Honestly. We couldn't do this even though we are still disappointed that the Minnesota Wild didn't do more against the Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs. But, since everyone else is putting the season away, I thought I might as well do the same.
But, we also have to be somewhat fair. The Wild only played 48 regular-season (and 5 post-season) games. About 60% of the regular season schedule. So, with less of a pool of games to choose from, there are less games to really say 'God, they sucked that night.' And so, with all that as a backdrop, here is the 'light' edition of the Six-Pack of Suck, or three games the Wild really wished later they had won:
1. February 14, 2013. Colorado 4, Minnesota 3 (SO). In front of a raucous, Valentine's Day crowd of 18,822 at Xcel Energy Center, the Avs came back right after Mikko Koivu put the Wild ahead with just eight minutes remaining in regulation. On the next shift, Colorado's Matt Duchene tied it up as the Wild once again tried to lay back and cruise to a win. Not so, as the Avs went 2-for-2 against Niklas Backstrom to win it in the extra session. The Wild would go on to win 4 of the next 5, but really, Valentine's Day would have been that much better with a 'W' by the home squad.
2. April 21, 2013. Calgary 4, Minnesota 1. The last week of the regular season started with this God-awful showing by the Wild, who managed to bumble and stumble their way to losing at home to a Calgary team, which was 2/3rds Flames and 1/3rd Abbotsford Heat players, pushing the Wild's April loss streak at home to a sickening 5 straight games.
The Wild just couldn't get the deal done, as they threw away their chance to clinch a playoff spot (and also play either St. Louis or San Jose in the first round, as opposed to Anaheim or Chicago) with this lack of finish in this game.
Despite outshooting the Flames 35-24 for the game as a whole, the Flames outshot the Wild 12-10 in the crucial 3rd period, as the Flames scored twice against Backstrom in the last 7:20 (one an empty net goal) as the Wild slunk away into the night.
The Wild ended the night three points ahead of the ninth-place Dallas Stars, a team which gutted its' roster three weeks earler at the trade deadline, as their April record waned to a wretched 3-7-1.
3. April 26, 2013. Edmonton 6, Minnesota 1. 'Fan Appreciation Night' at the 'X' turned into 'Fan Apprehension Night', after only 27 seconds in this one, where by that time, there was a Zenon Konopka fight, an Edmonton goal, and a Wild team in really desperate straits.
And it would only go downhill from there. I was so 'appreciated' by the half-way mark of this game, I walked out and did not see either of Nail Yakupov's two goals (on consecutive shifts, by the way). I wasn't alone, as the place was half-empty by the time Koivu scored in the 3rd, to break up Nikolai Khabibulin's shutout.
The only thing I could 'appreciate' about this game is that I could go to bed on time, as I was home well before the final horn sounded to end this turkey of a contest. The Oilers were going nowhere, and if not for the Wild's game the next day at Colorado, neither were the Wild going anywhere.
Jeff Rimer, the play-by-play man for the Columbus Blue Jackets, surmised that the Jackets would have been a better opponent for the Blackhawks than were the Wild. We can argue that forever, but I don't think that anyone could have stopped the Blackhawks in the first round, save for the Hawks themselves.
Bring on the post-season, folks. Time to remodel the roster.
Showing posts with label Calgary Flames. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Calgary Flames. Show all posts
Monday, June 10, 2013
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Wild goal: Eight out of five?
Are fans asking for too much from the Minnesota Wild? Or are expectations changing as team changes?
Eight points in five games. Is that too much to ask?
The end is near. Or so the guy with the hand-made sign on the street says. So, I ask you, dear blog reader: is eight points for the Wild in the next five games (basically, a 4-1 record) too much to ask from the boys in Iron Range Red (or Forest Green, vs. Chicago)?
With 11 games (including Sunday's 5 PM tilt in Columbus) remaining in the shortened, compressed NHL season, the fact that the Wild are in position to even make the Stanley Cup Playoffs is a testament to the determination of this team to make it work, despite the NHL's worst travel schedule and nine back-to-backs. The Wild head into Columbus and the first home game for ex-Wild cherry picker Marian Gaborik in his new home with the suddenly successful Blue Jackets, who have not lost in Nationwide Arena in nearly two months (Feb. 10, in fact, vs. Edmonton). The Jackets start their last meaningful home stand today; when they meet again this coming Saturday in St. Paul, the Jackets will have embarked on a six-game, 13-day forced march thru Minnesota, Colorado and the Pacific Division, meeting every team except Phoenix away from Ohio. So every point they get at home will be as critical for them as the points are for the visiting Wild.
As of today, the Wild have 7 games with 4 of the bottom 6 teams in the NHL's Western Conference, including home and away games with lowly Calgary, somewhat-fading Edmonton and the Blue Jackets, and one game (the final regular-season game) at Colorado. Fortunately, the Anaheim Ducks, the Wild's chief pain in the collective side, are not on the schedule the rest of the regular season. Single games remain at home vs. Chicago, St. Louis, and LA; the Wild are still scheduled for one more visit, to the house of horrors known as the HP Pavilion-San Jose, to face the Sharks.
Are fans expectations changing as the team changes and gets better?
I, for one, do expect more as the team gets better. Yes, I know, I should learn to 'manage expectations' better, but as this team adds talent to the roster, the expectations should, conceivably, rise to the occasion of the talent level. I grow tired of the 'maybe we'll make the playoffs, and maybe we won't' expectation, season after season. The fact is that this team is in a good state right now; the team's upper management, and ownership, has proven to the players (and fans) that they will do what they can in order to win.
Now it's up to the players -- the guys who are actually 'in the room' -- to get the job done. Show the fans that you are as committed to winning as those you answer to are. Yes, the fans have every right to still be a little bit skeptical as to whether or not you will even MAKE the playoffs, much less go far in them. But that's what fans are. After four seasons of not making the playoffs at all, a little skepticism goes a long, long way. And after the spectacular crash-and-burn which occured about this point last season, just holding on for dear life isn't going to help you at all, Minnesota Wild.
So, to go back to my original point; is eight points in the next five games too much to ask? Let's take a look ahead:
Game 1 -- today, 5 PM CDT, at Columbus -- Wild either win close or lose in OT/SO. Too close to call. But, since the point is to manage expectations; we'll manage them to a Wild win, as Nate Prosser is relieving Tom Gilbert on the blue line today. When Nate plays, the Wild win. Simple as that. Two points for the visiting Wild.
Game 2 -- Tuesday, 7 PM CDT, vs. Chicago -- nationally-televised game in which the Wild should do well in. (Hopefully better than last month's disaster in the United Center, where the Wild basically laid an egg, losing 5-3.) Chicago already assured home-ice in 1st round with that 24-game unbeaten-in-regulation streak. Wild win. (2 Points.)
