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.
Showing posts with label Latendresse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Latendresse. Show all posts
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Calm before the Storm
Final weekend before draft, summer tour, free agency day allows Wild, fans to think of 'what if?'
Well, folks, we're almost there.
Next week at this time, there will be new players for the Minnesota Wild, courtesy of the NHL Draft being held this coming Friday and Saturday in Pittsburgh. There will be limo buses being gassed up and inspected, for the Wild Summer Tour starting the following Monday. And, as we have all had drilled into us for months, the start of Free Agency on Sunday, July 1st.
Now, I'll digress at this point, as we all know which free agents that the Wild covet, and which ones they don't. We all know that the Wild have carloads of cash and cap space to spend; but so do others, others who are closer to the Stanley Cup Finals than the rebuilding Wild are.
There are also issues with the current roster, as well, as there is the Guillaume Latendresse question to answer: Will he return to the Wild roster, after basically two seasons of suffering concussions? Will Latendresse sign a lesser contract, one that will be incentive-laden, to remain on the roster? Or will GM Chuck Fletcher say that enough is, indeed, enough, and that the coming influx of new talent will be enough, to allow a potential 30-plus goal scorer in Latendresse to get away? Even Gui knows he won't be getting the $2.5M qualifying offer that, as a restricted free agent, he would be eligible for. But the fact that this Wild team was 30th in the NHL last season in scoring, is a statistic that screams out at everyone involved -- management, players, and fans alike.
There is the also continuing Pierre-Marc Bouchard issue as well. Three seasons when he has had his season cut short with head issues. Again, the question is: How long do you hang onto the talent, knowing that you've seen what he can do, but not knowing when -- or, if -- you can depend on him to play a regular spot?
There are issues surfacing at a spot -- defense -- which Wild fans are not used to dealing with, either, with the departure (via trade) of Nick Schultz and the arrival (in the same trade) of Tom Gilbert, Bloomington native and defensive liability, IMO. Whomever pairs with him had better be fast, as Gilbert's lack of speed and unfamiliarity with the ways of Mike Yeo, and the rest of the roster, were very apparent as the season's final weeks played out this past season.
As offensively challenged as Schultz was, his defensive work more than made up for his lack of point punch. The replacement? Who knows? That will be decided in training camp, as one of the six (or more) spots on the roster to be filled, by the load of newbies coming down the restocked pipeline.
And what of the new blood? We all know about Mikael Granlund, he will be on the roster on Opening Day; but what of the other youngsters? Who will make the cut? Who goes to Houston for Gulf Coast seafood and hockey seasoning? And who gets traded (if anyone) for 'NHL talent'?
Does 'trader Chuck' make an appearance in Pittsburgh during the draft? Or do the Wild, with extra picks from trades made during the past season, stand pat and continue to restock the larder following the end of the Risebrough era?
And then, there is the Free Agency scenarios, many of whom have hit the light of day in the last few weeks as the date approaches. Parise, Suter, Joe Corvo, the list goes on and on. I won't bore you with all the various details, but suffice it to say, that the end results will more help the Wild, than hurt it, again IMO. (And don't ask me who or how...)
Yes, the schedule also comes out this week as well. But, until there is agreement between owners and players on a new collective bargaining agreement, any schedule will not be worth the paper (or, bandwidth) that it's printed on. Labor peace must be obtained before the puck is dropped again. The Phoenix Coyotes situation must be dealt with (again), as any sale must have the de facto approval of the Goldwater Institute ("In defense of Liberty") before the sale is finalized. Then there is Quebec City, who is building a new arena (in the parking lot of the current Colisee Pepsi), hoping to land an NHL franchise. But which franchise will it be? Phoenix? Or, another franchise of the six NHL teams in financial trouble?
Only the NHL knows for sure, And, no one in Gary Bettman's office is talking.
Well, folks, we're almost there.
Next week at this time, there will be new players for the Minnesota Wild, courtesy of the NHL Draft being held this coming Friday and Saturday in Pittsburgh. There will be limo buses being gassed up and inspected, for the Wild Summer Tour starting the following Monday. And, as we have all had drilled into us for months, the start of Free Agency on Sunday, July 1st.
Now, I'll digress at this point, as we all know which free agents that the Wild covet, and which ones they don't. We all know that the Wild have carloads of cash and cap space to spend; but so do others, others who are closer to the Stanley Cup Finals than the rebuilding Wild are.
There are also issues with the current roster, as well, as there is the Guillaume Latendresse question to answer: Will he return to the Wild roster, after basically two seasons of suffering concussions? Will Latendresse sign a lesser contract, one that will be incentive-laden, to remain on the roster? Or will GM Chuck Fletcher say that enough is, indeed, enough, and that the coming influx of new talent will be enough, to allow a potential 30-plus goal scorer in Latendresse to get away? Even Gui knows he won't be getting the $2.5M qualifying offer that, as a restricted free agent, he would be eligible for. But the fact that this Wild team was 30th in the NHL last season in scoring, is a statistic that screams out at everyone involved -- management, players, and fans alike.
There is the also continuing Pierre-Marc Bouchard issue as well. Three seasons when he has had his season cut short with head issues. Again, the question is: How long do you hang onto the talent, knowing that you've seen what he can do, but not knowing when -- or, if -- you can depend on him to play a regular spot?
There are issues surfacing at a spot -- defense -- which Wild fans are not used to dealing with, either, with the departure (via trade) of Nick Schultz and the arrival (in the same trade) of Tom Gilbert, Bloomington native and defensive liability, IMO. Whomever pairs with him had better be fast, as Gilbert's lack of speed and unfamiliarity with the ways of Mike Yeo, and the rest of the roster, were very apparent as the season's final weeks played out this past season.
As offensively challenged as Schultz was, his defensive work more than made up for his lack of point punch. The replacement? Who knows? That will be decided in training camp, as one of the six (or more) spots on the roster to be filled, by the load of newbies coming down the restocked pipeline.
And what of the new blood? We all know about Mikael Granlund, he will be on the roster on Opening Day; but what of the other youngsters? Who will make the cut? Who goes to Houston for Gulf Coast seafood and hockey seasoning? And who gets traded (if anyone) for 'NHL talent'?
Does 'trader Chuck' make an appearance in Pittsburgh during the draft? Or do the Wild, with extra picks from trades made during the past season, stand pat and continue to restock the larder following the end of the Risebrough era?
And then, there is the Free Agency scenarios, many of whom have hit the light of day in the last few weeks as the date approaches. Parise, Suter, Joe Corvo, the list goes on and on. I won't bore you with all the various details, but suffice it to say, that the end results will more help the Wild, than hurt it, again IMO. (And don't ask me who or how...)
Yes, the schedule also comes out this week as well. But, until there is agreement between owners and players on a new collective bargaining agreement, any schedule will not be worth the paper (or, bandwidth) that it's printed on. Labor peace must be obtained before the puck is dropped again. The Phoenix Coyotes situation must be dealt with (again), as any sale must have the de facto approval of the Goldwater Institute ("In defense of Liberty") before the sale is finalized. Then there is Quebec City, who is building a new arena (in the parking lot of the current Colisee Pepsi), hoping to land an NHL franchise. But which franchise will it be? Phoenix? Or, another franchise of the six NHL teams in financial trouble?
Only the NHL knows for sure, And, no one in Gary Bettman's office is talking.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Another game, another loss, another injured Wild player
Well, after Saturday night's latest Minnesota Wild loss, the number of Wild walking wounded now ruled out of the rest of this season-from-hell, is now up to five (Bouchard, Latendresse, Falk, Spurgeon, and now Matt Cullen, who had his right index finger broken, by a Christian Ehrhoff shot) and with five of the team's seven remaining games at home, the question has to be asked: Was the schedule as much a part of the team's problems this season as the concussions, groin problems and general poor play in December, January, February and March? Or was it the failure of the 'Director of Player Safety'?
The fact that the months of November, December and January were very much road-heavy months for the Wild, exasperated an already tenuous situation for the team's paper-thin lineup of talent. After the back-to-back nights of December 13 and 14, when Bouchard was re-concussed by Zack Bogosian of Winnipeg, and Chicago's Viktor Stahlberg rang the bell of Latendresse, respectively, Wild fans knew this team was going nowhere but down, from the lofty first-place heights they had been in, just a few days before.
The fact that without two of their top 6 forwards in the lineup, the offense was going to stall. But no one knew it was going to stall this bad. Then there was the shoulder injury to Mikko (Kaptain) Koivu, the groin troubles of both goaltenders (Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding), and you had a recipe for trouble. And, you already had tapped the Houston Aeros affiliate for all the talent that they could afford to send.
But nothing prepared Wild fans for the next two months following the All-Star Game, when the Wild were turned into the NHL's version of Alfred, the butler from 'Batman', -- 'At your service, sirs'.
Disasterous loss after disasterous loss. Beating the Wild was almost becoming comical. From the Nashville disaster on January 31, when the Wild blew a 4-1 lead at home in under 13 minutes, through the embarrassing 3-1 home loss to a Columbus team in 'fire sale' mode on February 11, through a embarrassing 7-1 loss to Colorado on March 6 (thank God, that game at least was in Denver), and onto another come-from-ahead loss to lowly Carolina on St. Patrick's Day. That Saturday, as the party raged on outside the 'X', the funeral was being held inside the arena.
And now, in two successive nights, two more add to the list of Wild walking wounded. Don't forget that on Thursday night, Calgary's Alex Tanguay gets away with an elbow shot to Jared Spurgeon, effectively ending the season for the defenseman some call 'the Minnow', for his small size. Surely, Wild fans thought, the NHL would look at this for some supplemental discipline. Right?
Uh, No.
Seems that the Wild don't matter to NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan. 'Sheriff Shanny', as he has been known, turns a blind eye to discipline when it comes to matters involving the Minnesota Wild. They aren't even worth his attention, even when the rules are clearly broken and players are getting concussed needlessly. Shanahan's official title is 'Director of Player Safety'. But, excuse me, if we fans point out that his title means for ALL players, not just those of teams going to this season's playoffs. Shanhan is as hypocritical as his predecessor, Colin Campbell, ever was or could have been. Player safety should be pretty straightforward; either the player involved was concussed, or he was not. If he was, and it was the direct result of an elbow (Tanguay's), then supplemental discipline should be assessed. Simple.
But Wild fans are already accustomed to the NHL not doing anything about incidents involving the Wild. Nothing was done about Bogosian when he ran Bouchard; nothing was done about the beatings in the crease both goalies were taking; nothing will be done about the Tanguay elbow.
Player safety? Contradiction in terms, if you ask me.
The fact that the months of November, December and January were very much road-heavy months for the Wild, exasperated an already tenuous situation for the team's paper-thin lineup of talent. After the back-to-back nights of December 13 and 14, when Bouchard was re-concussed by Zack Bogosian of Winnipeg, and Chicago's Viktor Stahlberg rang the bell of Latendresse, respectively, Wild fans knew this team was going nowhere but down, from the lofty first-place heights they had been in, just a few days before.
The fact that without two of their top 6 forwards in the lineup, the offense was going to stall. But no one knew it was going to stall this bad. Then there was the shoulder injury to Mikko (Kaptain) Koivu, the groin troubles of both goaltenders (Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding), and you had a recipe for trouble. And, you already had tapped the Houston Aeros affiliate for all the talent that they could afford to send.
But nothing prepared Wild fans for the next two months following the All-Star Game, when the Wild were turned into the NHL's version of Alfred, the butler from 'Batman', -- 'At your service, sirs'.
Disasterous loss after disasterous loss. Beating the Wild was almost becoming comical. From the Nashville disaster on January 31, when the Wild blew a 4-1 lead at home in under 13 minutes, through the embarrassing 3-1 home loss to a Columbus team in 'fire sale' mode on February 11, through a embarrassing 7-1 loss to Colorado on March 6 (thank God, that game at least was in Denver), and onto another come-from-ahead loss to lowly Carolina on St. Patrick's Day. That Saturday, as the party raged on outside the 'X', the funeral was being held inside the arena.
And now, in two successive nights, two more add to the list of Wild walking wounded. Don't forget that on Thursday night, Calgary's Alex Tanguay gets away with an elbow shot to Jared Spurgeon, effectively ending the season for the defenseman some call 'the Minnow', for his small size. Surely, Wild fans thought, the NHL would look at this for some supplemental discipline. Right?
Uh, No.
Seems that the Wild don't matter to NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan. 'Sheriff Shanny', as he has been known, turns a blind eye to discipline when it comes to matters involving the Minnesota Wild. They aren't even worth his attention, even when the rules are clearly broken and players are getting concussed needlessly. Shanahan's official title is 'Director of Player Safety'. But, excuse me, if we fans point out that his title means for ALL players, not just those of teams going to this season's playoffs. Shanhan is as hypocritical as his predecessor, Colin Campbell, ever was or could have been. Player safety should be pretty straightforward; either the player involved was concussed, or he was not. If he was, and it was the direct result of an elbow (Tanguay's), then supplemental discipline should be assessed. Simple.
But Wild fans are already accustomed to the NHL not doing anything about incidents involving the Wild. Nothing was done about Bogosian when he ran Bouchard; nothing was done about the beatings in the crease both goalies were taking; nothing will be done about the Tanguay elbow.
