Wild's Powerplay Prevails Over Oilers

With so much hoopla surrounding the team and the team itself putting an emphasis on the game, home openers are always my favorite games to go to.  The pre-game ceremonies were well done, as usual, with the introduction of some members of the inaugural (loudest ovation going to Darby and Walz), the announcement of the number one moment (Bruno's OT goal, obvious), and the introduction of the roster.  On to the game...

The Wild had a good game, not a solid 60 minutes (and as a Wild fan you start to expect the Wild to only play 2 solid periods of good hockey), but at least a good 45 minutes. The Wild came out pretty well in the first period, but they got bogged down by penalty troubles.  The Edmonton Oilers weren't able to connect on their powerplay chances early on as the penalty killers were on their game last night.  Antti Miettinen was able to get the Wild into the 2nd period with a 1-0 lead but the Wild did what they always do and came out sluggish in the 2nd.  For the first 10-15 minutes of the game it was all Edmonton, with Dustin Penner's powerplay tally and Tom Gilbert's rocket off of the face-off giving them a 2-1 advantage, but you never really felt like the game was out of the reach for the Wild.  The Wild were able to tally 3 unanswered goals, all on the powerplay,  two from Mikko Koivu and from Matt Cullen, and essentially put the game away.

Obviously the Wild was great on the powerplay against the Oilers going 4 for 6 last night and generating great opportunities with Cullen at the point and Brunette behind the net, the real question now will be whether or nor the Wild can generate those same chances even strength.  The pkers have to be the unsung heroes of the night with some debatable calls, but they were able to keep the Oilers in check sans the Penner goal.

Notes:

• Loud ovation for Pierre-Marc Bouchard when the players who weren't dressed were announced...and I giggled to myself at the polite applause when James Sheppard was announced (though I kind of felt bad when I saw him wave).
• I'm totally in love with Cullen now.  He was great on the powerplay and I definitely noticed him, in a good way, everytime he was on the ice. 
• Honestly, I didn't really notice the Oilers' young phenoms.  Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle were non-factors throughout the game, and I only noticed Magnus Paajarvi because of his size and him drawing penalities (and occasionally falling down).
• I don't really like the new game programs, it's probably because it's still the same price as the old ones but now they're smaller (just a folded up poster-sized paper).
• Oh, and I'm kind of late on this, but a great article by Mike Russo on former Wild now Oiler Kurtis Foster.
• Question: Were the refs in this game NHL refs or replacement refs because some of the calls were absurd.

UP NEXT: Saturday vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:00pm CT

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Wild Rally Back from 3-0 to Win 4-3 in OT

It's a good thing that I decided not to leave the home opener early like I was planning to after it was 3-0 at the end of 2, but who would have blamed me or anyone who left after 2 the way that the Wild were playing.

The first period was uneventful, mainly because most people in attendance were still wrapped up with the Twin-Tigers game (and the crowd roared with applause and cheer when the Twins won). The second period was just an utter disaster. Passes weren't on target, the Wild couldn't get any sustained pressure in the offensive zone, and when the Wild were able to get shots, they were either not on target or they were shooting into the body of Ducks player (note that they were shooting into the Ducks player, not that the Ducks players were blocking them). And like Richards said in his postgame, the defensemen were trying to create something that wasn't there and stepping up in the offensive zone at unnecessary times creating odd man rushed (I saw a 4-on-1 twice) and the Wild, like in the Columbus game, were scrambling in their defensive zone, and just like that it was 3-0 Ducks. The lazy and lackluster play of the first 40 minutes of the game took the fans out of the game, but the turning point in the game has to be the George Parros vs. John Scott fight, it definitely woke the crowd up again.



Mikko Koivu, Petr Sykora, and Eric Belanger scored in the third to tie up the game, and Andrew Brunette score in the overtime on the powerplay after James Wisniewski took a retalatory penalty on Kyle Brodziak to secure the overtime win for the Wild, and Todd Richards' first win as an NHL coach.

Fans saw in the third period how well Todd Richards system could work for the Wild, we'll see if the Wild can do what they did in the third for a full 60 minutes.

Notes:

• Pierre-Marc Bouchard was a late scratch due to ongoing headaches. He'll be out indefinitely until the organization figures out what's wrong with him.
• Loudest ovations during lineups to Brent Burns, Koivu, Niklas Backstrom and Cal Clutterbuck.
• A Wild player got hit in the first period and was just dumped into the bench...can't seem to find who it is though, anyone know?
• Joffrey Lupul took a puck to the face in the first period, but came back in the second to score the first goal for the Ducks.
• The Wild actually won in the faceoff department, winning 63 percent of the faceoffs, with Koivu winning 76 percent of his faceoffs.
• Can you honestly tell me that the home opener was a sellout when the suites and club levels were mainly empty, the lower level had a bunch of rows that were empty, and the end opposite of the one that I was sitting across was just bare?...Well, it is tickets distributed, not how many people actually show up...

UP NEXT: Thursday @ Los Angeles Kings, 9:30pm CT

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Things to Watch in the Last 5 Games

How well will Marian Gaborik will play in order to improve his UFA status this summer? So far, in the 6 games since his return, Gaborik has had 5 goals and 3 assists.

