For grown ups, the holidays are often a nice excuse to return home to the comforts of family. It entails packing up into the car, driving some untold distance and then sort of getting reacquainted with the family members you have not seen in a while. At least this is what happens if you’re lucky. The holidays can sometimes be a time of realizing how difficult things are; whether financially speaking or you might be far away from your family serving our country and now you’ve just been reminded of how much you miss home. Not to be too much of a downer, but it also often exhibits some of the best in us all as people volunteer time, food to try to help those that may be having difficulty during this time of year. At the local high school I work at, we hold an annual food drive where for our school’s modest size we collect a ton of food to help families in our community. Literally tons and tons of food, in some years its been well over 30,000lbs of food. The truth is, as great as that amount is, it does not last long. In fact, that food barely lasts a month at the local community food shelf and I don’t live in a big city either. Just a community of a little over 4,000 people. Thanksgiving should be more about that, that is being appreciative of those around us and truly giving to those that may be struggling at this time, than about what you’re going to do on Black Friday. At least that is this writer’s opinion.
Another group of people making a reunion back to their greater family is the Minnesota Wild as they return to the friendly confines of the Xcel Energy Center. After a 3-game road trip the team has to be feeling good after going 2-1. Meanwhile the Los Angeles Kings, the defending Stanley Cup champion have been battling inconsistency as they’ve gone 5-2-3 over their last 10 games.
The Kings will be a bit angry after losing 4-3 to the Predators in overtime last night. Their road woes have been holding them back a little despite having a very deep and talented roster. The Wild will hopefully have the advantage of a full-day of rest (since they did not practice yesterday). Can the Wild deliver a little pre-Thanksgiving treat for the fans across the State of Hockey?
1st Period Thoughts: The fireworks started early as Charlie Coyle got blasted to the ice by a big hit by Los Angeles’ Brayden McNabb, but it didn’t stop there as moments after the big hit Nino Niederreiter and Matt Greene would throw a few gloved punches at one another. Both players would be sent to the penalty box. With the ice a bit more open the Wild tried to raise the tempo, but despite creating a few turnovers in the neutral zone they would cough up the puck and Minnesota would find itself on its heels a bit. The Kings’ had a great chance as Anze Kopitar released a wrist shot that hit Darcy Kuemper and bounced up into the air and nearly dropped down onto the back of Kuemper and into the net but instead trickled off to the side. The Wild was a bit careless with the puck at times and this led to turnovers where the Kings were quick to counter attack. After the penalties had expired, it was a turnover that led to the Kings’ first goal as Dwight King let go of a wrist shot that surprised Kuemper a bit as it worked through a screen provided by Mike Richards to trickle through. Richards would be credited with the goal, 1-0 Kings. Even after Richards’ goal, the Wild were opting for long stretch passes that were intercepted easily by the defensively conscious Kings. Minnesota’s ‘2nd’ line of Thomas Vanek, Mikko Koivu and Jason Zucker would try to answer back as Koivu won a battle for the puck along the boards and he’d drop a pass to Vanek who dangled around a defender before blasting a slap shot wide of the mark. The Kings were hustling well, winning a lot of the races to the loose pucks, and at times the Wild added to their anxiety as Kuemper misplayed a weak shot taken from beyond the blueline by Kyle Clifford and instead of getting the whistle the puck and his stick was knocked into the corner. After a few more anxious seconds along the wall the Wild were able to get the puck out of their own end. Minnesota was trying to use its speed to gain some time and space; as Ryan Suter drove deep before threading a pass cross ice to Jason Pominville who then sent it back across to Mikael Granlund who fanned on a one-timer but as that happened the officials would blow the whistle for a penalty. Zach Parise was tagged with a goal interference penalty that received the nervous disapproval of the home crowd. Minnesota’s penalty killers did a good job of providing pressure on the puck carrier and never letting them feel settled enough and making it difficult for the Kings to get set up in the Wild’s zone. The penalty killers would take their chance to go on the attack shorthanded as Justin Fontaine and Erik Haula combined for a nice rush with Haula gaining a step and firing a heavy wrist shot that was fought off by Martin Jones. Haula continued to create chances with his tremendous speed as he outlegged an icing and then he’d take the puck and without any better options he’d fire a shot on goal that Jones managed to knock down and cover up. The Kings were patient and after Jared Spurgeon‘s shot was blocked in the offensive zone the Kings would