Player safety? Contradiction in terms, if you ask me.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Limping along at the top
(Revised and updated, with status of Wild injured)
Sorry, Vancouver Canucks fans. Your team still isn't in first this morning.
Despite injuries which have taken more than 120 man-games away (as of Saturday night's game vs. the NY Islanders), the Minnesota Wild still have managed to limp along in first place in the entire NHL.
Despite losing four of their top six forwards (Mikko Koivu, Devin Setoguchi, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Guillaume Latendresse) to various and sundry ailments (leg, knee, face and concussion, respectively), the Wild continue to earn points, despite a week where the hockey gods did not exactly smile good fortune on them.
In the last game of a 5-game road trip, the Wild finally played a game in their own time zone, losing to the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 at MTS Centre, in front of 14,904 Jets fanatics (and about 100 Wild fans, spread out thru the arena, including this blogger). In that game, Casey Wellman, filling in for the ailing Setoguchi, was slashed in the second period by Winnipeg's Zach Bogosian, another injury that was totally missed by the game officials (no penalty was assessed on the play). Then, with 1:06 left in the 3rd period, Bogosian tried to obliterate Bouchard by running him into the dasher separating the boards from the glass as Minnesota was pressing for the tying goal in the Winnipeg end. Bogosian was assessed a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for the act, but no supplemental discipling was assessed later, while Bouchard was left to bleed all the way back to Minnesota.
Wednesday, the Wild came back twice from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to take the Chicago Blackhawks to (and thru) overtime and into the shootout, where Patrick Kane out-deked Niklas Backstrom to win the game for the Hawks. In that game, Koivu injured his leg late in the third period, right as he scored the tying goal to send the game into overtime. Latendresse also suffered post-concussion syndrome symptoms, after a hit on Chicago's Viktor Stalberg midway thru the first period. Latendresse has since been put on injured reserve.
Saturday night, vs. the lowly Islanders, the patchwork lineup that the Wild presented at the 'X' was decidedly 'Houston-heavy', as no less than four Aeros call-ups permeated the roster. Unfortunately, the four call-ups and Backstrom were the only reasons the Wild were still in the game after two lacklustre periods, and a booing off the ice by the faithful at the end of the second period.
Newly-minted Wild-killer Al Montoya was easily stopping everything loosely thrown at him, as there was no sustained effort by the Wild offense to press the attack in the Islanders zone. The fact that the Islanders are the worst team in the East, did not stop the Wild from playing down to their level thru the first 35 minutes of the game. That the Wild got a point out of this snoozer of a contest, is as much the work of Backstrom, as anything any forward or defenseman did.
And now, the Wild take to the road for their third (of 4 this season) western Canadian trip, the only one where they travel to all three cities (Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, respectively), in as bad a condition physically as they have been in for years. The Canucks just finished a five-game Eastern road trip where they went 3-1-1, including wins at Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. Calgary is on a 3-game winless streak (not including Sunday's game at Chicago) of its' own, while the Oilers are 1-5 in their last six games (not including Monday night's home game vs. Detroit).
Koivu and Bouchard will both travel with the team on this trip; Koivu may not play in Vancouver, but is expected back vs. the Flames. Setoguchi may begin practicing while the team is on the road trip. Bouchard is day-to-day. Latendresse will be sidelined for a while with his PCS problems.
What does all this mean? There may be -- MAY be -- light at the end of the injury tunnel. As the team goes into the holiday break, the schedule will actually turn and FAVOR the Wild, as the long western road trips will have been put behind them; in fact, only 6 games in the New Year will start after 7:30 PM (and after January 7, no games will start later than 8:00 PM Central Time). The injuries will subside (hopefully) and the Mike Yeo-inspired system, ingrained into this group of players, will propel them towards a playoff spot.
Hang on, Wild fans. Better times are indeed ahead. Patience is indeed a virtue.
Sorry, Vancouver Canucks fans. Your team still isn't in first this morning.
Despite injuries which have taken more than 120 man-games away (as of Saturday night's game vs. the NY Islanders), the Minnesota Wild still have managed to limp along in first place in the entire NHL.
Despite losing four of their top six forwards (Mikko Koivu, Devin Setoguchi, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Guillaume Latendresse) to various and sundry ailments (leg, knee, face and concussion, respectively), the Wild continue to earn points, despite a week where the hockey gods did not exactly smile good fortune on them.
In the last game of a 5-game road trip, the Wild finally played a game in their own time zone, losing to the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 at MTS Centre, in front of 14,904 Jets fanatics (and about 100 Wild fans, spread out thru the arena, including this blogger). In that game, Casey Wellman, filling in for the ailing Setoguchi, was slashed in the second period by Winnipeg's Zach Bogosian, another injury that was totally missed by the game officials (no penalty was assessed on the play). Then, with 1:06 left in the 3rd period, Bogosian tried to obliterate Bouchard by running him into the dasher separating the boards from the glass as Minnesota was pressing for the tying goal in the Winnipeg end. Bogosian was assessed a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for the act, but no supplemental discipling was assessed later, while Bouchard was left to bleed all the way back to Minnesota.
Wednesday, the Wild came back twice from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to take the Chicago Blackhawks to (and thru) overtime and into the shootout, where Patrick Kane out-deked Niklas Backstrom to win the game for the Hawks. In that game, Koivu injured his leg late in the third period, right as he scored the tying goal to send the game into overtime. Latendresse also suffered post-concussion syndrome symptoms, after a hit on Chicago's Viktor Stalberg midway thru the first period. Latendresse has since been put on injured reserve.
Saturday night, vs. the lowly Islanders, the patchwork lineup that the Wild presented at the 'X' was decidedly 'Houston-heavy', as no less than four Aeros call-ups permeated the roster. Unfortunately, the four call-ups and Backstrom were the only reasons the Wild were still in the game after two lacklustre periods, and a booing off the ice by the faithful at the end of the second period.
Newly-minted Wild-killer Al Montoya was easily stopping everything loosely thrown at him, as there was no sustained effort by the Wild offense to press the attack in the Islanders zone. The fact that the Islanders are the worst team in the East, did not stop the Wild from playing down to their level thru the first 35 minutes of the game. That the Wild got a point out of this snoozer of a contest, is as much the work of Backstrom, as anything any forward or defenseman did.
And now, the Wild take to the road for their third (of 4 this season) western Canadian trip, the only one where they travel to all three cities (Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, respectively), in as bad a condition physically as they have been in for years. The Canucks just finished a five-game Eastern road trip where they went 3-1-1, including wins at Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto. Calgary is on a 3-game winless streak (not including Sunday's game at Chicago) of its' own, while the Oilers are 1-5 in their last six games (not including Monday night's home game vs. Detroit).
Koivu and Bouchard will both travel with the team on this trip; Koivu may not play in Vancouver, but is expected back vs. the Flames. Setoguchi may begin practicing while the team is on the road trip. Bouchard is day-to-day. Latendresse will be sidelined for a while with his PCS problems.
What does all this mean? There may be -- MAY be -- light at the end of the injury tunnel. As the team goes into the holiday break, the schedule will actually turn and FAVOR the Wild, as the long western road trips will have been put behind them; in fact, only 6 games in the New Year will start after 7:30 PM (and after January 7, no games will start later than 8:00 PM Central Time). The injuries will subside (hopefully) and the Mike Yeo-inspired system, ingrained into this group of players, will propel them towards a playoff spot.
Hang on, Wild fans. Better times are indeed ahead. Patience is indeed a virtue.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Wild after eight games: on track, on time
Well, folks, the Minnesota Wild's first western Canadian road trip is now history. And, it didn't turn out all that bad. Could have been better, but in reality, any time you can pull 3 of a possible 4 points in the standings out of the Alberta/BC meatgrinder, you've done relatively well.
Now, granted, the Edmonton game was 1.2 seconds away from disaster, and the Vancouver Canucks should give Marco Scandella a bonus, for that nicely-timed screen he threw in front of his own goalie at the end of overtime yesterday -- but that is why they actually play the games.
The season is 10 per cent over. Yes, folks, the Wild have played 1/8th of their schedule already. (Has anybody noticed?) And, for those who worry about such things, the playoff race is already on. For every point earned now is virtually worth a point and a half come March, and the playoff drive.
The Wild are no better, and no worse, than most teams in the Western Conference, with 18 goals for, and 20 goals against. Four games have already gone to overtime, and the 1-0-3 record after 60 minutes have already been played means that the Wild are actually staying with it thru the end of regulation time, something which could not be said frequently the last two seasons.
The Wild open their new week in 7th place in the West -- actually, tied for 6th place, but thanks to yesterday's Canucks win, Vancouver has one more win (4-3-1) that the Wild (3-2-3) -- with four of the next five games at home (Anaheim, Detroit, Vancouver, St. Louis) and the lone road game at Detroit (which works to the Wild's advantage, as three of the four Wild-Red Wings games will have been played by Nov. 2).
The Wild are starting to be banged up, as injuries to Guillaume Latendresse (groin) and Greg Zanon (groin) held them out of Saturday's game at Rogers Arena. Throw in Mikko Koivu's skate-slicing episode in Edmonton Thursday night, and Mike Lundin's imminent return off his season-opening back spasms (Lundin has yet to play a regular-season game in Iron Range Red), portends that the roster will continue to be in flux for the forseeable future.
This team is slowly -- SLOWLY -- coming around to the philosophies of head coach Mike Yeo, despite falling into their old habits all too frequently (such as the third period of the Vancouver game, where they did not have a shot on goal for over 15 minutes). The fact of the matter is that when they play as the coaches want them to, they win. When they don't, they lose. The road ahead is a long, winding journey, as we've all seen already, and it will definitely not be an easy journey to take.
But, for now, this train is on track and on time for the playoffs. We'll see if they can stay on schedule.
Now, granted, the Edmonton game was 1.2 seconds away from disaster, and the Vancouver Canucks should give Marco Scandella a bonus, for that nicely-timed screen he threw in front of his own goalie at the end of overtime yesterday -- but that is why they actually play the games.
The season is 10 per cent over. Yes, folks, the Wild have played 1/8th of their schedule already. (Has anybody noticed?) And, for those who worry about such things, the playoff race is already on. For every point earned now is virtually worth a point and a half come March, and the playoff drive.
The Wild are no better, and no worse, than most teams in the Western Conference, with 18 goals for, and 20 goals against. Four games have already gone to overtime, and the 1-0-3 record after 60 minutes have already been played means that the Wild are actually staying with it thru the end of regulation time, something which could not be said frequently the last two seasons.
The Wild open their new week in 7th place in the West -- actually, tied for 6th place, but thanks to yesterday's Canucks win, Vancouver has one more win (4-3-1) that the Wild (3-2-3) -- with four of the next five games at home (Anaheim, Detroit, Vancouver, St. Louis) and the lone road game at Detroit (which works to the Wild's advantage, as three of the four Wild-Red Wings games will have been played by Nov. 2).
The Wild are starting to be banged up, as injuries to Guillaume Latendresse (groin) and Greg Zanon (groin) held them out of Saturday's game at Rogers Arena. Throw in Mikko Koivu's skate-slicing episode in Edmonton Thursday night, and Mike Lundin's imminent return off his season-opening back spasms (Lundin has yet to play a regular-season game in Iron Range Red), portends that the roster will continue to be in flux for the forseeable future.
This team is slowly -- SLOWLY -- coming around to the philosophies of head coach Mike Yeo, despite falling into their old habits all too frequently (such as the third period of the Vancouver game, where they did not have a shot on goal for over 15 minutes). The fact of the matter is that when they play as the coaches want them to, they win. When they don't, they lose. The road ahead is a long, winding journey, as we've all seen already, and it will definitely not be an easy journey to take.
But, for now, this train is on track and on time for the playoffs. We'll see if they can stay on schedule.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Almost out of the Abyss
This Friday, the Minnesota Wild officially report for the start of training camp. And, after this summer, this is the best thing that could happen for all parties involved -- players, staff, and most importantly, the fans.
This has not been a good off-season for the sport of hockey. Far from it. It has been, literally, the deadliest single off-season in the history of the sport. 48 players have died since the end of the last season, including 45 as a result of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl charter plane crash in Russia last week.
Two Wild alumni -- Derek Boogaard and Pavol Demitra -- were amongst those whose lives were ended all too soon during the summer. Boogaard's death is the tip of a very large and deadly iceberg, that of the pain endured every day by NHL players, who want to keep playing even when their bodies say they should retire to their favorite off-ice activity.
The fact is, however, that life goes on for the rest of us, even when the world stops for others. The fact is that even after the pain suffered though the summer, after the deaths of Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak -- all for different reasons, in different locations, at different times -- hockey goes on. People still want the game to go on. The players still want to play. The fans still want to see hockey on the ice. They still want to cheer for their team, and boo the opposition.
The fans are excited right now. Hope springs eternal, never more so than going into the start of training camp this weekend. The dramatically 'new and improved' Wild, led by Mikko Koivu, now more than ever, now with some actual first-line offensive help in Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi.
