Your Name Is Wild: Week #19

We now return you to your previously scheduled program...

Well hello again, Wild fans!  Welcome to Your Name Is Wild: Week #19!

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?

Welcome back, everybody!  Did you have a good Olympic break?

(crickets)
(crickets)
(crickets)

Yeah, unless you're Finnish or Canadian that pretty much sucked.  Ah well, nobody on the Wild got hurt and really, that's the important thing.

When last we spoke the Wild had just won two straight home games and gained 10 out of the last 14 available points.  They'd manage to push themselves 5 points up in the race for the Wild card, turning a four horse race for two spots into a three horse race for one spot.

This week found the Wild on the previously dreaded Western Canadian road trip.  However, this time around most of the squad was well rested & the teams they're facing were no longer division rivals.  There are times when I miss the old Northwest Division, but this week wasn't one of them.  Let's break this thing down.

The Week That Was

Thursday 2/27 - Wild: 3  Edmonton: 0

Thursday night found the Wild rebooting their season in the best place possible:  Edmonton.

Despite hopes that the Olympic break would give him ample time to recover, the Wild were again without captain Mikko Koivu as he continues to recover from a broken ankle.  Technically, Niklas Backstrom was healthy enough to play, but realistically, I'm not sure Niklas Backstrom is every going to be healthy enough to play an NHL game ever again.  Fortunately, this Edmonton Oilers squad is embarrassingly bad.  It really wouldn't have mattered what 20 guys donned Wild sweaters Thursday night, if they had even a rudimentary knowledge of hockey they would have been able to compete with these guys.

It didn't take long for the Wild to assert their dominance.  Mikael Granlund, who's clearly feeling extra saucy after a stellar Olympic performance, got the Wild on the board just 2:04 into the game.  Playing 4-on-4, Jared Spurgeon led the rush by dishing the biscuit up to Zach Parise.  With Keith Ballard crashing the net, Granlund was left all alone in the slot. Parise hit him in stride, Ben Scrivens (who was evidently expecting Parise to try to shoot through Keith Ballard) was nowhere to be seen, and boom! Back of the net.  After the game Granlund said the amount of space he had to work with on the play was, "unexpected."  Edmonton Oilers Hockey:  Unexpected!

The second period offered more of the same for the Wild.  The Oilers continued their incredibly sloppy play, dumping pucks into each other's feet and literally crashing into each other on the ice.  At the 9:37 mark the indomitable Stephane Veilleux was left all alone on top of the circle.  Evidently Edmonton does not respect the Ginger Hammer.  Erik Haula took the puck behind the net and hit Veilleux with a centering pass.  Veilleux, gun cocked, fisted a one-timer through a screen and past Scrivens.  2-0. The legend continues...

The third period was highlighted by one of the funniest goals I've seen this year.  With Charlie Coyle & Nino Niederreiter cycling furiously in the Edmonton zone, Dany Heatley planted himself on the right side of the net with his stick cocked for a one-timer.  Oilers defenseman Anton Belov did his best to tie Heater up, eventually leading to the two cross-checking each other.  Just as it seemed Belov had neutralized Heatley, the puck bounded off Scrivens and toward the two.  Heatley promptly chipped the puck over Scrivens, fell down, got up, and celebrated like a fuckin' all-star.  Salt in an old wound for the Edmonton faithful, but at this point I'm assuming they're pretty numb.

That was all she wrote for the Oilers.  Darcy Kuemper stopped all 21 shots he faced (including a stellar save on a Jordan Eberle one-timer in the second) to post his 9th victory of the year.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Stephane Veilleux - Frankly, it would make a lot more sense to give this one to Granlund or Kuemper, but I have a strict "Any time Stephane Veilleux scores he's automatically the Player Of The Game" policy and I'm sticking to it.

Ginger Solidarity!

Impression Of The Game:  I was pretty concerned that the Wild, who went into the Olympics scorching hot, would stumble out of the gates (it's not cynicism, it's realism).  Not only did they come out flying, they looked more powerful than they were before the break.  Then again, kicking the shit out of Edmonton only counts for so much.  That's 12 of the 16 available points in the bank.  Bring on Vancouver!

Friday 2/28  - Wild: 2  Vancouver: 1 (SO)

This game was riddled with pros & cons before the puck even dropped:

Pro: The Canucks sent a ton of players to the Olympics, so they may be an exhausted team.
Con: The Wild played the night before, so they may also be exhausted.
Pro: The Canucks were in a freefall before the break & had fallen out of the playoffs.
Con: They'd already won once since the break, so maybe they've righted the ship.
Pro: The Vancouver hockey press was abuzz with news that Ryan Kesler demanded a trade.
Con: No Koivu, No Scandella, No Backstrom (meaning Kuemper playing just 24 hours after his shutout)
Pro: John Tortorella still coaches the Canucks.
Con: Goaltender Eddie Lack has supplanted Roberto Luongo & looked great.
Pro:  The Canucks entered this game 6 points back of the Wild, meaning a Wild victory would bury them 8 points back.  For revenge's sake, that's a good thing.

Well, the game itself was just this sort of back and forth.  Ryan Kesler opened the scoring when former Canucks whipping boy Keith Ballard coughed up the puck on the power play.  Kesler sped past him (seriously, how slow is Ballard?), retrieved the puck, and beat Kuemper.

