now, it’s just a matter of “hurry up and wait.”
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