Roller coasters are normally good fun, but when its meant to be a metaphor of your emotions it may not be the most comfortable ride. That certainly was the case this week with the Minnesota Wild, where they looked lethargic and out of sync in a sad 3-0 loss to Winnipeg early in the week to then having one of their best efforts of the season in an exciting 3-2 thriller against the Carolina Hurricanes.
What happened?
Unlike their game against the Jets, where the Minnesota Wild let Winnipeg get into their head with scrums after the whistle the team stayed more focused on the task at hand. The Wild moved their feet and went to the tough areas of the ice instead of socially distancing from it like they did against the Jets and the result was a 3-2 victory.
Kirill Kaprizov probably felt like he was the only skater that showed up against Winnipeg as he registered 7 shots on goal, tonight he had lots of help and he helped add some excitement with a great rebound goal early in the 3rd period. Mats Zuccarello turned and found Kaprizov with a perfect pass as the Russian winger was in full afterburner to fly by Carolina’s defenseman for a shot on goal that was dismissed by Frederik Andersen but he couldn’t stop Kaprizov from lifting the rebound to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead.
A few minutes after that, Kevin Fiala made a great play to intercept a pass near the Wild blueline and then skated into the Hurricanes’ zone with speed before dropping a pass back to Frederic Gaudreau who moved in and wired a wrister off the rush for what turned out to be the game winning tally.
Fiala had his own highlight moment when he sniped a shot short side that seemed to catch Andersen by surprise to break the 0-0 stalemate. In other words, the Wild’s star players led the way. Gaudreau also seemed to have a bit more jump in his skates and along with Fiala and Matt Boldy were Minnesota’s most dangerous line most of the game.
Minnesota’s defense also had a bit more cohesion with the return of Matt Dumba to the lineup and the Wild seemed to be more under control on its breakouts.
The game still had plenty of close calls and nail biting moments as Cam Talbot had to be sharp with the ever opportunistic Hurricanes always roving near the crease. Andrei Svechnikov had two goals for Carolina and nearly had a hat trick in the closing seconds of the game but he fanned on a puck lying in the blue paint.
Whereas the game against the Jets was a slog as Winnipeg sat back in a passive 1-2-2 after they took the lead, the Wild game against Carolina was a wide open affair with both clubs trading rushes with one another. Time and space were still tough to come by, but Carolina’s aggressiveness gave the Wild opportunities to counter attack which were not really possible against the Jets.
Tonight’s win in regulation should feel good. However, it won’t have too much time to rest as the gauntlet is about to begin as the team has 5 games in 7 days this week starting with a Valentine’s Day match up against the Detroit Red Wings.
So like they say in the show Letterkenny, pitter patter, let’s get at ‘er!
What did you think of this week’s slate of Minnesota Wild games? Tell us on Twitter at @CreaseAndAssist!
Iowa Wild trade Andrew Hammond, Mitchell Chaffee and Marco Rossi’s hot streak continues
Trades are part of the business of any professional sport, but I can’t imagine it is an easy thing to experience. Human beings are creatures of habit and we usually take comfort in knowing where we are going to work each day.
So it probably was a bit unsettling for Andrew Hammond, aka the Hamburglar to learn that he was being traded to Montreal in exchange for energy center Brandon Baddock. Baddock’s role seems rather obvious as a 6’3″, 218lbs winger who has 3 goals, 4 assists and 77 PIM’s in 33 games with the Laval Rocket this season.
Obviously, the Iowa Wild felt they could use more size and toughness for what is going to be a grind for a playoff spot in an always tough Central Division. Baddock will also help ease some of the ‘enforcing’ burden to 37-year old Cody McLeod who has been the consummate veteran leader for Iowa since he arrived last season.
The solid play of Zane McIntyre made Hammond somewhat expendable but I felt the Hamburglar’s presence along with McIntyre gave the organization good veteran depth between the pipes. So it would seem likely that youngsters Hunter Jones and / or Dereck Baribeau returns to occupy that backup role.
