Burns to represent Wild in NC

Brent Burns was the lone Minnesota Wild player to be selected for the All-Star game in Raleigh, North Carolina. The draft for the game will take place on the 28th at 8pm, the skills competition on the 29th at 7pm, and the game will take place on the 30th at 4 pm.
Burns led the Wild in points for most of the season before Martin Havlat and Mikko Koivu found their grove, they lead the team with 38 and 36 points respectively. Burns is still in third on the team in points with 12 goals and 14 assists, second in goals behind only Cal Clutterbuck.
In other news related to the blog, former Rochester American and current Florida Panthers player Evgeny Dadonov will represent Florida in the Super Skills competition. Dadonov has 10 points in just 14games this season for the Panthers while adding 16 points in 24 games for the Amerks.
Michal Repik and Clay Wilson will be representing the Americans for the Western Conference All-Star team in the AHL All-Star game on January 31st at 7pm. The AHL skill competition will be held on Sunday January 30th at 3pm. Repik led all Amerks scorers in the first half of the season with 35 points, good for 12th in the AHL while Wilson has been a presence at the point, piling up 27 points. Athletic Trainer Kent Weisbeck will also be representing the Amerks.

A look ahead to the 2011 Iowa Hawkeyes - The Offense

Departing for Graduation:
Ricky Stanzi - A three year starter at quarterback that led the Hawkeyes to three bowl wins in the last three years will be the biggest loss for the Hawkeyes. The assumed starter next year will be Junior James Vandenberg though recruits and other underclassmen will get an opportunity to compete.
Colin Sandeman - Not a key reciever but one of many wideouts to leave the team this year. His 21 receptions should not however be a problem to replace.
Maki O'Meara - One of the most injury prone players on the Hawkeyes roster but his veteran leadership will be missed in the huddle and locker room.
Paul Chaney, Jr.  - His name always seemed to come up when the Hawks were on tv but he was unable to match the production of his freshman year. His stats will not be hard to make up but another veteran player whose presence will be harder to replace.
Brett Morse - A full back who didn't get many touches but played solid when called upon, usually as a blocker.
Julian Vandervelde - One of two starting offensive lineman who will need to be replaced, a veteran player who had the most experience.
Josh Koeppel - The other lineman that will need to be replaced, not a name that you would hear every game but neutral is better then hearing missed blocks.
Allen Reisner - The replacement to Tony Moeaki filled in nicely in his senior year. He doubled his previous high for yards in a season and tripled his previous high for receptions.
Don Nordmann - Four career receptions
Nick Kuchel - No stats available
Kyle Haganman - No stats available
Ben Evans - No stats available
Joe Audlehelm - No stats available

Departing for Other Reasons:
Derrell Johnson-Koulianos - suspended from the team after his house was busted as a drug house. since it was his senior year the only difference was the bowl game but his record setting performances will be missed.
Adam Robinson - Arrested for possession of marijuana while the rest of the team was preparing for the bowl game and subsequently removed from the team. He was part of the record setting freshman tandem last season and will be missed this season.
Jewell Hampton - The other half of the former freshman tandem, he recorded 500 yards and 7 touchdowns while splitting time that year. This year he was injured in week two and decided to transfer prior to the Bowl game. He will also be missed as the Hawks will rely on young backs once again this season.

Returners:
From the bowl game lineup against Missouri many of the players will be returning for next season.
QB:
Backup - James Vandenberg
RB:
Marcus Coker - A freshman back who had a very impressive debut in the Insight Bowl. Hopefully he can continue that effort as the season goes on.
WR:
Marvin McNutt - One of the most exciting players to watch on the offensive side of the ball. A former quarterback has thrived since moving to wide receiver and became one of Stanzi's favorite targets. He will be one of the main receivers for whoever takes over in the backfield next year.
Keenan Davis - Only a sophomore with eleven receptions on the year but will be one of the most experienced receivers in what seems to be a core that never stays around to develop.
TE:
Backup - Brad Herman - A junior with the same build as the guy he is replacing. He had 9 receptions for 154 yards this year and will be called upon a lot in 2011.
OL:
Riley Reiff
Markus Zusevics
James Ferentz
Backups:
Brett Van Sloten
Adam Gettis
Nolan MacMillan
Conor Boffeli

The Conclusion:
The Hawks offense should be in good shape by the time spring rolls around. Even though  they are losing some major components of the offense, the core of their line will still be there. The line will key the season with inexperience being the theme early in the year. The major question will be how well the new quarterback fills in for the loss of Ricky Stanzi. The running game should be solid as it always is under coach Ferentz as long as it is not the only dimension that the Hawkeyes have.

