In order to be the best, you have to beat the best. Last night, the Wild went toe to toe with the defending NHL champions and proved that they can skate and play with the NHL's best. But, can the Wild prove that they are a true Cup contender? Not if they can't take this series more than 5 games in my opinion.

Looking back on expectations for the Wild by their fans, I think most Wild fans are just happy to have had their team play competitively in the first round of the playoffs, much less to have won the opening series. I for one was happy that they (a) qualified for the playoffs and (b) won more than one game in the first round. I thought this season would be a bridge to next season, meaning I didn’t expect a ton from the Wild except for small improvement on last year’s opening round playoff series loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, losing 4 games to 1. I thought that the promise for this team lay in the upcoming off-season and next season. Heck, I even picked the Avs to beat the Wild in the first round of the playoffs this year. Maybe it was a way to protect myself from disappointment and let down. Most people don’t like being wrong. In this context, I love it!

Given the above, you would think that after outlasting the Avs in the first round of the NHL playoffs, I would be higher on the Wild and their chances in the second round against the Blackhawks. Nope. Chicago is simply a better, more experienced team than either the Avalanche or the Wild. Better in goal, better up front and better on the blue line. More experience, more creativity from their players (Kane) and more ability to pot goals. Now, don’t get me wrong, the Wild will get there in terms of becoming a better team with better players and more skill. But, realistically, do the Wild have a snowball’s chance in May of winning this series? Maybe.

Skill, experience, etc. does not always win a 7 game series. Coaching, adjustments (both in game and post-game) and players’ willingness to do what is required of them to win can often carry a lesser team past a better team in a long playoff series. Last night, until the latter half of the third period, the Wild proved to themselves that they can skate with the defending Stanley Cup Champions. The main difference, for me, between a win and a loss for the Wild was (a) goaltending/defense and (b)capitalizing on opportunities.

It would be easy to put this loss on Bryz, but I think the defense let him down, especially when Kane walked them before shelfing his goal on Bryz. On the other side of the ice, Crawford played really well. Whether it be the Wild’s lack of finish or Crawford’s level of play, he played outstanding as did his defense, especially Leddy’s play on Parise in the first period.

The Wild had plenty of chances to score and failed to do so enough times to post a win. Again, the Wild played from behind and, again, they caught up, only to be outplayed at the end of the game.

Notwithstanding, like in the last series, despite losing, the Wild showed themselves and their fans that they belong in this series with the Hawks and that they are capable of playing with and even beating them more than once this year and making this a competitive series.

So now it’s up to the coaches and players to re-adjust their strategy and coming out fast and hard against the Hawks on Sunday afternoon, playing better defense to support their goalie and to make as many opportunities as possible count on the scoreboard. If they do that, not only will they win tomorrow’s contest, but they will also let it be known that their series victor over Colorado was not just lucky, but earned and well deserved. However, what they cannot afford to do is what happened last series when they had the Avs in Games 1 and 5 and then gave it away. Last night was not that scenario.

Everything about this playoffs reminds me so much of 2003. There, the Wild played much better teams in the first two rounds, based on season play, and they won both series. It wasn't easy and it wasn't without let downs along the way. But their coach adjusted and re-adjusted and the players bought in and did what was expected of them and, eventually, the results on the ice tipped ever so slightly in the Wild's favor for at least the first two rounds. I believe we may be witnessing a repeat of that fantastic playoff run for fans of the Minnesota Wild. Should the Wild beat the Blackhawks no matter by how thin a margin in this playoff series, they are capable of winning the Western Conference in my opinion. Then again, the Hawks could also ramp up their level of play and make this a very short series. One never knows. But, one thing is certain. It has been a fun ride so far this post-season. Now its time to see what the Wild are really made of with this opponent.

How do you see this series shaping up? What’s your thought of how the Wild played on Friday night?

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