"He said, Son I've made a life, out of readin' people's faces, and knowin' what the cards are by the way they held their eyes, so if you don't mind me saying, I can see you're out of aces, for a taste of your whiskey, I'll give you some advice.  So I handed him my bottle, and he drank down my last swallow, bummed a cigarette and asked me for a light, and the night got deathly quiet, his face lost all expression and he began to speak.  He said if you're going to play the game boy, you've got to learn to play it right.  You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.  You never count your money, when you're sittin' at the table they'll be time enough for countin', when the dealin's done," are the lyrics to famous country ballad the Gambler by Kenny Rogers.  I loved that song as a kid and I still like it.  I think you can apply it to two key figures of the Minnesota Wild; Head Coach Mike Yeo and General Manager Chuck Fletcher whose fate is most likely intertwined as the team tries to pick up the pieces of what was a confounding 2013 NHL season.  I think a lot of Wild fans could tell by the expression on Mike Yeo's face and the deep breaths he would consistently take after a loss that the coach was running out of aces.  By his own admission, Yeo said he had used every trick in his book to try to will his team out of the slumps it seemed to regularly endure yet fortunately for him the team still managed to qualify for the playoffs by the narrowest of margins.  

The outlook isn't much better for Chuck Fletcher.  A general manager who still must be credited for his willingness to swing significant deals but we haven't seen too many royal flushes from him either.  He's scored on a few hands here and there but some of his gambles haven't yielded much at all while others bombed altogether.  So will the organization stay the course with Yeo and Fletcher this summer or will the axe fall on one or both of them?  If you believe Fletcher, in what he told CBS Sports here; Mike Yeo is still 'his' coach.  That silence you heard was the reaction of Wild fans across the State of Hockey.  Many of whom who feel Mike Yeo gets outcoached frequently and feel his unwillingness to break up the top line against Chicago to try to get some production out of its top scoring forwards Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu doomed any slim chance they had at beating the Blackhawks.  So what does this off season hold for the Wild?  What should be done (but probably won't be)?  

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There are times when I swear that one needs every possible good luck charm and cosmic alignment to be in place for good things to happen.  I think tonight is one of those nights.  I'll admit, I don't see the Minnesota Wild pulling out a win tonight, especially in Chicago.  While it would be great, I'm just going to sit back tonight and enjoy the run we've had.  At the very least, I will enjoy the fact that our playoff run lasted longer than that of the Vancouver Canucks.  That alone, regardless of what happens tonight, puts a smile on my face.  Personally, it's a great way to send the Canucks off to a different division next season.  As for tonight's game, I hope that feat serves as some sort of good luck charm.  Personally, while it would most likely extend the inevitable, I would love to get one victory in Chicago, simply to shut the "Madhouse on Madison" up for one night.  In extending this season, I'd love for Blackhawks fans to feel just a little bit of that panic that we made Colorado and Vancouver fans feel in 2003.  I don't want the Minnesota Wild be the team they "scrimmaged" in the first round on their way further into the Western Conference playoffs.  Minnesota needs to play like there is no tomorrow, because in their position there pretty much is no tomorrow.  I have a feeling that Wild fans every where have pulled out all their good luck charms.  And I'm hoping that I'm holding the ultimate good luck charm.  Today just happens to be my 37th birthday.  And with #37 Josh Harding most likely getting tonight's start, let's hope that 37 is the key to a Minnesota win.

I don't think I need to state the obvious, but I will anyway.  Minnesota's power play needs to find a way to score tonight.  I am at the point (and I know I'm not the only one) who wishes that Minnesota could decline the power play.  It's gotten to that it's embarassing to watch.  There's a reason that fans, myself included, have called in the powerless play for some time now.  In fact, we started that last season.  A team with a 0% power play in the playoffs is not a recipe for success.  Although mind you, Chicago's power play success is not much better than ours.  But to have not scored once on the power play in four games, especially when you had six chances alone in the last game is unforgivable.  Something needs to change.  I'll admit, over the seasons I've loathed the individuals who yell 'shoot' at the Wild, especially during the power play.  However, this season I have to agree with them.  There's nothing worse than watching the continual passing on the power play, looking for the perfect shot.  There's no time left for the perfect shot.  So we shall have to wait and see if it's the status quo for Minnesota or if they'll find a way to pull a rabit out of their hat.

