Los Angeles Kings at Minnesota Wild, 3/31/2012

WELCOME TO THE 33^rd AND final hockey game of the month at the Xcel Energy Center. This month the building has hosted the Class A and AA Minnesota State High School tournaments, the WCHA Final Five, the NCAA West Regional and nine Wild games.

FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT GAME, the Wild face a team that is leading its division. The Kings moved into first place in the Pacific Division last night with a 4-1 win at Edmonton that allowed them to jump over Phoenix and Dallas for the division lead. It's an incredibly tight division with the Kings, Coyotes, Stars and Sharks all separated by just two points, and each with four games remaining. Dallas plays at San Jose tonight, and the loser of that game will have an uphill fight for a playoff spot.

THE KINGS HAVE FOUGHT their way to the top, in part, on the back of Jonathan Quick's goaltending. Quick is 7-2 in his last nine starts with a 1.42 goals against average. The Kings have been solid defensively all season, giving up just 166 goals, second-lowest in the league. Anze Kopitar leads the Kings in both goals (24) and points (67). Dustin Brown has 20 goals, and Justin Williams has added 19. The Kings made a big move at the trade deadline, picking up Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets, and he's responded with six goals and nine points in 16 games. Carter missed Friday's game in Edmonton with an injured ankle, and is questionable for tonight.

THIS IS THE FOURTH AND final meeting of the year, with the Kings having won two of the first three. The teams split their two games in L.A., and the Kings won in St. Paul 4-0 on Feb. 28. The Wild are 18-15-10 all-time against the Kings, 8-7-6 In St. Paul.

MILESTONES: Two Wild players reach NHL milestones tonight. Tom Gilbert will play in his 400^th NHL game, while Cal Clutterbuck plays in his 300^th. Clutterbuck’s next point will be the 100^th of his career.

THE WILD'S DRAMATIC COMEBACK win on Thursday, 3-2 over Florida, leaves them with an 18-16-4 record at home this year, just one victory short of last season's 19-17-5 mark at Xcel Energy Center. Kyle Brodziak's second-period goal was his 21^st of the season, a personal best that ties him with Dany Heatley for the team lead. Eric Christensen's game-tying goal with 33 seconds left was his fifth goal in his last nine games. Jason Zucker, making his NHL debut, had 10:55 of ice time and had three shots on goal. Zucker was the 45^th player to wear a Wild uniform this season, the 14^th rookie and eighth player to make his NHL debut. Tom Gilbert had a pair of assists, including the pass that sprung Koivu for the game-winner. It was Gilbert’s first multi-point game as a member of the Wild.

WELCOME BACK, SORT OF, to Brett Bulmer, who began the season with the Wild and played nine games before being sent back to his junior team, the Kelowna Rockets. With Kelowna eliminated from the Western Hockey League playoffs, the Wild have assigned Bulmer to Houston. (He can only be recalled to the Wild in an emergency situation). In 53 games at Kelowna, Bulmer had 34 goals and 62 points, along with 93 penalty minutes.

AROUND THE NHL: The New York Rangers became the first team to reach 50 wins with a 4-1 victory Friday night over Montreal. Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Vancouver each have 48, and each have four games left to play…Nashville beat Detroit 4-1 Friday night, giving Predators coach Barry Trotz his 500^th career win…The Rangers lead the race for the President's Trophy, given each year to the team with the best regular-season record. New York is at 107 points, followed by St. Louis with 106 and Vancouver with 105.

TRIVIA QUESTION: The NHL record for standings points in a season is 132. Which team holds the mark, and did they win the Stanley Cup that year? (Answer below).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO Mr. Hockey himself, Gordie Howe, who turns 84 today. Howe compiled one of the most amazing records of any professional athlete in any sport, entering the NHL in 1946 and ending his career in 1980, when he scored 15 goals and had 41 points while playing 80 games for the Hartford Whalers at the age of 52. The totals of his combined NHL and WHA years are staggering: 975 goals, 2,358 points and 2,186 games played.

TRIVIA ANSWER: The 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens were one of the greatest teams in hockey history, and set the NHL record of 132 with an amazing 60-8-12 mark in an 80-game season. They roared through the playoffs, winning 12 of 14 games and sweeping the Boston Bruins in the Cup Finals. Guy Lafluer had 56 goals and 80 assists for 136 points, but wasn't the team's leading goal scorer. That honor went to Steve Shutt, who netted 60 goals. Third on the team was former Wild coach Jacques Lemaire, with 34 goals.

UP NEXT: The Wild embark on their final road trip of the season, playing at Chicago tomorrow and at Nashville on Tuesday. They return home for their final two games Thursday and Saturday, against Chicago and Phoenix.

