Confidence & Wins

I am not sure if confidence breeds wins or if winning produces confidence, but it appears that our Minnesota Wild have been playing and having results with both. The team is currently on a 3-game winning streak, disposing of the Oilers (3-1), Blues ( 4-3), and most recently on the road against the Kings (4-3) and are playing with confidence. The phrase was uttered by Coach Richards after they held off an onslaught brought on by Los Angeles late Monday night, and it has been ringing true as of late...good teams find a way to win. And that is exactly what the Wild have been doing for much of the season. I hate to bring it up, but subtract that dreadful early season road-trip where they went 0 for 5, and the Wild are right in the thick of it. As it is now, Minnesota is only 3 points off the pace for the final playoff position in the Western Conference.

What a month!

December has been huge for the Wild. In a month where the team's schedule is jam-packed with 16 games, they definitely have held their own, and more so far, winning 10 out of 14 with 2 games remaining this month and calender year. Stop and think about that...20 points out a possible 28, which makes this month the most successful December in franchise history and ties the team record with 10 wins in a month (March 2007). And if the Wild can earn 3 points in the remaining two games, it will go down as the most successful month in team history in terms of points earned. To date, Minnesota earned 22 points during the month of March in 2007 and is the tops.

Big D contributes

It does not seem that long ago where the 'D' were doing just as their position says, playing defense. In Richards system, the position that is labeled 'D' may be just a formality of sorts because more often than not, our defensive players have been charging the offensive net, something that would have earned a permanent spot on the bench under the old bench boss. But with the change in coaches came a change in how involved the defenseman have become , as they are playing an important part in not only playing solid in their own end, but also pinching and forechecking in the offensive zone. The new approach has paid dividends recently...over the past 2 games, Wild defenseman have accounted for 3 goals out of 8 that the Wild netted. In fact, it was back-to-back goals by Shane Hnidy and Kim Johnsson that helped propell Minnesota in its win over the Blues.

Havlat & Latendresse

These two have become two of the biggest acquistions, with one expected to make an immediate impact while the other came in as a bit of an unknown. Havlat, after a slow start, has seemed to have found his touch and has notched 10 points in his past 10 games. This comes after starting with only 11 points in his first 24 games. And his linemate as of late, Latendresse, has been nothing short of spectacular since he was acquired in a trade one month ago. He is living up to his pre-draft scouting report and has 3 goals in his past 3 games. But more importantly, he is using his size, speed, and is driving to the net, all things that Wild fans were hoping for when he came from Montreal.