Gameday Thread – Game 59 – ‘Yotes @ Wild
It seems like forever since I’ve written one of these, so I may be a bit rusty, but bear with me — this could be a game that you’re going to want to watch if you’re a Wild fan.
Over the last couple years the Wild have, to use a Mike Milbury-ism, been the Coyotes’ daddy. Prior to this season, the Wild were a stunning 9-1-0 against the Glendale Canines, and were firmly in control of the match up.
Funny how an off season can change things.
With new coaches, the two teams began to take on different styles of play and the Coyotes were no longer the doormat that the Wild were used to.
Long story short, this season has been a largely different story in the series, with the Coyotes taking the first three games of the season series by a combined score of 11-6.
Soooooooo, what does this mean exactly?
Well, this means one of two things. Either the Coyotes will continue their dominance of the boys in Iron Range Red tonight or, gosh darnit, the Wild are due.
The Wild come into this game five points out of playoff contention with 24 games to play. Not insurmountable odds, but a harrowing task indeed. They also come into this game having gotten 42 of their 62 points at the Xcel Energy Center—where tonight’s game is being played.
A look in the infirmary shows that the Wild are slowly but surely starting to get healthy again. Niklas Backstrom could return to action tonight and Andrew Brunette, who has sat out the team’s last two practices for maintenance issues, will be a go tonight. “Sherriff” Shane Hnidy is going to be a game time decision tonight, as he missed practice yesterday with an illness, and Anton Khudobin will likely be the second goaltender in place of Josh Harding.
Lineup(s)
With the M*A*S*H unit that has been the Wild’s lineup this season, it’s hard to tell who might be in, but after last game’s physical tone I would expect Richards to counter with a physical lineup tonight.
Brunette-Koivu-Miettinen
Latendresse-Brodziak-Havlat
Nolan-Belanger-Clutterbuck
Boogaard-Ebbett-Earl
The physical lineup means that James Sheppard will again be sitting up in the press box, observing.
Now I don’t like to speculate too often, but one has got to wonder if Sheppard will be shopped around much like Benoit Pouliot was. Contrary to his stats, Sheppard is a talented player—he just seems to need a fresh start. I doubt that the return for Shep would be all that great right now, but he could be a useful piece to add on to a deal.
On defense, I’m guessing that Hnidy will be ready to go, as he’s what is commonly referred to as a warrior, so our defense shouldn’t change.
Zanon-Zidlicky
Johnsson-Schultz
Burns-Hnidy
And finally, the six-million dollar question. Who starts in net?
I’m gonna go with my gut on this one and say that Khudobin starts with Backstrom backing up. I say this for two reasons. One, Backstrom has sit out the last six games and should get a little more than just a few practices before he is tossed to the wolves and two, why not ride the hot hand? Khudobin has two wins (one in relief) in his NHL career and has given up just one goal. That could earn him another shot.
What to Watch For
The last meeting between these two teams ended with some fairly heated exchanges and what looked to be some bad blood.
Now, with Minnesota on the outside looking in and Phoenix playing extremely good hockey right now, I’d look for this to carry over. The Wild will need a spark at the start of this game and will look to come out with energy and with physical play and, let’s be honest, in terms of this stuff a lot of hockey player have long memories.
As far as Phoenix is concerned, keep an eye on Matthew Lombardi.
Lombardi had his first career five-point game on Monday night and is riding high after being moved from center to wing. Playing with Robert Lang and Shane Doan, look for him to continue to be an integral part of their offense.
For Minnesota, they need to find a way to get to Ilya Bryzgalov. Bryz has historically not had a whole lot of success against Minnesota, but this season has played lights out against the Wild.
Minnesota needs to figure out how to recapture their success against Bryz and against the Coyotes to gain any sort of momentum. These last three games of their homestand are incredibly crucial to the direction of the team after the Olympic break, as they will have exactly two days to decide which direction they will take in regards to the trade deadline.
Minnesota has not seriously flirted with the playoffs yet this season, but a strong last three games could put them in the position to do so and influence general manager Chuck Fletcher’s moves going forward.
Key(s) to the Game
Honestly? Open the scoring before the second period. If Minnesota can do that, they’re already part-way towards success against Phoenix.
Getting on the board early and getting their confidence will be key against a Phoenix team that has not given them much to be confident about this season.
Past that, just coming out and playing a solid, physical game.
Minnesota is proving this season that they have a team that is capable of throwing their bodies around and are starting to turn into a very difficult team to play against.
They’re playing against a Coyotes team that is riding high, and they need to be that difficult team to play against. Play physical, send a message to Phoenix that they won’t be pushed around.
