The Trade Winds, They Are A Blowin’
Well, the first move of the trade season has been made. According to TSN:
The Calgary Flames have traded defenceman Dion Phaneuf, forwardFredrik Sjostrom, and prospect defenceman Keith Aulie to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forwards Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman,Jamal Mayers and defenceman Ian White.
Personally, I don’t like this trade. The Leafs have gotten a greatly overrated defenseman in exchange for two of their better offensive talents — something that the team is greatly lacking at the moment.
This trade could end up being one of a player who just needed a change of scenery, but right now I’d have to give the edge to Calgary on this one, as they unloaded Phaneuf’s monster salary and they also picked up two players who can contribute on the offensive side of the puck in Stajan and Hagman.
Here’s what Brian Burke had to say:
The votes in my head have been tabulated, and I’ve come up with my 2010 All Star Team for the Western Conference:
Forwards (13)
Corey Perry – (54GP, 19G, 31A, -3, 84PIM) – The discussion this season for the Ducks best player easily starts and ends with Perry. He does it all for the team. He scores, he sets players up, he hits, he kills penalties (and possibly small animals) and he has been their best and most consistent player for the larger part of this season. He’s currently on pace for a career season and one of the main reasons why the Ducks aren’t out of the playoff picture.
Patrick Kane – (54GP, 21G, 39A, +15, 18PIM) – If you didn’t know who Patrick Kane was before this season (cab drivers, beware), you certainly know who he is now. Kane has shrugged off the controversy that followed him into this season and has emerged as a primetime player in the NHL. Kane stands apart from the rest on a Blackhawks team that easily stands apart from the rest of the NHL.
Paul Stastny – (52GP, 11G, 37A, +12, 28PIM) – Winning is definitely in Stastny’s blood and he is proving his worth to fans everywhere as Colorado continues to surprise. Stastny is pacing the team in points and is showing why the team was so high on him after his rookie season. While he’s not quite on pace for his career high numbers, he is healthy this season, which is a huge step forward.
Rick Nash – (56GP, 24G, 26A, -13, 44PIM) – You can’t talk about all stars and not talk about Rick Nash, to be quite honest. Nash is having another fantastic season for the Blue Jackets and is on pace for his third-straight 30+ goal season, and the fifth of his career. He’s also starting to lead by example and is showing a rougher edge to his game this season than he has in the past.
Brad Richards – (51GP, 15G, 44A, -10, 10PIM) – Richards has quickly made his way back into relevance in Dallas after fading away towards the end of his tenure in Tampa Bay. On pace for a career season, Richards is pacing the Stars in points and has become a dominant player in the NHL once more. He also gives the Stars hope for the future of the franchise, as he is a stabilizing factor and leader on and off the ice.
Mikko Koivu – (54GP, 16G, 33A, -2, 22PIM) – Ask any Minnesota fan and they might tell you that Mikko Koivu could be the best player that you’ve never heard of. That might be overstating it a little, but Koivu is often overlooked when it comes to the solid two-way players in the game. He is the class of a streaky Minnesota team and has begun to excel in all facets of the game. On top of that, when he’s determined to make something happen, he’s as good as anyone in the game.
Joe Thornton – (54GP, 13G, 54A, +16, 30PIM) – Remember when Big Joe Thornton was the game’s premiere playmaker? Unfortunately for the rest of the NHL, he did this season. Playing on possibly the most dangerous line in the league, Thornton has taken off once again and is pacing the league in assists. His leadership is always solid and he is using his big frame once more. There is always going to be the playoff knock against him, but that’s no basis for an All Star nomination.
Patrick Marleau – (54GP, 35G, 23A, +22, 14PIM) – It seems like just last year that Marleau was thought of as an expendable player for the Sharks. What? It was? There’s no doubt that this has changed a great deal. With the weight of the captaincy lifted from his shoulders, and Thornton and Heatley flanking him on the line, he is playing the best hockey of his career and is setting himself up for a career season.
Dany Heatley – (54GP, 30G, 27A, +14, 36PIM) – Wasn’t Dany Heatley supposed to be declining just this off season? It’s amazing what a change in scenery can do for a player. Heatley is on pace for yet another 40+ goal season and could be on pace for a 90+ point season depending on how the rest of the season goes. He’s comfortable on Joe Thornton’s wing and it shows, as both players are having tremendous years.
Henrik Sedin – (53GP, 24G, 52A, +25, 36PIM) – It wasn’t long ago that people were questioning the worth of the Sedins, especially of Henrik. Hank has quickly quieted his critics this season, however, emerging as one of the elite players in the NHL. Already having a career year in goal scoring, he is on pace for a career year overall and is at the forefront of any discussion about the Hart Trophy this season.
