Minnesota Wild (3-9-0)     6pts     5th in Northwest Division

2.08 Goals per Game (29th in NHL)

3.25 Goals Against per Game (22nd in NHL)

22.8% Power Play (11th in NHL)

86.7% Penalty Kill (1st in NHL)

Top 5 Scorers:

1.  #15 Andrew Brunette ~ 7G 3A = 10pts

2.  #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 3G 7A = 10pts

3.  #25 Eric Belanger ~ 2G 8A = 10pts

4.  #3 Marek Zidlicky ~ 0G 6A = 6pts

5.  #9 Brent Burns ~ 2G 3A = 5pts

Top 3 Penalty Minutes:

1.  #34 Shane Hnidy ~ 18PIM’s

2.  #36 John Scott ~ 16PIM’s

3.  #3 Marek Zidlicky ~ 12PIM’s

Goaltenders:

1.  #32 Niklas Backstrom ~ (3-7-0)   2.70GAA   .910SV%

2.  #37 Josh Harding ~ (0-2-0)   5.50GAA   .738SV%

3.  #35 Anton Khudobin ~ (0-0-0)

vs

New York Rangers (8-4-1)     13pts     2nd in Atlantic Division

3.62 Goals per Game (3rd in NHL)

2.77 Goals Against per Game (11th in NHL)

25.9% Power Play (7th in NHL)

85.2% Penalty Kill (4th in NHL)

Top 5 Scorers:

1.  #10 Marian Gaborik ~ 10G 8A = 18pts

2.  #20 Vinny Prospal ~ 4G 12A = 16pts

3.  #12 Ales Kotalik ~ 5G 7A = 12pts

4.  #4 Michael Del Zotto ~ 4G 8A = 12pts

5.  #17 Brandon Dubinsky ~ 3G 6A = 9pts

Top 3 Penalty Minutes:

1.  #87 Donald Brashear ~ 23PIM’s

2.  #17 Brandon Dubinsky ~ 16PIM’s

3.  #34 Aaron Voros ~ 14PIM’s

Goaltenders:

1.  #30 Henrik Lundqvist ~ (7-3-1)   2.65GAA   .915SV%

2.  #40 Stephen Valiquette ~ (1-1-0)   3.00GAA   .861SV%

If you’ve read any of the press out of the Twin Cities or ventured onto the Wild’s official message boards, you will have noticed that the talk is about the Wild’s new system, the fact that it’s not working, and that the players seem confused while on the ice.  Because of all the confusion, one of the posters on those message boards, posted the above video as to how it exemplifies just how messed up things are in Xcel Energy Center these days.  The icing on the cake, is that no one seem to know if the Wild are an offensive team or a defensive team or where the mistakes are coming from.  It’s unfortunately a sad turn of events, to go from a team that actually competed night after night to the current (and highly ineffective) incarnation of the Minnesota Wild.

Of course, the main talk on Friday will be the return of one Marian Gaborik.  It has been a game that many Wild fans have had circled on their calendars since the schedule came out.  If Wild fans have had this game on their radar, one can almost guarantee that Gaborik has been anticipating it as well.  What makes it even more momentous, is that fans and pundits will most definitely be playing games of “what if,” wondering what this season might be like if Gaborik was still in a Wild jersey.  During the off-season, many fans accepted and even celebrated Gaborik’s departure, especially after the signing of Martin Havlat.  Fans then felt even better after the Wild acquired Petr Sykora.  However, at this point, neither have really made an impact.  With the “failure” of Havlat and Sykora, Gaborik’s leading the Rangers in goals and points and third in the entire league for goals and points is the proverbial salt in the wound.

One has to wonder what the feelings are in the lockerroom.  I would hope that the players are ticked with how they’re playing.  I would also hope that the coaching staff and management would re-evaluate the system of play.  With many of the current players used to former head coach Jacques Lemaire’s defense-first style of game, and overall scoring being down, it might not be a bad idea to go back in time.  If playing defensive hockey brings about a team that’s truly competitive on a nightly basis, which could turn into more wins, it might not be a bad idea.  With ticket sales down this season (theory based on the more “creative” season ticketing options this season to boost sagging numbers), the team is going to need wins in order to boost fan morale.  I’ve said it many times before, when opposing fans complained of the Wild’s “boring” style of play, that wins are never boring.

Since I wish with all my heart that the Wild find a way to turn things around, I’ll leave you with this classic “Hockey Falls” commercial.  One can only hope that the “end of our losing streak” is but around the corner.