The day after Thanksgiving, the Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche got an early start. Maybe it was all of the food from the day before, and maybe it was the afternoon start time, but it took a little bit for either team to get moving quickly. That did change as the game progressed, and the Wild ended up stepping forward in a big way, continuing a recent trend of taking points from games.
The Wild also got to see hats rain down on the ice for the first time since Marian Gaborik lit up his current team for 5 goals, thanks to an impressive performance by Chuck Kobasew. If it hadn't been for an illness to Antti Miettinen, Kobasew wouldn't have found himself with his linemates, and might not have been able to make as much of an impact. It was a good thing, too, as the Wild had to overcome a sloppy performance by Niklas Backstrom, and an energetic performance from the Avalanche.
Game pluses:
- Chuck Kobasew. Sure, his third goal was an emtpy-netter. But his first two goals were opportunistic and well-placed.
- Mikko Koivu. The Wild's captain continues to make plays that seem impossible, and dishes the puck better than anyone else on the team.
- Derek Boogaard. The big man is playing better, and looks to be getting some offensive confidence. His assist came thanks to a great pass, and he could find himself getting his first goal in 2+ seasons before too long.
Game minuses:
- Slow start. The Wild once again started the game by giving up the first goal, but they were able to respond. They need to get a better start to the games, whether the puck drops at 8:00pm, or 1:00pm.
- Niklas Backstrom. Backstrom did enough to keep the Wild from losing the game, but he gave up uncharacteristic rebounds, and got lucky thanks to a puck that danced along the goal line, but never across it.
- Transition hockey. The Avalanche came out the better team when it came to odd-man rushes. The Wild defense needs to be stingier.
Next up: The Wild finished the home-and-home series the next night, looking to keep their record against the Avalanche perfect on the season.
Showing posts with label Marian Gaborik. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marian Gaborik. Show all posts
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
2009-10 Game Thirteen: Wild 3, Rangers 2
The Minnesota Wild continued their homecoming week, hoping to reverse the trend of the previous two games, by playing host to the New York Rangers. The homecoming in question this game? The return of Marian Gaborik, who left Minnesota this summer. Of course, given that Gaborik was meant to be playing against the Wild for the first time, it was of little shock that the star winger had to miss the game thanks to a lower body injury. It certainly didn't help that the Rangers have been in a bit of a spiral all their own, but, far too often, the cure for a losing streak is playing the Minnesota Wild.
Instead, the Wild decided to end a losing streak of their own, and they secured their first regulation victory of the season. Niklas Backstrom was strong in net, and Petr Sykora responded to his benching against Nashville by putting together a strong game against the Rangers. Even Derek Boogaard got involved in the offense, as the Wild skated to the 3-2 victory.
Game pluses:
- Petr Sykora. Sykora had been benched for not playing to his ability the previous game, and he stepped up big against the Rangers, tallying a goal and an assist.
- Mikko Koivu. The Wild captain kept generating offense, and ended the night with two assists.
- Niklas Backstrom. It's been said plenty this season already, but Backstrom held the Wild in the game with some great saves. It was nice to see Backstrom get some help from his defense, as well.
Game minuses:
- Nick Schultz. Schultz had an uncharacteristically weak defensive game for Minnesota, even becoming the screen for New York's second goal.
- Power play. The Wild could have extended their lead, and given themselves a cushion, but they just couldn't get things clicking on the power play. Thankfully, they are starting to skate well 5-on-5.
- Martin Havlat. Havlat actually played a fairly strong game, but the guy's just snakebit right now. He needs to put a puck in the net, and maybe he'll be able to relax a bit on the stick.
Next up: The Wild looked to take the momentum gained against the Rangers, and put it to use against the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
Instead, the Wild decided to end a losing streak of their own, and they secured their first regulation victory of the season. Niklas Backstrom was strong in net, and Petr Sykora responded to his benching against Nashville by putting together a strong game against the Rangers. Even Derek Boogaard got involved in the offense, as the Wild skated to the 3-2 victory.
Game pluses:
- Petr Sykora. Sykora had been benched for not playing to his ability the previous game, and he stepped up big against the Rangers, tallying a goal and an assist.
- Mikko Koivu. The Wild captain kept generating offense, and ended the night with two assists.
- Niklas Backstrom. It's been said plenty this season already, but Backstrom held the Wild in the game with some great saves. It was nice to see Backstrom get some help from his defense, as well.
Game minuses:
- Nick Schultz. Schultz had an uncharacteristically weak defensive game for Minnesota, even becoming the screen for New York's second goal.
- Power play. The Wild could have extended their lead, and given themselves a cushion, but they just couldn't get things clicking on the power play. Thankfully, they are starting to skate well 5-on-5.
