Well hello again, Wild fans! Welcome to Your Name Is Wild: Week #9!
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?
Oh boy, what a week...
Coming into this week the Wild were off to their best start in franchise history. They'd done so largely by beating inferior opponents. I don't say that to be disparaging. If a team is going to make the playoffs in the NHL it has to get points when it plays inferior opponents. And really, you can only play who the schedule says you play.
The schedule, however, is a harsh mistress. After 8 weeks of mixing a few tough matches in against mostly beatable teams, this week brought the Wild four games against teams that they will definitely be battling for a playoff spot in the reconfigured Western Conference. As I noted last week, this was the week that would tell us a lot about just how good the Wild are. The optimists out there saw it as a chance to prove the Wild could hang with the big boys. The pessimists among us (Hi!) were terrified. Happy Thanksgiving!
Let's get into it.
The Week That Was
Monday 11/25 - St. Louis: 3 Wild: 0
The Wild began this week by heading down to St. Louis to face-off with the Blues for the first time since they became Central Division rivals. Many experts consider the Blues to be true Stanley Cup contenders this year and so far the Blues have looked the part. They adhere to coach Ken Hitchcock's simple, physical style, get sound defensive play from all six defensemen, and get stellar goaltending from the duo of Jaroslav Halak & Brian Elliott.
This season's edition of the Wild has become known for their first period indifference. With the significance of the game in mind, however, the Wild came out swinging. They scored the first goal of the just 30 seconds in when Zach Parise tipped a point shot from Ryan Suter behind Halak, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead and a bit of confidence going forward.
Wait... no, they didn't. The on-ice official ruled that Parise tipped the puck with a high stick. They called to Toronto to get an official ruling and the NHL replay held up the ruling on the ice. Perhaps he ruled this way was the fact that Parise's stick was well above his head to begin the play (creating the illusion that the stick was too high), but he made contact with the puck as he brought his stick down. How he managed to touch the puck with a high stick when Suter's initial shot never rose above the crossbar is a mystery to me. Regardless, NHL policy dictates the replay officials have to see conclusive evidence to reverse the call on the ice. Had the on-ice official ruled "goal," it likely would have been confirmed. Since he ruled "no goal," the off-ice officials had to find sufficient evidence to prove him wrong. Evidently they did not.
At that point the wheels came off. Just one minute later Vladimir Sobotka scored to deflate the Wild even further. Twelve minutes later goal-scoring automaton Alexander Steen notched his NHL-leading 18th of the year. Then, as if the period wasn't disappointing enough, Zach Parise blocked a shot with his foot with under 30 seconds left in the period, bruising his foot to the point that he was not able to return.
The Blues spent the final 40 minutes of the game running the Wild ragged. Their ability to dump the puck in, retrieve it, send it back to the point for a shot, and collapse around the net for the rebound proved to be too much for the Wild. Though the Wild did manage to outshoot the Blues 12-1 in the third period, the Blues had gone into lockdown mode, taking their foot off the gas and placing it squarely on the Wild's throat. By the time Steen buried the empty-netter the Wild were thoroughly defeated.
Wild Player Of The Game: Mike Rupp? Sure, Mike Rupp - Rupp played his first game of the season and on a night like this that makes him the star. Welcome back, Rupper!
Impression Of The Game: Sweet Lord almighty, this division is going to be tough. In my season preview I picked the Blues to finish third in the Central. Ken Hitchcock has a history of turning teams around and then wearing out his welcome. It happened in Dallas, Philadelphia, & Columbus and I thought this would be the year that he finally wore thin in St. Louis. I couldn't have been more wrong. The Blues are not only playing Hitchcock's style perfectly, but they're doing so as a team built to play this style. A full season of Jay Bouwmeester & the emergence of Alex Steen as a legitimate goal scorer have pushed this team over the edge. They certainly made the Wild look like pretenders Monday night.
Wednesday 11/27 - Phoenix: 3 Wild: 1
The Wild returned to St. Paul licking their wounds. Zach Parise's injury was deemed a bone bruise, an injury that typically take 2-3 weeks to overcome. To make matters worse, the Phoenix Coyotes were in town.
They Coyotes are coached by Dave Tippett, who is, in my opinion, the best coach in the NHL. He's done such a thorough and consistent job with the Coyotes perennially piecemeal roster that columnists have pretty much permanently affixed the word "surprising" to the words Phoenix Coyotes.
This season Tippett has the peace of mind of new owners, stability in Phoenix, and a roster that is accustomed to his style of play, with young star defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson & Keith Yandle filling out their sky-high potential, Mike Ribeiro brought in as the first legit free agent acquisition in years, and Mike Smith in net (though, for the record, I wouldn't let Mike Smith look after my dog, let alone be my #1 goalie).
Despite losing Parise, the Wild seemed to catch a break Wednesday night. Phoenix had cooled off, coming in sporting a three game losing streak. Even better, they started backup goaltender Thomas Greiss instead of Mike Smith.
