Aug. 29: Player Profile: Mikko Koivu

Aug. 30: Around the NHL

Player Profile: Pierre-Marc Bouchard

Aug. 31: Prospect Profile: Matt Hackett

Player Profile: Dany Heatley

Sept. 1:  Off

Sept. 2: Around the State of Hockey

Player Profile: Cal Clutterbuck

So that’s what we’re looking at, pending any more trades or any big news or anything, so keep tuned in, because we’ve got some great stuff on the way.

* * * * *

Crosby Meets with Specialists
The big news coming is that Sidney Crosby has met with some leading specialists around the country and has said that he will make a full recovery.

Could everyone please just calm down? He'll be back!

The operative word there is will.

It’s nothing to panic about, it’s not a huge cause for concern, but he’s just not there yet.

Now, Pens fans really need to back away from the ledge with this one for a couple reasons, not the least of which is the fact that there is no return date set, only when he’s symptom free.

What’s important in that, though is that they’re actually mentioning the words return date. That means that Crosby’s career isn’t over. He’s not done. He’s just on the shelf. The Pens obviously don’t want him to turn into another Eric Lindros. They don’t want him to come back before he’s ready, nor should he.

The other reason why Pens fans shouldn’t have cause for concern is very simple. They still have Evgeni Malkin.

Think about it. This is a guy who, a few years ago people were debating about whether or not he was the best player in the NHL.

All indications are pointing to the fact that he’s going to be healthy to start the season and there isn’t anything that should give any Pens fans cause for concern.

Even without Crosby, the Pens will still be good. They’ll still have one of the elite offenses in the league, they’ll still have one of the elite defensive units in the league and they’ll still have Marc-Andre Fleury in net (take that however you want).

What I’m trying to say is that this team isn’t a one-trick pony. They’re not built so that the loss of a superstar player is insurmountable.

Are they going to be as good as they would be with Sid? No. Is it going to be clear sailing without him? No. But even if he doesn’t play at all this season, I don’t think it’s out of the question that the Pens could still be the class of the Atlantic, if not the Eastern Conference.

* * * * *

Matt Cooke a Changed Man?
So, I guess we’re on a bit of a Pens theme today, but I just couldn’t pass this one by.

Anyone who knows me or who has followed this website for any period of time knows that I’m not a fan of Matt Cooke. I wasn’t when he was in Vancouver, I wasn’t when he was in Washington and I’m not now.

I don’t like the way he plays the game and I don’t like the level of respect (or lack thereof) that he has for his fellow players.

That’s not to say, though, that I think he’s a horrible human being off the ice.

If there was anything that HBO 24/7 showed, it was that Cooke actually seems like a decent guy, despite the way he plays.

Indeed, Puck Daddy even highlighted that Cooke’s season was marred with

personal turmoil that saw his wife undergo four surgeries. Nearly losing a loved one takes a toll on you, no matter who you are and my heart truly does go out to Cooke and his family and it’s truly a great thing that his wife has recovered.

To Cooke’s credit, too, he’s not using that turmoil as an excuse for his actions but, rather, as an excuse to change.

Cooke seems to have realized that the way that he plays (or, hopefully, played) the game was indefensible and just plain wrong and, for what it’s worth, I truly hope that he has. I just have a hard time believing it.

He’s always played the game right on the edge of legality and, it seemed, rarely tried very hard to stay on that edge, often crossing over to plain dangerous

You'd be surprised how hard it is to find pictures of Cooke that don't make him look like a maniac.

hits and I have a hard time believing that he’s going to be able to rein that part of himself in for a full season.

The nature of his game is and always has been that he’s a pest – he’s the guy that gets under your team’s skin – and the way that he did that most effectively was by toeing that line.

Now, I have absolutely no doubt that he’s going to try to curb that part of his game. In fact, I’m positive that he is. He sought counseling during his leave of absence from the team and that, coupled with his wife’s health troubles last season, seems to have given him a new lease on life (in terms of his career). He’s saying all the right things and he’s acting the right way.

But the question I have is, will he be as effective of a pest when he’s not sneaking over that line every so often?

Players like Cal Clutterbuck and Milan Lucic have managed to become pretty dang good agitators in the NHL without really crossing the line into illegality. Even Ryan Kesler and Alexandre Burrows managed to do it last season (despite the bite) to the benefit of the Canucks.