Game 3 -- Thursday, 7 PM CDT, vs. St. Louis -- Blues will be on 3rd game of 4-game roadie (at Detroit, Nashville, Minnesota, Columbus). This is the game that scares me. Which Blues team will show up Thursday night? The one that lost 4 of 5 prior to the last game last week at the X? Or the one from earlier on this season, which won 6 of their first 7? With Jay Bouwmeester and Jordan Leopold both now on the Blues' blue line, this could be a trap game. This is the one I think Wild lose. (Hope I'm wrong, but...)
Game 4 -- Saturday, 7 PM CDT vs. Columbus -- Marian Gaborik's revenge night. Unlike when AJ Pierzinski and Kevin Garnett left Minnesota, folks, Gaborik brought nothing back when he signed as an UFA with the Rangers in 2009. It's OK to boo lustily whenever he touches the puck (which, we hope, won't be often.) Wild win this one. (2 Points).
Game 5 -- Monday, April 15, 8:00 PM CDT, at Calgary -- the Flames have basically thrown in the towel. GM Jay Feaster sold off Jarome Iginla, Bouwmeester, and almost sold off Curtis Glencross, have been told Mikka Kiprusoff is not returning after this season, and the rebuilding has, indeed, started in Calgary. Wild should win this game, too. (2 points).
That's my thoughts. Let's play the games and see how it all shakes out. Remember to manage your expectations, also. Doug Risebrough would expect nothing less.
Eight points in five games. Is that too much to ask?
The end is near. Or so the guy with the hand-made sign on the street says. So, I ask you, dear blog reader: is eight points for the Wild in the next five games (basically, a 4-1 record) too much to ask from the boys in Iron Range Red (or Forest Green, vs. Chicago)?
With 11 games (including Sunday's 5 PM tilt in Columbus) remaining in the shortened, compressed NHL season, the fact that the Wild are in position to even make the Stanley Cup Playoffs is a testament to the determination of this team to make it work, despite the NHL's worst travel schedule and nine back-to-backs. The Wild head into Columbus and the first home game for ex-Wild cherry picker Marian Gaborik in his new home with the suddenly successful Blue Jackets, who have not lost in Nationwide Arena in nearly two months (Feb. 10, in fact, vs. Edmonton). The Jackets start their last meaningful home stand today; when they meet again this coming Saturday in St. Paul, the Jackets will have embarked on a six-game, 13-day forced march thru Minnesota, Colorado and the Pacific Division, meeting every team except Phoenix away from Ohio. So every point they get at home will be as critical for them as the points are for the visiting Wild.
As of today, the Wild have 7 games with 4 of the bottom 6 teams in the NHL's Western Conference, including home and away games with lowly Calgary, somewhat-fading Edmonton and the Blue Jackets, and one game (the final regular-season game) at Colorado. Fortunately, the Anaheim Ducks, the Wild's chief pain in the collective side, are not on the schedule the rest of the regular season. Single games remain at home vs. Chicago, St. Louis, and LA; the Wild are still scheduled for one more visit, to the house of horrors known as the HP Pavilion-San Jose, to face the Sharks.
Are fans expectations changing as the team changes and gets better?
I, for one, do expect more as the team gets better. Yes, I know, I should learn to 'manage expectations' better, but as this team adds talent to the roster, the expectations should, conceivably, rise to the occasion of the talent level. I grow tired of the 'maybe we'll make the playoffs, and maybe we won't' expectation, season after season. The fact is that this team is in a good state right now; the team's upper management, and ownership, has proven to the players (and fans) that they will do what they can in order to win.
Now it's up to the players -- the guys who are actually 'in the room' -- to get the job done. Show the fans that you are as committed to winning as those you answer to are. Yes, the fans have every right to still be a little bit skeptical as to whether or not you will even MAKE the playoffs, much less go far in them. But that's what fans are. After four seasons of not making the playoffs at all, a little skepticism goes a long, long way. And after the spectacular crash-and-burn which occured about this point last season, just holding on for dear life isn't going to help you at all, Minnesota Wild.
So, to go back to my original point; is eight points in the next five games too much to ask? Let's take a look ahead:
Game 1 -- today, 5 PM CDT, at Columbus -- Wild either win close or lose in OT/SO. Too close to call. But, since the point is to manage expectations; we'll manage them to a Wild win, as Nate Prosser is relieving Tom Gilbert on the blue line today. When Nate plays, the Wild win. Simple as that. Two points for the visiting Wild.
Game 2 -- Tuesday, 7 PM CDT, vs. Chicago -- nationally-televised game in which the Wild should do well in. (Hopefully better than last month's disaster in the United Center, where the Wild basically laid an egg, losing 5-3.) Chicago already assured home-ice in 1st round with that 24-game unbeaten-in-regulation streak. Wild win. (2 Points.)
Game 3 -- Thursday, 7 PM CDT, vs. St. Louis -- Blues will be on 3rd game of 4-game roadie (at Detroit, Nashville, Minnesota, Columbus). This is the game that scares me. Which Blues team will show up Thursday night? The one that lost 4 of 5 prior to the last game last week at the X? Or the one from earlier on this season, which won 6 of their first 7? With Jay Bouwmeester and Jordan Leopold both now on the Blues' blue line, this could be a trap game. This is the one I think Wild lose. (Hope I'm wrong, but...)
Game 4 -- Saturday, 7 PM CDT vs. Columbus -- Marian Gaborik's revenge night. Unlike when AJ Pierzinski and Kevin Garnett left Minnesota, folks, Gaborik brought nothing back when he signed as an UFA with the Rangers in 2009. It's OK to boo lustily whenever he touches the puck (which, we hope, won't be often.) Wild win this one. (2 Points).
Game 5 -- Monday, April 15, 8:00 PM CDT, at Calgary -- the Flames have basically thrown in the towel. GM Jay Feaster sold off Jarome Iginla, Bouwmeester, and almost sold off Curtis Glencross, have been told Mikka Kiprusoff is not returning after this season, and the rebuilding has, indeed, started in Calgary. Wild should win this game, too. (2 points).
That's my thoughts. Let's play the games and see how it all shakes out. Remember to manage your expectations, also. Doug Risebrough would expect nothing less.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Back to earth...sort of...
February rough start vs. Anaheim believed no reason to panic; Coyle gets his shot at Wild roster
It hasn't been the best of times for the Minnesota Wild lately.
After the Anaheim Ducks did what they normally do to the Wild at Honda Center -- namely, beat them into submission, then turn those mistakes caused by the opposition into goals -- the Wild arrived into Phoenix early Saturday looking at a few days in the Arizona desert, with only practice staring them in the face.
And, according to most observers, including the coaching staff, practice is what they really NEED right now. As the 4-3-1 Wild prepare to face the 3-4-2 Phoenix Coyotes -- soon to be the NHL's version of Nomads, if what is being said around the game is to be believed -- on Monday night at Jobing.com Arena in near-bankrupt Glendale, they have help coming to replace the injured Matt Cullen, who crashed (with help) into the boards on Friday night.
Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the real reason they traded Brent Burns in 2011. Charlie Coyle, welcome to Minnesota. Coyle, who lit up the QMJHL in the half-season he was there after he left Boston College, was called up by the Wild on Saturday afternoon following their off-day practice, to replace the injured Cullen in the line-up for Monday night's tilt. Coyle, who has 14 goals, 10 assists for AHL Houston this season, is called a 'power forward' by the Wild, and his 6-foot-2, 222-lb frame has been called the prototypical size for that position.
Coyle was included with Devin Setoguchi in the NHL Draft night trade in 2011, when the draft was at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Traded for defenseman Burns, who has been in-and-out of the Sharks' lineup since then, Coyle is in his first full season as a pro, and has played 44 games for the Aeros this season.
Power forward, you say?
The position of power forward -- the guy who is not afraid to mix it up in front of the net, to create as much havoc as possible, in order to get nice juicy rebounds and deflections -- is somewhat a novel concept for the Wild. But, it hasn't been like it hasn't been tried before.
Andrew Brunette, slow as he was, is probably the best example of a power forward the Wild has ever had on their roster. Guillaume Latendresse was supposed to be that next version of that, but his concussion problems last season, and his contract status did not allow that to succeed. Zach Parise has some of that in him, but the fact is, he's better than that (we've already seen it). Others that you could put in that category are LA's Dustin Brown, Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf, St. Louis' David Backes, Boston's Milan Lucic, Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, and when healthy, Ryan Kesler of Vancouver.
The combination is one that is tough to get, and one that is even tougher to keep up, as the number of players that who have tried to play the position and have failed are many. Teams that have a good power forward are normally teams that go relatively far in the playoffs. And that is where the Wild want to be on the evening of April 27th. Going relatively far. In the playoffs.
Next 5 games: Key Stretch?
Are the next 5 games a key stretch of the season? With three of those five games on the road -- where the Wild only have one point after three games so far -- the next nine days will tell much about the Wild's real chances to not only make the playoffs, but to gain home ice advantage in the first round.
Two games vs. Vancouver (home and away), and games at Phoenix, at Calgary, and the second (of two) games vs. Nashville at the 'X' round out the next five games on the schedule. Do the Wild have a chance to put some points in their column before the season gets too out of hand? Or will the combination of their brutal travel schedule and the shortened season get the better of the roster?
Will Chuck Fletcher have to pull the trigger on a trade, in order to infuse more offense into what has been an underperforming bottom 2/3rds of the roster? Can the roster even respond without a trade being made? And what would be the best trade to make? Do you look towards the future and effectively 'salary dump' UFA's to be before the April 4 trade deadline? Or is 'the future is now' the prevailing view at 317 Washington St., St. Paul, MN? Do you keep the two primary future UFA's (Cullen and Pierre-Marc Bouchard) or do you move them? Does UFA-to-be goalie Niklas Backstrom remain to see the playoffs, should the Wild make it into the post-season? Or do you 'let it ride', like a shaky poker bet, past the trade deadline?
Like the rest of us fans, I just wait and see what will develop. And worry, like some of you do.
It hasn't been the best of times for the Minnesota Wild lately.
After the Anaheim Ducks did what they normally do to the Wild at Honda Center -- namely, beat them into submission, then turn those mistakes caused by the opposition into goals -- the Wild arrived into Phoenix early Saturday looking at a few days in the Arizona desert, with only practice staring them in the face.
And, according to most observers, including the coaching staff, practice is what they really NEED right now. As the 4-3-1 Wild prepare to face the 3-4-2 Phoenix Coyotes -- soon to be the NHL's version of Nomads, if what is being said around the game is to be believed -- on Monday night at Jobing.com Arena in near-bankrupt Glendale, they have help coming to replace the injured Matt Cullen, who crashed (with help) into the boards on Friday night.
Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the real reason they traded Brent Burns in 2011. Charlie Coyle, welcome to Minnesota. Coyle, who lit up the QMJHL in the half-season he was there after he left Boston College, was called up by the Wild on Saturday afternoon following their off-day practice, to replace the injured Cullen in the line-up for Monday night's tilt. Coyle, who has 14 goals, 10 assists for AHL Houston this season, is called a 'power forward' by the Wild, and his 6-foot-2, 222-lb frame has been called the prototypical size for that position.
Coyle was included with Devin Setoguchi in the NHL Draft night trade in 2011, when the draft was at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Traded for defenseman Burns, who has been in-and-out of the Sharks' lineup since then, Coyle is in his first full season as a pro, and has played 44 games for the Aeros this season.
Power forward, you say?
The position of power forward -- the guy who is not afraid to mix it up in front of the net, to create as much havoc as possible, in order to get nice juicy rebounds and deflections -- is somewhat a novel concept for the Wild. But, it hasn't been like it hasn't been tried before.
Andrew Brunette, slow as he was, is probably the best example of a power forward the Wild has ever had on their roster. Guillaume Latendresse was supposed to be that next version of that, but his concussion problems last season, and his contract status did not allow that to succeed. Zach Parise has some of that in him, but the fact is, he's better than that (we've already seen it). Others that you could put in that category are LA's Dustin Brown, Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf, St. Louis' David Backes, Boston's Milan Lucic, Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, and when healthy, Ryan Kesler of Vancouver.
The combination is one that is tough to get, and one that is even tougher to keep up, as the number of players that who have tried to play the position and have failed are many. Teams that have a good power forward are normally teams that go relatively far in the playoffs. And that is where the Wild want to be on the evening of April 27th. Going relatively far. In the playoffs.
Next 5 games: Key Stretch?
Are the next 5 games a key stretch of the season? With three of those five games on the road -- where the Wild only have one point after three games so far -- the next nine days will tell much about the Wild's real chances to not only make the playoffs, but to gain home ice advantage in the first round.
Two games vs. Vancouver (home and away), and games at Phoenix, at Calgary, and the second (of two) games vs. Nashville at the 'X' round out the next five games on the schedule. Do the Wild have a chance to put some points in their column before the season gets too out of hand? Or will the combination of their brutal travel schedule and the shortened season get the better of the roster?
Will Chuck Fletcher have to pull the trigger on a trade, in order to infuse more offense into what has been an underperforming bottom 2/3rds of the roster? Can the roster even respond without a trade being made? And what would be the best trade to make? Do you look towards the future and effectively 'salary dump' UFA's to be before the April 4 trade deadline? Or is 'the future is now' the prevailing view at 317 Washington St., St. Paul, MN? Do you keep the two primary future UFA's (Cullen and Pierre-Marc Bouchard) or do you move them? Does UFA-to-be goalie Niklas Backstrom remain to see the playoffs, should the Wild make it into the post-season? Or do you 'let it ride', like a shaky poker bet, past the trade deadline?