Anze Kopitar – (53GP, 22G, 31A, +7, 10PIM) – Kopitar has certainly cooled off since his torrid start to the season, but he is still on pace for a career year. Not only that, but he is a large part of the reason why the Kings are in the middle of the playoff picture. It’s not a stretch to think that Kopitar has some gas left in the tank for the rest of this season, and he should be fired up to show what he can do.
Daniel Sedin – (35GP, 14G, 34A, +23, 12PIM) – Were it not for an injury, Daniel would likely be keeping pace with his brother and would also be in the talks for the Hart Trophy. His injury, however, kept him out of almost 20 games and certainly hampered his performance. That doesn’t mean that he isn’t deserving, however, as he has proven that he belongs in the talk of the NHL elite as well.
Jarome Iginla – (54GP, 22G, 25A, -1, 42PIM) – Iginla would be the first to tell you that he isn’t having his best season, but that doesn’t exclude him from the All Star talk. Despite his struggles, he certainly deserves to be in the discussion for the All Star team and has earned himself a reserve spot.
Defensemen (7)
Duncan Keith – (54GP, 11G, 38A, +21, 28PIM) – Ladies and gentlemen, the front runner for this season’s Norris Trophy. All hyperbole aside, Keith is enjoying the best season of his career and has come out of his shell as a solid two-way defenseman. Equally as dangerous on offense as on defense, Keith deserves strong consideration for a number of awards in the NHL besides just being an All Star.
Drew Doughty – (53GP, 10G, 31A, +16, 34PIM) – If it weren’t for the emergence of Steve Mason last season, Doughty would have undoubtedly been the Calder winner. Okay, maybe it wouldn’t have been that cut and dry, but he had as good of a case as anyone. This season, he’s making a case for another award – the Norris Trophy. He has played well enough to get the nod from Team Canada and he is truly one of the top d-men in the game right now, all at age 20.
Stephane Robidas – (53GP, 10G, 23A, -1, 33PIM) – Robidas has truly come into his own this season. He has always been an important part of the Stars team, but it is only now that people are understanding why. His strong, physical game and his strong offensive game are keys to the Stars defense and his grit and leadership are helping a team searching to find their identity.
Lubomir Visnovsky – (47GP, 9G, 20A, +4, 12PIM) – Apart from the offensive mindset that Visonvsky has, he is also a plus-four on a Edomonton team that could nicely be said to be struggling. He has been an underrated cog to this team and has been key to the small successes that they have had this season. While it’s thought that he might be getting a change of scenery come March 3, for now he’s an All Star for Edmonton.
Shea Weber – (50GP, 9G, 21A, +4, 30PIM) – Weber continues to grow as both an offensive and two-way defenseman and is one of a handful of young Canadian defensemen that send shivers down player’s spines. He’s equally as likely to score the game winning goal as he is to put you into the endboards and his vision and passing are very underrated.
Dan Boyle – (51GP, 10G, 33A, +6, 46PIM) – Talk about a success story. Boyle went from being an undrafted free agent to being a constant in the Norris Trophy talks. He plays the game at a high level and his defensive play is greatly underrated. On pace for a career year with the Sharks, Boyle is again front and center when talking about the best defenseman in the game.
Erik Johnson – (52GP, 4G, 20A, +1, 55PIM) – There are a handful of young defensemen that are coming into their own this season and Johnson is certainly one of them. Despite being a reserve in this case, he is certainly deserving of being on the team with his strong two-way play and the fact that he is a solidifying defenseman on the struggling Blues’ blueline.
Goaltenders (3)
Miikka Kiprusoff – (23-16-8, 2.25 GAA, .924% Sv Pct) – As always, Kiprusoff is a stabilizing factor in net for the Flames. His strong play this season is one of the reasons why Calgary is still in the playoff picture during their recent freefall and he is still capable of stealing games at any point.
Jimmy Howard – (18-11-5, 2.30 GAA, .924% Sv Pct) – Howard has answered all of his detractors this season with his strong play. Coming into the season, there were many that thought that he was going to be a rare draft bust for the Red Wings. Instead, the New York native stepped up to the plate and stole the starting job away from incumbent Chris Osgood as Ozzie began to struggle.
Ilya Bryzgalov – (28-14-4, 2.35 GAA, .918% Sv Pct) – It took him seven seasons, but Ilya Bryzgalov is finally living up to the potential that everyone knew that he had. He showed flashes throughout the rest of his career, but never was he as consistently good as he has been for Phoenix this season.
Hopefully you enjoyed the chaos of our All Star selections! I will be back Monday with my selections for the Eastern Conference.
For Your Consideration: 2010 All Star Candidates
So here we are. Just a couple weeks away from the Olympic Break.
What does that mean for NHL fans? One, it means that your team gets a two-week break right in the middle of the season (with the exception of a handful of players) and two, it means no All Star game.
