The best are the best for a reason

The Wild have gotten past their trend of slow starts, as they really took it to the Caps in the first and part of the second period. Washington's defenders struggled to get it out of their zone, which is the hallmark of Todd Richards' forecheck system. Minnesota kept the pressure up for much of the first period, but their lack of finishing let the air out of their tank.

The Capitals, even without Alex Ovechkin, are one of if not the best teams in the NHL. Every team has a weakness though, and Washington's is its defense and goaltending. Jose Theodore's struggles give the Caps their bad goaltending, and unfortunately for the Wild they drew the sophomore Varlamov, who is a lot better than Theodore the Toreador. In order to win the Wild would have to take a bunch of shots and try to outwork the Capitals' defensemen's daydreams of the offensive zone.

They nearly pulled if off, thanks to an outstanding effort by Josh Harding, the Wild's young back-up goaltender. Until the third period when the Wild became more aggressive in pursuit of the tying goal, they held off the Caps on the defensive end. The Caps' talent still found a way to generate good chances, and they CAPITALIZED (three levels!) on two of them. Josh Harding was there on the rest of their forty shots. Some were routine, but Josh absolutely robbed Washington of several near-certain goals. It helps Josh and the Wild when he's able to perform like this. He's probably their most valuable and available trading asset right now.

After a slow second that saw the Capitals take control in every way except the score, Washington broke through for the lead, after which the Wild finally regained their opening period energy. They played the puck possession game very well, and started letting loose on their shots. Because, you know, you have to take shots to score goals. They nearly did on several occasions, but the Wild could not buy a good rebound, other than their solid effort after having their hearts broken in Tampa. The Wild have improved by finally playing within their new coach's system, but until they learn to finish their scoring chances, they will remain a mediocre hockey team. We'll see if they can find a shooting touch or another shooter before the season ends.