Game #3: Minnesota Wild at Los Angeles Kings, Thursday October 8, 2009 at 9:30pm (CDT), Staples Center (GAME PREVIEW)

Minnesota Wild (1-1-0) 2pts 3rd in Northwest Division2.50 Goals per Game (21st in NHL)2.50 Goals Against per Game (9th in NHL)44.4% Power Play (3rd in NHL)80.o% Penalty Kill (13th in NHL)Top 5 Scorers:1. #14 Martin Havlat ~ 0G 4A = 4pts2. #15 Andrew Brunette ~ 2G 1A = 3pts3. #25 Eric Belanger ~ 1G 2A = 3pts4. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 1G 1A = 2pts5. #17 Petr Sykora ~ 1G 0A = 1ptTop 3 Penalty Minutes:1. #34 John Scott ~ 5PIMS2. #8 Brent Burns ~ 4PIMS3. #67 Benoit Pouliot ~ 2PIMSGoaltenders:1. #32 Niklas Backstrom ~ (1-1-0) 2.46GAA .914SV%2. #29 Josh Harding ~ (0-0-0)atLos Angeles Kings (1-1-0) 2pts 2nd in Pacific Divisions4.50 Goals per Game (4th in NHL)5.00 Goals Against per Game (30th in NHL)50.0% Power Play (2nd in NHL)28.6% Penalty Kill (30th in NHL)Top 5 Scorers:1. #11 Anze Kopitar ~ 2G 3A = 5pts2. #94 Ryan Smyth ~ 1G 2A = 3pts3. #8 Drew Doughty ~ 1G 2A = 3pts4. #24 Alexander Frolov ~ 1G 1A = 2pts5. #44 Davis Drewiske ~ 1G 1A = 2ptsTop 3 Penalty Minutes:1. #17 Wayne Simmonds ~ 5PIMS2. #41 Raitis Ivanans ~ 5PIMS3. #94 Ryan Smyth ~ 4PIMSGoaltenders:1. #32 Jonathan Quick ~ (1-1-0) 5.00GAA .831SV%2. #31 Erik Ersberg ~ (0-0-0)Looking at the first two games of this season, you really being to wonder which roller coaster at your favorite amusement part you're going to ride. Will it just be the the old-school Coney Island type of up and down roller coaster? Or will it be the roller coaster where your insides feel like they're being ripped from you in a corkscrew style turn? Will the coaster have parts of it underground or in the dark? Will water be involved? In the season opener against Columbus you saw an undermanned team in the Wild that fought to hold its own even though they lost by one goal. Then we witnessed, flabbergasted, the Wild claw their way to win in overtime after being down 3-0 in the second period. With those sorts of emotions, Wild fans should be prepared by now for many ups and downs. Heck, even those surprising emotions are happening with the players as well. Wild forward, Andrew Brunette spoke of his own surprise in the Minneapolis Star Tribune:"I learned we're not going to quit, and that's something I wasn't sure if we had."That kind of fight and refusing to quit almost hearkens back to the early days of the Wild. Those of us who have been with the Wild from the beginning remember the many nights where the rag-tag group of NHL castoffs simply fought to be competitive on a nightly basis. With all the retooling of the roster, coaching, GM, and owner, it almost feels like we've hopped aboard the wayback machine and it's October 2000. While the roster situation isn't as desperate as it once was, it's still rather lackluster compared to some of the other twenty-nine teams in the league. And while we're talking about history, one should note that this is the first time in Wild history when they came back to win after a two-period 3-0 deficit. If one wanted to point a finger at who was responsible for the turn around, players and coaches pretty much agree. This player had not one assist or goal, and didn't have one more minute of icetime after his game-changing actions occured. The player in question is Wild associate pugilist and defenseman, John Scott. In his bout, Scott took on the much more experienced George Parros and came out the victor. From that moment on, the Wild seemed to find their skates and more importantly, their hockey sense.While the comeback win has Wild fans in better spirits, all the news isn't good. In a statement by Wild General Manager, Chuck Fletcher, it has been announced that Wild forward, Pierre-Marc Bouchard will be out of the lineup indefinitely. Bouchard has been complaining of headaches and dizzyness. At this time, it is unsure of whether the headaches are a hangover from his recent viral infection he suffered, an unnoticed injury during practice or pre-season, or whether his concussion from the end of last season never fully healed itself. Bouchard will have to undergo more neurological and physical testing to determine what the medical issue is. In his absence will be Benoit Pouliout. The Wild's first round pick and fourth overall in the 2005 Entry Draft, Pouliot has had problems fully cracking the Wild's lineup. Many claim that his issues have much to do with his own attitude, and issue that has plagued him since his junior hockey days with the Sudbury Wolves. One can only hope that the sometimes troubled forward will take full advantage of this icetime now coming his way. This will be the time for Pouliot to prove he belongs in the NHL.With tonight's late game in Los Angeles, the Wild start the beginning of an eleven-day, five-game West Coast road trip. During the month of October, of the 14 games, only five will be played within the friendly confines of Xcel Energy Center. While an early, lenghy roadtrip is far from ideal, Wild head coach, Todd Richards believes it might be for the best. Richards is hoping that with all the new faces on the bench, behind the bench, and in the front office, that the team will get the chance to come together and get to know one another. If the Wild had a lengthy homestand, it is believed that the team might be fractured, because players simply go to their own apartments and houses and live their own lives. Having to fly and live together on the road is supposed to bring the relative strangers closer together. Hopefully the bonding sessions bring the team closer together on the ice, and helps maintain that "do or die" sentiment that Brunette spoke of after the home opener. Yet, no one will benefit from the roadtrip if the Wild come home winless.So up or down, win or lose, this is the team we have. We all hope that there will be more ups than downs and more wins than losses, however we also must be extremely realistic. The way this team is built right now, we should expect more of the downs and losses than we've seen in past seasons. While it won't be as bad as the first two seasons, don't expect anything close to the Cinderella year of Season Three. That was a special time, and can never be reproduced.It's time for a new chapter in Wild history, and that time is now.