Mike Yeo unhappy with team's Game 1 performance

Last year, the Wild played well enough to win Game 1 in Chicago, lost in overtime and got smoked in Game 2.

I don't think the Wild was nearly as bad as coach Mike Yeo portrayed tonight. I think he was doing a bit of postgame coaching because if the Wild actually thinks it played well and still lost 5-2, where does it go from here? It better fix its game for a Game 2 response. It's kind of like his Game 5 reaction last round when the Wild was the victim of some questionable officiating and he bit his tongue. If the Wild actually thought it was cheated (sorry, Todd McLellan term), where does it go in Games 6 and 7?

The Wild lost this game for four reasons:

1. Jonas Brodin is a high-sticking madman suddenly, was in the bin twice tonight and the Hawks made Minnesota pay both times.

2. Its lack of finish in a one-sided second period (despite outshooting Chicago 17-3 and missing another 11 shots, including one hit pipe), the Wild watched Chicago turn its one-goal lead into a two.

3. Lost the special teams battle 2-nothing.

4. Patrick Kane is scary good.

With the Madhouse on Madison eerily silent, Kane scored the eventual winning goal 1:26 after Brodziak's tying goal (8:22 into the third) on a terrific play, then shot. Dangles through neutral zone, walks into the zone, cuts to his right on the backhand, turns toward the net and around Brodin and roofs a backhander because Ilya Bryzgalov wasn't covering the short-side.

After the goal, Kane apparently yelled, "Showtime."

Kane then scored again with 3:13 left and Bryan Bickell an empty-netter, so the lopsided score isn't indicative of what actually happened on the ice.

Yeo said, "We had some good moments, but we're not happy with our game tonight. I felt that we didn't have everybody at the level we needed to be at, so we'll rectify that."

Asked about Brodin and his poor play, Yeo said a handful of guys were below average at best. He didn't know if that was because of the quick turnaround or because they didn't get reset and refocused and adjusted for a new series.

On Stoner, who was a physical menace and knocked Andrew Shaw out of the game with a lower-body injury, Yeo said, "I thought he was a difference maker and this is the way he's played all playoffs for us."

On Bryz, Yeo said he didn't have a problem with his game (and right now he has no choice to talk him up): "Obviously this a talented team that can capitalize and don't need 30 opportunities to put five in the net so we have to limit those quality opportunities."

Bryzgalov gave up four goals on 21 shots.

Jason Pominville again can't seem to find his game. Missing nets galore, although he set up a couple nice chances tonight.

In the first, the Wild had a chance to take a 1-0 lead when Nate Prosser connected with Zach Parise with a home-run pass near the far blue line. But on the shorthanded breakaway, Blackhawks speedy defenseman Nick Leddy, the 2009 Wild first-round pick, hustled back and impeded Parise's shot with a swinging stick check.

The Wild caught a break with 2:44 left in the period when Brandon Bollig appeared to make it 2-0 off a goalmouth scramble. But referee Dan O'Halloran ruled that he blew his whistle to stop play prior to the puck crossing the line.

The Wild had a chance to tie early in the second period, but Mikael Granlund, with no goalie in front of him, redirected a pass off the crossbar. It was the third time in the game the Wild hit iron. Heatley and Matt Moulson did the same in the first. Granlund missed some golden chances.

Here are some more quotes (transcribed by our stringer, Blake Schuster (@schustee19):

Kane

Backhander

· It's not like I looked up and saw him go down. I wish I could say that, but it's not the way it happened

Sharp

On Kane's backhander

· The thing I like about Kaner the best is the big stages, he always seems to put one in, whether he's back home in Buffalo in a big game, time and time again in the playoffs he scores goals and it seems like he wants that puck all the time. So, big goal, big third period for Kaner."

On getting outshot in five of seven playoff games so far:

Brodziak

28 minutes, three shots allowed and two goals

· "A kick in the teeth is a little extreme. We've talked about it all along. There's going to be highs and lows. We did some good things. There's a lot of areas we can be better in, but it's a long series. We feel that if we're doing the right things over the length of a series, that's when we see the results we want."

Bickell

What's changed on PP from Blues series?

Brodin

·

PENALTIES

·

· Two unlucky high sticks there, I don't know. I need to keep the stick on the ice there.

· It's not very fun to sit in the box.

Stoner

Goal

· Honestly, I don't even know how it went in.

Crawford

· Yeah, I could hear it.

·

· (you cool with it)

Yeah. It's way better than booing me, if that's what you're saying. (smiles)