Not that you particularly would care, but this weekend I found myself singing the Journey classic Don’t Stop Believin’ in front of a bunch of strangers via a karoke microphone and for whatever reason the lyrics are still in my head, “Working hard to get my fill, Everybody wants a thrill, Paying anything to roll the dice, Just one more time, Some will win, some will lose, Some were born to sing the blues, Oh the movie never ends, It goes on and on and on and on.” Its a classic song that sports arenas play as they encourage crowds to take part in during a stoppage in play. But of course its refrain of “Don’t stop believin’, hold onto that feeling” which is appropriate for the Wild as try to convince itself and its fans that it still has a chance at the post season. With victories in their last two games, the Wild have built up at least some good feelings but that could all be for naught if they play terribly against the Edmonton Oilers tonight. The last time the two teams played, the Wild delivered a half-hearted performance against the Oilers and ended up feeling the heartbreak of a shootout loss. Minnesota cannot afford to give up an opportunity to earn 2 points.
Minnesota decided to add some talent by signing University of Massachusetts star centerman Casey Wellman to a 2-year, $1.8 million deal. Could we see his debut in a Wild uniform tonight? Will the Wild keep its fans singing that refrain from Don’t Stop Believin’ or will they be singing the refrain to the Bloodhound Gang‘s Fire Water Burn? (Look it up if you can’t remember it or don’t know.)
Josh Harding would provide the Wild with a bit of drama as he misplayed a puck out in front of his crease that nearly turned into a disastrous turnover that luckily was not directed on goal as it was left wide open. Minnesota tried to challenge back as the 2nd line created a long range shot that was blocked away by Jeff Deslauriers and the Oilers went back on the counter attack as Andrew Cogliano ripped a shot that was stopped by Harding and then Harding had to dive and make a save on his rebound chance as bodies fell to the ice in a desperate attempt to block the shot. The Oilers were skating well and putting the Wild on its heels with an excellent forechecking effort but Minnesota was starting to increase its pace and were able to start creating some offensive pressure. The top line of Andrew Brunette, Antti Miettinen and Mikko Koivu would work the puck towards the slot where it was Miettinen ripping a shot that was stopped by Deslauriers as the Wild scrambled to get to the rebound as the Oilers’ goaltender was sprawling on his side but they were unable to reach the puck before he could recover. Minnesota would hustle and keep the puck in the zone and Andrew Brunette chipped a shot on goal that was steered aside by Deslauriers. Tensions would flare a bit as Zach Stortini eased up as he bumped Marek Zidlicky which brought John Scott skating over to his defense. On the ensuing faceoff it was Stortini ripped a quick wrist shot that Harding struggled to stop before covering it up for a whistle. As Stortini moved towards the Wild goalie, Scott would again move in where he clearly wanted to fight and both tough guys would drop the gloves but NHL referees would have nothing of it and they would grab the two would-be pugilists much to the disdain of the Xcel Energy Center crowd. Both men would earn unsportsmanlike conduct minors making for 4-on-4 hockey, and Minnesota would take he initiative early as Martin Havlat seemed to thrive with the open ice. He would turn off the boards and rip a wrist shot that was denied by the leg pad of Deslauriers and he’d pick up the loose puck and work it out to the point where Zidlicky stepped into a slap shot that missed wide. Minnesota continued to control the play in the Oilers’ zone but a misplay of the puck near the blueline by Nick Schultz nearly turned into disaster as Shawn Horcoff made his way into the Wild zone, but he couldn’t find anyone to dish the biscuit too. Neither team was able to find much free time and space to operate as the Wild and Oilers were playing tight defensively. Minnesota would finally create a little pressure with its modified 3rd line of Owen Nolan who started the play by racing into the Oilers’ zone as chased it deep beneath the goal line before weathering a big check by Taylor Chorney. The Wild kept battling as James Sheppard looked like a rag doll being shoved around Jason Strudwick but Minnesota’s hustle would be rewarded by an Oilers penalty as Andrew Cogliano hauled down Owen Nolan. On the power play, the Wild were terrible as the Oilers were able to disrupt what was a sloppy and disorganized Minnesota man advantage that never got set up in the Edmonton zone. As the power play failed miserably the Wild finally got on the scoreboard off a nice rush led partially by a nice hustle play by Martin Havlat who pushed it up to Andrew Ebbett who dropped a pass back to Havlat who passed it back over to Latendresse who hammered a shot that was masterfully redirected by Ebbett and by Deslauriers to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead with under two minutes left. Minnesota tried to add to its lead with its fourth line of Robbie Earl, Owen Nolan and James Sheppard who exhibited fantastic hustle and perseverance along the boards as James Sheppard tried taking the puck to the top of the crease where he got off a little backhand that was stopped by Deslauriers and Earl was unable to get much on the rebound opportunity and the Wild would go into the 2nd with a one goal lead.