Like the rest of us fans, I just wait and see what will develop. And worry, like some of you do.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Reality sets in for .500 Wild
4-game win streak one week, 3-game loss streak the next typifies 2010-11 season
The week that was, was a very bad one for the Minnesota Wild. As a .500 hockey club, with a better record away from home than in front of your own fans, the season has come down to hoping the team gets out of town OK, on their Monday charter flight to Edmonton.
The Wild are only one game away from pulling an 0-fer at home in January, the first time that feat will have been accomplished, in the same month at home, in team history (the Wild are winless in their last 4 home games, going into this afternoon's potential blowout vs. Vancouver, the NHL's best team, a 5 PM start at the 'X'.)
A few chilling statistics should tell you the direction this afternoon's game should -- SHOULD -- be headed:
The Canucks have only lost one game (Thursday, 1-0 to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden) in regulation since Dec. 5th. (They are 15-1-3 since then.)
The Wild have not won a game at home since Dec. 29th (5-3, vs. San Jose). In fact, the Wild have won two games at home -- TOTAL -- since Dec. 1.
The Canucks have 3 players (Tanner Glass, Aaron Rome, Aaron Volpatti) who are listed as minus in the plus/minus statistic. Only Glass plays regularly; the other two shuttle between Vancouver and their AHL affiliate in Winnipeg. The Wild have four players on their roster who are NOT in the minus column of plus/minus. And, if you want to draw this stat out a bit, the Canucks have nine players -- that's half of their roster -- who are a +10 or better, including 4 of their six defensemen and both of the despised (because they are so good together) Sedin twins.
The Wild, on the other hand, have six players who are a -7 or worse, including 2/3rds of their top line, two of their top 3 checking forwards, their All-Star Game representative (Brent Burns) and, in my opinion (and that of many, many others) the single biggest stiff in the NHL, Cam Barker (tied for worst at -13).
The Wild are the second worst home team in the Western Conference (10-11-2), and are in danger of breaking team records for the most losses at home (16, 2005-06), fewest points at home (41, 2001-02), longest losing streak at home (the Wild will tie that streak with a loss today), and longest winless streak at home (8, Feb.-Mar., 2001).
Fortunately, the Wild leave the not-so-friendly confines of St. Paul (where booing and jeering at the end of periods has become commonplace) for the sanctity of the road, where they will be until the All-Star break (with games at Edmonton -- the only team with a worse home record than the Wild; the last game of the season vs. Calgary; and games at San Jose and Chicago), all winnable games, as long as they aren't played in St. Paul, before the home losing begins again, on Feb. 1 against the LA Kings, who themselves just went thru a 2-6 homestand at STAPLES Center.
So go away, Wild. You're bothering your fan base. Get some wins, then come back and see us. Show your fans that their support is appreciated. Win at home.
The week that was, was a very bad one for the Minnesota Wild. As a .500 hockey club, with a better record away from home than in front of your own fans, the season has come down to hoping the team gets out of town OK, on their Monday charter flight to Edmonton.
The Wild are only one game away from pulling an 0-fer at home in January, the first time that feat will have been accomplished, in the same month at home, in team history (the Wild are winless in their last 4 home games, going into this afternoon's potential blowout vs. Vancouver, the NHL's best team, a 5 PM start at the 'X'.)
A few chilling statistics should tell you the direction this afternoon's game should -- SHOULD -- be headed:
The Canucks have only lost one game (Thursday, 1-0 to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden) in regulation since Dec. 5th. (They are 15-1-3 since then.)
The Wild have not won a game at home since Dec. 29th (5-3, vs. San Jose). In fact, the Wild have won two games at home -- TOTAL -- since Dec. 1.
The Canucks have 3 players (Tanner Glass, Aaron Rome, Aaron Volpatti) who are listed as minus in the plus/minus statistic. Only Glass plays regularly; the other two shuttle between Vancouver and their AHL affiliate in Winnipeg. The Wild have four players on their roster who are NOT in the minus column of plus/minus. And, if you want to draw this stat out a bit, the Canucks have nine players -- that's half of their roster -- who are a +10 or better, including 4 of their six defensemen and both of the despised (because they are so good together) Sedin twins.
The Wild, on the other hand, have six players who are a -7 or worse, including 2/3rds of their top line, two of their top 3 checking forwards, their All-Star Game representative (Brent Burns) and, in my opinion (and that of many, many others) the single biggest stiff in the NHL, Cam Barker (tied for worst at -13).
The Wild are the second worst home team in the Western Conference (10-11-2), and are in danger of breaking team records for the most losses at home (16, 2005-06), fewest points at home (41, 2001-02), longest losing streak at home (the Wild will tie that streak with a loss today), and longest winless streak at home (8, Feb.-Mar., 2001).
Fortunately, the Wild leave the not-so-friendly confines of St. Paul (where booing and jeering at the end of periods has become commonplace) for the sanctity of the road, where they will be until the All-Star break (with games at Edmonton -- the only team with a worse home record than the Wild; the last game of the season vs. Calgary; and games at San Jose and Chicago), all winnable games, as long as they aren't played in St. Paul, before the home losing begins again, on Feb. 1 against the LA Kings, who themselves just went thru a 2-6 homestand at STAPLES Center.
So go away, Wild. You're bothering your fan base. Get some wins, then come back and see us. Show your fans that their support is appreciated. Win at home.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Road Warriors, Home Alone
Two very different movies. Two very different settings. Two very different results.
Sounds like the Minnesota Wild of late, doesn't it?
On the road, away from the distractions of family, home, expectations of their own fans, etc., the Wild have quietly built a 3-1-1 December road record. The only game in which the Wild looked bad was the blowout last weekend at Anaheim (not entirely unexpected, given the Wild's history at the Arrowhead Pond/Honda Center), where the Ducks relentlessly gave the Wild a well-deserved 6-2 pounding.
On the other hand, when the Wild are at home, in the Xcel Energy Center, they proceed to continually lay more eggs than an Eggland's Best contractor farm. They relax, play with absolutely NO urgency whatsoever, let the other team get out to a lead, then get beat by continuing to not play well, and basically anger their most loyal followers, their biggest stakeholders, their season ticket fan base, by their continued lack of offensive punch.
The Wild are a paltry 1-4-1 in their last six home games, for a grand total of three -- THREE -- points in the standings. Three points at home, while the rest of the West administers drubbing after drubbing. There is no rhyme nor reason for this. The good teams -- the teams that will actually make the playoffs in April -- play their best hockey at home, where the fans are friendly, the routine familiar, the cooking not in a restaurant (recent call-up Jared Spurgeon notwithstanding), the bed after the game their own.
Maybe the Wild and the Minnesota Vikings -- the NFL's 'prodigal sons', who may never go home (to the Metrodome) again -- should change places. The Wild should stay on the road, and the Vikings should move into the 'X' and play. The Vikings have only one road win since October, 2009, and that was two weeks ago against Washington. Maybe the Vikes should just play at home, and the Wild should go on a 50-game road trip to end their season.
