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noreply@blogger.com (topofstep) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:20:00 +0000

Different week, same old story

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Newman) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 17:35:00 +0000

By Josh Newman
Last week was merely a continuation of what has been happening all season – except this time, the Wild ended with a losing record.

The word “continuation” refers to several things:
- The team’s strong play on special teams;
- Strong goaltending, except for one game;
- The team’s inability to come up with a goal unless they have a power play, and;
- Lots of play in their own end.

I’ll excuse goaltender Niklas Backstrom’s effort, or lack thereof, against Atlanta because it turned out to be a fluke. Plus, we all know he is better than that.

If you want to rip on the goaltending, let’s talk about the first game of the week. The Wild took to the ice against the Thrashers at Philips Arena November 11 and drowned in a lake of humiliation. The final score was 5-1, snapping the Wild’s three-game winning streak.

It was the Wild’s first-ever loss in Atlanta after four previous visits.

The saga continued in this game: no even-strength goals. Not one. The team managed 33 shots, but their lone goal came early in the third period on a deflection by Brent Burns to end Thrashers goaltender Ondrej Pavelec’s bid for a shutout in an arena that was so empty you could have heard crickets chirping.

Game 2 of the week at Florida was not any better. Playing on the second night of back-to-backs meant that backup Jose Theodore would get the start. I remember ripping on this guy earlier in the season, but he played well on this particular night after falling behind early. He turned aside 25 shots, but he was bested by Panthers goalie

You will not win many games by falling behind 2-0 in a span of under a minute, folks. Panthers forwards Chris Higgins and Mike Santorelli scored at 6:53 and 7:46, respectively to give Florida quick momentum. Yes, there are 60 minutes in a full game, but to immediately lose control of a game like that? Ouch.

Was the team reeling from the effects of having played just the previous day? Perhaps, but don’t expect me to make excuses for this team anytime soon. The Wild managed to cut the deficit in half on a power play goal by Cal Clutterbuck, but Panthers goaltender Tomas Vokoun thwarted any hopes of a Wild comeback by stopping 22 shots as the game ended in a 2-1 win for Florida.

But the third and final game of their Southeast trek gave Wild fans some hope for the near future. Against Tampa Bay, everything suddenly came together for Minnesota. Backstrom rebounded from his dreadful start against Atlanta – he was due for one of those – and the league’s most potent power play was clicking. Even better though: the team got some even-strength goals! Two, to be exact. Combine all of these things and the end result was a 4-1 victory for the Wild.

This is exactly why I have been saying that scoring even strength goals is so important. Strong special teams are good, but they will only get you so far. Now the Wild need to do it again this week against Anaheim, Detroit, and the Rangers. Oh yeah, and tightening the defense wouldn’t hurt, either. The goaltending is good, but allowing more than 30 shots on goal every single game can wear down your goaltender, which will wear the team down in the long run.

Goaltending, special teams fuel Wild

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Newman) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 22:26:00 +0000

By Josh Newman
I will not go so far as to say that our beloved Wild are back, but I must admit I was encouraged by what I saw last week from The Team of 18,000.

Naturally, I also saw some areas on which the team must improve if it wants to be a postseason contender.

Let’s start with the reasons why Minnesota went a perfect 3-0 last week with wins over San Jose, Calgary, and Columbus.

1) Special teams.

Ironically, the Wild’s power play took a step back last week as far as percent goes. The team still has one of the most lethal power plays on the NHL, but did you really think they would be able to keep scoring on 25 percent of their power play attempts?

Minnesota converted on three of their 16 power play opportunities during the three-game stretch. This includes a 2-of-4 showing against the Blue Jackets in the third and final game of the week, which the Wild won 3-2.

On the other side of the equation, Minnesota shut out their opponents in 12 of their 13 shorthanded situations. The only team to score against the Wild’s penalty-killing units was Calgary in the second game of the week, a game that the Minnesota won 2-1 at the Xcel Energy Center.

2) Goaltending.

A lot of fans may look at the results of the three games and notice that the team only gave up three goals during the three games. Their immediate reaction may be to praise the defense for limiting their opposition to as few chances as possible.

Not so fast. Please take note that, no matter who suited up for the Wild in goal, they did not get one easy night. A good defense limits the number of chances and shots on goal for a full game and is able to keep the puck out of its own end.