Thank you to this years seniors and good luck to all of you in your careers no matter which way they take you. Thank you for all you have done for Iowa Football...GO HAWKS!

More of the Same

For the third month in a row, the Wild failed to break out of the ordinary. The gained points in nine of their fifteen games this month but only picked up six wins. The did however win all four of their division games, though three of them were against Calgary who is currently above only Edmonton in the Western Conference.
The Wild got a good feel for where they fit in to the rest of the conference as well. They played four games against the top five teams in the west. In these games they only picked up one win, against San Jose, and lost in over time to the Stars. The other two games, against Anaheim and Detroit, did not go nearly as well. The Wild seemed to be overpowered as they gave up ten goals in the two games while only scoring three.
As has been the case in the last two months the Wild still sit right where they were at the beginning. Simply based on the standings the Wild are still in good shape continuing toward the playoffs. The only thing that has changed is their shot at winning the division, Vancouver has not lost in regulation in their last thirteen games boosting them to the top of the Western Conference. The Avalanche now trail the Canucks by ten points and the Wild trail them by fourteen points. The bottom of the conference has remained the game however, the Wild are in thirteenth place but still only four points out of sixth place and six points away from fourth. Nothing is out of the question still in terms of the playoff picture for the Wild.
Goal tending was the biggest inconsistency for the Wild this month, Backstrom had a three game winning streak where he allowed only one goal in each game. However he was in net for the losses to Anaheim and Detroit. Theodore was called upon more often then usual however his stats didn't match up. He played in six games and picked up only one win, an overtime win against Los Angeles. For the month his goals against average was just under three and his save percentage was around .900, levels that just aren't going to get it done for the wild as they try to make a push.
January brings about an opportunity for the wild once again, they play only four division games again this month, one against each team in the division. On top of those games they play three games early against some of the top teams in the East. This month will be make or break for the Wild, I think if they can pull into a playoff spot now they will be able to hold on and ride out the rest of the season. If they do not start a move now, working into the playoffs in the last two and a half months would be much more difficult. I'm hoping for the earlier of the two but only time will tell. Until then LETS GO WILD!

A glimpse of future hope

Going into the game Tuesday against Missouri I was one of those who had little faith in the Hawks to pull out a win. I watch the game regardless and was thoroughly impressed by the performance throughout the game. The loss of DJK (kicked off the team after drug charges), Robinson (suspended apparently for academics and the effects of an arrest between the end of the season and a bowl game puts his future in doubt), Hampton (transfer), Rodgers (injury), were assumed to have a major impact on the offense. The defense was facing questions of its own after taking most of the blame for the year end collapse.
When it came time to actually play the game, Marcus Coker piled the team on his back and carried them 217 yards. Micha Hyde stepped up and refused to let the defense take the blame for another late game loss by returning a Blaine Gabbert mistake 72 yards for a touchdown.
The game started just as the Hawkeyes wanted it to. They received the opening kickoff used a big pass play from Stanzi to McNutt, the feature receiver without DJK, and a few physical runs by freshman Marcus Coker to take an early seven to nothing lead. Missouri responded later in the quarter cutting the lead to four points.
The Hawks bumped up their lead on the first two possessions of the third quarter. Coker added his longest run of the season, only his sixth game, a 62 yard scamper outrunning the defenders after picking up a perfect block by McNutt. The Hawks then bumped their lead to 17-3 with a field goal by the true freshman Meyer.
Missouri, the number 14 team in the nation, wasn't going to go away quietly. They added a touchdown on an 82 yard drive and almost added a tying score with only a minute left. With only half a minute left Gabbert dropped back and tried to force the ball to his receiver where it was tipped by Shaun Prater into the hands of Brett Greenwood. The play ended the threat and the half, leaving the Hawkeyes with a seven point lead.
The second half had all the makings of another collapse for the Hawks. The offense struggled to get any consistency going, they produced only a Meyer field goal on the opening drive of the half. Stanzi threw two interceptions on the following three drives while Missouri produced 14 points in the game time to take their first lead of the game.
Then Micha Hyde stepped up and refused to let another game slip away. Despite giving up over 400 yards in the air and over 75 on the ground, the defense kept the team in the game. Gabbert was rushed on first down at the Iowa 29, he rolled out to his left and lobbed a pass that I assumed was going out of play. Next thing I knew, Hyde was picking up blocks and crossing the field. Soon after that he was sprinting up the field with help all around, turning a potential seven point deficit into a three point lead.
Mizzou got the ball back one more time though. The drove once again down into Hawkeye territory. A quarterback rush for three yards and two consecutive incomplete passes set up a fourth and seven with the game on the line. Gabbert threw a ball that appeared to result in a beautiful catch by his receiver Moe. The officials reviewd the catch however and decided to call it incomplete. I agreed with the call but did not expect it to be reversed because there didn't seem to be anything conclusive to show it. The ball was given back to the Hawks who continued to ride the back of Coker. He picked up ten yards on the first rush and seven on the next two. On third and one Stanzi ran a perfect play action pass, the whole defense went to Coker and when Stanzi rolled out it was too late. He hit Reisner, who was wide open, for a 39 yard gain. He came up a yard short of making it a ten point game but the Hawks were happy to line up in the victory formation and wind out the last few seconds.
The game was an excellent overall team performance. The line protected Stanzi and make holes for Coker. The defense played their typical bend but don't break style, conceding a huge amount of yards but only the 23 points for the game. The win helped to take the sting out of a rough year, the five close losses and failing to meet the expectations that had been set early. The Hawks proved that next year will be another to look forward to and I'm sure I'm not the only one looking forward to it.
Until then, other then a few occasional updates, LETS GO HAWKS!