Then, the Wild might just have a shot at the playoffs. Maybe. Or, maybe, just maybe, the Wild should really get the act together, come out during the holidays and beat some of the upcoming teams, teams that they SHOULD BE ABLE to defeat in regulation time.
The next five home games for the Wild:
Calgary, Monday (Dec. 20) -- this is the same Flames team that YOU JUST WON against in the Saddledome. Put some effort into this, and sweep the back-to-back.
Detroit, Dec. 26 (Sunday) -- play better than you have in your last month at home. This will be the first game for both teams after the Christmas holiday break. What better way for Wild fans to celebrate the end of the Christmas holiday, than to boo the hell out of Todd Bertuzzi, instead of their own team? Or, to watch as the 'X' is over-run with Red Wings fans, a good number of whom will spend the entire day coming down from Michigan's UP.
San Jose, Dec. 29 (Wednesday) -- this is NOT the San Jose team of the recent past. This team is beatable, but you have to shadow the Sharks' top line (Thornton-Heatley-Marleau) to keep the Sharks in check. But, at least they no longer have Evgeni Nabokov to worry about in goal.
Nashville, Dec. 31 (Friday, New Years' Eve) -- too bad this opponent doesn't generate the same excitement as the evening. In a party mood, this crowd probably will be more amped up than either of the teams will. Nashville head coach Barry Trotz will have his New Years' Eve costume on ... Oh, wait: that ISN'T a costume? That's his real face??
Phoenix, Jan. 2 (Sunday) -- Just hours after the end of a disasterous Vikings season, the Wild's season could very well also end, if the Wild don't pull a win out of this game, as the Wild will end their 5-games-in-8-days holiday hockey marathon, with the final visit this season by the up-and-coming Coyotes, who have shown that they can beat any team on any given night.
So win now, boys. Because after the Phoenix game, 8 of the next 11 Wild games are back in the 'friendly confines'...of the road.
Sounds like the Minnesota Wild of late, doesn't it?
On the road, away from the distractions of family, home, expectations of their own fans, etc., the Wild have quietly built a 3-1-1 December road record. The only game in which the Wild looked bad was the blowout last weekend at Anaheim (not entirely unexpected, given the Wild's history at the Arrowhead Pond/Honda Center), where the Ducks relentlessly gave the Wild a well-deserved 6-2 pounding.
On the other hand, when the Wild are at home, in the Xcel Energy Center, they proceed to continually lay more eggs than an Eggland's Best contractor farm. They relax, play with absolutely NO urgency whatsoever, let the other team get out to a lead, then get beat by continuing to not play well, and basically anger their most loyal followers, their biggest stakeholders, their season ticket fan base, by their continued lack of offensive punch.
The Wild are a paltry 1-4-1 in their last six home games, for a grand total of three -- THREE -- points in the standings. Three points at home, while the rest of the West administers drubbing after drubbing. There is no rhyme nor reason for this. The good teams -- the teams that will actually make the playoffs in April -- play their best hockey at home, where the fans are friendly, the routine familiar, the cooking not in a restaurant (recent call-up Jared Spurgeon notwithstanding), the bed after the game their own.
Maybe the Wild and the Minnesota Vikings -- the NFL's 'prodigal sons', who may never go home (to the Metrodome) again -- should change places. The Wild should stay on the road, and the Vikings should move into the 'X' and play. The Vikings have only one road win since October, 2009, and that was two weeks ago against Washington. Maybe the Vikes should just play at home, and the Wild should go on a 50-game road trip to end their season.
Then, the Wild might just have a shot at the playoffs. Maybe. Or, maybe, just maybe, the Wild should really get the act together, come out during the holidays and beat some of the upcoming teams, teams that they SHOULD BE ABLE to defeat in regulation time.
The next five home games for the Wild:
Calgary, Monday (Dec. 20) -- this is the same Flames team that YOU JUST WON against in the Saddledome. Put some effort into this, and sweep the back-to-back.
Detroit, Dec. 26 (Sunday) -- play better than you have in your last month at home. This will be the first game for both teams after the Christmas holiday break. What better way for Wild fans to celebrate the end of the Christmas holiday, than to boo the hell out of Todd Bertuzzi, instead of their own team? Or, to watch as the 'X' is over-run with Red Wings fans, a good number of whom will spend the entire day coming down from Michigan's UP.
San Jose, Dec. 29 (Wednesday) -- this is NOT the San Jose team of the recent past. This team is beatable, but you have to shadow the Sharks' top line (Thornton-Heatley-Marleau) to keep the Sharks in check. But, at least they no longer have Evgeni Nabokov to worry about in goal.
Nashville, Dec. 31 (Friday, New Years' Eve) -- too bad this opponent doesn't generate the same excitement as the evening. In a party mood, this crowd probably will be more amped up than either of the teams will. Nashville head coach Barry Trotz will have his New Years' Eve costume on ... Oh, wait: that ISN'T a costume? That's his real face??
Phoenix, Jan. 2 (Sunday) -- Just hours after the end of a disasterous Vikings season, the Wild's season could very well also end, if the Wild don't pull a win out of this game, as the Wild will end their 5-games-in-8-days holiday hockey marathon, with the final visit this season by the up-and-coming Coyotes, who have shown that they can beat any team on any given night.
So win now, boys. Because after the Phoenix game, 8 of the next 11 Wild games are back in the 'friendly confines'...of the road.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Wild, Flames play woeful game; Wild win 2-1 in SO
Final road game of the season...and it looked (and played) like it
The Minnesota Wild, in their final road game of 2009-10, did what many said they would never do - win all three games in the same season in the Pengrowth Saddledome - as the Wild doused the Calgary Flames 2-1 in the shootout, as Brent Burns and Antti Miettinen both scored on Mikka Kiprusoff to seal the fate of the Flames, in their last home game before 19,289 bummed patrons.
In the first period, the only goal was a Chuck Kobasew deflection of a Casey Wellman shot after Burns set the play up by driving well into the Calgary zone, then passed to Wellman whose slapper was deflected by Kobasew past Kiprusoff to make it 1-0 Minnesota.
The second period was a very plodding, slow, torturous affair, the only action being the Nigel Dawes rebound goal after Niklas Backstrom made a great save on Dawes' first shot. The Wild had several power play opportunities, but no such luck for the Wild.
In the third period, the highlight was the shot by Calgary's David Moss which caught Niklas Backstrom up high. Backstrom was replaced by Wade Dubielewicz, the ex-Islander signed as a backup earlier this season who had been called up solely because Anton Khudobin, the goalie in their system they wanted to use, lost his passport at the AHL All-Star Game and has yet to replace it thru the Kazakhstan Embassy in Washington; as such, he cannot cross the USA/Canada border. James Sheppard also suffered a knee injury late in the third period after being checked into the boards by Robyn Regehr.
OT was as uninspired as the rest of the game. Not much to say about that, either.