Sorry, my friends, but I did not see any of that during the week.

What I did see was both Niklas Backstrom and Jose Theodore come up big every time they had to do so. Whether it was slamming the door on odd-man situations or making smart decisions with the puck, both netminders rose to the occasion all week. They had to. The defense did almost nothing for relief.

Take the team’s 1-0 victory over the Sharks for instance. Backstrom had to stop 36 shots to earn just his third career win over San Jose. Besides a power play goal by Andrew Brunette, the Wild could muster almost no offense the entire game. They were outshot 36-16, including 18-4 midway through the second period.

Theodore turned in a much-needed strong effort against Columbus Saturday night at Nationwide Arena in just his second start of the season. After giving up five goals in his first start of the season, the veteran made 35 saves against a team that had won three in a row and seven of its previous nine to gain revenge for a home loss against the Blue Jackets October 16.

Brent Burns fueled the offense with a pair of power play goals for the Wild, and Cal Clutterbuck scored his fourth goal of the season – just the team’s third even-strength goal all week - to round out the offense.

This week, the Wild finish a four-game road trip with games against Atlanta, Florida and Tampa Bay.

Despite winning record, Wild still have work to do

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Newman) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 21:04:00 +0000

By Josh Newman
We officially have one month in the books. I didn’t know what to expect from the Wild this year, so I decided to keep my expectations low for the early part of the season. I knew that if I had high expectations, I might be disappointed. But I also knew that if my expectations were too low, then I might be thrilled whenever they won one game.

But there was one thing I knew for sure: with Jose Theodore wearing a Wild sweater for the first time in his career, Niklaus Backstrom would be our starting goaltender.

I never was a Jose Theodore fan. Even though his numbers with Montreal and Colorado were less than deplorable, his outing in his only start during the month of October justified my original opinion of him. Is this guy seriously a former Vezina Trophy and Hart Trophy winner? Yes, it’s true, with the emphasis on “former.” But on this particular night against Vancouver, Theodore would have had trouble stopping a shot from the opposing goaltender. The Canucks rode a pair of goals from Manny Malhotra and cruised to an easy 5-1 win over the Wild.

Getting past that, following their victory over the mighty San Jose Sharks last night, Minnesota stands at 5-4-2 and faces at least a few big obstacles between them and a postseason berth.

Step 1: Identify the problem(s)

It’s hard to say exactly what the weakness is. I do know for sure that it is not the power play. Before their game against San Jose, the Wild had converted on 13 of 43 power play attempts. They are 9th in the league in penalty killing at 86.2 percent. And the goaltending has been reliable, as Backstrom’s save percentage ranks in the NHL’s Top 5 following his stellar 36-save effort in the 1-0 win over San Jose.

So what’s the problem? Take away the team’s effective power play, and the Wild would be averaging just 1.17 goals per game.

You think that’s sad? Then chew on this: the team has scored more goals on the power play (14) than it has when playing at even strength (13).

Step 2: Fix it

I am just at a loss for words after putting those numbers on paper myself, so I’ll get right to the point: unless the Wild start lighting the lamp more during 5-on-5 situations, they will be watching the playoffs from the comfort of their own homes. So they need to just fix it already.

But of course, it is not that simple. The players are so team-oriented that they are always thinking “pass first.” Either that, or the players have forgotten what to do when they get possession of the puck.

Mikko Koivu, their leading scorer, has only three goals, just like four other players. He also has nine assists, and forwards Matt Cullen and Martin Havlat have seven assists apiece. Team first. Good concept. But unless somebody – anybody – takes more initiative on offense on a consistent basis, Backstrom might have to be perfect all season. Come on, he can get 20 shutouts this year, right?

Uh, not likely. The Wild clearly need practice playing 5-on-5, and individual tutorials on taking shots when they have opportunities might be in order because right now, when our guys get a good opportunity, they look either scared or confused.

What about defense? On average, the team is allowing more than 30 shots on goal per game! Again, I ask you: what about defense? Apparently, they don’t play any. Sure, they just shut out San Jose, but as I stated before, Backstrom had to make 36 saves to make it happen.
The team has had a month to get it together. If the current lines still don’t have any chemistry after one month, maybe it’s time to shuffle them around. Coach Richards, that’s your cue!

noreply@blogger.com (topofstep) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:34:00 +0000

Righting the ship

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Railgun) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:47:00 +0000

Where do the Wild go from here?