Will Josh Harding get a start in order to create more buzz around his RFA status and to up his stock for a potential trade this summer?

Will the minor league call ups (Krys Kolanos, John Scott, and Peter Olvecky) who were on the Aeros' clear day roster be sent down before the end of the season to help the Aeros in their playoff run?

Will Brent Burns and Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who are both out with concussions, play another game this season?

Will Derek Boogaard score his first goal in over 2 seasons? He's had a couple of good scoring chances this season, but has been injured as of late.

Will the Wild make the playoffs?...Hey they still have a 16.6% chance to get into the playoffs (that's up 2.2% from yesterday)

You got to love April Fools Day jokes...well maybe not if you're Eric Belanger...

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Wild, 3 vs. Oilers, 2

The Wild keep their playoff hopes alive, if only for a couple more days, with a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Niklas Backstrom made 31 saves on the night for a franchise record 34th win and improved to 13-1-0 against the Oilers, in a rare win for the Wild at Rexall Place. The Wild got the scoring start when Marian Gaborik fanned on a shot that went directly to Andrew Brunette who scored while falling down as the powerplay had just expired, giving the Wild a 1-0 lead. And just 1:51 later, the Wild built a 2-0 lead when Martin Skoula scored from the point, his 2nd goal in 3 games. After a scoreless 2nd, the Oilers began to make it interesting, cutting the lead in half when 1:04 into the third, Oilers captain Ethan Moreau drove to the net, and Fernando Pisani tipped the puck in past Backstrom. But the Wild answered back, when on a delayed penalty drawn by James Sheppard, Gaborik comes on the ice as the extra man and scored, giving the Wild another 2 goal lead. The Wild were outshot 16-4 in the third period, and eventually the Oilers cut the lead down to one again on an Ales Kotalik goal with just under 5 minutes to play, but Backstrom's play was solid and the Wild were able to leave Alberta with 2 out of 4 points on the weekend road trip.

The Wild got the win and the two points last night, but so did the Preds, Blues and Ducks...it's going to be hard for them to get into the playoffs with the other teams ahead of them playing as well as they have been.

Notes:

• Mikko Koivu returned after missing 3 games with a knee injury, he had a TOI of 19:06 and won 13 of 20 faceoffs.
  
• Pierre-Marc Bouchard missed his 2nd consecutive game with what the Wild are now saying is a concussion, most likely occurring during the Islanders' game when Nate Thompson checked Bouchard.
  
• Kurtis Foster was a scratch, along with Colton Gillies and Peter Olvecky, who was out after blocking a shot during the Calgary game; Krys Kolanos played after being called up earlier in the day.
• LOL, during John Scott's fight with Zack Stortini, Stortini ripped of Scott's nameplate, and Scott had to play the rest of the first period with only his #36.
  
• Clutterbuck's getting a lot of attention lately with a NHL.com and THN article about him.
  
• Stats from the night: Skoula +3, Sheppard +2, Patrick O'Sullivan -3
  
• On a not Wild related note, I hope that some of you caught the Canucks-Blackhawks game last night, as a pretty interesting brawl erupted after Dustin Byfuglien checks Roberto Luongo in the face...it just gives me more reason to dislike Alex Burrows after watching him fight (I'm a girl and even I wouldn't pull hair in a fight ^_^). Really, they should put mics in the penalty box, I would pay to watch that show...
  
  
  LOL that the penalty box is full, and the bench is half empty.
  

UP NEXT: Tuesday vs. Vancouver Canucks, 7:00pm CT

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Wild Rally Falls Short in OT

When the Sharks went up 3-0, fans kind of hoped that there would be another rally like last Thursday night in San Jose, and low and behold I had hope after Olvecky's goal in the second. The Wild dug themselves into a hole (how many times has that been said this season) but the rally began in the second with Peter Olvecky scoring his second goal of the season (and of his career) to get the Wild within two, and I had hope with the thought that the Wild have rallied before down 3-0 against the same Sharks team, and then Pierre-Marc Bouchard scores 1:02 into the third, just after a powerplay, to cut the deficit to one. Milan Michalek then scores to give the Sharks the two goal lead again, but Owen Nolan comes to the rescue. Nolan scored his 400th career goal tipping in a shot from the point by Marek Zidlicky, and then was able to tied the game at 4 with just over two minutes to play in regulation on a great effort by Koivu to get the puck to the net. The Wild were able to generate pressure in the offensive zone and scoring opportunities in overtime, but with Miettinen making a bad pass and Christian Ehrhoff getting to the puck before Zidlicky, Ehrhoff was able to put the puck up high into the net to score the gamewinner. A deflating loss for the Wild after the effort that was put forth to try and get the two points.

And with the overtime loss, the Wild leave the X with a point and move into 9th place, 1 point out of a playoff spot. Is it sad that I was kind of satisfied with 1 point...I really hope the players weren't...

Notes:

• Brent Burns out with concussion-like symptoms.
• Something that hasn't been said much this season, but Backstrom was not good in this game, allowing a couple of soft goals.
  
