I’ve always been a fan of science fiction. The possibilities and the normally complicated plots make for thought provoking entertainment. One of my favorite TV shows was the X-Files starring David Duchovny (FBI Agent Fox Mulder) and Gillian Anderson (FBI Agent Dana Scully). The show had a nice balance of scientific theory, intriguing characters (a believer and a skeptic) and the ever popular government conspiracy to keep viewers coming back for more. Government conspiracies are popular due to a general distrust of people with too much control over our daily lives. The show consistently asked and examined three critical questions; 1. What would the government hide from us (the people), 2. Why would they hide this from us (the people), and 3. Who is responsible for the cover up? The Wild have a bit of an conspiracy of their own as jilted defenseman Marek Zidlicky has searched out Wild beat writer Michael Russo to make comments regarding his want to be traded. Earlier in the week, rumors began to be spread through TSN‘s Darren Dreger and others that a trade was within the works between the New Jersey Devils and the Wild for Zidlicky. Despite all the talk no deal (yet) has been made.
So what gives? Marek Zidlicky clearly wants out of Minnesota. He is unhappy here and thus tried to start a rumor to try to get a trade going. He had hoped that if he stated the New Jersey Devils were interested that perhaps it could prompt the clubs to make a deal. New Jersey’s general manager Lou Lamiorello as well as the Wild’s GM Chuck Fletcher has said no conversations with Zidlicky or the other team had taken place. The Devils are playing great hockey right now, but they have limited assets to deal. So with Zidlicky playing games like this with the media he has effectively lowered the overall value he will likely yield to the Wild. So why would someone want to ruin their value? Perhaps if you’re mad at a team you want to make sure they’ll be forced to accept a paltry offer in order to be rid of you. Since his latest attempt to be dealt away, both sides have been predictably silent. So does that mean deals could be in the works or an agreement that both sides are going to now do their best to make a deal happen? This afternoon the Wild are playing the St. Louis Blues who near the top of the Western Conference standings. Can the Wild ignore all of the unwanted news about deals and beat the Blues?
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1st Period Thoughts: The Wild had great offensive pressure to start the game as Minnesota started the game with the line of Nick Johnson, Dany Heatley, and Kyle Brodziak. A long stretch pass by Jared Spurgeon connected with Brodziak who tried to thread a pass to Heatley who directed a shot wide of the goal, but Johnson would gather up the loose biscuit and attempt a wrap around only to be stymied by Brian Elliott. The Blues tried to counter attack as Jamie Langenbrunner fired a wrist shot that was steered wide by Josh Harding. Minnesota went back on the attack with its top line, and they nearly cashed in early as the Wild defense was stepping up well on the rush and Jared Spurgeon gathered the puck and made a quick cross-ice pass towards Heatley who swung and missed on an attempted one-timer. St. Louis tried to answer back and they had an ‘oh so close’ opportunity of their own as a long range wrist shot from Alex Pietrangelo that missed just wide of the Wild goal. A few minutes later, the Wild had another great scoring chance as Cal Clutterbuck motored his way around the Blues’ defense where he swung a shot towards the crease that was jammed on goal by Spurgeon but Elliott would snow angel to make the big stop. The game had no shortage of physical play as Jed Ortmeyer made a nice hit on Chris Stewart, sending the young power forward to the ice. St. Louis would light the lamp first as Scott Nichol tried to swing a pass through the Wild crease that hit a few skates and out into the slot that was pounced upon by the Blues’ enforcer Ryan Reaves for a goal to put the Blues up 1-0. The hometown crowd certainly appreciated the goal by their goon and he got a rousing ovation for his first goal of the season. Minnesota tried to answer back, and a partially deflected shot by Nick Schultz drew a lucky leg pad save by Elliott. The chirping would start between Matt Kassian and a few Blues players as he hoped to prompt Reaves to fight him. Lots of trash talking but nothing would happen (yet). Both clubs seemed content to play it safe, content to dump it deep then chase and grind it out along the wall. After a late flurry by the Blues, Harding would glove a weak shot by Andy McDonald and Minnesota would go into the 2nd intermission trailing by one, 1-0. The Wild were out shot 9-7. It wasn’t a bad period, I like how Minnesota’s defenseman were being active and helping support the play in the offensive zone but they still need to be putting more shots on goal than they are. The Heatley, Johnson and Brodziak line clearly is the club’s best line thus far.
