Second-worst offense in NHL stumbles thru Metropolitan Division as holidays approach; no end in sight
The facts are clear. The Minnesota Wild stink right now. And there's absolutely no way to sugar coat that fact, as the Wild wrap up a disasterous 3-game trip thru Pennsylvania and New York City, just in time to gift-wrap two points to the Penguins, Rangers and Flyers.
With the No. 31 offense in the 32-team NHL -- only the gutted-for-rebuild Buffalo Sabres are worse at scoring right now -- the No. 31 road offense in the NHL limps (literally) into the mandatory three-day holiday break after a pair of disgusting, lacklustre, 5-2 and 4-1 losses at Pittsburgh and the NY Rangers, respectively, into the NHL's nastiest arena for visiting teams, as the Flyers are given the gift that keeps on giving -- the Wild -- at the Wells Fargo Center on Monday night.
This team needs offense. Desperately. The shuttle between Des Moines and St. Paul has had enough grooves in it already to resist snow plowing; another move was made prior to Monday's game, as Stephane Veilleux was called up and Erik Haula was returned to the Iowa Wild, whose own roster belies the up-and-down nature of a farm team of a desperate big club.
When you peel back the cover just a bit, you have a lot of problems; two lines that cannot score no matter what; a power play that cannot score on a 5-on-3, or even get a shot on goal during a power play; a No. 2 goalie who can't stop much of anything when he sees it right in front of him; and a No. 1 line that would rather pass than take a shot on goal, like it's a mortal sin if they did.
Dany Heatley needs to take a seat in the press box. So does Kyle Brodziak, and anyone else whose lack of effort does not warrant dressing for games. This season is careening out of control; will anyone in the Wild organization be able to stop this skid in time, in order to salvage a playoff spot?
I guess we all find out...together.
Showing posts with label Buffalo Sabres. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buffalo Sabres. Show all posts
Monday, December 23, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Time to rededicate the Popcorn Machine?
With his diminished play and soon-to-be expiring contract, this blogger asks if it's time to rename the Minnesota Wild press box popcorn machine at Xcel Energy Center after uber-underachiever Dany Heatley
Have we Minnesota Wild fans found the next human stalagmite (a.k.a. Martin Skoula)? Another Filip Kuba stand-around human pylon?
We just may have.
With his woeful offensive output and $7.5M cap hit, Dany Heatley just may be the next Wild player needing to learn how to make popcorn in the Al Shaver press box at Xcel Energy Center. The only bright spot (if it is that) is that his contract expires at the end of this 2013-2014 season, which may make 'Heater' attractive to a team on the rebuild.
Like, maybe the Buffalo Sabres, or Dallas Stars, or any team not based in Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division, or San Jose Sharks (but keep Marty Havlat, will you? Thanks.)
Heatley is a boat anchor on the Wild speedboat, a slow, plodding forward who's best days are well in the rear view mirror, who's attributes are marred by his lack of compete level, inability to find open space, and just flat out bad timing when in the offensive zone.
Saturday night, he was the third best defenseman the Florida Panthers (another team needing a rebuild) had, blocking two shots (one a near-sure-goal) from Mikael Granlund in the third period of the Wild's 2-1 shootout loss to the lowly Panthers, who are still looking up at nearly everyone else in the Eastern Conference.
Heatley has become more of a liability every time he steps onto the ice. A former 50-goal scorer, gifted with great hands, he hasn't used them like he has wanted to in the last two seasons. He should have received a compliance buyout last summer, but since he was injured in an end-of-game scrum in San Jose last April, Heatley ended the season on injured reserve, and according to the terms of the new CBA, compliance buyouts could not be tendered to players on IR.
And now, the Wild are paying for that injury. And how. Talk about paying it forward; the fact that Heatley is not having success to justify that massive contract is hamstringing the Wild, whose anemic offense has only scored 5 goals in the last four games, going 1-2-1 on a four-game Eastern road trip which, based on the current overall talent level of the Wild, they should have gone no worse than 3-1.
So what to do? Heatley has become the single largest liability the Wild have. And one of the toughest to deal with, as his massive contract precludes any type of a major deal. The NHL would immediately throw up red flags at any type of a 'salary dump' deal. The other team in any Heatley trade would as quickly incur the wrath of their own fans, as this albatross of a forward plays the schedule out at half-speed. Or slower.