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Minnesota Wild (1-3)

1.50 Goals For (16th)

3.00 Goals Against (10th)

0.0% Power Play (16th)

90.9% Penalt Kill (2nd)

Top 3 Scorers:

1. #7 Matt Cullen ~ 0G 3A = 3pts

2. #22 Cal Clutterbuck ~ 1G 1A = 2pts

3. #96 Pierre-Marc Bouchard ~ 1G 1A = 2pts

Top PIM's:

1. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 8 PIM's

Top TOI:

1. #20 Ryan Suter ~ 32:07

Top Goaltender(s):

1. #37 Josh Harding (1-3)  2.48GAA  .923%SP  

2. #35 Darcy Kuemper (0-0)  3.00GAA  .889%SP

Vs.

Chicago Blackhawks (3-1)

3.00 Goals For (7th)

1.50 Goals Against (1st)

9.1% Power Play (15th)

100% Penalty Kill (1st)

Top 3 Scorers:

1. #10 Patrick Sharp ~ 4G 1A = 5pts

2. #88 Patrick Kane ~ 0G 5A = 5pts

3. #29 Bryan Bickell ~ 3G 0A = 3pts

Top PIM's:

1. #27 Johnny Oduya ~ 8 PIM's

Top TOI:

1. #2 Duncan Keith ~ 24:03

Top Goaltender(s):

1. #50 Corey Crawford (3-1)  1.39GAA  ,949%SP  1 SO

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Anticipation.  Nerves.  Excitement.  Those are just some of the things I've been feeling.  With the way the season and the playoffs have gone for the Minnesota Wild this year, it's truly hard to know which team will show up.  If it's the team that showed up on Sunday, the fans can add pride to the list of emotions.  The never-say-die attitude they possessed that afternoon is what propelled them into the playoffs.  However, if the team that showed up for Game 2 in Chicago, then you can add disappointment to that list of emotions.  If I truly had to pick an emotion right now though, it would be wary.  The Minnesota Wild have a long history of disappointing the fans in a game immediately following an amazing game.  Even worse, is that we're home for the second game in a row.  That also can add to the sense of dread.  And while we the fans are willing the team to win again to even up the series, we simply do not know if the Wild can do it again.  I know it's not the most uplifting of thoughts, but I have to try and temper the feelings of excitement.  Yet it's a delicate balance of tempering those emotions and not creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.  My guess is that we'll know within the first five minutes of the first period which team we're going to get and which emotions will descend upon us.

One thing that fans may get tonight, is the return of a player we just started getting to know before he was taken away from the lineup.  Jason Pominville has practiced only twice in the past two weeks, but there is a small possibility that he will be in tonight's lineup.  According to Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, he thinks that if he does play tonight, it would be on the fourth line.  By playing there, he would get game experience, albeit limited time.  As a fan, I know I want to see him playing again, yet also need to temper that feeling as well.  There's nothing worse than rushing a player back into action after an injury.  If he does play tonight, look to see Chicago players playing physically on him, trying to get him off his game before it even begins.  And even if Pominville isn't in the lineup, I (and everyone else) expect to see a major push by Chicago.  The Blackhawks cannot afford to have enother game like Sunday's. 

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Minnesota Wild (1-2)

2.00 Goals For (12th)

3.00 Goals Against (11th)

0.0% Power Play (16th)

88.9% Penalty Kill (5th)

Top 3 Scorers:

1. #7 Matt Cullen ~ 0G 3A = 3pts

2. #22 Cal Clutterbuck ~ 1G 1A = 2pts

3. #96 Pierre-Marc Bouchard ~ 1G 1A = 2pts

Top PIM's:

1. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 8 PIM's

Top TOI:

1. #20 Ryan Suter ~ 32:42

Top Goaltender(s):

1. #37 Josh Harding (1-2) 2.41GAA  .928%SP

Vs.