It’s that simple. If they can dictate the tempo by playing physical, they can come away with a victory in this one.
The puck drops at 7pm CST and is broadcast on Fox Sports North.
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!
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.
Gameday Thread – Game 48 – Wild @ Blues
Wow. That’s honestly all I can say about the Wild’s recent homestand.
Wow.
They start with an inspired performance against the Calgary Flames, defeating the Northwest leaders 4-1. Following that up, they took on the team many consider to be the class of the NHL and pulled out the biggest comeback in team history, coming from four goals down in the third period to win 6-5 in a shootout.
In a homestand where they played two division leaders, the defending Stanley Cup champions and one of the hottest teams in the NHL, those two games in and of themselves would have made it a successful stand.
The Wild didn’t stop there, however, as Guillaume Latendresse and Niklas Backstrom picked the team up on their shoulders and carried them to victory over the struggling Pittsburgh Penguins with a 4-3 victory.
Then there was Wednesday night’s game.
If I were to be thinking of a byline for it, it would most certainly be “Rivalry Renewed.”
Despite being badly outshot through two periods (26-16), Minnesota came out in the third even with the Canucks and put the pedal to the floor, scoring three goals in the first ten minutes of the period to propel them to victory.
The victory not only was big in the sense that they had laid to rest the monkey on their back that was the Vancouver Canucks this season, but there was also a tangible reward from this game—Minnesota is now just two points out of the eighth playoff spot.
That fact alone makes tonight’s game a very big night indeed for the surging Wild.
Lineup(s)
It’s been well documented that Todd Richards doesn’t like to mess with a winning formula, and that’s what he’s gotten here. That doesn’t bode well for James Sheppard and Petr Sykora, who have become pressbox staples as of late. Here’s likely what we’re looking at for the Wild’s forwards:
Brunette-Koivu-Miettinen
Latendresse-Brodziak-Havlat
Nolan-Belanger-Clutterbuck
Boogaard-Ebbett-Earl
While the exclusion of Sheppard and Sykora may not make sense to many (myself included), you can’t fault Richards for wanting to stick with what works. Boogaard has earned Richards’ trust in a way that he never had been able to with Jacques Lemaire and, surprisingly, the team is 9-2-2 with Robbie Earl in the lineup.
The one question mark that I have in all of this is Ebbett. Since coming back from injury, his ice time has steadily decreased and his confidence looks just about shot. It’s not to say that he’s been playing poorly—just that he hasn’t played with the same jump that Wild fans saw from him when he was initially claimed off of waivers by the team.
While scratching him might not be the answer to his woes, wouldn’t one be inclined to think that it might warrant giving Sheppard or Sykora a look in his stead?
Meanwhile, on defense, Clayton Stoner still has his tweaked groin and Richards has said that he’s going to keep him out until it is 100%, so the same lineup will be on the ice against a Blues team that is playing with a renewed physicality.
Zidlicky-Zanon
Schultz-Johnsson
Scott-Hnidy
I have to say, I’m anxiously awaiting the returns of Stoner and Brent Burns. While Hnidy has been serviceable on the blue line, the last few games he has looked like a pylon on the ice. His mobility seems to be less than it was early in the season and he, quite frankly, isn’t always getting the job done like he once was.
Scott, meanwhile, gives the Wild the added size and physical presence but for everything he has in size, it is found equally lacking in his mobility. He is solid defensively, but against quicker teams he is going to be victimized and St. Louis is definitely that.
In nets, Richards has an interesting quandary on his hands for tonight’s game. Josh Harding is the rested goaltender (Backstrom faced 31 shots in Wednesday night’s tilt), but Backstrom is the hot hand, having stopped 64 of 69 shots over his last two games and being a large reason why the Wild won both games.
While I would expect Richards to go with Harding in this game, Harding is 3-1-0 in his career against St. Louis, with a .924 save percentage and a 1.88 goals-against average, it is conceivable that Richards could continue to ride the hot hand and stick Backstrom in net again.
What to Watch For
I’ll say this about these two teams. They like physical play.
St. Louis has ratcheted up their physical play since Davis Payne took over as their head coach (they are 2-2-1 in that span) and seen the results of it against Columbus, while Minnesota has their notorious spark plug, Cal Clutterbuck, as well as noted enforcers Derek Boogaard and John Scott in the lineup.
Add in the fact that David Backes is dead set on fighting Olympians, and we may very well have an interesting tilt or two on our hands in this one.
This looks to be a very intense game, with one team on the verge of sliding into a playoff spot and another looking to turn their season around. I would expect a playoff-type atmosphere in St. Louis tonight and I would look for this game to get chippy in a hurry.
