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 #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.

Your Name Is Wild: Week #8

What a bunch of hosers...

Well hello again, Wild fans!  Welcome to Your Name Is Wild: Week #8!

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 hello again, Wild fans!  Welcome to Week #8 of Your Name Is Wild!  As always, I know you could have chosen any Wild blog in the world, but you're here with me and I appreciate that.

The Wild entered Week #8 coming off a three game homestand in which they won all three games by one manner or other.  Winning at home is a huge key to success in the NHL, so with those points in the bank the Wild spent last week traveling Central Canada.  They embarked on a three game road trip hoping to steal points from Eastern Conference opponents (Montreal & Ottawa) before heading to division-rival Ottawa for a Saturday matinee showdown with the Jets.

Let's get into it...

The Week That Was

Tuesday 11/19 - Montreal: 6  Wild: 2

Good freakin' god...  the less said about this game the better.

As I mentioned above, the Wild headed to Montreal riding a wave of confidence after an unbeaten homestand.  The Habs (perhaps still a little bit upset that they left St. Paul without a point on November 1st) made sure to put a stamp on this game.

The Wild and Canadiens played a relatively even first period (with Montreal leading 9-7 in shots), but that was as long as this one would remain competitive.  The floodgates sprung a leak at the 2:57 mark of the second period when Max Pacioretty snuck his first goal of the night past Josh Harding.  They began to strain when Pacioretty netted his second of the game at the 10:06 mark.  They were officially broken when Pacioretty finished off the natural hat trick at 13:36.

That goal brought with it the end of Josh Harding's night.  With the Wild heading to Ottawa to face the Senators the next night (and Niklas Backstrom sidelined with concussion issues), Harding gave way to Darcy Kuemper.  Sadly, young Kuemper didn't fair any better, allowing a Michael Bournival deflection to sneak past him.  By the end of the second period the Wild were being outshot 20-15 but trailed 4-0 on the scoreboard.

The third period brought with it the expected "when it rains, it pours" goals from the Habs (courtesy of Daniel Briere & Alex Galchenuyk) with a couple of Wild goals in between (Nino Niederreiter at 5:30 and Dany Heatley, trolling Wild fans by scoring at 19::58 of the third).  By the period didn't even feature any of the typical feistiness that accompanies a blowout.  The Wild were beaten, badly, and knew it.  The sooner they could get out of Quebec the better.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Darcy Kuemper - Now, make no mistake, Kuemper did not play well.  Goalies pride themselves on being ready "whenever your number gets called," but after stopping only 6 of the 9 shots he faced, it was clear Kuemper wasn't ready.  So why name him Wild Player Of The Game?  Because, for his second straight appearance, Kuemper was not put in a position to succeed.  That's a theme I've come back to several times and I'm granting Kuemper the same benefit of the doubt.  Not only were the Wild clearly off their game, but by the time Keumper assumed his post between the pipes, they'd quit expending even that lackluster effort.  Mike Yeo could have put Dominik Hasek out behind this night's version of the Wild and he would have allowed at least three.

Impression Of The Game:  Despite being absolutely slaughtered, there was a positive to take away from this one.  The Canadiens play an inherently Eastern Conference style of hockey.  Very physical, strong on the forecheck, lots of extra-curriculars...  While disappointing, it's no entirely surprising that the Wild weren't able to match that style.  Fortunately, the Wild's season hardly hinges on their ability to play that style.  Theirs is a puck-possession, speed, & sound defense style that, at least to this point in the season, has proven to be pretty effective in the Western Conference race.

Wednesday 11/20 - Wild: 4  Ottawa: 3

 The Wild may have been soundly beaten by the Habs on Tuesday night, but Wednesday provided a good test:  Would the Wild limp into Ottawa and continue on one of their typical Canadian-road-trip death spirals or would they show some resolve and put the previous night's embarrassment behind them?

The answer: resolve.  Despite being outshot 2-1 in the first period (and outshot 18-6), the Wild stuck to Mike Yeo's speed/puck possession/mobile defense style and it paid off.  Jonas Brodin notched his third goal of the season at the 3:00 mark of the second period.  Just 3:15 later Ottawa's favorite villain Dany Heatley snuck a garbage goal past Craig Andreson to give the Wild a 3-2 lead.

That successful period gave way to a tense third period.  Mika Zibanejad scored early to tie the game up.  With the fans behind them, the Senators took control of the game for stretches of the third.  However, Josh Harding stood tall in net and, just as we were all preparing for this one to go to OT, Mikko Koivu buried a shot from the circles to give the Wild a 4-3 lead with only 2:57 to play.  The Wild held their ground and took the victory in regulation.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Mikko Koivu - The Assassin may have signed his name on this one by scoring the winner late in the third, but his line was a force all night.  Koivu and linemates Zach Parise & Charlie Coyle combined for one goal, five assists, and eight shots on goal over the course of the game.  Despite the varying shot totals each period, that first line was a threat whenever they were on the ice.  The took a team licking its wounds and put it on their backs. leading to two big road points and a suddenly .500 road trip.

Impression Of The Game:  The Senators have struggled to play up to expectations this season.  My theory?  Unlike division rivals Montreal, Toronto, & Boston, they play a Western Conference style of hockey.  The Wild were helpless against the physical Canadiens, but against against a Sens team that was trying to beat them at their own game they stepped up and delivered.  As a Wild fan I've pretty much been trained to expect that,when the opposing team ties the game in the third period it's only a matter of time before they score the winner.  I'm sure I'm overreacting to the Wild beating a struggling team in November, but the fact that the Wild fought back instead of rolling over says a lot about the character of this year's squad.

