"They tell you they love you, like a spider loves a fly, promise you that you're safe but never look you in the eye, manipulated, regulated, crippled and controlled, Remember this, you're not alone, you're not alone you're not alone, Come on, can you hear it? The call of the Wild, Stand up now and fight back, Wipe off their plastic smiles. Why listen to the losers who still treat you like a child, better find another station and tune in to the call of the Wild" are the lyrics to the German rock band Die Toten Hosen's song Call of the Wild. This was sort of the unofficial anthem for the Wild back during the 2003 playoff run that took the team to the Western Conference Finals. For the last few weeks the Wild have made commercials, highlighting some of the memorable moments of that run; Richard Park's Game 6 goal against Colorado and of course the Andrew Brunette goal in Game 7 that not only finished off Patrick Roy's career but vanquished the Avalanche as well. The theme of the commercials is that its time to make some new playoff memories. They're right. It was a decade ago when that memorable playoff run occurred. The experts are not expecting much from Minnesota, but who could blame them. A bottom 1/3rd offense against a team that combines and overpowering offense and a stifling defense. Sounds like a no brainer right?
The Wild have to focus on their own game and not worry about the things that are beyond its control. If last season taught NHL afficionados anything its not as much about what you did in the regular season, as it is about who gets hot during the playoffs. The 8th seeded Kings not only won the Stanley Cup but they dominated their opponents. Their 'quiet' bottom 1/3rd in the league offense caught fire and seemed to be more than enough to beat just about anyone. Even some of the Blackhawks believe the Wild have it in them to surprise, including Patrick Kane who told reporters, "It's a dangerous team, you definitely have to be careful with them. They're a team I've watched throughout the year, and it seems like one night that they look like the best team in the NHL and the next night they look like the don't want to be there." Interesting observation and I think a fair amount of Wild fans would agree with Kane's assessment. So it really comes down to which team shows up in this series let alone this game. Which one will it be, the team that looks like the best in the NHL or the one that doesn't want to be there?
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1st Period Thoughts: There was a good pace to start the game as one would expect. The Wild were clearly looking to sit back in a 1-2-2 and try to wait for a turnover as they braced themselves for a offensive storm by Chicago. Minnesota's 2nd line would have the first great scoring chance for the Wild as a little backhand pass by Matt Cullen was tracked down by Jason Zucker who raced around Chicago's defense for a breakaway but he could only a manage a weak backhander that was stopped by Corey Crawford before the speedy forward fell over his leg pad and crashed into the boards. The Wild were clogging the neutral zone effectively, forcing Chicago to dump the puck and Minnesota was more than happy to gather up the easy Blackhawks turnovers. Minnesota was starting to counter punch and they'd get a little luck as Cal Clutterbuck motored into the Blackhawks' zone where he ripped a wrist shot that found he twine behind Crawford to stunned silence in front of the 20,000+ at the United Center. 1-0 Wild. Chicago tried to answer back but Minnesota circled the wagons around Josh Harding who was between the pipes because Niklas Backstrom appeared to pull a groin as he attempted to reach for a rebound during warmups. Minnesota would get the first penalty of the game as Mikko Koivu knocked down rookie Brandon Saad with a good check but the officials felt he hooked the youngster giving Chicago a golden chance to even the score. On the power play, the Wild moved their feet well and kept the Blackhawks to the perimeter and they were quick to sweep away loose pucks and Minnesota was even able to create a few opportunities shorthanded as Matt Cullen took a long pass and he moved in and fired a shot that was steered wide by Crawford. Minnesota would escape without any damage from the Blackhawks' power play and Minnesota would go back to its counterpunching style which was creating some good chances in transition. Another long pass found a tired Charlie Coyle behind the Chicago defense but knowing he couldn't outleg Niklas Hjalmarsson he'd drop a pass back to Zenon Konopka who gunned a shot on goal from the high slot that was blocked away by the Blackhawks puckstopper. Minnesota's defenseman were activating and carrying the puck up the ice instead of just dumping it to no one, a great example of this was Marco Scandella who carried it out of danger and noticing no one else was with him he'd skate it in deep. The Wild were continuing to frustrate Chicago in the neutral zone, creating turnovers and it was Kyle Brodziak moving on a 2-on-1 with Cal Clutterbuck . Brodziak would look to pass only to be frustrated by a diving play by Brent Seabrook who took away the pass and the Wild center would patiently let him get out of the way before pulling the trigger that Crawford knocked down and Brodziak would fire off the rebound only to be robbed by a great glove save. The period would expire to a little anxiety from the home crowd and Minnesota was solid at both ends of the ice. Shots were even at 6 apiece but you'd have to give the Wild the edge in quality scoring chances. I thought Jonas Brodin looked as sharp as ever and Marco Scandella was also tremendous. Great first period for Minnesota.
