"The Wild traveled thousands of miles, and all they got was one point. The team came to Finland to finish training camp and play the first two games of the season intent on avoiding another dreadful start. Last season, the Wild's first under general manager Chuck Fletcher and coach Todd Richards, the team lost nine of its first 12 and ended up 13th in the Western Conference. This season, the Wild are in worse shape pointwise after two games. In 2009-10, the Wild lost their opener at Columbus but came home to beat Anaheim in overtime at the Xcel Energy Center for two points. A 2-1 shootout loss Friday night after Thursday night's 4-3 regulation loss in the opener left the Wild with one point before heading to the airport to fly back to the Twin Cities. "But," winger Martin Havlat said, "we were better than yesterday. We were battling hard, and we were much smarter than the first night." The Wild tried to put a positive spin on the game. Defenseman Brent Burns claimed the team battled, and he said, "We don't get the respect we deserve." But respect doesn't come easily after last season's disappointing finish followed by six winless exhibition games before arriving in Finland. The team's public stance was one of optimism about the overseas excursion, as if the journey to Finland would fix everything. The trip would give the Wild a chance to bond as they prepared for the season to start. " Read more: http://www.twincities.com/wild/ci_16293652
