The best and the biggest of 2007

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.

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 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

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

Games: Niklas Backstrom 26, Josh Harding 16

Wins: Backstrom 16, Harding 7

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

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. 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

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.

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.