For all those Ottawa fans who have booed Heatley over the years (he wanted out of Ottawa, and got his wish) for not being a Senator, and the San Jose fans (when they aren't beating each other up) who also boo Heatley when he returns to NorCal, the Wild would probably say 'If you want him, you can HAVE him. Cheap.'
Peyton Place, meet 317 Washington St., St. Paul. As that's what Dany Heatley has made his hockey life in Wild country.
Have we Minnesota Wild fans found the next human stalagmite (a.k.a. Martin Skoula)? Another Filip Kuba stand-around human pylon?
We just may have.
With his woeful offensive output and $7.5M cap hit, Dany Heatley just may be the next Wild player needing to learn how to make popcorn in the Al Shaver press box at Xcel Energy Center. The only bright spot (if it is that) is that his contract expires at the end of this 2013-2014 season, which may make 'Heater' attractive to a team on the rebuild.
Like, maybe the Buffalo Sabres, or Dallas Stars, or any team not based in Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division, or San Jose Sharks (but keep Marty Havlat, will you? Thanks.)
Heatley is a boat anchor on the Wild speedboat, a slow, plodding forward who's best days are well in the rear view mirror, who's attributes are marred by his lack of compete level, inability to find open space, and just flat out bad timing when in the offensive zone.
Saturday night, he was the third best defenseman the Florida Panthers (another team needing a rebuild) had, blocking two shots (one a near-sure-goal) from Mikael Granlund in the third period of the Wild's 2-1 shootout loss to the lowly Panthers, who are still looking up at nearly everyone else in the Eastern Conference.
Heatley has become more of a liability every time he steps onto the ice. A former 50-goal scorer, gifted with great hands, he hasn't used them like he has wanted to in the last two seasons. He should have received a compliance buyout last summer, but since he was injured in an end-of-game scrum in San Jose last April, Heatley ended the season on injured reserve, and according to the terms of the new CBA, compliance buyouts could not be tendered to players on IR.
And now, the Wild are paying for that injury. And how. Talk about paying it forward; the fact that Heatley is not having success to justify that massive contract is hamstringing the Wild, whose anemic offense has only scored 5 goals in the last four games, going 1-2-1 on a four-game Eastern road trip which, based on the current overall talent level of the Wild, they should have gone no worse than 3-1.
So what to do? Heatley has become the single largest liability the Wild have. And one of the toughest to deal with, as his massive contract precludes any type of a major deal. The NHL would immediately throw up red flags at any type of a 'salary dump' deal. The other team in any Heatley trade would as quickly incur the wrath of their own fans, as this albatross of a forward plays the schedule out at half-speed. Or slower.
For all those Ottawa fans who have booed Heatley over the years (he wanted out of Ottawa, and got his wish) for not being a Senator, and the San Jose fans (when they aren't beating each other up) who also boo Heatley when he returns to NorCal, the Wild would probably say 'If you want him, you can HAVE him. Cheap.'
Peyton Place, meet 317 Washington St., St. Paul. As that's what Dany Heatley has made his hockey life in Wild country.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Wild playoff chances in meltdown mode?
Behind Japanese disaster, Minnesota Wild perfecting world's second-biggest current meltdown
Well, since we last spent time together, Japan has been hit with a disaster of near-Biblical proportions, a civil war has broken out in Libya, the Detroit Red Wings have become merely a mortal hockey team, and the Minnesota Wild have learned how much they depend on two injured players: Mikko Koivu and Cal Clutterbuck.
As predicted by many people last week, the death watch for the Wild's playoff chances has begun in earnest. Following a week where the Wild threw away a home win against the Buffalo Sabres, followed by an unbelieveably hard win against the otherwise hapless Colorado Avalanche, the Wild then went out to where they do their best work -- away from home -- and promptly played two of the worst games of the entire 2010-2011 season in successive nights, giving away free points to both Nashville and Dallas with back-to-back 4-0 shutout losses, and starting the death watch in earnest.
Koivu was held out of the Friday game in Dallas, due to the broken finger suffered while blocking a Todd Marchant shot Feb. 18 vs. Anaheim, while Clutterbuck is slowly coming back from the injury that CBC's Don Cherry, he of 'Hockey Night in Canada', said never happened, due to the head shot hit suffered March 2 by the Islanders' Clark Gillies -- which also made him not available so far on the second-longest road trip of the season.
