Backstrom was the only one that showed up
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by user Leslie Monteiro
There were questions about whether or not Wild starting goaltender Niklas Backstrom was ready to handle the postseason pressure. This was one of the reasons why he was considered the weakest link for the Wild.
If last night was any indication, the team is in good hands with him. He did all he could to win the game for his team last night.
He made all the big saves whenever the Ducks were shooting the puck at him. He was the reason why the Wild was even in this game.
Unfortunately for him, he made an acrobatic save yet his teammate, Kim Johnnson pushed him over to get the puck in case his goaltender lost it. Backstrom tried to hold on, but then lost it.
The Ducks took the lead 2-1 and they eventually won the game.
One has to wonder what Johnnson was thinking. If a goaltender has the puck, the defensemen should try to let him hold on rather than make it happen. This is not the time to try something drastic like that especially with the stakes being high.
If a team make these types of mistakes against a great team like the Ducks, they are asking for it. The Wild paid the price for Johnnson's mistake.
All everyone was waiting for was the buzzer to sound because the stingy Ducks was not going to let the Wild freelance with the puck.
The Wild faithful had to be nervous at the start of the third period. This team looked lost offensively.
The road team clearly was not generating any shot at Anaheim's end which is why there was a reason to be concerned. They knew it was over when the Ducks scored the game-winning goal.
It takes a lot to shutdown Marian Gaborik, but Anaheim's defense did just that in Game 1.
He was not even a factor. He never had the puck. He never did the thing that made him successful.
One can make a case that he was soft or intimidated with the Ducks defensemen, which is a tough deal for anyone to face.
Anaheim's defense was lauded all season. They showed why in this game. Chris Pronger and Scott Neidermayer have the size to intimidate others. They are very physical.
They did a great job of wearing out and pushing the Wild in the third period. If they do that for the next fifteen games, that will be the reason why the Lord Stanley will be in Orange County.
In a way, it was a miracle how Pavol Demitra was able to score to give the team an early 1-0 lead in the second period, which turned out to be their only lone lead of the night.
There is no question that the Wild need to figure it out in a hurry. They have no choice.
Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire and his assistants will be looking at the game tape and see what the team can do to adapt.
They need to have a plan here because whatever happened in Game 1 is not going to work the next game. They are going to have to find a way if they will win the series.
The only guy that stood out for the team was Backstrom. He should have been the first star of the game for the way he stood tall. This could have been a 5-0 loss tonight without him.
He is clearly the least of the team's problems.
Game 2 has always been a pivotal series in hockey, baseball, and basketball playoffs.
Either the team, who leads 1-0 in a series, takes total control of the series as Hornets coach Byron Scott would say or the team, who is behind 0-1 in a series, survive and get back on track.
It will be interesting what Lemaire has in store for the opponent.
Either the Wild figure something out or this will be a very short series.