The Oilers tried to respond to the Wild’s one-goal lead with some good hustle to start the 2nd period. Minnesota would weather the pressure well as Edmonton’s philosophy was clear, fire any shot they could on Josh Harding. The Wild then began to ramp up their intensity and some great speed through the neutral zone by Andrew Ebbett to walk around the Oilers’ defense and he directed a shot on goal that was pushed aside by the Edmonton goalie and Ebbett picked up a rebound for a quick shot that deflected off the leg pad of Deslaurier as the Wild tried to crash the crease and Martin Havlat lifted a shot up and over the Edmonton goal. Minnesota continued to attack as a long outlet pass found Antti Miettinen all alone who raced in and made a nice move to get Deslauriers to drop to the ice but his backhander would be flipped up and over the goal. The Wild were still carrying the play as James Sheppard made a nice move on the rush and he flung a wrist shot that caught the outside of the right post. Minnesota’s pressure would eventually draw an Edmonton penalty as Robbie Earl was hauled down by Ryan Whitney. The Wild would be far more effective on this power play as they worked the puck with great efficiency from up high to down low and back out to the point where Antti Miettinen snuck in from his point position for a one-timer that was gloved by Deslauriers. Minnesota would control the next faceoff and after some great passing they set up Owen Nolan on the door step but he pushed a shot wide of the mark and then seconds later was set up again for a quick wrister and again Deslauriers was there to make the big save. The result was painfully the same as the first power play with no goals to show for their outstanding pressure. The Oilers tried to counter attack and it was Andrew Cogliano was really moving well as he nearly cashed in on a wicked slap shot that did not miss by much. Moments later the Oilers continued to hustle and the line of Marc-Antoine Pouliot would create some havoc down low as the fought to keep the puck in the Wild zone and that possession would pay off as Jason Strudwick ripped a snap shot that was redirected by Pouliot to tie the game at 1-1. Zach Stortini would chirp at John Scott from the bench after the goal but nothign more would come of it. The Oilers continued to carry the play as Shawn Horcoff and Edmonton would forecheck well as they tried to keep Minnesota bottled up in its zone. Finally the Wild would break out of its own end as the top line tried to press the attack as Antti Miettinen skated into the Oilers’ zone and he’d slide a pass back to Jamie Sifers who would rifle a blast from the point that Deslauriers managed to block to the corner with his leg pad with Andrew Brunette near the top of his crease. Minnesota was firing pucks from wherever they found the time and space to release a shot and keeping Deslauriers and the Oilers’ on their toes, but the Wild’s aggressive stance nearly cost them as Andrew Cogliano broke free on a 2-on-1 rush as Cogliano turned on the jets with Dustin Penner on the other side but his cross-ice saucer pass failed to click with the big power forward as Cogliano crashed into the boards. Edmonton would sustain more offensive pressure as Fernando Pisani pulled the trigger on a snap shot that was gloved by Harding. Minnesota would get a great hustle play by Cal Clutterbuck to outleg an icing by forcing Jeff Deslauriers to play it but his pass would be blocked by Clutterbuck and a battle would commence down low along the boards and this would result in an Edmonton penalty as Ethan Moreau was called for cross-checking. The power play would be shortlived as Owen Nolan would trip up an Oilers’ defenseman negating the Wild man advantage. With ice a bit more open 4-on-4 it was the Wild who had the best scoring chance as Cam Barker made a nice little move to step around an Edmonton defender and then he ripped a wrist shot that missed just wide of Deslauriers. The Oilers would have