The Wild are in deep, deep trouble. The biggest difference between the Wild meltdown and the Japanese nuclear power meltdown is that unlike Japan, no one will die from the Wild missing the playoffs. (We sincerely hope.)
The other big difference: No help is forthcoming for the Wild, unlike the international effort to save lives in Japan. Other teams WANT the Wild to fail. They LOVE to see the Wild, as their 1-3-0 record on the road in March (along with the pathetic 1-0-1 home record in March) would attest, most other NHL teams see the Wild as 'Free Lunch' right now.
Too bad the Wild can't say the same thing about other teams. Their pathetic 1-5-2 record against the bottom eight teams in the Eastern Conference (win at New Jersey; OT/SO losses against Carolina and Buffalo; regulation losses against Carolina, Atlanta, Florida, the Islanders, and Ottawa; remember, in Helsinki, the Wild and Carolina played twice) with one game to play (vs. Toronto, at the 'X' March 22nd). By contrast, the Wild are 5-2 against the top seven teams in the east, with two games (vs. Montreal next Sunday, and vs. Tampa Bay April 2, both at home) to play. Those are free points that this team GAVE AWAY throughout the season.
So, if the Wild do miss the playoffs by less than seven points this season, don't turn your eyes to the West. Because that's not where the problem was. The problem is to the East. Again, not as far East as Japan. But, for Wild hockey fans, just as troublesome.
Well, since we last spent time together, Japan has been hit with a disaster of near-Biblical proportions, a civil war has broken out in Libya, the Detroit Red Wings have become merely a mortal hockey team, and the Minnesota Wild have learned how much they depend on two injured players: Mikko Koivu and Cal Clutterbuck.
As predicted by many people last week, the death watch for the Wild's playoff chances has begun in earnest. Following a week where the Wild threw away a home win against the Buffalo Sabres, followed by an unbelieveably hard win against the otherwise hapless Colorado Avalanche, the Wild then went out to where they do their best work -- away from home -- and promptly played two of the worst games of the entire 2010-2011 season in successive nights, giving away free points to both Nashville and Dallas with back-to-back 4-0 shutout losses, and starting the death watch in earnest.
Koivu was held out of the Friday game in Dallas, due to the broken finger suffered while blocking a Todd Marchant shot Feb. 18 vs. Anaheim, while Clutterbuck is slowly coming back from the injury that CBC's Don Cherry, he of 'Hockey Night in Canada', said never happened, due to the head shot hit suffered March 2 by the Islanders' Clark Gillies -- which also made him not available so far on the second-longest road trip of the season.
The Wild are in deep, deep trouble. The biggest difference between the Wild meltdown and the Japanese nuclear power meltdown is that unlike Japan, no one will die from the Wild missing the playoffs. (We sincerely hope.)
The other big difference: No help is forthcoming for the Wild, unlike the international effort to save lives in Japan. Other teams WANT the Wild to fail. They LOVE to see the Wild, as their 1-3-0 record on the road in March (along with the pathetic 1-0-1 home record in March) would attest, most other NHL teams see the Wild as 'Free Lunch' right now.
Too bad the Wild can't say the same thing about other teams. Their pathetic 1-5-2 record against the bottom eight teams in the Eastern Conference (win at New Jersey; OT/SO losses against Carolina and Buffalo; regulation losses against Carolina, Atlanta, Florida, the Islanders, and Ottawa; remember, in Helsinki, the Wild and Carolina played twice) with one game to play (vs. Toronto, at the 'X' March 22nd). By contrast, the Wild are 5-2 against the top seven teams in the east, with two games (vs. Montreal next Sunday, and vs. Tampa Bay April 2, both at home) to play. Those are free points that this team GAVE AWAY throughout the season.
So, if the Wild do miss the playoffs by less than seven points this season, don't turn your eyes to the West. Because that's not where the problem was. The problem is to the East. Again, not as far East as Japan. But, for Wild hockey fans, just as troublesome.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
No more room for error
OK, Minnesota Wild. You wanted to fight your way into the playoffs. You wanted the pressure to be on you. Well, be careful what you wish for. Because, sometimes it just might come true.
Like, now.
Entering this evening's 5:00 PM (Central Time) game vs. the Buffalo Sabres, the Wild need 22 points in their last 17 games in order to reach 96 points -- the generally agreed-to 'magic number' in order to qualify for the NHL's post-season.