Finally shorn of the dead weight of Cam Barker, Antti Miettinen, and James Sheppard -- three players Wild fans learned the hard way to loathe, especially over the last two seasons, as the team's fortunes soured under another now-ex-Wild, coach Todd Richards -- replaced with the coach of the Houston Aeros, Mike Yeo, who took his team to the AHL's Calder Cup finals.
It's a lot for a dedicated fan to handle, all these changes in the sport that they love; for the casual fan, maybe it will be a bit confusing, especially in the pre-season, as the rosters will not be set until later in camp, after everyone has received a good look. Newer players, such as Colton Gillies, Jordan Henry, Mike Lundin, Darroll Powe, and Marco Scandella will become the basis of the Wild's third and fourth lines and third defensive pairing, a virtual 'quantum leap' ahead of last season's patchwork quilt of players shoring up the top two lines.
For those top two lines, the results of the massive overhaul, orchestrated by GM Chuck Fletcher means that the offense, anemic by any sport's standards, should fire on all cylinders most of the time this season, injuries not withstanding. The Wild's top 4 defensemen are finally worthy of being at least occasionally mentioned as top 4 defensemen, as the slackers and the deadbeats have been purged from the ranks of the roster. Lean and mean, Guillaume Latendresse cannot be called 'Minnesota Fats' any more. Matt Cullen can return to his natural center position, feeding Latendresse and Pierre-Marc Bouchard as the Wild's second line.
Yes, Wild fans, hope springs eternal at this time of year. Of course, no one in the NHL has played a game yet. Right now, the Islanders are just as good as the Canucks. (Well, maybe not, but go with it.)
After all, that's why we fans want them to play the games...
This has not been a good off-season for the sport of hockey. Far from it. It has been, literally, the deadliest single off-season in the history of the sport. 48 players have died since the end of the last season, including 45 as a result of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl charter plane crash in Russia last week.
Two Wild alumni -- Derek Boogaard and Pavol Demitra -- were amongst those whose lives were ended all too soon during the summer. Boogaard's death is the tip of a very large and deadly iceberg, that of the pain endured every day by NHL players, who want to keep playing even when their bodies say they should retire to their favorite off-ice activity.
The fact is, however, that life goes on for the rest of us, even when the world stops for others. The fact is that even after the pain suffered though the summer, after the deaths of Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak -- all for different reasons, in different locations, at different times -- hockey goes on. People still want the game to go on. The players still want to play. The fans still want to see hockey on the ice. They still want to cheer for their team, and boo the opposition.
The fans are excited right now. Hope springs eternal, never more so than going into the start of training camp this weekend. The dramatically 'new and improved' Wild, led by Mikko Koivu, now more than ever, now with some actual first-line offensive help in Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi.
Finally shorn of the dead weight of Cam Barker, Antti Miettinen, and James Sheppard -- three players Wild fans learned the hard way to loathe, especially over the last two seasons, as the team's fortunes soured under another now-ex-Wild, coach Todd Richards -- replaced with the coach of the Houston Aeros, Mike Yeo, who took his team to the AHL's Calder Cup finals.
It's a lot for a dedicated fan to handle, all these changes in the sport that they love; for the casual fan, maybe it will be a bit confusing, especially in the pre-season, as the rosters will not be set until later in camp, after everyone has received a good look. Newer players, such as Colton Gillies, Jordan Henry, Mike Lundin, Darroll Powe, and Marco Scandella will become the basis of the Wild's third and fourth lines and third defensive pairing, a virtual 'quantum leap' ahead of last season's patchwork quilt of players shoring up the top two lines.
For those top two lines, the results of the massive overhaul, orchestrated by GM Chuck Fletcher means that the offense, anemic by any sport's standards, should fire on all cylinders most of the time this season, injuries not withstanding. The Wild's top 4 defensemen are finally worthy of being at least occasionally mentioned as top 4 defensemen, as the slackers and the deadbeats have been purged from the ranks of the roster. Lean and mean, Guillaume Latendresse cannot be called 'Minnesota Fats' any more. Matt Cullen can return to his natural center position, feeding Latendresse and Pierre-Marc Bouchard as the Wild's second line.
Yes, Wild fans, hope springs eternal at this time of year. Of course, no one in the NHL has played a game yet. Right now, the Islanders are just as good as the Canucks. (Well, maybe not, but go with it.)
After all, that's why we fans want them to play the games...
Saturday, June 25, 2011
NHL Draft, day 1: End of the Burns era
No one ever said the NHL draft was going to be without intrigue. No one but those involved, knew it would be THAT much intrigue, all at once. Especially for the hometown folks.
Almost an hour after the Minnesota Wild chose Swedish defenseman Jonas Brodin, a 17-year-old who has already played in Sweden's Elite League with Farjestad, Wild GM Chuck Fletcher dropped an absolute bombshell, by trading defenseman (and free-agent-to-be) Brent Burns and next season's second-round pick to San Jose for winger Devin Setoguchi, San Jose's No. 1 pick from last season (Boston U forward Charlie Coyle), and San Jose's first round pick in this draft, the No. 28 pick, which the Wild then used to take center Zack Phillips from St. John of the QMJHL.
On paper, this looks like a classic 'win-win' scenario, as the Wild did not want to spend the $5-6 million per season to re-sign the popular defenseman, who will become an unrestricted free agent after the upcoming season. The Sharks signed Setoguchi to a new 3-year, $9M deal on Thursday, but claim that signing the former linemate of Joe Thornton had nothing to do with the trade.
Coyle is projected to be a power forward, and will definitely push the likes of Guillaume Latendresse when he arrives in St. Paul, beginning next month at prospects camp. Although Phillips is only 18, should he develop as expected he, too, will push other, more veteran players in 2-3 seasons' time.
But the key is the 24-year-old Setoguchi, whom Wild fans will get a lot of satisfaction out of the fact that he loves to shoot the puck, something sorely lacking with the Wild's maddingly pass-happy offense. Being the linemate of either Mikko Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard or Latendresse and Martin Havlat won't hurt, either, as the Wild have declared themselves as definitely in a youth movement and talent hunt, all at the same time.
Most observers view this trade as the biggest Wild deal ever. Only time will tell if the deal indeed was the biggest trade in the franchise's 11-season history, but the team isn't done yet. There's still another day to go. And for Brent Burns?
Better find out what the Santa Clara County regulations are about that petting zoo at home...
Almost an hour after the Minnesota Wild chose Swedish defenseman Jonas Brodin, a 17-year-old who has already played in Sweden's Elite League with Farjestad, Wild GM Chuck Fletcher dropped an absolute bombshell, by trading defenseman (and free-agent-to-be) Brent Burns and next season's second-round pick to San Jose for winger Devin Setoguchi, San Jose's No. 1 pick from last season (Boston U forward Charlie Coyle), and San Jose's first round pick in this draft, the No. 28 pick, which the Wild then used to take center Zack Phillips from St. John of the QMJHL.
On paper, this looks like a classic 'win-win' scenario, as the Wild did not want to spend the $5-6 million per season to re-sign the popular defenseman, who will become an unrestricted free agent after the upcoming season. The Sharks signed Setoguchi to a new 3-year, $9M deal on Thursday, but claim that signing the former linemate of Joe Thornton had nothing to do with the trade.
Coyle is projected to be a power forward, and will definitely push the likes of Guillaume Latendresse when he arrives in St. Paul, beginning next month at prospects camp. Although Phillips is only 18, should he develop as expected he, too, will push other, more veteran players in 2-3 seasons' time.
But the key is the 24-year-old Setoguchi, whom Wild fans will get a lot of satisfaction out of the fact that he loves to shoot the puck, something sorely lacking with the Wild's maddingly pass-happy offense. Being the linemate of either Mikko Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard or Latendresse and Martin Havlat won't hurt, either, as the Wild have declared themselves as definitely in a youth movement and talent hunt, all at the same time.
Most observers view this trade as the biggest Wild deal ever. Only time will tell if the deal indeed was the biggest trade in the franchise's 11-season history, but the team isn't done yet. There's still another day to go. And for Brent Burns?
Better find out what the Santa Clara County regulations are about that petting zoo at home...
Monday, February 14, 2011
Are better times really ahead?
As February rolls on, things looking up for Wild, fans
With half of February gone, the Minnesota Wild go into the last 26 games of their regular season in better shape than many people -- this blogger included -- thought they would have been at this point. We all were hoping that they'd have the second-best record in the NHL since January 1 (only Philadelphia, leading the Eastern Conference, currently has a better record) but let's face facts, folks:
Did anyone expect this team to be this good in the stretch drive?
With two key members of the line-up (Guillaume Latendresse, Marek Zidlicky) out with fairly severe injuries the entire month of January, the kids brought up to replace them (Jared Spurgeon, Clayton Stoner, and before Stoner, Marco Scandella, still out with a concussion) have performed better than even the hockey operations staff had probably thought possible.
Spurgeon, a prospect released by the New York Islanders after last season, was signed out of the Traverse City Pre-Season prospects tournament before the season started. Like Stoner and Scandella, Spurgeon started the season with the Wild's AHL Houston Aeros affiliate, and was called up to the Wild on Nov. 29th. Unlike Stoner and Scandella, however, the diminutive Spurgeon (all 5' 9" of him), who has earned the nickname 'Minnow' by some Wild fans, has answered the challenge of being a rookie at the world's top level of professional hockey well, with timely play, a knack for moving the puck from the blue line, and fearless defensive play in his own zone. He may not be the biggest fish in the pond, but he probably is the most determined to stay on the roster into the playoffs.
Stoner, on the other hand, is a rugged, 6' 3" native of Port McNeill, BC (same home town as ex-Wild and current LA King, Willie Mitchell) who has also stepped in and stepped up this season to stay on the roster, after five seasons in Houston. One of the few third round draft picks the Wild has ever actually held on to, Stoner recently endeared himself to hockey fight fans, with his end-of-game beat down of St. Louis' David Backes, the Spring Lake Park, MN native, on Saturday night at Xcel Energy Center, following the final horn of the Wild's 3-1 sweep of the home-and-home series with the Blues, a sweep which started to put the nails into the coffin of playoff chances in the Mound City for this spring.
Scandella, the Wild's second round selection from the 2008 draft, was being groomed to be the Wild's sixth/seventh defenseman when he suffered a concussion, interrupting his season, on January 14 (vs. the Colorado Avalanche). Scandella had played in 11 of the previous 13 games before his injury. The Montreal native, a 6' 2" blueliner with a knack for forcing play, is expected back in early March, as is Latendresse.
Now, Zidlicky will probably be back before any of the other walking wounded will return. (Update 3:00 PM Monday: Zidlicky practiced with the team today, in full pads, available to take hits and participate in battle drills.) The next question then will be: Who goes back to Houston? Who stays for the playoff drive? Who (if anyone) may become trade bait, as the Feb. 28 trade deadline approaches?
These are the questions on the minds of Wild fans as February wanes on. With eight games left in the month (five of which are at home), can the Wild get to the Trade Deadline in position to deal if they really feel a need to? Yes, we all know, GM Chuck Fletcher won't trade anyone on the roster. But, if the right trade comes along, do you let it go by? NHL GM's don't stay employed for long by being stubborn (Toronto's Brian Burke notwithstanding). The fact of the matter is that if you can get better, you do it. The Wild have assets (mainly, defensemen) that they can deal. For the first time in years, the Wild could very much be a player in the Trade Frenzy on Feb. 28th.
If they want to be.
With half of February gone, the Minnesota Wild go into the last 26 games of their regular season in better shape than many people -- this blogger included -- thought they would have been at this point. We all were hoping that they'd have the second-best record in the NHL since January 1 (only Philadelphia, leading the Eastern Conference, currently has a better record) but let's face facts, folks:
Did anyone expect this team to be this good in the stretch drive?
With two key members of the line-up (Guillaume Latendresse, Marek Zidlicky) out with fairly severe injuries the entire month of January, the kids brought up to replace them (Jared Spurgeon, Clayton Stoner, and before Stoner, Marco Scandella, still out with a concussion) have performed better than even the hockey operations staff had probably thought possible.
Spurgeon, a prospect released by the New York Islanders after last season, was signed out of the Traverse City Pre-Season prospects tournament before the season started. Like Stoner and Scandella, Spurgeon started the season with the Wild's AHL Houston Aeros affiliate, and was called up to the Wild on Nov. 29th. Unlike Stoner and Scandella, however, the diminutive Spurgeon (all 5' 9" of him), who has earned the nickname 'Minnow' by some Wild fans, has answered the challenge of being a rookie at the world's top level of professional hockey well, with timely play, a knack for moving the puck from the blue line, and fearless defensive play in his own zone. He may not be the biggest fish in the pond, but he probably is the most determined to stay on the roster into the playoffs.
Stoner, on the other hand, is a rugged, 6' 3" native of Port McNeill, BC (same home town as ex-Wild and current LA King, Willie Mitchell) who has also stepped in and stepped up this season to stay on the roster, after five seasons in Houston. One of the few third round draft picks the Wild has ever actually held on to, Stoner recently endeared himself to hockey fight fans, with his end-of-game beat down of St. Louis' David Backes, the Spring Lake Park, MN native, on Saturday night at Xcel Energy Center, following the final horn of the Wild's 3-1 sweep of the home-and-home series with the Blues, a sweep which started to put the nails into the coffin of playoff chances in the Mound City for this spring.
