THE BEST & THE BIGGEST
Best forward: Marian Gaborik's five-goal game was nice, but his next three games showed why he didn't elevate himself to an elite level. Other than one lull, Pierre-Marc Bouchard has been the most consistent.
Best defenseman: Nick Schultz has been Willie Mitchell steady and like his close pal is raising his stock right before his unrestricted summer.
Biggest loss: Wes Walz's retirement hurt, but Mikko Koivu was having a strong start to his 2007-08 season until Mattias Ohlund clubbed him in the leg.
Best newcomer: Eric Belanger has been solid on and off the ice.
Biggest disappointment: Tie between Demitra's play and Martin Skoula's continued erratic play.
Biggest surprise: Voros. Plays physically, with an edge, and scores big goals.
Biggest shock: The fact that Keith Carney has fallen so far out of Jacques Lemaire's favor.
TEAM LEADERS
Goals: Marian Gaborik 21, Brian Rolston 14, Mark Parrish and Eric Belanger 10
Assists: Pierre-Marc Bouchard 28, Gaborik 18, Rolston, Belanger and Brent Burns 17
Points: Gaborik 39, Bouchard 35, Rolston 31
Plus-minus: Bouchard and Belanger +8, Keith Carney +7
Penalty minutes: Aaron Voros 74, Derek Boogaard 52, Todd Fedoruk 41
Power-play goals: Gaborik and Belanger 6, Rolston and Parrish 5
Power-play assists: Bouchard 14, Rolston 9, Belanger and Gaborik 7
Power-play points: Bouchard 17, Rolston 14, Gaborik and Belanger 13
Shorthanded goals: Belanger and Gaborik 1
Hat tricks: Gaborik (5 goals)
Even-strength points: Gaborik 25, Bouchard 18, Rolston 17
Game-winning goals: Rolston 5, Gaborik 4, Belanger 3
Shots: Rolston 147, Gaborik 134, Brent Burns 70
Faceoff winning pct.: Dominic Moore 53.0, Belanger 50.4
Shooting pct.: Pavol Demitra 18.2, Belanger 17.9, Parrish 16.7
Time on ice per game: Kim Johnsson 22:30, Burns 22:15, Demitra 20:32
GOALTENDING STATS
Games: Niklas Backstrom 26, Josh Harding 16
Wins: Backstrom 16, Harding 7
Shots against: Backstrom 733, Harding 466
Saves: Backstrom 670, Harding 422
Goals allowed: Backstrom 63, Harding 44
Goals against average: Backstrom 2.46, Harding 3.02
Save percentage: Backstrom .914, Harding .906
Shutouts: Backstrom 2, Harding 1
Minutes: Backstrom 1,534; Harding 874
PECULIAR STAT TEAM LEADERS
Hits: Stephane Veilleux 50, Nick Schultz and Aaron Voros 48
Missed net w/shot: Rolston 54, Gaborik 39, Belanger 34
Blocked shots: Johnsson 58, Schultz 56, Martin Skoula 44
Go-ahead goals: Gaborik 7, Rolston and Voros 5
Tying goals: Gaborik and Belanger 3
Points vs. division: Bouchard 15, Gaborik 14, Belanger 11
Points vs. outside division: Gaborik 25, Rolston 21, Bouchard 20
Points at home: Gaborik 27, Rolston 19, Bouchard 17
Points on the road: Bouchard 18, Belanger 15, Rolston and Gaborik 12
Shootout goals: Petteri Nummelin 2
Fights: Voros 7, Boogaard 6
Minor penalties: Fedoruk 17, Gaborik 15, Rolston 14
Memory lane victories
Wild at Phoenix, Oct. 13: With the Wild trailing 2-1 late, Mikko Koivu scored a power-play goal with 6:20 left and Eric Belanger scored a shorthanded goal with 3:15 left.
Colorado at Wild, Oct. 21: With the score tied 2-2 late in the third, Koivu single-handedly drove the net from behind the goal line to win it with 3:04 left.
Wild at Anaheim, Dec. 14: With players running for two days to the restroom, the ailing Wild came together to build a 5-0 lead en route to a 5-2 win.
Nashville at Wild, Dec. 18: Trailing 2-0 in the third, Marian Gaborik and Belanger tie it before Brian Rolston wins it with 1:08 left.
N.Y. Rangers at Wild, Dec. 20: Five-goal, six-point night by Gaborik was the best performance in Wild history.
Edmonton at Wild, Dec. 29: Trailing 4-1, Rolston, Gaborik and Brent Burns rally the Wild before Petteri Nummelin's overtime winner.
FORGETTABLE DEFEATS
Wild at Calgary, Oct. 24: After building a 3-0 lead, the Wild collapsed and gave up five unanswered goals.
Pittsburgh at Wild, Oct. 30: In his first game in St. Paul, Sidney Crosby scored a goal and had three assists in Wes Walz's last NHL game.
Wild at Calgary, Nov. 13: Twenty-one seconds after Koivu gave the Wild a 2-1 lead in the third, Jarome Iginla tied it before Kristian Huselius handed the Wild a back-breaking loss by scoring the winner with 53 seconds left.
Wild at Vancouver, Nov. 16: The Wild was crushed 6-2 and Koivu had his leg broken in the waning seconds.
Detroit at Wild, Dec. 22: Already beaten 5-0 by the Red Wings, the Wild gave up its most shots ever at home (51) in this 4-1 trouncing.
Wild at Dallas, Dec. 26: Trailing 4-3, the Wild gave up four third-period goals and lost 8-3, equaling the most goals its ever surrendered.
