Record	Pts	Div. Rank	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
Minnesota Wild	(16-7-3)	35	1st NW	2.31 (28)	2.15 (5)	14.1% (24)	84.7% (10)
Anaheim Ducks	(7-13-5)	19	5th Pacific	2.24 (29)	3.12 (23)	17.7% (14)	85.0% (9)

 

Minnesota Wild
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #9 Mikko Koivu	4	16	20
2. #15 Dany Heatley	7	9	16
3. #21 Kyle Brodziak	8	5	13
4. #7 Matt Cullen	8	5	13
5. #10 Devin Setoguchi	8	5	13
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #16 Brad Staubitz	44
2. #22 Cal Clutterbuck	38
3. #25 Nick Johnson	23
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (10-5-2)	2.15	.929
2. #37 Josh Harding (6-2-1)	1.96	.938
Anaheim Ducks
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #8Teemu Selanne	9	14	23
2. #10 Corey Perry	11	10	21
3. #15Ryan Getzlaf	5	14	19
4. #11Saku Koivu	4	9	13
5. #9 Bobby Ryan	7	5	12
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #8Teemu Selanne	38
2. #15 Ryan Getzlaf	37
3. #10 Corey Perry	37
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #1 Jonas Hiller (6-10-5)	3.14	.900
2. #38 Dan Ellis (1-3-0)	2.23	929

Here we go folks.  After the absolutely fantastic November the Minnesota Wild, it is officially time for Minnesota to demonstrate whether or not the success they've had so far is for real and not simply a flash in the pan.  Plus, I know as a fan, I'd like to make some of the opposing fans around the league eat some crow.

Yesterday, on my Facebook feed, I got notification of poll that the NHL published about the Wild.  Now, I found the poll to be a bit ridiculous.  The question posed was whether or not the Wild will win the President's Trophy.  I'm sure they asked that particular question simply because over the past week, they've been going back and forth with the Pittsburgh Penguins for being in first place in the entire league.  Don't get me wrong, I truly relish the nights where Minnesota pulls ahead of Pittsburgh.  However, I am a realistic sort who sometimes borders on being a cynic.  If the Wild continue to win as they have been, they will definitely be in the playoffs.  I do doubt whether or not they can maintain the back and forth with the Penguins for the best team in the league.

With that in mind, I decided to read some of the comments from other hockey fans on that particular Facebook post.  Stop the insanity!  Many of the comments were truly insane.  Some of the best gems came from Detroit Red Wings fans.  Clearly, they have a short memory or they like to rest on their past laurels.    Many of them seem to forget that in the three games already played between the two clubs, the Wild have won not just one, but two of those three games.  They have also forgotten that one of those wins was a shutout.  And then when Detroit fans have nothing better to say they will try to remind everyone that they are "Hockeytown, USA."  History is a funny thing however.  "Hockeytown, USA" has been Warroad, MN and has been since 1955.

Then there are the fans who like to speak with "authority" on something they clearly know nothing about.  In this case, they think they know how Minnesota has come about their success.  All they did was prove that they know nothing about the Wild.  Many of them claimed that the Wild are relying on scoring by the likes of Mikko Koivu, Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi because they are the top line for the Wild.  Well in a "normal" world, one would think that would be the case.  However, this is bizarro season.  The Wild are winning because they are getting scoring from the likes of Kyle Brodziak, Matt Cullen and Cal Clutterbuck.  Clutterbuck happens to be the player who leads the league in shorthanded goals.  It should be noted that the Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting Clutterbuck will be in the Wild's lineup this evening.  They also don't realize that injuries haven't been quite as devastating this season as the young players who have been called up from Houston have been absolutely essential to the success.  They played under head coach Mike Yeo last season with the Aeros capped off by a trip to the Calder Cup Finals.  They know what Yeo wants, and thankfully the Wild vets have also bought into what Yeo is selling.  The last element that many fans are forgetting or disregarding all together is the strong performances of goaltenders Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding.  It is because of those two that Minnesota is in most games on a nightly basis.

For Wild fans, we are used to this sort of reaction from fans around the league.  However, we kind of prefer it that way.  To be the "forgotten" team, to be underestimated and under the radar is the best place to be.  Because there's nothing better to watch than teams whose fans have gotten too big for their britches to completely fall apart when their team has been eliminated from the playoffs.  Vancouver and Colorado fans have experienced this first hand, although I'm sure they'd like to forget that part of their respective team histories.  In fact that would be better than winning the President's Trophy and then failing to deliver. 