Let's all end this season at the Next Game: vs. Dallas, Saturday, April 10, 7:00 PM, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth; Stars' TV: FSSW; XM Radio, Ch. 237)
-- WRT
The Minnesota Wild, in their final road game of 2009-10, did what many said they would never do - win all three games in the same season in the Pengrowth Saddledome - as the Wild doused the Calgary Flames 2-1 in the shootout, as Brent Burns and Antti Miettinen both scored on Mikka Kiprusoff to seal the fate of the Flames, in their last home game before 19,289 bummed patrons.
In the first period, the only goal was a Chuck Kobasew deflection of a Casey Wellman shot after Burns set the play up by driving well into the Calgary zone, then passed to Wellman whose slapper was deflected by Kobasew past Kiprusoff to make it 1-0 Minnesota.
The second period was a very plodding, slow, torturous affair, the only action being the Nigel Dawes rebound goal after Niklas Backstrom made a great save on Dawes' first shot. The Wild had several power play opportunities, but no such luck for the Wild.
In the third period, the highlight was the shot by Calgary's David Moss which caught Niklas Backstrom up high. Backstrom was replaced by Wade Dubielewicz, the ex-Islander signed as a backup earlier this season who had been called up solely because Anton Khudobin, the goalie in their system they wanted to use, lost his passport at the AHL All-Star Game and has yet to replace it thru the Kazakhstan Embassy in Washington; as such, he cannot cross the USA/Canada border. James Sheppard also suffered a knee injury late in the third period after being checked into the boards by Robyn Regehr.
OT was as uninspired as the rest of the game. Not much to say about that, either.
Let's all end this season at the Next Game: vs. Dallas, Saturday, April 10, 7:00 PM, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth; Stars' TV: FSSW; XM Radio, Ch. 237)
-- WRT
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Talk about Chuck: Kobasew's two goals douse Flames 4-3
Wild win, put smooth effort in otherwise disjointed contest
By Wild Road Tripper
This is the Chuck Kobasew that Minnesota Wild fans had hoped would be coming to Minnesota this fall, when he came to the team from the Boston Bruins.
Kobasew's two goals led the Wild to a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames, another team vying for the eighth and final playoff spot in the NHL Western Conference, in front of 18,411 Sunday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild win, coupled with St. Louis' loss to Nashville, means the Wild will end the day no worse than seven points behind eighth-place Detroit as the new week begins.
The game was very disjointed, especially in the second half of the game, after Mikka Kiprusoff relieved starting Flames goalie Vesa Toskala, who won two weeks ago when Jarome Iginla went wild on the Wild, scoring three goals in that game. But, that was then, and this is now.
Oh, what a difference a fortnight can make.
Shortly after Kiprusoff relieved Toskala, Daymond Langkow took an Ian White shot off his neck, and the game had to be stopped while Langkow was stabilized, and then taken off on a stretcher (later reports indicated that Langkow was responding and had no problems with movement). Later in the early stages of the third, another long delay developed after Guillaume Latendresse tried to check Calgary's Jamal Mayers thru the penalty box door, a play which while perfectly legal, caused nearly a 15-minute delay while part of the penalty box door glass frame was removed. Additional damage was caused to the door itself, as the door was dislodged from the rest of the sidewall at the hinges; this will need to be repaired between now and the next game.
Andrew Brunette and Latendresse also scored for the Wild, who are now 4-2 at home since the Olympic break ended. The month doesn't get any easier for the Wild, however, as there are playoff teams as opponents in three of their next four games, beginning with the Next Game: vs. San Jose, Tuesday, March 23, 7:00 PM Central (5:00 PM Pacific Time), Xcel Energy Center. (TV: Versus, TSN2 (both in HD); XM Radio, Ch. 237)
By Wild Road Tripper
This is the Chuck Kobasew that Minnesota Wild fans had hoped would be coming to Minnesota this fall, when he came to the team from the Boston Bruins.
Kobasew's two goals led the Wild to a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames, another team vying for the eighth and final playoff spot in the NHL Western Conference, in front of 18,411 Sunday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild win, coupled with St. Louis' loss to Nashville, means the Wild will end the day no worse than seven points behind eighth-place Detroit as the new week begins.
The game was very disjointed, especially in the second half of the game, after Mikka Kiprusoff relieved starting Flames goalie Vesa Toskala, who won two weeks ago when Jarome Iginla went wild on the Wild, scoring three goals in that game. But, that was then, and this is now.
Oh, what a difference a fortnight can make.
Shortly after Kiprusoff relieved Toskala, Daymond Langkow took an Ian White shot off his neck, and the game had to be stopped while Langkow was stabilized, and then taken off on a stretcher (later reports indicated that Langkow was responding and had no problems with movement). Later in the early stages of the third, another long delay developed after Guillaume Latendresse tried to check Calgary's Jamal Mayers thru the penalty box door, a play which while perfectly legal, caused nearly a 15-minute delay while part of the penalty box door glass frame was removed. Additional damage was caused to the door itself, as the door was dislodged from the rest of the sidewall at the hinges; this will need to be repaired between now and the next game.
Andrew Brunette and Latendresse also scored for the Wild, who are now 4-2 at home since the Olympic break ended. The month doesn't get any easier for the Wild, however, as there are playoff teams as opponents in three of their next four games, beginning with the Next Game: vs. San Jose, Tuesday, March 23, 7:00 PM Central (5:00 PM Pacific Time), Xcel Energy Center. (TV: Versus, TSN2 (both in HD); XM Radio, Ch. 237)
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Iggy Pop: Iginla's hat trick singes Wild, Flames win 5-2
Second straight Sunday afternoon heartbreaker for Minnesota hockey fans dooms Wild
By Wild Road Tripper
You just knew it was going to be Jarome Iginla's day Sunday afternoon in St. Paul, after the Wild's 'Propaganda Minister', Kevin Falness, started talking about how Iginla hadn't scored a point vs. the Minnesota Wild this season, and had not found twine vs. the Wild in nearly two years.
All that came to a crashing halt, as the Calgary Flames officially put the Wild's playoff chances on life-support, after a 5-2 drubbing before 18,217 at Xcel Energy Center, on the day when the Wild celebrated the 400th consecutive full house (albeit with NO presents) in team history.
Iginla not only ended his drought, he started a flood. His three goal, one assist afternoon put the Flames only one point behind the Detroit Red Wings for the 8th and final playoff spot in the NHL Western Conference. The Wild loss, combined with Detroit's win in Chicago, now means the Wild are 7 points back of Detroit with 18 games remaining in the season. The Wild now actually have a two game losing streak going into a stretch of 4 games, a pattern which will repeat itself virtually the rest of the month of March.