So, for your consideration, I submit Wild Nation’s 2010 All Star ballot. So talk amongst yourselves and decide your Western and Eastern Conference teams and I’ll be back later with my picks!
Western Conference
Anaheim Ducks – Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan
Calgary Flames – Miikka Kipprusoff, Jarome Iginla
Chicago Blackhawks – Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Patrick Sharp
Colorado Avalanche – Paul Stastny, Wojtek Wolski, Craig Anderson
Columbus Blue Jackets – Rick Nash, Antoine Vermette
Dallas Stars – Brad Richards, Stephane Robidas
Detroit Red Wings – Nicklas Lidstrom, Jimmy Howard
Edmonton Oilers – Dustin Penner, Lubomir Visnovsky
Los Angeles Kings – Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Jonathan Quick
Minnesota Wild – Mikko Koivu, Marek Zidlicky, Andrew Brunette
Nashville Predators – Shea Weber, Patric Hornqvist
Phoenix Coyotes – Keith Yandle, Ilya Bryzgalov
San Jose Sharks – Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley, Dan Boyle, Evgeni Nabokov
St. Louis Blues – Erik Johnson, Andy McDonald
Vancouver Canucks – Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Roberto Luongo, Christian Erhoff
Eastern Conference
Atlanta Thrashers – Ilya Kovalchuk, Tobias Enstrom, Pavel Kubina, Johan Hedberg
Boston Bruins – Patrice Bergeron, Tim Thomas, Tuukka Rask, Zdeno Chara
Buffalo Sabres – Ryan Miller, Tim Connolly, Tyler Myers
Carolina Hurricanes – Eric Staal, Ray Whitney
Florida Panthers – Nathan Horton, Stephen Weiss, Thomas Vokoun
Montreal Canadiens – Tomas Plekanec, Michael Cammalleri, Marc-Andre Bergeron
New Jersey Devils – Zach Parise, Martin Brodeur
New York Islanders – Matt Moulson, Mark Streit
New York Rangers – Marian Gaborik, Henrik Lundqvist
Ottawa Senators – Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher
Philadelphia Flyers – Chris Pronger, Jeff Carter, Matt Carle
Pittsburgh Penguins – Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar
Tampa Bay Lightning – Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos, Vincent Lecavalier, Kurtis Foster
Toronto Maple Leafs – Tomas Kaberle, Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman
Washington Capitals – Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, Mike Green
Gameday Thread – Game 53 – Wings @ Wild
UPDATE: So the blogosphere is flip-flopping as much as John Kerry on tonight’s starting goalie. First it was Backstrom, then it was Harding, then it was Backstrom again, now it might be Harding. I’m just going to go ahead and say that no one but the coach has any stinking idea who will start tonight (but, between the two, my guess will be Backstrom). Also, the Wild assigned Petr Sykora to Houston and have reportedly reached an agreement with his agent to mutually terminate his contract, pending league approval.
There’s no doubt that the Wild this season have been about as consistent as a schizophrenic on speed and have left many of their loyal fanbase in desperate need of some sort of emotional therapy.
Bearing that in mind, consider this blog right here your own personal “truth zone.” I promise that I won’t try to sugarcoat things for you and I promise that I’ll try to remain optimistic about the Wild’s chances this season.
Realistically, there’s a lot to be optimistic about.
Martin Havlat has finally caught fire and is playing like the player we thought we were getting at the season’s onset. Mikko Koivu is on pace for yet another career season. Guillaume Latendresse is playing like a man possessed for the Wild, having scored 13 goals and 19 points in just 27 games with the team.
Have I mentioned that we’ve gotten Brent Burns back, and he’s actually playing Brent Burns hockey? Or that Robbie Earl is scoring a goal in about every third game and truly looking like he belongs? Or that this could quite possibly be the most closely knit Wild team that I’ve seen in quite some time?
There is, indeed, light on the horizon for the boys in Iron Range Red.
The problem is that we’re not on the horizon yet. We’re in the here and now.
It would be easy to go into some long rant about how this game is a must win, how it would do wonders for the team’s confidence, how a solid game from Backstrom would be great for his confidence.
All of the above holds true.
But we’ll just put it this way.
We’re sitting in 12th place in the Western Conference, just five points from the final playoff spot. Just five points behind the very team that we play tonight.
A regulation win tonight puts us three points behind them (for those who, like myself, are mathematically challenged).
Right now, Hockey Reference has the Wild listed as having a 14% chance of making the playoffs. Hardly a foregone conclusion, but also there is hope.
The problem, for the Wild, lies behind the fact that they are having to play catch up.
The teams that they’re chasing?
Well, the Sharks have won five straight, the Avs six, the Kings three – you get the point.
The good news is that the teams that they are most likely to catch are either struggling or in a flat-out free fall.