Chicago Blackhawks (2-1)

3.00 Goals For (6th)

2.00 Goals Against (6th)

11.1% Power Play (12th)

100% Penalty Kill (1st)

Top 3 Scorers:

1. #88 Patrick Kane ~ 0G 5A = 5pts

2. #10 Patrick Sharp ~ 2G 1A = 3pts

3. #2 Duncan Keith ~ 1G 2A = 3pts

Top PIM's:

1. #27 Johnny Oduya ~ 6 PIM's

Top TOI:

1. #2 Duncan Keith ~ 24:05

Top Goaltender(s):

1. #50 Corey Crawford (2-1)  1.81GAA  .935%SP

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"You've got a way to keep me on your side, you give me cause for love I can not hide, For you know I'd even try to turn the tide, because your mine, I walk the line" are the lyrics to Johnny Cash's famous song I Walk the Line.  Right now the Wild are walking a fine line between having a chance and playoff oblivion.  After their most recent loss, a 5-2 defeat on Friday night the Wild have dug for themselves a 2-0 series deficit against a team many experts believe are destined for a Stanley Cup showdown with the Pittsburgh Penguins.  The Wild have to use the advantage of a home crowd to their full effect in order to stem the tide and turn this back in the series, let alone lift their flagging level of confidence.  Minnesota has struggled to win games at home in the 2nd half of the regular season and with a bit better performance at home with a few wins against opponents like Edmonton and Calgary the Wild could hace avoided having toplay Chicago in the first round altogether.  That is all water under the bridge now.  It may all come down to how tough the Wild make it on Chicago.  Defensively the Wild were more solid in Game 1 by the fact they did not give up the blueline real easy, as they confronted Chicago on their zone entries and causing the Blackhawks to go offsides numerous times.  

The Wild must find a way to make the power play count as they have yet to find the back of the net on the man advantage.  Back in 2003, it was the Wild's power play which punished Colorado and Vancouver consistently when they took penalties which made up for their struggles to score 5-on-5.  If Minnesota is to have a chance, the power play must be a strength and not the liability it has been so far (no goals, with one shorthanded goal for Chicago).  So will the Wild make a statement this afternoon with a victory over the Blackhawks or will they find themselves a little closer to that oblivion line I referred to earlier?  

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Minnesota Wild (0-2)

1.50 Goals For (13th)

3.50 Goals For (14th)

0% Power Play (16th)

85.7% Penalty Kill (8th)

Top 3 Scorers:

1. #7 Matt Cullen ~ 0G 2A = 2pts

2. #6 Marco Scandella ~ 1G 0A = 1pt

3. #10 Devin Setoguchi ~ 1G 0A = 1pt

Top PIM's:

1. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 8 PIM's

Top TOI:

1. #20 Ryan Suter ~ 35:52

Top Goaltender(s):

1. #37 Josh Harding (0-2)  2.65GAA  .929%SP

Vs.

Chicago Blackhawks (2-0)

3.50 Goals For (3rd)

1.50 Goals Against (4th)

14.3% Power Play (8th)

100% Penalty Kill (1st)

Top 3 Scorers:

1. #88 Patrick Kane ~ 0G 3A = 3pts

2. #10 Patrick Sharp ~ 2G 0A = 2pts

3. #29 Bryan Bickell ~ 2G 0A = 2pts

Top PIM's:

1. Six players tied with 2 PIM's

Top TOI:

1. #32 Michael Roszival ~ 23:42

Top Goaltender(s):

1. #50 Corey Crawford (2-0)  1.31GAA  .945%SP

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There is a saying that adversity reveals character.  Does a team crumble under it, does it let affect their play?  The Wild revealed a lot of character with the way the team rallied around backup goaltender Josh Harding after Niklas Backstrom hurt himself during pre-game warm ups just minutes before the team's first playoff game in 5 years.  The Wild made no excuses, despite the fact the Harding had played just 3 times in the regular season and hadn't had a start in a month.  The result was the fact the Wild came within one crossbar from winning Game One.  Yet close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.  No one is going to feel sorry for the Wild for its current rash of injury woes.  So another test stands before the team.  No Backstrom, No Jason Pominville, No Clayton Stoner.  No problem?  