With those 17 games remaining, are some that the Wild should -- should -- win, and some which, by all accounts, they will have next to no chance at. They will be competitive in almost all of them...
...but, hey, wait a minute: we said that about the game last Wednesday night against the hapless NY Islanders, didn't we? And look how that disaster turned out! In fact, the whole trip to New York turned out backwards for the boys in Iron Range Red, as they got destroyed by the Isles, then went into Madison Square Garden and took care of the NY Rangers, winning 3-1 to salvage two points out of the road trip -- a trip which, in hindsight, they should have swept.
The Wild must now face up to some of their worst road demons, starting Thursday on their longest road trip since the All-Star break, a four-game marathon with games in Nashville (an arena where they rarely win), Dallas (an arena where they almost NEVER win), Vancouver (the Wild do well there, occasionally) and San Jose (where they win sometimes). Not exactly the greatest road trip the Wild could go out on in the middle of the stretch drive.
But the biggest demon the Wild face, is the one that they face in front of their own fans. This team just can't stand winning at home, as their 2-2-1 home record in their last five games at Xcel Energy Center can attest to. You can say what you want, as this team is a good team on the road -- they have won this season at MSG, Vancouver, Anaheim, and in Detroit -- but their road success does not carry over in front of the home folks. And that, dear reader, is the crux of the problem.
With nine home games, the Wild basically need to sweep the season at home. Whomever the Wild have remaining on their schedule -- Buffalo, Colorado, Columbus, Montreal, Toronto, St. Louis, Edmonton, or the Dallas Stars (in the last game on the NHL schedule) -- the Wild must find a way to win all their remaining home games. And, they must win them, IN REGULATION TIME. The Wild cannot afford the 'luxury' of the overtime (or, God help us, the shootout) win. As a matter of fact, shootout wins may just be the saving grace for the Wild, as they will be tossed out in determining who will qualify for the playoffs, and their seeding once they qualify, should two (or more) teams qualify with the same number of points. Among Western Conference teams, the Wild are tied (with Edmonton) for the fewest number of shootout wins (2). By contrast, two teams the Wild are trying to catch, Calgary and Los Angeles, have 7 shootout wins each. If they are tied at the end of the season, the shootout wins are then thrown out, hence the need for the Wild to win in the regulation 60 minutes.
Sounds like another team which squeaked into the playoffs, didn't play a game at home in the post-season, and then went all the way:
The Green Bay Packers.
Like, now.
Entering this evening's 5:00 PM (Central Time) game vs. the Buffalo Sabres, the Wild need 22 points in their last 17 games in order to reach 96 points -- the generally agreed-to 'magic number' in order to qualify for the NHL's post-season.
With those 17 games remaining, are some that the Wild should -- should -- win, and some which, by all accounts, they will have next to no chance at. They will be competitive in almost all of them...
...but, hey, wait a minute: we said that about the game last Wednesday night against the hapless NY Islanders, didn't we? And look how that disaster turned out! In fact, the whole trip to New York turned out backwards for the boys in Iron Range Red, as they got destroyed by the Isles, then went into Madison Square Garden and took care of the NY Rangers, winning 3-1 to salvage two points out of the road trip -- a trip which, in hindsight, they should have swept.
The Wild must now face up to some of their worst road demons, starting Thursday on their longest road trip since the All-Star break, a four-game marathon with games in Nashville (an arena where they rarely win), Dallas (an arena where they almost NEVER win), Vancouver (the Wild do well there, occasionally) and San Jose (where they win sometimes). Not exactly the greatest road trip the Wild could go out on in the middle of the stretch drive.
But the biggest demon the Wild face, is the one that they face in front of their own fans. This team just can't stand winning at home, as their 2-2-1 home record in their last five games at Xcel Energy Center can attest to. You can say what you want, as this team is a good team on the road -- they have won this season at MSG, Vancouver, Anaheim, and in Detroit -- but their road success does not carry over in front of the home folks. And that, dear reader, is the crux of the problem.
