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 #16

Gotta press on, yeah, you know what that's like...

Well hello again, Wild fans!  Welcome to Your Name Is Wild: Week #16!

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 there, everybody.  Thanks for coming back around after I spent most of last week's post giving examples of just how terrible I can be at predicting the ebb & flow of this year's Minnesota Wild team.  It's not an easy challenge and last week I didn't even come close to getting it right.

Those surprising wins, however, thrust the Wild right back into a playoff spot.  This week brought three consecutive home games against teams that are sitting on the outside of the playoff picture, providing a rare mid-season opportunity for the Wild to bank a little bit of breathing room between themselves & ninth place.

Let's break this thing down.

The Week That Was

Tuesday 1/14: Ottawa: 3  Wild: 0

The Wild welcomed an unfamiliar opponent to the Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday night in the form of the Ottawa Senators.  The Sens were a trendy pick to build on their surprising success of the last two seasons and really throw their hat in the ring that is a pretty wide open Eastern Conference.  So far, they've struggled. As the last couple of years proved, it's easy to exceed expectations when there aren't any.  This season's Sens squad has struggled with the weight of expectations from goaltending on out.

Tuesday night's game, however, served as a reminder of just the kind of talent the Sens can put on the ice.

Yet again the Wild turned to the hot hand in net, giving young Darcy Kuemper another start after he earned his first career shutout in Nashville on Sunday.  Unfortunately, he was just about the only Wild player to show up for this one.

The boys opened this one up by sticking to the same pattern that somehow earned them 6 points last week: getting absolutely thrashed in the first period.  Ottawa came out guns blazing in the opening frame, outshooting the Wild 15-3.  Despite that disparity, it took a moment of shaking officiating for the Sens to get on the board.  With Justin Fontaine in the box for a lazy hooking penalty, Sens forward Kyle Turris carried the puck over the blue line and into the Wild's zone.  On the other side of the ice, it appeared that fellow Sens forward Clarke MacArthur was just a quarter of a step offside.  No whistle was blown, MacArthur crashed the net, and Turris put the puck on his stick.  Boom.  The puck was in the back of the net & the Wild were livid.

Thanks to FSN's uncanny ability to have only the worst possible angles covered with their cameras, replays were inconclusive as to whether or not MacArther was offside.  Frankly, it doesn't matter. Much like they did in St. Louis when an early call didn't go their way (a Zach Parise high-sticked puck in that case), the Wild quickly wilted.  Seriously, two year olds leaving Target without candy handle adversity better than this group.  It was clear at that point that this just wasn't going to be the Wild's night.

(Quick Offsides Sidenote:  Any time there is a questionable onside/offside call, I remember former Wild coach Jacques Lemaire summing up the subject by saying that whenever he & his staff went over replays after games the linesmen got the call right nearly every time.  As my dad is fond of saying, when in doubt I tend to side with the guy who has 11 Cup rings.  It may have been a close call, but I'm inclined to give the guy standing at the blue line the benefit of the doubt for the no-call).

The two teams spent the second period treading water throughout the second period.  In the third the Sens somehow managed to take the lead in heartbreaking fashion despite the fact that neither team was showing much heart. 

As per the usual routine, the Wild finally decided to show up in the third period, peppering Sens goalie Robin Lehner with four quick shots to begin the period.  Unfortunately, as Marco Scandella prepared to fire a one-timer for their fifth shot, his stick shattered.  Sens forward Erik Condra quickly pounced on the loose puck and took off alone toward Kuemper.  Scandella caught up to Condra in the slot, but, still without his stick, wasn't able to thwart the play.  Rather, he gave Condra a bit of a shove (enough so that, had Condra not scored he would have been awarded a penalty shot), but all the shove accomplished was confusing Kuemper.  Condra slid the puck between Kuemper's pads and the Xcel Energy Center faithful conceded defeat.  Kyle Turris added a goal with just over 5:00 left in the game to end the scoring on the night.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Darcy Kuemper - The young netminder continues to show his stuff as an NHL-caliber goalie.  Lord only knows how the three-headed hydra that is the Wild's goaltending situation is going to play out over the rest of this season, but right now Kuemper's the man.

Impression Of The Game:  Not a debacle on par with the loss to the Islanders, but an incredibly disappointing night nonetheless.  By being shut out at home by Robin Lehner (!) & the Sens, the Wild basically gave back two of the points they fought so hard for in L.A. & Phoenix last week.  The loss itself was disappointing, but the double trend whammy (coming out flat, folding when dealt adversity) brought plenty of questions about this Wild team back to the forefront.

