Mikko Koivu

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...

While Zach Parise and Ryan Suter remain unsigned, the Minnesota Wild added needed depth as free agency began Sunday. Here's what fans can expect from center Zenon Konopka and right winger Torrey Mitchell.
 

Zenon Konopka- Konopka's role is simple: protect stars Dany Heatley and Mikko Koivu.

Via Mike Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

"Koivu is a superstar that maybe doesn’t get enough respect around the league and he should," Konopka said. "Heatley is a world-class player and we have to make sure those guys are taken care of and they feel very comfortable and nice. If they want to sit down at center ice and read the paper, ...

It's been four months since the Wings and Wild met, and much has changed since. Tonight's game (7:30 PM, Joe Louis Arena) will be their final matchup of the regular season. The Wild stormed out of the gate and held a top spot in the West until December, but have fallen to playoff bubble status since. Detroit overcame an inconsistent first quarter of the season and is mired in a gridlock with Vancouver, St. Louis and the New York Rangers for the top spot in the league.

Minnesota leads the season series 2-1 and 2 of the 3 games have gone to overtime. Mikko Koivu (1G, 2A) and Devin Setoguchi (1G, 1A) lead the Wild in points against Detroit. Ian White and Johan Franzen both have...

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.