With nine home games, the Wild basically need to sweep the season at home. Whomever the Wild have remaining on their schedule -- Buffalo, Colorado, Columbus, Montreal, Toronto, St. Louis, Edmonton, or the Dallas Stars (in the last game on the NHL schedule) -- the Wild must find a way to win all their remaining home games. And, they must win them, IN REGULATION TIME. The Wild cannot afford the 'luxury' of the overtime (or, God help us, the shootout) win. As a matter of fact, shootout wins may just be the saving grace for the Wild, as they will be tossed out in determining who will qualify for the playoffs, and their seeding once they qualify, should two (or more) teams qualify with the same number of points. Among Western Conference teams, the Wild are tied (with Edmonton) for the fewest number of shootout wins (2). By contrast, two teams the Wild are trying to catch, Calgary and Los Angeles, have 7 shootout wins each. If they are tied at the end of the season, the shootout wins are then thrown out, hence the need for the Wild to win in the regulation 60 minutes.
Sounds like another team which squeaked into the playoffs, didn't play a game at home in the post-season, and then went all the way:
The Green Bay Packers.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Deal ...or No Deal?
Wild not in mood for wheeling and dealing as trade deadline looms
Satisfied with the direction the Minnesota Wild are headed as February turns into the Stretch Drive month of March, GM Chuck Fletcher has downplayed any possible moves to further infuse talent in the club, according to published reports.
Fletcher told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that unless the player traded for can quickly mesh with the team's current high-level character, that player would not be added by Monday's 2:00 PM (CST) trade deadline.
"These players deserve a chance to stay together and see this thing through. This group deserves that chance; they want that chance, and it's hard to argue with them."
The Wild currently are in 6th place in the NHL's Western Conference with 72 points, two behind 5th place Los Angeles, and three behind 4th place Phoenix, who currently holds the last spot for first-round home ice advantage. The Wild have completed their season series with both clubs.
With Mikko Koivu out for two to three more weeks (broken index finger, left hand) the Wild could use another center. But until (and unless) the rest of the team could buy into a new face near them, Fletcher does not want to mess with the good chemistry in the dressing room. "...we like this team, we're competitive every night and we're winning more games than we're losing. We're content with our group."
Now...the next five games
The next five games (3 at Xcel Energy Center, 2 on the road) are vs. Chicago, two in New York (at the Islanders and Rangers, in that order), then home games against Buffalo and Colorado. Is it too much to expect to win four of those five? Yes, Chicago is a mess right now, and Stan Kroneke is trying to out-cheapen Charles Wang (if that's even possible?) with the Avs current dismantling, but the Wild are in a position to really put some distance between themselves, and the rest of the West contenders this coming week.
Monday's nationally-cablecast game (Versus, 7:00 PM) vs. the Chicago Blackhawks is the final meeting between the two teams this season, and with each game between the two teams having more meaning than the last one, this game should be a fun evening of puck. The Wild are 1-2 in their first three meetings; the Blackhawks winning October 30th at the 'X', and Feb. 16 in Chicago, both games by 3-1 scores; the Wild defeated the 'Hawks 4-2 at the United Center on January 25th, in the last game before the All-Star Break for both franchises. Chicago, although not the star-studded, fully-loaded Blackhawks of last season, are still capable of running up the score should they get going offensively. The Wild will indeed have their hands full Monday night, but so may the 'Hawks, especially if they make a trade deadline deal earlier on Monday.
Before getting back into the meat grinder of the stretch drive, the Wild get a few games which they should actually win. The New York Islanders are, well, the Islanders; all the 'goons' who tried to single-handedly drag the NHL back into the 'Slap Shot' era, will be returning to the Isles' roster in time for Wednesday night's 6:00 PM start. Even with the 'slugfest' against the Penguins two weeks ago, the Isles are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, better than the 4-6-0 record of the Rangers going into Sunday afternoon's game vs. Tampa Bay at Madison Square Garden.
The New York Rangers are almost as banged up as the Wild are, with five front-line Blueshirts (Marian Gaborik, Marc Staal, Alexander Frolov, Chris Drury, and Derek Boogaard) all out of the line-up. This is the game, I think, that may be a loss for the Wild. The Wild never play that well in Manhattan (1-4-0 all time at MSG), and the Wild will be on the second night of yet another back-to-back on the road.
What will be left of the Colorado Avalanche will make their last visit into St. Paul on March 8th, a team which is a shadow of what they were at this time last season, when they out-lasted the Calgary Flames to qualify for last season's playoffs. This is not last season's Avs by any stretch, as the team has gone on an economy kick, and is trying desperately to shed payroll, by any means possible.