On a more positive note, the Iowa Wild have enjoyed a nice offensive boost since the return of Mitchell Chaffee. The former UMass Minutemen star has been outstanding for Iowa, scoring 10 goals, 7 assists in 20 games for the Wild this season. He has had terrific chemistry on a line with Mason Shaw and Marco Rossi who currently sits 15th in the American Hockey League in scoring with 14 goals, 23 assists and 37 points in .
This line has really been Iowa Wild bench boss Tim Army‘s go-to scoring option for the last 11-12 games. The strong play of this group has led to a bit of a resurgence to Iowa’s power play which took a hit with the promotion of Matt Boldy to the big club. The better the power play performs, the more success the team has as a whole.
Iowa Wild (20-17-3-2) 45pts 3rd in the AHL Central
20.6% Power Play (11th in the AHL)
86.3% Penalty Kill (2nd in the AHL)
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #23 Marco Rossi ~ 14G 23A = 37pts
2. #18 Mason Shaw ~ 12G 18A = 30pts
3. #42 Kyle Rau ~ 12G 17A = 29pts
4. #11 Adam Beckman ~ 7G 16A = 23pts
5. #27 Joe Hicketts ~ 7G 15A = 22pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #55 Cody McLeod ~ 103 PIM’s
2. #18 Mason Shaw ~ 75 PIM’s
3. #5 Dakota Mermis ~ 51 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #70 Zane McIntyre (9-5-0) 2.37GAA .916%
2. #92 Hunter Jones (2-3-1) 2.81GAA .909%
3. #30 Dereck Baribeau (4-7-1) 3.10GAA .903%
Wild Prospect Report:
D – Simon Johansson (Ilves, Sm-Liiga) ~ The lanky, 22-year old defenseman had a power play goal and an assist in Ilves’ 5-3 victory over HPK. Johansson has 6 goals, 17 assists, 23 points, 16 PIM’s and is a +9 in 43 games.
D – Daemon Hunt (Moose Jaw, WHL) ~ Wearing the ‘C’ for the Warriors, he earned 2nd star honors Friday night with a goal and an assist in Moose Jaw’s against Prince Albert. Hunt has 13 goals, 13 assists, 26 points, 30 PIM’s and is a +9 in 33 games.
LW – Vladislav Firstov (UConn, H-East) ~ The skilled winger is heating up offensively as he had two assists in the Huskies’ 6-4 victory over Boston College. Firstov has 9 goals, 10 assists, 19 points, 14 PIM’s and is +9 in 25 games.
D – Marshall Warren (Boston College, H-East) ~ The mobile defenseman had an assist in Boston College’s 6-4 loss to UConn on Friday night. Warren has 4 goals, 12 assists, 16 points, 8 PIM’s and is a -2 in 27 games.
D – Jack Peart (St. Cloud State, NCHC) ~ Freshman defenseman continues to impress as he had an assist in St. Cloud State’s against Western Michigan. Peart has 2 goals, 13 assists, 15 points, 22 PIM’s and is a +2 in 21 games.
D – Carson Lambos (Winnipeg, WHL) ~ Minnesota’s second 1st round selection had two assists on 4 shots in Winnipeg’s 8-2 dismantling of Swift Current on Saturday. Lambos has 7 goals, 15 assists, 22 points, 26 PIM’s and is +29 in 23 games.
LW / C – Pavel Novak (Kelowna, WHL) ~ The pesky forward earned 1st star honors by scoring a hat trick (including the game winning goal) and adding a helper in Kelowna’s 5-4 overtime win against the Tri City Americans. Novak has 22 goals, 30 assists, 52 points, 8 PIM’s and is a +23 in 38 games.
LW / C – Caeden Bankier (Kamloops, WHL) ~ Bankier had a goal on 3 shots and went 4-for-6 on his draws in Kamloops’ 5-4 shootout victory over Everett. Surrey, British Columbia-native has 15 goals, 23 assists, 38 points, 18 PIM’s and is a +9 in 46 games.
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