People have always wanted the ability to predict the future. From Ancient Greece where they visited the Oracle at Delphi, to Punxsatawney Phil to Paul the Octopus or maybe something as simple as receiving a fortune cookie people wish to get an advantage by having some sort of knowledge of future events. Last week, there was news that the zodiac might be changing to account for the Earth’s wobble and many people began to ponder the possibility that their ‘sign’ had changed. This change constituted a major faux pas of superstition. It would be tantamount to changing a person’s ‘lucky’ number(s). Sometimes, technology is used to make a prediction. Whether its a simulation to find out the Deadliest Warrior like Spike TV’s popular show or at times plays a major role in how match ups are determined in the case of the Bowl Championship Series computer. I decided to take a similar approach by using the one simulator I felt was appropriate for tonight’s tilt between the Minnesota Wild and the Edmonton Oilers. The simulator is Konami’s Blades of Steel for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Tonight before the action started on the ice at Rexall Arena the purple clad Minnesota team defeated the green and the gold clad Edmonton squad 14-13 in a shootout. Is that an omen of things to come?
The Wild are amongst a whole bunch of teams battling it out for a playoff spot in the dog eat dog Western Conference while the Oilers are a team whose playoff hopes seem fleeting at best. For Minnesota, this is a game they have to have whether its on the road or not. So will Blades of Steel be the new Oracle of Hockey for the State of Hockey News or will that be thrown into the trash heap of ideas the same way Fox’s glowing puck was in the late 1990’s?
Click on “Read More” to see the rest of the article…
1st Period Thoughts: Minnesota had great legs to start the period and took advantage of some lazy play by the Oilers to create some scoring chances early. The Wild’s first goal was the result of some good hustle and persistence as Eric Nystrom made the smart play by threading a pass towards the crease and Matt Cullen was there to put a quick shot on goal and then he followed it up by spinning and turning to slide home the rebound. The Oilers tried to thug things up as I thought they might as Jean-Francois Jacques, Zach Stortini and Colin Fraser tried to shove around some Wild players but good discipline by Brad Staubitz and company didn’t take the bait. As always, the goal was significant in giving Minnesota a little more jump in its skates and putting the Oilers on their heels. Minnesota would add another just about 2 minutes later which again was keyed by both hustle as Brent Burns stepped up to keep a rush going and then firing a shot on goal that was stopped by Nikolai Khabibulin but again he gave up a rebound that was threaded back out to Burns who was inexplicably still open and he rifled a wrist shot by the Edmonton goalie to give the Wild a 2-0 lead. Khabibulin was not sharp and really fighting the puck but after Minnesota got its two-goal lead I really felt the team sort of sat back and relaxed a bit. It was still hustling back defensively but it was no longer carrying the play offensively. The Wild were able to get some sticks on some shots and help Anton Khudobin from facing a deluge of shots. Minnesota would also be lucky as the puck didn’t seem to settle at the right times for them to capitalize on the few instances they found some time and space in the Wild zone. Penalty killing, the Wild were absolutely outstanding. They did a great job at neutralizing Kurtis Foster‘s big shot from the point and some hard physical work by Clayton Stoner and Mikko Koivu kept Edmonton from having much of anything on the man advantage. A few gaffes in the period; one a bad decision by Pierre-Marc Bouchard to try a diagonal pass from deep inside his zone nearly turned into disaster as Taylor Hall pounced on it, and then Cam Barker who lost his edge and that nearly turned into a goal for Ales Hemsky. Lastly, some big props have to go out to Anton Khudobin who delivered a giant save late in the period on a sharp angle shot by former Bloomington Jefferson Jaguar Tom Gilbert when Khudobin leapt across his crease to preserve a 2-0 Wild lead. Those are the types of plays that win games.
