Last night, I finally had a little time to watch my DVD of the Minnesota Wild which has two of the biggest games of the franchises history. I had never really watched those games since I saw them when they originally aired back in 2000 and 2003 respectively. The first game featured a 6-0 stomping of Dallas during its inaugural season in their first game against the Wild played in Minnesota and the 2nd game was Game 7 of the 2003 Western Conference Quarterfinals which ended in an improbable victory for the upstart Wild over Patrick Roy and the Colorado Avalanche. A few things stood out to me as I watched those games. The level of obstruction in terms of hooking, holding and water skiing all over the ice was absolutely atrocious back then, and the Wild showed outstanding resiliency and perseverance in those respective games. Against Dallas, the Wild gave the Stars who were Stanley Cup runner up the season before 6 power plays and did not allow a goal. Meanwhile against Colorado, the Avalanche had one of the most potent lineups in the league featuring Roy, Joe Sakic, Rob Blake and Peter Forsberg. The Wild and most notably goaltender Manny Fernandez who stood on his head in both games bent but didn’t break defensively and took advantage of their few scoring chances. There is sort of a sense of irony as news comes around stating that Forsberg practiced with the Avalanche this morning. Big goals in big games, solid play on special teams, and a full-team effort allowed the Wild to beat the odds to win those games. Those same traits will be needed tonight against the San Jose Sharks who like the Wild have 53 points in the standings and are doing whatever they can to battle their way into the Western Conference playoff picture.
The Wild have been more focused away from the Xcel Energy Center and hopefully they can have another solid road game this evening. The Sharks have been far more vulnerable defensively this season and neither of its Finnish-born goaltenders have been able to give them the stability between the pipes that they had with Evgeni Nabokov. Speaking of the former Sharks’ long-time goaltender and all time leader in wins for the franchise the goaltender has returned from the Kontinental Hockey League where he was placed on waivers as some thought he was going to end up with the Detroit Red Wings. Yet as teams were worse than the Red Wings were having the opportunity to pluck Nabokov off waivers, the New York Islanders decided to claim the Russian goalie. TSN and later the NHL then reported that Nabokov was going to refuse to report to Long Island, which will likely mean the team will suspend him and then move him at their leisure. We shall see how the rest of this Long Island goaltender drama plays out. Will Minnesota be able to keep its momentum rolling tonight in the Shark tank? Or will they cause the Sharks to have a feeding frenzy?
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1st Period Thoughts: You could sense the level of tension right from the drop of the puck. Both teams recognizing the importance of this game as they both sat virtually tied in the league standings. Neither club was suffering for hustle as they flew around the ice and forwards were backchecking to take away offensive chances early. When Matt Cullen got tagged for hooking I was really nervous as the San Jose Sharks power play was really clicking. It moved the puck with good crisp passes and they really had Minnesota’s penalty killers moving and Niklas Backstrom had plenty of traffic near his crease. The Wild were able to get their sticks on some of the passes and thanks to a little luck as Logan Couture rang a point shot off the post, Minnesota would come way unscathed. I thought Minnesota was playing smart, wasting little time making quick little passes to keep the puck moving and elude a very physical Sharks forecheck. The Wild would get behind the 8-ball on a total rocket of a slapper by Couture who beat Backstrom who had no chance on a puck with that kind of heat on it and it was at this point I thought we may see the Wild fall apart. That didn’t happen, Minnesota showed resiliency. They drew a penalty through hard work and hustle in the Sharks’ zone when Douglas Murray cross checked Matt Cullen in frustration. Minnesota moved the puck well on the power play, but the Sharks penalty kill was aggressive but their overanxious play would cost them as Couture gave the team a too-many men penalty. Minnesota sensing a huge opportunity called a timeout, probably as much for a brief rest as it was to talk things over and to their credit they executed and they set up Koivu for a wicked one-timer which beat Antti Niemi cleanly. The Wild were able to create a few more scoring chances late and had to feel good being tied at 1-1 going into the 2nd. Brad Staubitz was really flying all over the ice; almost recklessly as he wanted to throw the body around, and Clayton Stoner stepped up to give Benn Ferriero a pretty nice hit in open ice.