Scandella, the Wild's second round selection from the 2008 draft, was being groomed to be the Wild's sixth/seventh defenseman when he suffered a concussion, interrupting his season, on January 14 (vs. the Colorado Avalanche). Scandella had played in 11 of the previous 13 games before his injury. The Montreal native, a 6' 2" blueliner with a knack for forcing play, is expected back in early March, as is Latendresse.
Now, Zidlicky will probably be back before any of the other walking wounded will return. (Update 3:00 PM Monday: Zidlicky practiced with the team today, in full pads, available to take hits and participate in battle drills.) The next question then will be: Who goes back to Houston? Who stays for the playoff drive? Who (if anyone) may become trade bait, as the Feb. 28 trade deadline approaches?
These are the questions on the minds of Wild fans as February wanes on. With eight games left in the month (five of which are at home), can the Wild get to the Trade Deadline in position to deal if they really feel a need to? Yes, we all know, GM Chuck Fletcher won't trade anyone on the roster. But, if the right trade comes along, do you let it go by? NHL GM's don't stay employed for long by being stubborn (Toronto's Brian Burke notwithstanding). The fact of the matter is that if you can get better, you do it. The Wild have assets (mainly, defensemen) that they can deal. For the first time in years, the Wild could very much be a player in the Trade Frenzy on Feb. 28th.
If they want to be.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
A moment, while we inject some reality into your Wild playoff run...
(Updated 1-10-2011 with updated second game total after Dallas game.)
Fans of the Minnesota Wild have enjoyed the first week of 2011 immensely. Four games in the New Year, four wins (three in regulation, all on the road), eight points, and the Wild have finally managed to pull themselves off the scrap heap of the NHL's Western Conference.
To what do we attribute this largesse? The system instilled by the coaching staff, led by second-year head Coach Todd Richards? Better talent obtained by GM Chuck Fletcher? Better play inspired by the likes of Mikko Koivu, Martin Havlat, Cal Clutterbuck and the now-injured Marek Zidlicky?
The fact of the matter is that all of it contributes to the sudden surge in Wild success. But so does one more important item...one overlooked except in hindsight after games have been played:
The old facet that 'It's not who you play, it's when you play them', comes into play after the games have been played.
Would the Wild have been better off playing the New Jersey Devils right after their NHL Premiere experience in Finland? Or in January, after the Devils' ship of state took on so much water it looked more like the Andria Doria than a hockey team ready to win games?
Are the Wild better off that three of the four games against the Phoenix Coyotes have already been played?
Were the Boston Bruins looking ahead to their game Saturday night in Montreal, when they played the Wild Thursday night at TD Garden?
We know the Wild caught a major break against the Pittsburgh Penguins, when Sidney Crosby got his clock cleaned not once, but twice, in the week leading up to last night's 4-0 Wild win, the second worst game in the STK era for the Pens versus the Wild. Crosby did not play last night as he was diagnosed with concussion symptoms after the second bell-ringing, which took place in their Wednesday night 8-1 drubbing of Tampa Bay.
When the Wild catch a team at or near full strength, especially in St. Paul, they have frequently had their lunch handed to them, as in New Year's Eve's 4-1 drubbing against a Nashville Predators team at full strength; a Detroit Red Wings team which came in on Boxing Day, and in Grinch-like fashion, wrested a 4-1 win from the Wild in a game so bad, the fifth-largest crowd in Wild history booed the team off the ice after the second period; an Ottawa Senators team who came in to St. Paul and used two power-play goals to earn a 3-1 comeback win, their fifth straight against the Wild; the Coyotes' first visit into the 'X', as lifeless a loss (4-2) as you could get; and the two straight home blowouts in November, the easy (for them) 5-2 NY Rangers win, and the 6-1 Philadelphia Flyers drubbing, two of the worst home games in Wild history.
Now, this afternoon, the Dallas Stars, another team which the Wild have precious little success with (9-7-2 all time in St. Paul, and an absolutely hid-e-ous 3-11-4 in 'Big D') play in a 5:00 PM start, Dallas having rested on Saturday, while the Wild were in Pittsburgh. The Stars have three players (Karlis Skrastins and Minnesotans Matt Niskanen (Virginia), Toby Petersen (Minneapolis) ) on the injured list, as do the Wild (Guillaume Latendresse, Niklas Backstrom, Zidlicky) so what does that portend?
The 1-6-3 record of the Wild this season, in the second game of back-to-backs, should speak volumes. The fact that Dallas rested yesterday, while the Wild flew back from Western PA, should speak volumes. The fact that Backstrom, the Wild's No. 1 goaltender, is possibly facing more hip surgery, maybe putting him out for the rest of the season, should speak volumes. The fact that the West is so tight (the Wild will be within two points of the Stars in the West if they win in regulation time today) should speak volumes, also.
What it speaks volumes OF, however, is subject to debate, specualtion, and of course, blogging!
Fans of the Minnesota Wild have enjoyed the first week of 2011 immensely. Four games in the New Year, four wins (three in regulation, all on the road), eight points, and the Wild have finally managed to pull themselves off the scrap heap of the NHL's Western Conference.
To what do we attribute this largesse? The system instilled by the coaching staff, led by second-year head Coach Todd Richards? Better talent obtained by GM Chuck Fletcher? Better play inspired by the likes of Mikko Koivu, Martin Havlat, Cal Clutterbuck and the now-injured Marek Zidlicky?
The fact of the matter is that all of it contributes to the sudden surge in Wild success. But so does one more important item...one overlooked except in hindsight after games have been played:
The old facet that 'It's not who you play, it's when you play them', comes into play after the games have been played.
Would the Wild have been better off playing the New Jersey Devils right after their NHL Premiere experience in Finland? Or in January, after the Devils' ship of state took on so much water it looked more like the Andria Doria than a hockey team ready to win games?
Are the Wild better off that three of the four games against the Phoenix Coyotes have already been played?
Were the Boston Bruins looking ahead to their game Saturday night in Montreal, when they played the Wild Thursday night at TD Garden?
We know the Wild caught a major break against the Pittsburgh Penguins, when Sidney Crosby got his clock cleaned not once, but twice, in the week leading up to last night's 4-0 Wild win, the second worst game in the STK era for the Pens versus the Wild. Crosby did not play last night as he was diagnosed with concussion symptoms after the second bell-ringing, which took place in their Wednesday night 8-1 drubbing of Tampa Bay.
When the Wild catch a team at or near full strength, especially in St. Paul, they have frequently had their lunch handed to them, as in New Year's Eve's 4-1 drubbing against a Nashville Predators team at full strength; a Detroit Red Wings team which came in on Boxing Day, and in Grinch-like fashion, wrested a 4-1 win from the Wild in a game so bad, the fifth-largest crowd in Wild history booed the team off the ice after the second period; an Ottawa Senators team who came in to St. Paul and used two power-play goals to earn a 3-1 comeback win, their fifth straight against the Wild; the Coyotes' first visit into the 'X', as lifeless a loss (4-2) as you could get; and the two straight home blowouts in November, the easy (for them) 5-2 NY Rangers win, and the 6-1 Philadelphia Flyers drubbing, two of the worst home games in Wild history.
Now, this afternoon, the Dallas Stars, another team which the Wild have precious little success with (9-7-2 all time in St. Paul, and an absolutely hid-e-ous 3-11-4 in 'Big D') play in a 5:00 PM start, Dallas having rested on Saturday, while the Wild were in Pittsburgh. The Stars have three players (Karlis Skrastins and Minnesotans Matt Niskanen (Virginia), Toby Petersen (Minneapolis) ) on the injured list, as do the Wild (Guillaume Latendresse, Niklas Backstrom, Zidlicky) so what does that portend?
The 1-6-3 record of the Wild this season, in the second game of back-to-backs, should speak volumes. The fact that Dallas rested yesterday, while the Wild flew back from Western PA, should speak volumes. The fact that Backstrom, the Wild's No. 1 goaltender, is possibly facing more hip surgery, maybe putting him out for the rest of the season, should speak volumes. The fact that the West is so tight (the Wild will be within two points of the Stars in the West if they win in regulation time today) should speak volumes, also.
What it speaks volumes OF, however, is subject to debate, specualtion, and of course, blogging!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Time for a Change?
Something -- nee, anything -- needs to be done if the Minnesota Wild are to salvage anything from the 2010-2011 season.
After getting shelled for 5 or more goals in three of their last four games, two of which were at home, the time has come for the Wild management to do something about this team's malaises. The days of taking whole periods of games off has to stop. And, it has to stop NOW.
Yes. different players (most notably Nick Schultz and Captain Mikko Koivu) have taken the 'fall on the sword' for recent team bad performances. But, it's not just one or two players that take whole periods off. It's the whole damn TEAM that is taking periods off.
This cannot be allowed to continue. The fact of the matter is that if the Wild are serious in an attempt to even qualify for the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they need to right the ship of state NOW, or else face a long, cold winter of discontent -- something, quite frankly, that this franchise has never really faced before. Unless they get going, and soon, the only post-season activity that will be hockey-related at the 'X', will be the 2011 NHL Entry Draft June 24 & 25.
Should this poor performance continue, it will make four seasons since the Wild will have qualified for the post-season. The statistics (yes, I know, lies, damn lies, and statistics; but these don't lie, people) speak for themselves:
After getting shelled for 5 or more goals in three of their last four games, two of which were at home, the time has come for the Wild management to do something about this team's malaises. The days of taking whole periods of games off has to stop. And, it has to stop NOW.
Yes. different players (most notably Nick Schultz and Captain Mikko Koivu) have taken the 'fall on the sword' for recent team bad performances. But, it's not just one or two players that take whole periods off. It's the whole damn TEAM that is taking periods off.
This cannot be allowed to continue. The fact of the matter is that if the Wild are serious in an attempt to even qualify for the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they need to right the ship of state NOW, or else face a long, cold winter of discontent -- something, quite frankly, that this franchise has never really faced before. Unless they get going, and soon, the only post-season activity that will be hockey-related at the 'X', will be the 2011 NHL Entry Draft June 24 & 25.
Should this poor performance continue, it will make four seasons since the Wild will have qualified for the post-season. The statistics (yes, I know, lies, damn lies, and statistics; but these don't lie, people) speak for themselves:
- The Wild are being outshot 117-54 in the second period of the last nine games (going back to the game in Atlanta, Nov. 11), and 79-24 in the second period of the last five games alone. In fact, the Wild rank 30th -- that's right, dead last -- in shots on goal overall this season. And this for a team which is supposed to have a 'new and improved' offense, under Head Coach Todd Richards.
- Niklas Backstrom, who was held out of the Nashville victory on Friday, should start thinking of getting a lawyer, and suing his defense for non-support. His goals-against average has ballooned from 1.90 to 2.66 in his last three starts, all of which 'featured' the Wild giving up five, six, and seven goals, against the NY Rangers, Philadelphia and Colorado, respectively. Should the Wild start Jose Theodore in their next game (against Calgary on Monday night, in the Saddledome), Backstrom would start against the Phoenix Coyotes at home, on Wednesday night, against a Coyotes team which has scored 4 or more goals in 5 of their last 8 games, winning 7 of those last 8 games, including a sweep of all three Western Canadian teams (Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver) on the road last week (something the Wild have never achieved, by the way).
- The next seven games for the Wild (five of which are, thankfully, on the road...I don't feel as guilty shutting the TV off and going to bed, as leaving a home game early) are against Calgary (twice, home and away), Phoenix (same, home and away) and at Dallas, LA Kings and Anaheim. The fact is that the Wild, as they are playing now, stand a better-than-even chance of losing at least 5 of those 7 games, and realistically could find themselves out of the playoff race in the Western Conference before Dec. 19, the start of the NHL's Christmas holiday roster freeze.
The Wild are also hamstrung with three players on injured reserve (Josh Harding, Guillaume Latendresse, Pierre-Marc Bouchard) for which GM Chuck Fletcher stubbornly refuses to request Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) status to get cap relief, to bring in another player who may actually help this club turn its' fortunes around, whether it be via trade, free-agent signing (Owen Nolan is still out there, as example) or otherwise. Now, whether he is trying to 'save' his cap space, so he has more to use later on or whatever, the fact remains that there may not be a 'LATER', if he doesn't do something about turning the fortunes of the club NOW.
The Wild are in free fall, and everyone -- from Owner Craig Leipold, to the most casual fan -- knows it. Will anything be done before they hit rock bottom? The people who DO have all the answers, aren't saying. And the paying public? Those who are 'stakeholders' in this franchise? We're not pleased. And if we aren't pleased, we won't come to games anymore. We'll stop helping pay the bills.
For as fans, the best response to apathetic play, is our own apathy.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
If only every week was like this past week...
3-0 week for Wild bodes team well despite injuries, schedule, cap woes
By Wild Road Tripper
If only.
If only every week was like this past week for the Minnesota Wild, they might -- might -- make the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, for the first time in three seasons. Now, we know that in a long season like this, not every week will be as successful as this past week was. But, you can't sneer at a 3-0 week, where the Wild somewhat returned to the defense-first style of hockey that made this franchise successful in most of the first eight seasons of its' ten-year history. Especially when you consider that the week started off, with the first regulation-time victory over the usually-pesky San Jose Sharks in five seasons.
