On October 18th, 2000 the Minnesota Wild earned its first victory in franchise history against the Tampa Bay Lightning, 6-5. The inaugural season Wild was a team of cast offs and NHL journeyman hoping to prove they were worthy to play the game at the highest level. Scoring was a major issue; afterall their top scorer from that season had just 38 points (Scott Pellerin). Even with a team with the depth of quality veterans and talented youngsters scoring is still an issue. Back in 2000, it wasn’t until the team’s 6th game before it registered its first victory. So will it be in the 6th game of the season for the Wild that they’ll finally register a power play goal? The team is 0-for-19 so far this season is one of just two teams in the league that have failed to have scored on the man advantage. It won’t be an easy task against a quality opponent like the Lightning are; and their 85.7% penalty kill.
So with pressure mounting on the team’s power play it will try to use the good vibes of a friendly crowd by lighting the lamp. However, they will have to do this early otherwise the friendly crowd may start to razz the team for its futility on the power play. However, the fans might forgive its inability to score on the man advantage if it can earn a win over the Lightning this evening. Can Minnesota keep up its solid momentum at home?
1st Period Thoughts: The opening period started out with a physical tone as both clubs were throwing their weight around whenever they could. The Wild were trying to work the puck deep to get their cycling game going but Tampa Bay’s bigger defense made that tough by tying up Minnesota forwards. Minnesota was matching the physical play as well as the up-tempo style the Lightning brought with them. A big open ice hit by Anton Stralman to level Mikael Granlund left the puck open for Jason Pominville to sweep in and he blasted a shot off the rush that struck the crossbar behind Evgeni Nabokov and out. The near miss would be followed up by Marco Scandella would go end to end and beat Nabokov short side to make it 1-0 Wild. The Wild would light the lamp again just a minute later as Thomas Vanek would sweep up a loose puck behind the Lightning goal and he’d pass it out front to Mikko Koivu who took his time before firing a wrist shot that beat Nabokov short side to make 2-0. The second tally seemed to light a fire in the Lightning and they started to really ramp up the pace of play. Nikita Kucherov would fly into the Wild zone and he’d pass a puck back to Radko Gudas who blistered a slap shot that struck the post and out. Tampa Bay would cut the Wild lead in half as Eric Brewer would hammer a shot from the point and as the Lightning crashed the crease it was Anton Stralman beating Darcy Kuemper 5-hole. 2-1 Wild. The physical play continued to be a hallmark of the period as Marco Scandella dropped the gloves with Brian Boyle. Boyle, at 6’7″ towered over the 6’3″ Scandella but the Wild defenseman was smart by keeping the big man close instead of letting it become a big swinging affair. Not a real exciting fight but good to see him stand up for himself and his teammates. Minnesota would regroup and they started to use the stretch pass to catch the Lightning in transition and it was working splendidly. Nino Niederrieter worked the puck deep and then won a battle for the loose puck and he’d pass it out front to Erik Haula who sniped a shot by Nabokov to give Minnesota its two-goal lead back, 3-1. The Wild’s defense seemed to be a step ahead of the Lightning and they were turning loose pucks into offense with great efficiency. Minnesota would add one more goal as Jason Zucker carried the puck into the Lightning zone before spinning and firing a wrist shot from the wall that caught Nabokov napping and suddenly it was 4-1 Wild. Tampa Bay bench boss Jon Cooper had seen enough and he swapped out Nabokov for Ben Bishop who was hoping to get a rest. The team received a well-deserved standing ovation as the period concluded. Minnesota out shot Tampa bay 8-4, and tied a franchise record for the most goals scored in the 1st period. I am loving the intensity and you can see the depth in the lineup as all four lines have scored this evening and they have really limited Tampa Bay’s chances. Mathew Dumba looked confident and comfortable out there and more like the dynamic defenseman we drafted. Scandella was also really playing well to this point, just an assist short of a Gordie Howe hat-trick.