2nd Period Thoughts: This period was a lot like a roller coaster. A few highs for the Wild, but was better personified by some big momentum surges by the Sharks who really had Minnesota on its heels early in the 2nd period. The Sharks were really swarming, moving their feet and peppering Niklas Backstrom with shots but he was reading the play very well. Backstrom bailed the team out a few times with some great work post-to-post to deny some attempts by San Jose to work the back door play. San Jose would score two goals from Devin Setoguchi in quick succession as he ripped a slapper that Backstrom had no chance on as he stopped the initial chance and the rebound popped out to the Sharks sniper who drilled it by him. The 2nd goal happened on the power play after a blast from the point by Joe Pavelski that was redirected by Setoguchi that had his stick about level with the crossbar to make he deflection. It was reviewed and I’d have to agree with the call since there really was nothing conclusive in the replay to overturn it in my opinion. I really started to wonder how much worse it was going to get for the Wild who seemed to be on the verge of being routed. Yet again they would start to rally back with the help of another power play. This time the team moved in off the rush and a nice little saucer pass by Cullen to Mikko Koivu who skated right down the slot before unleashing a backhander that just snuck through Niemi to cut the Sharks lead to one, 3-2. Both teams traded some chances late with the Sharks still piling up most of the shots while the Wild waited for opportunities to counter attack. Backstrom was very solid down the stretch and the Minnesota defenseman were doing a good job at helping the team mount a rush the other way. I really liked the hustle of Mikko Koivu in this game to this point, but one player who needed a dose of urgency is Martin Havlat who seemed to be a ghost on the ice. The Sharks really seemed to be hooking all game and neither NHL referee Brad Meier or Steve Kozari seemed interested in making any calls.
3rd Period Thoughts: The Sharks would get a bit more breathing room early in the period on an unfortunate turnover where Jamie McGinn managed to gather and pass to Joe Thornton who passed it over to Ferriero who dangled around a sprawling Backstrom for an easy goal, 4-2 San Jose. Minnesota could’ve easily folded at this point but they kept battling. The Sharks seemed content to defend their lead and Minnesota started to pour it on. Martin Havlat started to emerge as a player with some offensive initiative as the Wild started to attack in waves. The team was really showing a sense or urgency as they were diving for pucks, enduring the big hits to make plays. I have to say I was really proud of the effort and determination they had. Clayton Stoner really stepped up his game down the stretch, absorbing many of the minutes normally reserved for Nick Schultz who did not play in the 3rd due to an upper body injury. Jared Spurgeon was also giving the team solid minutes on the blueline, and while he would never be mistaken for a physical presence he was making smart plays with the puck and helping the Wild move the puck out of its zone. However really taking his game to another level was Brent Burns who seemed to embrace the responsibility of picking the team up on his shoulders and his solo rush up the ice where he dangled around a few defenders was a thing of beauty. Minnesota’s persistence would pay off as a flurry near the net would work its way out to the right faceoff dot where Brent Burns pinched into the slot for a quick shot and then gathered up the rebound and ripped a 2nd shot over a sprawling Niemi to cut the lead to one with just over 3 minutes left. The Wild tried to press for the equalizer but it just didn’t seem to have the legs left to make it happen and they fell 4-3.
Niklas Backstrom was very good, making 38 saves in a losing effort. He gave this team a chance to stay in the game at points where it really did not deserve it. That’s all you can really ask from your goaltender and he played very well with lots of traffic near his crease all night long. Defensively the team struggled at times, but they also showed some good strength and resiliency as well. The penalty kill finally gave up a goal, but overall I felt the defense played pretty well. Especially when it went a man short when Schultz went down with an injury. The forwards were helping defensively pretty well but at times the team was getting caught chasing around its own end. A few times I noticed Cam Barker and Jared Spurgeon on the same side of the ice, and the Wild were lucky that overcommitment didn’t come back to haunt them. Barker did not have a good night, but the team will be forced to play him more minutes, especially if Schultz is out for any length of time. Luckily there is only one more game before the All Star break.
