So let us paint a scenario. You’re a minor league goaltender who is 30 years old. Your chance to make it to the show seems a little less likely with each passing season. You are coming off a great win where you made 38 saves in a big road win for your club. In the great minor league tradition, you don’t board an airplane, you instead hop onto a bus for a long bus ride up to Grand Rapids, Michigan where you are expected to start against another team the next night. You get rolling down the road as you do your best to settle in and rest up for what will be another big start. Only after 6 hours of riding the bus you get told that the big club needs you because one of the goaltenders is hurt / sick. Now a car stops by to take you to the airport so you can be flown up to St. Paul. Its ok, you’ll just be sitting on the bench anyways, but you’re still going to get the big money regardless. Once you arrive in St. Paul the car meets you and takes you to the arena. You get to the arena and the coach calls you into the office. You figure he just wants to ask how everything went and maybe hear how things are going in Iowa. Ok, you sit down and the coach tells you, the other goalie has food poisoning so you’re starting tonight. Oh and he tries to tell you just relax even though this is a crucial game that the team feels it absolutely has to win, no pressure, good luck! That was John Curry’s life from Friday night to Saturday night. Going from the minors to surprise starter because the hockey gods love the chaos between the pipes for the Minnesota Wild.
An unfortunate bounce in overtime later, now finds the Wild in another must-win situation in Winnipeg. With both goaltenders still saddled with sickness, the Wild will likely give Curry the start for tonight’s game. That’s life of a minor league goaltender where suddenly you can be given the reigns of an NHL franchise at a moment’s notice. Like a backup quarterback, expectations are lower and if you win you gain sort of a cult status from the fans. Can the Wild earn a critical victory in Winnipeg?
1st Period Thoughts: The Wild started the game in more of a defensive mood; sitting back in a 1-2-2 and looking to create turnovers in the neutral zone. The strategy worked reasonably well to keep Winnipeg bottled up in its own end, even if the Wild were only able to generate shots from the perimeter that were not all that difficult for Michael Hutchinson to stop. The Wild were eventually able to get their cycling game going as they created a few quality shooting opportunities, but unfortunately many of them were not hitting the net. The 4th line would create a nice scoring chance off a long stretch pass by Stu Bickel to set up Justin Fontaine who fired a wrist shot that was blocked aside by the shoulder of Hutchinson. Minnesota did a nice job at retreating and backchecking to force turnovers and then wasting little time going on the attack. The Wild were able to create some excellent chances as Zach Parise worked the puck deep and then sent a pass on down to Jason Pominville for a sharp angle shot that was stopped by Hutchinson back out into the slot but Koivu would whiff on the shot. Minnesota was hustling very well, and they’d draw the first penalty of the game as Thomas Vanek was hauled down as he pursued the puck. The penalty was short-lived as Koivu would get called for holding up the Jets’ T.J. Galiardi. With the ice more open 4-on-4 the Wild seemed to lose some of their hustle and a bad turnover by Ryan Suter turned into a scoring chance for the Jets as Andrew Ladd ripped a sharp angle shot that drew a big rebound from Darcy Kuemper and luckily Minnesota was able to disrupt Blake Wheeler‘s rebound bid and he was able to cover it up for a whistle. The Jets would take control on a short power play and they nearly took the lead as Dustin Byfuglien‘s blast from the point was partially blocked and it fluttered just over the crossbar. The penalty would expire but the Jets kept buzzing around the Wild zone and they’d draw another Minnesota penalty in the process. Nino Niederreiter would sit in the box for hooking. The Wild were really playing with fire as Wheeler set up Bryan Little in the opening seconds of the power play which was stopped by Kuemper. The Jets power play operated with impunity, but Minnesota did a decent job at forcing Winnipeg to settle for shots from the perimeter for the most part. The Wild thought they were out of trouble with the Jets’ power play but Winnipeg would strike first as Ryan Suter drops his stick which gave some time and space to Michael Frolik who swept up the puck and then ripped a by Kuemper. 1-0 Jets. As the Wild tried to counter as Pominville took a weak backhander that was stopped by Hutchinson, Ben Chiarot did not like it and head butted Pominville as Byfuglien moved in and gave the Wild winger a punch. This brought in Mikko Koivu and the scrum was broken up with Minnesota earning a power play. The Jets would turn it into a 5-on-3 power play when Jay Harrison sent a puck over the glass. The Wild’s strategy on the 5-on-3 was painful, as they set up Ryan Suter repeatedly from the point and he’d blast shot after shot wide of the mark. They’d try to change things up by working pucks to Vanek and Parise for quick shots but Hutchinson was up to the task and the power play would expire as Byfuglien was set up for a breakaway out of the penalty box only to be stopped by the leg pad of Kuemper. The Wild would get tagged with an interference call as Marco Scandella was sent to the sin bin for getting in the way of Blake Wheeler. The Jets’ power play immediately created a scoring chance that was superior to anything Minnesota had in its prolonged 5-on-3. Kuemper found himself under siege but luckily he had good support from his skaters to escort away the loose pucks and Minnesota would escape without any further damage. The Wild trailed 1-0, despite out shooting the Jets 14-7.