Ballard would get his sweet redemption just a few minutes later when he tied the game by blasting a puck behind Eddie Lack.  Or did he?  Referee Brad Meier waved the goal off immediately, claiming that Erik Haula had interfered with Lack.  Replays showed conclusively that no such contact occurred, but this isn't a reviewable play.  No goal.

No matter.  Just a few minutes later Kesler's Team USA teammate Zach Parise buried a laser of a wrist shot on the power play.  1-1 game after 1.

And that, folks, is all of your scoring for the night.  The two teams spent the majority of the second period playing tug-of-war in the neutral zone, while the third period tilted the ice in the Canucks favor.  The Wild,  clearly feeling the effects of playing the night before, held on for dear life, eventually forcing OT & earning a road point.

The extra frame would prove memorable when Zach Parise, the Wild's lone goal scorer, took a completely unnecessary boarding penalty on Chris Tanev.  The Wild sent Kyle Brodziak, Matt Cooke, & Nate Prosser out to kill the penalty.  While playing just about the most passive triangle in the history of the NHL, the trio stood tall, killing off the majority of the penalty with "good sticks" and a willingness to block shots.  It was a tense & satisfying penalty kill that suddenly made it seem like it just might be the Wild's night after all.

The boys escaped OT unscathed only to find themselves in one of the more epic shootouts in franchise history.  Both Kuemper & Lack stopped the first six shooters they saw.  Finally, Justin Fontaine solved Lack by sliding the puck five-hole.  Darcy Kumper stopped noted animal enthusiast David Booth and it was all over but the shouting.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Darcy Kuemper - In addition to playing for the second straight night, Kuemper managed to fight off the negativity of Kesler's breakaway goal, stay sharp as his team sagged in front of him, and then stand tall during a seven round shootout.  Not bad for a 23 year old who was fourth on the depth chart at this time last year.

Impression Of The Game:  That's 14 of 18 points!  Not only that, but the boys managed to gut out an ugly, ugly win on a night when they didn't have the legs, were missing key players, in a brutal building, against a desperate team.  It was not the most entertaining game of the year, but it may have been the defining one.

The Week Ahead

Monday 3/3 - Calgary at Wild

Allegedly both Mikko Koivu & Marco Scandella will return to the lineup Monday night.  One thing's for sure, this potentially mundane March game against Calgary will go down as the first chapter of "Granlund v. Granlund" as the Flames have called up Mikael's kid brother Markus.  The Flames are also the last team to defeat the Wild (nearly a month ago).  That's some shit that needs to be rectified post-haste.

Saturday 3/8 - Wild at Dallas

Amazingly, the Wild enjoy four days off before heading to the house of horrors that is Dallas.  The way things are shaping up now the Stars will be playing for their playoff lives Saturday night.  Can the Wild win in Texas for the first time since the Lemaire Era?  Probably not, but hell, stranger things have happened.

Sunday 3/9 - St. Louis at Wild

After Dallas the Wild head to St. Louis.  After acquiring Ryan Miller this week I'm terrified to see what this Blues team is going to look like post-deadline.  The Blues are legit Stanley Cup contenders.  I don't know how you could improve this team, but here's hoping Doug Armstrong fucks it up.

The Big Picture

The Wild have found a regular home in the rumour mill over the last month thanks to their goaltending situation.  With Wednesday's trade deadline we'll finally have some clarity as to just what the plan is going forward.

Fortunately, none of that gossip seems to be affecting the on-ice product.  The Wild just keep racking up points, leaving Phoenix, Dallas, Vancouver, & Winnipeg to fight for enough scraps to earn the second wild card.  Good times all around.

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.

For more Newest Industry be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  More importantly, we have a Facebook page here.  Trivial as it seems stopping by & giving us a "Like" is a free & legitimate way to support the blog.

Your Name Is Wild: Week #14

So let's give it up for the new year...

Well hello again, Wild fans!  Welcome to Your Name Is Wild: Week #14!

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?

Welcome to 2014, hockey fans!  Thanks for stopping by.

One of the most tried-and-true theories in hockey is that the teams that occupy playoff spaces when the calendar turns over are the teams that find themselves playing postseason hockey.  As Wild fans, we have to hope that's not the case, as our beloved Wild headed into 2014 in 9th place and spiraling.

It should be noted that Wild fans have reason to be skeptical of that old adage.  It was just two seasons ago that the Wild found themselves in first place overall heading into December.  That team became the first team to ever lead the league in December and end up missing the playoffs.  Obviously, the Wild disproved the old theory in the least desirable way, but they did prove that it can be done.  The way things have been going, that counts as a ray of hope.

When we left off the Wild had just coughed up a three-goal lead to the Islanders on home ice and head coach Mike Yeo was hanging onto his job by its last thread.  Let's break down the week.

The Week That Was

Tuesday 12/31 - St. Louis: 2  Wild: 1

Heading into this New Year's Eve showdown much of the buzz surrounding the team was whether or not Mike Yeo would make it to gametime.  He did, which essentially assured that he'd have the head coaching job at least through the week.  Why?  Because nobody in their right mind thought the Wild would be able to beat this Blues team.

Turned out everybody was right.  The score may make this game seem like it was competitive, but trust me, it was not.  Ken Hitchcock has his Blues playing at such a high level that despite the absence of leading goal scorer Thomas Steen and captain David Backes, the Blues rolled into St. Paul and took the game with business-like efficiency.