Injury Report:

Minnesota:   Guillaume Latendresse (concussion), Marek Zidlicky (concussion), Justin Falk (chest), Cal Clutterbuck(charley horse), Niklas Backstrom (groin)

Anaheim:  Jason Blake (wrist), Lubomir Visnovsky (finger), Matt Smaby (thumb), Dan Ellis (groin), George Parros (eye)  

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A few years ago I used to do an annual series on the Best and Worst Fans of the NHL.  I usually timed it right around late August, prior to the start of NHL training camp.  In my first edition back in 2008 I rated the New Jersey Devils near the bottom.  One of my qualifiers that a team's relative success was factored into my fan ratings.  So if you had a successful team but didn't draw well you were going to get hammered in my final rankings.  The Devils were and still are a great example of a team that has been fairly successful but has been milquetoast to pathetic at the gate.  The backlash my assessment caused really surprised me.  Apart from a fusilade of predictable insults levied in my direction, was a huge plethora of excuses why fans weren't showing up to the games (everything from the arena being located in a bad neighborhood, parking issues, being in a saturated NHL market, and high ticket prices).  Yet few could explain why a team that had a good tradition of success, playing in a brand new arena couldn't draw better than an average of 15,790 (23th in the NHL) in 2008-09, 15,535 in 2009-10 (20th in the NHL), and 14,775 (25th in the NHL) in 2010-11.  The team plays in Newark now, but the excuses are still tossed around to explain the New Jersey Devils' attendance woes.  Even Yahoo!'s 'Puck Daddy' (Greg Wyshynski) chimed in to blast me for my assessment of the Devils.  While, I'll admit my first survey was not exactly scientific, but I wasn't claiming it to be.  However, are the New Jersey Devils in trouble?  According to USAToday, that's a big YES.  Check out this article from September here.  The team missed making a $100 million loan payment to a CIT-lending group as well as owing a further $180 million.  Team owners Jeff Vanderbeek and James Chambers are said to be looking to sell their 47% interest of the team and last year Forbes valued the franchise at $200 million.  Wait a sec, you owe $280 million and your franchise is worth just $200 million?  Yikes!?!?  The Devils have refuted the report of a possible bankruptcy in an ESPN article you can read here.  Maybe its just me but that's pretty disturbing news for any NHL franchise let alone one known with some attendance issues.    

  Are the New Jersey Devils in trouble?

Now I am not going to claim to be clairvoyant, but in 2009-10 and for 2010-11 I rated Atlanta having the worst fans in the NHL in which I also hinted they may not have a franchise for much longer.  We all know what happened next.  As far as the Devils are concerned I am not seeing the team as being a candidate for relocation (the Islanders and Coyotes are far better candidates for that to occur) but if the financial stories are true then it makes you wonder how they could afford a $100 million contract to Ilya Kovalchuk.  The Wild have traditionally struggled against New Jersey, which so far have been a real Jekyll & Hyde team so its tough to know what to expect.  Hopefully the Wild just worry about what they can control and stay within their system and I think they'll be just fine.  So will the Wild start December with a victory or will they make fans wish it was still November? 

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	Record	Pts	Div. Rank	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
Minnesota Wild	(15-7-3)	33	1st NW	2.24 (28)	2.16 (5)	14.4% (23)	83.9% (12)
New Jersey Devils	(12-10-1)	25	4th Atlantic	2.30 (26)	2.74 (18)	12.2% (26)	94.4% (1)

 

Minnesota Wild
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #9 Mikko Koivu	4	16	20
2. #15 Dany Heatley	6	6	15
3. #10 Devin Setoguchi	8	5	13
4. #7 Matt Cullen	8	4	12
5. #96 Pierre-Marc Bouchard	3	9	12
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #16 Brad Staubitz	44
2. #22 Cal Clutterbuck	38
3. #25 Nick Johnson	23
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (9-5-2)	2.07	.932
2. #37 Josh Harding (6-2-1)	2.10	.933
New Jersey Devils
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #26 Patrik Elias	8	12	20
2. #14 Adam Henrique	5	10	15
3. #17 Ilya Kovalchuk	5	9	14
4. #9 Zach Parise	6	7	13
5. #8 Dainius Zubrus	7	5	12
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #23 David Clarkson	46
2. #25 Cam Janssen	28
3. #22 Eric Boulton	19
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #1 Johan Hedberg (7-4-1)	2.24	.920
2. #30 Martin Brodeur (5-6-0)	3.09	.887