Keeping that in mind, the Wild have scored at least four goals in their last four games. This is a team that may very well finally be finding their offensive stride due, in large part, to the play of Latendresse, Brodziak and Havlat.
Everyone and their mother knows that the Wild’s big line is the “AMA line.” But if the Wild can continue to generate offense with their second line? Watch out, because they could get dangerous in a hurry.
Latendresse and Brodziak both have career-high point streaks going, while Havlat’s point streak was broken on Wednesday. This line is going to need to continue to produce for Minnesota, and all indications are that they are more than capable.
Key(s) to the Game
Minnesota has to set the tone of the game early.
They are on the tail end of back-to-back games and starting a three game road swing against three teams that they have had struggles against recently (some, Phoenix, more recently than others).
The Blues are going to come out and bang early and often. They’re going to get into the Wild’s face and try to force the team into dumb mistakes. The Wild need to do the same.
What is even more important for Minnesota, however, is protecting their goaltender.
They need to limit the quality scoring chances that St. Louis gets—at least as much as they are able to. They need to force the puck to the outside and not give up many prime chances, as St. Louis definitely has players that can bury the puck.
St. Louis is a team that, if you give them an inch, they’ll take a mile and, coming off of a big, emotional win against the Canucks, the Wild can’t afford to give them that inch.
The puck drops tonight at 7pm CST and is televised on Fox Sports North.
Gameday Thread – Game 39 – Wild @ Kings
It’s amazing how much difference a couple months time makes.
After a 3-9-0 start, the Wild were looking to be in the running for the Taylor Hall Sweepstakes. The turnaround that the team has made the season, however, has been nothing short of miraculous.
After their horrific start, the Wild are 16-7-3 and were 9-4-0 during the month of December and now are just four points back from the odds on favorite to win the Northwest Division this season, the Calgary Flames, and third place in the division.
More importantly, they are just four points back from a playoff spot.
The combination of new blood being injected into the system and the old blood learning the new system has proven to be a potent mix and the team is looking poised for a solid run at the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing out last season.
They come into Los Angeles tonight with a record number of wins for the month of December and are looking to increase on that total against a very good and very surprising Los Angeles Kings team.
The Kings are third in the Pacific Division and fifth in the Western Conference despite slumping of late. A testament to how good the Pacific Division has gotten, the Kings dropped from first in the division to third after a stretch of two losses and eight games off in between.
Lineups
The Wild will be short one of their top checking players, as Chuck Kobasew is going to be on the shelf for about 4-to-6 weeks with a sprained MCL. While his injury will certainly hurt the team, it is possible that it may have opened up a spot for Petr Sykora to return to the lineup sooner than hoped.
Sykora is travelling with the team on their two-game road swing but has not yet gotten approval to play. If that changes, though, the Wild could see a big addition to their lineup.
Barring Sykora’s return, though, here are the forward lines for the Wild as predicted by Wild.com:
Brunette-Koivu-Miettinen
Nolan-Belanger-Clutterbuck
Latendresse-Ebbett-Havlat
Sheppard-Brodziak-Boogaard
Now, while Belanger’s line is listed as the team’s second line here, it’s important to note that the Kings will likely see a large dose of Ebbett’s line early and often. They have been one of the hotter lines on the team since Latendresse and Ebbett have both gotten healthy and that could bode well for the Wild. In addition, the injury to Kobasew might just give Sheppard yet another chance to prove himself. He’s played much better of late, but he needs to step his game up another level if he wants to continue to find playing time as players begin returning from injury.
On defense, Clayton Stoner has been an absolute revelation for the Wild and looks to have stolen John Scott’s spot from him. In his five games since being called up, Stoner has a pair of assists, an even rating, a couple fights and is averaging just under 13 minutes per game. His solid skating ability and his willingness to throw his body around has quickly endeared him to Wild fans.
Wild.com lists the defensive pairings as follows:
Zanon-Zidlicky
Stoner-Johnsson
Hnidy-Schultz
The one thing that I like the most about these pairings is that it gives the Wild a 100% legitimate shutdown pairing in Hnidy and Schultz. But what’s more is that the defensively responsible Stoner and Zanon give both Zidlicky and Johnsson chances to step up into the play a little bit more often—something that benefitted the Wild in their 4-3 defeat of the Blues on Saturday.
There was a break between the games, so in net we’re most likely going to see Niklas Backstrom again. Backstrom has been absolutely fantastic in his last eight games, with six wins and a 1.87 goals-against average.
What to Watch For
The Wild have forward on their team that is white hot right now, and he’s not who you’d think.