The Wild managed to hold their own during the first period, outshooting the Blues 9-7, but the second period would be their undoing.  Blues forward (and Minnesota native) TJ Oshie opened the scoring with a wrist shot 6:49 into the period.  That was followed by a Blues 3-2 rush that ended with Jaden Schwartz firing a shot that, while partially stopped by Harding, trickled into the net.  That was all the Blues needed.

(Quick Minnesota sidenote:  In the Wild's previous two games they had been scored on by Blake Wheeler in Winnipeg and Kyle Okposo of the Islanders in St. Paul.  Oshie's goal made him the third former Gopher to score on the Wild in three games.  The State Of Hockey's a harsh mistress.)

While the Wild did manage to outshoot the Blues again in the third, it was largely a product of the Blues abandoning offense to lock down their end of the ice.  With goaltender Brian Elliott in fine form the Blues did just that.  When Ryan Suter scored with just 9 seconds left, it ruined Elliott's shutout, but was ultimately the last desperate punch of a team about to be TKO'd.  2013 would go out with a whimper.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Josh Harding - I'm giving Harding WPOTG honors retroactively.  After struggling in the loss to the Islanders Harding played well in this one, stopping 21 of 23 shots.  Unfortunately, this would turn out to be the last game Harding plays for a while as he was scratched from the next two (and counting) with what the team is calling "illness," but everybody knows is struggles with his new MS medications (an issue that cost him nearly all of last season).

Impression Of The Game:  The Wild got soundly beaten by the Blues.  This isn't news.  In fact, it was so expected that nobody even brought up Mike Yeo's tenuous job status afterward because nobody had any expectations of victory coming into the game.  On to 2014...

Thursday 1/2 - Wild: 4  Buffalo: 1

Much to the relief of Wild fans everywhere, the turning of the calendar to 2014 brought with it a chance to start fresh.  Enter the Buffalo Sabres.  The way the Wild has plummeted down the standings lately, facing off against the worst team in the NHL on home ice turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.

The Wild started this one off slowly, playing the Sabres to a scoreless first period that had the Wild faithful worried in their seats.  Fortunately, the Wild righted the ship with a three goal second period.

Perhaps it was frustration with the Wild's inability to score (or perhaps it was just a sign of how much his game has developed), but defenseman Marco Scandella looked like a force in scoring the Wild's first goal.  As Justin Fontaine dumped the puck to Matt Cooke, Scandella took off for the net like a man possessed, received a feed from Cooke, and promptly buried the puck over Ryan Miller's shoulder.  It was the kind of goal Wild fans have been envisioning from Scandella for years.

From that point on the Wild didn't look back.  Jason Pominville buried his 18th of the year.  Fan favorite Jason Zucker finally buried his first of the year, and the Wild controlled the period to the tune of 15-5 shots.

The third period found the Wild trying to keep pushing the pace as they went for the jugular.  They didn't get another goal, but managed to outshoot the Sabres yet again.  Tyler Myers eventually spoiled Niklas Backstrom's shutout, but it was of no consequence.  The highlight of the game came with just 36 seconds left, as Kyle Brodziak broke free from the pack to cash an empty-netter. He was tripped up by a Buffalo Sabre and awarded the goal despite never shooting the puck in the net (causing most of Twitter to demand that Brodziak take a penalty shot against the empty net.  Nothing on Earth is less certain than Kyle Brodziak hitting the net).

Wild Player Of The Game:  Marco Scandella - I already said all I have to say about his goal up above, but Scandella's development this season has been a very encouraging sign (especially considering the Wild would lose Jared Spurgeon to a foot injury during the game).  Wild fans have been waiting years for Superstorm Scandy to become the d-man we envisioned.  Games like this show that he's finally tapped into all of his tools.

Impression Of The Game:  Much like nobody overreacted when the Wild lost to the Blues, nobody thought the Wild had cured their ills by beating the Sabres.  Yes, getting two points is always big, but kicking the shit out of Buffalo is nothing to celebrate.  I've always liked the Sabres, and I wish them all the best in the future, but the team they are icing right now is complete garbage.  They may not win 10 more games the rest of the year.

News:  On Friday, 1/3 the Wild placed Zenon Konopka on waivers.  The move came as a surprise to most of the fanbase as well as Konopka (who was celebrating his birthday).  The move would save the Wild about 500K against the salary cap, but also rob them of a bit of toughness and a great faceoff man.  Crucially, by waiving Konopka GM Chuck Fletcher was saying, "We're totally cool with the depth we have at center right now," words which have never, ever, EVER been uttered by a Minnesota Wild GM, coach, fan, or player.

Konopka was snapped up off waivers by these same Buffalo Sabres.  It was bittersweet for Wild fans, but solace could be found in the fact that Konopka was born just outside of Buffalo and was heading home to play for the team he grew up cheering for.  Best of luck, Zenon!

Saturday 1/4 - Wild: 5  Washington: 3

Heading into this game the Wild had done little to answer the questions that surrounded the team entering the week.  Everybody expected the team to be dominated by the Blues (they were) and to beat up on the Sabres (they did).  That would have been the outcome no matter who was coaching this squad.