2nd Period Thoughts: The 2nd period started off slowly, with both teams looking patient and conservative. The Blues tried to get rolling offensively and Justin Falk knocked down Stewart before he could get a shot off. St. Louis would catch Minnesota a little flat footed after a long pass that reached Patrik Berglund who raced down the ice on a break away and it was Greg Zanon who tried to sweep away the puck on a diving play but he’d only catch Bergland’s skates and the Blues would earn a penalty shot. Berglund would pick up the puck at center ice where he attempted a forehand to backhand deke but his shot would be lifted up and over the goal and the Wild would dodge a bullet. St. Louis continued to attack, and the line of David Perron, David Backes and T.J. Oshie caused Minnesota some problems and the Wild zone turned into a shooting gallery as Harding had to come up with some big saves. The Blues continued to swarm and Pietrangelo had another great chance as he rang a shot from the point off the pipe and out. Minnesota attempted to answer back as Nick Johnson found a little space and he let loose a wrist shot that was gloved by Elliott. St. Louis renewed its offensive surge and their persistence would pay off as Barrett Jackman unloaded a slapper that snuck past Harding, much to the Wild goaltender’s frustration, 2-0 Blues. It seemed at this point the Wild were a half step slow at every turn, and the body language was that of a defeating team for the next few minutes. Minnesota would get the first power play of the game as Darroll Powe was tripped up by Kevin Shattenkirk. The Blues’ penalty kill was very aggressive, attacking the Wild puck carriers and forcing turnovers and then winning the races to the loose pucks and Minnesota never was able to get anything going on the man advantage. St. Louis would try to add to their lead and Andy McDonald was showing excellent speed as he nearly was able to dangle a puck around a sprawling Josh Harding who was just able to poke it away with his paddle. Nick Johnson would again find some space behind the Blues defense and he’d skate in and rip another wrist shot that was blocked aside by Elliott. Minnesota just seemed to lack the jump to get away from the Blues and St. Louis’ pressure was causing the Wild fits. T.J. Oshie would steal a long pass in the neutral zone and race in where he blazed a wrist shot on goal that was stopped by Harding and then he was tripped up as he dove and swung another shot on goal that the Wild goaltender covered up for a whistle. The Blues would have its first power play of the game as Justin Falk headed to the box for tripping. Minnesota’s penalty killers were very assertive, taking away time and space initially to prevent the Blues from getting anything set up through the first minute of the man advantage. As the Blues got set up in the offensive zone, the Wild settled down into their defensive box, using active sticks to keep St. Louis to the perimeter. The Blues were tired of hanging out near the wall and Perron would drive towards the slot where he dished it down to Oshie who took the puck to the blue paint but he was unable to beat Harding and the Wild would luck out on a quick whistle from the referee since the puck clearly was not under his control. The Wild would escape from the Blues’ power play unscathed as Harding made some good saves to keep it a two-goal game. Clutterbuck tried to spark his team but he’d get into trouble instead with a boarding call. The Blues were looking to apply the 3-goal dagger, and came dangerously close to doing so as Pietrangelo blistered a slapper against the grain that just missed wide. After another minute of trying to get set up in the offensive zone they’d find the back of the net as Pietrangelo again blasted a shot that was redirected by McDonald and by Harding to give the Blues a very comfortable looking 3-0 lead going into the 2nd intermission. It was a horrible period for the Wild where they were thoroughly dominated by the Blues, being out shot 17-3. Honestly what else can you say?