 Welcome to December.  In the calendar year, we prepare to wrap up the end of the current year and transition into the new one.  It's always a busy month, as we're preparing for the big holidays (Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year's) on top of our normally busy work/school schedules.  For college students, it's a time for the mad rush of research papers and final exams before they head into their long winter break.  For those of us in the work force, there are end of the year projects so that our higher up's can submit the final fiscal reports.  And if you're like me, a person who works in customer sales on the phones, you're helping customers find the right holiday gift in the right size and color, sometimes up to the last possible minute.  However, in the world of hockey, December is simply nearing the middle the of the regular season.  Even by the end of the month, there's still a considerable part of the season left.

December is not often a kind month to the Minnesota Wild.  There have been seasons, where the month seems like an endless stream of losses with the occasional win.  It also tends to be the make or break month for the team.  This year, December will once again most likely serve as a reality check on whether or not they're a playoff team.  Yes, Minnesota leads the Northwest Division (although Vancouver is close behind) and is in second place in the entire league.  But as many point out, whether or not they stay in those positions for an extended period of time has yet to be seen.  This month could also serve another challenge, because of the fifteen games this month, only six are at home.  Even worse, the opponents could make things even worse.  Just on the upcoming five-game roadtrip that starts on Sunday, the visits to California make me extremely nervous. 

Tonight, the Wild face off against the New Jersey Devils.  All-time, Minnesota is (2-5-2-2) against New Jersey.  I don't know about you, but that's not exactly a reassuring record.  When a team like the Wild needs the wins in order to continuing building on success, facing a team that has not been a good matchup for you might be a problem.  Plus, it's always nice starting off a new month with a win.  Starting the month off against a team like New Jersey is not in our favor.  For example, the Wild will most likely once again look horrible on the power play.  Now, they normally don't look so good with the extra man, but tonight it should look even worse.  Why you ask?  Simply because tonight, they're facing the league's number one penalty kill.  Some fans on the official message boards have made comments like "it's too bad that you can't decline the penalty like you can in football because we play much better even strength."  That thought goes through the heads of the fans even more when Minnesota gets scored on shorthanded.  The Devils do have three short-handed goals to their name this season (although Minnesota has four of their own).  When you're not playing so well with the extra man, the last thing you generally want to do is face a team that is very successful killing penalties, and can score when down a man. 

With December upon us, many start making their list of New Year's Resolutions now.  For the Wild, that list can be as simple as "shoot the puck" and "improve power play."  In fact, if they didn't list anything beyond those (and managed to follow them), I'd be happy.  Although, if they could have a December that was like November, we should have a better idea of whether or not this team is truly playoff bound or simply playing dress-up. 


Injury Report:

Minnesota:   Guillaume Latendresse (concussion), Marek Zidlicky (concussion), Justin Falk (chest), Cal Clutterbuck (charley horse), Darroll Powe (charley horse)

New Jersey:  Travis Zajac (Achilles surgery), Jacob Josefson (clavicle surgery), Dainius Zubrus (ankle)  

Copyright © 2011 www.StateofHockeyNews.com - All Rights Reserved - Trademarks used herein are property of their respective owners. no comments

"You better not try to stand in my way as I'm walking out the door, Take this job and shove it, I ain't working here no more," are the words to the classic country song Take this Job and Shove it! by Johnny Paycheck.  Its a blue collar anthem for those who are fed up with their job.  While I would never call myself a fan of country music, I wonder if this song is on the minds of NHL's three most recent fired coaches in Paul Maurice, Bruce Boudreau and Randy Carlyle who join Davis Payne as this season's coaching casualties so far.  How Columbus' Scott Arniel, whose team has a woeful 6-15-3 record at the time of the writing still has his job is anyone's guess.  Perhaps its because Columbus General Manager Scott Howson doesn't want to bring attention to his own pathetic record as he hopes to avoid the axe from falling on himself as a termination of Arniel would be another major failure of his regime.  Perhaps Howson hopes no one notices the dramatic turn around division foe St. Louis who now finds itself just one point behind the Wild in the standings.  Either way, as we pass the 1st quarter of the season patience is starting to wear thin.  The standings picture is still incredibly tight, with just 4 points separating 1st place in the Western Conference from as low as 9th place.  Crazy, right? 

