It feels like a month since the Wild last played, but its American Hockey League affiliate is still kicking.
After losing the first two games in their best-of-five first round series against Oklahoma City, the Houston Aeros staved off elimination last night by beating the Barons, 1-0.
Brett Bulmer scored the lone goal (Cody Almond, Nick Palmieri with the assists) and Mike Brodeur stopped 31 shots for the shutout.
"Very good character win," said Aeros GM Jim Mill.
Brodeur will be in net again Tuesday night in Game 4 as Matt Hackett recovers from an injury. Darcy Kuemper is out for the year folliowing major shoulder surgery in March.
Brodeur was back home hurt all year until the Wild came calling a few months ago. They sent him to Las Vegas in the ECHL to play a few games before bringing up to Houston. Good thing because they need him now.
Brodeur used to play for Ottawa. He has three NHL wins -- one against the Wild, a day after the 2009 equipment fire. That was the game almost every player had to play in brand new equipment and, if I remember correctly, the Wild had to play short because Guillaume Latendresse and Eric Belanger got what I think was the swine flu. It was just this awful bug that was going through the team. Antti Miettinen had it. So did Josh Harding. So did I after the Montreal game.
Needless to say, in Ottawa, the Wild had no energy, Niklas Backstrom looked like a mess and Brodeur backstopped the Senators to the easy W.