In fact, the Wild have a record of 7-4-2 overall, and 6-3-1 since returning from the NHL Premiere games in Helsinki. Normally, a 6-3-1 record would mean the pressure is off the coaching staff. That the old adage of, 'open the doors and the people will come', would once again hold sway at the 'X', as the longest home stand of the 2010-2011 season ended on Tuesday, with a very respectable 3-1-1 record, good for 7 points in the standings, as the schedule's treacherous start has finally fallen by the wayside, giving way to a 5-game stretch of opponents who did not qualify for the playoffs in 2010.
If only we fans knew what's wrong? Why aren't the people showing up to sell out the building? Why is there still skepticism amongst Wild fans (myself included) not believing (or not wanting to believe) that this team, despite missing three forwards (Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Guillaume Latendresse, Antti Miettinen) and one of their top four defensemen (Marek Zidlicky) might be as good as they are now? That this is all a mirage, and one day we will all wake up, and find out that this was all a dream?
If only we knew the answers to these questions. Part of the reason for the non-sellouts is, indeed, the fact that the economy still is in the dumper, and will be for some time, tax breaks not withstanding. People don't have the spending cash for pro hockey when they are trying mightily to make ends meet. Of course, the fact that the Wild have failed to make the playoffs (which means, you admit that you are one of the 14 worst teams in the league) for two seasons now hasn't helped things very much, either.
If only the local pro football team wouldn't grab the headlines nearly every single day, with the Peyton Place-esque behind-the-scenes issues facing that club, that the local college football team wasn't firmly entrenched as one of the sport's Bottom 10 teams, and you have a hockey team which is relegated well inside the pages of the local sports sections.
If only we knew that this past week would be what we could expect, Wild fans could prepare themselves for the future, which would be looking pretty good. Think of the future if Brent Burns holds to at least his current level of play. Wild fans know this guy shows up every night with his engine running, then goes out and plays like it. But now, for the first time ever, it really shows where it counts (on the score sheet) and when it counts (late in games, like Saturday night in Columbus, where he basically took over after the Wild got the 3-2 lead).
If only we knew that Martin Havlat would build on the upswing that we have seen over the last week, he wouldn't even need his agent, Allan Walsh, to beg the coaching staff (via Twitter) to play his guy more. Marty, we hoped you had that in you; why did we have to wait so long for this to come out?
If only the Wild had realized earlier that the power play needed real help, and then they went out and got it in Matt Cullen, who is the big difference between a power play which doesn't get shots off at all, and a power play which is top 10 in the NHL.
If only the Wild had put Burns and Nick Schultz earlier as a defensive pairing. The Wild now have two real top-4 pairings (Burns and Schultz, and the fan-dubbed 'ZZ Top' pairing of Zidlicky and Greg Zanon) on the blue line -- something the Wild has long coveted, while other Western Conference teams (Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, San Jose, Vancouver) have enjoyed this for years.
Now, if only the Wild can stay somewhat healthy while playing in the Southeast this coming weekend, they could come home with a gaudy win streak of 6 games into their next home game vs. Anaheim on Nov. 17th.
If only...
By Wild Road Tripper
If only.
If only every week was like this past week for the Minnesota Wild, they might -- might -- make the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, for the first time in three seasons. Now, we know that in a long season like this, not every week will be as successful as this past week was. But, you can't sneer at a 3-0 week, where the Wild somewhat returned to the defense-first style of hockey that made this franchise successful in most of the first eight seasons of its' ten-year history. Especially when you consider that the week started off, with the first regulation-time victory over the usually-pesky San Jose Sharks in five seasons.
In fact, the Wild have a record of 7-4-2 overall, and 6-3-1 since returning from the NHL Premiere games in Helsinki. Normally, a 6-3-1 record would mean the pressure is off the coaching staff. That the old adage of, 'open the doors and the people will come', would once again hold sway at the 'X', as the longest home stand of the 2010-2011 season ended on Tuesday, with a very respectable 3-1-1 record, good for 7 points in the standings, as the schedule's treacherous start has finally fallen by the wayside, giving way to a 5-game stretch of opponents who did not qualify for the playoffs in 2010.
If only we fans knew what's wrong? Why aren't the people showing up to sell out the building? Why is there still skepticism amongst Wild fans (myself included) not believing (or not wanting to believe) that this team, despite missing three forwards (Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Guillaume Latendresse, Antti Miettinen) and one of their top four defensemen (Marek Zidlicky) might be as good as they are now? That this is all a mirage, and one day we will all wake up, and find out that this was all a dream?
If only we knew the answers to these questions. Part of the reason for the non-sellouts is, indeed, the fact that the economy still is in the dumper, and will be for some time, tax breaks not withstanding. People don't have the spending cash for pro hockey when they are trying mightily to make ends meet. Of course, the fact that the Wild have failed to make the playoffs (which means, you admit that you are one of the 14 worst teams in the league) for two seasons now hasn't helped things very much, either.
If only the local pro football team wouldn't grab the headlines nearly every single day, with the Peyton Place-esque behind-the-scenes issues facing that club, that the local college football team wasn't firmly entrenched as one of the sport's Bottom 10 teams, and you have a hockey team which is relegated well inside the pages of the local sports sections.
If only we knew that this past week would be what we could expect, Wild fans could prepare themselves for the future, which would be looking pretty good. Think of the future if Brent Burns holds to at least his current level of play. Wild fans know this guy shows up every night with his engine running, then goes out and plays like it. But now, for the first time ever, it really shows where it counts (on the score sheet) and when it counts (late in games, like Saturday night in Columbus, where he basically took over after the Wild got the 3-2 lead).
If only we knew that Martin Havlat would build on the upswing that we have seen over the last week, he wouldn't even need his agent, Allan Walsh, to beg the coaching staff (via Twitter) to play his guy more. Marty, we hoped you had that in you; why did we have to wait so long for this to come out?
If only the Wild had realized earlier that the power play needed real help, and then they went out and got it in Matt Cullen, who is the big difference between a power play which doesn't get shots off at all, and a power play which is top 10 in the NHL.
If only the Wild had put Burns and Nick Schultz earlier as a defensive pairing. The Wild now have two real top-4 pairings (Burns and Schultz, and the fan-dubbed 'ZZ Top' pairing of Zidlicky and Greg Zanon) on the blue line -- something the Wild has long coveted, while other Western Conference teams (Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis, San Jose, Vancouver) have enjoyed this for years.
Now, if only the Wild can stay somewhat healthy while playing in the Southeast this coming weekend, they could come home with a gaudy win streak of 6 games into their next home game vs. Anaheim on Nov. 17th.
If only...
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Dear Wild: Why did you all stop skating?
Kings skate by Wild, win in shootout: why not Latendresse?
By Wild Road Tripper
Oh, boy, was THAT apparent last night.
What was THAT?
Speed Kills.
That road kill on the ice last night at Xcel Energy Center? That was the Minnesota Wild, snatching defeat from victory's grasp once again, as they just flat-out stopped skating in the last 45 minutes (2nd & 3rd periods, and overtime) of their game against the young, aggressive and very, very speedy Los Angeles Kings, as the Wild let a 2-0 lead collapse, en route to a disgusting 3-2 shootout loss in front of 17,094 fairly disgruntled patrons.
As the Kings continually outhustled the Wild for the last two-thirds of the contest, the glaring lack of Wild speed became evident, especially in players such as Martin Havlat (why so slow lately, Marty? Groiner??), and Guillaume Latendresse (little too much poutine during the summer, Gui?), as well as the five penalties for infractions caused by not keeping up (two interference penalties, two hooking penalties, and one trip) over the last 48 minutes of the game. The first line (which has always been slow) didn't look any better than the fourth line last night.
Niklas Backstrom, 1-8 in shootouts over the last calendar year, couldn't stop a Michael Handzus snap shot, and the Wild's fate was sealed when Antti 'Missedthenetagain' Miettinen tried to deke LA goalie Jonathan Quick, and Quick didn't fall for the ruse. I certainly question Coach Todd Richards' choice of Miettinen in the shootout when Latendresse, who has points in his last three games, was still on the bench.
Wild go (down) to 3-3-2 on the season, and Game 9 features, amongst the opponents, the best scorer in hockey: 'Alexander the Gr8'...
...Next Game: vs. Washington, Thursday, Oct. 28, 7:00 PM Central (8:00 PM Eastern) Time, Xcel Energy Center. (TV: FSNorth, CSN-MidAtlantic; both feeds in HD)
By Wild Road Tripper
Oh, boy, was THAT apparent last night.
What was THAT?
Speed Kills.
That road kill on the ice last night at Xcel Energy Center? That was the Minnesota Wild, snatching defeat from victory's grasp once again, as they just flat-out stopped skating in the last 45 minutes (2nd & 3rd periods, and overtime) of their game against the young, aggressive and very, very speedy Los Angeles Kings, as the Wild let a 2-0 lead collapse, en route to a disgusting 3-2 shootout loss in front of 17,094 fairly disgruntled patrons.
As the Kings continually outhustled the Wild for the last two-thirds of the contest, the glaring lack of Wild speed became evident, especially in players such as Martin Havlat (why so slow lately, Marty? Groiner??), and Guillaume Latendresse (little too much poutine during the summer, Gui?), as well as the five penalties for infractions caused by not keeping up (two interference penalties, two hooking penalties, and one trip) over the last 48 minutes of the game. The first line (which has always been slow) didn't look any better than the fourth line last night.
Niklas Backstrom, 1-8 in shootouts over the last calendar year, couldn't stop a Michael Handzus snap shot, and the Wild's fate was sealed when Antti 'Missedthenetagain' Miettinen tried to deke LA goalie Jonathan Quick, and Quick didn't fall for the ruse. I certainly question Coach Todd Richards' choice of Miettinen in the shootout when Latendresse, who has points in his last three games, was still on the bench.
Wild go (down) to 3-3-2 on the season, and Game 9 features, amongst the opponents, the best scorer in hockey: 'Alexander the Gr8'...
...Next Game: vs. Washington, Thursday, Oct. 28, 7:00 PM Central (8:00 PM Eastern) Time, Xcel Energy Center. (TV: FSNorth, CSN-MidAtlantic; both feeds in HD)
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Wild compete level up as Canucks meltdown
Wild spot Vancouver 1st goal, then stomp on Luongo, Canucks as Rypien loses cool; suspension likely
By Wild Road Tripper
You gotta hand it to the Vancouver Canucks. Pacific Canada's favorite team becomes such an easy target, when they revert to their old, familiar, penalty-filled ways. Throw in a sure-to-be-suspended meltdown by the latest in a long line of Canucks you can love to hate, and you have the recipe for a fun evening of puck. Such was the case on Tuesday night, as the Minnesota Wild once again sent Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo to the showers, with a six-pack of goals in a row over the first two periods, as the Wild derailed the Canucks express, 6-2, at Xcel Energy Center. The pre-season overwhelming pick to win the Northwest Division is now a pedestrian 2-3-1, following the ninth all-time loss by 'Bobby Lu' in St. Paul.
There were the two goals by Daniel Sedin for Vancouver. The Canucks can hang their collective hat on that. But, they meant nothing, as what happened in the intervening 58 minutes would attest to, as the Wild rattled six straight on 18 total shots over the first two periods, including one goal and two assists for Marek Zidlicky, a goal and an assist for Guillaume Latendresse, let out of 'Le Chateau Bow-Wow', and placed back on the second line with Martin Havlat and Matt Cullen, that line combining for six points on the evening.
But, that all paled in comparison to the Rick Rypien follies, which occurred late in the second period. Following a scrum in front of the Wild bench in which Rypien, who lost an earlier fight to Brad Staubitz, was restrained from going after Staubitz a second time by the linesmen, Rypien then pushed the linesman, pushed referee Chris Lee and then went after a fan who was mildly taunting Rypien, as he made his way up the tunnel to the Canucks dressing room. Rypien was suspended immediately after the game by the NHL, pending a Friday in-person hearing, which will likely result in a long suspension for the 6th-year goon.
(Since this entry was first started, the fan involved has told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that he will seek legal representation against Rypien and the Canucks.)
The victory, coupled with the blowout loss by the Canucks, now vaults the Wild into 3rd place in the Northwest Division, three points behind division-leading Colorado, who did not play Tuesday night. Vancouver faces off against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on Wednesday evening, before returning home to face the Wild at Rogers Centre (formerly GM Place) on Friday. (A little 'must-see' viewing, anyone?)
The Wild now vacate the 'X' for the remainder of the Minnesota Teachers' Weekend, as their two-game road trip begins with the Next Game: at Edmonton, Thursday, Oct. 21, 8:30 PM Central (7:30 PM Mountain) Time, Rexall Place. (TV: FSNorth, FSWisconsin, Rogers SportsNet-Edmonton, all feeds in HD)
By Wild Road Tripper
You gotta hand it to the Vancouver Canucks. Pacific Canada's favorite team becomes such an easy target, when they revert to their old, familiar, penalty-filled ways. Throw in a sure-to-be-suspended meltdown by the latest in a long line of Canucks you can love to hate, and you have the recipe for a fun evening of puck. Such was the case on Tuesday night, as the Minnesota Wild once again sent Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo to the showers, with a six-pack of goals in a row over the first two periods, as the Wild derailed the Canucks express, 6-2, at Xcel Energy Center. The pre-season overwhelming pick to win the Northwest Division is now a pedestrian 2-3-1, following the ninth all-time loss by 'Bobby Lu' in St. Paul.
