By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 05/03/2012

The Minnesota Wild have 14 restricted free agents. Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher and head coach Mike Yeo have a decision to make on all the free agents. The Wild currently have 31 players under contract for next season; each team is allowed a maximum...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 05/02/2012

The Minnesota Wild have 14 restricted free agents. Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher and head coach Mike Yeo have a decision to make on all the free agents. The Wild currently have 31 players under contract for next season; each team is allowed a maximum...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 04/25/2012

The Minnesota Wild have 14 restricted free agents. Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher and head coach Mike Yeo have a decision to make on all the free agents. The Wild currently have 31 players under contract for next season; each team is allowed a maximum...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 04/23/2012

The Minnesota Wild have 14 restricted free agents. Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher and head coach Mike Yeo have a decision to make on all the free agents. The Wild currently have 31 players under contract for next season; each team is allowed a maximum...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 04/21/2012

The Minnesota Wild have 14 restricted free agents. Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher and head coach Mike Yeo have a decision to make on all the free agents. The Wild currently have 31 players under contract for next season; each team is allowed a maximum...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 04/18/2012

The Minnesota Wild have 14 restricted free agents. Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher and head coach Mike Yeo have a decision to make on all the free agents. The Wild currently have 31 players under contract for next season; each team is allowed a maximum...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 04/17/2012

The Minnesota Wild have 14 restricted free agents. Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher and head coach Mike Yeo have a decision to make on all the free agents. The Wild currently have 31 players under contract for next season; each team is allowed a maximum...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 04/11/2012

The postseason began Tuesday with the NHL’s draft lottery for the 14 teams that did not make the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Minnesota Wild entered lottery with the seventh best chance to move up with 4.7 percent of the number combinations, ...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 04/08/2012

The Minnesota Wild ended the 2011-12 season with arguably its worst game of the season. After winning four of the previous five, the Wild were sloppy, uncontrolled and undisciplined in a 4-1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center....
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 04/06/2012

A slow start did not stop the Minnesota Wild from winning for the fourth time in five games. Devin Setoguchi broke a scoreless shootout in the top of the third frame to give the Wild a 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center....
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 04/04/2012

The Minnesota Wild went to overtime for the fourth consecutive time, but lost 2-1 in a shootout Tuesday to the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. The Wild entered the game on a three-game win streak that included two shootout victories. Two things...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 04/02/2012

The Minnesota Wild continue to dampen the spirits of teams fighting for home-ice advantage in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Sunday, the Wild did it to the Chicago Blackhawks with a 5-4 shootout victory at the United Center. The Wild (34-35-10)...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 04/01/2012

The Minnesota Wild recorded its second consecutive third period comeback win by beating the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in a shootout Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center. Also, for the second consecutive game, it was Erik Christensen that gave the home crowd...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 03/30/2012

The Minnesota Wild erased nearly an entire game of lackluster play with two goals in 46 seconds apart at the end of regulation and the beginning of overtime to defeat the Florida Panthers 3-2 Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center. Mikko Koivu scored for...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 03/28/2012

The Minnesota Wild scored on each of its power play opportunities and killed all of its man-short opportunities. Despite the domination with the special teams, the Wild could not score even strength and fell to the New York Rangers 3-2 Tuesday at the...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 03/23/2012

The Minnesota Wild recovered from a slow start to defeat the Calgary Flames 3-2 in a shootout Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild got into penalty trouble, turned the puck over and were heavily outshot the first half of the game. But a couple...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 03/20/2012

The Minnesota Wild have unable to get leads and hold them in recent months, but Josh Harding and the rest of the team made a late first period goal the difference. Harding stopped 33 shots, including several great glove saves on one-timers and point-blank...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 03/17/2012

The Minnesota Wild built a two-goal lead before falling 5-3 to the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center. Kyle Brodziak did everything he could with a goal and two assists. He got the Wild on the board with a backhand toss just inside...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 03/16/2012

The Minnesota Wild are on the cusp of becoming officially eliminated from the playoffs, but realistically the playoff dream ended long ago. Wild fans still have things to watch that will leave clues to the future of the team. Here are three things to...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 03/14/2012

The Minnesota Wild had several open net opportunities, but were unable to get a puck into the net in a 1-0 loss to the Dallas Stars Tuesday at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild had a short give-and-go, two-on-one play that could not be completed on the...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 03/12/2012

The Minnesota Wild fell to the Calgary Flames 4-3 Sunday at the Xcel Energy Center. Defensive lapses continue to plague the Wild. All four Flames goals can be attributed to a breakdown by the Wild. A turnover in the defensive zone and the defensemen ...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 03/10/2012

I received a few questions about the Minnesota Wild through Twitter, Facebook and email. I will answer those questions in this article. What is going on with (the Wild)? Have you noticed how quiet (eerily quiet) it has been in the Xcel lately? Do you...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 03/09/2012

The Minnesota Wild blew a two-goal lead after two periods, but hung on to defeat the Phoenix Coyotes 3-2 in a shootout Thursday at Jobing.com Arena. In the last eight games, the Wild gave up goals in the first five minutes of the game, but did just the...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 03/07/2012

The Minnesota Wild were swept in home-and-home series with the Colorado Avalanche. Just two days after getting shutout by Semyon Varlamov, the Wild were held off the scoreboard until the early portion of the third period in a 7-1 loss Tuesday at the ...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 03/05/2012

The Minnesota Wild got off to another slow start and was unable to make for it in a 2-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche Sunday at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild have been one of the lowest scoring teams in the National Hockey League, since the trade...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 03/04/2012