2nd Period Thoughts: The Wild started the period still with about 30 seconds left of power play time to kill off and they couldn’t manage to do so. The Jets used good player movement to set up Mathieu Perreault all by himself on the backside for an easy goal, 2-0 Winnipeg. The Wild tried to answer back and you could see a team out of ideas as they were just skating into the zone, winding up and blasting shots towards the goal that had little to no chance to amount to anything. The Jets would be patient and go the attack with Nate Prosser and Bickel on the ice and they nearly cashed in. The Wild’s 4th line would counter attack and after some great hustle by Brett Sutter helped work the puck deep into the Jets’ end the puck would be played by Ryan Carter and out to Sutter who threaded it back to Carter who moved in and beat Hutchinson with a pretty move to make it 2-1. Minnesota’s lower lines continued to provide an offensive spark as Tyler Graovac dangled around Adam Pardy and he lifted a backhander just over the goal by a sprawling Hutchinson. The Wild were playing simplified hockey and I think the quality of their scoring chances were better because of it. The Jets tried to assert its will by working its 2-man forecheck which again resulted in turnovers with Nate Prosser on the ice. Minnesota would have another great scoring chance as the top line of Pominville, Parise and Koivu combined for a glorious opportunity as Parise set up Pominville for a one-timer that would strike Hutchinson in the head and the puck would bounce high up into the air and come back down harmlessly. As Pominville looked to tap home the loose puck but he’d be crosschecked by Little to no call. The Jets were taking their opportunities to throw the body around as Perreault steamrolled Prosser with a big hit in the corner as Minnesota seemed content to keep it just a 1-goal game. The Wild would get a late power play as Marco Scandella was tripped up by Matt Halischuk. On the power play the Wild threaded a cross-ice pass to Pominville who didn’t get much on the shot that was covered up by Hutchinson. The Wild then spent most of the rest of the power play chasing around the puck. Minnesota would strike at the end of the power play, as the Wild would attack off the rush as Sutter set up Justin Fontaine for a quick chance and he lifted a shot by Hutchinson to tie the game at 2-2 to stunned silence at MTS Centre. It was was an even strength tally but a big goal by another member of Minnesota’s bottom 6 forwards. Minnesota would strike late in the period as Zach Parise raced into the offensive zone and he dropped a pass back to Marco Scandella who stepped into a slap shot that struck a defender on the way by Hutchinson to give the Wild a huge 3-2 lead going into the 2nd intermission. Shots were even at 11-11, but Minnesota carried most of the play and it was good to see them finally rewarded with some good fortune on the ice. Huge 3rd period for the Wild coming up.
3rd Period Thoughts: The Jets were buzzing early to start the 3rd, and they had Minnesota scrambling all over its zone early as they were taking every chance to send pucks on goal. Minnesota was patient and they’d try to counter with some nice touch passes to set up Nino Niederreiter racing into the Jets’ zone before firing a shot high and wide of the mark off the rush. The Wild still seemed a bit gassed, and this would lead to more pressure in the Minnesota zone and Kuemper found himself more busy than he’d prefer. Suter was really struggling all game long and perhaps as a sign of the frustration over his problems he’d give a two-handed whack to the back of Perreault’s legs to no call. The Wild were trying to apply token offensive pressure, to at least keep Winnipeg a little honest as they tried to press for the equalizer. Kuemper came up with some big saves; as the Jets were crashing the net on every attempt. The line of Fontaine, Graovac and Cooke caused a little trouble as they set up Bickel for a shot from the point that Hutchinson held onto with a host of Wild forwards camped out nearby. The quality shift was followed up by a decent shift by Parise, Pominville and Koivu as Minnesota kept Winnipeg busy trying to defend in its own end. The Jets would really pour it on the closing minutes as Kuemper came up with some brilliant saves. Winnipeg would pull Hutchinson with about a minute left to play, and it was Kuemper helping his own cause by clearing the zone with some fine plays with his stick. The Wild’s defense stood tall, blocking shots and getting sticks into passing lanes to disrupt the Jets and they’d come away with a huge 3-2 regulation victory.