a short power play but Minnesota would kill it off with good active sticks. Minnesota tried to work the puck deep and get its cycle going and it was the modified 4th line of Robbie Earl, Owen Nolan and James Sheppard who was really playing a strong and assertive game which culminated in a long wrist shot by Scott that Deslauriers would absorb for a whistle. The Wild would send out its top line and some great hard work along the boards, first by Mikko Koivu to outwork Gilbert Brule for the puck and then pass it over to Andrew Brunette who skated down behind the Oilers’ net where he dished it to Miettinen who just managed to get a quick snap shot up near the shoulder that would jam Deslauriers who contorted his big body to try to make the save but it snuck through to give the State of Hockey a 2-1 lead. The Oilers tried to mount one last attack as Ethan Moreau would show some sneaky moves as he wove his way through the Wild defense before his one-man rush was stonewalled by a nice poke check by Harding but he’d draw a hooking call on Marek Zidlicky. Edmonton would pull its goaltender for an extra attacker and the Wild would touch up for a quick whistle but as they did so there was a small get together at center ice between Sam Gagner and Cal Clutterbuck. When everything was broken up it was Marek Zidlicky and Cal Clutterbuck (for interference) sitting in the box as Edmonton was about to start a full 2:00 long 5-on-3 power play with just 10 seconds left in the period. Minnesota would kill the last 10 seconds uneventfully but knew it was going to be giving the Oilers a 2-man advantage as it tried to hold onto its one-goal lead going into the 3rd period.
The Oilers had an outstanding opportunity with nearly a 1:50 of 5-on-3 power play time and they would waste little time putting pucks on goal as Josh Harding made an excellent stop on former Golden Gopher Ryan Potulny who took a great cross-ice pass by Sam Gagner. Minnesota would stay in a tight triangle, giving the Oilers not much to shoot at but Edmonton quickly moved the puck and it was Potulny making no mistake as the Wild’s penalty kill was stretched out and he ripped a shot by Harding to tie the game. This still gave the Oilers just over 30 seconds of 5-on-4 power play time left. Just as the power play was about to expire, it was former Bloomington Jefferson star Tom Gilbert stepping into a slapper that was held onto by Harding. Minnesota tried to answer back with its 4th line who had been working well all night and again they would create some havoc in the Oilers’ zone as Earl would control the puck well and he’d try to work a pass out front that was blocked to the corner that was tracked down by the Wild and out to Scott who launched a slapper that was held onto by Deslauriers as Earl tried to poke it by him. On the next shift the Wild got another outstanding effort by the energy line of Chuck Kobasew, Kyle Brodziak and Cal Clutterbuck and it was Kobasew holding the zone and he’d dish it back down low to Brodziak who passed it out front to Kobasew who promptly lifted a shot by Deslauriers to give the Wild a 3-2 lead. Edmonton would dig in themselves and the Oilers’ captain Ethan Moreau would draw a penalty by holding onto Cam Barker’s stick and falling to the ice to draw the call. On the Edmonton power play the Wild’s penalty kill was stretched out by the quick puck movement of the Oilers as Minnesota did its best not to get caught chasing and their ability to clog the center of the ice served them well and they were able to get the big kill. Minnesota would respond in a big way after the kill as the 2nd line moved the puck well as Andrew Ebbett made a nice hesitation that got Deslauriers to bite before he slid a pass to Martin Havlat who rifled it by him to give the Wild a 4-2 lead. The Oilers would answer right back but Marc-Antoine Pouliot ‘s point blank range chance was shut down by an awesome save by Harding before it was spirited away by Kyle Brodziak. Minnesota