Unless your a biological twin, triplet, etc, meeting your so called ‘double’ or doppleganger is a strange experience. I remember when then Ottawa Senators’ head coach Paul McLean had his doppleganger hanging out behind his bench for a time. Celebrities have impersonators but when you meet someone that looks eerily similar to another person you know the result can be a bit mindblowing. The Minnesota Wild will feel as though they have met their clone when they faceoff against the Montreal Canadiens.
Both clubs play exceptional defense and are led by goaltenders who happen to be your top two front-runners for the Vezina trophy (knock on wood) this season. The teams employ a ‘score by committee’ approach and like to ambush opponents in transition as they utilize their team’s speed. Can the Wild overcome the mighty Canadiens?
1st Period Thoughts: The period was really a tale of two halves. Minnesota had tremendous jump to start the period, as the Wild were looking confident and fast. The Canadiens seemed to be a bit surprised at Minnesota’s team speed and the Wild got their forecheck working which began to yield opportunities to put shots on goal. It started with a few chances from the perimeter, but eventually the Wild’s hustle would draw a penalty as Brian Flynn held up Nino Niederreiter behind the Canadiens’ goal. On the power play the Wild did a great job of moving the puck quickly and Minnesota would start to pepper Carey Price with pucks. Minnesota wasn’t settling for just one kind of chance as they worked the puck from high to low and even were able to set up a chance or two from the slot but Price dismissed all 5 shots the Wild managed on the power play. Minnesota’s best chance came off the stick of Jared Spurgeon who took a cross-ice pass and one-timed a blast that rang off the post and out. The successful kill seemed to spark the Canadiens who would dominate the 2nd half of the period. Minnesota found itself on its collective heels in a hurry as the Canadiens worked the puck deep and then pinned the Wild in its zone with its energy line of Michael McCarron, Daniel Carr and Alexander Radulov really gave us a lot of trouble. The Wild would spend nearly a minute battling the Habs for the puck before finally being able to work the puck into the Montreal end. Minnesota would then give the Habs its first power play as Christian Folin tripped up Radulov. Minnesota’s penalty kill was rock solid, never allowing the Habs to get settled and the Wild would force a few turnovers to clear the zone. The period would end with both teams scoreless but you could see how evenly these teams were matched.
2nd Period Thoughts: The 2nd period was more of a roller coaster affair. The Wild thought they got a great early break as Brendan Gallagher slashed the stick out of Niederreiter’s hands. However the Wild power play seemed to lose all cohesion with bad passes and the Habs were tremendously aggressive on the Minnesota puck carriers and this would lead to a shorthanded goal. The puck would be coughed up by Jonas Brodin and the Canadiens would counter with a pass from Philip Danault to Max Pacioretty who raced in and ripped a snap shot that beat Devan Dubnyk high glove side. 1-0 Habs. Minnesota could barely handle the puck the rest of the power play and the Wild looked like as they were a team on the verge of giving up a few more. The Wild would stabilize the play on their end of the ice and Minnesota’s 4th line would provide an unexpected lift as Jordan Schroeder swept in with the puck and taking it from beneath the goal line he’d swing a shot on goal that snuck by Price tying the game at one. The goal gave the Wild some much-needed confidence. The game would slow down a bit as both clubs tried to wait for the other to make a mistake. Unfortunately that was Minnesota’s turn as as series of gaffes with the puck in the neutral zone turned into improbable odd-man chance where Brian Flynn stepped into a slap shot that drew a rebound that was buried by Arturi Lehkonen to give Montreal a 2-1 lead. The Wild went back to work and would net the equalizer again as Jason Zucker drew the defense towards him before dishing it out to Spurgeon who wired a shot off the post and in. 2-2 game and Minnesota had to feel good about its level of resilience to this point in the game.
