This is likely over for the Wild
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by user Leslie Monteiro
The Anaheim Ducks have clearly sent the Minnesota Wild and their fans to a harsh reality. The Ducks now lead the series 2-0 after a 3-2 win last night and the way things are going, this could end in 4 games.
It is time to give credit to the Ducks. They are a great team and it has showed in the first two games of this series.
There is a reason why they got a good chance of winning the Stanley Cup. They can do so many things that win them games.
They got guys who can score.
Their defense is simply tough to crack.
They got darn good goaltending in Ilya Bryzgalov (he started the first two games of this series because Giguere had family issues) and Jean-Sebestian Giguere, who is normally their starter.
The thing that helps them is experience. There is no substitute for experience.
This team has gone deep in the playoffs for the last few years. They were in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2003. They were in the Western Conference Finals last year.
They have been there and they have done that. They know what it takes to get it done and it could finally pay off this year.
The Wild are still in a learning stage and it shows.
The effort was much better than in Game 1. The Wild finally were proactive.
They did all they could in shooting to the Ducks goaltender and they managed to be physical with Anaheim as Brent Burns and Derek Boogard managed to fight with Anaheim enforcer George Parros.
With that said, it was still not enough. The Ducks still found a way to wear them down. This is what they do best.
Marian Gaborik, Brian Rolston, Mark Parrish, and Todd White have been a non-factor in this series.
Gaborik tied the game at 1 in Game 2, but other than that, he has not had a chance to create shots or get to the net often.
Neither has his linemates done much.
Rolston has not been at his best since he had that flu few weeks ago.
Parrish and White have not even had the puck here.
What is staggering is that their power play has been horrible all season. They went 0-for-6 in the power play for Game 2.
When a team can not make things happen, they are just not going to win. It is that simple
Wild fans can talk about how things will change at the Xcel Energy Center, where Game 3 and 4 will take place. They can talk about how the team will feed off from a very enthusiastic crowd, who will be so into it at every play unlike Ducks fans who seemed very bored in the first two games at the Honda Center.
It might help, but there is no guarantee.
Unless the Ducks all of sudden got smaller or stop playing altogether, do not expect things to change. That team will still play their game no matter where the venue is.
If anything, they are a very good road team.
The only hope for this team is to try to win at least couple of games and see what happens there.
They have to keep doing what they did here which is continue to be aggressive and stand up to Anaheim’s physical play.
They need to continue to get good goaltending by Niklas Backstorm, who has done a good job in the first two games.
Their defense can be a little bit better.
They just need to do well on each shift.
It is a tough task though. Anaheim is in total control and they are not going to let up.
They are certainly playing like they are thirsty to drink champagne from the Stanley Cup. They are not taking plays off.
The Wild may be a good team, but they got long ways to go before they can be in Anaheim’s level.