Thursday 1/16: Wild: 4  Edmonton: 1

Fortunately for the Wild, all of the questions that arose during Tuesday's loss were rendered moot when the Edmonton Oilers rolled into town.  Nothing cures an ailing team like a visit from the LOiLers.

Now, a typical visit from the Oilers is pretty much an automatic two points, but for the second consecutive time, this Oilers visit wasn't quite typical.  First, a little past:

The last time the Wild & Oilers met in St. Paul was game 47 of last year's lockout-shortened season.  The Wild had returned home from yet another loss in Columbus with a chance to clinch a playoff spot in front of their restless, raucous fans.  All they had to do was beat the Oilers.  Seems easy, right?

Well, not so fast.  Not only did the Wild lose, they lost handily.  The Oilers, playing there now-annual role as spoiler, pasted the Wild 6-0 in a game that is best remembered for Wild fans booing Josh Harding's performance even though it was his first game back after battling MS for the entire season.  Not a fun day in St. Paul.

Tuesday's game did not have the stakes of last spring's meeting, but it was curious game nonetheless.  On Wednesday Oiles GM Craig MACTAVISH! made a couple of moves designed to jump start his struggling squad, first acquiring goalie Ben Scrivens from Los Angeles then acquiring Minnesota native Matt Hendricks from Nashville.  Both suited up for their first game with their new team on Thursday.

However, much like every trade, free agent acquisition, & draft pick made by the Oilers over the last 8 years, it didn't make any difference whatsoever.  Despite outshooting the Wild 9-7 in the first period, the Oilers left the period down 1-0.  Wild forward Mikael Granlund made yet another highlight reel play when he beat the Oilers to a loose puck behind Scrivens' net and threw an impossible angle pass to a crashing Jason Pominville.  Pominville patiently pulled the puck to his backhand and slid it past Scrivens to stake the Wild to the lead.

After Jordan Eberle opened the second period by tying the game at 1-1 with a filthy wrister past Darcy Kuemper, the wheels came off for the Oilers thanks to Nate Prosser.  Prosser's been a thorn in Edmonton's side for a couple of years for his on-ice chippiness, but he finally landed a blow when he fired off a slapshot that was destined to sail over the top of the net.  Fortunately, Scrivens proudly upheld the recent tradition of Oilers goaltening by handling the shot in the worst possible manner.  Scrivens through his catching hand in the air an inch too high, redirecting the puck off the bottom of his glove and into the net to restore the Wild's lead. The goal provided an awkward moment in which both Ben Scrivens & Edmonton's brass must have been thinking, "Shit, what have I/we signed up for here."

Justin Fontaine added a goal just 2:00 later to make it 3-1.  He was followed by Jason Zucker finishing off a Dany Heatley assist just 0:08 into the third period (an especially filthy apple from Heatley on his Bobblehead Night).  That was it for the scoring and Edmonton limped back out of St. Paul just as hapless as when they had arrived.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Dany Heatley - It was Heater Bobblehead Night at the Xcel Energy Center and Heatley proved just why he gets the honor.  His assist on Zucker's goal was saucy enough to warrant mentioning, but, for the first time this season, Heater showed some anger in this game, getting into several scrums with Oilers.  I suppose we shouldn't have been surprised.  After all, Heatley has a long history of trolling Edmonton fans.

Impression Of The Game:  I take as much away from the Wild kicking the shit out of Edmonton as I do from the sun rising in the East each morning.

Saturday 1/18 - Wild: 3  Dallas: 2 (OT)

Sunday was Hockey Day In Minnesota and, as per tradition, it brought the Dallas Stars to town for what was by far the most important game of the week.  In years past FSN has tried to shoehorn these two teams into a rivalry simply because the Stars used to call Minnesota home.  It was a tired and ultimately pointless exercise until this year, when realignment finally gave this matchup the heft lazy FSN execs had been hoping for.

This year's edition of the Stars has been remade on the fly by new GM Jim Nill.  He brought in Lindy Ruff to coach the team and pulled off one of the biggest trades of the offseason by acquiring burgeoning star/housekeeping aficionado Tyler Seguin from the Bruins.  The hope was that these moves would be enough to push the team from perennial also-rans to lower-tier playoff flotsam.  So far, so meh. The Stars entered the game in 10th place, eight points behind the Wild in the wild card race.  Doing some simple math, that meant that a Wild win would push the Stars 10 points back, whereas a Stars victory would vault them to a mere six points back.  With a rematch awaiting both teams in Dallas on Tuesday (where a Wild loss is all but assured), Saturday's game took on extra significance.