Czech Republic vs Norway and the WJC

My sister and I ventured to Niagara University last night to catch the experience of the World Junior Championships, it made sure to meet my expectations. We went to the Czech vs Norway game since being in college doesn't make it hard to pick between 20 and 40 dollar tickets, especially when neither game is of significant importance to you. I quickly realized that it was an international event based on the large number of security people around the rink, although there was surprisingly little search at the door.
The crowd for the game was a full one, other then the reserved seats at the end of the ice almost all of the bleachers were filled up before the game started. The crowd was very neutral and just there to see some good hockey, other then a pack of Canadian fans behind us that were rooting for Norway to knock off the Czech team and make the road to a pool win easier for team Canada.
One of the main things I was interested in at the game was to see if the players or coaches had any significantly different traditions of things in the game. The only major thing that I noticed was the way the coaches were dressed; the Norway coaches wore suits and ties while the Czech coaches wore team jackets over regular shirts and ties. I was also surprised that the teams were not sponsored enough to have someone get them all matching equipment. For example the Norway goalie was wearing green pads despite the teams red, white, and blue colors. Another reason for that could be the lack of preparation time with the exact players for the teams but it was still surprising.
The game itself was a great one despite there being an obvious difference in the level of play for each team. The Czechs were clearly the better team from the start, though both teams took a while to get going. The first few shifts seemed to be a feeling out time though it resulted in a early power play for Norway. The fans in our area lacked more then a basic understanding of the rules of hockey. They complained about all of the penalties, despite some of them being quite obvious, and didn't understand the concept of hand pass or off sides at times. The style of game surprised me the most out of anything, I was expecting a fast paced game with a lot of scoring. Instead of faced paced, most of the players on both teams were over six feet tall and the main focus was on the physical game. I noticed that a few players were wearing full face shields, as is required in college hockey, and assumed that a contract of some type was the reason for them wearing them in the tournament.
I was also disappointed to see TV timeouts, I know its part of having a big event and making money but nothing takes the flow out of the game like stopping for a minute and a half. The second period was the perfect example of this, the Czech were going on a power play with the momentum but a TV timeout took away all of the built up advantage. Despite hating the timeouts it was neat to see most of the respective countries represented at the game.
At the end of the first the score was tied at zero, shots were seven to six in favor of the Czechs. The game seemed to be controlled by the Czechs much more then the shots and score indicated.

The second period brought a slightly faster pace to the game, but continued the Czech domination of play. The Norwegian's generated good chances when they could get going but they struggled to do so. A delay of game penalty on Norway off the face off was one of the only times I have ever seen a penalty called. The center took too long to get set, a violation of the rule that you do not see enforced very often. Later in the period, right after a TV timeout, the Czech's won a face off toward the Norway goaltender. The winger crashed the net hard and was able to bury the puck and give the Czech's a one nothing lead six minutes into the period. The emotion from the goal was awesome to see, it was like watching the Olympics with players that are still trying to earn their shot at glory. After a full like celebration on the boards, all five players went down the bench and then back to their own goalie to celebrate, just like it should be done.
Norway was being themselves for most of the game, they were failing to complete passes in any zone. Because of this they could not break out of their own zone, nor could they generate any pressure in the offensive zone. The only time they had any sustained pressure was the last few minutes of the period, where they generated most of their six shot for the period. The Czech's had 17 shots in the period bringing the two period total to 24-12 in their favor.