Florida Panthers at Minnesota Wild, 3/29/2012

ON A NIGHT THAT CELEBRATES THE PAST, Wild fans will get a look at the future as Jason Zucker makes his Wild debut. Zucker signed with Minnesota this week after completing his sophomore season at Denver University. Over two seasons with the Pioneers, Zucker averaged more than a point a game, recording 45 goals and 91 points in 78 games. Born in California and raised in Las Vegas, Zucker was the Wild’s 2^nd-round pick (59^th overall) in the 2010 draft. His last name is pronounced ZOO-ker, not ZUCK-er. He will be the 45^th player to appear in a Wild uniform this season.

TRIVIA QUESTION: When Zucker makes his NHL debut tonight, he will wear #16, making him the seventh player in Wild history to wear that sweater number. Who were the previous six? (Answer below.)

THIS SEASON’S FLORIDA PANTHERS demonstrated how quickly a team can turn around in the NHL. After winning just 30 games last season and missing the playoffs for the 10^th consecutive year, the Panthers retooled with several free agent signings (Scottie Upshall, Ed Jovanovski, Tomas Fleischman, Marcel Goc and Jose Theodore), trades that brought Kris Versteeg, Tomas Kopceky and Brian Campbell, and the maturation of a couple younger players. In a remarkable one-year turnaround, the Panthers have all but clinched the Southeast Division title, leading Washington by five points with just six games to play, and will likely host a playoff game for the first time since the spring of 2000.

LEADING THE PANTHERS IN scoring is Fleischman, with 24 goals and 56 points. Versteeg has added 22 goals, and Stephen Weiss has 19. Theodore – who signed with Florida after a solid year with Minnesota as Niklas Backstrom’s backup, has played 49 games and has a 2.35 goals-against average with a .910 save percentage. Theodore and Backstrom will likely face each other tonight.

IF THERE WERE A TROPHY FOR tonight’s game, it would be called the Mike Russo Cup. Russo, in his seventh season covering the Wild for the Star-Tribune, spent 10 years covering the Panthers for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and makes frequent references to his Florida days in his columns and blog posts.

A NUMBER OF FORMER NORTH STARS are on hand for tonight’s game, as well as for the “Evening With the Stars” benefit reception tomorrow night at the 317 on Rice Park building next door. For those of you under 25 years of age, here’s a brief history of the Minnesota North Stars:

-  The North Stars sprang into existence in the fall of 1967, part of the “Class of ‘67” expansion that doubled the size of the NHL from six to 12 teams. The North Stars entered the league with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings and the California Seals.

-  Playing in the brand-new 15,000-seat Met Sports Center in Bloomington (now the site of an IKEA store), the new team averaged just 11,861 in attendance the first season. While attendance was close to capacity in years when the team played well, the club had three consecutive seasons (1975-78) when attendance averaged just 9,600 or less. In 1990-91, attendance was less than 7,900 per game.

-  The team’s best playoff runs were in 1981 and 1991, when they reached the Stanley Cup Finals. They lost in 1981 to the New York Islanders, and in 1991 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

-  One of the team’s lasting contributions to the NHL is the Masterton Trophy, given each year to the player who demonstrates “perseverance and dedication to hockey.” It is named for North Stars forward Bill Masterton, who fell backwards and hit his head on the ice in a game on January 13, 1968. He later died from his injuries, and to this day he is the only NHL player to die from a game-related injury.

-  In 26 years in Minnesota, the North Stars won just two division titles, and made the playoffs 16 times. Frustrated in efforts to get a new arena, the team was moved to Dallas after the 1992-93 season and renamed the Stars. They went on to win the Stanley Cup in 1999, defeating the Buffalo Sabres.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Sweater number 16 was worn by both Steve McKenna and Roman Simicek in the inaugural 2000-2001 season, and was also worn by Bill Muckalt (2002-03), Steve Kelly (2007-08), Andrew Ebbett (2009-10) and Brad Staubitz (2010-11). Between them, those six players scored just 20 goals wearing #16, so there’s plenty of action left in the sweater for Zucker.

UP NEXT: The Wild face Los Angeles at home Saturday night in the first of three Fan Celebration nights, then embark on their last road trip of the season, heading to Chicago and Nashville.

Rangers 3, Wild 2

It would have been almost impossible for things to have gone any better at the X tonight. The Wild did what I wanted, which was to put up a good fight, entertain the fans, and then lose in regulation. A terrible giveaway goal late in the third period led to a 3-2 Rangers win.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles or so to the east, those plucky New York Islanders were sticking it to the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-3, opening up a three-point gap between the Wild and the Islanders. Granted, three points is not a huge spread, but the Wild are looking down the barrel of a six-game, season-ending gauntlet that looks like this: Florida, L.A., Chicago, Nashville, Chicago and Phoenix. I don't see them gaining much ground against teams that all are fighting for playoff positions (except Florida).

