Minnesota Wild (16-2-2) 34pts 5th in the Central
2.80 Goals For (11th)
2.57 Goals Against (13th)
12.4% Power Play (28th)
87% Penalty Kill (3rd)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #11 Zach Parise ~ 11G 12A = 23pts
2. #29 Jason Pominville ~ 7G 14A = 21pts
3. #20 Ryan Suter ~ 1G 18A = 19pts
4. #26 Thomas Vanek ~ 4G 14A = 18pts
5. #22 Nino Niederreiter ~ 14G 3A = 17pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #6 Marco Scandella ~ 38 PIM’s
2. #11 Zach Parise ~ 25 PIM’s
3. #21 Kyle Brodziak ~ 24 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #35 Darcy Kuemper (11-9-0) 2.45GAA .906%SP 3SO
2. #32 Niklas Backstrom (5-3-2) 2.48GAA .901%SP
Vs.
Nashville Predators (20-8-2) 42pts 3rd in the Central
2.57 Goals For (19th)
1.93 Goals Against (1st)
11.5% Power Play (29th)
81% Penalty Kill (14th)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #9 Filip Forsberg ~ 12G 18A = 30pts
2. #63 Mike Ribeiro ~ 9G 17A = 26pts
3. #18 James Neal ~ 11G 8A = 19pts
4. #6 Shea Weber ~ 6G 12A = 18pts
5. #15 Craig Smith ~ 7G 8A = 15pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #4 Ryan Ellis ~ 27 PIM’s
2. #6 Shea Weber ~ 26 PIM’s
3. #18 James Neal ~ 23 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #35 Pekka Rinne (20-6-1) 1.76GAA .937%SP 3SO
2. #30 Carter Hutton (0-2-1) 2.32GAA .914%SP
It’s been a rough month for the Minnesota Wild. Between crazy illnesses that no adult should have, to run of the mill illnesses like stomach bugs and colds, to injuries, we never know what’s going to happen from day to day. Then to make things just that much tougher, the players (and coaches) seem to have nasty case of a “head game” going on right now. I’ll get to the head game later. However with all of that negativity going on, it looks like there’s possibly a bright horizon ahead of Minnesota. And the fact that it’s coming right before Christmas, has me hoping that Santa will be kind to the Wild and their fans. Lord knows we need it. So let’s start with some happy news.
As I mentioned, injury and illness have taken their toll on Minnesota. First things first, it looks like Darcy Kuemper is over the bug that pretty much knocked him on his butt. According to what the Wild’s young goaltender said in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, he’s feeling much better and has been able to eat solid meals for the past day, but even more important has been working on replacing the fluids he lost during his illness. Having suffered H1N1 myself, I know the feeling. Sometimes just eating takes too much energy. The fact that he’s feeling like himself again is great news. Plus, if it only took a few days out of the lineup, we know it was just a short term bug and not something nasty like the honest to god flu. Trust me, if we’re now going to deal with the illness bug hitting the team, I’d rather it just be short-term colds and stomach bugs than the flu which can knock you out for at least a week if not longer. The other bit of good news has been a long time in coming. There is a very strong possibility that tonight we will see the long-awaited return of Matt Cooke to the lineup. He has missed the past 22 games due to a hip flexor injury. There’s been an energy and grit missing to the team ever since he got injured. The third player who might be back tonight is Ryan Carter who has been out with a shoulder injury. While Carter isn’t going to score a ton of points, he too brings energy to the game. He’s also not afraid of the physical aspects of hockey, and that is something this team is definitely lacking.
Now let’s talk about those head games. I must admit, I rolled my eyes when head coach Mike Yeo mentioned that he and the coaching staff have to figure out some way to reach the players. The annoying part of that, is that it is Yeo who created this mess and didn’t bother to do anything much earlier to check the problem. As fans, we have watched Yeo take the low-key, unemotional coaching approach ever since he was handed the reins. Rarely have we seen him lose his cool on the bench. Even worse, he rarely calls out individual players. Love him or hate him, but Jacques Lemaire was always in his players’ heads. He wasn’t there to be their friend. He was there to be their bench boss, exactly what a coach is supposed to be. He called things as he (and the fans) saw them. It’s like parents who want to be friends with their children instead of an authority figure. We all, regardless of age, need structure in our lives. If you get a boss, parent, coach, teacher, etc who is wishy-washy in their policies and expectations, it should come as no surprise to anyone that true success is hard to attain. Yeo needs to either put up or shut up. He needs to come in and show everyone that he is in charge. He needs to be willing to bench players that are not performing. He needs to dismantle the top power play unit and put players like Nino Niederreiter and Jason Zucker on it. You know, players who are willing to shoot and have the ability to score. Hockey is a results oriented business. Sure, you may tread on some toes when you make these decisions, but better to hurt the feelings of one or two than to compromise the entire team. But I guess the feelings of certain players are more important than a playoff appearance, right Mike?
So yes, as we being our final countdown to Christmas, it would be great if Santa did come a bit early. A win tonight and Tuesday night would be just what the doctor ordered, and let’s just say the medical staff for the Minnesota Wild have been a bit overworked lately. They deserve a few nights off.
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