Saturday, however, provided an intriguing contest.  The Capitals are in much the same position as the Wild this season (i.e. they look great on paper, and even in stretches of games, but ultimately are underachieving).  The Caps boast plenty of talent up from in Alexander Ovechkin & the good Nicklas Backstrom, on defense with Mike Green and up-and-comers John Carlson & Karl Alzner, and are pretty solid in net with heartthrob Braden Holtby.  Still, they entered the game middling despite playing in the terrible Metropolitan Division.  With a two-game road trip looming, the outcome of this one could potentially alter the course of the Wild's season.

With all of that as a backdrop, the Wild came out and got absolutely destroyed in the first period.  They gave up a goal to Marcus Johannson 12:02 into the game and then allowed Mike Green to score a highlight reel goal just 13 seconds later.  In the midst of all of this the Wild managed just one (!) shot on goal during the period.  They were booed off the ice as Wild fans feared the worst.

But then the Wild undertook the craziest 20 minutes of hockey they've played all season.  Fired up by coach Mike Yeo during intermission, the Wild came out playing like they were trying to save his job.  Nino Niederreiter got the Wild on the board when Charlie Coyle absolutely owned the forecheck and hit him in the slot.  The Wild then took the lead on consecutive power play goals by Ryan Suter (neither of which would have happened without the beastly effort of Dany Heatley screening in front of the net).

Just as quickly as the Wild took control of the game, however, they handed it right back.  Mike Green dumped the puck into the Wild zone.  It bounced off the end boards toward goaltender Niklas Backstrom.  Backstrom misplayed the puck, redirecting with his skates between his own legs and back into the goal.  Tie game.  For a team that hasn't been getting the bounces lately, this seemed like the cherry on top.

However, the Wild stuck to their guns.  With Mikhail Grabovski in the box for delay of game Jason Zucker netted the power play goal, tucking a bouncing puck behind Holtby and restoring the lead for the Wild.  It was Zucker's second goal of the season and second in as many nights.  The Wild ended the period clinging to a one-goal lead.

The highlight of the night came in the third period.  Ryan Suter was called for a tripping minor while battling with Eric Fehr.  Replays clearly showed that Fehr had fallen on his own volition.  Suter would have the last laugh howerver.  With his penalty expired, Suter stepped out of the penalty box just as fellow defenseman Clayton Stoner was carrying puck out of the Wild zone.  The two quickly engaged in always rare defenseman/defenseman two-on-one.  Stoner fed the puck across to Suter, who promptly buried the puck for his first career hat trick.  Hats rained down from the Xcel Center as Wild fans indulged in their first genuine celebration in weeks.  They held on for the 5-3 victory.

Player Of The Game:  Ryan Suter - Any time a defenseman nets a hat trick he takes home the trophy, plain and simple.  Not only did Suter net three goals, but he did it while playing 31 minutes against Alexander Ovechkin.  Just give him the Norris Trophy now.

Impression Of The Game:  This was a big victory for the boys.  Not only did they beat a comparable team, but they did so despite pissing away two goals and one period.  If nothing else this was a reminder that this squad has the personnel on hand to turn this thing around.  The way Mike Yeo got these guys fired up during the first intermission, it's possible that they have the right coach on hand too.

News:  Terrible, terrible news the day after this Wild victory.  Josh Harding was placed on IR due to complications with his medication, a tough blow for a goaltending group that's barely holding on.

Second, and much more important, it was announced that Mikko Koivu broke his foot during the game and would be out for the next month.  As those of us who have followed the Wild for years know, Wild seasons usually go off the rails when Koivu suffers his annual injury.  Throw in the fact that the Wild's forward corps is already missing Zach Parise and this injury suddenly seems terrifying.

With Koivu going down (which, again, happens every season), it sure would be nice if the Wild had some depth at center to help them get through the next month.  Maybe a veteran who was good in the circles and responsible in his own end.  I mean, that would be a much better situation than relying on rookie Eric Haula right?  Or depending on Kyle Brodziak to somehow elevate his game?

Ugh...

The Week Ahead

Tuesday 1/7 - Wild at Los Angeles

The Wild head to L.A. to face a Kings team that has had their number for years.  They do so without Josh Harding, Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, or Jared Spurgeon.  The Wild is in desperate need of points, but I wouldn't bet on them getting any at Staples Center.

Thursday 1/9 - Wild at Phoenix

The Wild head to Phoenix for a game against a team that they have been battling (and will continue to battle) for one of the Western Conference's Wild Card playoff spots.  Yet again Dave Tippett has his Yotes playing well above expectations.  Keith Yandle's recent snub from the USA Olympic team (and the boost goalie Mike Smith received from being added to the Canadian team) could give these Yotes a dangerous boost of both confidence and anger.  Scary.

Saturday 1/11 - Colorado at Wild

The Wild celebrate Binary Day by welcoming the Avalanche to St. Paul.  Frankly, when I wrote that last sentence I initially typed "another team they'll be battling for a playoff spot," but after the way the last two weeks have played out, that would just be delusional.  The Wild have stolen points from the Avs twice already this season, but have been given fits by youngsters Nathan McKinnon & Gabriel Landeskog.

Sunday 1/12 - Wild at Nashville

The Wild head to Nashville on Sunday to face the Preds under the worst possible circumstances.  Typically, the Wild and Nashville play strange, strange games regardless of the talent on hand or their place in the standings (their first game featured former Wild Eric Nystrom injuring Niklas Backstrom before scoring a penalty shot goal on Josh Harding).  This game will find the Wild playing their second game of back-to-back nights, flying from St. Paul to Nashville, icing a depleted lineup, and possibly trying to adjust to a new coach.