2nd Period Thoughts: This period is easy to sum up. Lazy or pathetic, take your pick. The Wild really stopped skating and anticipating and the result was a parade to the penalty box, taking four minor penalties in the period. The Oilers were able to create a few real dangerous chances, as Linus Omark nearly outwaited Khudobin as he flopped around his crease but luckily for him Kurtis Foster’s one-timer would go high over the goal. The Wild penalty kill had some strong moments, especially when they gave the Oilers 1:40 of 5-on-3 time and it was smart, hard-working play by guys like Mikko Koivu stole valuable seconds from the Oilers. Khudobin’s penchant for dropping to his pads early was likely causing the Oilers to think shelf automatically and Minnesota was very fortunate they couldn’t hit those windows. He also was getting caught out of position, and I expect the Oilers will try to work some plays against the grain to take advantage of this. The Wild had a few token chances on goal themselves but nothing real threatening and with the power plays the ice was permanently tilted towards Minnesota’s end. The Wild were very fortunate Edmonton’s power play executed so poorly that at least one of their big shots didn’t find the back of the net to get the home crowd back into the game. I have zero doubt Minnesota’s penalty killers had to be feeling pretty gassed since they played way more than they should have. I have to admit I almost want to demand a recount after seeing the Wild had registered 9 shots on goal in the period and the Oilers just 12.
3rd Period Thoughts: Ever hear the sports cliche about the score not being indicative of the play? That is a great way to explain the 3rd period which in many ways was a lot like the 2nd period. Sloppy, lazy play where the Oilers had good pressure going in the Wild zone but their inability to finish their chances killed them and allowed Minnesota to escape with a 4-1 win. One player for the Oilers that needs some credit was Liam Reddox who was flying all over the ice and making himself a huge pain for the Wild. A classic sequence was a great chance off the rush for Magnus Paajarvi, and then the Wild get lucky when Tom Gilbert loses an edge and falls as he had skated in back into his zone for a puck and it is gathered up by Nystrom who again fed a pass to Bouchard who dangled around a sprawling Khabibulin to really put a dagger into the Oilers’ back. The game got chippy and I liked seeing Minnesota willing to defend themselves but they need to be smart. Burns’ fight with Zach Stortini was both stupid and potentially dangerous for the Wild. With Marek Zidlicky already out of the lineup, the Wild must have Brent Burns stay healthy. He is their best defenseman at both ends of the ice and is the only blueliner that can just take it up the ice and create a scoring chance when its needed. Losing Burns for Stortini was not a fair trade. Then a few minutes later, Brad Staubitz’ scrap with Jean-Francois Jacques will not make him real popular with Head Coach Todd Richards. Staubitz may feel he was simply defending his teammate but earning an instigator in the last 5 minutes will give Richards a $10,000 fine and the Wild pugilist an automatic one-game suspension. That will mean Minnesota will be without a true tough guy against the Flames tomorrow night. Minnesota to their credit would bury another goal on the power play as Andrew Brunette proves he still has terrific hands as he pounced on a rebound. Yet the story of the period I thought was the plethora of missed chances for Edmonton. Dustin Penner had a few great opportunities but fired it high, and Ladislav Smid shoveled a shot wide on an open net. Paajarvi ruined the shutout, but in all honesty Minnesota did not deserve a shutout.
Watching Khudobin play is like watching Asian Carp fly out of a river when a boat goes by, flopping around at times but for whatever reason shooters keep missing. Yet that ignores the fact Khudobin also made quite a few quality stops as well, making 31 saves for his 2nd straight victory. I love hearing Khudobin interviewed, because of his candid straight-from-the-heart answers, and he is making a strong case to be re-signed. I agree with Fox Sports North’s Rob McClanahan that the team will opt for Niklas Backstrom and Jose Theodore as soon as he’s healthy but with the way Khudobin’s played so far (knock on wood) the Wild are in no panic to rush them back in the lineup giving them valuable time to recover completely. Defensively I thought the Wild were again very solid. Consistent backchecking again helped erase most mistakes made by the Wild’s blueliners. Clayton Stoner was very solid; playing physical and really is becoming a good shut down defender.
Offensively the Wild didn’t have a lot of great chances but to their credit they finished some of those chances and they put Edmonton in a hole early. The team’s lack of energy and poor passing meant Minnesota really was playing rope a dope throughout most of the game. Minnesota cannot expect to win many games playing like this. So yes, a win is nice; but if they feel they played well they’re fooling themselves. Notch a game for Blades of Steel!
Wild Notes:
~ The Wild roster tonight was as follows: Mikko Koivu, Antti Miettinen, Andrew Brunette, John Madden, Eric Nystrom, Kyle Brodziak, Brad Staubitz, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Martin Havlat, Chuck Kobasew, Cal Clutterbuck, Jared Spurgeon, Cam Barker, Greg Zanon, Clayton Stoner, Nick Schultz and Brent Burns. Niklas Backstrom backed up Anton Khudobin. Marco Scandella and Jose Theodore were the ‘healthy’ scratches. Marek Zidlicky (shoulder) and Guillaume Latendresse (sports hernia) are still on the mend.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Anton Khudobin, 2nd Star Pierre-Marc Bouchard, 3rd Star Liam Reddox
~ Attendance tonight at Rexall Center was 16,839.
