Minnesota Wild win battle for first place

The Wild have dynamic scorers in Marian Gaborik, Pavol Demitra and Brian Rolston, yet it seemed entirely appropriate that Minnesota's biggest game of the season was won on goals from guys who make their living ...

[Kabby]

The upcoming road trip will define their season. Go Wild!

[Justin]

I think the thing people underappreciate about Burns is that he has a pretty wicked wrister as well. He gets credit for having developed his slap shot this year, but his wrister actually has a lot of power as well. And it's dangerous, even when he takes most of his shots from 40 feet or more.

Rolston made an excellent play to get one of the Avs' penalty killers to go down and slide to the board, thus enabling him to make a good pass to Burnsie.

I think this was also one of Backstrom's best games in a while, and it was key to preserving the lead because unfortunatly aside from a slam dunk chance on which Theodore made a brilliant diving save the Wild generated little offense in the 3rd (7 shots if I remember correctly). They weren't helped by Referee McGoof-up calling marginal penalties and buying into master-flopper Forsberg's antics. Still can't believe the penalty against Bouchard.

But it's positive to see the team play hard against a really good opponent. Hopefully this will carry through the road trip.

[John M]

The wild need to get a hossa or sudin at the tradeline but instead they got a simon that doesn't even play. This is going to be another wasted oppertunity in the playoffs. Another thing someone explain to me why Rolston is one of the three shooters in the shootout?!? We and they know 1 he will do a slapshot from 20 feet out and two miss the entire net by five feet? You're telling me Gaborik or Kouiv or anyone else doesn't have a better a chance of hitting the net then this guy? Serious Jac get your head out of your butt.

[Joe]

Good post by Justin. Demitra and Parrish both really need to show uw on this road trip and into the playoffs. Our defense is so solid, but we need timely scoring and Gaborik, Rolston, Bouchard can't be counted on for all of it.. Great last game for Branko, Koivu, Veilluix

[Al Choholic]

I agree with John M on the Rolston shootout deal. If your going to use him, use him FIRST, not last. Koivu needs to be on the shoot out every time along with Butch and Nummi when he gets healthy. Nice job last night guys... keep it up Backs!!! That was the best game you've had all year. Then defense really was trying to help him out as much as possible last night and that makes a huge difference in his confidence.

[Justin]

Considering what the picks and players the Pens gave up to get Hossa, I'm glad the Wild stayed out of that. To make that deal with the wild it probably would've cost us something like Rolston and Koivu plus two first rounders, or some similar combination. Think about that before you judge the Wild too harshly at the deadline (though I'm not a huge fan of the Dougie-R regime, I'm willing to cut him some slack here).

That would've been too expensive for a rent-a-player that we would have trouble resigning (Hossa makes more than Gaborik so to keep them both would hamper the Wild's abilty sign other role players to fill the void of whatever we had to trade). The Pens had enough talent to acquire him without giving up their core (Crosby and Malkin, among others) which is how they won the so-called Hossa sweepstakes.

Sundin didn't wave his no-trade in Toronto so that's kind of a moot point.

I know there's frustration that there wasn't more done at the deadline, but the Wild's needs just weren't out there. And frankly this was a thin year for top talent at the deadline which is why Hossa got bid up so high.

And I don't mind the Simon acquisition simply because it's pretty low-risk. He makes next to nothing and we only had to give up a 6th rounder, yet there's the upside that he might inspire some grit that was clearly missing in last years playoffs.