From a 3-9 record at the end of October, Minnesota are sitting at a game over .500 after a loss to Vancouver. That's a marked improvement, to say the least. They're still at the bottom ot the Northwest, but with 33 points they're not far behind the Oilers (with 34 points) or even the Canucks at 38. Are 11 points between the top and bottom (Colorado, with 44) so impossible to overcome?

The Wild may be at the bottom of the standings, but they have played their way back into at least a respectable season. They've won 7 out of their last 10, and pointwise have joined a pack of teams who are are struggling. In the West, St Louis only has 31 points, Columbus has 34, as do the Oilers and the Ducks. Vancouver and Dallas have 38 and even the best in the Converence only has 44 points. The East is worse, with 8 or 15 teams with fewer points than the Wild. If Minnesots were in the Atlantic, they would be third behind the Devils and the Penguins.

What changed since the beginning of the season? Work ethic. The team simply didn't seem to want to try very hard. Mikko Koivu has put on the 'C', things have gone a dofferent way. He has led from the front, being first in points ans assists, and second in goals. His +3 is third best on the team and fairly respectable on a team who seemed poised early to have to write off another season. Coach Richard and GM Chuck Fletcher seem to have made it clear to the players that it is their responsbility to win games, not theirs. All the staff can do is give the players the tools to play the game, but can't play it for them. The players have to want to win, and then have to go do it.

The message seems to have gotten through.

- Kevin Horner

Principal Chides Lax Students

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Railgun) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:06:00 +0000

First year GM Chuck Fletcher sat down with the Wild recently to discuss their lack of work ethic after a disappointing loss to the barely-breathing Phoenix Coyotes. He had to remind the team that they are professionals and that they had an obligation to be ready to work.
He tempered his comments at the meeting by suggesting that the team had worked fairly well over most of the season so far, despite their 7-12-2 tally.
For the most part, Fletcher has kept his hands off the plans of (also first-year) coach Richards, but may have suggested that might change, as Richards said after the later practice that he might have to crack down as well. Richards said that he might have to change his tone and how he communicates with the team. Hopefully something more serious than that will happen to kickstart the team.
The players made all the right noises about felling bad and having to work harder, but they know that their roster spots are fairly safe... early shopping around the league is difficult to do.
That being said, the Wild claimed 26 year old center Andrew Ebbett from the Blackhawks. The Calgary native is only 5'9" but provides speed (according to Coach Richards). Ebbett is something of a cast-off, having played 48 games with the Ducks last year and 2 this year, then 10 with Chicago. He did have 32 points in 48 games last year, so he may bring some offense (if not size) to a Wild line.

Throwing Spaghetti At the Wall and Seeing What Sticks.

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Railgun) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:17:00 +0000

The Wild play at home again, this time against Nashville.
Newcomer Greg Zanon and Marik Zidlickey both are playing against their former team tonight. Both players have a "Z" nickname, so Zanon (a Canadian) was rechristened "Zed" while Zidlickey's gets to keep his name intact.
The Wild have scored less than 1 goal at even strength per game so far. Minnesota thankfully are wearing thewir red sweaters.

Though both teams looked good in their defensive zones to open the game, the Predators scored within the first 3 minutes, though there was not much that the Wild defense could have done about that goal.
Minnesota came right back on the next possession, with a 3 on 2, but Koivu couldn't get a shot off, though he would have scored if he had.
Nashville went on the power play for an inadvertent redirection of the puck in the stands, as the first 5 went by, scoring almost immediately on a unlucky redirection.
The Wild had trouble getting hold of the puck after that for a couple of minutes, the Predators kept the puck in the Wild's zone, looking as if they were on the power play.
As the first 10 expired, the Wild had a couple of good chances, but nothing went in the Predator's net.
Most of the rest of the period went by quickly, with mostly unremarkable back-and forth through all three zones.
Both teams had 7 shots on goal, though the prdators led 2-0 as the period expired.

