One Last Battle

(Gabe Landeskog = this guy)

Is there any better words in hockey than "Game Seven'?

It All Comes Down To This

Photo: Marilyn Indahl/USA Today

There is no adjective that can adequately describe Game Five.

No matter how you describe it, the game ends the same way: Colorado wins 4-3 in overtime and takes a 3-2 series lead. Not the outcome any of us want. The game had extreme highs and extreme lows. It had just about a little of everything. Bottomline: the game ended with the Wild losing a game they should have won.

Game Five Memories

Tonight, the Wild and Avalanche take part in Game Five of a series that has the two teams tied at two games a piece. As we look ahead to tonight's game, lets take a look back at some previous Game Five memories between the two clubs.

A Few Words On Patrick Bordeleau

Photo: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images

Three days ago, the entire hockey world was in uproar over Matt Cooke's knee on Tyson Barrie. Barrie was ruled out with an MCL injury for 4-6 weeks, and Cooke was eventually suspended for seven games by the Department of Player Safety.

Game 4 Notes

Photo: Bruce Kluckhohn/Getty Images

Here is an assortment of thoughts/stats heading into Game Four tonight:

Matt Cooke Likely Out For Remainder of Series

It would appear that Matt Cooke has played his final game in the quarterfinal round.
Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn/USA Today

Early in the second period of last night's 1-0 Wild victory, Matt Cooke made a less than desirable hit on Colorado defenseman Tyson Barrie.

Mikael Granlund's Game Winning Goal

Because it can not be watched enough, here is Mikael Granlund's game winning goal from Game Three last night.

Success Does Not Happen Overnight

Photo: Christian Peterson/Getty Images

Tonight, the Wild will take to the ice at Xcel Energy Center in hopes of cutting their 2-0 quarterfinal series deficit in half. They do so with previous experience in that department, as they defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in overtime in Game Three of last year's quarterfinal round.

Once Again

Darcy Kuemper is back as the Wild's number one goaltender. Photo: Mark Humphrey/AP

Once again, the fate of the 2013-14 Minnesota Wild season, is now on the shoulders of 23 year old goaltender Darcy Kuemper.

Chalk Talk: The Dagger In Game 1

In last night's tragic 5-4 overtime loss, Minnesota had a golden chance to bury the Avalanche once and for all in the game. It was just the type of play where you thought "We're going to remember this one later, aren't we?", when the game ends.

*game ends*

Yep, we sure did. Let's dissect the play shall we?

Wild vs Avalanche: Who Has The Advantage?

Photo: Associated Press

A little roster comparison for you today.

Key Players For The Wild Against Colorado

Mikael Granlund (left) and Erik Haula (center) are key players for Minnesota.
Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn/USA Today

Earlier today, we looked at five keys to victory for the Wild in their opening round series against Colorado. Now, we take a look at who the Wild need to be at their best from an individual standpoint.

Minnesota Wild Keys To Victory

Tomorrow the Wild and Avs take part in the third all-time playoff meeting between the two clubs. We took a introductory look at how the two clubs stack up against each other this year on Monday, going over your basic stats and what not.

So now as we dive in to the more specifics of this series, we are going to be looking specifically at what the Wild need to do in order to beat the Avalanche in round one.

Minnesota Wild 2014 Regular Season Awards

More wrap-up of the regular season continues today, as we hand out some hardware for the Wild's 2013-14 regular season. This year, we finally got some names for these various awards, honoring the past Wild players who excelled in these particular categories.

Without further ado, here are the winners:

Regular Season Wrap-Up

As we gear up for the playoffs on Thursday, lets take a look back at the Wild finest individual and team moments from the 2013-14 regular season.

Team Record: 43-27-12, 98 Points (2nd best record in franchise history)
Standings: 4th in Central Division, 7th in Western Conference

Regular Season Comparison: Wild vs Avalanche

Stanley Cup Playoffs Western Conference Quarterfinal

Colorado Avalanche vs Minnesota Wild

April Wrap-Up

A look back at the regular season's final month.

Team Record: 4-1-1 in April, 43-27-12 overall
Standings: 4th in Central Division, 7th in Western Conference

Weighing The Options

There are two nights left in the regular season. 16 teams have clinched playoff spots, but now its putting them in their appropriate place to determine the postseason matchups.

Farewell Mike Rupp

Photo: Brad Rempel/USA Today

One week ago, Mike Rupp's agent Allan Walsh was clamoring for his client to get back in the lineup after Minnesota had been the victim of some apparent head injuries. Here was the following tweet Walsh fired off:

3 on 3: The Final Two Games

Photo: Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images

The Wild are set to take on the Blues tonight in their second to last regular season game of the season. The Wild locked up a playoff spot and the top wild card position on Tuesday. Lets break out some three on three for the final two games.

Josh Harding Nominated for Masterton Trophy

Photo: John Autey/Pioneer Press

For the second consecutive year, Josh Harding has been named the Wild's nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy by the Twin Cities Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Playoff Bound

Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn/USA Today

For the second consecutive year, the Minnesota Wild are headed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Save of the Year?

In last night's 4-0 win over the lifeless Penguins, Wild goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov made a serious bid for the NHL save of the year when he robbed James Neal in the second period.

No Disicpline For Brandon Bollig

Here is a hit from last night's game between Chicago and Minnesota, in which Chicago's Brandon Bollig goes hard at Wild forward Zach Parise:

GIF Credit: SB Nation

No penalty was called on Bollig. Parise left the game for a few moments, but did return later in the second period and played the remainder of the game. Parise said after the game that he did have a bit of a headache, but yet he still played on.

March Wrapup

A look back at the month of February.

Team Record: 6-5-4 in March, 39-26-11 overall
Standings: 4th in Central Division, 7th in Western Conference

A New Face In The State Of Hockey: Christian Folin

Christian Folin

Defenseman

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 210

Shoots: Right

Born: February 9, 1991

Birthplace: Gothenburg, Sweden

Acquired: Signed as a free agent on 3/31/14

Last night, the Wild announced that they had signed highly coveted College free agent defenseman Christian Folin (pronounced Foe-lin) to a two year entry level contract.