The third period brought about a much more back and forth tempo. Once again the period started off with a penalty, this time only 47 seconds into the frame. Norway's goalie kept it a one goal game with a beautiful save after the Czech's moved the puck around the outside. The third penalty of the period was a ten and two for contact to the head on the Czechs, something that has been all too common so far in the tournament. The Czechs were the ones to benefit from their own penalty. The Czech player worked out of the corner on a one on two, beating both defenders and beating the Norwegian goalie 5-hole to make it a two score game.
Norway eliminated their power play chance by taking a charging penalty halfway through the initial penalty. Even when Norway was getting chances they weren't taking advantage. Many of their shots were just missing the net, they could have easily doubled their shots for the game had they just made the goalie make a save.
Norway got another power play halfway through the period after a scrum in front of the net where only one player received a penalty. They were finally able to generate some control on this power play, getting three or four shots on goal in the two minutes, but still not able to score a goal.
With only a few minutes left in the game, my play of the game occurred. The Czech player was behind the Norway net with four defenders around him. He was able to come up with the puck and walk out of the corner where he found his teammate all alone in front of the net. The Norway goalie made the save but the ability of the player to come out with the puck was impressive. The rest of the game provided a few chances each way, though Norway was never able to hold on to the puck long enough to get their goalie out of the net. Final shots for the game were 38-21 in favor of the Czech team, reflective of the way the game seemed to be played despite the score being only 2-0.
After the game, a player of the game award was awarded to both teams. The Norway goalie deserving receiving the award. The Czech national anthem was played as both teams stood on the blue line, an excellent way to celebrate a well played game by both teams.

I thoroughly enjoyed my junior championship experience and wish that I could do it again, especially to witness a Canadian or US game. If anyone has extra tickets be sure to let me know, id easily make the trip to see these kids play with all their energy and emotion in a game that really cannot be beat by any other sport.