Nashville's Dumont put his team on the defensive within the first 30 seconds of the period for tripping the Minnesota captain, and it paid off for the Wild... Minnesota's Brent Burns scored just after the faceoff to halve the Predator lead.
Cal Clutterbuck scored at 18:00 to go, with a shot from the wing, his second goal since coming back from injury.
The Wild came back 18 seconds later with a goal by veteran Olan Nolan.
The Predators changed netminders, to Mikkas Fine.
They then went on the advantage, but the Wild defense did a god job of killing the penalty.
Red-bearded Martin Havlat and Nashville's Hammu practiced their MMA skills, but there was no advantage for either team as both players were called for fighting.
Nashville tie the game 45 seconds or so into of the 4-on-4.

The Wild had some good chances in the opening minutes of the closing frame, but nothing came of them for the first the first 8 minutes of the period.
Minnesota went on the power play after 10:19, but the Predators scored a short-handed goal right at the beginning of the advantage and the Wild did not get a shot on goal.
The next few minutes were inconclusive, neither team getting shots on goal.
Things began to pick up with 4 minutes to go, with a pileup in front of Niklaus Backstrom that took a minute or two to sort out.
Coach Richards pulled his netminder with 1:26 to go, but the extra attacker wasn't enough to pull the Wild even.

Predators win 4-3.
The Wild are now last in the West, with 6 points. The Ducks are just north of them with 7, while Colorado has a distant lead with 22. Next game is Friday at home vs the Rangers and then on Hallowe'en at the Penguins.

-Kevin Horner

A night of debuts in St. Paul

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Railgun) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:18:00 +0000

After a couple of days off, first-ever permanant Captain Mikko Koivu leads the 1-6 Wild against the impressive Avalanche. The team had Martin Havlat back for the depleted forward corps. Newly-acquired right winger Chuck Kobasew also debuted tonight. The Wild subjected the home crowd to their horrible new third sweater.

Both teams came out soft, though an opposing rookie had a walk-in shot on goal that Backstrom easily stopped.
The Wild went on the power play first. they looked disciplined around the Avalanche goal and it paid off, D-man Brent Burns scoring on a rebound. Minnesota had four shots on goal during the advantage.
The best power play in the league had no shots on goal in their turn on the advantage against the Wild as the first ten minutes passed away.
A too-many men penalty against the Avalanche went by without a goal either way, though the puck spent most of its time in the Colorado zone.
Just as that penalty went by the wayside, Kobasew drew a penalty, so the Wild were up a man again. Burns almost scored again, but bounced the puck off the near post. They had a couple of other good chances as the penalty expired.
Martin Havlat got tripped by a Colorado player who was holding his stick by the wrong end. Instead of that penalty, the Avs were called again for too many men once more. The Wild had some good chances on their fourth power play, but the Avalanche kill had the better of it.
The period ended with the Wild with thirteen shots on goal to Colorado's six.

The Avalanche came out with a lot of energy, with five shots to none for the Wild.
Boogaard got in a decent little fight where he dominated his opponent,.
The Avalnche energy paid off, tying the game aroud the five minute to go mark.
The Wild responded, bringing their own energy to get several good shots.
Colorado's delay of game put Minnesota back on the power play. The new greensleeves peppered the Avs netminder with three good shots, but nothing went in.
The Avalanche spent the last five minuutes in the Wild zone, turning a giveaway on the Minnesota blue line into 2-1 lead.
Colorado went on the power play in the last minute, but for naught.
2-1 Avs.

The Wild began the third on the dfensive, having to play the frst thirty seconds a man down.
Both teams seem to have been chewed outin the locker rooms by their respective coaching staffs, as players were flying back and forth down the ice.
Th Wild went on the power play again, and Martin Havlat nearly had a goal in the first 20 deconds of the penalty. Minnesota did a great job of working hard in the Colorado zone, but the Av's netminder Anderson was a solid wall in the crease.
The puck spent a couple of minutes going back and forth ineffectually through all three zones until around six minutes remaining in the game when a Colorado defenseman cleared the puck out of the area of play for a delay of game penalty.
The Wild had several good chances and didn't let the Avs clear the zone. Captain Koivu was able to get off a shot on a sharp pass from the point to tie the game at two.
The last minute trickled away with a couple of chances for both teams, but no goals. Shoulder of steel Nick Schultz was checked into the glass in front of the scorer's table and totally demolished it with only a few seconds left.

On to overtime.
The extra five minutes were indecisive, thogh there was a log of back-and-forth between the two teams. Time ran out with no goals, so we went to a shootout.