- Martin Havlat. Havlat actually played a fairly strong game, but the guy's just snakebit right now. He needs to put a puck in the net, and maybe he'll be able to relax a bit on the stick.
Next up: The Wild looked to take the momentum gained against the Rangers, and put it to use against the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
2009-10 Game Twelve: Wild 3, Predators 4
This Minnesota Wild team will get better. They will play hard for 60 minutes, and apply a strong offense. They will have a forecheck to be reckoned with, and the goaltending will be stellar. The defense will help out, and the stars on the team will be allowed to shine.
But right now, and until that happens, watching the games could be difficult for more fair-weather fans. Part of what the previous regime did to the Wild through consistent competitiveness is to strip the cupboard bare, and the Wild aren't keeping pace with other teams when it comes to young talent. Add to that an extremely road-heavy schedule to start the season, and it isn't much of a shock that the Wild had barely any fire, even after a goal-scoring flurry in the second period. The team needs a win badly, and they need some confidence, but they're skating on tired legs after having lived on a plane for the first month of the season. The tide will turn, but how long will Wild fans give the team before the sell-out streak ends?
Game pluses:
- Owen Nolan. The oldest member of the team is still showing that he wants to get the Wild going in the right direction, and his skate-to-stick play leading to his goal was an example of what kind of puck handling skills he can possess.
- John Scott. The big defenseman almost put the puck in the net, most notably during a scrum in front. The fact that Scott was heading to the goal mouth is a great sign. Hopefully, the rest of the Wild pay attention to this.
- Opening of the second period. For three minutes, the Wild showed just what kind of team they can be. However, after firing off three quick shots, getting three goals, and chasing the Nashville netminder, the Wild sat back on their heels, waiting to give the lead back.
Game minuses:
- Niklas Backstrom. Plenty of times this young season, Backstrom has kept the Wild in games. Against Nashville, he was one of the big reasons that they were out of it, giving up three relatively soft goals, which is something he doesn't do often.
- James Sheppard. While the officials certainly didn't help, Sheppard once again showed a lack of awareness of his surroundings, or what he was doing with his stick.
- Possession. The Wild couldn't keep the puck on their sticks. One of the more glaring times came when Marek Zidlicky got his pocket picked on the way to Nashville's game-winning shorthanded goal, but none of the Wild seemed to have a good handle on the puck.
Next up: The Wild have their work cut out for them, but they get to stay home through Friday, when they take on the New York Rangers. Former Wild star Marian Gaborik is currently sitting with an injury, so he may be out of the line-up, which would be a bit of a blessing for the Wild, given that Gaborik is leading the Rangers in scoring thus far.
But right now, and until that happens, watching the games could be difficult for more fair-weather fans. Part of what the previous regime did to the Wild through consistent competitiveness is to strip the cupboard bare, and the Wild aren't keeping pace with other teams when it comes to young talent. Add to that an extremely road-heavy schedule to start the season, and it isn't much of a shock that the Wild had barely any fire, even after a goal-scoring flurry in the second period. The team needs a win badly, and they need some confidence, but they're skating on tired legs after having lived on a plane for the first month of the season. The tide will turn, but how long will Wild fans give the team before the sell-out streak ends?
Game pluses:
- Owen Nolan. The oldest member of the team is still showing that he wants to get the Wild going in the right direction, and his skate-to-stick play leading to his goal was an example of what kind of puck handling skills he can possess.
- John Scott. The big defenseman almost put the puck in the net, most notably during a scrum in front. The fact that Scott was heading to the goal mouth is a great sign. Hopefully, the rest of the Wild pay attention to this.
- Opening of the second period. For three minutes, the Wild showed just what kind of team they can be. However, after firing off three quick shots, getting three goals, and chasing the Nashville netminder, the Wild sat back on their heels, waiting to give the lead back.
Game minuses:
- Niklas Backstrom. Plenty of times this young season, Backstrom has kept the Wild in games. Against Nashville, he was one of the big reasons that they were out of it, giving up three relatively soft goals, which is something he doesn't do often.
- James Sheppard. While the officials certainly didn't help, Sheppard once again showed a lack of awareness of his surroundings, or what he was doing with his stick.
- Possession. The Wild couldn't keep the puck on their sticks. One of the more glaring times came when Marek Zidlicky got his pocket picked on the way to Nashville's game-winning shorthanded goal, but none of the Wild seemed to have a good handle on the puck.
Next up: The Wild have their work cut out for them, but they get to stay home through Friday, when they take on the New York Rangers. Former Wild star Marian Gaborik is currently sitting with an injury, so he may be out of the line-up, which would be a bit of a blessing for the Wild, given that Gaborik is leading the Rangers in scoring thus far.