Offensively the Wild again relished the role of being counter punchers, but most of their best scoring chances came off the power play. Mikko Koivu is raising his game and being assertive offensively and that can only be good news for the Wild. He can be a scorer when he wants to be and the team needs him to be a regular contributor to the score sheet. Martin Havlat really only had a few glimpses of offensive flare in this game, and the physical way San Jose played against him seemed to really prevent him from being involved in this game. I know he only registered a single assist, but I thought Pierre-Marc Bouchard played another solid game and did not seem bothered by the physical style of the Sharks as much as I thought he’d be. Lastly, Brent Burns really is showing elite offensive ability. A 3-point night for Burns is another example of just how skilled he is and how important he is to the Wild’s offense.
The loss really stings. The Sharks now leap frog the Wild in the standings and another promising winning streak comes to an end. The Wild fall to 10th in the standings as they are one point behind the Colorado Avalanche who lost 6-2 to the Bruins this afternoon. Minnesota finishes this 4-game road trip by traveling to Chicago to take on the still very dangerous Blackhawks squad which won 4-1 today over Detroit. Minnesota needs to put this game behind it and just focus on working as hard as it can and hopefully be rewarded for their effort.
Wild Notes:
~ Wild roster for tonight is as follows: Mikko Koivu, Andrew Brunette, Antti Miettinen, Eric Nystrom, John Madden, Chuck Kobasew, Brad Staubitz, Kyle Brodziak, Matt Cullen, Cal Clutterbuck, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Martin Havlat, Cam Barker, Jared Spurgeon, Nick Schultz, Greg Zanon, Clayton Stoner and Brent Burns. Jose Theodore backed up Niklas Backstrom. Marco Scandella and Cody Almond were the healthy scraches tonight. Marek Zidlicky (shoulder), James Sheppard (knee) and Guillaume Latendresse (groin & sports hernia) are still on injured reserve.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Devin Setoguchi, 2nd Star Brent Burns, 3rd Star Jamie McGinn
~ Attendance for tonight’s game was 17,562 at the HP Pavilion.
~ I also hope the Minnesota Wild have not forgotten about a few players who have been tryouts at the team’s annual prospect camp. Some of those youngsters who participated in the camp are having outstanding seasons with their respective clubs and I will mention a few that I hope Minnesota acts on and offers these guys a contract as soon as they can.
1. Tyler Johnson (Spokane, WHL) – The smallish (5’9″, 175lbs) center is having an outstanding overage season with the Chiefs as the 2nd leading scorer in the WHL with 36 goals and 75 points in just 45 games! Johnson may not be the greatest skater out there but he can finish and set up his teammates, both are commodities that are needed for any team.
2. Justin Fontaine (Minnesota-Duluth, WCHA) – The skilled senior winger (5’11, 175lbs) has having another strong season with the Bulldogs with 15 goals, and 33 points in 24 games which is good for 2nd on the team in scoring and is a big reason UMD is one of the top offensive teams in the nation. The Wild need finishers and Fontaine has tremendous hands in and around the net.
3. Matt Read (Bemidji State, WHCA) – The season has been one of transition for Matt Read (5’10”, 185lbs) and the first-year WCHA member Bemidji State but the senior forward has been heating up offensively as of late. His best asset is his ability to finish (15 goals, 23 points in 23 games) and those types of players are in short supply in the Wild’s prospect pool so he’d be a terrific addition for that purpose.