Koivu, Havlat, and Zidlicky were up, and the Wild shot firt.
Koivu scored.
Backstrom took away the first shot from the Avs.
Havlat lost the puck on his shot... a bit of rust?
The Av's Heduk couldn't get the puck past Backstrom on hsi shot.
Zidlicky had a good chance, but was denied by Armstrong.
Backstrom said no to the last avalanche player

Wild win!

- Kevin Horner

Road-Weary Wild Drop a Close One in British Coumbia

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Railgun) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:53:00 +0000

"Captain" Roberto Luongo (the league doesn't allow goalies to be captains, so he doesn't perform the post's duties) stars in goal this time for the Canucks, though he starts this game with a 2-4 record so far.

The Wild found themselves on the defensive within the first nimute and a half, after a desperate trip of a Canuck rushing the Wild's goal, but successfully kept the Canucks from coming away with a goal..
Minnesota returned the favor around 6 minutes later, Pouliot having a coule of good shots at Luongo, but the score remained tied at nil.
A puck deflected off a defender's skate slipped between Luongo's legs put the Wild on the board with 9:15 minutes to go in the 1st. This gave Minnesota's Belanger a five-game assist streak.
Vancouver had a good chance to score after catching the Wild short on a change, but noone was able to pull the trigger.
Both teams peppered the other's goal during the last five minutes to little effect other than keeping the scorekeepers busy.

The Canucks came out pressuring the Wild, but Backstrom had several great rejections in the first five minutes until 15:38 remaining , the goal being Phil Kessell's 3rd of the season.
Minneapoils went on the defensive again, but they best Canuck attemot was stopped by Backstrom.
The best power play attack in the league couldn't get the puck past Backstrom, who had a couple of brilliant saves during the 2 minte advantage.
Shots with 1:47 left were 26-8 in favor of the Canucks.

The Wild take a penalty again early, the fourth for Vancouver, in which Minnesota almost had a short-handed score... but unfortunately things would go in the Canuck's favor this time.
A bit of a scuffle in the Wild's defensive zone would put Minnesota on the power play immediately after. They had 3 shots on goal, but nothing could find its way in the opposing goal.
Zidlicky's stick was too high with 9 minutes left, putting the Canucks on on the power play for the fifth time, but the Wild's goalkeeper kept the puck from his goal with his 34th save of the night.
The Wild were looking for the equilizer with 5:47 left, going on their second power play, but it was not to be.
Goaltender interfance was called on the Canucks immediately after coming off the last, the Wild pulling their netminder in the last minute for a two-man advantage. They were lucky not to give up an empty-netter, and time was almost up so Backstrom went back onto the ice for the final twenty seconds.

Vancounver wins 2-1. The Wild go back home finally to play Colorado.

Weary Wild loose in the House that Gretsky Built

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Railgun) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:14:00 +0000

Minnesota in Edmonton for the fourth of five away games.

The Oilers had the first chance with extra men, but the Wild did a good job of intercepting passes and pick spent a lot of time in the Edmonton zone.
The first ten minutes featured an improved Wild defense, the blueliners keeping the Oilers from having a decent shot.
The Oilers also had the second power play around the five minute remaining mark after a scuffle with the Wild.
The first period didn't show us the most exciting play from either team, but it there were things that Coach Richards and company could build on, especially the solid play in the Minnesota defensive zone.

Unfortunately, whatever was said in the visitors' dressing room seemed to have quickly been forgotten as Edmonton scored first on a very energetic flurry and a shot from the edge. The Wild had shut down the middle of the ice in front of their goal, but the Oilers had a quick pass to the wing after a turnover.
The middle of the second had the Wild playing with energy again, spending most of their time near the Oilers' goal. Their work was rewarded with a power play with 14 minutes left in the period. The sixth best power play didn't much look it, only getting one good shot on Khabibulin.
The Wild defense gave up another turnover in front of their goal, and let another shot come in from the wing to bring the score to 2-0.
The Wild turned the tables in the last five minutes, picking off a poor pass in the Oilers' zone.
Despite the Wild outshooting the Oilers by a considerable margin, Edmonton would score again in the last minute.