seemed content to defend its lead as they simply were trying to dump it deep and force the Oilers to take the puck the full length of the ice. The Wild would also try to force a few turnovers knowing that Edmonton would be pressing and they nearly got that opportunity when Guillaume Latendresse forced Tom Gilbert to cough up the puck and Martin Havlat would carry it down low before dropping it back to Latendresse who just shoveled a shot wide of the mark. Moments later another turnover, became a 2-on-1 for James Sheppard and Robbie Earl and Sheppard carried it in and he opted to rifle a wrist shot high and wide instead of going for the gimme cross-ice play. Minnesota would move the puck well as take some chances to pad their lead as a blast from the point that redirected by Ebbett that Deslauriers turned to see miss just wide. The Oilers’ Theo Peckham would take a big hit from Cal Clutterbuck was starting to feel a bit more healthy, but his aggression would have a cost in the form of another interference penalty. Minnesota’s penalty kill was challenging the Oilers’ power play well, keeping their sticks active and Josh Harding was seeing the puck well and just holding onto the puck as if it was made of velcro. Oilers’ defenseman Aaron Johnson tried to turn on the jets as he raced in the Wild zone and he ripped a wrist shot that was snagged out of the air with style by Harding. Edmonton bench boss Pat Quinn would call a timeout to discuss finding a way to use the remaining 30 seconds of power play time to cut into the Minnesota lead. The Oilers would pull Deslauriers with an extra attacker but Minnesota would show some good desperation as well as be the recipients of some good luck as Dustin Penner backhanded a shot wide of the mark and as Minnesota cleared the zone Mikko Koivu would lose his stick and he’d take a big hit as he tried to kick it deep into the Edmonton zone. The Wild continued to hustle and the Oilers never really had a quality scoring chance and the State of Hockey would prevail 4-2.
Josh Harding weathered a shakey start to make 34 saves in the victory. Especially through the 2nd and 3rd period, Harding was seeing the puck very well and just absorbing the puck. Defensively the Wild were helping out Harding by sweeping away dangerous pucks that found themselves loose in the area around the crease. Minnesota’s penalty kill was relatively solid giving up just the one goal on an Oilers’ 5-on-3. Greg Zanon was very solid but Nick Schultz seemed to be struggling at times and was guilty of some bad turnovers near the blueline.
Offensively the Wild were resilient and opportunistic pouncing twice with less than 2 minutes left in the period to keep momentum in their corner going into the intermission. Andrew Ebbett seems to be heating up which can only be a good thing for the Wild’s 2nd scoring line of Ebbett, Latendresse and Havlat. The success of the first line can only help Minnesota’s top line who will find itself not always matched up against the oppositions best shutdown players. It was very nice to see the offensive pressure Minnesota’s 4th line of Robbie Earl, Owen Nolan and James Sheppard were able to create through hard work and good simple plays. Sheppard especially must see the writing on the wall with the addition of Wellman today to understand he must show something soon whether it be to the Wild or perhaps to have an NHL future at all.
The Wild have a nice little run going for it, but it can’t dwell on that at all. Minnesota will have a very tough challenge Thursday night against the Predators who are also fighting to keep their 7th place position in the ultra tight race for the playoffs in the Western Conference. Without question will Nashville be prepared to play a desperate game of hockey and the Wild must exceed that intensity with some urgency of its own. The Predators managed to eek out a shootout win agains the Flyers and hopefully they overlook the Wild and Minnesota can catch them by surprise.
