Oh yeah, hockey

Hockey is such a fickle sport. After the lots of shots, no goal games of the early season, they come up with some of the same tricks that Edmonton used two and a half weeks ago.

I was not on my game this weekend, as I failed to realize that by "NBA Basketball" the TV guide meant "NHL Hockey." I don't blame FSNorth for choosing LeBron James over... an injured Marion Gaborik. I blame myself for not realizing that they wouldn't broadcast the Wolves game on two channels until the third period had started. From what I saw, it seemed that they entered the defensive shell of the previous Wild regime. Sure it worked, but it'd be great for them to keep up the pressure, put their skate on the Rangers' neck, and empty their jugular.

There would be a similar theme in the Wild's first road win of the season. The Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins were short two of their key players in Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar. Their power play in particular has suffered without their point-man in Gonchar. So the Wild dodged a bullet in more than one way.

The first two periods left the Wild ahead by one goal, and what a goal it was. A strong forecheck kept the puck in the Pittsburgh zone. After a deflected shot into the corner, Marty Havlat corralled the puck, and fed Erik Belanger, who absolutely schooled Marc-Andre Fleury with a top shelf corner shot. Need finishing? That's about as good as it can get.

Already knowing the final score, I was unsure what to expect for the rest of the game. Two scoreless periods could be pretty boring. Then again, this game of hockey has excitement even when you know there won't be a goal scored for forty minutes of play. That's part of the beauty. How is just as important as what happened.

The how began in the second period, where the Wild maintained their forecheck, and for the most part traded rushes with the Pens. Pittsburgh really got the best of it, creating several chances that miraculously did not go in. The Wild were quick to clear any rebounds, and they got their sticks on a lot of Pitt's shots.

The third period brought even more magic for the Wild, as Pittsburgh continued to apply an ungodly amount of pressure on the Minnesota defense. I've said it once, and I'll say it again: Niklas Backstrom is not a luxury to be taken lightly. He's an elite goaltender, and he absolutely robbed the Pens on several opportunities. After the Pascal Dupuis' equalizer, where Backstrom was late reacting to the play, he shut it down. He doubled his focus, and did not let another shot hit the netting.

For the first time all year, the Wild have a winning streak, and instead of it being Todd Richards' system creating dominant offense, it's the Wild's defensive instincts that have created it. They've yet to win by more than one goal, and four off days carry the risk of the momentum fading. For the moment though, things are looking up in the state of hockey.