Good Hockey Notes...

Now the fans have finally started to see some good hockey again. Eleven goals in the past two games is certainly something to get excited about, and we're all hoping that there is more to come. More impressive to me is the fact that 10 of those goals came at even-strength, a glaring weakness that has plagued the Wild all season. A few areas of the game have kept the Wild afloat so far this season, and scoring 5 on 5 has not been one of them.

The defensive play has been aggressive as always and near the top of the league. As a team, the Minnesota is the second best defensive team, allowing only 2.26 goals/game, for a total of 97. In nets, Backstrom has been superb and his numbers certainly back that up. He currently has a 2.16 GAA, a .927 SV%, 21 wins, and finally 5 shutouts...all good enough to be in the top 5 in the NHL.

Seems to me that part of Coach Lemaire's rigid plan year after year focuses on the special teams play. This years team has followed suit and has been very good on the power-play as well as short-handed. The team has had it's power-play droughts, but overall the team has been successful. With the man-advantage, the Wild are in the top third of the league with a 20.9 PP%. With a man down, the team leads the league with a 88.1 kill rate.

Keep that even-strength scoring up and this team will be making some more noise in the Northwest Division. And just so you know, this latest goal outburst has vaulted the team to 23rd in the league, averaging 2.51 goals/game.

One thing about the Weller v Souray fight that caught my eye, other than the beating Weller took, was the fact that Moreau definitely dropped his gloves to fight Weller. The funny thing about the play was that Weller and Souray dropped gloves at the same time, right off the face-off. But Moreau, who was closer to Weller, in turn dropped his after seeing Weller drop, not knowing Souray had already dropped. So my thought is, even though Moreau did not throw punches, he should have been assessed a minor for dropping his gloves...

Bouchard and Clutterbuck were the stars last night. 'Butch' had been in a slump for much of the season, but has quietly been putting up some numbers as of late, netting 7 points in his last 8 games. And last night was the first night that I can remember him really taking control while he was on the ice. And what else can you say about Clutterbuck, other than he is a spark plug for this team. His level of energy seems to give the team a much needed boost at times.

Koivu comes up with some great moves doesn't he? A 1-on-2 was quickly turned into a 2-on-0 when he simply made a move to the inside, blowing around both D, and Burns slipped in around the other side. It was simply a great move by Mikko...and more evidence that he is truly a top player in this league and should have been included in the All-Star game...

Forgot to address

Souhan of the StarTribune, Wins can't mask what's needed: re-signing Gaby, was right on the money. I wrote this earlier, but I think it would be absolutely crazy to let him go without at least trying to get him signed, preferably to a short-term deal. The alternative is to let the teams only true elite player go for nothing...and that to me would be totally unacceptable.