Monday, October 26, 2009
2009-10 Game Ten: Wild 3, Hurricanes 2 (OT)
Eventually, both trends will have to turn. The Wild will eventually win a game on the road, and, alternately, they will eventually lose a game at home. Here's hoping that they win a home game in regulation first, as Minnesota keeps proving that leaving before the end of the third period means missing the outcome. Take a couple of returning players, some home ice, and a Carolina team that's been struggling as well, and you've got the recipe for another Minnesota Wild home-ice overtime victory.
It didn't necessarily start out looking like the boys in green were going to pull this one off, giving up a goal in the first period while shorthanded, largely due to an inability to clear the puck. However, the Wild didn't give up, and they tied the game before the first intermission. In the second, they took a lead, but gave it back thanks to another puck handling miscue. Then the stage was set for overtime, as both teams played tight defensively through the third period. Cal Clutterbuck, who was supposed to be out until December due to his ankle injury, ended up being in perfect position to put the puck into the net in overtime, keeping the Wild perfect at home.
Game pluses:
- Cal Clutterbuck. How about this? Clutterbuck returns two weeks after sustaining an ankle injury that was supposed to keep him out of the line-up for months, plays his physical game, and gets a fantastic goal while being tackled in overtime.
- Niklas Backstrom. Once again, the Wild's star goalie stood tall in the net, making some unbelievable saves, including stifling a fantastic Carolina breakaway.
- Greg Zanon. When Backstrom couldn't make the save, Zanon seemed to find a way to block the shot. Zanon keeps placing himself in front of the puck, and saved a goal himself.
Game minuses:
- Antti Miettinen. Miettinen looks like he's trying to do too much with the puck, and his giveaway at the Carolina blue-line in the second period lead to the game-tying goal. It was a poor decision at that moment, and it had the potential to send the Wild into a nosedive.
- 5-on-5. At one point in the game, the Wild only had shots while on the power play. While they did start turning the tide, they need to get offense at all times, not just with the man advantage.
- Mikko Koivu. Overall, Koivu played a standard game, creating chances and working some magic with the puck. But how many times did he find himself thrown out of the faceoff circle? While the officials may have been a little sensitive, Koivu needs to keep himself involved in the draws.
Next up: The Wild are flying high again, but, unfortunately for them, they have to go back on the road. Can Martin Havlat find his game in his first game against the Chicago Blackhawks? Or will the Wild be distracted by the return of Marian Gaborik later this week?
It didn't necessarily start out looking like the boys in green were going to pull this one off, giving up a goal in the first period while shorthanded, largely due to an inability to clear the puck. However, the Wild didn't give up, and they tied the game before the first intermission. In the second, they took a lead, but gave it back thanks to another puck handling miscue. Then the stage was set for overtime, as both teams played tight defensively through the third period. Cal Clutterbuck, who was supposed to be out until December due to his ankle injury, ended up being in perfect position to put the puck into the net in overtime, keeping the Wild perfect at home.
Game pluses:
- Cal Clutterbuck. How about this? Clutterbuck returns two weeks after sustaining an ankle injury that was supposed to keep him out of the line-up for months, plays his physical game, and gets a fantastic goal while being tackled in overtime.
- Niklas Backstrom. Once again, the Wild's star goalie stood tall in the net, making some unbelievable saves, including stifling a fantastic Carolina breakaway.
- Greg Zanon. When Backstrom couldn't make the save, Zanon seemed to find a way to block the shot. Zanon keeps placing himself in front of the puck, and saved a goal himself.
Game minuses:
- Antti Miettinen. Miettinen looks like he's trying to do too much with the puck, and his giveaway at the Carolina blue-line in the second period lead to the game-tying goal. It was a poor decision at that moment, and it had the potential to send the Wild into a nosedive.
- 5-on-5. At one point in the game, the Wild only had shots while on the power play. While they did start turning the tide, they need to get offense at all times, not just with the man advantage.
- Mikko Koivu. Overall, Koivu played a standard game, creating chances and working some magic with the puck. But how many times did he find himself thrown out of the faceoff circle? While the officials may have been a little sensitive, Koivu needs to keep himself involved in the draws.
Next up: The Wild are flying high again, but, unfortunately for them, they have to go back on the road. Can Martin Havlat find his game in his first game against the Chicago Blackhawks? Or will the Wild be distracted by the return of Marian Gaborik later this week?