3rd Period Thoughts: Minnesota tried to change up its lines a bit to start the 3rd as it sent out a line of Devin Setoguchi, Heatley and Brodziak. The line wasn’t able to generate much beyond a weak shot by Brodziak that was swatted away by the paddle of Elliott who was probably a little bored. The Wild was pressing early as Nick Johnson set up Clutterbuck for a snap shot that missed just wide and Greg Zanon gathered up the loose puck and hammered a slap shot that beat Elliott but his shot found the pipe instead of the twine. The Wild would take a penalty as Ortmeyer hauled down Kent Huskins in the offensive zone. The Blues were patient as they attempted to add an exclamation point to their lead. St. Louis was looking again to set up their point men and the Wild seemed content to let them do just that as Kevin Shattenkirk unloaded on a one-timer that didn’t miss by much. The Wild’s penalty killers did a nice job of gathering up the loose pucks to escort it out of danger. Minnesota got the big penalty kill and the Wild tried to ratchet up their spirits as Reaves and Kassian got into a wrestling match that had both falling to the ice. Reaves and Kassian would both be sent to sit in the penalty box but it was the Wild enforcer earning an extra minor for slashing giving the Blues another power play. Minnesota was very aggressive on the penalty kill, as Matt Cullen pressured Kris Russell into coughing up the puck but unfortunately he wasn’t able to get control of it to put a shot on goal. The Blues again set up Pietrangelo for another rocket from the point that was stopped by Harding and then the Wild goaltender showed his strength by stopping Perron’s attempt on the rebound. The Wild looked destined to kill off the man advantage but in the closing seconds of the power play the Blues struck as Perron found Vladimir Sobotka in the high slot where he ripped a shot by Harding to give St. Louis a 4-0 lead. Minnesota was unable to do much of anything, the Blues were out hustling and out working them and there was no real push back from the Wild at all. The Wild were starting to show a little frustration as Justin Falk knocked down David Perron after a failed rebound attempt by the Blues’ winger which caused David Backes to try to step up and challenge the 6’5″ defenseman who promptly knocked him down as well. Falk would head to the box for roughing and the Blues would go back on the power play. The Blues tried to throw out some of their role players on the power play, as Reaves tried starting things near the Wild crease after Harding made a save on another blistering shot by Pietrangelo. This collection of role players would predictably get a little feisty as Stewart, Shattenkirk and Clutterbuck would chirp and shove one another after the whistle but neither would drop the gloves and they’d both be sent to the sin bin to think it over as Minnesota went on the power play. The Wild were not able to get much going on the power play (what a shock) but their pressure did draw another Blues penalty as Russell high sticked Brodziak so Minnesota would have a short two-man advantage. The Blues’ penalty killers toyed with the Wild as Minnesota just didn’t have the energy to do all that much. Perhaps it was a sign, but Minnesota put out a power play unit of Nick Johnson, Jeff Taffe and Erik Christensen, Marco Scandella and Jared Spurgeon. Johnson tried to drive the puck to the crease but Elliott made the stop and a few seconds after that it was Scandella bombing a slapper that was steered wide at the last second by the Blues goalie. The Blues would counter attack as David Backes leveled Nate Prosser with a hit and moments after that he ran Spurgeon near the benches and this would turn into a scrum near the Minnesota crease. During the scrum, Warren Peters would crosscheck Backes to the head that sent him to the ice in pain and Peters would be given a 5-minute cross-checking major and a 10-minute misconduct. The Blues were pretty relaxed on the man advantage, as they clearly had the game won. More tempers would flare as Clutterbuck tried to wrap a backhand around Elliott who swatted the puck away as the Wild agitator slowly bumped into the Blues goalie that drew the ire of the Blues. With Clutterbuck going to the box for goaltender interference, the Blues had one last opportunity to add to their lead as Perron rang a shot off the post but it didn’t matter as St. Louis earned a 4-0 victory.
This game could’ve been a lot worse if it hadn’t been for Josh Harding. With the exception of Jackman’s goal I thought you could not place much blame on Harding for the outcome of this game. Defensively the Wild were not too bad, but the penalties caught up to them and the grim fact of it all is that the Blues did not have to do much offensively to doom Minnesota. I thought Justin Falk showed a little fire and I thought Scandella and Spurgeon were decent but little else went right for the blueline. Harding stopped 30 shots, but unless he gave the Wild a shutout what chance did Minnesota have in this game?
Offensively, with the exception of Nick Johnson who else was regularly taking their chances to shoot the puck? The Blues’ team defense is very solid, but you can’t expect to win games by only creating a paltry 13 shots on goal. Just 6 shots in the final two periods when you’re a team desperate for points? That’s beyond pathetic. I don’t care if Mikko Koivu is out of the lineup, it doesn’t mean other players can’t take the initiative to shoot the puck. You can guarantee that Warren Peters will be suspended for his vicious cross check to the head of David Backes. Check it out for yourself if you haven’t seen it yet.