~ The State of Hockey News would like to congratulate Andrew Brunette on scoring his 250th goal of his NHL career, as well as Pierre-Marc Bouchard for registering his 200th career assist.
Wild Prospect Report:
LW – Brett Bulmer ~ Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
2010-11 Stats: 42GP 14G 21A = 35pts 66 PIM’s -9
Brett Bulmer is now bearing down for the 2nd half of the season. He is just 5 points short of last season’s totals of 40 points in 65 games. In his most recent game, Bulmer had an assist and was a -1 in a 5-2 loss to Medicine Hat. The Prince George, British Columbia-native has been playing a more complete game even showing some versatility from simply being used as a power forward as he has been used in a shutdown role. After being criticized a bit early in the season for lacking consistency in effort, Bulmer has remedied those issues to being one of the Rockets’ most talented players each night. Bulmer’s better play has corresponded with the Rockets climbing back up to 6th in the Western Conference.
G – Darcy Kuemper ~ Red Deer Rebels (WHL)
2010-11 Stats: 39GP (28-8-1-2) 1.80GAA .933%SP
It continues to be a banner year for Wild prospect goaltender Darcy Kuemper who is still atop of the WHL’s goaltender standings in wins, goals against average and save percentage. The 6’4″ netminder is literally and figuratively a big reason why the Red Deer Rebels currently sit in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference. Kuemper is your prototypical bid bodied goaltender who has both size and athleticism to move quickly and efficiently across his crease. Positionally sound he uses his big frame to its fullest advantage. Puck handling was an issue for Kuemper this season but he has made improvements in that area of his game. The Rebels, led by top rated 2011 draft prospect Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are making plenty of noise and so far appear to have a good shot at taking home the Ed Chynoweth Trophy as WHL Champion. With Kuemper between the pipes, the Rebels have had a chance to win each night and if you add a little offensive punch is a proven formula for success.
Minnesota Hockey Report:
Top 10 Rankings-Boys (According to Hockey’s Hub)
Class 1A:
#1 Hermantown (13-0-1)* – the state’s last undefeated team
#2 St. Thomas Academy (8-3)
#3 Breck (8-4)
#4 The Blake School (11-2-2)
#5 Hibbing/Chisholm (12-4-1)
#6 Totino-Grace (11-1)
#7 Virginia / Mt. Iron-Buhl (12-5)
#8 Warroad (11-4)
#9 Little Falls (12-1-2)
#10 South St. Paul (9-4)
Class 2A:
#1 Edina (9-2-2)
#2 Duluth East (12-2)
#3 Eden Prairie (10-3)
#4 Hill-Murray (10-3-1)
#5 Benilde-St.Margaret’s (11-2)
#6 Wayzata (12-3)
#7 Minnetonka (10-3-1)
#8 Maple Grove (10-4-1)
#9 Eagan (10-4-1)
#10 Burnsville (9-3-2)
Girls High School Hockey Spotlight:
Centennial Cougars (Northwest Suburban Conference) ~ 12-6 record
Most recent game: Centennial 4, Anoka 2
Sporting sweaters that look remarkably close to those warn by the Washington Capitals, the Centennial Cougars are off to a reasonable start, currently sitting in 2nd place in the Northwest Surburban standings. Head Coach Mark Domschot‘s squad has struggled to find consistency at times after a close game with conference bottom dweller like North Metro but even though it may not be relishing big blowouts but more often than not they’ve found a way to win. The Cougars are led by sophomore playmaker Lauren Kolak (5 goals, 18 points) and a trio of snipers like senior Lauren Anderson (9 goals) juniors Kayla Fuechtmann (8 goals) and Katie Armstrong (9 goals). However the Cougars’ greatest strength may be in the crease where senior Erika Hansen carries the mail, with a 12-3 record, a super stingy 1.34 goals against average and a ridiculous .951% save percentage with 6 shutouts to her credit. The Cougars play tonight at home against the North Metro Stars.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
