Vancouver 5, Minnesota 1
Jose Theodore had 30 saves in the loss. From the start of the game, Theodore found himself under siege as the Vancouver were determined to use their speed to take advantage of a tired Minnesota team that had played the night before. I know he gave up 5 goals, but he kept Minnesota in the game for a lot longer than it should have been. Many of the opportunities he faced were from the top of the crease as Vancouver repeatedly sent forwards towards him looking for the quick redirect on goal. I thought Theodore looked solid enough and even though the game got out of hand at the end I think that was more indicative of his defense wearing down in front of him than poor focus on his part. Was it the best Wild debut ever between the pipes, no, but it certainly demonstrated Minnesota had a competent backup as this game could’ve been far more one-sided than it was.
Defensively the Wild were chasing the Canucks all night long. Vancouver is a team that possesses superior speed and they used quick passing to stretch out Minnesota’s defense and create those crash-the-crease scoring chances. I thought Clayton Stoner had a reasonable game considering he’s been spending time in the pressbox as of late, had a fairly solid game. He made simple smart plays by using the glass to work the puck out of the Wild’s zone. He also got involved physically by dropping the gloves with Guillaume Desbiens and he more than held his own as he really was throwing some great righhanded haymakers. I thought towards the end this group got exhausted and that’s when the Canucks began to pull away. I would also prefer to see Brent Burns use his body a bit more than resorting to poke checks. While I know he may be hoping to avoid a concussion he is at his best in my opinion when he’s asserting himself physically. He has the frame and the athleticism to do it. Marek Zidlicky was the only member of the blueline that showed any ability to help support the offense and he exhibited a little jump as well.
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Offensively, the Wild really didn’t have much all game long. Even on the power play, the Wild struggled. To Vancouver’s credit, they were pressuring the puck carrier and Minnesota struggled to get set up in the offensive zone as the Canucks were shadowing well all the way through the neutral zone. When Minnesota did manage to get the puck into the zone the Canucks were physical and working well to muck the play up along the boards. The result was a disjointed power play that was unable to provide much in the way of scoring chances on Cory Schneider. When the Wild finally started to assert itself physically it was too late, but that was precisely how they got their lone goal; on a quick shot by Antti Miettinen. You could see the strong physical presence of the Canucks even affecting the Wild’s confidence as at one point Andrew Brunette found himself all alone in the slot and instead of taking a shot he dished the puck to Miettinen for a far lower percentage shot from the right faceoff dot. The Wild went 0-for-3 on the man advantage but I wouldn’t be too depressed. Matt Cullen and the Wild power play will get back on track although the Canucks provided a formula how to limit its ability to create scoring chances.
Wild Head Coach Todd Richards did not look too happy from the bench, as his team appeared lethargic. The Wild certainly need better performances from the following players. Most notably from one of the team’s most expensive forwards in Martin Havlat. Havlat spent most of the game floating about the ice at Rogers Arena and very much uninvolved. On one sequence his lack of hustle cost the team a potential scoring chance and then as the Canucks’ counter attacked his lack of focus backchecking allowed a Jannik Hansen pass to sneak through to Manny Malhotra for his 2nd goal of the game. Havlat must be one of the Wild’s best players each night and while he may be 4th on the team in scoring his effort is notoriously inconsistent. Another player who appears lost in the Wild lineup is Chuck Kobasew. Kobasew is a player who has 20-goal potential but he looks as though he is languishing as he takes shifts on the team’s 3rd and 4th lines. The Calgary, Alberta-native is one of the faster players in the Wild’s lineup and the team could use his speed especially on the forecheck.
Overall Minnesota fans are going to expect a better effort and the Canucks played like a team that expects to be at the top of the Northwest Division. The Wild are not talented nor fast enough to give an effort like the did Friday and expect to win. The loss was disappointing but in some ways it was predictable after winning two games in a row. Hopefully they can bring a better effort as they begin a 5-game homestand with a game against the Los Angeles Kings Monday night.
Wild Notes:
~ Wild roster last night was the following: Mikko Koivu, Andrew Brunette, Antti Miettinen, Martin Havlat, Matt Cullen, Guillaume Latendresse, Kyle Brodziak, Chuck Kobasew, John Madden, Brad Staubitz, Eric Nystrom, Cal Clutterbuck, Brent Burns, Greg Zanon, Marek Zidlicky, Clayton Stoner, Justin Falk and Nick Schultz. Niklas Backstrom backed up Jose Theodore between the pipes for the Wild. Cam Barker was out of the lineup with an ankle injury and Pierre-Marc Bouchard is still hopeful of a return in the next few weeks.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Manny Malhotra, 2nd Star Jannik Hansen, 3rd Star Cory Schneider
Wild Prospect Report:
LW – Jason Zucker ~ University of Denver Pioneers (WCHA)
2010-11 Stats: 5GP 2G 1A = 3pts 4 PIM’s
Jason Zucker is off to a nice start in his freshman season with the Pioneers acclimating to the increased speed of the college game after his junior playing days with the U.S. National Development program (USHL). Zucker had a memorable night last evening, scoring his first two goals of his collegiate career, including the game winner in a 4-2 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers. The Las Vegas, Nevada-native has tremendous speed and is currently playing on the Pioneers’ 2nd line. Even though he is known more for his ability to be a shut down winger he has demonstrated an ability to score clutch goals and his great speed always makes him a threat to score in transition.
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