Josh Harding

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Blackhawks look to clinch berth to second round of playoffs tonight

It's been three long years since the Blackhawks last saw the second round of the playoffs.

A battered and bruised Chicago team took the Canucks to the brink, losing in overtime of game seven on Vancouver ice in 2011. Last season, the Blackhawks took the Coyotes to overtime five consecutive games - and ultimately lost in game six.

The team is better this year: not just talent- and chemistry-wise, but coming off a record, albeit shortened, season. Coach Joel Quenneville has been able to consistently roll four lines without his trademarked "line combination blender"; Corey Crawford and Ray Emery split time in the net so well that they walked away with the William M....

Blackhawks look to continue their streak against the MN Wild

Wednesday night in St. Paul, the undefeated Chicago Blackhawks will look to continue their winning ways against the "new look" Minnesota Wild.

Although the Wild is tops in the Northwest division, the team has at times struggled to find their footing.

Minnesota is 3-1-0 at home so far this season, and look to hand the Blackhawks their first loss of the year. The Wild won last night 3-2 against an aggressive, physical Columbus team at home, breaking a 3-game losing streak.

Only 5 of the Wild's 16 goals for the season have not been scored by MN's top line of team captain Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, and Dany Heatley. While the Wild may not have much scor...

Minnesota Wild: Season Outlook

When the Minnesota Wild host the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, January 19, it will be the most important regular season game in franchise history. The Wild faithful have been eagerly awaiting the end of the lockout perhaps more than any other fan base. Finally, they'll see Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in live action.

 

The opening night not only births a new era of Wild hockey, but also culminates “Hockey Day Minnesota,” an annual celebration of the game in the State of Hockey. Excitement is at an all time high. Thousands have already packed The Xcel Energy Center... for th...

NHL Free Agency 2012: Edmonton Oilers sign RFA's Devan Dubnyk and Jeff Petry

The Edmonton Oilers have come to terms with restricted free agents Devan Dubnyk and Jeff Petry, while RFA Sam Gagner has filed for salary arbitration. What does this mean for the Oilers? Read on to find out.

What Will RFA Dubnyk Get Paid?

What does the recent Josh Harding contract mean for the Oilers and impending RFA goalie Devan Dubnyk? Read on to find out the two impacts i see.

Wings Tame the Wild in Dominating Fashion

It was the type of game you could only dream about, as far as the Detroit Red Wings are concerned.

What began as a game that could still be turned around after the first period, turned into domination in every aspect of the game as the Wings crushed the Minnesota Wild in 6-0 victory at home.

Surely, the Minnesota bench lost a bit of confidence as Valtteri Filppula scored off a Zetterberg and Kronwall assist 35 seconds into the first period. The forward would get his 20th goal of the season, but maybe he was just lucky.

The Wild tried to regroup, but that led to no positive results as Brendan Smith earned his first NHL career goal before the end of the first period, givin...

Game preview: Getting Wild in Chicago

The Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks last met up on a rainy day in mid-December in St. Paul. The Blackhawks came away with a shoot out win, with Patrick Kane providing a memorable goal to seal the win.

It was the second game in an eight-game losing streak for the Wild; including being shut out 0-4 by the Canucks on Vancouver ice. The Wild have had just 2 wins in their past 13 games; their record in that stretch is 2-8-3. It is a far cry from the 20-7-3 that Minnesota started the season with; and the Wild has plunged from first in the West to 7th, hanging on ahead of the rising Los Angeles Kings. The Wild has been hurt by injuries; Clayton Stoner just returned to the roster...

Isles Look to Tame Wild

The New York Islanders will take on the Minnesota Wild tonight. The Islanders have been playing well lately, staying in every game they’ve played since breaking their long losing streak almost a month ago. Despite a 4-0-2 stretch which saw the young Isles climb back up the standings, their most recent games, regardless of their improved play, have not yielded the type of success they have needed in the standings. They have walked away from recent games where 2 points was well within their grasp.

There are many stages to a rebuild, and the Islanders seem to be on the right track for a slow, steady, and successful one. We saw this season during their long losing streak, that unlike last season when they took the ice for each game with a look of despair, that this team comes out of the locker room hungry and expecting to win every time they play.

The next lesson that this young group needs to learn is simple: Finish Games.