| Record | Pts | Div. Rank | G/G | GA/G | PP% | PK% | |
| Minnesota Wild | (35-31-6) | 76 | 4th NW | 2.69 (15) | 2.85 (20) | 18.7%(12) | 82.0% (16) |
| San Jose Sharks |
(43-19-10) | 96 | 2nd Pac | 3.14 (4) | 2.58 (9) | 21.8% (4) | 85.3% (4) |
| Minnesota Wild | |||
| Top 5 Scorers: | G | A | Pts |
| 1. #9 Mikko Koivu | 20 | 46 | 66 |
| 2. #15 Andrew Brunette | 21 | 33 | 54 |
| 3. #14 Martin Havlat | 16 | 33 | 49 |
| 4. #3 Marek Zidlicky | 5 | 34 | 39 |
| 5. #20 Antti Miettinen | 18 | 19 | 37 |
| Top 3 Penalty Minutes: | PIM | ||
| 1. #24 Derek Boogaard | 95 | ||
| 2. #34 Shane Hnidy | 66 | ||
| 3. #36 John Scott | 65 | ||
| Goaltenders: | GAA | SV% | |
| 1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (24-19-6) | 2.65 | .904 | |
| 2. #37 Josh Harding (9-11-0) | 2.95 | .906 | |
| San Jose Sharks |
|||
| Top 5 Scorers: | G | A | Pts |
| 1. #19 Joe Thornton | 18 | 65 | 83 |
| 2. #12 Patrick Marleau | 41 | 33 | 74 |
| 3. #15 Dany Heatley | 37 | 37 | 74 |
| 4. #22 Dan Boyle | 13 | 37 | 50 |
| 5. #29 Ryan Clowe | 18 | 30 | 48 |
| Top 3 Penalty Minutes: | PIM | ||
| 1. #29 Ryan Clowe | 110 | ||
| 2. #59 Brad Staubitz | 99 | ||
| 3. #21 Scott Nichol | 66 | ||
| Goaltenders: | GAA | SV% | |
| 1. #20 Evgeni Nabokov (37-15-9) | 2.45 | .921 | |
| 3. #1 Thomas Greiss (6-4-1) | 2.74 | .908 |
While the Wild and its management aren’t about to give up on their extremely slim playoff chances, many fans are starting to look ahead. With the looks we’ve had of players in Houston, trades, and free agent signings of college players fans have something to be excited about again. Yes, Minnesota’s playoff hopes are essentially nonexistent, but at the very least our future is getting a bit brighter. Considering what former General Manager Doug Risebrough did to the Wild’s prospect pool, getting back some mere glimmers of hope can only be classified as positive steps.
It’s those positive steps one must continually think of, especially considering the remaining schedule. Of the ten remaining games, eight of them are against opponents that are either in the playoffs or potential contenders. Two of those eight games are against teams fighting for their very post-season lives, Detroit and Calgary. The Wild have also dealt with many back-to-back game situations during the month of March, and all of them on the road (due to the State Hockey Tournament and the WCHA Final Five). The last back-to-back this month is a road trip to Philadelphia and Detroit. At the very least, we can be thankful that there’s not a considerable time zone change. Of course, next month, there’s that “lovely” Vancouver and Edmonton swing.
Tonight will most likely not be a pretty game. When this season started, I doubt anyone expected any other team besides San Jose or Chicago to hold the first place spot in the Western Conference. Then, if someone told you that it would be the Phoenix Coyotes would be battling for that top spot, you’d tell them to seek professional help. Crazy as it all seems, that is the current scenario in the Western Conference. Right now, Chicago and Phoenix are tied with 97 points, it is the fact that Chicago has done so in fewer games that has them on top. The Sharks are in fourth place just one point back. Because of the two points San Jose desperately need. However, no matter what San Jose still won’t come out in the lead as Phoenix is playing in Chicago tonight. For San Jose, at best they’ll finish the evening back in second place as opposed to fourth.
I’m forcing myself to enjoy the rest of this season. Sure, no one likes losing. But these glimpses of the future, are some of the best things that have happened to this team in a while. For once, these losses might be a little bit easier to swallow.
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