counter with a 2-on-1 of their own as Dustin Brown and Justin Williams and as Brown entered the zone he’d pull the trigger on a wrist shot that trickled through the pads of Kuemper and just like that it was 2-0 Los Angeles. The Wild tried to answer back, again using speed to create openings as Niederreiter would race into the Kings’ end and he’d rip a heavy wrist shot that was blocked away by Jones. Moments after that it was Coyle sending a cross-ice pass to a wide open Haula coming down the slot but his shot would miss high and wide. Minnesota was able to create some opportunities, as Vanek found a little space as he took a backhand pass from Koivu and his backhand bid was steered away by Jones. In an eerie parallel to the Kings’ last goal, it would start out in similar fashion as Nate Prosser‘s shot from the point was blocked by Tyler Toffoli and he’d race off in the other direction in another 2-on-1 with Jeff Carter. Toffoli, like Brown earlier patiently closed in and then waited for Kuemper to commit by chasing out if his crease before beating him with a backhander. 3-0 Kings with the animosity of the home crowd rising steadily at the ease at which Los Angeles was scoring. Los Angeles wasn’t done yet, as the Kings’ Dustin Brown would move in and feed a simple pass to Williams in the slot and he’d take a quick shot that beat Kuemper who was a complete sieve to this point. Williams goal came with just 10 seconds left in the period, and they’d be more than content to take their 4-0 lead into the intermission. Kuemper had 6 saves on 10 shots. The Wild were again of being too fancy with the puck instead of just taking what the Kings were giving them and keeping things simple. I would be shocked if the Wild didn’t swap out Kuemper for Niklas Backstrom. The veterans are looking slow tonight, and if I were Mike Yeo I’d let them sit and let their youngsters lead the way a bit. I really think it was foolish to keep Kuemper in after that 2nd goal, which was a weak goal on an unscreened Kuemper. He may regret the choice to have him finish out the period.
2nd Period Thoughts: The 2nd period would see Backstrom between the pipes for Kuemper. The Kings would press early, testing Backstrom with a number of shots including a slap shot from Drew Doughty that the veteran Finn gloved. Minnesota appeared to be a step or two slow as the Kings controlled the offensive zone. Lots of standing and reaching by the Wild wasn’t helping them defend let alone provide any kind of counter attack. When the Wild finally regrouped; they struggled to generate much more than a shot on goal per rush. Another area the Wild had issues was in the faceoff circle as the Kings were winning 2 draws for every one won by Minnesota. The Wild would start to generate more offensive chances as the period went along, but not nearly enough shots were ending up on goal. They had a few quality chances as Niederreiter corralled a long shot before sweeping the rebound on goal that was controlled by Jones. A power play about 3/4ths through the period was an opportunity to get back into the game and while they didn’t overhandle the puck when they did finally take the chance to shoot those taking the shots were not Minnesota’s most potent shooters and Jones and the Kings penalty killers were able to keep the Wild from having any rebounds to pounce on. The Wild simply did not seem to have a lot of energy.
3rd Period Thoughts: The Kings’ lockdown of the Wild continued without much difficulty as they patiently hustled when they needed to challenge shooters and deflect away possible shots on goal. The Wild just couldn’t appear to escape the Kings’ puck pressure. The Kings were physical at the right moments to muscle Minnesota forwards off the puck and the crowd seemed to fall asleep. Long area passes were not connecting and the Kings were happy to take the easy turnover and then work the puck deep and force Minnesota to come up the full length of the ice. The Wild’s first shot didn’t come until 7 minutes into the 3rd period. Even simple plays like short passes were being sent to the back leg forcing players to slow down which gave defenders the time they needed to get back into the play. Pucks were bouncing in the offensive zone resulting in fanned shots, while the puck seemed to be as though it was on a magnet for the Kings. Drew Doughty would trip up Zach Parise near the Kings’ blueline giving the Wild a power play a little under 8 minutes into the 3rd. On the power play the Wild seemed to be out of ideas, working from the wall and back out to the point before Koivu would take a shot that would miss wide. The Wild’s lack of creativity made it easy for the Kings’ penalty killers to disrupt passing and shooting lanes. Even when the Wild made a good play; when Granlund set up Niederreiter in the slot he’d push a wrist shot wide of the goal. The bad passes continued to sabotage potential scoring chances. Down the stretch, you could hear some of the apathy in the crowd as they collectively groaned the Wild as they passed up a shot. After their latest embarrassment on the power play I really couldn’t wait for the game to be over. After a few more ineffective minutes of not accomplishing much at all the game came to a merciful end with the Wild falling 4-0.
