It’s always difficult to write thrilling period summaries of Blues games against the Minnesota Wild. Neither side cracked ten shots on goal (Blues had nine, Wild had seven), and only one goal was scored by Minnesota native David Backes. Backes wristed a shot past Josh Harding for the first goal of the game, much to the delight of the little kids who’re part of the David Backes Fan Club.
He has a fan club, because he’s from Minnesota – just in case you missed it the first time I said it, or the first 20 times the broadcast crew brought it up. Jamie Langenbrunner also has family in the arena tonight, but apparently that isn’t enough to warrant more than a passing mention.
If the Blues can maintain the pressure on the forecheck for the rest of the game, they stand a chance of cracking the Wild’s wall of defense. If they back off, however, that’s when the Wild exploit that decision by applying just enough effort to score a few times before locking the game down and sitting on the lead.