2nd Period Thoughts: Minnesota would get a good initial rush as Coyle moved in and got off a great backhander that Crawford stopped and it would draw a big rebound which Zach Parise tried to bang home but he'd crash into the goalie instead. The officials felt Parise didn't try hard enough to stop and he was given a goaltender interference penalty and Chicago would go on the power play. On the power play the Blackhawks were patient and moved the puck well before Jonathan Toews pulled the trigger on a close in shot that was denied by Josh Harding and and then he made another great save on Patrick Kane. Minnesota's penalty killers had good active sticks and did a good job of disrupting passing and shooting lanes but as the power play was in its waning moments the Blackhawks would go on one last rush. Kane led the charge as he backhanded a pass over to Marian Hossa who came racing in off the wing and he'd rip a shot by Harding who tried to stack the pads in vain, 1-1. Minnesota would answer back with some hustle of their own and it was Jason Zucker drawing a tripping penalty on Michal Rozsival. The Wild's power play struggled mightily as the Blackhawks penalty killers did a good job at frustrating Minnesota's entry into the offensive zone. Minnesota would waste over a minute of power play time just trying to get set up in the Blackhawks end and when they did their attempt to set up a righ-hand shooting Tom Gilbert for a one-timer was fumbled by the former Bloomington Jefferson star and the Wild had to settle for a weak backhand by Devin Setoguchi that Crawford stopped with ease. You could sense Chicago was trying to create chances in transition the way the Wild did in the 1st as Patrick Kane turned and gave a pass to Michal Handzus who directed it on goal that was fought off by Harding. Devin Setoguchi was really flying around in this game and taking his chances to dish out hits. The 4th line tried to stir up some momentum as Zenon Konopka fed a pass to Torrey Mitchell who tried to jam a puck through the leg pad of Crawford and he'd keep shoveling it on goal until the whistle blew which drew the ire of Seabrook which drew the ire of Mike Rupp who skated over to say 'hello'. Minnesota continued to hustle well and the Wild drew a couple offsides by hold tough at the blueline much to the frustration of the home crowd. The Wild tried to counter the Blackhawks' pressure with its 2nd line and Chicago's defense was really backing off the speedy group which gave Zucker the time and space to rip a shot wide of the mark. Minnesota was allowing the Blackhawks to enter the zone and move the puck around but the Wild seemed calm and was quick to gather up loose pucks and skate it out of danger. The Wild's hustle would draw a penalty as Duncan Keith slashed Koivu. The Wild were able to get set up in the offensive zone but no one seemed really willing to pull the trigger so all Minnesota did was pass the puck around accomplishung very little. The Wild almost seemed to be content to not be under siege in its own end and the power play and the period would end with both clubs knotted at 1-1. Not a bad period as the Wild were keeping it close. The team needs to be putting more shots on goal during the power play, but other than that, its tough not to be pleased with the effort so far.