There were the two goals by Daniel Sedin for Vancouver. The Canucks can hang their collective hat on that. But, they meant nothing, as what happened in the intervening 58 minutes would attest to, as the Wild rattled six straight on 18 total shots over the first two periods, including one goal and two assists for Marek Zidlicky, a goal and an assist for Guillaume Latendresse, let out of 'Le Chateau Bow-Wow', and placed back on the second line with Martin Havlat and Matt Cullen, that line combining for six points on the evening.
But, that all paled in comparison to the Rick Rypien follies, which occurred late in the second period. Following a scrum in front of the Wild bench in which Rypien, who lost an earlier fight to Brad Staubitz, was restrained from going after Staubitz a second time by the linesmen, Rypien then pushed the linesman, pushed referee Chris Lee and then went after a fan who was mildly taunting Rypien, as he made his way up the tunnel to the Canucks dressing room. Rypien was suspended immediately after the game by the NHL, pending a Friday in-person hearing, which will likely result in a long suspension for the 6th-year goon.
(Since this entry was first started, the fan involved has told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that he will seek legal representation against Rypien and the Canucks.)
The victory, coupled with the blowout loss by the Canucks, now vaults the Wild into 3rd place in the Northwest Division, three points behind division-leading Colorado, who did not play Tuesday night. Vancouver faces off against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on Wednesday evening, before returning home to face the Wild at Rogers Centre (formerly GM Place) on Friday. (A little 'must-see' viewing, anyone?)
The Wild now vacate the 'X' for the remainder of the Minnesota Teachers' Weekend, as their two-game road trip begins with the Next Game: at Edmonton, Thursday, Oct. 21, 8:30 PM Central (7:30 PM Mountain) Time, Rexall Place. (TV: FSNorth, FSWisconsin, Rogers SportsNet-Edmonton, all feeds in HD)
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Finland VII: Anticipation...it's making me wait...
(In this seventh installment of my blog series leading up to NHL Premiere 2010, featuring the Minnesota Wild in Helsinki, Finland, we look at the season ahead, and also a few updates on other items, from earlier installments of this series.)
Well, folks, in less than three weeks the Great Adventure will indeed begin. And, there is a calm optimism in the WRT household. I am optimistic that all the planning, the research, the investigating, the hours at the computer will have all been worth it. My wife continues to say that she hopes her husband will come back to her, after the Great Adventure is over.
Her husband does, too, let me tell you. After this, all other road trips will seem extremely tame. Even the one to Detroit later this season. Tame, tame, tame, almost to the point of being boring. But, let's look ahead to the question of the day:
Where will the Minnesota Wild end up this season?
Wild fans are a hopelessly optimistic bunch, especially after the free agent signings of Moorhead native Matt Cullen, ex-Blackhawk (and NJ Devil) John Madden, and the second-generation grit of Eric Nystrom show the way to an upgraded roster, where a lot of the dead weight that ex-GM Doug Risebrough saddled the franchise with has now been swept away, and shown the door.
Granted, two fan favorites -- Owen Nolan, a.k.a. 'Cowboy' and 'the Irish God of War', or 'IGoW', and enforcer extraordinare Derek Boogaard -- were released; Boogaard winding up with DR in Gotham with the NY Rangers, Nolan still waiting for a call from one of the California clubs (he lives in San Jose, where he co-owns a restaurant) as his career winds down. Ex-SJ Shark Brad Staubitz now fills the 'enforcer' role with the Wild, but at least he can score a goal now and then, something which finally caught up with the likeable Boogaard, as no one was willing to even fight him, making his roster spot even more vulnerable. Boogaard's new $1.65M/season contract was too much for the Wild, who are now within $2.9 million of the NHL's salary cap, and that's including the contract of Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who will attempt to return from his concussion first suffered March 25, 2009 at Nassau Coliseum, in a 6-3 victory against the lowly Islanders.
The right shoulder and right knee of captain Mikko Koivu, both of which required surgery following the season are both at 100%, and the young man who some Wild fans have dubbed, 'the Franchise', is ready for a return to his homeland next month, with about 23 of his closest friends, including new Wild assistant coach Darby Hendrickson, who leaves the Fox Sports North studios (where he was in-studio co-host, on Wild and Gopher hockey telecasts) for the bench, where he will be a 'younger influence' on the roster, a different voice that has recently played the game in this modern era. How this will sit with some of the more tenured players on the Wild roster, such as Andrew Brunette, Nick Schultz and Brent Burns, who actually played with Darby when he was a grinder with the Wild, is yet to be determined.
Optimism runs high amongst Minnesota hockey fans right now, But there has yet to be played even a pre-season game, and not even an official practice has been held. Of course, optimism runs high...as nothing has been decided, save for the fact that James Sheppard, the favorite whipping boy for many Wild fans, will not be playing hockey until after the New Year, due to an ill-advised turn on an ATV in Colorado, during a break in pre-season workouts. Most Wild fans see this unfortunate turn of events for the former first-round pick, as another reason he should be shown the door, as soon as they can find a taker for his 'services'.
My view: After the Finland trip, 8 of their next 10 games will be at home. They must rack up regulation-time wins early, to get a leg up on the rest of the West, as 13 of the following 21 (and 22 of the following 37 games) will be on the road.
This team cannot afford another disasterous start, like last season's losing eight of their first nine debacle. Should they survive the first half of the season, the second half should be an easier half, with all but 5 games played after the All-Star game being within the Western Conference.
This team cannot afford to have long losing streaks. Their talent level is not that of even the now-gutted Chicago Blackhawks, nor San Jose, nor even Detroit, as elderly as that roster looks on paper. Vancouver, everyone's darling pick for the top spot in the West? Nah. Not even close. Maybe not even Calgary or Colorado, who surprised many in hockey and made the playoffs last season, a season which was supposedly a 'rebuilding' year.
They need to score more, especially in regulation. They need to not give up multiple goals in short defensive lapses, especially on the road against divisional opponents (games in Calgary come to mind when I say that). The synergy that was the Guillaume Latendresse-Martin Havlat pairing from last season, needs to be fed from the center position this season. Often. And in bunches.
Had the Wild been able to start the season in December last season, instead of October, they might have just made the playoffs, as banged up as the roster was going into the last weeks of the season, had they not had the disasterous start that this team did last year. This cannot happen again, and the club's hierarchy KNOWS it. The hockey minds know it.
Again, optimism reigns supreme. With that, in my opinion, the Wild will wind up as a playoff team in April. Probably no better than a No. 7 seed, which will probably mean a first round match-up against either of the top two teams in the West (San Jose or Vancouver), neither of which will allow the Wild to go farther than the first round in the playoffs.
But, considering the fact that less than two years ago, this team was totally in shambles, the first round is an achieveable goal, I believe, for this group of Wild players. You have to walk before you can run, and running with the big boys in the West is the immediate goal of this franchise. Reserving the right to change my mind...
...let's see what they can do.
As promised, some updates from earlier in the series:
Seems we've booked onto the 'party cruise' from Stockholm to Turku. The Viking Line ferry boat is known throughout Scandinavia as a 'booze cruise' (those of you who've sailed on the Duluth harbor tours know what I speak of; only this one is a LOT longer). The competing Silja Line ferry, as I said in Part IV of this series, is booked out on a charter that night, as a fund-raiser (presumably) for the Stockholm Symphony Orchestra. Several people have come to me telling me they can't even remember their crossing, due to all the liquor consumed on the ships.
(And, of course, there will be us, still trying to get over jet lag...)
Laundry update: There is no guest laundry at the hotel in Helsinki, so now our question is: Do we get laundry done professionally in Helsinki, Russo-style, by sending out the wet wash? Or, do we ship a box of clean clothes over to Finland, and that same box (with dirty clothes and some papers) back to the USA? Or, do we take some laundry soap with us, and rinse the stuff out in the bathroom sink? What do we do? (We don't want to offend anyone while in Europe...)
(to be continued)
Well, folks, in less than three weeks the Great Adventure will indeed begin. And, there is a calm optimism in the WRT household. I am optimistic that all the planning, the research, the investigating, the hours at the computer will have all been worth it. My wife continues to say that she hopes her husband will come back to her, after the Great Adventure is over.
Her husband does, too, let me tell you. After this, all other road trips will seem extremely tame. Even the one to Detroit later this season. Tame, tame, tame, almost to the point of being boring. But, let's look ahead to the question of the day:
Where will the Minnesota Wild end up this season?
Wild fans are a hopelessly optimistic bunch, especially after the free agent signings of Moorhead native Matt Cullen, ex-Blackhawk (and NJ Devil) John Madden, and the second-generation grit of Eric Nystrom show the way to an upgraded roster, where a lot of the dead weight that ex-GM Doug Risebrough saddled the franchise with has now been swept away, and shown the door.
Granted, two fan favorites -- Owen Nolan, a.k.a. 'Cowboy' and 'the Irish God of War', or 'IGoW', and enforcer extraordinare Derek Boogaard -- were released; Boogaard winding up with DR in Gotham with the NY Rangers, Nolan still waiting for a call from one of the California clubs (he lives in San Jose, where he co-owns a restaurant) as his career winds down. Ex-SJ Shark Brad Staubitz now fills the 'enforcer' role with the Wild, but at least he can score a goal now and then, something which finally caught up with the likeable Boogaard, as no one was willing to even fight him, making his roster spot even more vulnerable. Boogaard's new $1.65M/season contract was too much for the Wild, who are now within $2.9 million of the NHL's salary cap, and that's including the contract of Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who will attempt to return from his concussion first suffered March 25, 2009 at Nassau Coliseum, in a 6-3 victory against the lowly Islanders.
The right shoulder and right knee of captain Mikko Koivu, both of which required surgery following the season are both at 100%, and the young man who some Wild fans have dubbed, 'the Franchise', is ready for a return to his homeland next month, with about 23 of his closest friends, including new Wild assistant coach Darby Hendrickson, who leaves the Fox Sports North studios (where he was in-studio co-host, on Wild and Gopher hockey telecasts) for the bench, where he will be a 'younger influence' on the roster, a different voice that has recently played the game in this modern era. How this will sit with some of the more tenured players on the Wild roster, such as Andrew Brunette, Nick Schultz and Brent Burns, who actually played with Darby when he was a grinder with the Wild, is yet to be determined.
Optimism runs high amongst Minnesota hockey fans right now, But there has yet to be played even a pre-season game, and not even an official practice has been held. Of course, optimism runs high...as nothing has been decided, save for the fact that James Sheppard, the favorite whipping boy for many Wild fans, will not be playing hockey until after the New Year, due to an ill-advised turn on an ATV in Colorado, during a break in pre-season workouts. Most Wild fans see this unfortunate turn of events for the former first-round pick, as another reason he should be shown the door, as soon as they can find a taker for his 'services'.
My view: After the Finland trip, 8 of their next 10 games will be at home. They must rack up regulation-time wins early, to get a leg up on the rest of the West, as 13 of the following 21 (and 22 of the following 37 games) will be on the road.
This team cannot afford another disasterous start, like last season's losing eight of their first nine debacle. Should they survive the first half of the season, the second half should be an easier half, with all but 5 games played after the All-Star game being within the Western Conference.
This team cannot afford to have long losing streaks. Their talent level is not that of even the now-gutted Chicago Blackhawks, nor San Jose, nor even Detroit, as elderly as that roster looks on paper. Vancouver, everyone's darling pick for the top spot in the West? Nah. Not even close. Maybe not even Calgary or Colorado, who surprised many in hockey and made the playoffs last season, a season which was supposedly a 'rebuilding' year.
They need to score more, especially in regulation. They need to not give up multiple goals in short defensive lapses, especially on the road against divisional opponents (games in Calgary come to mind when I say that). The synergy that was the Guillaume Latendresse-Martin Havlat pairing from last season, needs to be fed from the center position this season. Often. And in bunches.
Had the Wild been able to start the season in December last season, instead of October, they might have just made the playoffs, as banged up as the roster was going into the last weeks of the season, had they not had the disasterous start that this team did last year. This cannot happen again, and the club's hierarchy KNOWS it. The hockey minds know it.
Again, optimism reigns supreme. With that, in my opinion, the Wild will wind up as a playoff team in April. Probably no better than a No. 7 seed, which will probably mean a first round match-up against either of the top two teams in the West (San Jose or Vancouver), neither of which will allow the Wild to go farther than the first round in the playoffs.
But, considering the fact that less than two years ago, this team was totally in shambles, the first round is an achieveable goal, I believe, for this group of Wild players. You have to walk before you can run, and running with the big boys in the West is the immediate goal of this franchise. Reserving the right to change my mind...
...let's see what they can do.