The team tonight gets lumped in with the former.
While everyone in Detroit is remaining optimistic that this is a team that could do damage in the playoffs, if healthy (and let’s be honest, they really could), the fact is that they are currently decimated by injuries – something that the Wild need to take advantage of tonight.
Lineup(s)
To be honest, I’m not quite sure how the lines will roll out for the Wild past the top two, but here’s my best guess, otherwise known what I would do were I the one making the lineups:
Brunette-Koivu-Miettinen
Latendresse-Brodziak-Havlat
Nolan-Belanger-Earl
Sheppard-Ebbett-Clutterbuck
Now, I know what you’re asking. Clutterbuck on the fourth line? You’re demoting Cal for Robbie Earl? WTF mate!?
Am I crazy? There’s a good chance. But here’s my thoughts. Robbie Earl has five goals this season. Hardly Ovechkin-esque numbers, right? But his shooting percentage? 41.7%. He has five goals on 12 shots. To me, that deserves a shot at playing with the big boys.
Meanwhile, Clutterbuck has not been playing his best over the last few games. By no means do I think he deserves a demotion to the eight minutes a game that Earl has been averaging, but I do think that Earl deserves a promotion to more than eight minutes per-game, to see what he can do.
On defense, it’s likely going to be more of the same:
Zidlicky-Zanon
Johnsson-Schultz
Burns-Hnidy
Look for Burns’s icetime to start increasing, however. He’s going to start getting more and more icetime as his level of conditioning continues to improve and the Wild need him to do just that, especially in a game like tonight’s against an extremely tough opponent.
In net, we’ll get Backstrom despite him getting his “maintenance” day yesterday. Don’t kid yourselves. He’s struggling, but he’s still our number one and he needs to play his way out of this slump, no matter how painful it is to watch.
What to Watch For
Seriously. Robbie Earl.
Why? The Wild is 10-3-2 with him in the lineup and 9-0-1 in his last ten.
Whatever it is that Robbie brings to this team when he’s suited up, it’s infectious. The team has, on a whole, played better with him in the lineup. His speed and grit help this team a great deal and he’s just the type of sparkplug that the Wild need in their lineup.
Also, keep an eye on Guillaume Latendresse.
After his hot streak got him named the third star of the week a couple weeks ago, he has been silent in his last three games.
The good news with G-Lat is twofold.
First, he usually comes out of his shell quite nicely after a scoreless streak. (Six game scoreless streak, followed by four goals in four games. Four game scoreless streak, followed by seven goals and 12 points in seven games.)
Second, even when he’s not scoring he can be an energizer and a difference maker. How? He’s averaging 2.5 shots per game since joining the Wild and 3.5 in his last ten games, and he has turned into a forechecking and checking machine since joining the Wild.
Finally, Niklas Backstrom.
Namely, which Nik will we get? Will we get the one who stoned Columbus for 59:30? Or will we get the one that saw a bad bounce break his shutout and get flustered into giving up one more.
My guess is that he will come out like a man possessed as he did against Columbus. He knows that the hasn’t been playing his best and he knows that the team needs him desperately. Backs will be ready tonight.
But will the Wild?
Key(s) to the Game
The Wild need to come out strong early.
They simply cannot afford to fall into another hole against a good team.
Jimmy Howard is proving that he is the man in net for Detroit and the Wild need to get to him early, as much for their confidence as his.
The Wild tend to score in bunches, so if they can get an early goal, there’s a good chance that their jump will continue and they might be able to extend their lead.
But they cannot afford to fall behind. If they fall behind to Detroit, especially by more than one goal, they will be in deep, deep trouble.
The Wild also NEED to limit the Wings’ scoring chances.
Detroit likes to shoot. Scratch that. They LOVE to shoot.
The Wild have got to protect Backstrom and get in shooting lanes. If they can prevent the Wings from getting a dearth of solid scoring opportunities, they will be able to stay in the game. But another shooting gallery, like happened in the teams’ last meeting?
It could be a long game.
Finally, the Wild need to, need to, need to stop the Wings’ top line. Let Dan Cleary beat you. Let Drew Miller beat you. Let Ville Leino beat you. But, for the love of God, do NOT let Bertuzzi or Datsyuk or Zetterberg beat you. The three of them account for 28% of Detroit’s points and 30% of Detroit’s goal production.
This isn’t saying that the three players I mentioned, or any of the Wings’ other players can’t beat you. But shutting down the Berzettersyuk line gives you a much better chance.
The puck drops tonight at 7pm and it is televised on FSN! For those following me on Twitter, I’ll hopefully be posting updates on there as we go (though they will definitely not rival those of Mike Russo). You can follow me on Twitter at @WildNation!
