Well hello again, Wild fans! Welcome to Your Name Is Wild: Week #6!
For those of you who are new to the column, here's the scoop: The NHL season is a long, tedious journey. We decided that this season we would ask TCDroogsma of the blog Wildly Biased to stop by each week and give us an update on our local squad.
Droogsy, what'd we miss?
Well hey, everybody. Thanks for stopping by this week's edition of Your Name Is Wild.
The Wild entered the week with an 8-4-3 record, holding down 3rd place in the Central Division, just a point ahead of the St. Louis Blues (who are off to their best start in franchise history). After beating Montreal and New Jersey at home last week the boys were set to host Calgary Tuesday night before heading out on an East Coast roadie to play the Capitals and the Hurricanes.
Boys went into the week in the driver's seat. Let's see how it played out.
The Week That Was
Tuesday 11/5 - Wild: 5 Calgary: 1
I remember back in the day when a Calgary Flames visit to the Xcel Energy Center meant a tough, hard-fought, frustrating game was at hand. Franchise icons Jarome Iginla is the all-time leading scorer against the Wild, scoring 350 goals in 100 career games against the Wild (all numbers approximate). Defenders Jay Bouwmeester & Robyn Regehr would routinely shut down Wild forwards and, in the rare instance that one of the forwards broke through, goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff was always there to make sure the puck stayed out of the net.
Well, Iginla, Bouwmeester, Regehr, & Kiprusoff are gone. In there place the rebuilding Flames are icing a lineup featuring Tim Jackman, Lance Bouman, Matt Stajan, & rookie goaltender Reto Berra. Basically, the Flames rebuild in in full effect.
Surprisingly, that lineup managed to string together two solid, efficient periods in St. Paul, forcing the play and keeping Wild goaltender Josh Harding (who seemed to be fighting the puck a bit), on his toes.
Heading into the third period down 2-1, however, the wheels came off for the Flames. Justin Fontaine gave the Wild a two-goal lead when he circled out from behind the net, faked a shot with a shoulder dip for the ages, and buried the puck behind Berra. Just thirty seconds later Wild enforcer Zenon Konopka buried his first goal as a member of the Wild (no small accomplishment considering this is his second season in St. Paul), effectively icing the game. Tim Jackman started a fight with Clayton Stoner, the Wild played tic-tac-toe for a Zach Parise goal (unarguably the sexiest goal the Wild have scored this year) and the Wild found themselves with a 5-1 victory despite really only carrying play for one period.
Wild Player Of The Game: Zenon Konopka - Quick rule: Any time Zenon Konopka scores he's the player of the game. Specifically, though, Konopka's done everything that's been asked of him over the last season & a half. He came to St. Paul with a reputation as a hard-nosed grinder, solid enforcer, and great faceoff man and he's proven to be just that. It's nice to see him officially in the Wild record books.
Impression Of The Game: As I mentioned above, a Flames visit to St. Paul used to mean something. Thanks to realignment (which moved the Flames out of the Wild's division) and a rebuilding effort from the Flames these games just aren't the same. The scoreboard makes it seem like this game was a dominant Wild win, but that's just not true. If the Flames still had the players I mentioned above I'd bet my blogger credentials that Iginla would have scored, Bouwmeester would have thwarted at least one goal and Kiprusoff another. However, those guys aren't walking back through the door. This is a team that the Wild should run out of the rink. The fact that it took them 40 minutes to do so is mildly troubling.
Thursday 11/7 - Washington: 3 Wild: 2 (SO)
After dousing the Flames (sorry, all bloggers are legally obligated to refer to a victory over the Flames as "dousing"), the Wild finished up that four game homestand with a 3-1 record and headed off to the Washington to face the Capitals. Unfortunately, they had to do so with defenseman Keith Ballard back in the Twin Cities nursing an injury. That meant Nate Prosser would see the ice against a fast, talented Capitals squad.