For all of great things Minnesota managed to accomplish through this month of November they are not exactly running away from the competition.  However, the Wild still are on top and they control their own destiny.  I am sure Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo wouldn't want it any other way.  The last time the Wild faced the Oilers, they were embarrassed on home ice 5-2.  It was a terrible effort that had fans booing and unhappy.  The Wild have made quite a few internal roster moves since then and they found a way to win on Monday against Tampa Bay.  So can Minnesota get a level of payback against the Oilers tonight? 

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	Record	Pts	Div. Rank	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
Minnesota Wild	(13-7-3)	29	1st NW	2.27 (27)	2.10 (4)	14.3% (23)	84.4% (13)
Edmonton Oilers	(12-10-2)	26	3rd NW	2.67 (17)	2.42 (11)	20.8% (4)	85.0% (9)

 

Minnesota Wild
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #9 Mikko Koivu	4	15	19
2. #15 Dany Heatley	6	8	14
3. #7 Matt Cullen	8	4	12
4. #10 Devin Setoguchi	7	5	12
5. #96 Pierre-Marc Bouchard	3	9	12
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #16 Brad Staubitz	39
2. #22 Cal Clutterbuck	38
3. #25 Nick Johnson	21
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (8-5-2)	2.09	.932
2. #37 Josh Harding (6-2-1)	2.10	.933
Edmonton Oilers
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins	10	15	25
2. #94 Ryan Smyth	12	12	24
3. #14 Jordan Eberle	8	16	24
4. #4 Taylor Hall	7	11	18
5. #10 Shawn Horcoff	7	9	16
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #24 Theo Peckham	48
2. #94 Ryan Smyth	33
3. #25 Andy Sutton	33
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #35 Nikolai Khabibulin (9-5-2)	1.88	.936
2. #40 Devan Dubnyk (3-5-0)	2.88	.902

As the old saying goes, revenge is a dish best served cold.  Looking at the weather report for tomorrow in Edmonton, it is clear that winter is upon us on the eve of December.  While the temps won't be in the negative digits, it will be below freezing and there will be some light snow.  Between the wintry weather and that the Wild are playing in Edmonton, the reception will be far from warm.  In fact, the reception should be downright chilly, especially when one considers the fact that the Oilers usually fare poorly when facing the Wild.  However, considering the poor play by Minnesota against Edmonton just this past Friday, I worry that the momentum has shifted to Oilers.

While the Wild stumbled on Black Friday, what is the most important thing to get out of this team, is that they have the ability to bounce back.  In previous seasons, a 5-2 loss was enough to set the team back for quite a few games.  Twice now this season, the Wild fell in a 5-2 loss, but came back and won their next game.  Even better, after the first 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota came back and won the next five games.  After the Edmonton loss, Minnesota bounced back and got the all important next win against Tampa Bay.  Whether or not the Wild can get four more wins to repeat their first comeback after a horrible loss is yet to be seen.

Perhaps what is most crucial about this game against Edmonton goes beyond just getting back that catastrophic loss.  This trip to Edmonton can be considered a practice run for the upcoming West Coast road trip.  Not only is Minnesota getting ready to head out on the road, they also have to face San Jose and Los Angeles again, teams that the Wild stumbled with earlier this month.  Getting wins back against Edmonton, San Jose and Los Angeles would further bolster confidence levels for this team.  And the fact that Wild head coach Mike Yeo is wanting to keep things simple for the team, should help the team play well and continue to build confidence rather than cockiness. 

All I know is that I hope it is Minnesota dishing out the cold dish of revenge instead of having it served to us.  With the taste of winning being sweet, I'd rather not deal with the bitter taste of defeat so soon.