Wild Quick Hit: Harding out 1-2 weeks
According to both Russo’s Rants and View from the Lighthouse, Josh Harding will be out for 1-2 weeks with a hip injury sustained in last night’s 4-3 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
Per the Lighthouse:
Todd Richards said Harding will likely miss 1-2 weeks with the hip injury he sustained last night. That likely means Anton Khudobin will be on his way up tonight or tomorrow.
Could we possibly see Khudobin’s NHL debut at some point too? The Wild have two more home games before a three-game swing, including back-to-back games on the 27th and 28th. It’s very concievable that, if Harding isn’t ready to go by then, we’ll see Khudobin.
As always, I’ll keep you updated, but that’s all for now!
Game 51 Post Mortem
Well, it’s official.
Niklas Backstrom is pissed off, and he all but said so to the Star-Tribune following last night’s shootout loss to Detroit.
“You look at the goals, we’re giving too much to the other team,” Backstrom said. “It seems we’re in the same spot we were at the beginning of the year, that we haven’t improved on a lot of things. We are 50 games deep. That’s frustrating. It seems every night the same things cost us the game.”
So wait.
You’re telling me that the team hasn’t yet realized that defense is a problem?
Is there anyone that didn’t see that last month?
But the big news to come from last night’s game is the injury to Josh Harding. No word has been released yet on how serious the injury is, or how long the young netminder will be out, but any injury is bad news for the Wild at this point – especially with Niklas Backstrom’s confession that his confidence is wavering.
On the upside, though, Backstrom was solid last night. He gave up two goals on 18 shots and made some big saves in the breakaway competition at the end of the game. While it wasn’t quite enough to get the win, he did show signs of righting the ship.
What’s most troubling about last night’s loss, however, is that the Wild got off to another horrific start. In ten games this month, the Wild have mustered just six first period goals – a troubling statistic, to be sure.
In fact, in the four games since their two goal “outburst” in the first period against Vancouver, Minnesota hasn’t scored a first period goal.
What is encouraging, however, is that Minnesota scratched an important point out of a game that, by all rights, shouldn’t have gone to a shootout. They dug deep and came back from two goals down – again.
On top of that, Brent Burns returned to the ice to play a little over 13 minutes of ice time – a return that Head Coach Todd Richards graded as “decent.”
He played 13 minutes, 36 seconds, and coach Todd Richards called his return “decent.” Burns, who missed in the fifth round of the shootout, was on for two goals against and will receive some video work, Richards said.
Essentially, what the Wild can take away from last night’s contest is this:
It wasn’t a failure, but it certainly wasn’t a success either.
Wild Nation’s Three Stars
1) Drew Miller – The unheralded of the Miller brothers (you know, the other being the one who’s won a few games this season for Buffalo) had a phenomenal game. One goal on one shot, plus the shootout winner.
2) Shane Hnidy – The Wild d-man had his first two-point game of his career, assisting on both tying Wild goals. All that in just ten minutes of ice time.
3) Todd Bertuzzi – Big Bert continued his resurgence with the Wings, scoring his 14th of the year in the first and notching just over 23 minutes in ice time against the team and fans that hate him so.
Gameday Thread – Game 51 – Red Wings @ Wild
Well, here we are. The first game of a three-game homestand – possibly the most important homestand of the season…Or, at least, since the last one.
I’ve got a few housekeeping matters to talk about before I get to the preview…But I promise, its coming.
First off, thanks to everyone who sent mailbag questions in. It got a pretty good response for a first time and I swear the answers are forthcoming. I’m still working on the responses, but it will be up early next week for sure and my Early Off Season preview of the defensemen will be as well.
Now…On to the shameless plugging (then I swear, to the preview.)
Shameless Plug #1: Check out my article on what I think the Wild’s trade deadline strategy should be, leading up to March 3. It’s on Bleacher Report and I think you’ll like it, or at least appreciate the commentary.
Shameless Plug #2: As always, Hockey Primetime will be offering Trade Deadline coverage on the day of. We’ll be starting our coverage at about 8:30 am CST, and hope to have our regulars (J.P. Hoornstra, Sam P. Woo and Justin Bourne), as well as a guest or two. It will be on Hockey Primetime, but you will also be able to see feeds of it here and at Bourne’s Blog, most likely.
Shameless Plug #3: Finally, check out one of the new Friends of Wild Nation, Stadium Journey. Along with it being a website reviewing sports stadiums and their surrounding areas, it will feature my review of the Xcel Energy Center (SPOILER ALERT: I really like it) soon.
Alright. Now that we’ve got all that out of the way, it’s down to business.
I’ve got good news and bad news.
First, the good news. The Wild’s Great Eight will be hitting the ice tonight for the first time since Nov. 18.
That’s right folks. Burnsie is back.