As they've proven to be for nearly the entirety of the Alex Ovechkin Era, this year's Capitals team is a tough nut to crack. On the one hand, they sport two of the best forwards in the game in Ovechkin & Nicklas Backstrom and a former Norris Trophy finalist in defenseman Mike Green. On the other hand, they've spent that same era fattening up on the dregs of the league playing in the former Southeast Division and tasting defeat in the playoff each season. This year they find themselves in the Metropolitan Division. With the exception of the Penguins, this division has proven to be as bad as the old Southeast Division. True to form, the Capitals entered this game in second place in the division, neither overwhelming weaker competition or sinking under the weight of realignment.
While the Western Conference has essentially dominated their Eastern counterparts league-wide, the Wild have not had much luck on the road out East. This Capitals game would prove to be another frustrating night along the lines of their losses in Toronto, Tampa Bay, & Sunrise, Florida.
The game started on a bad note for the Wild when defenseman Clayton Stoner was taken into the boards by Aaron Volpatti of the Caps. Stoner would not return to the game, meaning the Wild spent the ensuing 60+ minutes of hockey with only five defensemen (none of which were Ballard or Stoner, and one of which was Nate Prosser). The Wild then fell behind early in this one, giving up a power-play goal to Alexander Ovechkin at the 8:05 mark of the first. This was an especially frustrating start for the Wild. The Capitals have the #1 ranked power play in the league, so everybody's game plan consists of staying out of the penalty box. Everybody knows that, if you do find yourself on the PK, you can't allow Ovechkin to take one-timers from the weak side. Well, everybody except Jonas Brodin, who failed to block Nicklas Backstrom's cross-crease pass and spun around valiantly as Ovechkin buried the goal.
After giving up the Ovechkin goal, the Wild quickly righted the ship. Charlie Coyle netted his first goal of the year at the end off the first period. The Wild then controlled play for most of the second period, grabbing the lead at the 6:07 mark on Mikael Granlund's second goal of the season.
The Wild were playing well enough to make that lead stand up for most of the third period, but it wasn't quite enough. The Capitals were able to tie the game with just over three minutes left when Marcus Johansson scored a controversial goal. Caps forward Tom Wilson circled out of the corner with the puck and was able to find room to slide the puck to Johansson when Brooks Laich laid a very illegal pick on Jonas Brodin. Wilson threw the puck at the net, it went off Nate Prosser (who would not have been playing in this situation if Ballard or Stoner was healthy), and Johansson tipped it behind Harding.
Regulation ended with the score tied 3-3. The Wild had several chances in overtime, but were thwarted by Caps goalie Braden Holtby (who finished the game with 33 saves for 1st Star honors). The Wild then headed to the shootout where, despite employing three of the most successful shootout shooters of all-time in Parise, Koivu, & Pominville, were shut out. As the Caps third shooter Nicklas Backstrom put the puck behind Harding and that was all she wrote.
Wild Player Of The Game: Ryan Suter - As I mentioned above, the Wild played all but three minutes of this 65 minute game with only five defensemen. Unsurprisingly, head coach Mike Yeo turned to Ryan Suter to make up the difference. Suter ended up playing 36:51 on the night, a remarkable number when you consider the quality of the opposing forwards.
Impression Of The Game: The Wild had a legitimate complaint that Johansson's game-tying goal shouldn't have happened because of Laich's pick. However, there's nothing to be done about that after the fact. The Wild played an outstanding road game against a quality opponent and, at the end of the day, there's no shame in taking only one point on the road against an Eastern Conference team. A frustrating loss, to be sure, but one of little consequence.
Saturday 11/9 - Wild: 3 Carolina: 2 (SO)
The big story heading into Saturday's game against Carolina was the reappearance of Wild defenseman Mathew Dumba. Since struggling in the Wild's 5-1 loss to the Blackhawks almost two weeks ago Dumba had been living in the press box as a healthy scratch. That move was less about how Dumba was playing (though he hadn't been great) and more about the Wild deciding whether or not to let Dumba play a tenth game this season. As I've mentioned before, that tenth game is significant in Dumba's case because he's on his rookie contract. By playing ten games the first year of that very affordable contract is burned up. However, with both Keith Ballard and Clayton Stoner on the shelf with injuries, Mike Yeo had little choice but to swallow hard and put Dumba on the ice.
