Well hello again, Wild fans! Welcome to Your Name Is Wild: Week #15!
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 hi there, everybody! I'm glad to see you've decided to stop by after yours truly was proven to be a mediocre hockey mind after last week's games.
To recap: In YNIW: Week #14 I essentially wrote an obituary for your beloved Minnesota Wild. Yes, the Wild ended last week with consecutive home victories over Buffalo and Washington, but I maintained that they hadn't really solved any of their underlying problems. They also found themselves without captain Mikko Koivu for the next month thanks to a broken foot (adding to an injury list that already included Jared Spurgeon, Zach Parise, & Josh Harding). They were mired in last place and staring down a two-game road trip that took them to the house of horrors known as the Staples Center and then on to Phoenix to face Dave Tippet's Phoenix Coyotes. From their they returned home to face an Avalanche team that they've been trying to catch all season and then on to Nashville to face the pesky Preds less than 24 hours later.
Frankly, I thought this slate of games was too much for the talent-deprived Wild and that the week would go down as the death knell of the 2013-2014 season.
Turns out I couldn't have been wronger.
Let's break down my idiocy:
The Week That Was
Tuesday 1/7 - Wild: 2 Los Angeles: 1 (SO)
As I mentioned above, the deck was stacked against the Wild heading into Tuesday night's game. They've always struggled in Los Angeles, they were playing without their two best forwards, one of their three best defensemen, and without their #1 goalie. As if that wasn't enough, deposed #1 goalie Niklas Backtrom developed abdominal issues, meaning the Wild's fate would be placed into the tender young hands of Darcy Kuemper. As if that wasn't enough, the game would mark Kuemper's first appearance since injuring himself down in Des Moines back on December 20th.
The Wild started out the game about as well as one would expect given the circumstances. They allowed 17 shots to the Kings while managing just six of their own in the first period. Remarkably, young Kuemper managed to make all 17 stops and looked outstanding while doing so. Among those 17 saves were several that he had no business making. He looked calm, cool, and in control.
The Wild picked up in the second period right where they left off in the first: Against the ropes. Just 0:50 seconds into the period longtime Wild nemesis Jarrett Stoll put a wrister behind Kuemper. The goal seemed like the type of goal that would take the wind out of the sails of the Wild. Having barely escaped the first period tied, Stoll's goal felt like a knockout punch thrown by a fighter to start a later round, a champion taking his best shot right away. The Wild had put up a valiant enough fight for a period, but this is where the script called for them to come back to Earth.
Except nobody told the Wild. Just two minutes after Stoll's goal the reunited second line of Jason Pominville, Mikael Granlund, & Nino Niederreiter combined to even the score. All three players drove the zone with the puck. Granlund surveyed the scene before dishing the puck to Pominville. With Niedrreiter crashing the net Pommer somehow managed to put the puck on his tape. Nino quickly slipped the puck behind Kings goalie Jonathan Quick and just like that the game was back to square one.
That goal, however, came on one of only three shots the Wild managed during the second period. Yet again the Kings dominated every facet of the period, outshooting the Wild 13-3 to give them a 30-9 shot advantage heading into the third.
Perhaps sensing an opportunity to steal a point in a tough building, the Wild stepped their game up in the third period. They were still outshot, but only by a 7-6 margin. Led by Ryan Suter & Jonas Brodin, the Wild slowed down the play and held on for dear life as Kuemper yet again answered every shot thrown his way. The teams ended the period tied at one, but that meant different things for each team. The Wild had stolen a point, the Kings had given one away.
Overtime proved fruitless, so the teams headed into the shootout. On one end was Stanley Cup winner, Conn Smythe Trophy winner, and newly minted U.S. Olympic goaltender Jonathan Quick. On the other, the Wild's third string goaltender. By this point in the game, however, none of that mattered. Kuemper quickly proved as much by stopping all four shooters he faced. The Wild, down their two most consistent shooters in Parise & Koivu, went 0-3 before Nino Niederreiter (he of the Wild's only regulation goal), snuck a shot past Quick to give the Wild the surprising win.
Wild Player Of The Game: Nino Niederreiter - I know what you're thinking: After laying out all the odds against Darcy Kuemper you're not going to name him player of the game after stopping 39 of 40 shots? First of all, shut up. Write your own blog if you don't like it. Second, Kuemper's going to make an appearance as a WPOTG later in this post and Nino's effort here deserves just as much commendation as Kuemper's.
With the Wild's first line on injured reserve, the line of Pominville-Granlund-Niederreiter would be asked to help carry the offensive load while dealing with the additional burden of facing opponents #1 defensive pairings. They didn't dominate the Kings by any stretch of the imagination, but they were the only line to put a number on the board. Niederreiter stepped into the void left by Parise & Koivu by finding the back of the net while doing his usual pest routine against a tough, chippy opponent. It was probably one of the more difficult nights of Nino's career, but also one of the most rewarding.
Impression Of The Game: Holy shit! Darcy Kuemper & Nino Niederreiter combined to beat the Kings in L.A.? I never thought I'd type that sentence during their careers (let alone at this early stage of said careers). The Wild remained in 9th place after this victory, but it did give them a slightly larger margin of error with three difficult games waiting the rest of the week.