The Wild opened the last stanza on the advantage, but to no avail... then turned around and found themselves on the power play again and this one was successful as Brunett continued his streak of at least a point in every game so far this season.His nifty flick of the wrist beat Khabibulin high on the glove side.
The Oilers's power play was nullified soon after it began, and the teams played 4-on-4 for a minute to no effect.
Someone lit a fire under the Wild's collective tail, as they were flying around the rink, but unfortunately an answering rush by the Oilers netted the home team yet another goal.
Josh Harding gave up a rebound to Gilbert Brule with 6 minutes left to make the score 5-2, and the Oilers almost immediately went on their 4th power play of the night.
Derek Boogaard put the Oilers on yet another advantage, none of which were successful.
The last half-minute of the game was a sedate affair, being so far behind Minnesota didn't bother to pull their netminder.
Oilers 5, Wild 2.

Brutal schedule much? The Wild have to go from Ontario to British Columbia to play their next game against Vancouver less than 24 hours after playing in Edmonton. Perhaps luckily for the Wild, the Canucks have little rest as well... having played in Calgary the night before, they also have to travel across Canada for their "home" game in Vancouver.. Not much of an advantage, hopefully.

-Kevin Horner

Family reunion in Anaheim

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Railgun) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:08:00 +0000

Mikko and Saku Koivu continued their sibling rivalry last night as the Wild went to sunny Anaheim to play the Ducks.
Speaking of brotherly love, the Stanley Cup champions (and Jordan Staal) had to go deep into a shootout to bear the Hurricanes (against big brother Eric).

On to the game:
The Wild couldn't match the energy of the Ducks in the first period, with two goals being produced by Corey Perry.
The first came on what was probably a poorly-timed change, though there was a good (if too late) pursuit of Perry toward the goal and the second was just a case of the Ducks' forward outplaying the Wild defenders.

Things were better in the 2nd, with a few good chances in the Anaheim zone.
Despite outshooting the Ducks 14-4 at that point in the period, the Ducks crawled all over the Wild netminder and banged a goal in with about 4 minutes to go.
Belanger responded with a nice shot in the top glove-side corner just a few moments later
Minnesota poured it on at the end of the period and though could have easily tied the game with the excellent chances they had, unfortunately couldn't get the puck in the net.

The opening minutes of the 3rd saw the Wild weathering a storm of shots from the Ducks' forwards culminating in a pair of scoreless Anaheim power plays.
The Wild ended the game scoring with 9 seconds left by pulling their goalkeeper and using the extra man, but it wasn't enough to bring them even with the Ducks.

The Wild next play the Oilers in Edmonton on Friday.

- Kevin Horner

A few updates before tonight's game vs Anaheim

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Railgun) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:13:00 +0000

Coach Richards has decided to shake things up a little for the game against the Ducks, starting with the defensive pairing of Kim Johnsson and Nick Schultz. Instead, Marek Zidlicky will shift with Schultz and Johnsson will go over the boards with Shane Hndiy.

Johnsson is -5 with 1 goal and 1 assist and Schultz is a team worst at -7, but does have one goal to his credit. Zildicky is +1 with an assist, while Hndiy also is +1.

The coaching staff also is keeping us (and the opposition) guessing with the status of Derek Boogaard. He skated again during the team's two days off, practicing on the fourth line. However, Petr Skyora's fate is sealed for now... Coach Richards doesn't expect him to play anymore during the road trip.

-Kevin Horner

Wild Hunting For Healthy Players

noreply@blogger.com (Doc Railgun) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:02:00 +0000

Last in the West, the Wild find their new campaign hampered by injuries to key players.

21 year-old Cal Clutterbuck is out for an unknown amount of weeks with an ankle he sprained against the Sharks. Hopefully the examination won't show any ligament damage, which could keep him out of action for 6-8 weeks and could continue to trouble him through the season depending on the severity of the injury. The Wild could have him back for the Bruins game just before Thanksgiving.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard continues to have concussion problems sustained in camp, and the team is still waiting to see the neurologist's results. The team seems to have no intention of hurrying him along, as GM Fletcher has indicated that Bouchard will be given time to rest.

Veteran Peter Skyora's groin is acting up, always a nagging problem. It was hoped that he would be able to play soon, but is day-to-day.

On the up side, Derek Boogaard is skating hard again in practice, but there has been no word on his return as yet. The team as always takes a careful tack when dealing with head injuries like Bourchard and Boogaard's.

