I’d like to remind every one that the Wild is back in this building on Saturday, so that rematch will be interesting.

There were four fights, lot of elbows and hits from behind and at one point in the second period, there were fights on three separate shifts six seconds apart — Stephane Veilleux vs. Scott Nichol, Derek Boogaard vs. Wade Belak and Craig Weller vs. Jordin Tootoo.

By the way, Boogey’s shift was his only one of the game, and it lasted one … two … three … seconds. Three!!!

Besides the rout, this game got ugly in a hurry and the Wild made Nashville pay for its lack of composure by scoring five power-play goals, a new Wild road record. The five power-play goals ties the Wild’s overall record, and tied Nashville’s record for most power-play goals allowed. Who’d the Preds allow five PPG’s to before? The Wild in 2006.

Nashville had a right to be upset early in my opinion. Craig Weller checked Ryan Suter on an icing, which is not supposed to be allowed anymore. Supposed to be an automatic penalty because some player broke his femur last year chasing an icing. Don’t remember his name.
Shea Weber compounded things by jumping Weller for a two. When Weller got nothing for hitting Suter on the ice, Sutter began yelling  at the ref and got a minor, meaning the Wild had a two-minute 5-on-3 with Shea Weber, Nashville’s best defenseman, in the box for seven minutes.

Weller off for five. Weber off for seven. Good tradeoff. Oh, and Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Andrew Brunette scored on the power plays to give Josh Harding, who had a right to feel rusty after not playing since Oct. 30, a 2-0 cushion.

Koivu was sensational. Two goals, an assist, great on the penalty kill, in a season-high 24:46. He had to be good. Eric Belanger tested his injured leg in warmups, and lasted two minutes. So the Wild played with three centers. Jacques Lemaire praised the job done by James Sheppard and Benoit Pouliot, who made things hairy in the third with two straight penalties.

Koivu scored a back-breaking fourth goal, then stole the puck from Weber in the third for a breakaway goal.

Brunette had a goal and two assists, Owen Nolan scored for a third straight game (first three-game goal streak since March 2003), Bouchard had a goal and an assist, Antti Miettinen had a career-high three assists and Weller was rewarded with his first goal with the Wild.

The Wild has beaten Nashville in six of the last seven meetings. The Wild has scored 17 goals in the past four games (3-1). The Wild was 8-5 in November for its best November ever. The Wild’s 11 power-play chances tied a team record. It’s the 11th time in team history the Wild’s scored six on the road — second time this season. Koivu had his eighth career three-point game. Harding won for the first time since Feb. 10. Miettinen had his fourth career three-point game, and three have come this season. Brunette scored his 199th career goal.

Belanger is day-to-day, but Lemaire said if he can’t play Monday, the Wild needs another center from the minors (probably Krys Kolanos).

With the tight deadline and all the players I needed to find after the game, I completely forgot to ask Lemaire about why he scratched Clutterbuck. Brian Stensaas is on tomorrow and maybe he can ask that follow.

That’s it from moi. Hope your shopping is going well.

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As I speculated on the previous blog, center Eric Belanger is out tonight. He sustained that leg injury I mentioned in the previous blog when he was hit by Lecavalier last night in the first period. He finished the game.

Cal Clutterbuck, the team leader in hits, is not out there and is healthy.

Big question is who gets Belanger’s center shifts. Bouchard, Nolan? Gillies played center in junior. I’m thinking Gillies will play center.

Craig Weller and Colton Gillies are in.

I hear fiddling in my head. Could be because I went to the Charlie Daniels Museum today. I once the Charlie Daniels Band play in a high school gymnasium in Cleveland, Georgia. The second after they did Devil Went Down to Georgia, my friends and I left

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 29th, 2008 at 6:33 pm and is filed under Game coverage. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.