As promised, some updates from earlier in the series:
Seems we've booked onto the 'party cruise' from Stockholm to Turku. The Viking Line ferry boat is known throughout Scandinavia as a 'booze cruise' (those of you who've sailed on the Duluth harbor tours know what I speak of; only this one is a LOT longer). The competing Silja Line ferry, as I said in Part IV of this series, is booked out on a charter that night, as a fund-raiser (presumably) for the Stockholm Symphony Orchestra. Several people have come to me telling me they can't even remember their crossing, due to all the liquor consumed on the ships.
(And, of course, there will be us, still trying to get over jet lag...)
Laundry update: There is no guest laundry at the hotel in Helsinki, so now our question is: Do we get laundry done professionally in Helsinki, Russo-style, by sending out the wet wash? Or, do we ship a box of clean clothes over to Finland, and that same box (with dirty clothes and some papers) back to the USA? Or, do we take some laundry soap with us, and rinse the stuff out in the bathroom sink? What do we do? (We don't want to offend anyone while in Europe...)
(to be continued)
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The storm passes...and nothing changes
I'd like to think I know some things about NHL hockey after watching it for over 40 years.
I know that free agency cannot be looked upon as a catch-all panacea for what ails your team. (See 'Rangers, New York' for many, many examples of this.)
I know that the amateur draft is a bigger crapshoot than a drunken tour thru a Vegas casino. You are betting your future on a bunch of 18-year-old kids, who have barely proved anything (especially those who have not gone thru the Canadian Juniors system, such as Minnesota high school kids and Europeans, who have barely begun to go thru the process in their own countries.)
I know that one of the toughest things that NHL teams have to face in this era of 'cost containment' (Commissioner Bettman's words, not mine) is the decline in gate attendance (teams in certain markets are having difficulty selling tickets, even in Northern markets). Overall, the NHL will show you whatever statistics to refute that; but the reality is that in most NHL markets -- especially those outside the Dominion of Canada -- there just aren't as many fannies in the seats these days. And that directly hurts the bottom line. Most southern teams (outside of California) are facing this reality these days. With the NHL unable to reach any terms on a long-term USA TV deal (either on over-the-air broadcast or on cable) there will be no financial help from the TV side, either.
So where does this leave the Minnesota Wild going into Thursday's start of free agency?
In this blogger's opinion, not in a very good place.
The options for free agency are limited, as long as albatross contracts, such as those of Mark Parrish, Marek Zidlicky and the injured-for-15-months Pierre-Marc Bouchard are still on the Wild's payroll, not to mention the club's continued insistence on keeping the likes of first-round draft uber-bust James Sheppard (and his new one-year, $800K contract) on the roster.
The Wild still need to re-sign two restricted free agents (Guillaume Latendresse, Josh Harding), the six players drafted Friday and Saturday in Los Angeles at the entry draft, and add help, especially at the center position, a position where the League as a whole is perilously thin. The Wild need forwards, especially centers. Now. They really cannot afford to wait until a better crop of free agents comes in, next season or any season after that.
Picking from this season's crop of UFA's is like going thru the thrift store after a three-day clearance sale. There really isn't a lot out there. It's definitely a seller's market, especially if you are a center or can play center, especially on the power play. The reality is that the best time to get better quickly is in free agency, and everyone knows it. That is where the lack of draft picks for the Wild over nine of the last 10 seasons comes in.
Doug Risebrough's legacy -- trading draft picks for virtually nothing, year after year -- is now really coming back to hurt the Wild, as the cupboards are so bare, they have no assets to trade for anyone of value right now. The lack of quality picks from 2004-2009 (players that are NHL-ready immediately after the draft) now really comes back to hurt the franchise, as the picks of the likes of A.J. Thelen, Benoit "B-b-b-Benny" Pouliot and James Sheppard are now seen, as three of the worst NHL first-round draft selections in the 2000's. Thelen never dressed in Iron Range Red, and Pouliot and Sheppard never should have. Pouliot was pawned off on Bob Gainey and the Montreal Canadiens, in the trade steal of the year for Latendresse, while Sheppard played sparingly as other, younger, more talented players stepped in and stepped up, while Sheppard was frequently relegated to operating the Martin Skoula Memorial Popcorn Machine in the Al Shaver press box at the 'X'.
So what, then? What do the Wild do to better themselves this summer?
A few comments from one blogger:
1. Fish or cut bait with Bouchard. Don't try to drag this saga out into the regular season. Retirement should be the only option for this guy NOW. He is never coming back to play hockey, at least on the same level as he did prior to getting his clock cleaned March 25, 2009 on Long Island (a game I was in attendance at, BTW), so the time has finally come to cut the ties, set 'Butch' adrift, and free up about $4.5M in cap space.
2. Matt Cullen? No thanks. The ex-Carolina Hurricane (and four other NHL organizations), St. Cloud State Husky and Moorhead Spud is indeed out there, but I don't think he would be comfortable in Minnesota. The expectations would be set way too high, the pressure would be too great to excel with no help around you, and when you have a 90-year-old sportswriter (Sid) trying to glom onto you at every single opportunity, how can you play at a productive level?
3. Trade Zidlicky before his new, no-trade contract goes into effect July 1. For what offense he brings to the blue line, the fact of the matter is he is a defensive liability of the first order, and is nowhere worthy of his new, $4M, 3-year chokehold of a contract thru 2012-13. Like Filip Kuba, Martin Skoula and Kim Johnsson before him, Zidlicky is another Euro-defenseman who is over-paid, over-rated, and over here ... on the Wild roster.
4. Someone in the Koivu household tell Saku that the Wild is his brother's team, and that he would be a big, big help to his little brother if he signed with the Wild. With both Koivu brothers on the roster, team discipline would be at an all-time high. And after the way last season disintegrated (remember the two games at Detroit? The games at home against lowly Atlanta and Florida?) there definitely is some discipline needed from within the roster itself.
Free Agency begins Thursday. What happens then? Who knows?
--WRT
I know that free agency cannot be looked upon as a catch-all panacea for what ails your team. (See 'Rangers, New York' for many, many examples of this.)
I know that the amateur draft is a bigger crapshoot than a drunken tour thru a Vegas casino. You are betting your future on a bunch of 18-year-old kids, who have barely proved anything (especially those who have not gone thru the Canadian Juniors system, such as Minnesota high school kids and Europeans, who have barely begun to go thru the process in their own countries.)
I know that one of the toughest things that NHL teams have to face in this era of 'cost containment' (Commissioner Bettman's words, not mine) is the decline in gate attendance (teams in certain markets are having difficulty selling tickets, even in Northern markets). Overall, the NHL will show you whatever statistics to refute that; but the reality is that in most NHL markets -- especially those outside the Dominion of Canada -- there just aren't as many fannies in the seats these days. And that directly hurts the bottom line. Most southern teams (outside of California) are facing this reality these days. With the NHL unable to reach any terms on a long-term USA TV deal (either on over-the-air broadcast or on cable) there will be no financial help from the TV side, either.
So where does this leave the Minnesota Wild going into Thursday's start of free agency?
In this blogger's opinion, not in a very good place.
The options for free agency are limited, as long as albatross contracts, such as those of Mark Parrish, Marek Zidlicky and the injured-for-15-months Pierre-Marc Bouchard are still on the Wild's payroll, not to mention the club's continued insistence on keeping the likes of first-round draft uber-bust James Sheppard (and his new one-year, $800K contract) on the roster.
The Wild still need to re-sign two restricted free agents (Guillaume Latendresse, Josh Harding), the six players drafted Friday and Saturday in Los Angeles at the entry draft, and add help, especially at the center position, a position where the League as a whole is perilously thin. The Wild need forwards, especially centers. Now. They really cannot afford to wait until a better crop of free agents comes in, next season or any season after that.
Picking from this season's crop of UFA's is like going thru the thrift store after a three-day clearance sale. There really isn't a lot out there. It's definitely a seller's market, especially if you are a center or can play center, especially on the power play. The reality is that the best time to get better quickly is in free agency, and everyone knows it. That is where the lack of draft picks for the Wild over nine of the last 10 seasons comes in.
Doug Risebrough's legacy -- trading draft picks for virtually nothing, year after year -- is now really coming back to hurt the Wild, as the cupboards are so bare, they have no assets to trade for anyone of value right now. The lack of quality picks from 2004-2009 (players that are NHL-ready immediately after the draft) now really comes back to hurt the franchise, as the picks of the likes of A.J. Thelen, Benoit "B-b-b-Benny" Pouliot and James Sheppard are now seen, as three of the worst NHL first-round draft selections in the 2000's. Thelen never dressed in Iron Range Red, and Pouliot and Sheppard never should have. Pouliot was pawned off on Bob Gainey and the Montreal Canadiens, in the trade steal of the year for Latendresse, while Sheppard played sparingly as other, younger, more talented players stepped in and stepped up, while Sheppard was frequently relegated to operating the Martin Skoula Memorial Popcorn Machine in the Al Shaver press box at the 'X'.
So what, then? What do the Wild do to better themselves this summer?
A few comments from one blogger:
1. Fish or cut bait with Bouchard. Don't try to drag this saga out into the regular season. Retirement should be the only option for this guy NOW. He is never coming back to play hockey, at least on the same level as he did prior to getting his clock cleaned March 25, 2009 on Long Island (a game I was in attendance at, BTW), so the time has finally come to cut the ties, set 'Butch' adrift, and free up about $4.5M in cap space.
2. Matt Cullen? No thanks. The ex-Carolina Hurricane (and four other NHL organizations), St. Cloud State Husky and Moorhead Spud is indeed out there, but I don't think he would be comfortable in Minnesota. The expectations would be set way too high, the pressure would be too great to excel with no help around you, and when you have a 90-year-old sportswriter (Sid) trying to glom onto you at every single opportunity, how can you play at a productive level?
3. Trade Zidlicky before his new, no-trade contract goes into effect July 1. For what offense he brings to the blue line, the fact of the matter is he is a defensive liability of the first order, and is nowhere worthy of his new, $4M, 3-year chokehold of a contract thru 2012-13. Like Filip Kuba, Martin Skoula and Kim Johnsson before him, Zidlicky is another Euro-defenseman who is over-paid, over-rated, and over here ... on the Wild roster.
4. Someone in the Koivu household tell Saku that the Wild is his brother's team, and that he would be a big, big help to his little brother if he signed with the Wild. With both Koivu brothers on the roster, team discipline would be at an all-time high. And after the way last season disintegrated (remember the two games at Detroit? The games at home against lowly Atlanta and Florida?) there definitely is some discipline needed from within the roster itself.
Free Agency begins Thursday. What happens then? Who knows?
--WRT
Monday, April 5, 2010
Don't forget us! Oilers 4, Wild 1
Edmonton's Rexall Place has become the equivalent of its' southern Alberta cousin, the Pengrowth Saddledome, for the Minnesota Wild. A house of horrors, where strange things just seem to happen, no matter what position either team is in the standings.
Monday night was no exception, as the Edmonton Oilers jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead and went on to thoroughly beat the Wild 4-1, as the Wild loss streak grew to four games (three in regulation, one in OT) as the NHL's 2009-10 schedule winds down. The Wild end their season with an 0-fer Edmonton (just as the Oilers have an 0-fer in St. Paul.)
What was important for Wild fans, however, was the fact that they played the entire game without two of their top six defensemen (Nick Schultz, Marek Zidlicky) and one of their better forwards (Owen Nolan), and then lost Guillaume Latendresse and Martin Havlat during the game to injuries as well.
This was a classic game between two teams with absolutely nothing to play for. Really chippy play, no crisp passing, very little discipline by either team, as they were both indeed playing out the string. And it showed. Now, only one more road game remains this season, and it's the...
Next Game: at Calgary, Thursday, April 8th, 8:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Mountain) Time, Pengrowth Saddledome. (Wild TV: FSNorth; Flames' TV: Rogers SportsNet-West; XM Radio, NHL Home Ice, Ch. 204)
Monday night was no exception, as the Edmonton Oilers jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead and went on to thoroughly beat the Wild 4-1, as the Wild loss streak grew to four games (three in regulation, one in OT) as the NHL's 2009-10 schedule winds down. The Wild end their season with an 0-fer Edmonton (just as the Oilers have an 0-fer in St. Paul.)
What was important for Wild fans, however, was the fact that they played the entire game without two of their top six defensemen (Nick Schultz, Marek Zidlicky) and one of their better forwards (Owen Nolan), and then lost Guillaume Latendresse and Martin Havlat during the game to injuries as well.
This was a classic game between two teams with absolutely nothing to play for. Really chippy play, no crisp passing, very little discipline by either team, as they were both indeed playing out the string. And it showed. Now, only one more road game remains this season, and it's the...
Next Game: at Calgary, Thursday, April 8th, 8:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Mountain) Time, Pengrowth Saddledome. (Wild TV: FSNorth; Flames' TV: Rogers SportsNet-West; XM Radio, NHL Home Ice, Ch. 204)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Brodz Street Bully: Wild rebound, beat Flyers 4-3 on Brodziak OT goal
The Minnesota Wild, looking for their first road win in three weeks, found the secret weapon for what ails them tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wachovia Center.
Victory, thy name is Kyle Brodziak.