So, is 4-1 in the next five games realistic? Is it the time for the Wild to show that they really ARE a team worthy of the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Guess we'll just have to see for ourselves, huh?
Satisfied with the direction the Minnesota Wild are headed as February turns into the Stretch Drive month of March, GM Chuck Fletcher has downplayed any possible moves to further infuse talent in the club, according to published reports.
Fletcher told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that unless the player traded for can quickly mesh with the team's current high-level character, that player would not be added by Monday's 2:00 PM (CST) trade deadline.
"These players deserve a chance to stay together and see this thing through. This group deserves that chance; they want that chance, and it's hard to argue with them."
The Wild currently are in 6th place in the NHL's Western Conference with 72 points, two behind 5th place Los Angeles, and three behind 4th place Phoenix, who currently holds the last spot for first-round home ice advantage. The Wild have completed their season series with both clubs.
With Mikko Koivu out for two to three more weeks (broken index finger, left hand) the Wild could use another center. But until (and unless) the rest of the team could buy into a new face near them, Fletcher does not want to mess with the good chemistry in the dressing room. "...we like this team, we're competitive every night and we're winning more games than we're losing. We're content with our group."
Now...the next five games
The next five games (3 at Xcel Energy Center, 2 on the road) are vs. Chicago, two in New York (at the Islanders and Rangers, in that order), then home games against Buffalo and Colorado. Is it too much to expect to win four of those five? Yes, Chicago is a mess right now, and Stan Kroneke is trying to out-cheapen Charles Wang (if that's even possible?) with the Avs current dismantling, but the Wild are in a position to really put some distance between themselves, and the rest of the West contenders this coming week.
Monday's nationally-cablecast game (Versus, 7:00 PM) vs. the Chicago Blackhawks is the final meeting between the two teams this season, and with each game between the two teams having more meaning than the last one, this game should be a fun evening of puck. The Wild are 1-2 in their first three meetings; the Blackhawks winning October 30th at the 'X', and Feb. 16 in Chicago, both games by 3-1 scores; the Wild defeated the 'Hawks 4-2 at the United Center on January 25th, in the last game before the All-Star Break for both franchises. Chicago, although not the star-studded, fully-loaded Blackhawks of last season, are still capable of running up the score should they get going offensively. The Wild will indeed have their hands full Monday night, but so may the 'Hawks, especially if they make a trade deadline deal earlier on Monday.
Before getting back into the meat grinder of the stretch drive, the Wild get a few games which they should actually win. The New York Islanders are, well, the Islanders; all the 'goons' who tried to single-handedly drag the NHL back into the 'Slap Shot' era, will be returning to the Isles' roster in time for Wednesday night's 6:00 PM start. Even with the 'slugfest' against the Penguins two weeks ago, the Isles are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, better than the 4-6-0 record of the Rangers going into Sunday afternoon's game vs. Tampa Bay at Madison Square Garden.
The New York Rangers are almost as banged up as the Wild are, with five front-line Blueshirts (Marian Gaborik, Marc Staal, Alexander Frolov, Chris Drury, and Derek Boogaard) all out of the line-up. This is the game, I think, that may be a loss for the Wild. The Wild never play that well in Manhattan (1-4-0 all time at MSG), and the Wild will be on the second night of yet another back-to-back on the road.
After three days off (and the state high school wrestling tournament at the 'X'), the Wild will face a Buffalo Sabres' team which is very much hot and cold. On the cusp of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Sabres will roll into St. Paul on the second game of a back-to-back of their own, and their 4th road game in six nights, the middle game of a 7-game, two-week road trip where, after which, the Sabres play only two more games away from HSBC Arena the rest of March.
What will be left of the Colorado Avalanche will make their last visit into St. Paul on March 8th, a team which is a shadow of what they were at this time last season, when they out-lasted the Calgary Flames to qualify for last season's playoffs. This is not last season's Avs by any stretch, as the team has gone on an economy kick, and is trying desperately to shed payroll, by any means possible.
So, is 4-1 in the next five games realistic? Is it the time for the Wild to show that they really ARE a team worthy of the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Guess we'll just have to see for ourselves, huh?
