Just to show you how a shootout win versus a shootout loss changes how one feels about a game, the Wild seemed awfully satisfied with today's 3-2 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Hey, at this time of the year, two points is two points and the Wild did pull within a point of the eighth-place Avalanche, which rallied from a 3-1 deficit in Calgary on Friday to take two points there via the shootout.
But I wasn't as enamored with the Wild's game as John Torchetti seemed to be after this one.
I saw a team that didn't play in the first two periods with the desperation it needs to play with if it expects to make the playoffs. I saw a team that constantly avoided the simplest of body checks and stick-checked all over the ice, and it led to Carolina's second goal and continuous easy exits out of the Wild end.
It was maddening, although Torchetti claimed he didn't agree. Torchetti's edict earlier when he took over was, "No more stick checks."
The Wild had three hits through 34 minutes tonight, but after Jason Zucker woke up the crowd with a big hit on Brad Malone, David Jones scored 73 seconds later. After Zucker engaged Ron Hainsey in the third period, the Wild scored five seconds later.
And I saw a team that again gave up the tying goal late in the third, which resulted in the second blown regulation/overtime win in the past three games.
Why is that so gigantic? Because if the Wild ends up tied with the Avalanche in points at the end of the season, the first tiebreaker is regulation/overtime wins. And the Wild is conveniently two of those behind Colorado. So that goal with eight seconds left in Ottawa to force OT (and then losing in OT) and the goal today to force OT (and then not winning in OT) could end up being costly.
Remember, the second tiebreaker is head-to-head matchup, and the Wild has that locked up regardless of the outcome this upcoming Saturday in Denver.
But I digress. Two points is two points after the debacle in Jersey a few days ago, the most important thing Torchetti wanted today was simplicity, structure and being on the right side of the puck. The team defended well.
"A slower start, but we stayed with it," Charlie Coyle said. "I think in previous games we would get frustrated within our game and things not working. We stuck with it. We were more aggressive. We stayed within our structure. That's what's going to get us scoring chances. I think we stick with it and give a little more each time, create some momentum and I think it's going to pay off in our favor."
The Wild plays in Chicago on Sunday, the Avalanche plays in Edmonton. Each team has 10 games left.
Couple things with today's game:
1. Zucker, scratched in two recent games, scored his second goal in 24 games since Jan. 7. The goal came 16 seconds into the third – the third time Zucker has scored in the first 20 seconds of a period this season.
"It's always nice to get a goal," Zucker said. "But more than that, it was nice to help the team get a win tonight, in any way. Whether that's shots on net, blocking shots or getting a goal, it was nice to help us get that win. It was two very-needed points."
2. The Nino Niederreiter-Erik Haula-Jones line was really good and combined for the first goal. Niederreiter, who entered the game with goals in his last three contests, pressured the Hurricanes into a center-ice turnover. The third line entered the zone, and Niederreiter first won a puck battle in the circle, then won a race for the puck after a Jared Spurgeon shot on goal. Niederreiter found the puck, circled around the net with a power play and fed Haula in the slot. Haula ripped it on net and a driving Jones scored his second goal with the Wild and first at home.
It was a deserving goal for a hard-working line and particularly Jones, who was good enough in Thursday's blowout loss at New Jersey that Torchetti elevated him to the second and third lines at times and played him on the third Saturday.
Of course, the Wild's long awaited lead lasted a paltry 1 minute, 28 seconds. Rookie defenseman Mike Reilly, back in the lineup after being scratched three straight games, looked rusty throughout the game and made a big boo-boo here. He couldn't intercept Noah Hanifin's outlet pass along the wall, then got caught as the Hurricanes took off on a 2-on-1 with only Matt Dumba back.
With Chris Terry flying down the right-wing boards, he whistled a shot high up on Devan Dubnyk that the goalie, probably playing too deep, couldn't stop. Reilly didn't play another shift.
Torchetti loved the response though after the goal.
He said, "We had the game going our way, and then to give up a goal with three minutes left [in the second], it was a tough play. We made a bad read there, and we recovered. Guys said all the right things in the locker room. They were all really good. They said, 'Hey, we'll pick you up.' Those are all the words you want to hear moving forward with the good team leadership that we have, and we need more of it, like we always talk about. Some really good talk in the locker room, and that's picking each other up when things aren't going right, and just playing the right way.
3. Dubnyk rebounded from Thursday's ghastly performance with a 31-save effort and two more saves in the shootout. He's now 2-1 in games after being pulled.
With backup Darcy Kuemper sidelined with an upper-body injury, the net could be Dubnyk's for awhile.
With youngster Steve Michalek recalled to back up, Dubnyk will start Sunday night's game in Chicago, one of two sets of back-to-backs left. In last season's final six sets of back-to-backs, Dubnyk went 5-0-1 with a 1.14 goals-against average and .968 save percentage in the back end.
4. Zach Parise only one shot on goal and continues to just blend in. The Wild needs more, although he did score the shootout deciding goal with his 40th career shootout goal. Coyle also scored in the shootout.
5. Torchetti didn't give too many details as to why he scratched veteran Thomas Vanek, the team's fourth-leading scorer. But the coach made it clear during the recent road trip when he scratched Jason Zucker that Vanek too was in jeopardy.
Vanek's effort has been erratic and he has no goals, three assists and 14 shots in the past 10 games.
"We put the lineup in that we feel is going to win the game," Torchetti said.
6. Ryan Carter sustained an upper-body injury and didn't travel to Chicago. So Vanek or Chris Porter should get back in. Maybe Nate Prosser gets back in for Reilly. Niederreiter also seemed to sustain an injury to his leg today. We'll see how it is in Chicago.
The Wild won't skate in the morning, but Torchetti plans to bring the team down to the rink because of how awful the players were in Jersey when he gave them the morning off.
Speaking of that, the Big Ten warmups have started between the Gophers and Wolverines, so I better rush to the airport and catch my flight.