Wild Notes:
~ Wild roster tonight was as follows: Mikko Koivu, Martin Havlat, Andrew Brunette, Owen Nolan, Antti Miettinen, James Sheppard, Kyle Brodziak, Robbie Earl, Andrew Ebbett, Cal Clutterbuck, Chuck Kobasew, Guillaume Latendresse, John Scott, Jaime Sifers, Greg Zanon, Nick Schultz, Marek Zidlicky, and Cam Barker. Wade Dubielewicz backed up Josh Harding. Casey Wellman was the only healthy scratch. Derek Boogaard is still recovering from the lacerations he recieved from his fight with the Blues’ D.J. King. Shane Hnidy is out with an ankle injury while Brent Burns is still out of the lineup with a hip injury and Pierre-Marc Bouchard is on the shelf with post-concussion symptoms.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game as selected by Let’s Play Hockey were: 1st Star Andrew Ebbett, 2nd Star Martin Havlat, 3rd Star Sam Gagner
~ Wild signed goaltender Matt Hackett to a 3-year contract who has had another strong season in Plymouth (OHL), as well as calling up defenseman Justin Falk from the Houston Aeros.
Houston Aeros Report:
2009-10 Record: 29-29-6-4 68pts 7th in West Division (out of 7 teams)
It was a disastrous weekend for the Aeros as they lost all 3 of their games this last weekend against Peoria, Chicago and Rockford respectively. As the saying goes, “close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades” is entirely appropriate for the Aeros as they lost each game by one goal margins and two of those in a shootout. Those losses may be enough to make the Aeros miss the playoffs as they now find themselves mired in last place in the AHL’s West Division. What has proven to be painfully true for the Aeros this season is a lack of quality finishers and that is best evidenced by their poor performance in the shootout. Houston just never really had a go-to scorer and it has made it tough to find a reliable source of offense apart from offensive minded defenseman Maxim Noreau who leads the team in points with 17 goals and 30 assists. The Aeros trail the Peoria Rivermen by two points in the standings and the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues has a game in hand on them as well so its difficult to see how the Aeros could somehow sneak into the playoffs at this point. Here is how I see the Wild prospects, ripening (or rotting depending on how you look at it) on the vine in Houston based on my observations of their play over the course of this season.
Colton Gillies – 61GP 6G 13A = 19pts 63 PIM’s Even
When the Wild sent down Colton Gillies he was deeply disappointed that he didn’t stay with the big club, who felt it was in Gillies’ best interests so he could develop his game with increased ice time that he would not recieve with the Wild. Yet as of right now, the Wild have to feel a bit concerned about the performance of their former 1st round pick. While he was an effective checking presence for the Aeros, offensively he did not add nearly enough despite earning a quality amount of ice time. He still has a lot of growing to do to fill out his 6’4″ frame but his lack of hands almost assuredly projects him to be a 3rd or 4th line forward at best which is not exactly great 1st round value to say the least. Gillies speed and ability to be physical will work ok enough in the Wild’s forechecking system but he likely will never be the power forward the team hoped they had drafted back in 2007. I would be surprised if he does not play the majority of the 2010-11 season in Houston.
Cody Almond – 45GP 7G 11A = 18pts 77 PIM’s -7
When the Wild drafted Almond in 2008, Wild Assistant General Manager Tommy Thompson called him his “pet project.” On the outside it may appear that Almond’s numbers are not much different than that of Colton Gillies, but in some ways Almond seemed to have a higher value to the team. Hampered a bit by injuries Almond demonstrated some good offensive skills, the ability to be effective on the penalty kill as well as a willingness to stand up for his teammates by dropping the gloves. His hard work earned him his first stint as an NHL’er in a brief, one-game call up just prior to the Olympic break. Almond looked like a fish out of water but the fact the first-year pro managed to earn such a chance is a huge testament to how this organization views the 6’2″ forward with above average hands. He certainly needs to work on his skating and speed but he has many of the other tools that could make him a very effective two-way player. I expect Almond to spend another season in Houston, where he will need to show he can take his offensive game up another notch but so far his play has earned good reviews.
