While I’ve spent most of my athletic career as a coach or player I have spent some time as a referee. Its not an easy job, and you don’t have the benefit of slow motion and multiple camera angles so you are forced to go with your instincts. What can seem obvious to a person watching on TV can easily be obscured at ice level and an infraction can be missed. Toss in a number of slow motion replays and suddenly the referee is a fool, blind, incompetent or a combination of all three. Any official knows that they can become an instant pariah by raising their arm, so its not for their faint of heart. I’ve made that tough call late in the game and have heard the ire of fans and parents, often long after the game. So maybe a tiny part of me sympathizes with NHL referee Dan O’Rourke for calling a pretty weak hooking call on Erik Haula late in the 3rd period of a tied game. A very tiny bit of sympathy. Yet a bad call isn’t all to blame for the team’s 5-3 loss to the Blackhawks. An awful 2nd period forced the club to have to crawl back from a 2-goal deficit.
I think that is the story with a lot of controversial calls. Often if a person looks back there were other failed opportunities prior to that call that set up the call to play a role in the outcome of the game. So to quote Todd Bertuzzi, “it is, what it is.” On another note, the Minnesota Wild might want to load up on orange juice and chicken noodle soup. Sickness is now moving through the club again and instead of the mumps its now a stomach virus. Either way the Wild are keeping team physicians plenty busy these days. So can the Wild re-focus to earn a win against the Bruins or will Boston leave Minnesota with a victory?
1st Period Thoughts: The Bruins would work the puck deep early and they tried to get their cycling game going. The Wild looked to be a step slow in a lot of the races for the loose pucks, and Minnesota found itself chasing about its own end as Boston was controlling the pace of play. When the Wild finally managed to get the puck out of their own zone, all they could seem to do was work it deep and watch the Bruins collect the puck and carry it out of their zone. Minnesota finally had its first shot on goal in a 3-on-1 led by Jason Zucker who rifled a shot that was knocked down and steered aside by Niklas Svedberg. The Bruins would strike first as some lazy defensive coverage freed up Loui Eriksson and Carl Soderberg. Soderberg would hammer a shot that was blocked by Justin Falk, and then get off another that was stopped by Niklas Backstrom but he couldn’t stop the third attempt and Boston would take a 1-0 lead. Lots of standing and reaching by the Wild’s 3rd defensive pair of Falk and Nate Prosser. Fortunately the Wild would answer back less than 30 seconds later as Brett Sutter won a battle along the wall and he’d feed the puck back out to Kyle Brodziak who would snipe a shot, top corner short side to tie the game at 1-1. The goal seemed to light a fire underneath the Wild and they started to get more involved physically as Nino Niederreiter started throwing around his 6’2″ frame. Even Thomas Vanek got involved physically knocking down Milan Lucic in front of the Wild bench. The Bruins were getting a little more snarly with each shift as Zdeno Chara decided to knock around Mikael Granlund with the puck on the other half of the ice to no call. The Bruins would try to take back the lead as David Krecji made a nice little saucer pass to set up Lucic for a great close range chance that was kept out by Backstrom. The Wild looked a little gassed as the Bruins were again able to work the puck deep and force the Wild to chase around its own zone, as they set up a point shot that was partially deflected as it made its way towards the goal and luckily for Minnesota an alert Charlie Coyle checked Krecji before he could pounce on the loose biscuit. A few minutes later the Wild dodged a bullet as Soderberg hammered a shot on goal from the slot that rang off the post and out. Tempers finally boiled over as Justin Falk tried to deliver a hip check to Gregory Campbell, he’d step around to the inside and Falk and Campbell would drop the gloves. It wasn’t much of a fight as both players threw just a few punches before the officials moved in to break it up. With the crowd a little amped up after the fight, they’d feel the pain of disappointment as Patrice Bergeron flung a wrist shot from behind the blue line that skipped on the ice and by Backstrom for a yogurt soft goal. 2-1 Bruins. The Wild seemed stunned by the bad goal, and the team didn’t offer much of a push back in the closing 2 minutes of the period and they’d go into the 1st intermission trailing by one. Minnesota was out shot 9-8. It was an inconsistent period for the Wild where they had good shifts and some lousy ones too. Not the kind of start you want at home. Ryan Suter was a little too nonchalant for my tastes at this point in the game.