Friday, March 12, 2010
Sabre-Rattling: Wild shuffle out of Buffalo with 3-2 win
Sometimes, it just takes a hot goalie, some puck luck, and some timely offense to get out of a horrendous losing streak. When you do it against one of the NHL's top 6 teams, all the better. Such was the case on Friday night at HSBC Arena, where the Minnesota Wild took a three-goal lead into the third period, and held on to snap their disasterous four-game losing streak by defeating the Northeast Division-leading Buffalo Sabres 3-2, as 18,690 mostly Sabres fans looked on in somewhat stunned disbelief.
Josh Harding, playing his second game in as many nights, made 43 saves to preserve the victory, which, depending on the results of the Nashville-Anaheim and LA Kings-Dallas games, will put the Wild either into 11th or remain in 12th in the NHL's Western Conference. Andrew Ebbett, Guillaume Latendresse, and Andrew Brunette scored for Minnesota, and ex-Gopher Thomas Vanek scored both Buffalo goals.
The Wild were without a number of players; Brent Burns (hip), Niklas Backstrom (groin), and Shane Hnidy, who did not go on the road trip (leg) were all scratched due to injury; Wade Dubleiewicz was recalled by the Wild from the AHL Houston Aeros for Backstrom, whose groin tweak is day-to-day.
The Wild, following their March pattern, now come home for the next two games, starting with the Next Game: vs. St. Louis, Sunday, March 14, 5:00 PM Central Daylight Time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth (includes FSWisconsin); Blues' TV: FSMidwest, all feeds in HD; XM NHL Home Ice, Ch. 204)
-- WRT
Remember: Set your clocks AHEAD one hour before going to bed Saturday night!
Josh Harding, playing his second game in as many nights, made 43 saves to preserve the victory, which, depending on the results of the Nashville-Anaheim and LA Kings-Dallas games, will put the Wild either into 11th or remain in 12th in the NHL's Western Conference. Andrew Ebbett, Guillaume Latendresse, and Andrew Brunette scored for Minnesota, and ex-Gopher Thomas Vanek scored both Buffalo goals.
The Wild were without a number of players; Brent Burns (hip), Niklas Backstrom (groin), and Shane Hnidy, who did not go on the road trip (leg) were all scratched due to injury; Wade Dubleiewicz was recalled by the Wild from the AHL Houston Aeros for Backstrom, whose groin tweak is day-to-day.
The Wild, following their March pattern, now come home for the next two games, starting with the Next Game: vs. St. Louis, Sunday, March 14, 5:00 PM Central Daylight Time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth (includes FSWisconsin); Blues' TV: FSMidwest, all feeds in HD; XM NHL Home Ice, Ch. 204)
-- WRT
Remember: Set your clocks AHEAD one hour before going to bed Saturday night!
Monday, December 14, 2009
WRT's Monday Miscellany
By Wild Road Tripper
(Another attempt to liven up your start of the week...)
Minnesota Wild fans are, indeed, a hardy lot. We go thru rain, sleet, snow, severe cold, six different starting times, all to see our favorite team actually win a game now 'n' then. Now, just think of how it would be if your team played like some of the other teams in the NHL.
Toronto Maple Leafs fans have had it the worst for the longest. The last time they were even in the playoffs was 2003-04, when they were eliminated in 6 games by the Philadelphia Flyers (the series-winning goal? Scored by Jeremy Roenick), and since then, it's been six seasons of losing hockey. Brian Burke was brought in from Anaheim to try and turn around this moribund franchise, and he brought in what he thought was needed -- grit, and lots of it. Well, the Leafs still suck, they play the streaking Buffalo Sabres this coming Friday at HSBC Arena (tickets starting at $78 for the cheapest seats), and they are on the precipice of falling off the NHL radar once again, at least until the entry draft in Los Angeles in late June. Yes, it will take time and effort in order to turn the Leafs' ship of state around. Hopefully for Leafs' fans, the ship isn't named the Titanic...
And, speaking of Philadelphia, Flyers' fans are probably ready to kill anything on skates that is wearing a Flyers' jersey right about now. The Flyers have changed their coach, but they have a different problem; they just don't play well together. They currently have no less than SEVEN players who make over $4,000,000 per season. Flyers' fans feel that they are getting ripped off. And, frankly, who can blame them? Is Kimmo Timonen REALLY worth more of a cap hit than Chris Pronger?
The Flyers are 1-7 since the Thanksgiving holiday; three of those games the Flyers were shutout, and two more they only managed one goal. They cannot depend on their budget-balanced goaltending ($2,400,000 for their top two goalies, paltry by NHL standards) to bail their anemic offense out night after night.
