Game #57

Anaheim Ducks @ Minnesota Wild

Tuesday, February 14th, 2016 5:00 PM PST

Xcel Energy Center

TV: PRIME

Radio: AM 830, AnaheimDucks.com

Your Enemy: Hockey Wilderness

We’re back! Did you miss us? The Anaheim Calling staff may or may not have shut themselves off from the world for 3 days in a cabin in the wilderness devising all the different completely realistic (read: unrealistic) ways to dump Bieksa, Boll, and Stoner.

(Note: these may or may not be alternative facts).

Oh, right. The game.

The Ducks face the Wild in Minneapolis tonight in the finale of their three game series this season. This may not be the last time they face each other, however, as these two teams have the very real possibility of clashing in the playoffs.

What would happen if the Ducks took a playoff series to game seven against a Bruce Boudreau-led Minnesota Wild?

The science of hockey indicates that a giant sinkhole would swallow up the rink and reveal a singularity in which all things as we know it would be cease to exist.

Sounds fun!

Minnesota has taken both meetings this season. The first at Honda Center in a close 2-1 decision and the second at at Xcel Energy center with a 3rd period collapse. The Ducks will be keen to try and salvage the series against the top team in the Western Conference.

The Wild are 6-1-1 in their last 8 games, refusing to show any sign of slowing down. As is expected from a usual Boudreau regular season.

The Ducks, meanwhile, will be looking to erase the memory of a wild game against the Capitals on Saturday in which the Ducks woke up from their first period coma to erase a three goal deficit only to drop the game 6-4.

Obviously it’s not the game you want to see, but if there’s one thing that the game showed us, it’s that these Ducks can certainly compete. Anaheim played much of the first half of the season with a lack of explosiveness when going down early in a game. However, the Ducks proved that they indeed can kick it into overdrive and fight hard no matter how hopeless the situation appears.

The Ducks will need this mindset badly against a team like the Wild and in the playoffs.