Monday, September 21, 2009
Welcome to Minnesota
The pre-season is continuing to click past, and the Wild are closer to announcing their starting line-up. Of course, two of the major acquisitions from last year are already bringing some excitement to the ice, and a couple of workhorses from previous seasons have continued to power the team through their own style of play.
Naturally, the workhorses mentioned are Brent Burns and Cal Clutterbuck. Both players have been solid thus far in the pre-season, with Clutterbuck almost completing a hat trick on Friday night against Columbus, and Burns simply taking over the defense the way that everyone anticipated he could. It's great to see Burns back on the ice with confidence, because last season looked rough for him. Clutterbuck and Burns are also two players who definitely play the game because they love it.
Meanwhile, the two big Minnesota acquisitions paid dividends by putting the goals in against Chicago. Martin Havlat showed exactly why he might like to play against the Blackhawks more frequently, scoring two goals, including one that turned the Chicago defense inside out, and Petr Sykora demonstrated why he's been a 20-goal scorer for his last ten seasons. Take into account the players that Havlat and Sykora are replacing on the Wild roster (Marian Gaborik and Stephane Veilleux respectively), and the Wild are definitely a stronger offensive team. They still need to figure out the center position, and the defensive picture is looking interesting with some good competition for the 7th roster spot, but, all told, the Wild should definitely be able to get more offensive production, taking some of the pressure off of their goaltenders.
Naturally, the workhorses mentioned are Brent Burns and Cal Clutterbuck. Both players have been solid thus far in the pre-season, with Clutterbuck almost completing a hat trick on Friday night against Columbus, and Burns simply taking over the defense the way that everyone anticipated he could. It's great to see Burns back on the ice with confidence, because last season looked rough for him. Clutterbuck and Burns are also two players who definitely play the game because they love it.
Meanwhile, the two big Minnesota acquisitions paid dividends by putting the goals in against Chicago. Martin Havlat showed exactly why he might like to play against the Blackhawks more frequently, scoring two goals, including one that turned the Chicago defense inside out, and Petr Sykora demonstrated why he's been a 20-goal scorer for his last ten seasons. Take into account the players that Havlat and Sykora are replacing on the Wild roster (Marian Gaborik and Stephane Veilleux respectively), and the Wild are definitely a stronger offensive team. They still need to figure out the center position, and the defensive picture is looking interesting with some good competition for the 7th roster spot, but, all told, the Wild should definitely be able to get more offensive production, taking some of the pressure off of their goaltenders.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Offense acquired
New Minnesota Wild coach Todd Richards talked about wanting a higher level of offensive play coming from the Team of 18,000 this season. It certainly looks like GM Chuck Fletcher is going to do what he can to make that happen.
Take, for example, the free agency splash Fletcher made by bringing Martin Havlat to the team. Havlat fills a hole created by a departing Marian Gaborik, who wasn't going to resign with Minnesota no matter how many different armored trucks they tempted him with. While there are no guarantees on Havlat's health, he's no more injury-prone than Gaborik is, and the biggest difference is that he is excited to play hockey regularly in front of the Minnesota fans. Too bad for him that the Wild don't play the Chicago Blackhawks a little more often, to remind Chicago of what they gave up.
Now, Fletcher has added another weapon, by signing one of the most consistent scorers in the league. As of earlier today, the Wild have signed Petr Sykora to a one-year contract, bringing his 300 goals to their line. Sykora himself knows that he needs to be paired up with a playmaking type of skater, so it seems likely that the first offensive line of Brunette/Koivu/Havlat will remain intact, with Sykora skating on a second line with Pierre-Marc Bouchard. The question remains as to who will center that line, with James Sheppard currently having an advantage in that area.
But wait, there's more. Rumors are flying that the Boston Bruins are looking to shop Phil Kessel, and the rumors also point to the Wild have a shot to bring the former Golden Gopher to their team, which would shore up the center position. To be clear, the Wild aren't the only team in the Kessel hunt, and no details are being given as to who might be getting dangled out to Boston, but it could certainly make for an interesting remainder of camp.
Bringing Sykora to the team makes it that much more likely that Colton Gillies will spend the majority of the season in Houston, honing his game. If the Wild are able to land Phil Kessel, it could mean that either James Sheppard has been sent to Boston, or that Benoit Pouliot is on the outside, having exhausted his chances to play in the Xcel Energy Center.
Take, for example, the free agency splash Fletcher made by bringing Martin Havlat to the team. Havlat fills a hole created by a departing Marian Gaborik, who wasn't going to resign with Minnesota no matter how many different armored trucks they tempted him with. While there are no guarantees on Havlat's health, he's no more injury-prone than Gaborik is, and the biggest difference is that he is excited to play hockey regularly in front of the Minnesota fans. Too bad for him that the Wild don't play the Chicago Blackhawks a little more often, to remind Chicago of what they gave up.