And at the same time, the Montreal Canadiens were pulling themselves into overtime against the Panthers, meaning that Minnesota and Montreal are now tied for 28th place in the NHL (the Wild have played one less game), just one point ahead of Edmonton. If the Wild keeps losing, the #2 draft pick is within reach, along with a shot at #1 in the lottery.

The Oilers host Dallas tonight....Go, Oil, Go!

It was also a treat to see Marian Gaborik score for the first time against his old club. He got booed, and I guess I understand why, but as I outlined in this 2009 piece from my other blog, I always had a hockey fan man-crush on Gabby, and it wouldn't bother me in the least to see him win a Cup, even if it's in New York.

Finally, the Pioneer Press' Tom Powers - a very good baseball writer but normally only a so-so hockey writer - has an excellent piece on Gaborik's role in this history of the Wild franchise. Read it here.

New York Rangers at Minnesota Wild, 3/27/2012

MATHEMATICALLY ELIMINATED FROM playoff contention, the Wild return home to begin playing out the final 12 days of the season. The Wild are coming off losses in Buffalo (3-1) and Washington (3-0) that dropped them to 27^th place in the overall NHL standings, just one point ahead of Edmonton and Montreal. (Columbus had clinched 30^th place sometime around Christmas.) Remaining in the bottom five would give the Wild a chance to win the NHL Draft Lottery and pick first in next June’s Entry Draft.

THE ONLY GOAL of the trip was scored by Steven Kampfer on a beautiful pass from Kyle Brodziak. It was Kampfer’s second goal as a member of the Wild, and the assist was Brodziak’s 41^st point of the season, a career high for the 27-year-old center and second-best on the team. The Wild are led in scoring by Dany Heatley, with 21 goals and 47 points.

THE INJURY BUG THAT has bothered the Wild all season took a couple more bites last week. First, Jared Spurgeon suffered a concussion on Thursday when he was elbowed in the head by Calgary’s Alex Tanguay. (More on that in a moment.) Then on Saturday, Matt Cullen broke his finger while trying to glove down a puck. Both of them will likely miss the rest of the season. Niklas Backstrom again tweaked his lower body and missed the trip, allowing Matt Hackett to be called up and take the loss against Washington. Chad Rau came up from Houston to take Cullen’s spot.

WHEN TANGUAY ELBOWED Spurgeon in the head last Thursday, he received a two-minute elbowing penalty, but the NHL decided that ending Spurgeon’s season didn’t merit a suspension for Tanguay. The night before, in Chicago, the Blackhawks’ Duncan Keith elbowed Vancouver’s Daniel Sedin in the head and also received a two-minute elbowing penalty. The NHL decided to suspend Keith for five games. Different standards for different teams that are based in different countries? We report, you decide.

WHEN THE RANGERS COME TO TOWN it means the return of Marian Gaborik, still the leading scorer in Wild history. Gaborik, the Wild’s first pick in the 2000 NHL Entry draft (3^rd overall…the only time the Wild have chosen that high), scored 219 goals as a member of the club from 2000-2009. He also still holds the team record for most career points (437) and the club’s single-season marks for goals (42) and points (83). His signature moment, of course, came on December 20, 2007, when he scored five goals in one game, against these same New York Rangers. It was the first time in 11 years that anyone had scored five goals in an NHL game, and it’s only been done one time since, by Detroit’s Johan Franzen in February of 2011.

THIS YEAR, GABORIK HAS 37 goals, third in the NHL, to help lead the Rangers to the top spot in the Eastern Conference. With a 10-point lead over second-place Boston, the Rangers have all but clinched home ice through the conference finals, and are battling St. Louis for the league’s best overall record. Ryan Callahan is second with 27 goals, and Brad Richards – signed as a free agent in the off-season – has 24. Derek Stepan, the 21-year-old native of Hastings, Minn., is in his second NHL season and is fourth on the team in both goals (16) and points (47).

TRIVIA QUESTION: Gaborik’s 219 goals as a member of the Wild is tops in team history. Who is in second place? (Answer below.)

AROUND THE NHL: Detroit and Vancouver have joined St. Louis as Western Conference teams that have clinched a playoff spot. For Detroit, it’s the 21^st consecutive season in the playoffs…In the East, the Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers have all secured playoff berths…The San Jose Sharks moved from ninth place in the conference to first place in the Pacific Division last night when they beat Colorado 5-1. The Sharks, Dallas, Phoenix and Los Angeles all still have a chance to win the Pacific Division…Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos scored his NHL-best 53^rd goal of the season Monday night, breaking his own Lightning team record…The next Nashville Predators win will be the 500^th victory of coach Barry Trotz’s career…

TRIVIA ANSWER: Exactly 100 goals behind Gaborik on the Wild’s all-time list is Andrew Brunette, who netted 119 during his two stints with the Wild. Third on the list is Mikko Koivu, who has 106.