Guillaume Latendresse has notched four goals in his last four games and six in 13 games with the Wild. In addition, in those 13 games, the Wild is 11-2-0 and is 4-0-0 when he scores a goal.
You don’t believe me? Do the math yourself.
G-Lat has quickly become an important cog in the Wild’s offense and is continuing to get more and more ice time with Minnesota.
The other key is going to be Martin Havlat. He was largely invisible on Saturday night against St. Louis, but has really snapped out of his early season slump with nine points in his last eight games with a plus-six rating.
He is going to be very important to the continued success of the Wild and the continued success of both Latendresse and Ebbett. He has shown great chemistry with both and this looks to be as bona fide a second line as the Wild has had all season long.
If these three start clicking in a game, watch out…It can be scary good.
Key(s) to the Game
Shoot the puck.
Both teams have great records when outshooting their opponents and tonight should be no different.
For the Wild, LA’s Jonathan Quick is a goalie that thrives on confidence. If they can get to him early, they can have success. But Quick gets better as the game goes on and as he gets more confidence, so hitting him early and often will be paramount for a Wild win.
For the Wild, stopping Anze Kopitar will also be a huge task. Kopitar is one of two Kings players in double digits for goals this season and is the only one who is active (Jarrett Stoll is out with a groin injury). If the Wild can stop Kopitar, they’re that much closer to stopping the Kings.
Kopitar, however, is not the only player that the Wild need to focus on. Ryan Smyth quickly asserted his presence in the Kings’ lineup this season before getting injured and has since returned to the lineup and will provide a huge boost for a Kings team playing without Stoll and Justin Williams.
The puck drops tonight at 9:30 CST and will be broadcast on Fox Sports North.
Gameday Thread – Game 34 – Wild @ Habs
Well, well, well. Look who’s back in Montreal.
That’s right, Wild Nation faithful. Guillaume Latendresse is returning to Montreal tonight to help the Wild dispatch his former team.
While the game will likely be much more than just G-Lat versus the Montreal Canadiens, it is certainly a storyline that bears observation.
Since arriving in Minnesota, Latendresse has been nothing short of marvelous. He has played with a physical edge, he has shown a tireless work ethic and he has produced. Since arriving in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, G-Lat has notched three goals and an assist in 10 games, not to mention a shootout goal against the Anaheim Ducks.
The bottom line is that, suddenly he has had the weight of the world lifted off of his shoulders — and it shows.
But tonight the young power forward heads home again, hoping to rub some salt in the wound against his former team.
Lineups
While I have not heard anything of yet regarding the Wild’s lineup for tonight’s game, I can’t imagine much changing for tonight’s game, though Andrew Ebbett has traveled with the team and may see action in either tonight’s or Saturday’s game. Were I setting the lineups, though, here’s what it would look like:
Brunette-Koivu-Miettinen
Latendresse-Brodziak-Havlat
Kobasew-Belanger-Clutterbuck
Earl-Ebbett-Sheppard
This is a quick, undersized lineup that the Wild are facing tonight and it is a lineup that has a wealth of skill on it. The biggest mistake the Wild could make, in my opinion, would be to put Derek Boogaard on the ice tonight. Boogaard has not been able to catch a break over the last few games and, against Vancouver especially, his reputation has worked against him. In a game that will likely be up tempo, it will be important for the Wild to put their best foot forward, so to speak.
Zidlicky-Zanon
Schultz-Johnsson
Hnidy-Stoner
There aren’t many changes here, but I’ll be honest — I want to see what Clayton Stoner can do. He was called up just before the road trip and he’s played very, very well in Houston so far this season. The likelihood that John Scott would play anymore than 10-12 minutes in this game is very small, so I don’t see the harm in giving Stoner a shot and getting him in his first NHL action.
Backstrom
‘Nuff said.
What to Watch For
I already mentioned the return of Latendresse to Montreal, but to me, this is one of the less intriguing storylines of the evening.
What is more intriguing is the match up between two teams that are seemingly on opposite ends of the spectrum. The Wild are coming off of a hard-fought win against the Columbus Blue Jackets and have lost just two games in their last 10. The Habs, on the other hand, have struggled mightily as of late, losing four straight and just three of their last 10 games.
The biggest thing to watch in this game will be special teams, however. The Wild’s powerplay that started out so strong this season has faltered, with the team going zero for their last 19 opportunities with the man advantage. Against a strong penalty killing team in the Habs, that isn’t going to be an easy stat to change. Montreal sits at an 84% penalty kill, good for 8th in the NHL.