Now, Fletcher has added another weapon, by signing one of the most consistent scorers in the league. As of earlier today, the Wild have signed Petr Sykora to a one-year contract, bringing his 300 goals to their line. Sykora himself knows that he needs to be paired up with a playmaking type of skater, so it seems likely that the first offensive line of Brunette/Koivu/Havlat will remain intact, with Sykora skating on a second line with Pierre-Marc Bouchard. The question remains as to who will center that line, with James Sheppard currently having an advantage in that area.
But wait, there's more. Rumors are flying that the Boston Bruins are looking to shop Phil Kessel, and the rumors also point to the Wild have a shot to bring the former Golden Gopher to their team, which would shore up the center position. To be clear, the Wild aren't the only team in the Kessel hunt, and no details are being given as to who might be getting dangled out to Boston, but it could certainly make for an interesting remainder of camp.
Bringing Sykora to the team makes it that much more likely that Colton Gillies will spend the majority of the season in Houston, honing his game. If the Wild are able to land Phil Kessel, it could mean that either James Sheppard has been sent to Boston, or that Benoit Pouliot is on the outside, having exhausted his chances to play in the Xcel Energy Center.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Zherdev goes home
As soon as free agency started, it was clear what the Minnesota Wild were looking for. They needed to pick up some defensemen to help cover the holes left by free agency departures, and that was largely taken care of with the acquisitions of Greg Zanon and Shane Hnidy. They need another elite center, as was proven with their (ultimately fruitless) chase of Saku Koivu. They also need to add some more scoring on the wing, not only to replace Marian Gaborik's offensive upside, but to simply add goals to a team that struggled to put the puck in the net last year. Grabbing Martin Havlat helped take care of the first piece of the wing puzzle, but the second piece has been left unanswered.
Enter the New York Rangers and Nikolai Zherdev. The Rangers and Zherdev went to arbitration, and a value of $3.9M was set down. New York decided to walk away from the table, allowing Zherdev to become an unrestricted free agent. Rumors started swirling about where the talented young skater would end up, with some fans in Minnesota thinking that he might solve their offensive woes.
Today, the Wild faithful should be glad that GM Chuck Fletcher didn't take a chance on Zherdev. Fletcher had to have looked at the $3.9M dictated by the arbitration hearing, and wonder if the value for Zherdev was truly that high, especially with where Minnesota sits in regards to the salary cap. True, Zherdev can be an electrifying player, and can provide an offensive spark, but was he really worth almost $4M per season? The numbers from the second half of last season seem to point to a definitive "No". After a quick start, Zherdev flagged at the end, and didn't tally a single point in the playoffs. Not really a guaranteed offensive answer, especially with other prospects potentially being made available in a month or so. As for the other reason why Fletcher may have backed off? Zherdev was seen as a player with a risk to flee the NHL and play in the Russian hockey league, the KHL. According to reports, that's exactly what happened.
Ultimately, if the Wild had taken the risk on Zherdev, they might be left in the same boat they were at the beginning of the summer with Marian Gaborik. They would have the knowledge that they might have a game-breaking player on their roster, but they'd also know that they face a high likelihood of losing that player for absolutely nothing in return.
Enter the New York Rangers and Nikolai Zherdev. The Rangers and Zherdev went to arbitration, and a value of $3.9M was set down. New York decided to walk away from the table, allowing Zherdev to become an unrestricted free agent. Rumors started swirling about where the talented young skater would end up, with some fans in Minnesota thinking that he might solve their offensive woes.
Today, the Wild faithful should be glad that GM Chuck Fletcher didn't take a chance on Zherdev. Fletcher had to have looked at the $3.9M dictated by the arbitration hearing, and wonder if the value for Zherdev was truly that high, especially with where Minnesota sits in regards to the salary cap. True, Zherdev can be an electrifying player, and can provide an offensive spark, but was he really worth almost $4M per season? The numbers from the second half of last season seem to point to a definitive "No". After a quick start, Zherdev flagged at the end, and didn't tally a single point in the playoffs. Not really a guaranteed offensive answer, especially with other prospects potentially being made available in a month or so. As for the other reason why Fletcher may have backed off? Zherdev was seen as a player with a risk to flee the NHL and play in the Russian hockey league, the KHL. According to reports, that's exactly what happened.
Ultimately, if the Wild had taken the risk on Zherdev, they might be left in the same boat they were at the beginning of the summer with Marian Gaborik. They would have the knowledge that they might have a game-breaking player on their roster, but they'd also know that they face a high likelihood of losing that player for absolutely nothing in return.
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