Poetic justice

By KiPA

Seems fitting, doesn't it?

As dreadful as Minnesota's season was - there was that brief flirtation with postseason play, then of course that catastrophic finish - the Wild players have at least something to hang their hats on. The former Minnesota team will be just as miserable.

I'm not gonna lie: I wish Dallas had won.

I wish a few things. I wish I could've gotten more production from a few Dallas players to win me a fantasy hockey title, and I hoped the game went to overtime. I wanted to see if the Stars would pull Kari Lehtonen for the entire five-minute frame. Also, for some reason, I don't like Chicago, so I would've liked to see the Blackhawks miss the playoffs. I don't even have a valid explanation for my dislike; they kept the Flyers from winning the Stanley Cup last year, that should get them a lifetime pass in my "like" column.

I think it's because of Eddie Olczyk and that goal song they play in Chicago, both of which I used to like.

Anyway, my big regret is the game not going to overtime. A possibly-little known rule is that if you pull your goalie in overtime during the regular season and you are scored against (except for a delayed penalty situation), you forfeit the point you gained.

In Dallas' case, that wouldn't have mattered. They had to win the game before the shootout. That actually almost would've been a better - or perhaps, bitter is the word - way for the Stars' season to end. A win but not the right kind of win.

I don't know if Minnesota fans are overjoyed at keeping their ex-team out of the playoffs with Sunday's 5-3 victory. It hardly removes the sting of finishing 13 points out of eighth (with it feeling like 33) but at this point in the year, teams that are out get to play spoiler.

It doesn't get much more spoiler-ish than what the Wild achieved Sunday.

(What I wanted most to happen was Jose Theodore to put the puck in his own net, then rip off his Wild sweater and reveal a Stars one underneath, like a reverse Mike Modano from a year ago. Alas, the hope was for naught.)