The Wild is a surging team, however. Their play has been much improved from their 3-9-0 start and they are slowly clawing their way back up the standings. As it stands today, they are just four points from the 8th place Detroit Red Wings and three behind the Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks.
A successful road swing in Eastern Canada could go a long way towards pushing farther up the standings.
Keys to the Game
How will G-Lat respond?
The line of Latendresse, Brodziak and Havlat have been absolutely scintillating over the last couple games. Havlat has six points in three games and has had a hand in six of the team’s last seven goals. He has finally found linemates that he has chemistry with and the line is clicking.
But, the pressure of Montreal had gotten to Latendresse before. Will it get to him again tonight?
I, for one, don’t think so.
In Montreal, he was cast out to the fourth line. His minutes cut and his confidence was shattered. He has said himself that the fact that Richards thinks enough of him to play him consistently has helped and right now his confidence has got to be sky high.
With a coach that trusts him enough to play him and is willing to give him every opportunity to succeed, G-Lat is starting to come into his own and is starting to apply everything that he has learned in his young career.
The Wild also need to continue their trend of shooting, shooting and shooting some more.
In games that they outshoot their opponents in, the Wild are 9-5-2 this season, compared to the Habs record of 8-11-2 when being outshot. Minnesota needs to keep Carey Price busy all night long. While Price is certainly a solid tender, he has not shown the elite level of play that he showed during his rookie season consistently and getting into his head will be paramount for the Wild’s success.
The puck drops tonight from the Bell Centre at 6 pm CST and is televised on Fox Sports.
Gameday Thread – Game 30 – Wild @ Coyotes
The Wild roll into Phoenix tonight riding high.
They are 6-0-1 in their last seven games, including the fact that they are currently on a five-game winning streak.
But tonight, they will face off against the resurgent Phoenix Coyotes—a team that has persevered through their managerial hardships this season to be firmly planted in the playoff picture in the Western Conference in sixth place, just two points behind their division rival Los Angeles Kings and just six points in front of their quarry for tonight’s game.
It’s possible that these two teams could be two of the hottest teams in the NHL at the moment.
The Wild have won their last five and have scored at least five goals in four of them (though one of the five-goal games was the team’s shootout victory over Anaheim on Friday).
While the Wild have been hot offensively, the Coyotes have been hot in their own end, giving up two or less goals in each of their previous five games, starting with their 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames.
In the previous meeting this season between the two teams, the ‘Yotes skated away victorious with the 3-2 victory as Scottie Upshall rudely ruined the celebration of Antti Miettinen’s tying goal with one of his own just 19 ticks later.
This is a different Wild team than the one that suited up against Phoenix on November 18, however. They are playing with confidence and poise and are looking the best that they have looked all season long.
Lineups
As was the case on Friday, I don’t have any information for the ‘Yotes lineup, but here are the likely lines for the Wild according to team scribe Glen Andresen.
Brunette-Koivu-Miettinen
Nolan-Belanger-Kobasew
Latendresse-Brodziak-Clutterbuck
Havlat-Ebbett-Sheppard
According to Andresen and Mike Russo, of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, team bowling ball Cal Clutterbuck is still feeling some of the effects of the flu that kept him out of Saturday’s game against Nashville, but he is feeling much better than he was. If he is able to go (and the odds are pretty good that, if he’s with the team, he’ll go), look for James Sheppard to get the nod over enforcer extraordinaire Derek Boogaard, as Sheppard played a great game against Nashville and got his first tally of the season.
In fact, for those Sheppard detractors out there (we know who you are), the Shepster has a goal and two assists in his last five games, with a plus-two rating and 11 shots on goal. Now I know he’s been having a bad season, but with those stats? Come on…Let’s start fresh and see what he can do at wing. What do you say?
On defense, you can likely expect more of the same with Jaime “Why Can’t He Spell His First Name Right” Sifers getting the nod over John Scott.
Zanon-Zidlicky
Schultz-Johnsson
Hnidy-Sifers
In nets, you’ll see Niklas Backstrom for the Wild after getting an off night against Nashville.
What to Watch For
The let down.
With two teams riding as high as the Wild and the Coyotes, eventually a let down is inevitable. Both teams have been playing fantastic hockey over the last few games and both teams are “due,” so to speak.
The problem that arises with being “due,” is that it’s much easier for a hot defensive team to force their opponent to lay an egg than the other way around.
I’ll be perfectly blunt. The Wild have not been that hot defensive team over the last five games. While the Coyotes come in with a paltry 1.80 goals against over their last five, the Wild sport a robust 3.20 goals against average over their last five. Their last five have also included a lot of battling from behind—something that will take its toll on any team.