Andy Hilbert and Nathan Smith were called up from the Aeros in Houston to replace the depleted forward corps. They are both centers, but Smith can (and has) played on the wing. They have a goal and four assists between them in four games.

The Wild will go into their game Wednesday the 14th in Anaheim hoping that the new additions will help the team net some much-needed points in the Northwest Division. Currently they stand well-last there, with only 2 points on a 1-3 record. Luckily, the season is newly-minted and there are plenty of games to catch up.

If the Wild have dug themsleves too deep a hole already is to be seen, but we all hope them the best against the Ducks and through the rest of the long but exciting season.

- Kevin Horner

Crazy Night at the X

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Droogsma) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Last night was one of the oddest nights I can remember at the Xcel Energy Center, and one I won't soon forget.

For Opening Night, the normal 7:00 game time had been pushed back to 8:00 to accommodate television, but then the Wild decided to open the doors at 4:00 so people could come in to watch Twins in their playoff game against Detroit. Only a handful of fans were there at 4:00, but by 6:00, the crowd was coming in pretty steadily. Pretty soon there was a good crowd sitting in the arena, watching the Twins on the scoreboard jumbotron.

And it would have been a great night if the Twins game had followed a normal arc. They would have been done around 7:00 or so, and people could have mentally transitioned from baseball to hockey, enjoyed the Opening Night festivities and watched the game.Except the Twins game, as you know, became an epic.

It went into extra innings, and meandered through a series of remarkable plays that kept everyone intensely interested right through the 12th inning. Which was great, except that it ran past the start of the hockey game.

As the 9th inning began, the Wild put a message on the scoreboard that said that, beginning at 7:20, the scoreboard jumbotron would begin carrying Wild-related messages, and that the Twins game would be on the televisions in the concourse.The Wild are used to coming out of their locker room and being greeted - even for warmups - by a noisy group of several thousand people. Last night they hit the ice for warmups about 7:35, and they must have looked in the stands and wondered if there had been a bomb scare. No more than a few hundred people were in their seats, because virtually everyone had gone out to the hallways and concourses to watch the Twins.

And they stayed out there through the warmups, through the pre-game ceremonies and even through the start of the game. At the first puck drop, there were about 17,000 people in the building, and my guess would be that 10,000 or more were watching the Twins on TV. In a building that is famous for its sellout streak - and the noise level of its fans - it was very strange.

There were only a couple minutes left in the first period when the Twins finally pushed the winning run across, and it produced a loud roar that traveled from the outside hallways into the arena. Wild coach Todd Richards said later that it was so loud he began looking all over the ice to see what he might have missed, until it dawned on him that everyone was cheering for the Twins.

Everyone then flocked into their seats, to see the last 90 seconds or so of the first period, then returned to the TV sets during intermission, watching replays of the Twins and their locker room celebration.With the start of the second period, it seemed that things had returned to normal. People were back in their seats, the focus was on hockey and all seemed right with the world.

Except that the Wild stunk. Herb Brooks used to tell his players - when things weren't going right - "You look like a monkey trying to hump a football." That expression passed through my mind during the second period as I watched the Wild give up three goals in a six-minute span and fail to generate any offense at all. It was wretched hockey, and the fans booed the team off the ice at the end of the period, with Anaheim leading 3-0.Lots of people left, and even more left after the first five minutes of the third period, when things didn't look much better.

And then came John Scott.

With Derek Boogaard out for a while with a concussion, the Wild have converted the 6-foot-8 Scott from defense to wing, and sent him out to bang bodies a little bit, and be available to fight. Early in the third period, with the Wild still trailing 3-0, Scott decided to taken on George Parros, one of the real heavyweight fighters in the league. It was no contest, as you can see here.

It ignited the crowd, and the Wild as well. A bit later, Mikko Koivu scored to make it 3-1. Then Petr Sykora got his first goal as a Wild player. And Eric Belanger blasted a shot through J.S. Giguere to tie the game. Finally, Andrew Brunette scored in overtime for a 4-3 win, the first time the Wild has ever overcome a three-goal, third-period deficit at the X.Crazy night.

The Wild has still never lost a home opener (eight wins and a tie), the Twins are headed to the ALCS and I had a truly memorable night.

Some random thoughts after 1st exhibition game at home.