The Minnesota Wild have lost three straight games by a combined 15-4 score to the lowest scoring team in the National Hockey League, the worst team in the Eastern Conference and the second best team in the league. The most recent 6-0 loss to the Detroit...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 03/02/2012

The Minnesota Wild fell behind early and looked like it was going to give the Canadiens de Montreal its first win in six games. Two goals in the final two minutes, including a game-tying score with 9.8 seconds remaining, forced overtime and later a shootout....
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/29/2012

The Minnesota Wild was blown out from the drop of the puck in a 4-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday at the Xcel Energy Center. Defensive mistakes were common for the Wild. The Wild failed to pick up Kings in front of the net on the second, third...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/28/2012

The Minnesota Wild acquired defensemen Tom Gilbert and Steven Kampfer Monday in two separate deals. Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher acquired Gilbert from the division-rival Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Nick Schultz. Gilbert, a 6-foot-2-inch, 206-pound...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/27/2012

The Minnesota Wild struggled early, but came back to defeat the San Jose Sharks 4-3 Sunday at the Xcel Energy Center. The Sharks were all over the Wild for nearly the first 10 minutes of the opening period. The Sharks held a sizable lead in shots on ...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/26/2012

The Minnesota Wild lost its 16th straight game against the Dallas Stars. The Wild had a chance to end the streak its previous visit to the American Airlines Center, but Friday the Stars led nearly the whole before winning 4-1. In typical fashion, the...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/26/2012

The Minnesota Wild traded defenseman Marek Zidlicky to the New Jersey Devils for three players and two draft picks. The two most notable players involved in the trade are a pair of former Wild players; Kurtis Foster and Stephane Veilleux. The third player...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/24/2012

The last time the Minnesota Wild won back-to-back games was just before the All-Star break in late January. Before that it had not happened since the team won seven in a row and had the best record in the National Hockey League. Thursday, the Wild won...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/21/2012

I received a few questions about the Minnesota Wild through Twitter, Facebook and email. I will answer those questions in this article. What happened to the Wild? They were the best team in the league a couple months ago and now one of the worst. The...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/20/2012

The Minnesota Wild have led in four of the past five games In each of those games, the Wild eventually lost. This time Niklas Backstrom made it hold up with a 48-save shutout of the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins Sunday at Xcel Energy Center....
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/18/2012

The Minnesota Wild lost its seventh straight game with a 4-0 defeat at the hands of the St. Louis Blues Saturday at the Scottrade Center. The Wild was in the game until for about a period, but everything came unhinged and the Blues completely took the...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/17/2012

Same start, similar finish. For the fourth straight time the Minnesota Wild scored early before losing. At least it got a point out of it falling in a shootout 4-3 to the Winnipeg Jets Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center. “It is important to get...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/15/2012

The Minnesota Wild continue to say, “We have to find a way.” Tuesday, it still hadn’t found that way. Once again the Wild scored first. Once again that was the only goal it scored. The Wild (25-23-8) put on a late push, but was...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/12/2012

The Minnesota Wild lost to the worst team in the NHL for the second time in three games Saturday with a 3-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild fired shots from all over the rink, but got just one shot past Steve Mason....
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/10/2012

The Minnesota Wild get off to a good start and finish strong, but do nothing in between as it falls to the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center. Dany Heatley broke the franchise record for fastest goal to start a game by cutting across...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/08/2012

The Minnesota Wild lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 Tuesday at Nationwide Arena, but it wasn’t that close. The Wild were only in the game because the Blue Jackets did not score more goals. The Blue Jackets (15-32-6) dominated the game from...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/05/2012

The Minnesota Wild outplayed the Dallas Stars Saturday at the American Airlines Center, but lost in a shootout 2-1. The Wild held a 34-26 shot advantage, including a significant advantage in the third period, but more importantly tilted the ice toward...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/03/2012

The Minnesota Wild acquired center Erik Christensen from the New York Rangers Friday in exchange for forward Casey Wellman. Christensen will join the Wild in Dallas today. The 28-year-old has five points (one goal and four assists) in 20 games this season....
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 02/03/2012

The Minnesota Wild had few shots and very little good scoring chances. That didn’t matter. The only thing that does is the one shot that got into the net as the Wild defeated the Colorado Avalanche 1-0 Thursday at the Pepsi Center. Niklas Backstrom...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 01/27/2012

I received a few questions about the Minnesota Wild through Twitter and Facebook. I will answer those questions in this article. Will Zach Parise be in a Wild uniform? If I had to guess, I would say not this season, but yes to next season. I don’t...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 01/25/2012

The Minnesota Wild moved from ninth to eighth place in the Western Conference standings with a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday at the Pepsi Center. Carson McMillan broke a 2-2 tie with a breakaway at the 7:44 mark of the third period ...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 01/22/2012

Chad Rau received his second call-up of the season Friday. This time, the Minnesota Wild told the Eden Prairie native he was going to make his NHL debut Saturday against the Dallas Stars on Hockey Day Minnesota. He responded by scoring his first career...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 01/20/2012

The Minnesota Wild finished a four-game road trip by losing its 11th consecutive game away from St. Paul with a 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The first five minutes and 11 seconds of the game describe the Wild’s game right now perfectly....
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 01/18/2012

The Minnesota Wild started strong, but fizzled out in the third period before losing to the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers scored three goals (two on the power play and one shorthanded) on the special teams, including...
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By JosephGunther @ Minnesota Wild Insider 01/15/2012

The Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues combined for 66 minutes on 20 penalties before finishing a 3-2 Blues victory in a shootout. There was everything from fighting majors to delay of game – puck over glass minors. There were three fights,...
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