Cal Clutterbuck scored the 1st goal of the game, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead in the 1st period.  Marian Hossa answered in the 2nd period with a goal, assisted by Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith. In overtime Bryan Bickell scored in a two-on-one situation with a nice backhand.

In at goalie for the Wild was Josh Harding after Niklas Backstrom was stratched from the line up after hurting his leg in pregame warm-ups. Harding held his own though, making 35 saves.

The Wild as an 8th seed would be repeating was the Kings did last year if they were able to make it all the way to the Stanley Cup and pull off a win, lets keep our fingers crossed!

The 2nd game of the series will be Friday night at the United Center in Chicago.

Zach Parise scored twice and added an assist as the Wild defeated the Canucks for the first time this season Sunday night at the Xcel Energy Center. The 3 point night for Parise was the 25th of his career. The win moves the Wild into a first place tie with their division rivals.

Niklas Backstom had 25 saves for the Wild, as the picked up their 4th straight home game.  Jason Zucker and Jared Spurgeon also scored for the Wild.

For the Canucks, Cory Schneider had 28 saves and Henrik Sedin and Chris Higgins each scored a goal, the Canucks are 1-3-2 in their last 6 games.

The Blackhawks won their 10th game in a row and extended their points streak to 29 games. With each game the pressure is growing, but the Blackhawks seem to be thriving in light of the record they face each time they take the ice.

The first period looked as though Chicago had put this game away, but MN clawed back to make it at least a respectable loss against a team that is flying high right now. Devon Setoguchi scored first for the Wild, but it was all Blackhawks from there. Brandon Saad scored 1, Bryan Bickell, 2 and Marian Hossa 1 to put Chicago up 4-1.

The 2nd period was quiet with no one scoring. Ryan Suter, Kyle Brodziak scored to bring the Wild to within 1 goal, but Patrick Kane scored for the Blackhawks to put them up by 2 which would be all they needed. The final score was 5-3.

The Wild came out aggressive in the 3rd period to break a scoreless 2nd period and 1-1 tie to beat the Oilers 4-2 Sunday night.

Mikko Koivu scored 9 seconds into the 3rd period to put the Wild up 2-1. Charlie Coyle added a 3rd goal for the Wild. After 2 successful scores for the Wild the Oilers findly answered with a goal by Sam Gagner which made it a 3-2 game. Dany Heatley scored a Wild power play to put the Wild up 4-2 .

The Oilers went 23:35 without a shot on goal. The last time the Wild held an opponenent to zero shots on goal for an entire period was a a 2-1 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks on March 31, 2009.

Roberto Luongo had 25 saves which was enough to hold off the Wild 2-1 and give the Canucks their 6th straight win. Luongo has been splitting time in the goal with Cory Schneider. Tonight’s performance helped Luongo lower his goals against average to 1.45 second only to Ottawa’s Craig Anderson.

Jannik Hansen and Kevin Bieksa each scored for Vancouver and Devin Setoguchi had the Wild’s only goal. The loss snaps the Wild’s 2 game winning streak and extends their loosing streak in Vancouver even longer, last time the Wild won in Vancouver was Jan 31, 2009.

Darcy Kuemper was called up from the Houston Aeros and had 28 saves for MN in his NHL debut. He was filling in for Josh Harding who was out dealing with the effects of his multiple sclerosis medication.

The Wild came away with a much needed win on what would be Mikko Koivu’s 500th career game. The Wild winning for the first time in 5 games while on a road trip.

Wild Goal Niklas Backstrom was great at goal with 23 saves. Kyle Brodziak scored in regulation to tie the game at 1 a piece, Jiri Hudler scored for the Flames.

In the shootout it was Koivu who came through to score the game winner, cleanly beating Calgary Goal Leland Irving on a forehand goal. Alex Tanguay’s shot was stopped buy Backstrom’s pad and that was it.

Calgary has lost their last 8 shootout games. It was exactly 1 year ago that they won a game in the shootout. Calgary heads to Dallas for a Wednesday night game and Minnesota will go to Vancouver for a Tuesday night game.

The Wild beat the Chicago Blackhawks giving them their first loss of the season last night in MN.

Chicago, 6-0 going into last night’s game, were handed their first loss by a Wild roster that was upgraded with some big name free agents in the off-season.  The only other team that was 6-0 were the San Jose Sharks, . This game was seen as a test for that new roster. MN held up well.

MN started hot, with Matt Cullen scoring 90 seconds into the game to go up 1-0. Andrew Shaw tied it up scoring several minutes later to make it 1-1. Then Chicagos’ Jonathan Toews scored to go up 2-1. Toews goal looked to be a soft goal allowed by Josh Harding. After that Coach Yeo pulled him in favor of Niklas Backstrom.   

In the second period Cal Clutterbuck scored to make a 2-2 game. The game was 2-2 at the end of regulation, prompting a shootout. In the shootout, MN scored on 2 of their 3 attempts, while Chicago scored on 1 of their 3 attempts giving the victory to MN.

Backstrom finished with 28 saves. The game was played in front of a sold out crowd.

The Wild officially opened training camp yesterday. Although the players could skate around last week after both the NHL and NHLPA signed off on the new collective bargaining agreement, this week marks the first time that the coaching staff could interact with players and be on the ice with them.

Coach Mike Yeo has his work cut out, he last 6 days to get his new players acclimated to a new system before the start of the shortened 48 game schedule. The official opening night will be Friday January 19, where the Wild play host to the Colorado Avalanche at the Xcel Energy Center.

Coach Yeo could be seen watching Monday’s practice from the stands, periodically stopping grills to go over the different systems and also to pull players over to the side for some one-on-one teaching moments.

Wisconsin ran its way to a Rose Bowl birth and a third straight Big Ten conference championship. Wisconsin will be the first 5 loss team to play in the Rose Bowl and the first team to play in three consecutive Rose Bowls since Michigan did it in the late 1970′s

Wisconsin’s RB’s ran up and down the football as if there was Nebraska did not have their defense on the field. Montee Ball ran for 202 yards/3 TDs, Melvin Gordon 216 yards/1 TD and James White 109 yards/ 4 TDs.

This was the first time in school history that Wisconsin had 2, 200 yard rushers in the same game. Wisconsin’s defense was also sound, sacking Taylor Martinez 3 times and causing 2 turnovers one returned for a TD.

It wasn’t the outcome that coach Bielema wanted for his Badgers or departing seniors, but it sure was a day WI fans and Montee ball will remember for ever.

On Saturday, RB Montee Ball ran for 111 yards on 27 carries and 1 TD which helped him break the NCAA scoring record with his 97th  career score.

Penn State’s Sam Fricken hit a 37 yd field goal in OT, WI’s Kyle French tried to respond with a 44 yd FG but it was wide left, securing the OT win for the Nittany Lions 24-21.

Penn State sits at (8-4, 6-2) having won 8 of their last 10 after starting the season 0-2. Most had predicted after the crippling NCAA sanctions that Penn State would finish without a winning record. First year coach Bill O’Brien has to be proud of the way his Nittany Lions are finishing the season.

The loss makes 2 in row for WI. The Badgers finished 3rd in the Leader’s division behind Ohio State and Penn State, but still get the title due to the others being ineligible.