But can Cooke be effective if he reins in his game? Can he still play that role that he has played so well for 12 NHL seasons and can he still do it effectively?

Maybe. But, the bigger question in my mind is what happens if he can’t?

He’s not a 20-plus goal scorer, though he does have some finesse in those hands. He’s not an elite offensive player, nor is he a terribly elite defensive player (though he has excelled in that role at times in his career). His bread-and-butter is getting under players’ skins and throwing them off their game.

But if he’s not toeing that line, will he be effective? And if he’s not, will he be able to adjust his game so he can be, or will he simply regress to his old self?

All of that remains to be seen.

Despite my doubts, I truly hope that we see a brand new Matt Cooke next season. He proved, last season, that the Pens are a better team with him than without him and they could definitely use him around for a full season.

I just hope he’s serious about this change, because it will be better for him, better for the Pens and better for the league if he is.

* * * * *

Check back later tonight to see some of my thoughts on the demo version of NHL 12. So long!

To take five penalties in a single game is considered to be a fairly bad game, but to take ten? Absolutely ridiculous.

Yet that’s exactly what the Wild did last night, facing off against the Edmonton Oilers.

Time and time and time again was the team’s parade to the penalty box; a lot of which were for penalties of the lazy kind.

Thank God for a strong first period, otherwise this game could have been looking much different by the end of the night.

Kyle Brodziak had two early goals and Guillaume Latendresse capped off the scoring to give the Wild a 3-1 lead heading into the first intermission and it was a lead that they would be glad to have by the time it was all said and done.

What was heartening, though, was the play of Niklas Backstrom in nets. Of the 36 shots that he saw, Backstrom had to face 27 of them in the final two periods as the Wild was drastically out played and out hustled by the hungry Oilers.

Backs stood on his head, though, and provided not only exactly what the Wild needed, but exactly what he needed as well – a win in Edmonton.

Random Thoughts

• I’ll be honest, I was surprised that the Wild held on to win last night. It was a very poor performance by the team, yet still they came out on top. These are the types of games that the Wild are going to need to gut out a win during on the road, and that’s exactly what they did. If they want to continue to have success on the road, though, they need to have a better effort than last night.
• The ice time in last night’s game tells the story of it all. 11 minutes for Andrew Brunette? 13 for Guillaume Latendresse? Both are players who don’t play on the penalty kill. The Wild took lazy and stupid penalties and, despite the disparity (yes, there could have been one or two more called on Edmonton) the Wild deserved every penalty they got. The worst part was that most of the penalties were due to the fact that the Wild just simply weren’t moving their feet. They were playing lazy and getting caught using their sticks more often than they should have.
• How good has Latendresse been in these last few games? Since being re-united with Martin Havlat and playing on the team’s second line, Latendresse has been one of the Wild’s best players, getting a goal and an assist in both last night’s game and Tuesday’s tilt against Vancouver. This is good news, indeed, for a Wild team that desperately needs him to be the same player that he was last season. So far, he seems to be returning to form quite nicely.
• Theo Peckham is quickly working his way up my sport-hate list. I’m sure that’s his role on the team, but I continue to be unimpressed with the way he plays the game. It’s much too close to Matt Cooke for me. He plays with a reckless edge that doesn’t show any respect for the players he plays against and, oftentimes, this leads to dangerous hits and situations on the ice. I’ll say this – at some point this season, we’ll be talking about Peckham in the same vain as Matt Cooke.
• Man, did Taylor Hall look good or what last night? I don’t know if it was hi demotion to the third line that lit a fire under him or what, but he came out like gangbusters. He only had two shots on goal last night, but he fired a total of 11 Backstrom’s way. Six that missed the net and three that were blocked.
• I’m guessing there was a reason why Ryan Jones, Zack Stortini and Colin Fraser didn’t see a whole lot of ice time last night. Fraser? Minus-two in 3:40 of ice time. Jones? Minus-two in 1:03. Stortini? Minus-two in 58 seconds. Something tells me that there’s going to be a special place in practice for these there today.
• Burnsie continues his resurgence this season with another two-point night. He now has five points in six games and three of these are goals. Granted, last night’s was an empty-netter, but it proved one thing to me – I wouldn’t dare play pool against the guy.

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.