My Popular-Game Picks

Don't miss these popular out-of-town visits at the Xcel Energy Center:

Boston Bruins 2/19: defending Stanley Cup champions come to town
Anaheim Ducks 10/27, 2/14
Calgary Flames 11/27, 3/11, 3/22
Chicago Blackhawks 12/14, 4/5
Dallas Stars 1/21, 3/13
Detroit Red Wings 10/29
St. Louis Blues 11/5, 11/19
San Jose Sharks 1/10, 2/26
Winnipeg 2/16: first ever trip to the Xcel Energy Center!
Vancouver Canucks: 11/3, 2/9, 3/19: defending Western Conference champion

Minnesota Wild Halt 8 Game Skid

The Minnesota Wild ended a rough 8 game losing streak with a 3-2 shootout victory over the St. Louis Blues, in St. Louis. Eric Nystrom and Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored in regulation for the Minnesota Wild. Mikko Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored in the shootout to secure the victory. It is a bittersweet victory, since the odds of making the playoffs are virtually 100-1 but at least it stops the 8 game losing streak. Next up is the Edmonton Oilers at the Xcel Energy Center on Thursday night.

Minnesota Wild Defeat St. Louis Blues Back to Back

The Minnesota Wild defeated the St. Louis Blues on Friday and Saturday night, both great hockey games to watch. On Friday night, the Minnesota Wild stormed back 4 times from a one-goal deficit and beat the Blues 5-4 in a shootout. Martin Havlat forced overtime with a goal with 57 seconds left. After no goals in overtime, the Minnesota Wild won in the 10th round of the shootout, thanks to a John Madden goal. Brent Burns, Mikko Koivu, and Pierre-Marc Bouchard also scored for the Minnesota Wild in the shootout. Cal Clutterbuck scored two goals in regulation.

On Hockey Day Minnesota, or Saturday, the Minnesota Wild defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-1. The game was energtic and intense, with multiple fights along the way. With the victory, the Minnesota Wild vaulted into 8th place in the Western Conference, in a jam-packed race. Cal Clutterbuck, Antti Miettinen, and Kyle Brodziak scored for the Wild. The win extended the Wild's four game winning streak at home. Also, Clayton Stoner was involved in a fight at the end of the game with Minnesota native David Backes, that looked like an old school boxing match. The St. Louis Blues have several Minnesota connections. David Backes played at Spring Lake Park High School, Erik Johnson played at Holy Angels, and TJ Oshie played at Warroad.

Josh Harding Out For Season With Torn ACL/MCL

Back up Minnesota Wild goaltender Josh Harding is out for the season after tearing his ACL and MCL in his right knee. St. Louis Blues forward Brad Boyes landed awkwardly on Harding and collided with his right knee in the crease. Anton Khudobin will likely take over the new back up role, a draftee from the 7th round in 2004. After the collision, Harding was in severe pain and told reporters he had heard a "pop". Best of luck to a quick recovery for Josh.

Minnesota Wild Lose 5-1, Sell-Out Streak Over

The Minnesota Wild scored first but that didn't matter - the St. Louis Blues responded with 5 unanswered goals and were victorious 5-1. Martin Havlat scored 42 seconds into the game but that lead was quickly erased. However, it's just a preseason game so don't read too much into it. Note - With an announced crowd of 16,219, the Wild had its consecutive sellout streak snapped at 409. It was the first non-sellout at any Wild game in franchise history including preseason, regular-season and postseason.