If there was any doubt as to how the game was going to go, all that was decided just 19 seconds into the game when Rene Borque's tip-in of a Steve Staios shot went past a screened Niklas Backstrom for a 1-0 Calgary lead, the fastest goal after the game's start ever scored against the Wild. The Flames were never even brought close after that. Iginla's afternoon was his third all-time hat trick against the Wild, his eighth career game-winner against the Wild, and his 28th, 29th and 30th all-time goals against the Wild. He now leads all NHL players in game-winners against Minnesota (surpassing Colorado's Joe Sakic) and now has 53 all-time points against the Wild. Iginla also assisted on Sidney Crosby's Olympic gold medal-winning goal last Sunday afternoon in Vancouver, when Canada defeated the USA in overtime, as well.
Lost (or, almost so) in all the Iggy-love, is the fact the Guillaume Latendresse scored twice in the second period, to bring the game to within 3-2, as close as the Wild would get all afternoon. Latendresse now has 20 goals with the Wild since coming from Montreal Nov. 23rd, 13 of which are in the friendly confines of the 'X'. He surpasses Andrew Brunette as the leading goal scorer on the Wild (Brunette has 18, all with the Wild this season). In addition, Cal Clutterbuck was injured early in the first period (initial reports are a charleyhorse) and he did not return.
Next Game: vs. Florida, Tuesday, Mar. 9, 7:00 PM, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: KSTC-45; Panthers' TV: FSNFlorida (in HD); XM Radio, Ch. 207)
By Wild Road Tripper
You just knew it was going to be Jarome Iginla's day Sunday afternoon in St. Paul, after the Wild's 'Propaganda Minister', Kevin Falness, started talking about how Iginla hadn't scored a point vs. the Minnesota Wild this season, and had not found twine vs. the Wild in nearly two years.
All that came to a crashing halt, as the Calgary Flames officially put the Wild's playoff chances on life-support, after a 5-2 drubbing before 18,217 at Xcel Energy Center, on the day when the Wild celebrated the 400th consecutive full house (albeit with NO presents) in team history.
Iginla not only ended his drought, he started a flood. His three goal, one assist afternoon put the Flames only one point behind the Detroit Red Wings for the 8th and final playoff spot in the NHL Western Conference. The Wild loss, combined with Detroit's win in Chicago, now means the Wild are 7 points back of Detroit with 18 games remaining in the season. The Wild now actually have a two game losing streak going into a stretch of 4 games, a pattern which will repeat itself virtually the rest of the month of March.
If there was any doubt as to how the game was going to go, all that was decided just 19 seconds into the game when Rene Borque's tip-in of a Steve Staios shot went past a screened Niklas Backstrom for a 1-0 Calgary lead, the fastest goal after the game's start ever scored against the Wild. The Flames were never even brought close after that. Iginla's afternoon was his third all-time hat trick against the Wild, his eighth career game-winner against the Wild, and his 28th, 29th and 30th all-time goals against the Wild. He now leads all NHL players in game-winners against Minnesota (surpassing Colorado's Joe Sakic) and now has 53 all-time points against the Wild. Iginla also assisted on Sidney Crosby's Olympic gold medal-winning goal last Sunday afternoon in Vancouver, when Canada defeated the USA in overtime, as well.
Lost (or, almost so) in all the Iggy-love, is the fact the Guillaume Latendresse scored twice in the second period, to bring the game to within 3-2, as close as the Wild would get all afternoon. Latendresse now has 20 goals with the Wild since coming from Montreal Nov. 23rd, 13 of which are in the friendly confines of the 'X'. He surpasses Andrew Brunette as the leading goal scorer on the Wild (Brunette has 18, all with the Wild this season). In addition, Cal Clutterbuck was injured early in the first period (initial reports are a charleyhorse) and he did not return.
Next Game: vs. Florida, Tuesday, Mar. 9, 7:00 PM, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: KSTC-45; Panthers' TV: FSNFlorida (in HD); XM Radio, Ch. 207)
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Roasted: Kiprusoff shows Olympic form as Backstrom shines, Wild shutout Flames
The same form which Calgary Flames goaltender Mikka Kiprusoff showed in the medal round of the recent Winter Olympics, was shown again on Wednesday night in the Pengrowth Saddledome against the Minnesota Wild.
With a similar result.
Niklas Backstrom, who bailed out Kiprusoff in that semi-final Finnish loss to the USA, made 29 saves as the Wild defeated the Flames 4-0 in front of 19,289 booing and jeering patrons, the third win of the season for the Wild versus the Flames, and their second straight in an arena which, until this season, has traditionally been a house of horrors.
Mikko Koivu and Andrew Brunette each tallied a goal and an assist, and Martin Havlat and Kyle Brodziak also chipped in as the Wild moved to 66 points, 4 behind eighth-place Detroit. Owen Nolan, rumored to be on the trade block until Wednesday's trade deadline, also chipped in an assist, setting up Brodziak on a textbook give-and-go which beat Kiprusoff for what would be the game winning goal.
Two defensemen -- Brent Burns and Cam Barker, Barker playing his second game for the Wild following his Feb. 12 trade from Chicago for Kim Johnsson -- each were a +3 for the night, as the Wild closed to within four points of eighth-place Detroit for the final playoff spot in the NHL Western Conference. But with the schedule featuring match-ups of teams the Wild must get ahead of playing each other, night after night, one must pose the question:
Is it too little, too late?
--WRT
With a similar result.
Niklas Backstrom, who bailed out Kiprusoff in that semi-final Finnish loss to the USA, made 29 saves as the Wild defeated the Flames 4-0 in front of 19,289 booing and jeering patrons, the third win of the season for the Wild versus the Flames, and their second straight in an arena which, until this season, has traditionally been a house of horrors.
Mikko Koivu and Andrew Brunette each tallied a goal and an assist, and Martin Havlat and Kyle Brodziak also chipped in as the Wild moved to 66 points, 4 behind eighth-place Detroit. Owen Nolan, rumored to be on the trade block until Wednesday's trade deadline, also chipped in an assist, setting up Brodziak on a textbook give-and-go which beat Kiprusoff for what would be the game winning goal.
Two defensemen -- Brent Burns and Cam Barker, Barker playing his second game for the Wild following his Feb. 12 trade from Chicago for Kim Johnsson -- each were a +3 for the night, as the Wild closed to within four points of eighth-place Detroit for the final playoff spot in the NHL Western Conference. But with the schedule featuring match-ups of teams the Wild must get ahead of playing each other, night after night, one must pose the question:
Is it too little, too late?
--WRT
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Touche'! Belanger's two goal night burns Calgary
Wild win 4-1 as Belanger raises stakes in contract drive season
By Wild Road Tripper
It was Eric Belanger's world Wednesday night, and the 18,137 in attendance at Xcel Energy Center were only too happy to be part of it for a few hours.
The Minnesota Wild, led by Belanger's two goals, extinguished the Northwest Division's hottest team, the Calgary Flames, by ending their 5-game winning streak with a 4-1 Wild victory. The Wild also ended their own 4-game losing streak in the contest.
