After a uncharacteristic loss to the Avalance last weekend the Minnesota Wild returned to their more typical playing style with a 4-0 shutout over the St. Louis Blues. Nicholas Backstrom needed only 22 saves to preserve the shutout. The game was controlled by a dominant defensive effort by the Wild and a strong forechecking presense in the offensive zone.

The Wild have struggled to score goals this year at times, so the need to use a defensive style is paramount if this team is going to continue to win.

On a more sour note Marion Gaborik reinjured his groin and continues his games not started streak. Gaborik has missed 21 games now and is likely going to break his mark of missing 36 games just a couple of years ago. It is becomming more obvious that he is a soft player and not worth what he is asking. The trouble is the talented Gaborik is never healthy and no longer commands high trade value. The Wild's best hope is that Gaborick can return to the lineup soon and become the offensive threat that this team needs to make a deep run in the playoffs.

In one of the oddest games I have ever seen the Minnesota Wild lost to the Dallas Stars last night by a score of 4-3. If you watched the game, you would understand that the Wild should have beat the Dallas Stars by at least 2 goals last night.

In a game that the Minnesota Wild completely dominated, they managed to hit the cross bar and pipe at least 3 times. In addition, had a goal called back because the goalie knocked the net off the mourings. The Dallas Stars got their last goal with about 6 minutes to go in the game. Typical with the rest of the night's action the Wild put on a late flurry with one minute to go in the game and in the exchage Burns backhanded the puck right off the pipe with the net wide open. This typified a strange game and ended a very bad home streak for the Minnesota Wild. The inability of this team to score goals right now is going to make it very difficult for this team to continue to stay near the top of the division.

There is no doubt that Marion Gaborik is one of the fastest and most talented players in all of the NHL. Very few players can match his puck handling skills and only a handful of players in the NHL is as fast as Gaborik. Currently Gaborik is in a long contract negotiation with the Minnesota Wild where he is asking to be paid the highest salary in the NHL. When healthy, Gaborik probably deserves a contract that is as high as any in the NHL, however, that is the key problem in all of this.

In his 6 years as a professional Marion Gaborik has rarely been healthy as NHL player. This year in his contract negotiation year, he has been hampered with a severe grin pull and has only been on the ice a handful of times. Worst yet when he has been on the ice, quite simply he has not been that productive. Meanwhile the Minnesota Wild continue to have a successful season without Gaborik’s presence. This begs the question do the Minnesota need Marion Gaborik to win a Stanley Cup championship. With his firepower in the lineup the Wild command a different type of respect than when he is not in the lineup. One thing is for sure as Gaborik struggles with his health the Wild have much less incentive to offer a big contract and Gaborik’s trade value plummets. It will be interesting to see if the Wild package up Gaborik by the trade deadline or simply reduce the contract to the superstar and force him to move or take a lesser contract price.

Ever since the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas in a suprizing move, the fans of Minnesota lobbied to get a NHL franchise back in the State of Minnesota. In 1999, the NHL awarded Minnesota with the newest franchise of NHL the Minnesota Wild. Ewver since that day the Wild have created one of the most electrifying atmospheres in the NHL, selling out every game since the inaugural season. The streak now sits at several hundred games in a row, and without a doubt the Wild are now one of the top franchises in the NHL for fan loyalty and overall profitability.

This blog will be dedicated to the Minnesota Wild, tracking their in-game highlights, talk about players and latest news, and discuss potential trade talks for the Minnesota Wild. Feel free to comment on any posts.

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