Flynn shines, Packers still fall

For the second time in as many weeks, Matt Flynn made one major mistake, for the second consecutive week it may have cost the team the game. His mistake was not the only one however, multiple plays could have changed the outcome of the game at different points but the "if only" theory doesn't work very well on the score sheet.
The first quarter of the game set the tone for what was going to be an excellent football game for the Green Bay Packers. An onside kick to open the game was recovered and put life into the offense that was held to just three points a week earlier in Detroit. Matt Flynn had confidence and poise in the pocket, looking much more fluent in his first start since his bowl game at LSU. Flynn took the opening drive into Patriot territory before they defense turned up the heat and forced a sack and a rushed throw on second and third downs. The Packers settled for three points and a lead in a game that many wondered if it was worth playing because of the directions the respective teams had been heading.
The Patriots got the ball back and were seemingly having trouble getting going until third down, something that became common through the night. Brady completed a pass on third and 17 for exactly 17 yards on the sideline picking up a first down. On the play before the conversion the first major missed opportunity passed by the Packers. Woodson read the receivers route perfectly and had a Brady pass go in and out of his hands. The interception could have given the Packers good field position again and Brady his first interception in many weeks. Instead the Pats picked up the first down and later on the drive BJGE, who's name is way to long to spell out, ran for a 33 yard score which put the Pats on top.
The only excitement on the next two drives was on the punt by the Packers. After the New England player called for a fair catch, the gunner for the Packers was blocked into him, resulting in a live ball. The Patriots fell on it at their own nine but it was another chance for the Packers to pick up some momentum. The quarter ended with the Patriots leading 7-3 but the Packers did seem to be controlling the play for the most part.
The next Packers drive looked as if Flynn had been running the offense on a regular basis. He used a good balance of run and pass throughout the game to keep the defense honest. The result was a 66 yard touchdown pass which he strung out to James Jones, just over the fingertips of the defenders and almost over Jones as well but he was able to make the catch and run to the end zone all alone. The pass instilled even more confidence in the young quarterback, it was his first TD pass in the NFL.
The next defensive series was another good one; Bishop went straight though the line on a blitz and absolutely destroyed Brady. Personally I was surprised he didn't get flagged for hitting to hard or some other made up, protect Brady, call. The ball appeared to come loose as Brady went to the ground as well but it was blown dead and no one recovered it so a challenge wouldn't have proven much anyways which is why I'm sure one was not attempted.The drive finally ended after two more plays, the first three and out of the game forced by the Packers.
No more points were scored until the last drives for both teams.The Packers last drive started with 8:43 left and took almost seven minutes off the clock before adding another touchdown for Flynn. The drive was highlighted by a quick third down pass to Jones to not only pick up a first down but it also put Flynn over 100 passing yards on the day. Other key plays were the third down catches for conversion by Nelson and Kuhn. The touchdown strike was a bullet out of a play fake that found Jennings for the one yard TD. The completion was the first real look to Jennings, other then a deep try down the field on a free play that went about 5 yards too long.
Everything seemed to be going the right way for the Packers until they kicked off again. An attempted squib kick landed right in the hands of Connolly, a lineman. Normally this is the result that you want, unfortunately that big man found a lane and returned the kick 71 yards inside the Green Bay 5 yard line. Brady of course wasn't going to let this chance slip and found his rookie tight end to put the Patriots right back into the game at halftime.
Some things that I noticed in the first half was the escapablility of Flynn, he always seemed to know where to go and for the most part where the pressure was coming from. The downfall to that was that he seemed to take too long to throw the ball at times, trying to make something happen when it wasn't really there. He doesn't quite have the speed of Rodgers so his scrambles do not accomplish quite as much. Overall it was a great half for the team, the lead should have been more, maybe even ideally holding the Patriots scoreless but that is all part of the game, a lead against one of the hottest teams in the league was something to be happy about.
The first drive of the second half took off right where the first half ended, Flynn made his only mistake of the night and had a pass picked off and returned for a touchdown. In his defense three or more Packers players had a chance to take Arrington down and at least force the NE offense to score but none the less it was another seven points on the board and a lead for the Patriots.
Flynn took to the field after the kickoff and redeemed himself. He drove the offense 69 yards in 13 plays to take the lead back for the Packers. A methodical drive describes it best as none of the plays were more than 11 yards at a time yet it took almost seven minutes to score.
The Patriots offense didn't get to take the field until there were just five minutes left in the third quarter. The result was a three and out highlighted with another sack for the defense.
The offense took over again, using 11 plays to go 45 yards to the NE 1 yard line where they were stopped three times and had to settle for a field goal to put them up 27-21 just minutes into the fourth quarter. This was another opportunity wasted to put the team up by even more, a ten point lead would have been much more substantial so late in the ball game.
The Patriots responded again matching the Green Bay field goal to make it just a three point game with eleven minutes left. A first down pass to Welker for 35 yards sparked the drive putting New England immediately into a scoring area. The following Packers drive was one of their few three and outs of the night, but also one of the most costly since they only burned about a minute off the clock.
The next Patriots drive was highlighted by Woodhead, one of the few players on other teams that I enjoy watching play. He highlight everything that is good about sports, showing how hard work can lead to success for even an undersized player. He piled up 37 yards on four plays which resulted in a touchdown pass once again from Brady to his rookie TE Hernandez.
A drive from both teams that resulted in nothing set up the Packers for one final chance with four minutes left and the ball near the midfield line. Early in the drive the running game was able to pick up three first downs, one compliments of a Patriots penalty. The rushing may have been a bad idea though as the Packers were still at the New England 29 with under a minute and a half to play. A sack with just over a minute to go didn't help either, setting them up with second and 18. They were able to get most of it back in two completions though but indecision after the third down pass with 29 seconds to go was the final straw. Instead of lining up quick and trying to pick up a first down and spike the ball they put all the eggs in the hail mary pass that resulted in a sack. Flynn just couldn't find an open receiver to finish off the game when the end came around. The coaching staff has taken the blame for the play saying that Flynn did as he was instructed after the third down play and that it was how they wanted it to be run. Either way the game ended as the clock ran out after the sack and the Patriots' Wilfork fell on the ball. Fitting for the kind of game he had, it seemed that Flynn was trying to avoid him the whole night regardless of who was blocking.
Out of the loss the Packers can take a few things; first and foremost they established a nice running game tonight. They totaled 143 yards on the ground, 99 by Jackson the one extra yard would have been nice to get a Packers back over the century mark for the first time in a while. Secondly their defense proved itself holding the hottest team in the league to thirty one points, doesn't sound like much but ask Jets and Bears fans how easy that is lately.
Reinforcing my idea that Flynn held the ball a little too long was the five sacks that the Packers surrendered. I would rather have him hold the ball then carelessly throw it away though so considering it was his first start I can deal with that. He will be tagged with two turnovers for the game but one is the fourth down play that ended the game, at least he was trying to make something happen, the fumble is something that comes along with that.
New week will be a new beast, and the start of the playoffs for the Pack. The Giants come to Lambeau for the first time since their NFC championship game a few years ago but they are coming off their stunning loss at home to the Eagles. They will be looking to regain confidence after allowing a 21 point lead to slip away in under eight minutes.. The Packers need to regroup after losing three out of four, hopefully Rodgers can return to practice this week and make things happen.
Either way it should be a great showdown since playoff spots are on the line and only two weeks remain to claim them. Until then Go Pack Go!