Houston Aeros Report:
~ The Houston Aeros continue their winning ways, earning their 4th straight victory in a 3-1 win over in-state rival Texas Stars on Friday night at Houston’s Toyota Center. Former Houston Aeros’ Alum (during their WHA days) “Mr. Hockey” Gordie Howe was in attendance to drop the ceremonial first puck and Mike Yeo‘s squad did not disappoint the hockey legend. Just 3:35 in the first period, Gordie must have appreciated the toughness shown by the Aeros’ Jarod Palmer who took a cheap hit by Raymond Sawada and then dropped the gloves and forced the Dallas winger to answer for his hit in a spirited fight before the smaller Palmer hauled Sawada to the ice. The Stars would jump out to a 1-0 lead on a power play goal by Mike Neal (brother of Dallas Stars’ James Neal) but the Aeros would answer back with a goal of their own just 5 minutes later when Patrick O’Sullivan threaded a pass to Casey Wellman who scored his first goal since returning from injury 19 games ago. Houston would take the lead in the 2nd period with the help of the man advantage when Robbie Earl found some space in the Stars’ zone before rifling a wrister by former Colorado College star Richard Bachman , 2-1 Aeros. As the Stars really started to pour it on towards the end of the game they would pull Bachman for an extra attacker. With less than a minute left, there was some controversy as the Stars attempted to stall to buy their players some time to rest before calling a timeout. This prompted part-time NHL referee, and the first European raised referee in NHL history Marcus Vinnerborg to intercede and call a delay of game on the Stars’ bench and he disallowed their request for a timeout. Needless to say that Texas Stars Head Coach Glen Gulutzan was absolutely furious at the call and his mood would not get much better because shortly after that the Aeros captain Jon DiSalvatore sealed the game with an empty netter. Matthew Hackett was tremendous between the pipes for the Aeros, piling up 30 saves in the victory. The Aeros play the Lake Erie Monsters tonight in Cleveland.
~ The Houston Aeros did not have any Hall of Famers visiting like they did last night, but they still managed to earn a huge victory as they held on for a 2-1 win on the road against the Lake Erie Monsters. The Aeros got on the board first when Robbie Earl found some space and he managed to sneak a shot underneath the arm of John Grahame to give Houston a 1-0 lead. Houston would add another late in the 2nd period, on the power play as Warren Peters redirected a shot by Jon DiSalvatore to give Houston a 2-0 lead going into the 3rd. The Aeros were not nearly as sharp as they were the previous night, and they gave the Monsters two 5-on-3 power plays but to their credit their penalty kill as well as Anton Khudobin delivered big time to keep Lake Erie off the scoreboard until midway through the 3rd period when Mark Van der Gulik finally managed to tap home a rebound but that would be it. The Aeros penalty kill stopped all 5 Monsters’ power plays, and Khudobin had 25 saves in the victory. Houston travels to Toronto to play the Marlies tomorrow in a late-afternoon tilt.
Wild Prospect Report:
RW – Dylan McKinlay ~ Chilliwack Bruins (WHL)
2010-11 Stats: 28GP 4G 9A = 13pts 31 PIM’s -4
McKinlay has finally returned to the Bruins lineup after sustaining a shoulder injury early in the season. It has been a slow start since returning and the Bruins are a team that does not have much top end offense beyond Ryan Howse, a Calgary Flames’ prospect. McKinlay is normally a key contributor as a secondary scorer but so far his injury seems to have hindered him significantly. He must add muscle to his very frail frame which is generously listed at 6’0, 162lbs. The extra strength will help him along the wall, and make him more resilient to the hits he receives as players attempt to line him up for big bodychecks because of his lack of weight. Chilliwack hosts 2010 Tampa Bay 1st rounder Brett Connolly and the Prince George Cougars this evening.
LW – Brett Bulmer ~ Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
2010-11 Stats: 45GP 17G 24A = 41pts 70 PIM’s -7
The team’s most exciting prospect in the CHL, Brett Bulmer continues to show improvement. The 6’3″, 175lbs power forward is 3rd on the Rockets’ in scoring as they attempt to overcome of its poorest starts in recent memory. Bulmer is starting to find himself on the score sheet each night and Friday was no different as he posted 2 assists and 4 penalty minutes as his team cruised to a 6-3 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds. Just 3 of this goals have come on the man advantage, and on the power play he uses his power and stickhandling to draw defenders towards him to set up linemates like the highly touted 2011 draft hopeful Shane McColgan. Bulmer and the Rockets will have their hands full in stopping the Spokane Chiefs in Spokane tonight. (UPDATE: Bulmer had two goals and an assist including the game winner in a 5-3 win against Spokane this evening.)
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