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Droogsma) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 04:19:00 +0000

Tonight the Wild opened their home exhibition season with 2-0 win over Columbus, and here are just a few random observations:

-- In new coach Todd Richards' system, defensemen are allowed - even expected - to jump into the rush when possible. Brent Burns was made for that kind of system. He was all over the ice tonight, assisted on a goal and looked fantastic. He could really thrive in this system.

-- Cal Clutterbuck's rookie year wasn't a fluke, and he's ready to contribute. Two goals tonight, #1 star and a great presence.

-- Goaltending, of course, is solid. Backstrom and Harding split the game, and the shutout, tonight. Harding will likely be traded soon, and it will hurt a bit to see him go.

-- There were already #17 Petr Sykora jerseys on sale in the Hockey Lodge. Lots of fans wearing Havlat #14 jerseys already.

-- Kyle Brodziak is going to be a nice addition to the team. Good skills, skates well.

-- Colton Gillies didn't help his bid to make the team when he biffed a breakaway after Antti Meittinen set him up beautifully.

5 questions for the new season

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Droogsma) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:31:00 +0000

By Tim Droogsma

As the Minnesota Wild prepare to open training camp, they face the most uncertainty they’ve seen since their inaugural 2000-2001 campaign. After missing the playoffs last season and losing their most exciting player to free agency, here are five questions Wild fans should be asking:

1) Is the rookie GM ready to run a team? Chuck Fletcher certainly has the pedigree and experience that would lead you to believe he will be a successful general manager. The son of long-time NHL executive Cliff Fletcher, Chuck has been around the game his entire life. Although he’s only 41 years old, he has 16 years of NHL experience in the front offices of Florida, Anaheim and Pittsburgh, and his role in building the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s his first time in the GM’s seat, however, and with his team up against the salary cap, every move needs to be a good one.

2)Is the rookie coach ready for the NHL? Todd Richards’ career has some parallels with that of Fletcher. They’re both young, they’ve both had success in lesser roles, and both are getting their first test in the big job. Richards – a Minnesota native who starred at Armstrong High School and the University of Minnesota – had a 12-year career as a pro player, but it was mostly in the minors. (He played just eight NHL games with the Hartford Whalers.) He went into coaching, and took Pittsburgh’s AHL team to the Calder Cup finals in 2008. Last year he was an assistant with San Jose, and the Sharks posted the NHL’s best regular-season record. Again, the resume looks good, but when you’re replacing Jacques Lemaire – who has 11 Stanley Cup rings and was the only coach in Wild history – people will be watching closely.

3) Who’s going to score goals? Marian Gaborik – the last remaining original Wild player and owner of virtually every team scoring record – left via free agency and is now a New York Ranger. Scoring goals has been an issue for the team the past few seasons, and the top two returning goal scorers are 37-year-old Owen Nolan (25 goals in 08-09) and Andrew Brunette, who scored 22 last season but is 36 years old and coming off knee surgery. To bolster the offense the Wild signed free agent Martin Havlat. The 28-year-old had 29 goals last season and 169 in his career. Richards says he wants to play a more up-tempo, aggressive style than the Wild played under Lemaire, but it’s not at all clear he has the horsepower to do so.

4) Where will Josh Harding end up? Harding is 25 years old, and most NHL people believe he’s ready to become a #1 goaltender, but in Minnesota he’s stuck behind Niklas Backstrom, an All-Star and recent recipient of a four-year, $24 million contract extension. Harding will be making $1.1 million this year, and is one of the few players Fletch can dangle as trade bait as he tries to find another scorer. It seems likely that Harding will have a successful NHL career, but it seems unlikely that it will be in Minnesota.

5) Will the “Team of 18,000” show up every night? The Wild have sold out all 365 pre-season, regular-season and post-season games in their history. The Xcel Energy Center is one of the finest facilities in all of sports, and the team claims 16,500 season ticket holders and a 7,500-name waiting list for a building that calls 18,064 a sellout. Last year, however, there was plenty of grumbling among the fans about the perceived defensive style of the team, the Marian Gaborik situation and missing the playoffs after winning a division title in 2007-08. In a tough economy, with most of the few available single-game seats $65 or higher, there’s some question as to whether every game will sell out, even in hockey-mad Minnesota. The Wild has stepped up their advertising this fall, which would seem to indicate that they recognize the risk.

noreply@blogger.com (topofstep) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:50:00 +0000