Wild fall to Ducks in final game of road trip

Well since i managed to sleep through the first period of the game I didn't get to do a full period by period recap but ill give it my best for what I did watch.
First Period:
The Ducks didn't waste any time getting started in this one, Cory Perry got a goal just 19 seconds into the game. Six minutes later the Wild were able to tie the game back up on a shot from Brett Burns. Assists on the goal went to Koivu and Havlat  on the goal, the assist for Koivu gave him a point in his fourth straight game, with five points so far in that span. The tie was short lived though as Perry got his name on the score sheet, this time as an assist on a Getzlaf goal, 42 seconds later. There was only one penalty in the period, going to the Ducks three minutes into the period but the Wild failed to make anything of it.
Shots:
Wild - 7
Ducks - 9
Scoring:
ANA - Perry (Ryan) 0:19
MIN - Burns (Koivu, Havlat)
ANA - Getzlaf (Ryan, Perry)

Second Period:
The second period took a little bit longer to get going then the first but about a minute and a half. After a Minnesota penalty a minute in, Getzlaf took advantage for the power play goal. It look halfway though the period and the second Ducks penalty of the period for the Wild to get back into the game. Koivu ripped a shot from the point that was tipped by Brunette, the shot went off of Hiller and right onto the tape of Zidlicky who made it 3-2. Another Minnesota power play benefited the Ducks more than it did the Wild as the Ducks had two, two on one opportunities, one of which resulted in a penalty shot for the Ducks. Perry marked up his second goal of the game on the penalty shot, ripping a shot 5-hole on Backstrom who seemed to lack a reaction to the shot.
The third Ducks goal was one of the more interesting sequences I have ever witnessed in a hockey game. It all started when the Wild took an icing at the end of a long shift, despite the fact that they were able to clear the zone they were not able to get a full change. The Ducks maintained pressure for a few minutes during which Koivu and Ryan got tied up along the boards. Somehow Koivu ended up with Ryan's stick in his hands while Koivu's stick was laying on the ice. Ryan picked up the stick on the ice and set up at the back door. A Lydman shot hit Backstrom in the pads only to bounce right onto the tape of Ryan who put it in the back of the net and immediately let Koivu know that he scored with his stick.
The Wild picked up a double minor high sticking penalty at the end of the period, the penalty was their fourth of the game.
Shots:
Wild - 11
Ducks -  15
Scoring:
ANA (PP) Getzlaf (Perry, Visnovsky) 2:51
MIN (PP) Zidlicky (Brunette, Koivu) 9:49
ANA (Penalty Shot) Perry
ANA (PP) Perrry (Getzlaf, Fowler)

Third Period:
The third period was the only one not to get off to a quick start, this despite the fact that the Ducks had three minutes of power play time left to start. The Wild managed to take two more penalties in the period, the later of which was converted into the third Perry goal of the game. The Ducks easily controlled the play in the third holding the Wild to a single shot until there was less than three minutes left in the period. To say the game lacked energy would be an understatement and the only true emotions came out when the Wild were down late in the game.
Shots:
Wild - 4 Total of 22
Ducks - 12 Total of 36
Scoring:
Ryan - (PP) Getzlaf (Fowler) 15:47

Final Thoughts:
First the Ducks line of Perry, Getzlaf and Ryan were amazing tonight they accounted for all six goals and eleven points overall, despite the fact that one of Ryan's goals was on a penalty shot and received no assists.
Madden and Cullen were out again tonight for the Wild, leaving them once again without two of the major players on their penalty kill. Despite this the Wild still took six penalties in the game(that makes 14 power play opportunities in two nights) resulting in two Ducks goals. The Ducks also added the short handed penalty shot goal to their impressive special teams night. Despite the performance tonight the Wild still picked up 5 out of 8 points on a tough road trip. Here is to hoping that they can build off of this can continue to work their way into playoff position.