Puck Drop

The fans are screaming, the zamboni has left the ice all shiny. It's playoff time.

It's another sellout and the X, just like every other wild home game, now totaling more than 300. Just prior to the game video of game highlights and a graphic of the Stanley Cup are projected on the ice, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Helping demonstrate the excitement are 18,000 white towels fans found draped over their seats.The towels are printed with a simple slogan: Fight to the End. Fighting is something the Wild will have to be careful with. They must avoid a repeat of last year when the Ducks manhandled them, but they can't afford to the Av's powerful offense power plays. Jacques Lemaire has chosen to scratch bully Chris Simon, leaving Derek Boogaard and Todd Fedoruk to do the heavy hitting.