3rd Period Thoughts: The 3rd period with both clubs trading rushes up the ice to no great effect. Chicago had the better chance of the two as Patrick Kane got behind Clayton Stoner and Harding was able to stonewall him. Minnesota's 4th line would create a little energy as Zenon Konopka made a huge hit that took out two Blackhawks that gave Minnesota 3-on-2 rush the other way. It was Konopka feeding Mitchell who tried to move behind the net and back out front where he turned a backhanded a shot that was stopped by Crawford who hugged the post. Minnesota would start to crash the net as Pierre-Marc Bouchard would wind up and fire a shot on goal that was stopped by Crawford who had Brodziak near his crease as he shoveled at the rebound but he was able to keep out that chance as well. Jason Zucker would take a high stick to the face from Hjalmarsson. The Wild would go on the power play, and they'd create some excellent opportunties. In the 1st half of the power play a nice little play by Kyle Brodziak to lift a puck over the sticks of the Chicago defense and then chase it down where he fed a puck into the slot to Koivu who ripped it on goal as the Wild crashed the net but they couldn't get enough on it to beat Crawford. Minnesota were putting more shots on goal but they'd still come up empty on the man advantage and the Blackhawks went back on the attack. Jonathan Toews would make a move to dangle around a Wild defenseman but he couldn't really get much of anything on the shot, moments after that the Blackhawks would storm the crease where the puck seemed to be underneath Jared Spurgeon and as the whistle blew the puck trickled through the wickets of Harding but NHL referee Brad Meier waived it off. It was a good call but one the home crowd did not appreciate as they were derided with a spirited "Bullshit" chant. The Wild would then counter attack with its 2nd line and Matt Cullen got free where he set up Jason Zucker who ripped a shot that was stopped by Crawford but Zucker would poke it it loose and he tried to move behind the net and where he attempted a wrap around but just couldn't get it to curl into the gaping net. As the seconds ticked by, the anxiety and energy of the crowd intensified as each rush seemed to have its own surge of anticipation. A few minutes later the Blackhawks forecheck kept Minnesota bottled up in its own zone but the Wild were keeping Chicago to the perimeter and The Wild were holding on as they cleared the zone to get a critical line change. The Blackhawks were also looking to get lucky and they'd crash the net literally as Toews went careening into Harding with Konopka was helping him along. Minnesota was trying to create some offense but just couldn't seem to get any time and space from the Blackhawks defense and the game would go to overtime.
Overtime Thoughts: Both clubs were playing a bit cautious to start overtime, neither team wanting to open up but instead they were waiting for a mistake. Slowly the period would ramp up in intensity and the dramatic scoring chances woudl follow. Minnesota would have the first quality chances of overtime as Matt Cullen would work his way through to the slot where he swung a backhand on goal that was just steered away by the paddle of Crawford. The Wild would give up a great chance of their own as Marian Hossa would move through the slot and he'd get Harding to drop and as he swung the shot on goal the puck would strike the outreached stick of the Wild goalie to keep it a tie game. Chicago would really start to pour it on and its forecheck was really causing the WIld a lot of problems and Minnesota had to resort to dumping the puck down the length of the ice for some icing calls that threatened their ability to hold on. Harding would come up with some big saves with a fair amount of traffic in front of him. The 4th line would come up with a big shift where the held the zone well until they finally bought some time and space for Torrey Mitchell who ripped a shot on goal. This great effort would be followed up by the 2nd line and it was Zucker ringing a shot off the crossbar and as he chased it down he'd take a stick to the face from Johnny Oduya giving Minnesota a power play. Wild athletic trainer Don Fuller would go out to attend to Zucker who seemed to have a little trouble with his teeth after the hit but all Oduya would receive was a 2-minute minor on the play. Minnesota would try to be a little more assertive on the man advantage as they set up Zach Parise for a shot from the right faceoff circle that never reached Crawford. The puck would be chased down by Toews who drew a holding penalty on Tom Gilbert. With the ice a bit more open 4-on-4 the Wild tried to take the initiative as they got a few more shots on goal. Chicago was content to wait for the their short power play to start and Minnesota forced the Blackhawks to settle for a blast from the point by Duncan Keith that was knocked out of harm's way by Harding. After the killed off power play the game would sort of devolve into a long heavy weight boxing match as both teams looked for an opening to exploit. Minnesota had a great chance as Ryan Suter swung a one handed pass over to Charlie Coyle who dropped it back to Parise moving down the slot and he'd rifle a shot just wide of the mark. But it would be the Blackhawks' night as a great pass off the glass by Oduya that was just high enough to elude a jumping Ryan Suter to Viktor Stalberg who was a little behind the Wild's defense and as Jonas Brodin tried to confront him he'd feed a pass over to Bryan Bickell who slid a backhander underneath the outstretched leg of Harding to seal a 2-1 Game One victory.