Both teams also distribute their scoring well.
What will be important is to see who has players that step up.
Over the last few games, it has been the Wild’s first line of Brunette, Koivu and Miettinen that have done the stepping up. This line will likely be drawing a bulk of Phoenix’s defensive attention tonight and will, quite simply, need to be effective. The good news for Minnesota, however, is that their bottom three lines are starting to be equally as effective.
In Nashville, Sheppard and Martin Havlat both played their best games of the season and the team continued to get strong play from newcomers Andrew Ebbett and G-Lat.
For Phoenix, it will hinge largely on the play of Ilya Bryzgalov, who has been spectacular this season. With a 1.79 goals-against average and a .937 save percentage (not to mention his three shutouts), Bryz has been on fire this season and the Wild will have to find a way to cool him off.
Key(s) to the Game
Shoot. Shoot early and shoot often. From anywhere and everywhere.
When playing a hot goalie, this is probably your best strategy. Pepper him with shots and eventually you’ll start to see some cracks in the armor.
This is exactly what the Wild have to do in order to break down the defenses of Mr. Bryzgalov.
The team is extremely familiar with him from his time in Anaheim and they know exactly what they are getting with him in net—they just need to get to him. The more shots they can get on net, the better off they will be.
Don’t give up the lead.
The Wild have been scored on first in eight of their last nine games. Against a solid defensive team like the Coyotes, this is a trend that needs to stop.
While the Wild have a team that has confidence while playing from behind, the Coyotes have a team that has confidence while playing with the lead. It is paramount that the Wild get out to a fast start in this game. If they don’t and allow a couple early goals, it may not be as easy to come from behind.
If the Coyotes score first, this game might be all but in the bag because Phoenix can do what they do best. Shut down and play mistake-free hockey.
The puck drops tonight at 8 pm CST and is televised on Fox Sports.
Gameday Thread – Game 28 – Ducks @ Wild
The good news has been few and far between this season for the Wild; however, they will try to make it four wins in a row tonight as the Anaheim Ducks roll into town for the third meeting between the two teams.
Each team has won on their home ice thus far in the season series, with the Wild taking the first game in dramatic fashion, coming from three goals behind in the third period to win the game in overtime and the Ducks returning the favor with a 3-2 victory in Anaheim just eight days later.
The Water Fowl are just one point behind the Wild in the Western Conference standings, but have dropped their last two games and have struggled for most of this season.
Part of those struggles have been because of their goaltending. The usually spectacular tandem of Jonas Hiller and Jean-Sebastian Giguere have both been putting up pedestrian numbers this season—Giguere with a .918 save percentage and a 2.61 goals-against average and Hiller with .909 and 3.09 respectively.
The Wild, meanwhile, are riding a three game winning streak and are 4-0-1 in their last five games, with their current winning ways pulling them to a 12-12-3 record after starting the season 3-9-0.
A large part of the Wild’s new winning ways is the fresh lease on life that new acquisitions Andrew Ebbett and Guillaume Latendresse have. Ebbett and G-Lat were both castoffs from their prior teams and have found stability with the Wild, each playing a humungous part in the team’s five-game point streak. On top of that, captain Mikko Koivu has five points in his last three games.
Probable Lineup(s)
While I have no information for the Ducklings, the Wild should be rolling the same offensive lines as they did against Nashville:
Brunette-Koivu-Miettinen
Nolan-Belanger-Kobasew
Latendresse-Brodziak-Clutterbuck
Havlat-Ebbett-Boogaard
The fact that Martin Havlat has been shifted to the team’s fourth line speaks to just how well this team is playing right now. If he wants to move up, he’s going to need to start showing something to the coaching staff. His assist in Wednesday’s game is a good start, but he needs to start showing that he can be the Martin Havlat that led the Blackhawks in points despite playing second-line minutes last season before he can expect to start being shifted up the lineup again.
On defense, the Wild will again look much the same with the exception of John Scott being shifted in for Jamie Sifers against a big, physical team of Duckies.
Zanon-Zidlicky
Schultz-Johnsson
Hnidy-Scott
That Zanon and Zidlicky are the team’s first defensive pairing speaks to just how well these two are playing right now. Despite his blunder in the first period against Nashville, which led to a Jason Arnott goal, Zidlicky is playing some of the best hockey of his career right now. He’s becoming more responsible on defense, along with being encouraged to jump up into the play on offense. He still has one of the best shots on the Wild and is now feeling comfortable enough to be able to pinch up to use it, but still be able to maintain his defensive responsibilities.