The Big Picture

The Wild managed to take four out of six points this week, which seems encouraging until you look at the standings and see that they need to take four out of every six points just to keep pace with the rest of the Western Conference.

Like I wrote above, Mikko Koivu's annual injury has sunk many, many Wild seasons.  Between their place in the standings, the way they've been playing lately, the aforementioned "Calendar Flip" rule, and the other injuries they're dealing with, it sure looks like this next month will be the death of the 2013-2014 season.

It should be noted, I'm typically among the most skeptical of Wild fans (though, in my defense, they made me this way).  Obviously the second week of January is awfully early to be writing this season's obituary.  However, given the circumstances, it is going to take a Herculean effort from the players who are healthy to keep this ship afloat until the Olympic break in mid-Febraury.

Of course, I'll be here on Newest Industry watching the whole thing from a safe distance.

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.

 

For more Newest Industry be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  More importantly, we have a Facebook page here.  Trivial as it seems stopping by & giving us a "Like" is a free & legitimate way to support the blog.

Your Name Is Wild: Week #13

I watched in desperation as you stumbled before my eyes...

Well hello again, Wild fans!  Welcome to Your Name Is Wild: Week #13!

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?

What'd you miss?  What'd you miss?!?  The State Of Hockey is in full-fledged freak out mode after the things you missed!

Alright, quickly, when last we spoke the Wild were heading off for their Christmas break with visions of diminishing playoff odds dancing in their heads.  They had lost three straight on an Eastern Conference road trip and found themselves on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.

Well, Week #13 was a brief week for the boys, but it'll likely go down as one of the most peculiar (and disappointing) of the season.  Let's get into this.

The Week That Was

Friday 12/27 - Winnipeg: 6  Wild: 4

The boys returned from Christmas break to make the short trip up to Winnipeg.  Heading into this game the Wild were 3-0 against the Jets and, more importantly, has used their division rivals to right the ship multiple times this season.  Unfortunately, the Wild would have to attempt to right ship without the services of Josh Harding & Zach Parise.

Now, I don't know exactly what the Wild & Jets players did over their three day Christmas vacation, but one thing was clear:  It only took three days for the goaltenders to completely check out.

The first period featured a combined seven goals, four lead changes, and three goaltenders as the Jets & Wild took turns making a mockery of each other's goaltending.  And make no mistake, this was not two struggling offensive teams finally figuring it out, this was Ondrej Pavelec outsucking Niklas Backstrom followed by Backstrom outsucking Al "Colonel" Montoya.  The period featured goals by the likes of Stephane Veilleux, Justin Fontaine, Olli Jokinen, Dany Heatley, Blake Wheeler, Evander Kane, & Dustin Byfuglien.  That's a ginger, a plugger, two enigmas, two underachievers, one drunk boating enthusiast, and a partridge in a pear tree!

Now, with that wacky first period behind them, the two teams settled into what they do best:  struggling in just about every facet of the game.  Neither team's offense returned as both goaltenders played well enough to stop the few shots thrown their way.  Eventually Mikko Koivu tied the game with his first (!) power play goal of the season.

With the game tied 4-4 and reduced to a mere 20 minutes, the Jet found a way to pull out the W.  Blake Wheeler scored his second goal of the game (notably, from the crease) and Toby Enstrom cashed the emtpy netter to finish it off.

Wild Player Of The Game: Stephane Veilleux - I've been blogging about the Wild for quite some time and I have only one firm rule:  When Stephane Veilleux scores he is the player of the game.

Bask in his reflected ginger glory!

Impression Of The Game:  This game was set up as a collision between two things we know for certain:  The Wild absolutely suck on the road vs. The Wild own the Jets.  Unfortunately, "Wild suck on the road" proved to overpower "It's the JETS!?!"  That's an 0-4 road trip, a tumble out of the playoff picture, and an unhappy fanbase.  But hell, at least the Wild were returning home to face the hapless Islanders.  Everything will be fine...

Sunday 12/29 - New York Islanders: 5  Wild: 4

Oh no!  Everything's not fine!

Let's rewind for a minute.  The Wild have been a pretty dreadful road team all season, but they've been able to get away with it because they've been dominant in St. Paul.  The Islanders visiting after the Wild pissed away yet another road trip is just another variation on the script the Wild have been reading from ever since Mike Yeo rolled into town on his eyebrow-less horse.  The Wild would come out fired up, kick ass for three periods, and everybody would walk away thinking, "Good, the boys are back on track."

The first period and a half played out just the way it was supposed to.  Ryan Suter got the show started with is first goal of the year just 3:22 into the game.  The Xcel Energy Center exploded with a mixture of excitement and relief.  The boys are back on track.

The second period brought quick scores from Jonas Brodin (0:39 into the period) and former Islander Nino Niederreiter (2:20 later).  The rout was on and everybody was feeling saucy.  Or was it...

(Cut to frozen shot of Niederreiter smiling, fade to black, commercial)

The Wild were riding high with a 3-0 lead at home against the lowly Islanders.  It seemed like all the breaks that had eluded the Wild over the last week and half were finally going their way.  Everything was coming up Milhouse.

