Posted by Victoria Matiash, special to ESPN.com
Last week I wrote: "They might not be the most exciting bunch to watch, but the Wild remain the sole undefeated side in the NHL at 5-0."
Change the record to 7-0-1 and leave the rest as is. Actually, Sunday night's 3-2 victory over Colorado wasn't boring. Living up to some early-season hype, Mikko Koivu scored the game winner with about three minutes left. Koivu is working like a demon out there, and his six points in six games are testament to that. Brian Rolston scored his first power-play goal of the season. Rolston looks especially comfortable playing along side Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Eric Belanger on the second line, and all three are benefiting on the score board. If you're on the hunt for a defenseman, have a glance at Brent Burns. The young converted forward led the team in ice time and seems to be settling in well.
To those concerned about the lone goal from Marian Gaborik this season: don't be. He's still skating exceptionally, taking shots (four last night) and getting opportunities. That total will go up. As for Pavol Demitra, he earned a couple of assists but left in the third period with an undisclosed injury. Stay tuned for updates.
For the Avalanche, Andrew Brunette nailed his sixth point in four games. After a slow start, Brunette is Colorado's best player as of late. Joe Sakic and Wojtek Wolski earned an assist each, but this team is really feeling the absence of Milan Hejduk. Ryan Smyth and Paul Stastny were held pointless without him on the second line or with the man advantage. Marek Svatos simply isn't filling in as effectively.
In net, both Niklas Backstrom and Peter Budaj stopped 29 shots. Unfortunately for Budaj, the Wild had one extra chance on him.
Against Columbus, it was a relatively quiet outing for the twins. Daniel Sedin contributed an assist, Henrik Sedin provided nada. Markus Naslund and Kevin Bieksa scored a goal each, but the game really belonged to Ryan Kesler. Kesler spent more than 22 minutes on the ice, scored two goals on four shots and took two trips to the box. He's playing alongside the Sedins on the power play and has good chemistry with his own linemates, Matt Cooke and Alex Burrows. Kesler is worth picking up, at least in the short term, and especially in deeper leagues.
The Jackets couldn't get much going against Vancouver back-up Curtis Sanford. Filling in for Roberto Luongo, Sanford topped 35 of 36 shots, seven from David Vyborny alone. Only Rick Nash managed to get one by him, extending his scoring streak to three consecutive games. But Sanford doesn't pose any real threat to Luongo's starting goaltender position. If anything, his exceptional performance will provide Luongo incentive to raise his game from its recent mediocre level.
Pascal Leclaire struggled somewhat, allowing three goals on only 18 shots. A disappointing showing after he recorded three shutouts in his previous four starts.
Victoria Matiash is a fantasy hockey analyst for ESPN.com.
You can send her Email for potential use in "The Vicky Files" by clicking here.