Niklas Backstrom outdueled his countryman, Mikka Kiprusoff, for his 19th victory of the campaign, as the Wild moved to 45 points, still good for 11th place in the NHL's Western Conference.
But it was Belanger, whose good luck and good timing came into play on both the Wild's first and third goals, who would be the beneficiary on this night. Playing in his 600th NHL game, the veteran center tipped in a Marek Zidlicky shot high in the slot area for the first goal, then took Owen Nolan's soccer-kick pass and backhanded it past a surprised Kiprusoff just past the half-way point of the game. Not only did this increase his possible trade value (the Wild front office staff, including GM Chuck Fletcher, are meeting Thursday and Friday in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, regarding their 9 unrestricted free agents-to-be), but playing in his 600th NHL game gives Belanger a little extra 'room' on the road. For being that he has played 600 NHL games and is a 10-year veteran, he now gets his own room (i.e., no roommate) under terms of the CBA.
Kyle Brodziak, who the Wild obtained at the NHL Draft last June from the Edmonton Oilers, scored his first goal in nearly two months when he golf-swung a loose puck, which then worm-burned its' way past Kiprusoff to start the second period scoring. Nick Schultz assisted on three of Minnesota's four goals, giving him a +2 on the evening, so he is now a -1 on the year.
Now, the bad news: it doesn't get any easier very soon, as the 4-game homestand continues with the Next Game: vs. Chicago, Saturday, Jan. 9, 7:00 PM Central Time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth (includes FSWisconsin); Hawks TV: Comcast SportsNet Chicago, all feeds in HD; XM Radio, Ch. 238)
By Wild Road Tripper
It was Eric Belanger's world Wednesday night, and the 18,137 in attendance at Xcel Energy Center were only too happy to be part of it for a few hours.
The Minnesota Wild, led by Belanger's two goals, extinguished the Northwest Division's hottest team, the Calgary Flames, by ending their 5-game winning streak with a 4-1 Wild victory. The Wild also ended their own 4-game losing streak in the contest.
Niklas Backstrom outdueled his countryman, Mikka Kiprusoff, for his 19th victory of the campaign, as the Wild moved to 45 points, still good for 11th place in the NHL's Western Conference.
But it was Belanger, whose good luck and good timing came into play on both the Wild's first and third goals, who would be the beneficiary on this night. Playing in his 600th NHL game, the veteran center tipped in a Marek Zidlicky shot high in the slot area for the first goal, then took Owen Nolan's soccer-kick pass and backhanded it past a surprised Kiprusoff just past the half-way point of the game. Not only did this increase his possible trade value (the Wild front office staff, including GM Chuck Fletcher, are meeting Thursday and Friday in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, regarding their 9 unrestricted free agents-to-be), but playing in his 600th NHL game gives Belanger a little extra 'room' on the road. For being that he has played 600 NHL games and is a 10-year veteran, he now gets his own room (i.e., no roommate) under terms of the CBA.
Kyle Brodziak, who the Wild obtained at the NHL Draft last June from the Edmonton Oilers, scored his first goal in nearly two months when he golf-swung a loose puck, which then worm-burned its' way past Kiprusoff to start the second period scoring. Nick Schultz assisted on three of Minnesota's four goals, giving him a +2 on the evening, so he is now a -1 on the year.
Now, the bad news: it doesn't get any easier very soon, as the 4-game homestand continues with the Next Game: vs. Chicago, Saturday, Jan. 9, 7:00 PM Central Time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth (includes FSWisconsin); Hawks TV: Comcast SportsNet Chicago, all feeds in HD; XM Radio, Ch. 238)
Friday, December 11, 2009
Torched! Havlat, Shep beat the 'Dome, Wild douse Flames in OT
And just like that, the Saddledome curse for the Wild is history.
Martin Havlat's give-and-go goal with Marek Zidlicky gave the Minnesota Wild a very well-deserved 2-1 overtime victory over the Calgary Flames and the 'C of Red' Friday night, in front of the usual 19,289 at the Pengrowth Saddledome.
Havlat's goal, his first since returning from a hamstring injury, capped off a wild night, one which the Flames fans probably had never before seen, as the Wild peppered Mikka Kiprusoff with 46 shots, the second-most in Wild team history on the road.
The James Sheppard era continued as the former first-rounder took a Shane Hnidy rebound, and flipped it over a prone Kiprusoff to tie the game at 1-1 and send it to the extra session. But, this was not your Wild overtimes of the past. Unlike previous seasons, when Jacques Lemaire would have sat back and held out for the shootout, this group was aggressive, taking chances (especially late in the 3rd period) and kept the Flames bottled up in their half of the ice a good part of the evening. The Flames, for their part, seemed not to get anything sustained going the first 45 minutes of the contest.
Even Derek Boogaard had a victory tonight, as his fourth punch in his second period fight with Calgary's Bryan McGratton sent the ex-Ottawa Senator directly to Dream Street, with a right that connected flush with McGratton's left cheekbone.
The Wild, now 3-1 on this five-game Western swing, could possibly move into third place in the Northwest Division if they can be victorious in their Next Game: at Vancouver, Saturday, Dec. 12 (tomorrow), 9 PM Central (7 PM Pacific) Time, GM Place. (Wild TV: FSNorth; CBC 'Hockey Night in Canada' in HD (doubleheader game); XM NHL Home Ice, Ch. 204)
-- WRT
Martin Havlat's give-and-go goal with Marek Zidlicky gave the Minnesota Wild a very well-deserved 2-1 overtime victory over the Calgary Flames and the 'C of Red' Friday night, in front of the usual 19,289 at the Pengrowth Saddledome.
Havlat's goal, his first since returning from a hamstring injury, capped off a wild night, one which the Flames fans probably had never before seen, as the Wild peppered Mikka Kiprusoff with 46 shots, the second-most in Wild team history on the road.
The James Sheppard era continued as the former first-rounder took a Shane Hnidy rebound, and flipped it over a prone Kiprusoff to tie the game at 1-1 and send it to the extra session. But, this was not your Wild overtimes of the past. Unlike previous seasons, when Jacques Lemaire would have sat back and held out for the shootout, this group was aggressive, taking chances (especially late in the 3rd period) and kept the Flames bottled up in their half of the ice a good part of the evening. The Flames, for their part, seemed not to get anything sustained going the first 45 minutes of the contest.
Even Derek Boogaard had a victory tonight, as his fourth punch in his second period fight with Calgary's Bryan McGratton sent the ex-Ottawa Senator directly to Dream Street, with a right that connected flush with McGratton's left cheekbone.
The Wild, now 3-1 on this five-game Western swing, could possibly move into third place in the Northwest Division if they can be victorious in their Next Game: at Vancouver, Saturday, Dec. 12 (tomorrow), 9 PM Central (7 PM Pacific) Time, GM Place. (Wild TV: FSNorth; CBC 'Hockey Night in Canada' in HD (doubleheader game); XM NHL Home Ice, Ch. 204)
-- WRT
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)