Your Minnesota Wild stepped into The Bell Centre in Montreal winners in three of their past four games and starting to look like they're finally finding their legs again. The task at hand, a game against a Montreal Canadiens team that has won five of their last seven and have quietly put together a decent season. Penalties would dominate early in tonight's contest, which was very physical early but did settle down after a bit. In a game where goals would be at a premium, the Wild would really need to buckle down.
The first period would come at a cost, but it wasn't on the scoreboard unless you're tracking penalties.