Saturday 11/23 - Wild: 3  Winnipeg: 2 (SO)

With their foray into the Eastern Conference redeemed the Wild returned to the Central Division Saturday afternoon when they visited Winnipeg for the first time this season.

Coming into the game the Wild were 2-0-0 against the Jets, having won both games in St. Paul.  The Jets have cobbled together a disappointing season thus far, occupying the cellar of the Central and nearly playing themselves out of the playoff picture before December.

Fortunately for the Jets they were dealt two breaks before the game.  First off, Mike Yeo announced that Mikael Granlund would miss the game with an upper-body injury, thus jumbling the Wild's top six forwards.  As if that wasn't enough, goaltender Josh Harding left pre-game warmups with a lower-body injury.  He was ruled out for the game, which meant that Niklas Backstrom (himself returning from a concussion) would get the start despite only one practice in the previous two weeks.

Saturday's game won't go down as the prettiest game of the season by any stretch of the imagination, but it may go down as an important one.  The Wild did not play well during the first two periods.  They weren't completely hapless (as they were in Montreal), but they weren't able to mount any offensive attack, instead relying on Backstrom to prop them up until they found their game.  Backstrom, surprisingly, was up to the task.  He stopped 24 of 25 shots through the first two periods.  When Nino Niederreiter tied the game just over 3:00 into the third it was all because Backstrom had stood his ground at the other end of the rink.

The Jets turned the tide back their way just a couple of minutes later when Matt Halischuk scored at 5:35 to give the Jets a 2-1 lead.  The Wild weren't able to mount much of an attack for the majority of the period and, when Marco Scandella took a hooking penalty with four minutes remaining, a Jets victory seemed all but certain.

But then a funny thing happened.  With the Wild on the penalty kill Mikko Koivu gathered the puck.  He and Zach Parise, who've played so well over the last couple of weeks, put the team on their backs yet again, finishing off a two-on-two rush with Parise burying a one-timer while falling down.  Tie game.  Silent MTS Centre.

The Wild and Jets traded opportunities in the overtime period before heading to the shootout.  Backstrom, notoriously bad during shootouts, came shining through, stopping 3 out of 4 Jets attempts before Charlie Coyle won the game on his first career shootout goal.

Wild Player Of The Game:  Niklas Backstrom - As much as I'd like to give this one to Nino Niederreiter (who responded to an in-game benching by scoring a goal while getting under the skin of the Jets), The Scientist was the story of the game.  Backstrom had played 11 minutes in the last two weeks (the amount of time before Nazem Kadri concussed him) and had one practice under his belt.  Not unlike Josh Harding stepping in for Backstrom during last year's playoffs, Backstrom not only stepped in, but elevated his game.  The Wild didn't play their best game, but they played well enough to beat a division rival thanks in no small part to Backstrom's ability to weather an early storm.

The Week Ahead

Monday 11/25 - Wild at St. Louis

As has been noted by just about every Wild blogger there is (all four of us), the Wild have put together solid start to this season primarily by fattening up on the bad teams in the league.  That all changes this week, beginning Monday night when the Wild head to St. Louis to face the Blues.  The Wild and Blues have been trading 2nd & 3rd place in the Central for the last couple of weeks, though the primary difference is that the Blues have a couple of games in hand and have beaten several quality opponents.

This Blues squad is scary good.  In addition to sporting the NHL's leading goal-scorer in Alex Steen they feature a balanced attack (led by captain, Minnesota-native, and dog adoption advocate David Backes), physical defense, and above-average goaltending.  Frankly, they play a rough-and-tumble style that has far more in common with the Eastern Conference than the rest of the Central.  Whether or not the Wild are able to stick to their own plan (speed & possession) or if they get goaded into the Blues physical style will be indicative of just how the Wild stack up against their division rivals.

Wednesday 11/27 - Phoenix at Wild

Much to the surprise of pretty much everybody, not only are the Coyotes still in Phoenix, but they've played their way to a playoff spot in the staggeringly competitive Pacific Division.

The Coyotes may lack star power, but it's important that the Wild don't overlook this one.  By the end of the season it's entirely possible that the Wild & Coyotes will be battling for one of the Western Conference's wild card playoff spots.  I realize it's awfully early to be thinking about four-point swings, but these things count in November just as much as they do come spring.

Friday 11/29 - Colorado at Wild

The day after Thanksgiving brings the surprising Avalanche to St. Paul for the first half of a weekend home-and-home series.  New coach Patrick Roy has, surprisingly, been just the man to assemble the talented pieces of the Avalanche into a cohesive team.  After beginning the season by rocketing to the top of the Central the Avs have come back to Earth a bit.  Much like the Coyotes, it's important the Wild don't underestimate this Avalanche team.  With the top 3 spots in each division guaranteed a playoff spot (and Chicago & St. Louis the presumptive favorites for two of those spots in the Central) it's paramount that the Wild take as many points as possible from the Avs.

Saturday 11/30 - Wild at Colorado

After Friday's game both teams will board flights and head out to Denver for the second half of this weekend series.  While it's sure to be exhausting for the players, it's an incredible amount of fun for us fans.  Any bad blood that arises during Friday's meeting is certain to continue the next night, setting the Wild and Avs, rivals for years in the Northwest Division, up for a new chapter in a long rivalry.

The Big Picture

Having watched the Wild start hot nearly every season I was fully prepared for them to begin struggling on this Canadian road trip.  While the Montreal game left me with that here-we-go-again feeling, my optimism was renewed with comeback victories in Ottawa & Winnipeg.

I've been skeptical that the Wild can actually keep pace with the Blues & Blackhawks, but those two victories lead me to believe that this Wild team is different from previous versions.  I've said that many times before and I've been wrong, but I feel good about this group.  Four tough games over the next seven days will tell us a lot about where this year's version stacks up.

Until next Monday...

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.