Not that the Western Conference isn't much better. St. Louis Blues fans are asking themselves if they are watching the Rams instead, especially after they came out against Edmonton last weekend, and the Grease slid right by the Blues, 5-3. The Blues have only scored three goals in the last week, and have dropped three straight.
Anaheim Ducks players and fans were asking themselves 'wha' happened?' until they recently started to turn things around to keep the Ducks somewhat relevant in the West. Four of the last five Ducks' games have gone to overtime or the shootout; their 2-0-2 record since the Wild beat them in St. Paul December 4th looks to have saved the job of head coach Randy Carlyle, at least for the time being.
And then, there is the resurgent Wild, with a record of 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, a period of time (late November/early December) when the Wild are traditionally not a very good hockey team. After the Wild's dismal 6-loss-in-7-game start to the season, they players have finally learned to control themselves yet play a more attack-style offense. The new system of Todd Richards is finally taking hold, and Wild fans are loving it. They haven't seen offense like this from a Wild team in franchise history. Reminds me of the starving man who walks into the banquet hall, just as they serve up the steamship round of beef. And, they have done it while at least three players have been recovering from concussions.
Just think of how good the Wild would be if everyone on the roster was healthy...
Have a good Monday!
(Another attempt to liven up your start of the week...)
Minnesota Wild fans are, indeed, a hardy lot. We go thru rain, sleet, snow, severe cold, six different starting times, all to see our favorite team actually win a game now 'n' then. Now, just think of how it would be if your team played like some of the other teams in the NHL.
Toronto Maple Leafs fans have had it the worst for the longest. The last time they were even in the playoffs was 2003-04, when they were eliminated in 6 games by the Philadelphia Flyers (the series-winning goal? Scored by Jeremy Roenick), and since then, it's been six seasons of losing hockey. Brian Burke was brought in from Anaheim to try and turn around this moribund franchise, and he brought in what he thought was needed -- grit, and lots of it. Well, the Leafs still suck, they play the streaking Buffalo Sabres this coming Friday at HSBC Arena (tickets starting at $78 for the cheapest seats), and they are on the precipice of falling off the NHL radar once again, at least until the entry draft in Los Angeles in late June. Yes, it will take time and effort in order to turn the Leafs' ship of state around. Hopefully for Leafs' fans, the ship isn't named the Titanic...
And, speaking of Philadelphia, Flyers' fans are probably ready to kill anything on skates that is wearing a Flyers' jersey right about now. The Flyers have changed their coach, but they have a different problem; they just don't play well together. They currently have no less than SEVEN players who make over $4,000,000 per season. Flyers' fans feel that they are getting ripped off. And, frankly, who can blame them? Is Kimmo Timonen REALLY worth more of a cap hit than Chris Pronger?
The Flyers are 1-7 since the Thanksgiving holiday; three of those games the Flyers were shutout, and two more they only managed one goal. They cannot depend on their budget-balanced goaltending ($2,400,000 for their top two goalies, paltry by NHL standards) to bail their anemic offense out night after night.
Not that the Western Conference isn't much better. St. Louis Blues fans are asking themselves if they are watching the Rams instead, especially after they came out against Edmonton last weekend, and the Grease slid right by the Blues, 5-3. The Blues have only scored three goals in the last week, and have dropped three straight.
Anaheim Ducks players and fans were asking themselves 'wha' happened?' until they recently started to turn things around to keep the Ducks somewhat relevant in the West. Four of the last five Ducks' games have gone to overtime or the shootout; their 2-0-2 record since the Wild beat them in St. Paul December 4th looks to have saved the job of head coach Randy Carlyle, at least for the time being.
And then, there is the resurgent Wild, with a record of 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, a period of time (late November/early December) when the Wild are traditionally not a very good hockey team. After the Wild's dismal 6-loss-in-7-game start to the season, they players have finally learned to control themselves yet play a more attack-style offense. The new system of Todd Richards is finally taking hold, and Wild fans are loving it. They haven't seen offense like this from a Wild team in franchise history. Reminds me of the starving man who walks into the banquet hall, just as they serve up the steamship round of beef. And, they have done it while at least three players have been recovering from concussions.
Just think of how good the Wild would be if everyone on the roster was healthy...
Have a good Monday!
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