Different game, same old story. The Wild came out with their guns jammed in the first period. Mikael Granlund managed to get himself concussed just 29 seconds into the game by leading the forecheck with his head (which was soundly repelled by Connor Murphy's shoulder). With their lines now completely jumbled, the Wild eventually yielded a goal to Mikkel Boedker 8:13 into the period. The second period brought a goal by legendary Wild slayer Radim Vrbata, giving the Yotes a 2-0 lead heading into the third period.
Again, the Wild showed signs of life in the third period. Dany Heatley notched a goal with 10 minutes to go in the game, giving the Wild a glimmer of hope that they could put the pedal to the metal and, at the very least, get an opportunity once they pulled Backstrom. Nope. Thwarted at even strength and finished off by a Vrbata empty netter.
Wild Player Of The Game: Dany Heatley - Ummm... Heatley scored a goal, so he kind of wins by default.
Impression Of The Game: The Coyotes are pretty much the Pacific Division's version of the Wild. Both teams play in extremely difficult divisions, both rely on sound defense, scoring by committee, and better-than-average goaltending that could collapse at any moment. Basically, these two teams will likely be battling each other for one of the wild card playoff spots at the end of the year. I know it's still just November, but losses to the Yotes are four-point-swing games.
Friday 11/29 - Colorado: 3 Wild: 1
What better way to celebrate the long holiday weekend than a home-and-home showdown with the Colorado Avalanche? The Avs are the only team that's shared a division rivalry with the Wild since Day 1. They've traded many memorable games over the years, with teach team defeating the other in a a playoff series over the last 13 years.
This year's Avs have no shortage of storylines. Rookie head coach (and franchise legend) Patrick Roy has the Avalanche finally playing up to the level of their talent, goaltender Semyon Varlamov has been arrested & accused of domestic violence, first overall pick Nathan MacKinnon made the team out of camp, and the Avs took the West by storm during the first quarter of the season.
Fans came out in droves for Friday's showdown, packing the Xcel Energy Center with its largest crowd of the season. With a day off from work, a long-time rival in town, and the triumphant return of Zach Parise after missing just one game (!), the crowd was overflowing with energy. That energy certainly translated to the ice, as both teams began the game flying around as if they had something to prove to one another. Unfortunately, that high energy play suits the Avs more than the Wild, a fact that became obvious just 3:45 into the game. Jonas Brodin circled behind his own net with the puck, panicked, and dumped the puck off to Ryan Suter (his only passing option). The Avalanche forecheck, realizing that Brodin had no other play, swarmed on Suter, and forced a turnover that eventually led to a Jan Hejda goal to open the scoring.
The Wild did all they could to tread water during the remainder of the period and found themselves rewarded when professional jackass Cody McLeod took a boarding penalty at 17:24, slamming Jonas Brodin face-first into the boards. McLeod was kicked out of the game and the Wild were handed the greatest gift a team can receive: A five minute power play that begins at the end of a period (potentially allowing them to a chance to score and thus rewrite the narrative of the period) and resumes at the start of the next period (the dreaded fresh-ice power play and a chance to grab the narrative of that period as well).
Of course, this is the Wild and nothing ever comes easy. The Wild limped through both halves of the power play with the urgency of a codeine addict. The Wild managed just one shot during the five minute man-advantage (and surrendered a two-on-one scoring opportunity to the Avs) as a sense of doom pervaded the once-raucous arena. Two minutes after being thwarted by their longtime nemesis J-S Giguere the Wild found themselves beaten by MacKinnon, a player that Wild fans will likely come to fear over the next decade.
The Wild showed some life later in the period when Dany Heatley finished off a brilliant cross-ice feed from Nino Niederreiter (a play that began with some great work from former Gopher Erik Haula, making his NHL debut). Unfortunately, that would be all the offense the Wild mustered on the night. Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog finished off the night by scoring an empty-net goal as Giguere shut the door.
Wild Player Of The Game: Erik Haula - With Mikael Granlund on the shelf the Wild needed a center. In year's past this meant it was time for Nick Johnson or Jed Ortmeyer or Warren Peters. This year, however, it meant it was time for adopted Minnesotan Haula to get his shot in the NHL. I would have awarded Haula POTG honors simply for not being Nick Johnson, but Haula earned the designation on the ice. He used his speed to set up Zach Parise during a two-on-one in the first period and eventually notched his first assist of the season in the second. If I was Kyle Brodziak I'd be very, very afraid.
Impression Of The Game: I've been a longtime hater of the Colorado Avalanche. From their hideous sweaters to their indifferent fans to that Sasquatch foot logo to Peter Forsberg to their dump of an arena, there is nothing I like about the Avs. As such, I was able to make my peace with their hot start by reminding myself that their goalie got arrested, their captain is 21 years old, Patrick Roy's never been a head coach in the NHL before, and their sweaters are still grotesque. I'm still holding out hope that this team is going to collapse at some point, but right now, they are young, fast, talented, and a little crazy. Basically they're the Jennifer Lawrence of the NHL. And nobody's hotter than Jennifer Lawrence right now.
Saturday 11/30 - Colorado: 3 Wild: 2 (SO)
(First things first, check out that Keith Ballard photobomb. Veteran move.)