Erik Christensen? Anyone notice this guy beyond a shootout goal yet? Didn’t think so. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. If you want to make an impression on the Wild and maybe stick with this team? SHOOT THE DAMN PUCK! If you want to be forgotten and then sent back down or put on waivers, pass up on your chances to shoot.
Right now, Fox and Scully would have a better chance of learning all the secrets of Area 51 before the Wild would find a way to score goals. Its impossible to win games if you can’t score. This team now has lost 7 straight games. Playoffs schmayoffs, this team is not going anywhere but the golf course in early April. If this team plays like they did today tomorrow, they will be obliterated on national television by the Bruins who are similar to the Blues but even more potent offensively. Embarrassment alert folks!!!
Wild Notes:
~ The roster tonight is as follows: Dany Heatley, Devin Setoguchi, Matt Cullen, Cal Clutterbuck, Erik Christensen, Darroll Powe, Jeff Taffe, Jed Ortmeyer, Matt Kassian, Kyle Brodziak, Nick Johnson, Warren Peters, Nick Schultz, Greg Zanon, Marco Scandella, Justin Falk, Nate Prosser and Jared Spurgeon. Niklas Backstrom backed up Josh Harding. Mike Lundin, Mikko Koivu and Marek Zidlicky were the healthy scratches.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Barrett Jackman, 2nd Star Vladimir Sobotka, 3rd Star Ryan Reaves
~ Attendance was 19,150 at Scottrade Center.
Where are they now?
RW – Mattias Weinhandl (SKA St. Petersburg, KHL) ~ Mattias Weinhandl is one of those rare enigmas in hockey where you have a very talented player who for whatever reason cannot replicate his success in other leagues at the NHL level. Weinhandl joined the Wild after the team picked him up off of waivers from the New York Islanders. The Ljungby, Sweden-native scored 3 goals and 7 points in 27 games with the Wild over the course of the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. He did not quite give the Wild the cheap offensive solution they were hoping for so they sent him down to play in the AHL. After finishing the rest of the 2006-07 season as nearly a point-per-game player with the Houston Aeros, Weinhandl returned to Europe where he immediately was an elite scorer. After a scorching season with Linkopings in the Swedish Eliteserien he took his game to the Kontinental Hockey League where he continues to be one of the league’s better offensive talents. Weinhandl split his time (the last 4 seasons) between Dynamo Moscow and SKA St. Petersburg where he continues to pile up points as he has 13 goals and 33 points and is an impressive +23 in 41 games thus far.
Houston Aeros Report:
Houston’s Brad Staubitz
Record: (25-14-3-9) 62pts 2nd West Division
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #14 Jon DiSalvatore ~ 17G 23A = 40pts
2. #37 Justin Fontaine ~ 11G 23A = 34pts
3. #13 Kris Foucault ~ 10G 14A = 24pts
4. #26 David McIntyre ~ 13G 8A = 21pts
5. #20 Chad Rau ~ 7G 14A = 21pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #4 Drew Bagnall ~ 66 PIM’s
2. #26 David McIntyre ~ 54 PIM’s
3. #12 Cody Almond ~ 47 PIM’s
Top Goaltenders:
1. #31 Matthew Hackett (16-11-4) 2.35GAA .920%SP
2. #35 Darcy Kuemper (6-4-4) 2.33GAA .924%SP
Recent Score: Houston 2, Abbotsford 3
The Aeros’ are on a nearly month long road trip as American Hockey League Schedules sometimes demand, one thing about the Aeros is that they struggle away from the friendly confines of Toyota Center. There were some fireworks right away as Joel Broda threw down against former Wisconsin Badger Joel Piskula. Houston would find themselves in a hole right away as the Heat buried the first 3 goals of the game. Trailing by three, Houston tried to claw its way back and team captain and leading scorer Jon DiSalvatore scored twice but it was too little to late and the Aeros fell 3-2. It was not a fantastic night for Matt Hackett, who made just 15 saves in the loss. The two clubs will face one another later this evening.
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