3rd Period Thoughts: The 3rd period the Wild would surprise the Habs with a bit of their own medicine. After a high sticking call to Charlie Coyle the Wild penalty kill raised their pressure on the Habs puck carriers and Minnesota would force a turnover giving Eric Staal a chance to skate down an area pass from Mikael Granlund and he’d rifle a shot short side stick of Price. 3-2 Wild on the shorthanded goal. Minnesota went into offensive lockdown mode, forcing the Habs to waste valuable time and energy trying to defend in their own zone and the Habs were getting a little frustrated. A few Wild penalties threaten to derail Minnesota’s lead but Dubnyk was solid at making at least the first save and any dangerous rebounds were quickly swept up by the Wild’s defenseman and carried out of danger. Montreal would pull Carey Price with about 1:30 left, but the Wild were patient and sitting back in a 1-2-2 and were quick to close around the Habs as they carried the puck through the neutral zone and were able to kill more time as well as create the turnover that led to Zucker’s empty net goal. 4-2 Wild.
Devan Dubnyk was very good, making 32 saves in the victory. The Habs puck movement and their team speed naturally put goaltenders on edge as they are able to change angles on shots so effectively. Dubnyk did a pretty good job with his rebound control and he got great support from Ryan Suter, Marco Scandella, Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon who I all felt played very well. The penalty kill went a perfect 4-for-4 and that really prevented the Habs from getting the equalizer in the latter half of the 3rd.
Offensively the Wild got a big spark from its 4th line as Schroeder’s goal broke that aura of invincibility Price had built up from a superb 1st period. The Wild’s resiliency and ability to counter punch was certainly a sign of the confidence they’ve gained from this winning streak as they stayed focused and were able to claw their way back from two 1-goal deficits. Eric Staal and Jason Zucker were terrific, as I thought Mikael Granlund had an assertive game which is what this team needs from him.
This was a huge road win in a place where the Wild have had not had much luck in its franchise history. As sweet as the win was over 1st place Montreal, now they must put that behind them and refocus for what will be another tough one in New York against the Rangers. The Rangers are similarly tough defensively but they play a bigger more physical game and should be another great road test for the Wild prior to the Christmas mini-hiatus.
Wild Notes:
~ The Wild roster tonight was as follows: Eric Staal, Jason Pominville, Mikko Koivu, Mikael Granlund, Jason Zucker, Tyler Graovac, Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle, Pat Cannone, Chris Stewart, Jordan Schroeder, Kurtis Gabriel, Ryan Suter, Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Mathew Dumba, Marco Scandella and Christian Folin. Darcy Kuemper backed up Devan Dubnyk. Nate Prosser and Zach Parise were the scratches.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Mikael Granlund, 2nd Star Eric Staal, 3rd Star Jeff Petry
~ Attendance was 21,288 at Bell Centre.
High School Hockey Rankings:
Going into the holiday tournaments, there was certainly some movement since the last time I posted the Minnesota High School hockey rankings. These are the latest ones courtesy of Let’s Play Hockey for both Boys and Girls in Class A & AA respectively. Here are the Top 10 rankings for each group as of Dec. 21st, 2016.
Girls Hockey
Class A
1. Blake
2. Breck
3. Warroad
4. St. Paul United
5. Thief River Falls
6. Delano / Rockford
7. Proctor/Hermantown
8. New Prague
9. Princeton
10. Hibbing / Chisholm
Class AA
1. Edina
2. Maple Grove
3. Eden Prairie
4. Elk River / Zimmerman
5. Hill Murray
6. Blaine
7. Centennial
8. Cretin-Derham Hall
9. Lakeville South
10. Forest Lake
Boys Hockey
Class A:
1. Delano
2. Hermantown
3. St. Paul Academy
4. Breck
5. St. Cloud Cathedral
6. Mahtomedi
7. Greenway
8. East Grand Forks
9. Hibbing / Chisholm
10. Alexandria
Class AA:
1. Stillwater
2. Elk River / Zimmerman
3. Grand Rapids
4. Eden Prairie
5. St. Thomas Academy
6. Holy Family Catholic
7. Edina
8. Centennial
9. Lakeville North
10. Hill Murray
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