Gm # 18: Blues 2, Wild 1

The Minnesota Wild 'November Nadir' has arrived, right on schedule.

Saturday night, Brad Boyes tallied both St. Louis goals to lead the Blues to their second victory in as many nights, with a 2-1 victory over the now-haplessly offensive-anemic Wild at the Xcel Energy Center.

The Wild, with Brent Burns at wing instead of 'Uncle Moneybags' Marian Gaborik (supposedly still nursing yet another groin injury, hence another nickname: 'Groinorik') just couldn't put it together despite having three back-to back power play chances in the first period, when they actually outshot the then-hapless Blues 11-4.

The second period was the Brad Boyes show, as he scored twice, the second of which came after Martin Skoula actually made the RIGHT play (for a change) and went down in an attempt to block Boyes' laser from the edge of the face-off circle to the right of Niklas Backstrom, who waved as it caught the inside of the post then nothing but net.

Boyes' first marker came less than one minute after Stephane Veilleux started the scoring for the Wild with a quick snap shot which fooled Blues' backup goalie Chris Mason, who gave the Wild fits frequently when he was Tomas Vokoun's backup in Nashville. (Vokoun has since moved on to the Florida Panthers.)

A somewhat furious last three minutes of regulation time was punctuated when Bloomington-native David Backes tried to install Brent Burns into the frame of the boards just behind the Blues' goal, earning him an early quit and a 5-minute major for boarding. The Wild, however, true to recent form couldn't put the biscuit in the basket as Mason stopped everything thrown at him.

Overall, this was a game not to be remembered, as this thing stank from the 'Let's Play Hockey' opening (when the wrong name was at first flashed up on the scoreboard) to the final futive efforts of Koivu, Brunette, et al to put one thru the Blues defense.

It wasn't hard to assemble the multitude after this one:

Chicken Little said: Can anything break this Wild team out of its' funk? It was as lackluster an effort as has been put out for a home game since...last game vs. Vancouver!

Pollyanna said: At last, Veilleux scored! See? Someone else besides Koivu can score on this team! (Well, sometimes.)

Stud: Very little to choose from here, but Cal Clutterbuck continues to impress. Someone get his car out of hock at Bush Intercontinental in Houston, will you?

Dud: On a night when Dud-ism overfloweth, there is the lowest of the low. After being called out Saturday in both Twin Cities newspapers for not shooting, Pierre Marc-Bouchard continues to act like he has the only Yo-Yo in the neighborhood, and he wants no one else to play with it. PMB: SHOOT THE DAMN PUCK, WILL YOU PLEASE?

Next Game: Wild vs. Washington, Monday, November 24, 7:00 PM Central Time (TV: Versus, TSN2-Canada, XM 208)