The Chicago Blackhawks are hoping to tighten their grip on the series.  Blackhawks Head Coach Joel Quenneville seemed to almost chaffe at the question about the inability of his team to exploit the Wild's adversity in a bigger way even implying he felt his club was "too easy" on the Wild.  That will make for some good locker room fodder.  It is tough to believe the Wild have a realistic shot at coming back in this series if they don't win tonight.  So will the Wild rise to the occasion and even the series or will Chicago make the climb that much more difficult?

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Minnesota Wild (0-1)

1.00 Goals For (10th)

2.00 Goals Against (12th)

0% Power Play (16th)

66.7% Penalty Kill (9th)

Top 2 Scorers:

1. #22 Cal Clutterbuck ~ 1G 0A = 1pt

2. #4 Clayton Stoner ~ 0G 1A = 1pt

Top PIM's:

3 players tied with 2 PIM's (Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Tom Gilbert)

TOI Leader:

#20 Ryan Suter ~ 41:08

Top Goaltender(s):

1. #37 Josh Harding (0-1)  1.56GAA  .946%SP

Vs.

Chicago Blackhawks (1-0)

2.00 Goals For (5th)

1.00 Goals Against (8th)

33.3% Power Play (3rd)

100% Penalty Kill (1st)

Top 2 Scorers:

1. #81 Marian Hossa ~ 1G 0A = 1pt

2. #29 Bryan Bickell ~ 1G 0A = 1pt

Top PIM's:

4 players tied with 2 PIM's (Johnny Oduya, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Duncan Keith, Michal Rozsival)

TOI Leader:

#32 Michal Rozsival ~ 27:11

Top Goaltender(s):

1. #50 Corey Crawford (1-0)  .78GAA  .963%SP

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"They tell you they love you, like a spider loves a fly, promise you that you're safe but never look you in the eye, manipulated, regulated, crippled and controlled, Remember this, you're not alone, you're not alone you're not alone, Come on, can you hear it?  The call of the Wild, Stand up now and fight back, Wipe off their plastic smiles.  Why listen to the losers who still treat you like a child, better find another station and tune in to the call of the Wild" are the lyrics to the German rock band Die Toten Hosen's song Call of the Wild.  This was sort of the unofficial anthem for the Wild back during the 2003 playoff run that took the team to the Western Conference Finals.  For the last few weeks the Wild have made commercials, highlighting some of the memorable moments of that run; Richard Park's Game 6 goal against Colorado and of course the Andrew Brunette goal in Game 7 that not only finished off Patrick Roy's career but vanquished the Avalanche as well.  The theme of the commercials is that its time to make some new playoff memories.  They're right.  It was a decade ago when that memorable playoff run occurred.  The experts are not expecting much from Minnesota, but who could blame them.  A bottom 1/3rd offense against a team that combines and overpowering offense and a stifling defense.  Sounds like a no brainer right?  

The Wild have to focus on their own game and not worry about the things that are beyond its control.  If last season taught NHL afficionados anything its not as much about what you did in the regular season, as it is about who gets hot during the playoffs.  The 8th seeded Kings not only won the Stanley Cup but they dominated their opponents.  Their 'quiet' bottom 1/3rd in the league offense caught fire and seemed to be more than enough to beat just about anyone.  Even some of the Blackhawks believe the Wild have it in them to surprise, including Patrick Kane who told reporters, "It's a dangerous team, you definitely have to be careful with them.  They're a team I've watched throughout the year, and it seems like one night that they look like the best team in the NHL and the next night they look like the don't want to be there."  Interesting observation and I think a fair amount of Wild fans would agree with Kane's assessment.  So it really comes down to which team shows up in this series let alone this game.  Which one will it be, the team that looks like the best in the NHL or the one that doesn't want to be there? 

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