Thursday 1/9 - Wild: 4 Phoenix: 1
The goal of most teams in the NHL is to go .500 on the road over the course of a season. Typically, if a team can pull that off (and kick some ass at home), they find themselves in the playoff picture.
With that in mind, the Wild rolled into Phoenix having already grabbed two of the four available points on this two game swing. Now, the Kings should be one of the top three teams in the Pacific Division pretty handily, meaning that the likely won't be competing with them directly for a playoff spot. Phoenix, however, is unlikely to catch L.A., San Jose, & Anaheim in the Pacific, meaning they'll be battling the Wild (along with Vancouver & Dallas) for one of the two wild card playoff spots. Basically, the Wild win in L.A. means that any success in Phoenix would be a bonus. However, any game against Phoenix should be looked at as a four-point-swing game.
With Josh Harding still out for the foreseeable future the Wild turned to Niklas Backstrom on Thursday. While Wild brass was no doubt thrilled with young Darcy Kuemper's performance on Tuesday, they know that it will be important to get Backstrom rolling if this squad is going to stay in the playoff race.
Much like they had in L.A., the Wild spent the majority of the first period hanging on for dear life. They were outshot 15-7 in the opening frame as Backstrom did all he could to keep the team in the game. Unlike L.A., however, the Wild managed to get on the board amidst the Coyotes onslaught. Justin Fontaine took the wind out of the sails of the Coyotes, staking the Wild to a 1-0 by picking off a Keith Yandle pass & beating Mike Smith with a wrist shot with only 1:19 left in the period. It would prove to be the beginning of an eventful night for Fontaine.
Unfortunately, the Wild were not able to build on the late goal in the second period. For the fourth time in five periods they were outplayed and outshot (13-8). The Coyotes got the equalizer when Mikael Boedker snuck a rebound under a tumbling Niklas Backstrom. With the amount of bending the Wild had done on this road trip, I don't think anybody would have been surprised to see them break at this point.
Yet again, the Wild proved skeptics like me wrong. Not only did they tighten up in the third period, but they made a bit of their own luck. Kyle Brodziak (no, really, Kyle Brodziak) restored the Wild's lead just four minutes into the third when he fired a shot directly into Mike Smith's chest. Fortunately, Mike Smith pretty much sucks, which means his angle was so bad that the puck ricocheted off the Coyote on the front of his sweater and into the net. That's exactly the type of terrible play that it takes to get Kyle Brodziak on the board.
Proving that when it rains it pours, Smiths poor play was followed up by a bout of bad luck. Just four minutes later Jason Pominville dumped the puck into the Coyotes zone. With Smith heading behind his net to stop the dump in, the puck caromed off the end boards and bounced directly in front of the now-vacant net. Justin Fontaine pounced on the loose biscuit and put it in the net, giving the Wild a two-goal lead and a bit of breathing room for the first time all week.
Niklas Backstrom held up his end of the deal (eventually stopping 39 of 40 shots) until Fontaine was able to score the empty-netter, enuring a Wild victory and eliciting a few hats from the Wild faithful in Phoenix.
Wild Player Of The Game: Niklas Backstrom - Between injuries, his questionable new contract, and usurpers it's been a rough year for The Scientist. And yet, with the Wild trying to claw their way back into the playoff race, look who turned up and made 40 saves against a wild card rival. Backstrom is getting older and may not have "it" as often as he used to, but games like this one stand as a reminder that he can still
answer the bell when called upon.
Impression Of The Game: I've spent years and years saying that Mike Smith sucks and that the Coyotes are only good because Dave Tippett is a god among NHL coaches. The Coyotes have spent the last few years reminding the public that I'm always wrong. Finally, last week, I conceded that it would be difficult to beat the Coyotes (and specifically, that Mike Smith might not be terrible). True to form, the Coyotes proved me wrong again. Go fuck yourself, Phoenix.
Saturday 1/11 - Colorado: 4 Wild: 2
So, with a surprising four points in the bank from their road trip, the Wild returned home for Saturday night showdown with the division rivals Avalanche. The Wild have spent the entire season looking up in the standings at the Avalanche. While most pundits (myself included) predicted the Avalanche would come back to Earth, it hasn't happened (not completely anyway). For that the Wild have few to blame but themselves.
The Wild and Avs have played several curious games this season. The Avalanche took both games in a weekend home-and-home series early in the season (with the second game noteworthy for Mikko Koivu's late game-tying, point-salvaging goal). The Wild then won in their return visit to the Mile High City.
Oddly, this game would prove to be the opposite of the two games the Wild won on their road trip. It was the Wild who controlled play throughout the first period (outshooting the Avs 9-3), but found themselvesd unable to push a puck past goaltender/women's rights advocate Semyon Varlamov.
Those missed opportunities would come back to haunt the Wild at the 9:08 mark of the second period when Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog managed to sneak a weak backhander behind Niklas Backstrom. Just four minutes later Ryan O'Reilly would give the Avalanche a two-goal cushion as he too beat Backstrom with a shot that some would describe as "stoppable."