Darcy Kuemper was terrific, making 28 saves in the victory including some clutch stops down the stretch. Rebound control was pretty good, especially in the 3rd when the Jets were really crashing the crease hard. He had decent help, but he avoided giving up the momentum killing soft goal which is something that has plagued the Wild in its last few games. Defensively I thought the Wild had a rough night from Ryan Suter who seems to be fatigued and fighting it almost every shift, but had a whale of a game from Marco Scandella who continues to be a force at both ends of the ice.
Offensively, the Wild got contributions from its 3rd and 4th lines when it really needed it. The team had very little offensive push, but it was its bottom 6 that managed to score two huge goals that put the team in position to win the game. I was very impressed with the small contributions made by Ryan Carter, Brett Sutter and Justin Fontaine who made the small plays which win hockey games and their poise under the intense physical pressure of the Jets. Tyler Graovac also had a nice NHL debut.
This was a clutch victory for the Wild who were desperate for a win; and to do so in regulation and depriving the Jets from any points was huge. ESPN‘s Chris Berman used to say, “Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills,” well the Wild certainly circled the wagons tonight to will themselves a victory. As great as the victory was, the team now has to refocus and be ready for a battle against another very motivated Blue Jackets squad on New Year’s Eve.
Wild Notes:
~ The Wild roster tonight was as follows: Mikko Koivu, Jason Pominville, Zach Parise, Nino Niederreiter, Thomas Vanek, Kyle Brodziak, Ryan Carter, Brett Sutter, Matt Cooke, Charlie Coyle, Tyler Graovac, Justin Fontaine, Ryan Suter, Marco Scandella, Jared Spurgeon, Nate Prosser, Stu Bickel and Christian Folin. John Curry backed up Darcy Kuemper. Erik Haula was the lone healthy scratch while Jason Zucker was out battling a stomach illness.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Mathieu Perreault, 2nd Star Marco Scandella, 3rd Star Brett Sutter
~ Attendance was 15,016 at MTS Centre.
~ Tyler Graovac made his NHL debut, wearing #53 for the big club and is the only player to wear that number in a regular season game for the Wild.
Iowa Wild Report:
Record: (11-19-1-1) 22pts Last in the West Division
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #36 Michael Keranen ~ 5G 20A = 25pts
2. #4 Tyler Graovac ~ 12G 12A = 24pts
3. #10 Jordan Schroeder ~ 9G 13A = 22pts
4. #27 Brett Sutter ~ 6G 9A = 15pts
5. #7 Jonathon Blum ~ 4G 10 = 14pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #13 Curt Gogol ~ 102 PIM’s
2. #39 Kurtis Gabriel ~ 59 PIM’s
3. #19 Stephane Veilleux ~ 41 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #31 Johan Gustafsson (6-12-1) 3.60GAA .889%SP
2. #33 John Curry (5-6-0) 2.84GAA .917%SP
Recent Score: Iowa 2, Grand Rapids 9
Coming off a great performance the night before the Iowa Wild traveled to Grand Rapids’ for a tilt against a Griffins’ squad that has always have given them fits. It didn’t take long for things to get ugly as the Griffins scored just 14 seconds into the game as Andy Miele found the back of the net behind Johan Gustafsson. Iowa would answer back a few minutes later as Marc Hagel found Tyler Graovac open and he wasted little time rifling a shot by Tom McCollum to even the game at 1-1. After that it was pretty much all Grand Rapids as they’d score the next 7 goals to carry a commanding 8-1 lead after 2 periods of play. Wild Head Coach John Torchetti had seen enough of Gustafsson who had given up 8 goals on 27 shots so he swapped him out for emergency call up David Desander. Desander would give up one more goal on just 7 shots in the 3rd period, and Jordan Schroeder tallied a power play goal in the final minute to cap off an ugly 9-2 rout.
Wild Prospect Report:
C – Reid Duke (Brandon, WHL) ~ The Wheat Kings rolled to a 3-0 victory Saturday night over Moose Jaw and the Wild prospect pulled his weight as he added a goal and an assist in the win. The Calgary, Alberta-native has 11 goals, 33 points, 38 PIM’s and is a +13 in 32 games this season.
RW – Chase Lang (Calgary, WHL) ~ It was not as great of a start for the Calgary Hitmen as they stumbled out of the post-holiday gate with a 6-2 loss at the hands of the Kootenay Ice on Saturday night. Lang chipped in an assist and was a -1 in the game. The lanky winger had 2 more assists and chipped in 3 shots on goal in the Hitmen’s 4-3 rematch loss on Sunday. The Nanaimo, British Columbia-native has 15 goals, 34 points, 25 PIM’s and is a +8 in 31 games this season.
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