Except that, when push came to shove, the Islanders had the most talented player on either team: John Tavares.  Tavares showed exactly why he's the supernova of young stars in the NHL when he pulled his team back from the abyss with a goal at 8:45.  The rest of his team followed suit, tightening up and playing smart hockey until returning hero Cal Clutterbuck  changed the narrative of the whole period by netting goal with just over a minute left in the second.  Suddenly, this was the Islanders period and they were heading into intermission down just one goal.

The St. Paul faithful were definitely restless (I was there, trust me, nobody felt confident that this one was over), and there fears were realized 6:30 into the third when Thomas Hickey tipped the puck past Harding. Tie Game.

The teams traded shots for the next six minutes, but eventually St. Paul native (and one of the most unfairly cast villains in Wild history) scored to give the Islanders the lead they had been building toward since Tavares got them on the board.  The Xcel Center was silent (excepting the boo birds and their week's worth of pent up frustration).

From there it was an exciting, if disappointing, finish.  Justin Fontaine scored just one minute after Okposo, restoring hope to the Wild faithful & order to the world, but both were plunged back into the darkness yet another minute later when Okposo delivered the knockout blow.  5-4, 5:48 to play.

Proving that the hockey gods have a sick sense of humor (and/or humour), Calvin de Haan took a tripping penalty with 4:58 left in the game, sending the Wild's power play unit out for a chance to tie the game (and save Mike Yeo's job).  Inevitably, failure ensued.  The power play came up empty and, just to give the fans one last disappointment, Kyle Brodziak took a penalty with 2:31 remaining, robbing the Wild of the opportunity to pull Harding at the end of the game.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Nino Niederreiter - There's an awful lot of blame to go around for this one, but we should acknowledge Nino's efforts against his former team.  By all accounts his relationship with the Islanders was one of mutual disdain.  I doubt he'll score many more goals as satisfying as the one he scored Sunday.

Impression Of The Game:  Fear. Anger. Regret. Disappointment. Resignation...  These were all feelings felt by me, every other Wild fan, Wild players, Mike Yeo, Chuck Fletcher, & Craig Leopold as the Wild pissed away a three-goal lead at home to the Islanders.  I don't know if/who the fall guy will be for this loss, but it definitely felt like the low-tide moment of the season.

The Week Ahead

Tuesday 12/31 - St. Louis at Wild

One of the many reasons that the Wild's loss to the Islanders stung was the fact that the Blues were coming to town New Year's Eve.  As much as I'd like to see something different, I just can't imagine a scenario where the big, bad Blues do anything less than kick the shit out of the fragile Wild.  If Yeo isn't fired before this game I wouldn't be surprised if he's fired afterward.

Thursday 1/2 - Buffalo at Wild

The Wild beat the flailing Sabres earlier this year, but that was back when Ron Rolston was the coach.  The Sabres are still flailing, but with Ted Nolan back at the helm, it's flailing with a purpose.

Saturday 1/4 - Washington at Wild

Alexander Ovechkin & the good Nicklas Backstrom come to town for a Saturday night showdown.  Will Mike Yeo be coaching for his job?  Will Mike Yeo be watching from his own personal island in Ontario?  Tune in to find out!

The Big Picture

Most of this losing streak was covered in last week's post, so I'm going to do my best to focus on just these two losses.

Two things jump out immediately:

1.  The Wild gave up 11 goals to the Jets & Islanders!  Holy shit!

2.  The Wild scored 8 goals in two games without Zach Parise and came out of it with zero points.

When a team lays an egg like that there's usually a scapegoat.  In this case blame likely falls on the defense (atrocious) and the goaltending (equally bad).  But, as the old saying goes, you can't fire the players.

It's become clear that Mike Yeo's voice is being tuned out in the dressing room.  We have several seasons of evidence now that points to Yeo being unable to pull his team out of tailspins, tailspins that have occurred in each of his seasons. Frankly, I'm surprised Leopold (via Fletcher) didn't pull the trigger already.  Yeo will likely have to win both the St. Louis & Buffalo games to keep his job secure.

Meanwhile, the Wild are now sitting in 10th place, losing ground quickly.  Should be a fun week.

Until next time...

 

 

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.

 

For more Newest Industry be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  More importantly, we have a Facebook page here.  Trivial as it seems stopping by & giving us a "Like" is a free & legitimate way to support the blog.

Your Name Is Wild: Week #12

Fa-la-la-la-la...

Well hello again, Wild fans!  Welcome to Your Name Is Wild: Week #12!

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?

Week #12 is upon us, which means our beloved Wild are wrapping up their third month of play.  The Wild entered the week barely hanging on in the Western Conference playoff race.  The week brought an old rival to the Xcel Energy Center before the boys went out on the road to test their mettle against the "inferior" Eastern Conference. 

Let's break this thing down!

The Week That Was

Tuesday 12/17 - Wild: 3  Vancouver: 2 (SO)

Tuesday brought the Vancouver Canucks to the Xcel Energy Center for the first time this season and a lot has changed since they last met.  The Wild & Canucks no longer share the Northwest Division (R.I.P), which means that this rivalry is likely on its last legs.  The Canucks have moved on from longtime coach Alain Vigneault.  I'll miss Vigneault.  His mannequin-esque appearance behind the Vancouver was always a joy.  Now, when I say "mannequin-esque," I'm not referring to his appearance (mannequin's are designed to be attractive), I'm referring to the fact that even a brainless, human shaped lump of plastic could have handled those Canucks squads as well as Vigneault.