That two-goal lead didn't last for long though. With the Wild getting offensive support from all sources in the absence of Mikko Koivu & Zach Parise, this night they turned to those injured player's former linemate Charlie Coyle. Coyle, playing on a line with Dany Heatley, thrust the Wild right back into this game, scoring his first of the period at the 14:19 mark. Just 40 seconds later Coyle found the net yet again (with assists to Dany Heatley on both goals). The period ended with the two teams tied at two and 20 minutes left to determine a winner on what had become a raucous Saturday night at the Xcel Energy Center.
For the first time all week, however, it was the Wild's goaltending that didn't hold up its end of the deal. Ryan O'Reilly notched his second of the game (and the eventual game-winner) on yet another shot that Niklas Backstrom would probably like to have back. The Wild threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Avs in the third (outshooting them 13-6), but it wasn't enough. Maxime Talbot put home an empty-netter and the Wild found themselves two more points back of the Avalanche.
Wild Player Of The Game: Charlie Coyle - I think most of us here in the State Of Hockey agree that Charlie Coyle's future is very bright. What we don't agree on is just when he's going to get there. I, for one, was hoping to see Coyle taking large strides this season, whereas the reality has brought mostly baby steps. Saturday's game, however, may have been the turning point. Up against a fairly staunch Avs defense Coyle flashed the skill & size that makes his future status as one of the game's premier power forwards such a foregone conclusion. The fact that he's the only guy on this team that seems to be able to find a pulse in Dany Heatley is just icing on the cake.
Impression Of The Game: It's impossible to be down about this game considering the two that preceded it. Still, any loss to Colorado counts as a four-point-swing in a Central Division race that is treading very closely to being called in favor of Colorado.
Sunday 1/12 - Wild: 4 Nashville: 0
I'll be honest, I was terrified of this game. The Wild & Preds traditionally play very strange games. Throw in the fact that this one doubled as the second half of back-to-back games (with the Wild leaving from home, meaning they weren't in "road trip mode"), the injured players, and the questionable goaltending situation and I thought this game had all the makings of a real letdown for the Wild.
Well, if this blog post has one overarching theme, it's that I'm wrong pretty much all of the time.
Not only did the Wild roll into Nashville and win, they won handily. Charlie Coyle & Dany Heatley picked up right where they left off against Colorado, combining for a give-and-go that ended with a Heatley tap-in 12:00 into the game. Their linemate Jason Zucker joined the party two minutes later when he netted his third goal of the season (assisted by Heatley & Coyle).
With Niklas Backstrom on the bench after playing the night before, young Darcy Kuemper was tasked with making that two-goal lead stand up. Not only did he make it stand up, he made it seem excessive. Yet again Kuemper was excellent all night long, Though not tested by many quality chances (after all, it was the Predators), Kuemper stopped all 23 shots he faced, looking calm and in control as he notched the first shutout of his young NHL career. In fact, once Matt Cooke scored to give the Wild a 3-0 lead a minute into the first period, Kuemper's pursuit of that first shutout became the only compelling story.
Wild Player Of The Game: Darcy Kuemper - See, I told you Kuemper would get his due. As a rule, anytime a goalie gets his first career shutout he gets to be named player of the game (even if it comes against the Predators).
Impression Of The Game: The Predators are a team that's given the Wild fits for years. Watching the Wild walk into Bridgestone Arena and thoroughly handle business (especially after losing the night before) was the sign of a team that is no longer getting caught up in the peaks and valleys of its season. For a team that has more peaks and valleys than most, that has to be a good thing.
The Week Ahead
Tuesday 1/14 - Ottawa at Wild
The Senators head to St. Paul to try to get their season back on track. These two played a bizarrely wide-open game up in Ottawa earlier this season, with the Wild coming away with the victory. This game doubles as former Wild enforcer Matt Kassian's first visit to the Xcel Energy Center as an opponent
Thursday 1/16 - Edmonton at Wild
Thursday brings the LOiLers to town for the first time since they laid a 6-0 beating on the Wild with the Wild playing for a playoff spot last season. That game sucked, but nowhere near as much as being an Oilers fan must suck.
Saturday 1/18 - Dallas at Wild
Saturday is Hockey Day In Minnesota and, as per tradition, that means the Stars are in town. The Stars have had just as schizophrenic as season as the Wild, but with the notable fact that they've been doing it looking up at the Wild in the Central Division race. Much like the Wild just can't seem to make up ground on Colorado, it's important for the Wild keep the Stars at arm's length.
The Big Picture
Well, last week I wrote that I thought the Wild were dead in the water. They responded by taking six out of eight points, winning three games on the road but losing at home. Yes, I look like an idiot, but if you show me somebody who saw that stretch coming and I'll show you a liar.
This week brings three very winnable games and a valuable chance to build on the points they banked over the last week. Zach Parise & Josh Harding are both practicing, which means the Wild could really be poised to keep rolling in 2014. Fingers crossed.
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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