One month at a time

Nobody likes where our Minnesota Wild is sitting in the standings, but to further abuse an overused phrase, it is what it is. The unfortunate thing about their position however, is that if it were not for a huge and most likely fatal misstep very early in the season, this team would be sitting pretty nicely in the Western Conference. It was the Wild's #3-#8 games of the season where the teams post-season fate may have been sealed, that 5-game road-trip that ended with Minnesota earning zero points. But since that ill-timed trip, the Wild have steadily improved and have looked like they are a team to be reckoned with.

That opening month is definitely one to forget. The team went 5-9-0 and it will most likely be looked upon as the killer month and the center of the teams downfall. You cannot stress enough how key that early 5-game losing streak is and will eventually become by seasons end. But as the team continued it's journey with a new front office, new head coach, and new system, they have looked better and better and the proof is in the numbers. The month of October produced a total of 10 points for the Wild out of a possible 28, good for a .357 point percentage, which is the stat used by the NHL instead of a traditional winning percentage. The teams record after the first month of play stood at 5-9-0. But enter November and enter better results. Minnesota finished the month 5-3-3, good for 13 points and a .590 points percentage. But the sad fact is that missed opportunities early hurt this team badly...consider that had the Wild gone .500 and earned 5 points on that opening 5-game road-trip, they would be only 1 point out of a playoff spot. But as it sits, Minnesota is tied with the Anaheim Ducks for last in the West with 28 points.

Points are coming

The Wild have earned points in 10 of their last 13 games, dating back to late October when the team grabbed 4 points from Eastern Conference teams in New York (Rangers) and Pittsburgh. And more encouraging is that Minnesota has earned points in four straight games, going 3-0-1 to end the month of November. There is no doubt that this team is playing much better than they did earlier in the season, a fact that is somewhat puzzling because the injury's that they have incurred. But the brand of hockey that Coach Todd Richards has introduced has finally been getting results in the standings.

New guys contributing

One thing I liked about Minnesota's previous coach Jacques Lemaire was that whenever the team added a new player to its roster, that player was immediately put into the fire in every circumstance possible. One does not know if this was done to test the player or to further evaluate the players potential, but either way is was always fun to see. And it seems as if coach Richards subscribes to this idea as well. Both Andrew Ebbett and Guillaume Latendresse have seen quality minutes at even strength but also power-play time as well. Ebbett has logged 1:30 with the man advantage while Latendresse has seen 1:11. Ebbett has even played a total of 3:12 when the team was shorthanded. And both have found newly arrived success with the Wild on the score-sheet. Ebbett has recorded 1 goal in three games with Minnesota, most importantly scoring the shootout winner in the teams 3-2 win over the Avalanche last night. And Latendresse has also found the back of the net in his short tenure with the team, as he has one goal in only two games.

The turning point

The Wild's most recent home-and-home sweep of the Colorado Avalanche may be looked at as the turning point, if there happens to be a happy ending to this regular season. The Wild controlled the majority of the play in both games and came away with 4 points, starting a two game winning streak, equaling the teams longest winning streak of the season. But the key to these two games was the way that the Wild found success and the fact that the success, once found at home, continued on the road the following night. It was hard work, a tenacious forecheck, and timely goals, that lifted Minnesota in both games. And the fact that there was no let-down on Saturday at the Pepsi Center after winning at the Xcel Energy Center on Friday, was most encouraging and shows that this team has really come around.