Sharks chomp a Wild comeback

The Minnesota Wild went hard for three periods last Monday against the San Jose Sharks, but the Sharks won out in the end after a lucky bounce for a Jonathan Cheechoo goal in the third period. The Wild had just tied the score at two a piece ten seconds earlier.

The Sharks have now won 10 straight road games, putting them in a tie for the second longest streak with four other teams. The NHL record of 12 straight was set by the Detroit Red Wings in March and April of 2006. The loss was bad for Minnesota Wild hockey because it propelled the San Jose Sharks to fourth place in the Western Conference standings with 49 points while leaving the Wild behind in sixth with only 46.

Boogaard On Way Out?

I am starting to get the feeling that one of my favorite Minnesota Wild players is on his way out. I don't have any proof that Derek Boogaard may of played his last game in a Minnesota Wild jersey but I feel like the writing is on the wall. Let's take a look at the facts:

1. The Minnesota Wild added tough guy Todd Fedoruk.
2. Aaron Voros has emerged as an adequate "enforcer" as well as goal scorer.
3. Derek Boogaard has been placed on the Injured Reserve after a long stay on the inactive list.
4. The NHL has placed a microscope on Derek Boogard's play and referees have been quick to penalize him.

Unfortunately, all of those things point to the greatest "Enforcer" in Minnesota Wild history losing his spot on the Wild roster. If my hunch comes true, I wouldn't want to be a "skilled" player on the Minnesota Wild. It will be open season on players like Demitra, Gaborik and Rolston without Boogaard dishing out punishment on those who take liberties with the Wild players.

Only two Wild home games left this year

Get it? This year…2007. There are only two Minnesota Wild games left in 2007. First up are the Edmonton Oilers at the Xcel Energy Center on Saturday December 29th and then to close out 2007, the San Jose Sharks are in St Paul on December 31st. The 5pm puck drop on the 31st gives Minnesota Wild fans plenty of time to ring in the new year right…a hockey game and an after party! Let’s go Wild! Need Minnesota Wild tickets? Check out local brokers like Ticket King. They have an office less than a block down from the Xcel Energy Center and have reasonable Wild ticket prices. Go Wild!

Wild lose to Detroit, but scored this time

The last time the Minnesota Wild took on the Detroit Red Wings, the Wings sent the Wild to the locker room with a big goose egg. This time, the Minnesota Wild managed to slip one puck between the pipes, but couldn’t stop the flurry of Detroit shots as the Red Wings beat the Wild 4-1 at the Xcel Energy Center. The Red Wings outshot the Wild a crazy 51-19 and completely dominated all three periods silencing the normally loud Xcel Energy Center crowd. Let’s hope the Wild fare better at their next home game vs. the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, December 29th. Go Wild!

Gaborik is Great

When Marian Gaborik is healthy, he is a fantastic hockey player. So fantastic in fact that he is breaking Minnesota Wild records! Gaborik scored a record 5 goals in a single game against the New York Rangers Thursday night. The Wild easily beat the Rangers 6-3 in front of a sold out Xcel Energy Center crowd. It is fun to watch an NHL hockey game like that and this MN Wild Freak hopes there are more games like that to come. Way to go Gaborik!

It feels good to be home

The Minnesota Wild skated into the Xcel Energy Center on a two game win streak and beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 last night to extend the streak to three. The Wild were behind most of the game, but didn’t fall into their usual give up because we are behind mentality and battled on to win in front of 18,000 plus fans. This is a good week for Minnesota Wild hockey fans as the Wild play two more home games.

• Wild vs. New York Rangers December 20th
• Wild vs. Detroit Red Wings December 22nd

Let’s go Wild!

Special Wild Ticket Offer

Hey Minnesota Wild fans, there are still great tickets available to upcoming Minnesota Wild home games from local ticket brokers like Ticket King. In fact, Ticket King is offering a special ticket offer to MN Wild Freak blog readers! If you want tickets to the Saturday December 22nd Wild vs. Red Wings game, call 612-341-4131 and ask for Cortney and tell her you want the MN Wild Freak $5 off deal and receive $5 off your Wild Tickets! Ticket King has an office just a block from the Xcel and offers free local pick-up! Go Wild!

I miss the Xcel Energy Center

Here is a picture of my favorite beer guy at the Xcel Energy Center. I can't wait to get back to the Xcel and order a beer from my buddy. I am planning on going to at least one of the games during the Wilds upcoming three game home stand vs. the Nashville Predators, New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings. There are still good tickets left from local ticket brokers like Ticket King, you pay more, but when you live in the state of hockey either you stand in line for days before the single game on-sale or you buy from wild ticket brokers.

Wild need another road win

The Minnesota Wild are more than half way through their longest road trip of the season and have only won one of the games. The Wild lost to Detroit 0-5 on 12/7, the Wild then fired up a victory in Columbus beating the Blue Jackets 2-1 on 12/8, but then lost again to San Jose Sharks 1-4. The Wild win one, lose one strategy is not going to make them a playoff worthy team. The next two games will be tough west coast match-ups vs. the division rival Anaheim Mighty Ducks and then the Los Angeles Kings. Let’s go Wild!

Wild get shut out in Detroit

Watching the Minnesota Wild play the Detroit Red Wings was a huge disappointment. The Red Wings thumped the Wild with a shutout on Friday night at Detroit. The Red Wings showed why they are the elite team in the NHL and the Minnesota Wild is not.

There are times when I wished Detroit and Minnesota were in the same conference for geographic travel benefits and just good old fashioned hockey rivalry traditions, but this year I am thankful we don’t play them eight times because those could be the ugliest eight games of the year…instead it’s only four times. The Wild will get a chance at revenge on their home Xcel Energy Center ice on December 22nd. Buy your Wild Red Wings tickets today as this is sure to be a super hot match-up.

Minnesota Wild vs. Detroit Red Wings

The Minnesota Wild face off against the Detroit Red Wings tonight at 7:30pm(ET) in Detroit. The Detroit Red Wings are currently leading the NHL with 40 points and are six points up on the next closest team, the Vancouver Canucks, in the Western Conference.

This game should be a good barometer on whether the Minnesota Wild and the Minnesota Wild fans can consider the Wild an elite team in the NHL. If the Wild can win or even just keep the game close in Detroit, I think it will show the rest of the league that the Wild is a team that will have to be reckoned with come playoff time. It is also important for Niklas Backstrom and the MN Wild to bounce back from their horrible performance Wednesday versus the Philadelphia Flyers. I know I am going to be on my couch starting at 7:30 tonight for this huge match up between the Red Wings and the Minnesota Wild in Detroit. GO WILD!!!

Minnesota Wild Lay an Egg

I thought I was lucky to be invited by a buddy to last night's Minnesota Wild game. Unfortunately, my favorite NHL team didn't show up. The Minnesota Wild put forth an extremely lackluster performance on way to a 3-1 loss at the hands of the fired up Philadelphia Flyers. It felt as though the Wild team was simply going through the motions and I have no idea how the Wild couldn't have been jacked up for this game. Another big concern is what's up with Niklas Backstrom. Every one of the goals that he let in last night were relatively soft. Especially the slap shot from the neutral zone. I hope that this was just one bad game and not a sign of bad things to come.

I was very impressed with the energized play of Aaron Voros. He brings a nasty, tough and energy filled game whenever he steps on the ice. Watching him play and having a couple of my favorite malt beverages with some buddies was the only silver lining to this otherwise disappointing NHL hockey game.