2nd Period Thoughts: After a blah first shift by the top line, the 3rd line of Nino Niederreiter, Justin Fontaine and Charlie Coyle caused some havoc as Coyle was denied on the doorstep by a sprawling Svedberg. The puck ended up back out front a few seconds later and Coyle had another great opportunity as he rang a rebound chance off the pipe and out. The Bruins would have a great chance of their own a few minutes later as a 2-on-1 between Brad Marchand and Torey Krug was foiled perfectly as Krug’s shot was denied by the outstretched leg pad of Backstrom. Moments after that a passive play by Prosser who was trying to avoid a hit from Lucic turned into a turnover the puck was swept up by Krug who fed a pass cross-ice to Eriksson who decided to settle the puck before pulling the trigger that gave Falk just enough time to step in front and block it to the corner. Minnesota had another close chance as Jason Pominville stepped into a slap shot that rang off the outside of the pipe and out. The Wild would draw a hooking call on Bergeron as Zucker was battling for the puck along the boards behind Svedberg. On the power play the Wild were taking a pretty direct approach and not hesitating to fire shots on goal and Svedberg was forced to make some quality saves. The Wild would draw another penalty as Zach Parise got a step on Kevan Miller who was forced to trip him up giving Minnesota a 5-on-3, an area where the Wild have not have much success. And predictably it was terribly ineffective, with relatively slow puck movement and just a few shots being taken. The back and forth passing between Koivu and Suter maddening. The bad 5-on-3 seemed to anger the crowd which boo’d a small amount as the rest of the power play expired with little to show for it. At times the Wild were not showing a willingness to just take the shot instead trying to pass even when the Bruins were begging them to shoot the puck. If they go through another power play like that, expect lots of boo’s. Boston was almost daring the Wild to score as Dougie Hamilton would fall while playing a puck at the point that turned into a 2-on-1, and as Minnesota gathered up the puck it was dropped back to Suter who ripped a shot on goal that was denied by Svedberg as the Wild squandered what looked like a 4-on-2. The Bruins were looking to counter punch and they nearly cashed in as Reilly Smith rang a quick wrist shot off the post and out. Minnesota would make a great stretch pass that was redirected by Parise right to the stick of Granlund for a breakaway but his bid was denied by the shoulder of Svedberg. The Wild kept pressing the attack and it was Zucker using his speed to track down a puck deep in the Boston zone and then draw the defense towards him as he set up Jared Spurgeon for a big shot that just missed wide. Minnesota was really buzzing around the ice, but Svedberg was rock solid making save after save and give credit to the Bruins’ defense who did a good job at sweeping away loose pucks. The Wild had to be feeling more than a little frustrating as they still trailed by one despite out shooting the Bruins 20-5 in the period. I really like what I’m seeing out of Zucker, Coyle, and the 4th line. Lots of hustle, good energy and they seem to cause fits for the Bruins everytime they’re on the ice. The abysmal power play continues to be a huge source of weakness and their performance with a long 2-man advantage where they register just a single shot on goal is inexcusable.
3rd Period Thoughts: There was a feeling of anxiety in the sellout crowd as the 3rd period began. The Bruins were content to deny time and space and just defend their zone by forcing the Wild to take shots from the perimeter. The Bruins were playing keep away and the Wild were getting tired out chasing them around the ice. After nearly 5 minutes of chasing around the Bruins they finally had a quality chance as Zucker would use his speed to get a step on the defender and then try to work a wrap around chance which was knocked away and swept up for a pass from down low that was directed on goal by Koivu which drew a rebound that Zucker pounced on to no avail. Minnesota would get called for tripping as Parise got his stick into the skates of Kevan Miller giving the Bruins a chance to kill more time on the power play. On the power play the Bruins set up a quick shot for Soderberg that was fought off by Backstrom. The Wild would manage to escape unscathed on the power play and they’d go back to work for the game-tying goal. Minnesota had another close chance as Jared Spurgeon rang a shot off the left corner of the goal. The Bruins tried to end the Wild’s comeback bid by jamming a puck through the leg pad of Backstrom. The officials waived ‘no goal’ right away, but the replay would show the puck cross the goal line and despite a review the call was upheld. Boston kept up the pressure and they came dangerously close to cashing in again as a long shot from the point trickled through and the puck sat in the blue paint for a moment before being carried away by Marco Scandella. The Wild’s persistence would be rewarded as Krecji turned the puck over at the Boston blueline and it Brodin would send the biscuit over to Suter who rifled a slap shot that was caught by Svedberg and then dropped but as Miller played it the puck was jammed off his stick by Pominville and in. 2-2 game. The Wild would then pour it on for the go-ahead goal as the Coyle, Fontaine, Niederreiter line would have a flurry of chances from in close but they were unable to get a shot by Svedberg. The last 4 minutes was spent with both teams playing rather passive, afraid to make a mistake. Each wind up drew a gasp from the sellout crowd. The Wild would be tagged for interference as Sutter made a stiff check to Craig Cunningham. On the power play the Bruins would back the Wild’s triangle closer to the crease but luckily for Minnesota they failed to take full advantage of their time and space. The Wild would escape undamaged and the game would go to overtime.
Overtime Thoughts: With a big point earned in the standings, the Wild looked a little disorganized to start overtime. The Bruins controlled the first few minutes of overtime because they were more responsible with the puck and Backstrom had to make a few saves. The Wild looked as though they were trying to protect a point and the Bruins would net the game winner on an Eriksson tap in. Sad overtime effort as a team which did so well with its younger players decided to rely on vets in OT.