2nd Period Thoughts: The period had a more cautious start than the fast and furious pace of the first. The Wild would still strike early as the top line of Granlund, Pominville and Zach Parise would light the lamp early. Parise would find a little open space and he’d fire an initial wrist shot off the skate of Pominville that came right back to him and back to the Wild’s leading scorer who’d shoot again and get by Bishop to make it 5-1. The game would slow around as the Wild seemed content to defend its lead, and the Lightning could sense it was their time to attack. The Wild started to counter punch a bit with some timely physical play and then long passes to catch the Lightning in transition. Minnesota nearly added to its lead off the rush as Jonas Brodin worked it into the offensive zone, dropping the puck off to Granlund who made a great diagonal pass to Parise for a quick shot that Bishop held onto. The Wild were happy to retreat into their own end, circle the wagons to force the Lightning to settle for shots from the perimeter and then quickly counter attack as Tampa Bay would get caught pinching. Minnesota would catch the Lightning being too aggressive and Ryan Suter sent a long pass to Thomas Vanek who had Jared Spurgeon with him in a 2-0n-1. Vanek made a perfect saucer pass beyond the outstretched stick of Brewer to Spurgeon for an easy tap in goal to make it 6-1 Wild. You could sense the frustrating building for the Lightning who are not used to being so thoroughly outplayed. Minnesota was almost toying with Tampa Bay as the top line would work a beauty of a give and go play as Parise dished to Granlund back to Parise for a one-timer that Bishop was just able to get a shoulder on it. The Wild would lose focus a bit and the Lightning would score late in the period as an Anton Stralman shot from the point was redirected perfectly by Nikita Kucherov to cut the Minnesota lead to four, 6-2. The Wild would try to answer back and Parise nearly found the back of the net but was thwarted by a fine glove save by Bishop. The Lightning would draw the first penalty of the game as Tyler Johnson turned on the jets forcing Haula to hold him. Tampa Bay’s power play had great player and puck movement, really stretching out Minnesota’s penalty kill but the Wild still managed to force the Lightning to settle for shots from the perimeter. Minnesota would hold off the Lightning to carry their 6-2 lead into the 3rd.
3rd Period Thoughts: The Wild still had about 40 seconds left on Haula’s holding penalty to kill off, but that would be compounded as Matt Cooke was called for high sticking just 4 seconds into the 3rd period to give Tampa Bay a little more than 35 seconds with a 2-man advantage. Minnesota did a good job to get sticks into passing lanes and the Wild were able to clear the zone twice to buy enough time for Haula to leave the penalty box. Minnesota’s penalty kill did a good job at keeping Tampa Bay from getting too comfortable on the power play and the Wild would escape any further damage to their lead for the time being. A big kill. The Lightning’s Brian Boyle would get called for charging as he ran Nino Niederreiter with an open ice hit. The Wild’s power play was mostly a practice in futility as the ‘old man’ group struggled to hold the zone and mostly wasted time with lazy passes. The team had a little better luck with its ‘kid’ group as they were a little less nonchalant with their passing and they’d at least create two reasonable scoring chances as Dumba stepped into a slapper that was steered aside by Bishop and then Niederreiter fanned on a nice set up from in close. 0-for-20 on the power play now. The waning minutes of the game was spent with the Wild counterattacking against the Lightning’s aggressive play and there were a number of quality scoring chances as Koivu was robbed on a brilliant glove save by Bishop. The Wild would put the Lightning back on the power play as he slashed Valterri Filppula. On the penalty did a fine job of providing timely puck pressure and the Wild would strike shorthanded. A clear of the zone by Scandella was knocked out of the air by Steven Stamkos which set up the puck perfectly for Jason Zucker. Zucker turned on the afterburners and beat Bishop with a pretty backhander to make 7-2. The goal also gave Scandella an assist allowing him to complete a Gordie Howe hat trick. Ryan Carter would get a late tripping penalty but the Wild’s penalty kill was again strong keeping the Lightning at bey to seal a 7-2 victory.
Darcy Kuemper didn’t have to make as many saves but he had some real quality stops to keep the Lightning from ever really feeling they were in this game making 17 saves in the win. Kuemper got great help from the Wild’s defenseman and forwards who did a great job at limiting the dynamic attack of the Lightning and making their most dangerous player, Steven Stamkos a non-factor. I thought the Wild got a superb game from Marco Scandella who was involved all over the ice, and another standout was some great play by Mathew Dumba who probably had his most complete game in a Minnesota uniform. He was poised, he seemed comfortable with the puck and he made good, simple plays with the puck.
Offensively the team failed to score on its lone power play chance, but the team took full advantage of some poor play in the defensive zone by the Lightning and they jumped out to a 4-1 lead to start the game. They were creating all kinds of chances off the rush and while they did not register nearly as many shots as they normally do (just 22, well short of their season average), they were finding the back of the net by taking their chances to shoot and keeping it simple on the ice. The offensive chances were coming from all four of its lines and its good to see the scoring balance throughout its lineup. Jason Zucker leading the team in goals despite playing on the 4th line is more evidence of this team’s superior depth in its lineup. Mikko Koivu played assertively tonight and that really helps the team when he’s pulling the trigger instead of eternally looking to be the set up man.
