I was watching this game this afternoon on NBC and frankly the team put me to sleep, talk about boring, it almost looks as if the Wild accepted the fact that they aren't going to make the playoffs and just bagged the game. Gabby can say that Osgood was shakey but I didn't see a lot from him except for his goal. I almost wonder if Gaborik is hockey's version of Randy Moss I play when I want to.

I think the real truth is that the GM didn't give the coach a team that could have did much even if they would have had Gaborik for the whole season. Also when you have offensive defenseman like Marek Zidlicky they are prone to make big time mistakes that cost goals and if they Wild could have held on they would've at least gotten a point.

This team is pathetic and needs leadership at the top, there is nothing in the way of talent developing in Houston, General Manager Doug Risebrough is a joke and the one that should take all of the blame. I wish I could be the one to tell Risebrough he is fired. Gone, clean out your office because your toast. Take the train.
Teams that can’t put together a single real winning streak in a season shouldn’t have been in this position anyway. But that’s an indictment of the system.

Tonight’s loss was deserved, but it was heartbreaking nonetheless. The Wild was outshot 44-23, 34-11 at one point. Only Niklas Backstrom, a shaky Chris Osgood, and a couple posts, too (first period must have been sponsored by the Minnesota & Michigan Iron Range’s cuz Koivu, Hossa and Hudler hit iron), allowed the Wild to even be a minute from overtime.

And then, in one flawed, fatal last-minute shift, three players — Cal Clutterbuck, Eric Belanger and Marek Zidlicky, according to coach Jacques Lemaire — made mistakes.

Belanger fell. Clutterbuck joined Marian Gaborik on a forecheck when he shouldn’t have. But as often is the case, it was Mr. Zidlicky who caused the 2-on-1 by again carelessly stepping up in the neutral zone like he’s done so many times this season (most recent on Zach Parise in New Jersey, resulting in Brian Gionta’s nail in the coffin).

Zidlicky got lured into stepping up on Pavel Datsyuk. One pass later, 2-on-1 between Tomas Holmstrom and Marian Hossa.

Game over. Season over.

Lemaire roasted the players, but I point you to the game story for those quotes. The locker room was pretty glum after the game, obviously, because this week vacation plans will begin and native country’s will begin to phone about world championship availability. (read the whole article here)