Injury Report:

Minnesota:   Guillaume Latendresse (concussion), Marek Zidlicky (concussion), and Justin Falk (chest)

Edmonton:  Taylor Fedun (broken leg), Cam Barker (ankle), Taylor Hall (shoulder), Andy Sutton (groin), and Corey Potter (ankle)

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"Flash - Ah - He's a miracle, This mornings unprecedented solar eclipse, Is no cause for alarm, Flash - Ah - King of the impossible, He's for ev'ry one of us, Stand for ev'ry one of us, He'll save with a mighty hand
Ev'ry man ev'ry woman ev'ry child, With a mighty Flash" are the lyrics to the Flash Gordon theme song as composed by legendary rock group Queen back in 1980.  The movie attempted to mix the 1930's science fiction action hero with the late 70's rock / disco style and the result was a cult classic.  I wouldn't say I'm a big fan of the movie, but the cheesy special effects and predictable storyline are precisely what I think of when I see the 'new' logo for the Tampa Bay Lightning.  The Lightning themselves feature some tremendous talents in young phenom Steven Stamkos, cagey veteran Martin St. Louis and a resurgence from team captain Vincent Lecavalier led by their youthful coach Guy Boucher.  Boucher may not be Ming the Merciless, but to some believe his 1-3-1 style of play is a dastardly plot that could 'ruin' the game of hockey.  While Boucher is not the first coach, who embraced a defensive approach to the game that was maligned for what some people believed to be stripping hockey of its entertainment value few have every seen such a dramatic reaction to that style of play as the Lightning did when the Philadelphia Flyers came to town on November 9th, 2011. 

Is Guy Boucher the new villain of the NHL?

Flyers' Head Coach Peter Laviolette decided to compel the Lightning to actually forecheck by sending its forward across the blueline by waiting for him to cross.  If he didn't, the Flyers sat back and moved the puck just enough not to draw a whistle.  So far its been an isolated incident, but it got NHL General Managers talking about it.  Ultimately they decided against any sort of regulation against the 1-3-1 or the Flyers dramatic strategy to counteract it so who knows if we'll see it again.  Minnesota is finishing up its 6-game homestand in this nationally televised contest tonight.  Will the Lightning strike in Minnesota or will the Wild's strong defensively play make this Flash fizzle? 

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	Record	Pts	Div. Rank	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
Minnesota Wild	(13-7-3)	29	1st NW	2.22 (28)	2.22 (4)	14.6% (21)	83.9% (11)
Tampa Bay Lightning	(11-9-2)	24	3rd SE	2.77 (13)	3.04 (22)	16.0% (18)	83.0% (15)

 

Minnesota Wild
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #9 Mikko Koivu	3	14	17
2. #15 Dany Heatley	6	8	14
3. #7 Matt Cullen	8	4	12
4. #10 Devin Setoguchi	7	5	12
5. #96 Pierre-Marc Bouchard	2	9	11
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #16 Brad Staubitz	39
2. #22 Cal Clutterbuck	38
3. #25 Nick Johnson	21
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (7-5-2)	2.17	.929
2. #37 Josh Harding (6-2-1)	2.10	.933
Tampa Bay Lightning
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #91 Steven Stamkos	14	10	24
2. #26 Martin St. Louis	6	13	19
3. #47 Marc-Andre Bergeron	3	16	19
4. #4 Vincent Lecavalier	10	7	17
5. #16 Teddy Purcell	5	8	13
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #9 Steve Downie	49
2. #91 Steven Stamkos	24
3. #13 Pavel Kubina	24
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #35 Dwayne Roloson (6-6-1)	3.46	.887
2. #32 Mathieu Garon (5-3-1)	2.46	.916

If you've gone to any Wild games over the last few years this YouTube clip should be pretty familiar to you.  They show it on the big screen just about every game as they try to inspire the fans to get up and make some noise.  It is of course a scene from the movie Network (1976) where Peter Finch loses it and commands his entire viewing audience to get up and declare that they are mad as hell and they're not going to take it anymore.  This may describe the way some Wild fans feel after two ugly 5-2 losses at the hands of division foes Edmonton and Calgary respectively.  There is a saying on the wild.com message boards that holds remarkably true that after the team wins 3 in a row some fans start planning a Stanley Cup parade route and after 3 losses in a row people start demanding the coach be fired.  Maybe it doesn't get quite that mad but message boards are notoriously bi-polar and a few wins can have people dreaming big and a few losses can have people wanting trades to be made.  The sky is not falling, this team isn't teetering on the edge of oblivion.  So take a deep breath and just relax.  The Wild are STILL in 1st place in the Northwest Division. 