Niklas Backstrom will probably be pilloried for the 2nd goal he gave up, but he had some tremendous saves too. Stopping 22 shots in the loss. The 2nd goal, which was a bouncing puck taken from beyond the blueline which just stings because the team expended so much effort just to tie the game. I thought the Wild’s lack of muscle allowed the Bruins to get too much traffic near Backstrom. Ryan Suter sort of bothered me early, lacking urgency and that helped create a slow start.
Offensively the Wild had tremendous effort from its youngsters as Coyle, Zucker, and Fontaine combined for 11 shots of Minnesota’s 37 shots on goal as we made Niklas Svedberg look like a Vezina trophy candidate. The veterans; like Koivu (1 shot) and Vanek (1 shot) aren’t carrying their weight offensively. The power play was also is a major reason for failure tonight. On a power play that had over a minute of 5-on-3 time where the club registered just one shot on goal, was more of the same. A veteran unit too passive with the puck and moving it too slowly to create a quality chance. When they finally moved the biscuit a little faster an open Mikko Koivu tried to thread a pass instead of shooting on the open net is why fans’ blood boils on almost every man advantage. Either way, it keeps costing them games and points in the standings.
In overtime, the Wild looked like a team crawling into a fetal position and hoping somehow the game would go their way. It made zero sense after putting the Bruins on their heels throughout the 2nd and most of the 3rd periods. Yet, when you consider who was out on the ice up front you get the hint some of the veterans are just sort of going through the motions or are tired. Meanwhile the kids who had been doing much of the heavy lifting are sitting on the bench while the captain who had just one shot on goal gets prime time in the extra session. What had Koivu done to deserve that kind of treatment? The deluded meritocracy of this team by pandering to the veterans who are coasting is not helping this team establish any sort of positive momentum. The point tonight is nice, but they needed two points tonight. The Bruins were a team lacking confidence themselves and the Wild gave them all the reason to believe in overtime. Inexcusable. Now the Wild have to rally back and earn a victory against a very good Nashville Predators squad who has their ace between the pipes in Pekka Rinne healthy and playing great. For the 2nd night in the row, a thoroughly demoralizing finish after creating an excellent opportunity to earn 2 points. This isn’t going to get it done.
Wild Notes:
~ The Wild roster tonight was as follows: Mikko Koivu, Thomas Vanek, Jason Pominville, Jason Zucker, Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, Zach Parise, Justin Fontaine, Kyle Brodziak, Brett Sutter, Nino Niederreiter, Ryan Suter, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, Justin Falk, Nate Prosser and Jared Spurgeon. John Curry backed up Niklas Backstrom. Stu Bickel and Christian Folin were the healthy scratches.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Niklas Svedberg, 2nd Star Jason Pominville, 3rd Star Loui Eriksson
~ Attendance was at 18,841 Xcel Energy Center.
Iowa Wild Report:
Recent Score: Iowa 5, Rockford 1
It was not your typical script for any game. The Wild would give up 59 shots on goal, and in most cases that would be a recipe for some epic blowout at their expense. The game got out to a rough start as the Ice Hogs scored early, as Matt Carey scored on a breakaway on John Curry. Little did anyone know that was the only goal the Ice Hogs would score. Curry would come up with a huge paddle save in the closing seconds of the period to keep it a 1-goal game going into the 1st intermission. Iowa would take the game back in the 2nd period and it all started with a power play goal on a rocket from the point by Jonathon Blum. Iowa would take the lead just 2 minutes later as Zack Phillips scored on a beautiful saucer feed by Jordan Schroeder to make it 2-1. The Wild would add to its lead about 6 minutes later was Jason Gregoire would tap a puck out of the air and by a stunned Michael Leighton to make it 3-1 going into the 3rd period. The Wild would swap out Curry (who was needed in Minnesota), who had made 33 saves to this point for Johan Gustafsson. Iowa would add to its lead in the 3rd as Mathew Dumba ripped a wrist shot by Leighton who was so upset he smashed his stick against his goal posts as his club now trailed 4-1. Zack Mitchell would add a shorthanded empty net goal to seal a 5-1 victory. Gustafsson had to make 25 saves of his own in the 3rd period.
Wild Prospect Report:
C – Reid Duke (Brandon, WHL) ~ The skilled center keeps playing at a point-per-game pace as he contributed a goal in the Wheat Kings 4-0 victory over Red Deer on Sunday. The Calgary-native is well on his way for a career-high pace with 10 goals, 31 points, 38 PIM’s and a +12 in 31 games.
RW – Chase Lang (Calgary, WHL) ~ The 6’1″ winger continues to pile up the points for the Hitmen this season adding a goal and an assist in Calgary’s 4-1 victory over Kelowna on Sunday. The Nanaimo, British Columbia-native has 15 goals, 31 points, 25 PIM’s and is a +9 in 28 games.
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