Gm # 54: Wild 2, Red Wings 4

Predictable.

First, the Wild has reversed its trend of solid play on the second night of B2Bs from last year when they were very good (9-4-2) to this year (3-7-0). Second, the Red Wings simply own the Wild. Always have. Looks like they always will.

Back in the North Stars days of my youth, this would have been particularly galling, and it's not that I am happy about it now. But the Wings are so good, and their entire organization so enviably well-run, that it's just easier to be in awe of what they do to the Wild on the ice than try to muster up enough angst to fight it.

Josh Harding was the sacrificial lamb last night, and it would be hard enough to fight off the waves of Red Wings for a goalie who has been playing consistently, but I can't imagine how hard it must be for someone who gets utilized less-frequently than the career counselor at the SuperMax in Colorado.

Mikko had a shorty (that's two in three games for the Wild) and it was sweet. Since there's so little of interest to write about for the game overall, I'll discuss this for a second. It used to bug me that we didn't have more shorties overall. But I realized recently that, though valuable any time, you don't need them as much if your PK is as good as ours.

Burnsie had a PPG (5:3) and it too was sweet. This kid is playing like he's backed up something fierce the last few games. Hopefully that goal will be a big meal of cabbage and baked beans to him.* GreenStar has been saying he needs to go Inglewood Jack on someone to get his mojo back, and that would be okay, too.

The Wild plays the Flames in St. Paul next Thursday. In between they have five days off and a scrimmage against the Senators.

Chicken Little says: The sky fell on the Wild against the Red Wings a long, long time ago.

Pollyanna says: Bring on the Senators!

Bottom line: Anyone who thought the Wild had a shot in this one should contact me about a bridge spanning Brooklyn and Manhattan that I'd like to sell them.

Stud: Guh....Mikko? I guess....

Dud: Bela's been so good this season, and with so little notoriety, that I hate to call him out, but I have to believe even he would admit he played a bad game.

Up Next: Wild vs. Ottawa, Xcel Energy Center, Saturday, 8pm ET.

NiNY

*True story: I was at a grocery store a few years back, having stopped in to pick up two heads of cabbage and a can of baked beans that were needed for dinner that night per Wife in NY's instructions. Not thinking anything of it, I'm standing there and the nice lady goes "Honey, not to be all motherly, but if you eat all this cabbage and all these baked beans, you're going to have a problem." Nice.