By Jamie
MacDonald
FOXSportsNorth.com
January 23, 2011
Playing the last game on the NHL's Saturday slate, the Wild had enough time to see where they stood in the Western Conference prior to a showdown with the Sharks in San Jose. Both teams have struggled at times this season. Both teams seemed to have gained momentum lately, each having won three straight. And both had found their way after a roller coaster first half to 24 wins, 53 points and a place just outside the playoff picture.
Minnesota, by a technicality, sat in ninth, while the Sharks sat in 10th.
With all Saturday's results in for the day -- most important, a Colorado loss leaving the Avs with 54 points -- both teams knew the winner would break the virtual tie and jump into the No. 8 spot.
Of the two teams with their three-game streaks and playoff space on the line, it was the Sharks extending a run to four straight, while knocking Colorado and Minnesota down a peg by way of a 4-3 win over the Wild.
Depending on the perspective, the Wild were presented with circumstances freighted with positive and negative connotations. Minnesota gave up the first goal, but quickly came back to tie. The Wild allowed a franchise record-tying 25-shot period, but were outscored by only a goal in the frame. San Jose managed to carry significant stretches of play, especially at five-on-five, but Minnesota was a bounce away from a tie game as it came to a close.
"We battled hard, we had a lot of chances," Brent Burns told Kevin Gorg on the postgame broadcast. "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I think we did a lot of good things, but, obviously, not enough to win."
Simply, San Jose was able to find a higher top end, particularly at even strength, than Minnesota.
7, 8, 9
Wild players wearing Nos. 7, 8 and 9 stood out as much as any on Saturday, with Matt Cullen, Brent Burns and Mikko Koivu combining for six points (Burns and Koivu provided the goals).
Each of Koivu's two goals came on the power play, the first of which knotted the game at 1-1. San Jose had scored at 11:33 of the first, only to follow the goal with consecutive penalties at 12:21 and 13:09, handing the Wild 1:13 of a two-man advantage. Ten seconds after the second call, Koivu hammered a one-timer of a Burns pass through traffic past Antti Niemi at 13:19.
Koivu's second came courtesy a 7-8-9 connection toward the end of what had been an unsuccessful power play to that point. Burns broke the puck through the neutral zone and hit Cullen on the right wing. After a few strides, Cullen quickly pulled up and hit Koivu in the middle of the ice. Koivu used a quick move to yank the puck off his forehand and fire a backhand shot in at 7:27 of the second. Koivu's goal cut the lead to 3-2, as the Sharks had scored twice during what was a times a dominating period.
Burns was responsible for again cutting the deficit to a goal. After Benn Ferriero gave the Sharks a 4-2 lead at 3:57 of the third, the Wild took some time to generate a late push. Burns, who on a number of occasions was a one-man breakout and highlight reel, crashed a Cal Clutterbuck shot and whipped a nearly impossible shot in from a steep angle at 16:35. Burns, the team's All-Star Game representative, was also clean in his own end Saturday.
As for Cullen, much of his work didn't wind up in the box score. He was effective with the puck throughout Saturday's game, often wheeling and skirting defenders and creating opportunities for offensive pushes. Other than Burns, Cullen may have been the most effective Wild puck-carrier on Saturday.
SECOND RATE
After a 1-1 first period, the second period set the Wild back. While Saturday's second wasn't the kind of black hole the second had been during Minnesota's scuffling days earlier this season, it did not go well. The Wild allowed 25 shots against to tie a team record for a single period, and were outshot at different stages by the following margins: 10-0, 13-2, 21-4 and 25-10 overall.
Still, Minnesota trailed only by a goal heading into the third.
BACKSTROM'S BACK
Backstrom, coming off a shutout Wednesday in Calgary, was tested much more often against the Sharks. San Jose's roster is full of snipers and big players who can skate. Backstrom is at his best when he's quietly gets himself into position to make saves, and he did just that Saturday. He tracked pucks well for the most part, making subtly outstanding saves on shots from dangerous areas.
"He really gave us an opportunity to get us a point," said Todd Richards.
ANOTHER D GOES DOWN
Nick Schultz left the game in the second period and did not return. The injury is being termed an upper-body injury. Schultz's final credited shift came on Devin Setoguchi's second goal, at 6:36 of the second, which required replay after his tip-in of a high Joe Pavelski slap shot from the point. When asked if Schultz's was a head injury, Richards said, "It might be."
The Wild is already missing Marek Zidlicky, leading to the use of