Darcy Kuemper was an accident waiting to happen, fighting the puck in the minutes before the wheels fell off stopping just 6 shots and letting in four goals. The decision not to pull Kuemper may haunt Mike Yeo a bit as it should’ve been clear after Brown’s goal; where he was beaten 5-hole on an unscreened wrist shot should’ve been a sign that Kuemper was having some significant confidence issues. Backstrom relieved Kuemper and was more or less perfect, stopping all 12 shots he faced. Defensively I thought the Wild were guilty of using the long outlet pass way too much and this gave the Kings plenty of opportunities to turn the tables on Minnesota. The penalty kill was solid in its two efforts, shutting down the Kings power play which was probably the only silver lining from the perspective of team play.
Offensively, the Wild were pathetic. I am not sure if there is sickness at work or just general fatigue but it was the Wild that looked like the team that had played an overtime game the night before, not Los Angeles which had more jump and far more focus. The Wild’s inability to connect on passes properly often derailed scoring chances before they ever had a chance to really develop. Combine that with lethargic play from many of its veteran players like Jason Pominville, Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu and Thomas Vanek and you have a recipe for frustration. How many times did we see Zucker trying to basically work the puck deep and make plays by himself as he waited for linemates Koivu and Vanek to even get beyond the blueline? The only line that seemed to have any capability of threatening the Kings 5-on-5, the 3rd line of Coyle, Haula and Niederreiter wasn’t given nearly enough shifts as the coaching staff continues to pander to the salary and experience of the veterans when its clear they’re skating on fumes right now. This is especially true on the power play where the team continues to give prime power play minutes to Vanek and Koivu despite the fact they have a whopping 3 goals between them while Zucker, who has 8 sits rides the pine on the man advantage.
I think what upsets me most was the effort the team gave tonight. They played like a family having their annual Thanksgiving Touch Football game outside. They were sluggish in their races to the puck and their passes lacked crispness that made them easy to intercept even in the few times they were on target. The power play continues to be a train wreck yet it keeps putting the same groupings of players out on the ice. At some point you stop asking questions, but rather start to demand some answers. The Wild is about to go through a hornet’s nest in its next few games playing a scrappy Dallas squad followed by the Blues and the Canadiens. Lose 2 or 3 of those games and you’re team ends up really behind the rest of the pack in the Central Division let alone the Western Conference. Its not a “sky is falling” type of panic yet, but as we’ve discussed so many times before. Its always far easier to fall back in the standings than it is to climb the ladder. There seems to be more and more overtime / shootout games these last few weeks and that makes a comeback that much more difficult as clubs find ways to earn points even if they end up losing. The Wild cannot afford to take any game for granted or any night off like they did tonight.
To all of our loyal readers and followers out there, the State of Hockey News wishes you a wonderful and safe Thanskgiving out there!
Wild Notes:
~ Wild roster for tonight is as follows: Mikko Koivu, Thomas Vanek, Jason Zucker, Jason Pominville, Zach Parise, Mikael Granlund, Erik Haula, Nino Niederreiter, Justin Fontaine, Ryan Carter, Kyle Brodziak, Charlie Coyle, Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, Marco Scandella, Keith Ballard, Nate Prosser and Mathew Dumba. Niklas Backstrom and Darcy Kuemper shared duties between the pipes. Stu Bickel was the lone healthy scratch.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Martin Jones, 2nd Star Drew Doughty, 3rd Star Justin Williams
~ Attendance was 19,038 at Xcel Energy Center.
Wild Prospect Report:
C – Reid Duke (Brandon, WHL) ~ There are signs that the former 4th Overall pick in the WHL Bantam draft was worthy of that selection as he added a goal and two helpers in a 5-4 overtime loss to Saskatoon. Duke has 7 goals, 24 points, 26 PIM’s and +9 in 22 games.
G – Stephen Michalek (Harvard, ECAC) ~ Want to gain the attention of the college hockey world, backstop your team to a 3-2 overtime victory over highly touted Boston University led by 2015 Draft wunderkind Jack Eichel. That is precisely what Stephen Michalek did when he made 40 saves in the victory. Michalek has a 6-1-2 record, 1.52GAA and a .951% save percentage in 9 starts.
G – Alexandre Belanger (Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL) ~ It has been a really tough season for the athletic goaltender who has found himself supplanted between the pipes for the Huskies making starts far less frequent. However he had his best start of the season on Sunday making 35 saves in Rouyn-Noranda’s 3-2 win over Victoriaville. He has a 6-4 record, 3.38GAA and a .877% save percentage.
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