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On May 14th, 2011 the State of Hockey was shocked to hear of the passing of its much-loved former enforcer Derek Boogaard.  It was later concluded he died due to consuming both prescription pain killers (which he had an addiction for) and alcohol.  While the circumstances of his death may have tarnished his reputation to some people, virtually anyone who knew him considered him a kind and (yes) a gentle soul.  Sure, his job in hockey was the role of the enforcer which meant he was the one teams looked to send their toughest player to square off against him.  This was a task not for the feint of heart, and everytime he dropped the gloves his opponents knew just how devastating he could be.  His complete annihilation of his opponents is what quickly made Derek Boogaard the most feared fighter in the NHL when he broke into the league in 2005-06 after being drafted by the Wild in the 7th round in (202nd Overall) in 2001.  Even though he was a fighter, his path to the NHL was never a certain one; after all when your best attribute is your ability to fight you will have more than enough challenges as you work your way up the minors and Boogaard did just that.  The lesser told story about Boogaard was how despite understanding that his primary role was as a fighter he understood that even though he was 6'7" 260lbs (a weight that seemed to fluctuate from 240lbs-270lbs depending on how much he destroyed an opposing fighter) he needed to improve his skating if he ever wished to make it to the NHL.  So while he was starting his professional career with the now-defunct Louisiana Ice Gators (ECHL) he worked tirelessly to be a better skater.  So there he was working on being a better hockey player while taking on anyone who dared challenge him, and the lower the level of the minors the more the fights (and thus more fighters) he had to engage in.  Each time he dropped the gloves he knew if he got totally destroyed his NHL dreams may end right then and there.  I doubt many people that are reading this have jobs where you may literally have to fight to keep it, yet that's what Boogaard had to do, amassing over 600 penalty minutes the next 3 years in one season in Louisiana and two more in Houston before earning that big call up to the Wild.  After some absolutely devastating fights in his first two seasons "the Boogeyman" rarely was challenged and in some ways you could say he was almost too good at his job.  Being so feared that he diminished his role with the team, but he was and still is a huge fan favorite in the State of Hockey.  Before tonight's game, the Wild will recognize the life of Derek Boogaard and perhaps its only fitting that we all share our own favorite memory of "the Boogeyman" to those we know who appreciated what he did with the team and his life in general. 



A team Boogaard used to terrorize was the Calgary Flames.  Early on, before Boogaard's arrival the Flames often relished the opportunity to take physical liberties with the Wild players.  Not to offer any sort of slight of Boogaard's predecessor as the Wild's primary policeman in Matt Johnson who himself was very effective in that role, but he did not seem to carry that same aura of instant retribution as #24.  Boogaard loved to dish out big body checks as much as he liked to throw hay-makers and his obliterating checks on Stephane Yelle, Brandon Prust and Rene Bourque prompted the Flames to try to dress a few heavyweights of their own to answer the call.  First there was Brian McGrattan, who had some outstanding slug fests with Boogaard both with Calgary and Ottawa but each time Boogaard came away with a clear victory.  Next was Andre Roy who tried his best, only to become a big ugly punching bag for Boogaard.  Calgary had more success with Eric Godard, who got the best of Boogaard in their first fight but Boogaard would clash again with Godard and it was the Wild enforcer with a decisive advantage.  It certainly was a huge sign of respect to Boogaard that clubs like Calgary (McGrattan, Roy, Godard), Edmonton (Steve MacIntyre), Colorado (Scott Parker, David Koci) intentionally made roster moves to try to address the "Boogaard problem" but none of these clubs found the answer they were looking for until Minnesota decided to let him go in the summer of 2010 where he played a single season with the New York Rangers.  The Wild replaced Boogaard's role with Brad Staubitz, a cruiser weight enforcer.  While Staubitz has not hesitated to be a player to drop the gloves, he doesn't hold a candle to Boogaard in terms of sheer intimidation.  The last time the Wild played the Flames, it was a non-fighter in Calgary-native Nick Johnson that got into a fight with Wild killer and Flames' captain Jarome Iginla that drew controversy when Johnson was given a match penalty for an alleged head butt.  The league did not levy any suspension against Johnson which more or less was vindication for him but I have little doubt tonight's game could be a bit chippy.  After all, its against divisional opponents who both feel they have a lot to prove.  So will the Wild answer the bell the way Boogaard did for so many years or will they turtle like an alleged tough guy in current Edmonton forward Darcy Hordichuk? 