In his place the Canucks have brought in former Rangers coach/professional troll John Tortorella.  One of Tortorella's first orders of business when he came to Vancouver was to make nice with goaltender Roberto Luongo, the deposed #1 goalie who had been returned to his previous standing during the offseason.

Now, one of the great quirks of the Robeto Luongo Era in Vancouver is that, after several poor performances, Alain Vigneault decided that Luongo was not allowed to play in St. Paul.  He always played well against the Wild in British Columbia, but every time he came to the Xcel Center he fell apart.  This wasn't much of a problem for the Canucks the last couple of years because they had Corey Schneider to start, and usually win, the games in St. Paul.  However, with Schneider and Vigneault now languishing in the Tri-State area, Luongo got the nod in St. Paul.

As has been the case for the last month of the season, the Wild came out without much energy.  They spent the first few minutes of the game chasing the puck before Jannik Hansen (with assists from both Henrik & Daniel Sedin), put the puck behind Josh Harding.  Unlike most of the last month, the Wild were able to rally to tie the game before the first period was up when Zach Parise buried a power play goal.

The second period played out in much the same fashion.  Notorious bear hunter David Booth scored to give the Canucks a 2-1 lead.  Unfortunately the Wild were unable to net an equalizer as the period ended with the Canucks nursing a one goal lead.

The third period found the Canucks putting the clamps on the Wild.  Vancouver controlled play for most of the period and looked to be on their way to adding to their three-game winning streak.  And then, it happened.  The Hockey Gods, known more for their sadistic sense of humor than anything else, looked down from their press box in the sky, saw Roberto Luongo about to win a game in St. Paul, and laughed as they prevented Luongo from closing the five-hole on Charlie Coyle's wrister.  Softy.  Tie game.

The game went to a shootout and, fortunately for the Wild, the Canucks are one of the worst shootout teams in the format's short history.  Harding stopped all three Canucks shooters, while Luongo stopped Zach Parise, dodged a bullet when Koivu dented the crossbar, and finally took the loss when Jason Pominville buried a wrister to give the Wild the two points.  Somewhere Brian Rolston was smiling.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Mikko Koivu - The Captain paced the Wild with assists on each of the goals in this one.  Had he put his shootout attempt half an inch lower he would have netted that winner too.  Of course, half an inch higher and he would have missed the net entirely.  Hmmmm...

Impression Of The Game:  The Wild continued to build their playoff hopes on home wins.  Considering they're about to spend the rest of the week out East, this was an important victory (made all the more fun by screwing with Luongo & Tortorella).

Thursday 12/19 - Pittsburgh: 5  Wild: 2

The Wild headed to Pittsburgh Thursday night for the first of four games out East.  Unfortunately, they flew with one less passenger than usual.  Josh Harding, the Wild's workhorse all season, was placed on IR to deal with adjustments to his MS medication.  Being placed on IR means that player must miss at least a week of action, which means it was the Niklas Backstrom show until at least December 27th in Winnipeg.

Now, I've been as critical as anybody when it comes to the Wild's goaltending situation, but I'd like to take a second to give Backstrom a bit of credit.  Here's a guy who's been a good, well compensated soldier in St. Paul through three different head coaches.  He was basically run into the ground last year as the Wild tried desperately to make the playoffs (read: As Chuck Fletcher & Mike Yeo tried desperately to save their own asses).  He was left to dangle in the wind during the offseason (and offseason in which he was recovering from hip surgery due playing so frequently during the season) while Fletcher attempted to trade for Jonathan Bernier.  When Fletcher proved not to have the stones to make that move he brought Backstrom back on a reasonably priced three year deal.  The season's been downhill from their as Backstrom's battled injuries while trying to overcome a head coach who puts him in the worst possible position to succeed (second games of back-to-backs on the road).  I know Backstrom loves to be a Wild and is trying to make the best of a bad situation, but this isn't working out for anybody right now.

Alright, back to the game.  The Wild entered the game attempting to notch their first win in Pittsburgh since their first visit to Pittsburgh back in the inaugural 2000-01 season.  Good times.

This one was over before it even had a chance to get going.  Canadian Olympic troll Chris Kunitz staked the Penguins to a 1-0 lead a mere 0:49 into the game.  Niklas Backstrom failed to hold on to a Pascal Dupuis wrist shot, dropped the puck right in front of the net, and Kunitz capitalized.

The Wild were able to hold down the fort for the remaining 19 minutes of the period, but failed to mount any sort of sustained attack against the Penguins and their netminder Jeff Zatkoff.

The second period turned out to be just about the worst period the Wild has put together this season.  Brandon Sutter gave the Pens a 2-0 lead at the 1:54 mark of the period.  Matt Niskanen (who always scores against the Wild) notched a power play goal just 90 seconds later to make it 3-0.  The Pens then put the final nail in the coffin when Chris Kunitz & Sidney Crosby hooked up to make it 4-0 just past the 10 minute mark of the period.  When Jason Pominville mercifully got the Wild on the board, the goal was most noteworthy for ruining Zatkoff's shutout attempt.

The Wild showed signs of life in the third period when Dany Heatley scored to cut the Pens lead to 4-2 with nearly 17 minutes left to play.  Unfortunately, that glimmer of hope ended up being taken away in the most depressing way possible.  The Penguins Olli Maatta & Craig Adams took consecutive penalties just 14 seconds apart, meaning the Wild would have 1:46 worth of 5-on-3 power play time to get themselves back in the game.