Josh Harding certainly cannot be blamed for the outcome of this game, having made 35 saves in the loss in a game he probably did not expect to start. At times he was fighting the puck but he made a number of stops with traffic near him but also give credit to the Wild's defense which was supporting him well. Harding kept the Wild in the game more than long enough for Minnesota to have won it themselves. Ryan Suter was more than a workhorse, he was two of them having logged a Wild franchise record 41:08 for the game. Jonas Brodin was also very impressive still looking poised well beyond his 19 years (34:29 of TOI, are you kidding me?!?!). I thought Marco Scandella didn't look out of place at all, and I felt he was much better in his own zone than what we saw earlier in the season where he was erratic. Give the Aeros coaching staff credit for turning that around. As far as Backstrom goes, it didn't look good as the training staff had to help him back to the locker room during warm ups but I think it looked like a groin injury. He might be out a little while. I am sure Darcy Kuemper will get the call up.
Offensively the Wild didn't get enough to get the job done. The top line really wasn't much of a factor, easily neutralized by the Blackhawks top line. Minnesota's best offensive threat was the 2nd line of Cullen, Setoguchi and especially Jason Zucker who provided a spark with his speed (drawing two penalties) and his willingness to shoot. I think Zucker and Clutterbuck's example of taking the shot and what good can happen from it. Too many other times the Wild hesitated, especially on the Power Play to shoot the biscuit. The 4th line gve the Wild some great minutes.
I loved the effort tonight and felt the team gave just about all you could ask for. They deserved a better fate, and even though it sucks to lose, the team battled well and I wasn't crushed. I think this team can win against Chicago, but I think you have to view Game 2 as a must win for confidence purposes alone. The funny thing about hockey was the post game press conferences. Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo sounded rather pleased by the game apart from the outcome while Chicago Head Coach Joel Quenneville sounded disappointed and even a shade annoyed by the fact the game was so close even going as far as saying his team had "playoff jitters." Really?!?! Are you kidding me? Jitters from playing the Wild? This leads me to believe the Wild put a good scare into Chicago and the Wild would be smart to exploit this psychological advantage.
Wild Notes:
~ The Wild roster was as follows: Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, Charlie Coyle, Matt Cullen, Jason Zucker, Devin Setoguchi, Kyle Brodziak, Cal Clutterbuck, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Torrey Mitchell, Zenon Konopka, Mike Rupp, Marco Scandella, Clayton Stoner, Jared Spurgeon, Tom Gilbert, Jonas Brodin and Ryan Suter. Josh Harding would carry the load for the Wild after Backstrom's pre-game injury. Nate Prosser, Brett Clark, Justin Falk, and Jason Pominville were the 'healthy scratches.'
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Bryan Bickell, 2nd Star Marian Hossa, 3rd Star Josh Harding
~ Attendance was 21,428 at United Center.
Wild Prospect Report:
LW – Raphael Bussieres (Baie-Comeau, QMJHL) ~ The Drakkar are advancing to the QMJHL Finals after defeating the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 4-0 Sunday night and taking the series 4-2. The rugged winger was again held scoreless but he registered a hit in the effort. The Drakkar now face a highly touted Halifax Mooseheads squad led by 2013 Draft hopefuls Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin.
C – Tyler Graovac (Belleville, OHL) ~ Unfortunately its season over for the lanky center as the Bulls lost Game 7 of the OHL Eastern Conference Finals 3-1 to the Barrie Colts. Graovac had a strong playoffs (6 goals, 22pts) but was held scoreless last night. Graovac will likely join the Houston Aeros since he's signed an entry-level contract this spring but whether Aeros Head Coach John Torchetti will feel comfortable using him is another story.
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