Mike Russo reported that, in his first practice back with the team, he could be heard just about everywhere in the arena and let me tell you, that’s a good sign.
Burns has struggled this season and struggled in a large, large way. In 21 games, he had just two goals and ten points and was a staggering minus-11.
But, during that time, Burnsie just didn’t look like himself. Most notably, he just didn’t look like he was having any fun. (Thanks to Wild Nationite Rick for that insight, which I completely agree with.)
I know what you’re thinking right now. Brent Burns? Not having fun? Get out of town!
The fact is, though, that it was true and it was very evident in his play. The question tonight, however, is which Brent Burns do we get back? The Brent Burns that tried to do absolutely everything on the ice and, as such, was one of our worst players? Or the Brent Burns that caught the eye of Team Canada over the last two seasons?
Based off of the accounts of his practices back, I’m betting on the latter.
Now, onto the bad news. I don’t want to alarm anyone, but we’re playing the Detroit Red Wings tonight.
Sure, they’re riddled with injuries. But they’re still the Red Wings. You remember them. The team that sports a 21-5-5 record against our Minnesota Wild all time.
But, there is good news in the bad news. This is a wholly different Wild team than the Wings have ever faced. A different system, a different tempo…Different everything. Also, the Wings are struggling through injuries. Not to say that I’m glad these players are injured (I’d never wish harm to any player not named Matt Cooke), just to say that this is a Red Wings team that isn’t at full strength.
Oh yeah. And both teams are looking to break three-game losing streaks.
Lineup(s)
Well, you all heard the news over the last few days. We said bye-bye to Sykora and Earl has remained with the team thus far, so we’ll likely see the same lineup that we’ve seen over the past few games. (Unless Fletcher decides to make a trade with Detroit. Sykora for Zetterberg? I like it!)
I would expect that Derek Boogaard will be a casualty, though, against a not-so-pugilistic, quick Detroit squad.
Brunette-Koivu-Miettinen
Latendresse-Brodziak-Havlat
Nolan-Belanger-Clutterbuck
Earl-Ebbett-Sheppard
On defense, he’s back, he’s back, Lord Almighty he’s back! The return of Brent Burns essentially means that John Scott is back sitting next to Pierre-Marc Bouchard in the press box and Clayton Stoner will likely be moved to the IR.
Schultz-Johnsson
Zanon-Zidlicky
Burns-Hnidy
And, drumroll please, between the pipes for the Wild will be Josh Harding. Whether it’s a message being sent to Niklas Backstrom that he needs to play better or it’s giving him a rest or even rewarding Harding for his solid play, the youngster will get the nod in the crease tonight.
What to Watch For
Let’s just put it this way. Whenever the Wild play the Red Wings, I’m not optimistic about our chances.
Bearing that in mind, the Wild are now running a system that is strikingly similar to Detroit’s and, if they’re going to win tonight, need to beat the Wings at their own game – namely, shoot, shoot, shoot.
The Red Wings pepper goalies. They are averaging almost 33 shots per game, almost five shots more than the Wild, and even put up a 40-spot on the Capitals in their last game, despite losing 3-2.
With Minnesota’s defensive struggles of late, it seems to me that the best defense would be a good offense.
The key to that good offense will start with the team’s top two lines. There is no doubt that the offensive catalyst for this team has been the line of Latendresse, Brodziak and Havlat. The three-headed beast of HavLatziak (Cut me some slack. It’s easier than typing all three names.) has been one of the team’s top lines over the last handful of games.
The line that really needs to get into the game early, however, is the AMA line of Koivu, Brunette and Miettinen. These three have struggled together of late, and it took moving Mittens to the third line to spark him into action.
The biggest problem with this line, however, is that they are as defensively proficient as they are offensively. This means that, essentially, they will likely draw the brunt of the matchup against Detroit’s top line of Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Bertuzzi. (Rest assured, you will know when Big Bert is on the ice. We Minnesotans may move on, but we never forget. The boo birds will be out in force.)
Also, keep an eye on Brent Burns. Since his injury, the Wild’s powerplay has been absolutely dreadful. While Burns likely won’t log a great deal of minutes tonight, (I’d wager between 15-17), you can bet your sweet bippy that he’ll be at the point of every single one of the Wild’s powerplay.
Key(s) to the Game
First and foremost, defense.
Josh Harding is going to get peppered tonight. He’s going to see a black piece of vulcanized rubber tossed at him so much that he might have nightmares about it.
The key to this, however, is the quality of these shots. The Wild did a great job of limiting the quality shots against the Blues and Harding rewarded them with a spectacular performance. Conversely, the Wild did a terrible job of limiting the quality shots against the Coyotes and Stars and Backstrom was hung out to dry more often than a fifteen-year-old dress shirt.
