Putting out the fire

A five-game winning streak and a four-game losing streak made a head-on collision Wednesday night at the Xcel Energy Center. Both teams were coming into the second game of a back-to-back. One team is on top of the division, the other near the bottom. The Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild: Game on.

Fire burns early
Fireworks started when the game wasn't even two minutes old, with a goal from Olli Jokinen. Going down 1-0 early isn't the way to start off a game, especially when the Wild have been giving up at least four tallies in their past few games. Luckily, this was the only speed bump in the Wild's eventual 4-1 win over the division leaders.

The first Wild strike came later in the first period off a redirection - on the power play, where the Wild have struggled lately. Eric Belanger was the goal scorer. It was the first of two beauties on the night for him, a special one because it marked his 600th game. He couldn't have asked for a better one.

It was all knotted up at one apiece as the teams headed to their locker rooms after the first. The game had a great pace to it. Lots of offense, good skating and an overall exciting game. The Wild took a 2-1 lead and never looked back, notching two more goals off of veteran goalie Miikka Kiprusoff. Shots were plentiful too, with 35 for the Wild and 25 for the Flames.

Friendly rivals
My only disappointment of the night was there were no fights. All the ingredients were there between the physical teams: The Boogeyman and John Scott in the lineup, the Hit-man Cal Clutterbuck, a division-rivalry game that usually brings out the spirited rough stuff and the usual suspects for the Flames as well.

No fights, and not really any close calls either, unless you count Clutterbuck getting a hand white-wash to the face, which resulted in a penalty. But really, that's often how it goes. Games you think will provide a ton of extra-curricular entertainment don't, and then there's a game that gets quite physical that no one sees coming.

A solid win over the red-hot Flames to end a losing skid was just what the doctor ordered for the Wild. With the victory, the Wild move a game above .500 with a 21-20-3 record.