In nets, it looks like we’ll be seeing Niklas Backstrom again, thought it wouldn’t surprise me if the team opted for Harding as a late switch.
What to Watch For
Keep an eye out for Corey Perry in this one. Perry is always dangerous but should be even more so tonight as he will be looking to get back on the scoresheet after having his 19-game point streak snapped last night against Dallas.
Despite being shutout in the game last night, Perry has 12 points in his last ten games.
The Quackers will need Perry in this one, as they have dropped seven straight on the road and I would just like to mention that, by pointing that seemingly inane statistic out, I have just doomed the Wild to a night of failure.
Also, keep an eye out for the Wild’s special teams—most notably, if you can spot them.
The Wild’s powerplay started out strong this season, but with the losses of Brent Burns, Petr Sykora and Pierre-Marc Bouchard, as well as absences from Martin Havlat and Antti Miettinen, their powerplay has fizzled as of late, dropping to 19.3%.
The Mallards are an aggressive team and prone to taking penalties, so don’t be surprised if the Wild’s powerplay unit gets their fair share of action in tonight’s game.
Hopefully, however, that is a good thing for the Wild.
Keys to the Game
The Wild need to stay out of the box.
Against a team as aggressive as the Web-Footed Birds (give me a break…I’m running out of fresh names to call the Ducks) are, it is easy to let yourself fall into the same trap and take retaliation penalties. The Wild need to avoid this at all costs.
More penalties means more time that the Wild can expect to see the unit of Perry, Getzlaf and Ryan and the less time they spend on the ice, the better for the Wild.
Injuries will also play a part.
The Ducks are missing Teemu Selanne, Kyle Calder, Joffrey Lupul and Ryan Carter, while the Wild are still missing Burns, Bouchard and Sykora.
My Predictions
And now I’ll make a few predictions destined to be very, very far from the mark.
First, the Wild will continue their win streak with a 4-3 victory (strike number two against the team in this blog alone).
Second, the newcomers will continue their strong play. Both Latendresse and Ebbett have provided some much needed scoring punch to the lineup and will continue to do so.
Third, Martin Havlat will start getting back on track. I know this one might be a stretch but, come on…The guy’s due.
There you have it, folks. My extremely unscientific and possibly biased view of tonight’s game.
The puck drops at the X tonight at 7 pm CST.
Gameday Thread – Game 15 – Wild v. Canucks
Tonight is the second of six meetings between the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks as both teams come into the game riding winning streaks.
The Wild have won back-to-back one-goal games over the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins giving them their first winning streak of the season. Meanwhile, the Canucks are winners of three of their last four and have won two straight.
In the first meeting of these bitter rivals, the Wild drew blood first, but the Canucks peppered goalie Niklas Backstrom with shots and skated off with a 2-1 victory. By comparison, Backstrom had to stop 37 shots while Roberto Luongo had to stop just 17.
Both teams are suffering through a rash of injuries as well. Luongo remains sidelined with a broken rib, but he is on the five-game road trip with the Canucks and looks to be close to returning. The ‘Nucks are also missing Jannick Hansen (hand), Daniel Sedin (shoulder), Ryan Johnson (upper body), Alexander Bolduc (upper body), Michael Grabner (foot) and Pavol Demitra (shoulder). The Wild will be without the services of Kim Johnsson (upper body) and Pierre-Marc Bouchard (concussion).
Lineup(s)
I would expect to see much the same lineup for the Wild that they have been skating with the last two games. The roster is finally starting to take shape and show some chemistry together and I think that Richards would be hard pressed to find an excuse that is not injury related to insert Benoit Pouliot back in the lineup, no matter how much he has improved.
For the Canucks, they will also be without the services of defenseman Shane O’Brien, who was suspended for his part in the recent incident with the New York Rangers. No word on what the lineup will be for the Canucks but, like the Wild, they have been playing well and there probably won’t be too many shake-ups.
In nets, you can expect to see Backstrom for the Wild and Raycroft for the Canucks.
What to Watch For
This could be a physical game. Scratch that. This will be a physical game.
In the first match up of the season between these two teams, they tend to forget that they don’t like each other.
By game two? They remember that they flat out hate each other.
One thing that has stood out in the Wild’s last two victories was their physicality. Quite simply, they’re not as easy to push around as they have been in years past.
Everyone on the Wild has shown their own little bit of grit this season (with the exception of James “Charmin” Sheppard.) This is a team whose identity has suddenly changed from last season and they are beginning to embrace it.
Keep an eye on the Wild’s second line. Eric Belanger has centered Martin Havlat and Petr Sykora to perfection over the last two games, to the tune of two goals over that span, as well as three points in his last three games.