Now, the Wild have been gifted several extended 5-on-3's this season and each one has ended horribly.  Typically the Wild not only fails to score, but also gives up at least one shorthanded opportunity to their opponents.  This has happened frequently enough that this 5-on-3 in Pittsburgh was greeted online with the most tepid of optimism.  Unfortunately, even tepid optimism turned out to be a mistake.  Not only did the Wild fail to score, but they failed to cover Ollii Maatta as he left the penalty box.  The rookie defender took a headman pass, came in alone on Backstrom, and was brutally hooked from behind by Jonas Brodin.  Maatta was awarded a penalty shot (which he buried), the Pens killed off the remainder of Adams' penalty, and that was all she wrote.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Keith Ballard - The concussion-prone defenseman answered the bell twice when Penguins players were upset about his very legal hip checks.  He lost a close decision to former Wild player Chuck Kobasew and then fought renowned idiot James Neal to a draw.  All because they don't know how to avoid a hip check.

Impression Of The Game:  As I mentioned at the top, the Wild haven't won in Pittsburgh in more than a decade.  Coming into this game the Penguins were missing 10 (!) regulars from their lineup and starting a goalie I've never even heard of.  At no point during the 60 minutes of this game was the outcome ever in doubt.

Sunday 12/22 - New York Rangers: 4  Wild: 1

After losing to the Penguins the Wild had two days off after to reevaluate their existence in the NHL.  They headed up to Manhattan for a game against Alain Vigneault & the Rangers.

In desperate need for a shot of optimism, the Wild welcomed Mikael Granlund back to the lineup.  The Wild's offense has stagnated since Granlund went down a few weeks ago.  In particular, Jason Pominville & the second line has been pretty much useless.

Granlund's return had its intended effect just 4:08 into the game when Jason Pominville netted the games first goal (with Finnish Jesus notching the secondary assist).  It was the first time the Wild had scored first in a game since... um... I don't remember the last time the Wild scored first in a game.  Against a Rangers team that had been struggling (and who was starting their backup goalie), this was an encouraging sign.

Unfortunately, this was just yet another in what's become a season of false starts.  The Wild surrendered the lead twelve minutes later when Benoit Pouliot (easily one of the most loathed ex-Wild players), tied the game 1-1.  From then on it was all Rangers.

Carl Hagelin & Mats Zuccarello netted goals in the second period to stake a 3-1 lead.  The wheels finally came off in the third when Chris Kreider fanned on a shot while streaking down the wing.  Backstrom attempted to shovel the shot away, fanned as well, and watched helplessly as the puck slid through his legs.  It was easily the worst goal I've ever seen Backstrom give up.  Easily.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Mikael Granlund -  A distressing mixture of dread & lethargy seems to have infected the Wild dressing room lately.  Fortunately, Granlund has been nowhere near the dressing room for a couple of weeks.  He made his way onto the scoresheet early in this one but, more importantly, looked like the same guy that was flying up and down the ice in the halcyon days of November.  Whether Granlund's reemergence is enough to pull the Wild up out of the muck (or whether the muck will consume him) has yet to be seen.

Impression Of The Game:  The old saying goes, "If you can make it in New York you can make it anywhere!"  If you can't make it in New York?  Against these Rangers? You're probably not a playoff team.

Monday 12/23 - Philadelphia: 4  Wild: 1 

After being thoroughly beaten in New York, the Wild packed up their sinking ship and set course for The City Of Brotherly Love.

To be honest, I didn't watch one moment of this game.  I got together with my family to celebrate Christmas and take a well-earned reprieve from watching this floundering squad.  Unfortunately, my love of the Wild is a family affair.  As my dad and I followed along on Twitter, the Wild beaten handily by a Flyers squad that began this season as one of the worst in the NHL.  Ugh...

Wild Player Of The Game:  Niklas Backstrom - I have no idea if Backstrom played well or not, but I'm giving him the trophy because he received four goals in three games for offensive support and didn't kill anybody.  He's a stronger man than me.

Impression Of The Game:  The Wild head into Christmas break out of the playoff race and losers of three straight.  This has to be rock bottom, right?

The Week Ahead

Friday 12/27 - Wild at Winnipeg

The Wild return from their three day Christmas break to find a trip to Winnipeg waiting for them.  The Wild have taken all three games they've played against the Jets this season, so perhaps this will be just what the doctor ordered to get the boys back on track.

Sunday 12/29 - New York Islanders at Wild

Sunday brings Thomas Vanek and the Islanders to St. Paul.  On paper this looks like a matchup between two underachieving teams, but the game does hold special significance, as it marks Thomas Vanek's last appearance in St. Paul in a visitor's sweater.

The Big Picture

As the Wild/Flyersgame entered the third period (with the Wild down 3-1) on Monday night, my two nephews opened their Christmas gifts: Matching Wild t-shirts, one with "Pominville" on the back, the other with "Parise."  They couldn't have been more excited.

That's the note I'm leaving this week with.  Is it a fun time to be a Wild fan?  Not really, but that's only if you're old enough to take this stuff too seriously.  I promise you those little maniacs have never been more excited to be Wild fans.  Merry Christmas.

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.

 

For more Newest Industry be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors.  More importantly, we have a Facebook page here.  Trivial as it seems stopping by & giving us a "Like" is a free & legitimate way to support the blog.