Carson McMillan – 46GP 2G 4A = 6pts 51 PIM’s -6
It is all about heart and hustle with the Carson McMillan, another 2008 selection for the Wild. While not as offensively gifted as Almond, McMillan is your classic crash-and-bang checking forward who loves to make life miserable for the opposition by hitting them at every opportunity. His very limited offensive ability will make it tough for McMillan to get noticed but his excellent character and hard-nosed style may be just enough for him to eek out a career as a 4th liner. He will definitely be a long-term project for the Wild but he certainly seems to have the will to do whatever he can to succeed.
Justin Falk – 64GP 3G 5A = 8pts 82 PIM’s -8
The Wild have to be pleased with the steady progress of Justin Falk thus far in his professional career. He has earned the trust of Aeros Head Coach Kevin Constantine and is played during all the crucial points of the game. The Snowflake, Manitoba-native will never be an offensive force but he’s a very mobile player for possessing a 6’5″ frame and is a reasonable puck mover and has a good first pass out of the zone. Falk could use more of a nasty streak to his game and he attempted to address that this season by showing more of a willingness to drop the gloves even though he is not overly comfortable throwing down the fact he steps in without hesitation is a testament to his character as a team player. I would expect Falk to spend at least one more season in Houston, where hopefully he can help chip in more offensively and perhaps throw his body around a bit more as well. Either way he is still a solid blueline prospect for the Wild.
Maxim Noreau – 65GP 17G 30A = 47pts 50 PIM’s +1
Minnesota may have struck gold in this unsigned free agent out of Victoriaville of the Quebec Major Junior hockey league, which was a side effect of scouting Wild forward prospect Morten Madsen. Noreau has been the closest thing the Aeros have had to a go-to offensive player all season, being a force on the power play by using his slick stickhandling skills, reasonable speed and booming shot to jump start the Houston attack. The Montreal-native played in virtually all situations for the Aeros, and was often facing the opposition’s top line which further exhibits how solid his game really is. If I had to describe him as an current NHL’er his game is very similar of that to Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang as a smallish defenseman with excellent offensive instincts and great hands. I think it will be very difficult for the Wild not to give Noreau a shot next season as he’s clearly proven he’s ready to make the jump. The question then becomes, who is the odd man out if Noreau gets his chance?
Matt Kassian – 51GP 2G 3A = 5pts 142 PIM’s -6
As the statistics indicate, Kassian is your typical bruising enforcer and really the only “goon” prospect in the Wild’s system. The big, bodied forward does not hesitate to drop the gloves but he can also show surprisingly good instincts in and around the crease. He will never be goon-like power forward the team perhaps hoped he’d be when they surprised (and disappointed) many when they selected him in the 2nd round in 2005. Skating is still is his biggest issue, but that was much the same for current Wild enforcer Derek Boogaard when he got his first pro stint for the Louisiana Ice Gators of the ECHL and his heir apparent (unless you count John Scott who is set to become a UFA this summer) is a decent and experienced pugilist even if he may not be nearly as intimidating as the Boogeyman.
Anton Khudobin – 34GP (11W-16L-4SOL) 2.39GAA .905%SP
Khudobin, the irrascible Russian goalie has done his best to give the Aeros a chance to win most nights, but unfortunately he hasn’t recieved a lot of goal support as of late and thus his sub.500 record. The young Russian has progressed nicely, playing fairly comfortably at the AHL level and looks to be on his way to being a viable NHL goaltending prospect. He won major kudos with the way he handled himself in a very memorable two-game stint with the Wild where he won in both appearances. He’s not big at 5’11” and 208lbs but he’s reasonably athletic and squares up to shooters very well and plays good angles. The interesting part of this is that by most standards Khudobin is developmentally behind other goaltenders because unlike most other netminders who have been schooled at specialized goalie schools Khudobin never had any special coaching until he was drafted by the Wild so he is still refining his game meaning he has great potential.
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