This line’s success is tied to the team’s success. If they come out strong, it gives the Wild two legitimate scoring lines, each of which can play in both ends.
Meanwhile, keep an eye on Ryan Kesler for the Canucks. He has had five points in his last two games and his physical edge is essential to the Canucks offense, especially with both Sedin and Demitra out.
Keys to the Game
This game will come down to goaltending and defense.
The Wild have drastically cut back on their defensive mistakes over the last two games and, while their two glaring mistakes both resulted in goals for the opposition, they have been fantastic in their own end.
Meanwhile, Niklas Backstrom is again enjoying a solid year despite the wins column.
On the other end of the ice, Andrew Raycroft is proving to be more than a suitable fill-in for the injured Roberto Luongo and looked fantastic doing so.
In order to counter this, the Wild need to put shots on net. Their performance against Pittsburgh was a bit deceiving, because they had more than the fifteen shots they were credited for. The problem is that the majority of their shots ended up hitting a body at one point or another. As awe-inspiring as their defensive performance was in that game, the team needs to put pressure on Raycroft and get to him early.
If they can do this, they have a chance to put up some big numbers.
The puck drops at the Xcel Energy Center at 7 pm CST.
Gameday Thread – Game 11 – Wild @ ‘Hawks
My dear readers, Monday night marks the opening of what people are dubbing “reunions week” for the Minnesota Wild.
The first of the reunions will take place in Chicago, marking the regular season return of Martin Havlat to the Windy City to take on his former team, the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Wild are coming off of their best three game stretch of the season—a stretch that has seen them win two out of three games and play their best hockey yet. This will need to continue if the Wild are to break their seven-game road skid against a stout Blackhawks team.
Last season saw the boys in the Iron Range Red take three of four games from their Windy City compatriots, and tonight the Wild will look to build on their recent successes.
The Blackhawks, meanwhile, are looking to build a streak of their own after 27-save shutout by much maligned goaltender Cristobal Huet on Saturday against the Nashville Predators.
Lineup
For the Wild, both Benoit Pouliot and James Sheppard will be back in the lineup. Sheppard and Pouliot watched Saturday’s win from the press box and, for Sheppard it was the first time in his career that he was a healthy scratch. Meanwhile, Derek Boogaard will be scratched for the Wild—something I would expect a lot more of with Kim Johnsson on the shelf, as John Scott will be getting a lot of time on the blueline.
The scratching of Pouliot on Saturday was a bit of a shock, because he has been playing worlds better than when he started the season. Richards told reporters today that he recognized that Pouliot was improving, but that he wanted to see even more out of him. More physicality and more grit.
As for Sheppard, it’s pretty clear as to why he was scratched, but he seems to have taken it in stride, expressing that he wants to take a negative and turn it into a positive.
Also, expect Backstrom between the pipes for the Wild. He has been absolutely spectacular in his last four starts and, with the team needing to make up some ground, will likely shoulder the majority of the workload—at least for the rest of the month.
What to Watch For
How will Sheppard and Pouliot respond to being scratched?
Pouliot really took Richards’ early criticisms to heart this season and has improved by leaps and bounds. I would expect that he would continue this progression and continue his improvement. The improvements have not yet shown up on the scoresheet but, as I’ve mentioned before, the kid has so much God given talent that it’s the little things that he needs to start doing right.
Sheppard, on the other hand, has a big task in front of him. How will he respond to being scratched for the first time in his career?
You’ve got to think that, eventually, it’s make it or break it time for him. He’s got a wide variety of skills and is going to have to really dig down and show that he belongs at this level. That means playing physical, forechecking hard and moving those big clown feet of his. He’ll get his scoring chances if he does this and everybody and their mother knows that he’s got the ability to capitalize.
Keys to the Game
The biggest key to this game is scoring even strength for the Wild.
They have a solid powerplay, but have struggled 5-on-5 this season. If they are going to start scoring more, they are going to have to capitalize on their 5-on-5 chances. This means getting to the dirty areas on the ice and getting the goals that aren’t necessarily pretty.
In other words, the team needs more efforts like Cal Clutterbuck’s game winner on Saturday and less of the “dipsy-doodle” type plays.
Get physical, get dirty and get to the net. That’s how this team is going to get their even strength game going.
The team also needs to find the right line combinations. With Pouliot back in the game, you may see him playing between Havlat and Sykora, as this line had some chemistry during the pre-season. The team needs to do something to get their lines to start clicking and contributing. They have the talent, it’s just a matter of finding the right mix.
The puck drops at 7 pm CST tonight and is televised on Versus.