UP NEXT: Minnesota North Stars reunion night is Thursday as the Wild take on the Florida Panthers. There will be autograph sessions and pre-game ceremonies, and the Wild will also host “An Evening with the Stars” on Friday night, a reception next door at 317 on Rice Park. The home stand ends Saturday with a game against Los Angeles.

Calgary Flames at Minnesota Wild, 3/22/2012

A FIVE-GAME HOME STAND ENDS the same way it began, with the Wild taking on the Calgary Flames. For the Flames, this is a vitally important game. After losing in OT to Colorado on Tuesday, the Flames sit in 11^th place in the conference, but are just two points back of eighth place – the final playoff spot – with only eight games to play. After losing 3-0 to Minnesota on November 8, the Flames have won four straight against the Wild.

WELCOME BACK, CAPTIAN. Expected to return to the lineup tonight is Wild captain Mikko Koivu, who has missed 23 of the Wild’s last 27 games with a shoulder injury. Koivu originally injured the shoulder against St. Louis on January 14 and missed eight games. He returned and played four games, but was reinjured Feb. 16 against Winnipeg and has not played since. The Wild are 8-16-3 this season in games without Koivu, and he is currently third on the team in scoring with 37 points. He is expected to center a line with Devin Setoguchi and Dany Heatley tonight.

ALSO READY TO RETURN, although he probably won’t do so tonight, is goalie Niklas Backstrom. He dressed Monday as backup to Josh Harding and says he is ready to play, but it’s likely Harding will get the nod again tonight after posting a 33-save shutout in the 2-0 win over Vancouver. It was the second shutout of the season for Harding, and the sixth of his NHL career.

TRIVIA QUESTION: The Wild’s next four games are all against Eastern Conference opponents; Buffalo, Washington, New York Rangers and Florida. Which Eastern Conference team does the Wild have the most wins against in its history? (Answer below).

THE WESTERN CONFERENCE race for a playoff spot has come down to this: Six teams (Calgary, Dallas, Colorado, Los Angeles, San Jose and Phoenix) are battling for the final three spots. One of those spots will go to whichever team (Phoenix, L.A., San Jose or Dallas) wins the Pacific Division, while the others will fight for 7^th and 8^th place in the West and a playoff berth. Los Angeles has looked the best of late, winning five straight, including a big win Tuesday night over San Jose. A loss tonight would put a big dent in Calgary’s hopes, since Phoenix and Colorado are playing each other, which means at least one of them will earn points. Perhaps the biggest surprise is San Jose. The Sharks reached the conference finals last year, then added Brent Burns and Martin Havlat in trades with the Wild, and entered the season thinking they were a Stanley Cup contender. Instead, they’re battling just to get into the playoffs.

THE FLAMES WERE HERE just 11 days ago, and took a 4-3 victory from the Wild. It was 2-0 Calgary early in the 3^rd period when Erik Christensen scored twice in 2:20 to tie the game. Curtls Glencross and Olli Jokinen scored for Calgary, and the Wild couldn’t get any closer than Setoguchi’s late goal that made it 4-3. Jarome Iginla scored the Flames’ first goal, bringing his career total to 35 against the Wild, the most (by far) of any Minnesota opponent. Likewise, Mikka Kiprusoff earned the victory in goal, adding to his mark as the goalie with the most wins against Minnesota.

CALGARY COMES INTO tonight with three consecutive losses, although they earned points in two of them for forcing overtime. Tuesday night they had an early lead in Colorado, but David Jones’ overtime goal gave the Avalanche the win.

AROUND THE NHL: In the middle of a tight playoff race, the Phoenix Coyotes will play the next three games without their captain, Shane Doan, who received a three-game suspension for an elbow to the head of Dallas’ Jamie Benn Tuesday night…The New York Rangers became the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a playoff spot, and are one point behind St. Louis in the race for the President’s Trophy…The Chicago Blackhawks – Cup champions two years ago – defeated Vancouver last night for their fifth consecutive win and an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games. Vancouver is 3-5-2 in its last 10…The Nashville Predators got some late-season help when Alexander Radulov returned from Russia to rejoin the team. Radulov bolted Nashville at the end of the 2007-08 season to play in Russia, but Predators retained his rights. The 25-year-old Radulov has 95 points in 145 career NHL games and was two-time MVP of the KHL in Russia.

TRIVIA ANSWER: The Wild have 10 wins against the Boston Bruins, the most wins against any Eastern Conference team. Next on the list are the Pittsburgh Penguins, who the Wild have defeated nine times. They are also the last two Eastern Conference teams to win the Stanley Cup.

UP NEXT: The Wild make a quick two-game Eastern road trip, playing at Buffalo on Saturday and Washington on Sunday. Both those teams are battling for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. Sunday’s game is a 4 p.m. start on NBC Sports Network.