Now, if you can believe it, the Wild came out flat in the first period (I know, crazy, right?).  They were outshot 9-3 by the Stars but were once again bailed out by Darcy Kuemper, who stopped all 9 of those shots.  That first period provided a highlight for one of Minnesota's "homegrown" talents (he went to the U, anyway) when Erik Haula scored his first NHL goal by snapping a wrist shot behind Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen.  It was an appropriate start for Haula as most of the fans in attendance had passed the time before the opening faceoff by watching the Gophers kick the shit out of THE Ohio State University on the Jumbotron.

The Wild continued their lackadaisical play in the second period, outshot this time by a 13-6 margin.  Unfortunately, Kuemper wasn't able to stop all of those shots as Ryan Garbutt tied the game nearly 12:00 into the period.  Through a series of fortunate events, however, the Wild regained the lead just 2:00 later when Ryan Suter deflected a Justin Fontaine shot behind Lehtonen.  I'm almost sure I'll never type that sentence again.

The Wild put up a fight during a sloppy third period that saw neither team really playing well enough to deserve a in outright.  Yet again the Stars outshot the Wild (11-8) and yet again they found a way to get the biscuit past Kuemper when Alex Chiasson fired a backhander from the top of the crease into the back of the net at the 9:32 mark of the period.  Neither team was able to finish it off in regulation, which meant a point for everybody involved (Woooh?), but also added significance to the extra point available in OT (Wooooh!).

Fortunately, for a crowd that had slogged through an entire day of televised hockey (and a rather lackluster NHL game in person), everybody was rewarded for their perseverance when Nate Prosser ended the game 2:42 into OT with a wrister.  It was Prosser's second goal in as many games and it was a big one, ensuring that the most ground the Stars could make up on the Wild over the course of this home-and-home is one point.

Wild Player Of The Game: Nate Prosser - As I mentioned above, Saturday was Hockey Day In Minnesota.  This year's festivities kicked off in, of all places, Nate Prosser's hometown of Elk River, so it was appropriate that the day ended on his stick.  Even if Prosser hadn't buried the shot, though, the very fact that he was on the ice in overtime of an important game is a major sign of progress for the ever-patient Prosser.  He's come a long way from the consistent healthy scratches that have defined the past year of his life.  He may or may not ever score a more memorable goal in his life.  Good work, Mr. Prosser.

Impression Of The Game:  This was not a pretty game.  The longer it went on the more clear it became why these two teams are battling for the last available playoff spot.  Neither team was disciplined or talented enough to grab the bull by the horns.  Regardless, gaining that extra point in OT was obviously huge for the Wild.  Like I said, they'll likely be defeated in Dallas (where they are notoriously bad), but that pill will be significantly easier to swallow knowing that they banked two points in St. Paul.

The Week Ahead

Tuesday 1/21: Wild at Dallas

Rematch!  As I mentioned, I have little faith in the Wild's ability to finally figure out a way to win in Dallas on Tuesday, but hell, we live in a world where Nate Prosser scores OT winners.  Anything is possible.

Thursday 1/23: Chicago at Wild

The Blackhawks head to St. Paul on Thursday, meaning that the Xcel Energy Center will be filled with the filthiest, stupidest, drunkest hockey fans in the Midwest.  Oh, and the hottest team in the NHL not named after a Disney movie.  Rumors persist that Zach Parise will make his return Thursday night, which would give the squad a boost against a team that always seems to bring out the best in the Wild.

Saturday 1/25: Wild at San Jose

The Wild open a brutal four game West Coast trip on Saturday night with a visit to Brent Burns, James Sheppard, Martin Havlat, and the rest of the Sharkies.  If the Wild could somehow get out of this game with a point I would be thrilled.  If they just get out of there without anybody separating their shoulder I'm calling it a victory.

The Big Picture

After a two week slide that saw injuries rob the Wild of Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Jared Spurgeon, & Josh Harding (and nearly Mike Yeo), the Wild have somehow found a way to make incremental progress in the playoff race.

It's been a different hero every night for the Wild lately (with the exception of the night-to-night heroics of Darcy Kuemper) which, frankly, is the way this team was built.  As good as Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Jason Pominville, & Ryan Suter can be, they're not so good that you can surround them with a bunch of stiffs and make the playoffs.  Perhaps the absence of two of those stars (and the ice time/responsibility afforded some of the lesser lights on the roster) will actually make the Wild more formidable in the long run.

This upcoming week consists of three difficult games with the following week consisting of three more.  They may still be clinging to a wild card spot, but the Wild have put themselves in the driver's seat with reinforcements on the way.  Given the circumstances of the last month that's a great place to be.

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 #15

Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated...

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.

 

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.