This was a quality win against one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams even if they were a little depleted after having played the night before in Winnipeg. Good teams take advantage of this and credit the Wild for keeping their foot on the gas for most of the game as they never allowed Tampa Bay to feel as though they were really in this game. The Lightning have the firepower to come back, and if the Wild had let them hang around this game could’ve haunted them. Other Wild clubs in the past may have tried to coast into this one, this club took it to Tampa Bay and dominated in just about every area of the game besides hits. Speaking of hitting, while Minnesota may take more hits than they give out the team stood up for themselves and I think Scandella’s fight was a sign the team wasn’t just going to let Tampa Bay just push them around. This team will eventually score on the power play, but its nice to know they can score at even strength to give them a chance to win most nights without it.
Wild Notes:
~ The Wild roster tonight was as follows: Mikko Koivu, Thomas Vanek, Charlie Coyle, Mikael Granlund, Zach Parise, Jason Pominville, Erik Haula, Nino Niederreiter, Justin Fontaine, Ryan Carter, Matt Cooke, Jason Zucker, Ryan Suter, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, Jared Spurgeon, Nate Prosser and Mathew Dumba. Niklas Backstrom backed up Darcy Kuemper. Kyle Brodziak was the lone healthy scratch while Keith Ballard and Christan Folin are out of the lineup with an illness.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Marco Scandella, 2nd Star Jason Zucker, 3rd Star Ryan Suter
~ Attendance was 18,884 at Xcel Energy Center.
Iowa Wild Report:
Recent Score: Iowa 1, Charlotte 5
The struggles continued for the Iowa Wild who played in front of 4,944 fans at Des Moines’ Wells Fargo Arena. Charlotte found the back of the net just 1:24 into the game as Phil DiGiuseppe scored on a tap in goal. The Checkers added to their lead 11 minutes later as John Curry struggled with a long shot before it was jammed home by Carter Sandlak. Charlotte would make it 3-0 late in the 1st on a long shot by Greg Nemisz that was too hot for Curry to handle. Iowa would show a lot more energy in the 2nd and they’d storm the area around Drew MacIntyre‘s crease and their persistence would be rewarded as Jordan Schroeder banged home a rebound off a Zack Phillips‘ shot. Trailing 3-1 the Wild really poured it on in the 2nd but just couldn’t find the back of the net again despite out shooting the Checkers 14-3. In the 3rd, the Checkers would extend their lead with a pair of goals from Brock McGinn and Chad LaRose respectively as they cruised to a 5-1 victory. Curry had 19 saves in the loss. The Iowa Wild are 0-5-0 this season.
Update: Iowa 4, Charlotte 1
Iowa answered nicely after an embarrassing effort on Friday. Jordan Schroeder scored twice in the first and Cody Almond added one more and the Wild were content to defend their lead for the rest of the game. Greg Nemisz would score in the 2nd to cut the lead to two but the Wild would add an empty netter from Kurtis Gabriel to get their first win of the season on the strength of 34 saves from Johan Gustafsson. The win snapped an 11-game winless streak at home which stretched into last season.
Wild Prospect Report:
C – Pavel Jenys (Sudbury, OHL) ~ The Sudbury Wolves may not be the best team in the OHL, but that doesn’t mean Pavel Jenys can’t find ways to shine. Jenys had 3 helpers in the Wolves’ 6-4 loss to Peterborough on Friday night. The Brno, Czech Republic-native has 3 goals, 10 points and 9 PIM’s in 13 games this season.
LW – Lou Nanne (RPI, ECAC) ~ The speedy winger lit the lamp twice in RPI’s 5-2 loss at the hands of Bentley. Nanne leads the Engineers with 3 points in 5 games played this season.
LW – Mario Lucia (Notre Dame, H-East) ~ The lanky winger had a more modest Friday evening, contributing just a single assist as the Fighting Irish rolled to a 6-3 victory over Niagara. He would add another goal and an assist Saturday night. Lucia leads Notre Dame in scoring with 6 goals, 8 points in 6 games this season.
C – Adam Gilmour (Boston College, H-East) ~ Anchoring the Eagles’ top line, the big centerman renewed his role as the set up man as he chipped in two assists in Friday’s 6-2 win over Colorado College. Gilmour followed it up with an even bigger night on Saturday against the UMass Minutemen where he found the back of the net twice as well as chipping in an assist to complete a 5-point (2 goals, 3 assist) weekend.
RW – Alex Tuch (Boston College, H-East) ~ Playing on that top line with Gilmour is Minnesota’s 1st round selection from the 2014 draft and there are signs the power forward is developing some chemistry with his peers as he added 2 assists in the Eagles victory. Tuch has 2 goals and 4 points in 4 games this season.
C – Reid Duke (Brandon, WHL) ~ The goals keep coming for the Calgary-native as he found the back of the net twice in a 8-5 win over Kamloops Friday night. Duke has 4 goals, 9 points and 8 PIM’s in 9 games played this season.
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