If the Wild can limit the quality shots that the Red Wings get, they’ll have a very good chance at stopping a struggling Red Wing team. If they can’t, however, it’s going to be a long, long night for Harding and a long, long night for the fans in attendance.
Also, for the love of God…Can we please score first? Is that really too much to ask?
I would almost sacrifice a win just to see the Wild ahead 1-0 at some point during this game. Almost.
The fact is that the Wild have come out flat more times than not. In their past three games, they have not scored a single goal before the five minute mark of the second period.
That simply is not the hallmark of winning hockey.
Heck. I’d even settle for not falling into a two-goal deficit.
We’ve proven that we can finish the game with energy. Now it’s time to prove that we can start the game with energy.
The puck drops tonight at 7pm CST and is televised on KSTC, Channel 45.
Also, if you’re going to the Wild’s skills competition on Sunday, keep an eye out for me. I’ll be the bearded guy wearing the white Wild jersey autographed by Doc Emerick and possibly an Atlanta Thrashers hat. (No…I haven’t planned my wardrobe out that far in advance. I swear.)
In any event, feel free to stop and say hi if you see me.
Is His Stock Rising or What??
Another busy day here for me, unfortunately, but I figured I’d make time for this right here.
I’m going to go ahead and admit that, prior to the WJC, I’d never even heard of Nino Niedereiter. I’d imagine that there are more than a handful of hockey fans that are with me on that.
But a strong WJC for the Swiss brought him on just about every single fan’s radar. His three goals and six points in six games helped the Swiss to a shocking 4th place finish and his play with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks this season (26 goals and 44 points in 41 games) helped him make the CHL All-Star game, where he unleashed this beauty in the skills competition:
I’m going to go ahead and say right now that he’d look great in a Minnesota Wild sweater.
Just sayin’…
Wild Notes and Randomness
This won’t be so much of a blog as it will be a series of notes because, I’ll be honest, I’m slammed busy right now.
BUT…
I’m not so busy that I can’t bring my readership my ramblings about your favorite team and mine, the Minnesota Wild.
Before I start, however, I just want to get all of my shameless plugging out of the way right up front. If you are visiting Wild Nation and have NOT yet been to our host/sister site, Hockey Primetime, get over there right now. There’s a link on the sidebar here. We’ve got our fair share of top notch writers there, and I write there too, so take a few minutes out and go over and sign up for the site. I can tell you that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, there is going to be some cool coverage going on over there over the next few months.
And my next plug for my fellow Hockey Primetime hosted blog, Bourne’s Blog. I’m sure many here visit Bourne’s Blog frequently, but for those that don’t I’d like to share a favorite story of mine from his blog that involves two former Wild defensemen (Ed. Note – For whatever reason I can’t get the below formatting to change for the life of me. Sorry about the spacing!):
Here’s a fun story:
I’m trying out for the New York Islanders in Moncton, New Brunswick. It’s our first intrasquad game, and my team is pretty decent. I’m on a line with Jason Gregoire (who I suspect Isles fans will know in a matter of years) and Tyler Haskins, a potential grinder-with-skill that could easily replace, say, Sean Bergenheim in a matter of…. hours.
Early in the game, the puck gets dumped in deep, and I get on my horse to make sure I finish my check. Head up, I notice that the defenseman going back on the puck is 6′6″ Andy Sutton, who has the common sense to move the puck quickly and effeciently, as a good NHL d-man should do.
Being the hustle-pot tryout kid that I was, I continued on to finish my check a few Mississippis later than necessary, and bounced off Sutton like someone threw a rock at a trampoline.
I head back to back-check, and their team dumps it in.
As the right winger, I hustle back to my wall to get my skates below the hash-marks, open up and provide an option for my defenseman (and friend and future roomate) Jordy Hart who has solid possession of the puck behind our net.
Yep!
YEP!
HARTY, YEAH!
Nothing.
We’re moving up the ice, him weighing his options like he’s picking which door the prize is behind, getting way too far up the ice.
By the blueline, he decides I get the prize.
The prize happens to be Andy Sutton’s shoulder, moving at a speed of WHOCARESITSANDYSUTTON (who, total random sidebar, treated the rookies like dogmeat).
They whistled the play down and gave Sutton a charging penalty, while I tried to stay away from the light. Once I pulled my visor up from around my chin, our coach asked if I could go with my line on the next shift. As a Canadian kid who played for a hockey Hitler in junior, I knew the answer was yes, regardless of truth.
When I jumped the boards a tad weak-kneed, I was lucky the play was in the offensive zone. I headed straight for the net. As I got out there, the puck was being cycled up from the corner to Marc-Andre Bergeron, he of the unnaturally hard slapshot. I opened up and faced him to screen the goalie as I got to the crease.