In front of the usual crowd of 'proper Philadelphians' -- 19,716 of them, to be exact -- the Wild stormed back from two goals down in an uptempo third period, where every skater, including rookie Casey Wellman, got into it with hockey's most penalized franchise, as the Wild stole two points away from the Eastern Conference playoff race for their efforts, points which, at least for tonight, kept the Wild from falling further into the depths of the Western Conference playoff race.
Martin Havlat and Guillaume Latendresse worked the give-and-go to perfection, to cut a 2-goal lead in half with just over 13 minutes remaing in the third. Half-way to the end, a John Scott shot was tipped in by Andrew Brunette as the Flyers' Daniel Briere was all over Brunette.
As the overtime passed the half-way point, an Antti Miettinen pass to Brodziak connected, Brodziak shot, the shot deflected off Brian Boucher, third string Flyers' goalie, and into the net to end the contest. Niklas Backstrom, starting his second straight game, made 32 saves for his 25th win of the season.
The defeat by the Wild forced the Flyers to call an immediate, post-game 'players only' team meeting in their dressing room, a meeting which some described as 'a call to focus'.
Two questions rear their ugly heads afterwards for Wild fans: First, where the hell was this effort two weeks ago, when the Wild had a reasonable chance of still being in the playoffs? They could have used this type of effort against, say, Florida, a game most Wild faithful say was the final nail in the coffin of this Wild season. The second question: Will it continue? It may not, as the road trip continues tomorrow night, in another house of horrors for the Wild, yet another building they have not had much success in.
Next Game: at Detroit, Friday, March 26 (tomorrow), 6:30 PM Central (7:30 PM Eastern) Time, Joe Louis Arena. (Wild TV: FSNorth; Wings' TV: FSDetroit, both feeds in HD; XM Radio, Ch. 205)
-- WRT
Victory, thy name is Kyle Brodziak.
In front of the usual crowd of 'proper Philadelphians' -- 19,716 of them, to be exact -- the Wild stormed back from two goals down in an uptempo third period, where every skater, including rookie Casey Wellman, got into it with hockey's most penalized franchise, as the Wild stole two points away from the Eastern Conference playoff race for their efforts, points which, at least for tonight, kept the Wild from falling further into the depths of the Western Conference playoff race.
Martin Havlat and Guillaume Latendresse worked the give-and-go to perfection, to cut a 2-goal lead in half with just over 13 minutes remaing in the third. Half-way to the end, a John Scott shot was tipped in by Andrew Brunette as the Flyers' Daniel Briere was all over Brunette.
As the overtime passed the half-way point, an Antti Miettinen pass to Brodziak connected, Brodziak shot, the shot deflected off Brian Boucher, third string Flyers' goalie, and into the net to end the contest. Niklas Backstrom, starting his second straight game, made 32 saves for his 25th win of the season.
The defeat by the Wild forced the Flyers to call an immediate, post-game 'players only' team meeting in their dressing room, a meeting which some described as 'a call to focus'.
Two questions rear their ugly heads afterwards for Wild fans: First, where the hell was this effort two weeks ago, when the Wild had a reasonable chance of still being in the playoffs? They could have used this type of effort against, say, Florida, a game most Wild faithful say was the final nail in the coffin of this Wild season. The second question: Will it continue? It may not, as the road trip continues tomorrow night, in another house of horrors for the Wild, yet another building they have not had much success in.
Next Game: at Detroit, Friday, March 26 (tomorrow), 6:30 PM Central (7:30 PM Eastern) Time, Joe Louis Arena. (Wild TV: FSNorth; Wings' TV: FSDetroit, both feeds in HD; XM Radio, Ch. 205)
-- WRT
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Shark feeding frenzy 'Chums' Wild, 4-1
San Jose gets off the schneid, snaps six-game losing streak at Minnesota expense
By Wild Road Tripper
Like so much food in the water, what the San Jose Sharks needed most was a chance to relax and feed off some poor, out-of-the-playoffs team whose defense is not very good.
Enter the Minnesota Wild, who were just such a school for the Sharks tonight, embarrassing themselves once again in front of a national cable/satellite TV audience with a 4-1 trouncing by the Pacific Division-leading (again, thanks to tonight) Sharks, in front of 18,551 somewhat disgusted patrons at Xcel Energy Center.
It didn't take too long -- 5:12, to be exact -- before the Sharks, behind Joe Pavelski's goal, began to feed off the impatient, inexact Wild. Passes were in feet, behind intended players, winding up on oppositions players' sticks, you name it -- and the game basically went downhill from there. Rob Blake had 3 assists, and Ryane Clowe assisted twice, as nine different Sharks helped themselves to the school of free points, courtesy of the porous Wild effort.
The only bright spot of the game was Guillaume Latendresse's 25th goal in a Wild sweater, coming near the end of a San Jose power play, when Latendresse was finally able to put one past Evgeni Nabokov. Other than that, 'Nabby' didn't really have that much to do, as the tight San Jose defense (frequently putting all five players between the red line and their own blue line, especially in the third period) basically shut down the Wild to win the game. The win is San Jose's 3rd in 3 games vs. the Wild this season.
Niklas Backstrom, returning for his first start in two weeks, had 13 saves for the Wild. The Wild now vacate the 'X' for the rest of the week, beginning with the Next Game: at Philadelphia, Thursday, March 25, 6:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Eastern) Time, Wachovia Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth (includes FSWisconsin); Flyers' TV: CSN-Philly (in HD); XM Radio, Ch. 207)
By Wild Road Tripper
Like so much food in the water, what the San Jose Sharks needed most was a chance to relax and feed off some poor, out-of-the-playoffs team whose defense is not very good.
Enter the Minnesota Wild, who were just such a school for the Sharks tonight, embarrassing themselves once again in front of a national cable/satellite TV audience with a 4-1 trouncing by the Pacific Division-leading (again, thanks to tonight) Sharks, in front of 18,551 somewhat disgusted patrons at Xcel Energy Center.
It didn't take too long -- 5:12, to be exact -- before the Sharks, behind Joe Pavelski's goal, began to feed off the impatient, inexact Wild. Passes were in feet, behind intended players, winding up on oppositions players' sticks, you name it -- and the game basically went downhill from there. Rob Blake had 3 assists, and Ryane Clowe assisted twice, as nine different Sharks helped themselves to the school of free points, courtesy of the porous Wild effort.
The only bright spot of the game was Guillaume Latendresse's 25th goal in a Wild sweater, coming near the end of a San Jose power play, when Latendresse was finally able to put one past Evgeni Nabokov. Other than that, 'Nabby' didn't really have that much to do, as the tight San Jose defense (frequently putting all five players between the red line and their own blue line, especially in the third period) basically shut down the Wild to win the game. The win is San Jose's 3rd in 3 games vs. the Wild this season.
Niklas Backstrom, returning for his first start in two weeks, had 13 saves for the Wild. The Wild now vacate the 'X' for the rest of the week, beginning with the Next Game: at Philadelphia, Thursday, March 25, 6:00 PM Central (7:00 PM Eastern) Time, Wachovia Center. (Wild TV: FSNorth (includes FSWisconsin); Flyers' TV: CSN-Philly (in HD); XM Radio, Ch. 207)
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 14, 2010
Beat Down Sunday: Wild double up, punch out Blues 4-2
As Koivu, Harding shine, Boogaard wins fight, but you'd never know it by looking at him
By Wild Road Tripper
To look at the face of Derek Boogaard as he left the ice following his first-period scrap with St. Louis Blues enforcer D.J. King, you'd never know that Boogaard's Minnesota Wild was, at that very moment, en route to a 4-2 win on Sunday evening at Xcel Energy Center, before an announced 18,580 who were just as happy for Boogaard, as for the rest of the squad.
After all, Boogaard was doing what he is paid to do -- enforce -- and the rest of the Wild, most notably goaltender Josh Harding (36 saves) and Mikko Koivu (goal, two assists) were doing what they get paid to do -- that is, win hockey games -- as the Wild gain a needed two points to place them still on the cusp of the fast-fading Western Conference playoff chase. The Wild win against St. Louis, coupled with Dallas losing at home to Colorado, now finds the Wild in 11th place in the West, six points behind eighth place Detroit, with 14 games left to play this season.
Boogaard's face looked like he had been in a fight, but King's head was primarily used as a) a helicopter beanie holder, b) a punching bag, or c) a conveinent place to put ice after the fight was over. The correct answer was d) all of the above, as Boogaard went around and around with him (literally, they kept sticking and moving thru the zone) until King's helmet was in the corner, he was behind the net, and the linesmen were just happy it didn't escalate into worse.
(The fight rates nearly even, with a slight advantage to Boogaard, according to Hockeyfights.com)
The game? Oh, that. Yeah, yeah, let's talk: Andrew Brunette started the scoring 1:54 in as he tipped a Cam Barker shot past starting St. Louis goalie Chris Mason. Guillaume Latendresse had a textbook tip-in goal in the first period from a Martin Havlat give-and-go. The Koivu goal was a beauty, also, insofar as he didn't give up on the bouncing puck in the slot when the first shot didn't get by the St. Louis defense. Even Antti Miettinen managed a 'pretty' goal, when Koivu's backhand pass in the slot in the second period found Miettinen alone against relief Blues goaltender Ty Conklin.
Is this a case of too little, too late? Or are Wild fans just resigned to the fact that this team will not make the playoffs, no matter what they do, and should just ride it out until the NHL Draft in late June in Los Angeles, and the start of Free Agency on July 1st?
Face it, the Wild are 3-2-2 since coming back from the Olympic break, and that just won't cut it. They are entering a stretch that in the next three games they could easily pick up six points, as they take on the two worst teams in the West (Edmonton, Tuesday night at home, and at Columbus on Saturday) and a team which they have defeated each of the last two seasons on the road (Nashville, Friday night away) in the next six days. The schedule becomes considerably tougher after that point, so for the Wild, this week is critical to answer this burning question:
Will they finish low enough to aim for the draft? Or high enough to be in the playoffs?
We'll talk later.
Until then, let's remind you of the Next Game: vs. Edmonton, Tuesday, March 16, 7:00 PM Central (6:00 PM Mountain) Daylight Time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: KSTC-45; Oilers' TV: Rogers SportsNet-West; XM Radio, Ch. 237)
By Wild Road Tripper
To look at the face of Derek Boogaard as he left the ice following his first-period scrap with St. Louis Blues enforcer D.J. King, you'd never know that Boogaard's Minnesota Wild was, at that very moment, en route to a 4-2 win on Sunday evening at Xcel Energy Center, before an announced 18,580 who were just as happy for Boogaard, as for the rest of the squad.
After all, Boogaard was doing what he is paid to do -- enforce -- and the rest of the Wild, most notably goaltender Josh Harding (36 saves) and Mikko Koivu (goal, two assists) were doing what they get paid to do -- that is, win hockey games -- as the Wild gain a needed two points to place them still on the cusp of the fast-fading Western Conference playoff chase. The Wild win against St. Louis, coupled with Dallas losing at home to Colorado, now finds the Wild in 11th place in the West, six points behind eighth place Detroit, with 14 games left to play this season.
Boogaard's face looked like he had been in a fight, but King's head was primarily used as a) a helicopter beanie holder, b) a punching bag, or c) a conveinent place to put ice after the fight was over. The correct answer was d) all of the above, as Boogaard went around and around with him (literally, they kept sticking and moving thru the zone) until King's helmet was in the corner, he was behind the net, and the linesmen were just happy it didn't escalate into worse.
(The fight rates nearly even, with a slight advantage to Boogaard, according to Hockeyfights.com)
The game? Oh, that. Yeah, yeah, let's talk: Andrew Brunette started the scoring 1:54 in as he tipped a Cam Barker shot past starting St. Louis goalie Chris Mason. Guillaume Latendresse had a textbook tip-in goal in the first period from a Martin Havlat give-and-go. The Koivu goal was a beauty, also, insofar as he didn't give up on the bouncing puck in the slot when the first shot didn't get by the St. Louis defense. Even Antti Miettinen managed a 'pretty' goal, when Koivu's backhand pass in the slot in the second period found Miettinen alone against relief Blues goaltender Ty Conklin.
Is this a case of too little, too late? Or are Wild fans just resigned to the fact that this team will not make the playoffs, no matter what they do, and should just ride it out until the NHL Draft in late June in Los Angeles, and the start of Free Agency on July 1st?
Face it, the Wild are 3-2-2 since coming back from the Olympic break, and that just won't cut it. They are entering a stretch that in the next three games they could easily pick up six points, as they take on the two worst teams in the West (Edmonton, Tuesday night at home, and at Columbus on Saturday) and a team which they have defeated each of the last two seasons on the road (Nashville, Friday night away) in the next six days. The schedule becomes considerably tougher after that point, so for the Wild, this week is critical to answer this burning question:
Will they finish low enough to aim for the draft? Or high enough to be in the playoffs?
We'll talk later.
Until then, let's remind you of the Next Game: vs. Edmonton, Tuesday, March 16, 7:00 PM Central (6:00 PM Mountain) Daylight Time, Xcel Energy Center. (Wild TV: KSTC-45; Oilers' TV: Rogers SportsNet-West; XM Radio, Ch. 237)
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