With Josh Harding back in the net, the Wild found themselves ahead after one period. Ryan Suter, again carrying the defense on his back, sprung Jason Pominville for a breakaway. Pominville put the puck behind Justin Peters for his 11th goal of the season and 200th of his career. Unfortunately, the Hurricanes tied the game only 1:20 later when Ryan Murphy's shot deflected off Jared Spurgeon's stick and fluttered over Harding.
The Wild and Hurricanes traded goals in the second period, with Jiri Tlusty scoring for Carolina and Justin Fontaine netting his sixth of the season when he deflected Marco Scandella's shot from the point up and over Peters' shoulder.
Entering the third period tied at two, the Hurricanes took control of the play. A major reason for the Hurricanes dominance in this period was the play (or lack there of) of Mathew Dumba. Much like the Wild had been hampered by only having five defensemen back in Washington, Dumba's struggles through the first two periods forced him to the bench for much of the third, leaving Ryan Suter & Marco Scandella to eat up his minutes. While this strategy played out OK for Mike Yeo in Washington, it nearly derailed his team this time. The Wild spent the majority of the third frame chasing the puck around their own end, failing to mount any attack of their own.
Fortunately, Josh Harding yet again bailed out his squad. He made several strong saves in the third period and in overtime to force this game into a shootout. Again, the Wild have struggled in the shootout this season, but they finally found the right mix Saturday night. All three Wild shooters (Parise, Koivu, & Pominville) scored against Justin Peters while Josh Harding allowed only one goal on two Carolina opportunities. Two points in the bank and the shootout monkey off their backs.
Wild Player Of The Game: Josh Harding - I'm naming Harding the Player Of The Game both for his efforts in thwarting the Canes (27 saves) and for the body of work that he put together over the week. The Wild finished this week 2-0-1 despite being outplayed for large stretches by all three opponents. Little plays here and there may seem like difference makers, but the Wild wouldn't even have the opportunity to make those plays if Harding hadn't backstopped them to the opportunity,
The Week Ahead
Wednesday 11/13 - Toronto at Wild
The Wild get a rare three days off before spending the week at home. First up, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The first Wild/Leafs game proved to be a major talking point for the Wild through this first quarter of the season, with the Wild outshooting and outplaying the Leafs but finding themselves losing 4-1. That loss led to a bizarre stretch of line shuffling that found the Wild losing to both Tampa Bay & Florida on the rest of that trip. Wild coach Mike Yeo essentially conceded that game in Toronto by starting Darcy Kuemper instead of Josh Harding (in hind sight, this move is comical, as Yeo stated he needed to "manage Harding's workload," a plan he's since abandoned). Yeo has said that forgotten man Niklas Backstrom would get at least one start on this homestand. Giving it to him Wednesday night would mean five days off for Josh Harding, a break he could likely use.
Friday 11/15 - Florida at Wild
Tom Gilbert's homecoming! The former Wild defenseman finds himself playing for his second coach in as many months as the Panthers fired Kevin Dineen this week and replaced him with Peter Horacek. Whatever. If the Wild fail to beat the Panthers at home then they may as well pack it in for the season.
Sunday 11/17 - Winnipeg at Wild
The Wild finish up the week hosting the Jets for the second time this season. The Wild notched their first victory of the year the first time the Jets visited St. Paul. While that game acted as a springboard for the Wild, it was just another loss for a franchise that seems to specialize in them for the Jets. Regardless, divisional games are always spirited and the influx of Jets fans to St. Paul will likely bring a great atmosphere to this one.
The Big Picture
Taking three out of for points on any road trip is a successful week. However, the Wild are fattening up on the also-rans of the league. A lot of the games the Wild have won this season are games that they should win. This week brings two more opponents that the Wild should be able to handle (especially on home ice). It's important for them continue accruing points now. It'll be a lot more difficult to take them from Chicago or St. Louis in February than Florida in November.
Until next week!
For more of TCDroogsma's hockey ramblings be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@WildlyBiased). He can also be found writing about the Wild in greater detail on his hockey blog Wildly Biased.
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