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	Record	Pts	Div. Rank	G/G	GA/G	PP%	PK%
Minnesota Wild	(13-6-3)	29	1st NW	2.23 (27)	2.09 (3)	14.3% (22)	83.3% (14)
Calgary Flames	(8-12-1)	17	5th NW	2.14 (28)	2.76 (18)	13.5% (25)	79.4% (24)

 

Minnesota Wild
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #9 Mikko Koivu	3	13	16
2. #15 Dany Heatley	6	7	13
3. #7 Matt Cullen	8	4	12
4. #10 Devin Setoguchi	7	5	12
5. #96 Pierre-Marc Bouchard	2	9	11
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #16 Brad Staubitz	39
2. #22 Cal Clutterbuck	36
3. #25 Nick Johnson	21
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #32 Niklas Backstrom (7-4-2)	1.97	.935
2. #37 Josh Harding (6-2-1)	2.07	.934
Calgary Flames
Top 5 Scorers:	G	A	Pts
1. #40 Alex Tanguay	3	12	15
2. #13 Olli Jokinen	5	8	13
3. #20 Curtis Glencross	7	5	12
4. #12 Jarome Iginla	6	4	10
5. #22 Lee Stempniak	4	4	8
Top 3 Penalty Minutes:	PIM
1. #15 Tim Jackman	34
2. #6 Cory Sarich	23
3. #5 Mark Giordano	20
Goaltenders:	GAA	SV%
1. #34 Miikka Kiprusoff (8-9-0)	2.48	.917
2. #35 Henrik Karlsson (0-3-1)	2.95	.907

Due to just getting home from a wonderful, long holiday weekend, there will be no pre-game write-up.  However, for you number crunchers, here are the stats heading into day.  We here at The State of Hockey News hope you had a joyous and relaxing Thanksgiving.


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Before the start of the 2011-12 season, most NHL experts had more or less handed the Northwest Division title to the Vancouver Canucks.  The Canucks of course were coming off one of their franchise best seasons, being just one game short of winning a Stanley Cup.  Vancouver did not have a lot of changes to its roster so might as well just hand them the division title now right?   Not so fast.  That's precisely why ESPN's Chris Berman always says for any game where you feel you may have an obvious result, "that's why they play the games."  And the results have two upstarts at 1st and 2nd in the Northwest Division in the Minnesota Wild and Edmonton Oilers while Vancouver trails just behind in 3rd.  Yes, there is a lot of season left to be played but that ignores the fact that both Edmonton and Minnesota seem to be getting better with each game.  The Oilers' stockpile of high draft picks are now showcasing the immense skill you'd expect as they gain confidence and establish chemistry and they've exploded for 15 goals in their last two games alone in a 9-2 demolition of the Chicago Blackhawks on Hockey Night In Canada and an equally impressive 6-2 rout of the Nashville Predators in Nashville.  While I doubt we're going to see this version of the Oilers be able to match the Wayne Gretzky-Jari Kurri era Oilers of the 1980's they still have some dangerous offensive talent.  A pair of 1st overall picks the last two years in Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall are helping spark Edmonton much the same way Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews got things rolling for the Blackhawks a few years ago.  What perhaps has been ignored has been the incredibly solid play in the crease of Nikolai Khabibulin who is off to his best start in years, as he holds a stingy 1.96 goals against average and a hefty .935% save percentage.  So its not just a story of pure offense for the Oilers either.  Standing in their way is the Minnesota Wild, the league's best defensive team.  Unlike the Oilers, the Wild do not have a lot of firepower but there are signs the team's starting to find itself offensively.  Mikko Koivu is playing with fire again and that in turn has brought about another level of play from Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi.  Still, it should make for a considerable challenge for Minnesota; and another opportunity to prove to the naysayers that the Wild's league-best record is not just smoke and mirrors. 

Minnesota should enjoy a sellout crowd as those who do not wish to be apart of the insanity that is the shopping areas on Black Friday will seek the fun and friendly atmosphere of a Wild game instead.  Hmm, going to an NHL game or fighting with some stranger over a 42" flat screen TV, hmm...I wonder which one I'd choose.  On a complete side note, anyone find it odd why the Wild moved this game back from its original start time at 1:00PM CST?  The team moved it back because of NBC; which seems strange since the Wild weren't scheduled to play during that time.  I understand the league wants the ratings from the Detroit vs. Boston game but why move the Wild game back?  (shrugs)  So will the Wild be able to add more evidence they are something more than a pretender or will Edmonton make a case of their own that they're a force to be reckoned with? 

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