Between my glove and my elbow pad, I helped their goalie by saving the puck with my wrist. The puck then dropped at my feet, where I grabbed it, then blindly spun and fired. And scored.
Half-concussed, and with what felt like a complete absense of sensation in my right arm (but lots in my wrist), I had scored a goal on my second shift of NHL training camp competitive play, complete with the knowledge that you should never hit Andy Sutton, and never try to screen a MA Bergeron howitzer.
And that it’s probably time I think about becoming a writer.
So…Now that we have the shameless plugging out of the way and I’m well on my way through my second page in Word, on to the randomness of the notes today.
- The Wild waived Robbie Earl and Petr Sykora today. Earl will likely be reassigned to Houston no problem, but it sounds like Sykora is a different beast altogether. From what Mike Russo is reporting Sykora had a clause in his contract that would allow him to opt out for a European team should he not be completely satisfied with his situation in Minnesota. Something tells me that Sykora wasn’t completely satisfied with his situation in Minnesota and, honestly, I think he’s got a legitimate beef with the team here. He’s a ten-time 20+ goal scorer on a team that can’t buy a goal on most nights, yet he’s been consistently scratched for Derek Boogaard or James Sheppard or Robbie Earl or anyone else you might want to name. He struggled with concussion issues early this season but, when he was given a chance and ice-time, he responded fairly well. Now Richards flat out said that it was because he didn’t want to mess with a winning lineup. Sure. I can understand that. But here’s the deal, folks. Over the Wild’s last ten games, Sykora has been healthy. He’s not only been healthy, but he’s been rearing to go. The Wild’s record over the last ten? 4-6-0. If that’s a coach’s definition of winning, well…Maybe they should have thought about going a different direction.
- Many, if not all, of you know that I’ve got certain issues with Todd Richards behind the bench. Beyond the fact that he (a former defenseman) is failing to get his players to grasp the defensive intricacies of his new “up-tempo” system, he can’t seem to get the Wild to start out a game with ANY pep in their step. In their last six games, the Wild have fallen behind early in the majority of their games this season and have fallen behind by four goals in three of their last six. Yes, this team is capable of rallying, but SOMEONE needs to do SOMETHING to get them out of the gates quicker. That someone is Todd Richards. But it seems to be something that he is completely incapable of doing. While I am willing to give our rookie coach some time to grow, I am not convinced that he is an NHL caliber coach. Still, over halfway through the season, there are times when he looks flat out lost behind the bench and it is very apparent that he is not getting through to our defense. Maybe it’s inexperience on his part; maybe it’s not having all the right pieces. I don’t know. I don’t know what the solution is, but I certainly know that he is part of the problem right now.
- On a much happier note, Brent Burns practiced for the first time today and possibly could return against the Red Wings on Thursday. While I would say having him play on Thursday is a bit of a stretch, it will be nice to have one of our key defensemen back in the lineup. The big question here is who stays and who goes? My initial reaction would be to say goodbye to Big John Scott. As much as I am a big fan of Scott’s (he’s turned into one heck of an enforcer), I’ve got to say that I like what Stoner brings to the table more. Stoner’s more mobile and a bit better in his own end, as well as having a solid offensive upside. While he likely won’t get much playing time as long as our top-six are healthy, he’s a good one to have in reserve in case someone goes down.
- Congratulations to Guillaume Latendresse for being named the NHL’s third star of the week. Latendresse had four goals and four assists, including a hat trick against the Coyotes. In 25 games with Minnesota, he has 13 goals and 19 points and is tied for second on the team in goals. He’s a far cry from the player who Montreal thought that they were trading, that’s for sure.
- Niklas Backstrom has struggled of late and he looks VERY tired in net right now. It looks like the team’s strategy of riding him early on might be backfiring on them. Of course, it doesn’t help that he’s got Kim Johnsson, Nick Schultz, Greg Zanon and three pylons playing in front of him. No slight intended for Johnsson, Schultz and Zanon, who are playing admirably, but the entire team needs to be better in their own zone, Backstrom included. If I’m Richards, I’d strongly consider giving Backstrom the week off from games and allowing him to rest up, as he will need to be sparkling for the remainder of the season if the Wild want to have any shot at the playoffs.
- Speaking of the playoffs, the team has 32 games remaining. The eighth seed last season for the West was at about 91 points (the Wild currently have 51). If that remains constant for this season, which it likely won’t, the Wild will need to win a minimum of 20 of its remaining 32 games in order to make the playoffs. As of today, the likelihood that the Wild will make the playoffs? 10.1%. It’s possible, but man I don’t like those odds.
Finally, I leave you with this video from NHL.com of the week’s best. Enjoy!
The Game Today
I found this video on Kukla’s Korner, and I thought it was a dang good piece of propaganda by the NHL, so I’m passing it on to you!
Enjoy!
