Wild Blog: How Wild Was That Opener?
If you are a fan of the Minnesota Wild, then odds are you are on a hockey high like I am today!
The Wild simply outplayed the Colorado Avalanche all night long. They were faster, better with the puck and a lot of fun to watch. Nobody saw that shutout coming.
Those "great hockey minds" that like to predict how teams will do this year did not predict last night's whooping and, frankly, that's how I like it. The Wild are better when they don't have that pressure of being labeled a "top team." They are by far at their best coming in, like they did last night, and surprising everyone by playing some of the best hockey I've ever seen them play.
How good was that Parise, Granlund, Pominville line? I don't even think the Avs got the puck when those three were on the ice. They were skating circles around them and didn't stop pushing the entire game, and for me that was the most exciting thing to watch.
Last year (and frankly almost every other year) the Wild would get a lead and switch their game into a more defensive one, with the goal of protecting the lead. Not last night: the Wild never stopped pushing, even at the end--up 5-0 and still you'd see defensemen like Brodin, Suter and Spurgeon stepping up into the play.
It was the kind of hockey that makes you excited to watch, the kind of hockey you can't wait to watch again. So you can bet you'll find me in front of my TV on Saturday night as the Wild travel to Colorado to put on a show for their fans.
The big question is how will the Avs respond? Will they start the game on the attack, using their size and weight to try and stop our speed and skill? They need to try something because it was crystal clear on Thursday night that the Wild had gotten much better in the off-season. The addition of Vanek and emergence of young talent like Granlund, Coyle, Dumba and Folin make the Wild a real contender for the Stanley Cup.
I just hope they can keep up the intensity and the speed. If that happens, there's no doubt fans will be filling the X for another playoff series come springtime. That's something this die-hard Wild fan can't wait for!
-- Jen Jimenez is the managing editor of WCCO-TV and an avid Wild fan.
