It was a very successful California road trip for the Minnesota Wild, taking five out of the potential six points. The trip was successful for many reasons and not just the obvious standings points.
Winning on the road is never easy, so every road point is a good point, but the Wild have established themselves to be a formidable opponent regardless of setting home or road.
The trip saw the Wild steal a point in a game that they were outplayed in LA. Zach Parise played like he is back to 100%, scoring two goals and three assists in the three games. And the 2-1 victory in Anaheim saw the team return to the style of play that has made the top team they are.
Wild coach Bruce Boudreau's confidence in his players is the biggest difference with this team. It was very evident in his reaction as the final seconds ticked off the clock and he congratulated the team very visibly before leaving the bench.
Now the negative of a team that has ascended to the top of the standings.
The top teams get more national TV games and their fan bases have to listen to announcers that really know little about the intricate details of the teams. They tend to focus on surface details and beat those topics to death. Last night was a prime example how they gushed all about Ryan Kesler and then once the Wild took control of the game it was all about Ryan Suter.
The same complaints about the NBC commentators that I saw all over social media from Wild fans last night, are the same ones you'll find from every other top team's fans when their teams are on national TV as well. But Wild fans will take the bad with the great.
Our team at the top of the NHL standings.