Alright, second half of the home-and-home in the Mile High City (and that no longer refers to the altitude) as the Wild looked to salvage a week that had seem them gather zero out of six possible points thus far.
Both teams changed up their goalie for this one, with loyal, adversity-overcoming, humble Canadian hero Josh Harding manning the net for the Wild and alleged woman-beater Semyon Varlamov at the other end.
Unfortunately the change in netminders yielded similar results. Yet again, the Wild gave up the first goal of the game and yet again, it came very early in the first. Gabriel Landeskog (who had scored the empty-netter the night before) opened the scoring by putting a backhander behind Harding just 2:22 into the game.
The Wild found themselves behind the proverbial 8-ball when Nathan MacKinnon scored nearly 13 minutes into the second. The goal was a reminder that MacKinnon has the potential to be the next Joe Sakic in the pantheon of "Guys Who Own The Wild" (it also meant that the Avs last four goals over the two games had gone MacKinnon-Landeskog-Landeskog-MacKinnon, a palindromic nightmare that Wild fans may relive for the next decade).
Fortunately, much as the Wild had spent the week sucking in the first period, they maintained their trend of playing their best in the third. Matt Cooke notched his first goal in about a month at the 16:33 mark. The goal proved to be a spark for the Wild. The boys played valiantly until they were finally rewarded. With just six seconds left Mikko Koivu buried the game-tying goal behind Varlamov.
The Wild were unable to score in OT and, as is typically the case with shootouts, lost. The big three of Parise, Koivu, & Pominville came up empty. Harding held his own, stopping Parenteau & MacKinnon before yielding Ryan O'Reilly's game winner.
Wild Player Of The Game: Mikko Koivu - This week had been the most unsatisfying and depressing week of the season, begining with Parise's injury, three consecutive losses, and the reminder that Mike Rupp is on the team. Then, for one brief, shining moment, Koivu reminded us all why watching hockey late into a Saturday night can be so exhilirating. His clutch, game-tying goal was enough to make you forget the brutal 12 periods of hockey you've watched over the week.
Impression Of The Game: I'll admit right away that I'm reading too much into this, but don't underestimate the mental ramifications of Koivu's late goal. If the Avalanche had just flat-out beaten the Wild two nights in a row they would have been able to file the Wild away under the "We got these guys" section of their brain. Now, ever so slightly, there's a crack in that confidence. The Wild and Avs will likely be battling all season for third place in the Central Division and every little edge helps.
So that's the week that was. The Wild gained 1 out of a possible 8 points and ceded ground to two teams they'll be battling for a playoff spot. They lost Mikael Granlund, found out what they had in Erik Haula, welcomed Mike Rupp back to the team, watched Zach Parise turn a two-week injury into just one game, and ended the week on a high note (that happened in a loss, but still...). All in all, an adventurous way to end November.
The Week Ahead
Monday 12/2 - Philadelphia at Wild
The big, bad, perennially dysfunctional Flyers roll into town to start the month of December. The Flyers started the season by by collapsing in a fiery ball of failure, costing head coach Peter Laviolette his job. Like a phoenix from the ashes, the Flyers have clawed their way back to .500 under new coach Craig Berube. Just a hunch, but I'd keep an eye on Pominville & Coyle in this one.
Thursday 12/5 - Chicago at Wild
The last time the Blackhawks rolled into St. Paul it was as the second half of a home-and-home. Having been beaten soundly by the Wild in Chicago the Blackhawks returned the favor in Chicago (much to the delight of the large contingent of out of shape, poorly dressed, drunken Chicagoans living in the Twin Cities). The Blackhawks occasionally bring out the best in the Wild. It won't be easy, but Thursday's game definitely presents an opportunity for the Wild to circle the wagons, refocus, and get back on track.
Friday 12/6 - Wild at Columbus
Friday finds the Wild heading to Columbus for the first time this season. For reasons that are pretty much inexplicable, the Wild have always had trouble in Nationwide Arena. For reasons that are the definition of "explicable" this year's Blue Jackets squad is a blight on the Midwest and perfectly suited to play in a second-rate college town. Something has to give.
Sunday 12/8 - San Jose at Wild
The Wild return to the Xcel Energy Center on Sunday to face the San Jose Sharks for the first time this season. I picked the Sharks to win the Pacific this year and so far they're making me look like a prophet (as long as you don't look up my picks for Colorado or St. Louis). They're big, fast, talented, and, for reasons I don't totally understand, pay James Sheppard to play hockey. Can't win 'em all, I suppose.
The Big Picture
Last week sucked. There's just no way to sugar-coat it. The Wild learned that the Avalanche are for real. They learned that the Blues are just as good as they seem on television. And, perhaps most troubling, they learned that they're just one Zach Parise injury away from being worse than the Coyotes.
Now, one week in November does not a season make. I don't want to overreact here, but for all the hype surrounding the Wild finally being measured against the best in the West this week it's had not to be dejected. Do the Wild really have the firepower (or the goaltending) to hang with the Avs & Blues? I sure hope so, but this week's games certainly make that seem like a fool's bet.
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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