• With Nolan scoring his 20th goal of the season, and 401st goal of his career, the New York Islanders are now the only team remaining without a 20-goal scorer on their roster.
• The Wild had THREE shots in the first period...three freaking shots, and two came in the last two minutes...ughhhh!
  
• I'm on twitter now.
  

UP NEXT: Thursday @ Colorado Avalanche, 8:00pm CT

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Wild Rallys from 3-0 to Win in OT

Who would've thunk it, huh? I really didn't (as you can see in my random thoughts), and I'm positive those in Minnesota watching this late game didn't, but the Wild rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3 in OT to steal 2 points from the San Jose Sharks. Gosh, how excited was Mikko Koivu when he scored the GWG in OT with 13.3 seconds left?, and he outta be. After Joe Pavelski scored his second goal of the game in the second to make it 3-0 Sharks, this game looked done for the Wild, but the Wild did what so many teams have done against them this season. The Wild scored two late goals in the second period 1:28 apart by Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard to cut the deficit to one goal, and the momentum was swinging toward the Wild. And with 7:37 left in regulation, the Wild complete the comeback off of a Marek Zidlicky bouncer from behind the red line that got through Brian Boucher (I love that Zidlicky didn't even know that he scored until his teammates told him because he was headed for a change).

There's just something about this team...just when you think that there done and out, they pull you back in with a win like this against a team as good as the Sharks. But I've still jumped ship, and am planning to stay off until I see what happens at the end of this road trip. Maybe then I'll consider coming back and hoping the Wild make the playoffs...for now, I'm a pessimist (even though the Wild are only a point out of 8th).

Here's a look at the game tying goal by Zidlicky (LOL at the lone Wild fan cheering that goal):

Notes:

• The Wild weren't the only team last night that rallied from a 3-0 deficit as the LA King defeated the Dallas Stars in 5-4 in OT.
• The Wild had no powerplay opportunities in the game, only the 4th time in franchise history that this has happened.
• Russo: "Apparently, by the way, Owen Nolan was very sick tonight. He played through it, but he got sick — so to speak — throughout the game on the bench. He only played nine minutes."...You gotta love his dedication to the team and the game.
  
• It looks like Kurtis Foster is going to get his first NHL game this season in almost a year since breaking his leg at HP Pavilion on March 19th either in LA or Anaheim; apparently he could've played last night, but expecting that would've been too much.
• Anyone see how Calgary's trades did last night? Jokinen with two goals, including the GWG, and Leopold with a goal.
  

UP NEXT: @Los Angeles Kings, 3:00pm CT

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Maple Leafs, 1 vs. Wild, 6

It was a win, and it was a decisive one at that, but looking at the opponent, the Wild should have won. The Wild needed a good game coming out of the All-Star break, and with 6 even strength goals, 12 players getting points, and no powerplays allowed, it was a good game, a solid 60 minute effort by the team. The Wild didn't pepper rookie goalie Justin Pogge with shots like they wanted to, with only 21 shots on goal, but they capitalized on their chances, scoring 3 goals in the span of 2:57. Cal Clutterbuck had another good game; he scored the first goal of the game, had a franchise record 9 hits (and now leads the league in hits with 173), agitated the Toronto players, and had a fight with Ian White. Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who didn't want to be outdone by Clutterbuck, had 2 goals and an assists, while Marc-Andre Bergeron, Andrew Brunette and Owen Nolan each had a goal. Backstrom played solid last night (of course), and made the good stops and the routine ones. Now it's on to the Western Conference, as the Wild will have a two game road trip to Edmonton and Vancouver.

Notes:

• Craig Weller is still out with a head injury, missing his 4th consecutive game since his fight with Sheldon Souray. Eric Reitz was the lone healthy scratch for the night.
• Andrew Brunette, the reigning NHL ironman, played in his 500th consecutive game.
  
• Miettinen, Bouchard, and Bergeron were all +3 tonight; Kim Johnsson was a career high +4.
• The Wild play the next 7 games against the Western Conference, 4 of those games against the Northwest Division.
  
• The Wild are now 11-2-1 against the Eastern Conference, can we petition to be moved to the Eastern Conference.

UP NEXT: Friday @ Edmonton, 8:00pm CT

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Gameday vs. Buffalo, Tonights Games

Finally, after 4 days of being off and 12 days since their last home game the Minnesota Wild will play tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Only new news coming today is that Owen Nolan is skating with the team and most likely will play on Saturday against the Blue Jackets. Like I wrote yesterday, Zidlicky will be making his Wild debut tonight and Bouchard will be in. Tonight's game won't be easy, seeing as the Sabres have been hot as of late, but if our guys can keep out of the box and get some early offense, they'll have a good night.

Tonight's Games
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins, 6:00pm CT
Dallas Stars vs. New York Islanders, 6:00pm CT
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 6:30pm CT
Calgary Flames vs. Nashville Predators, 7:00pm CT
Buffalo Sabres vs. Minnesota Wild, 7:00pm CT
Edmonton Oilers vs. Colorado Avalanche, 8:30pm CT
Washington Capitals vs. Phoenix Coyotes, 9:00pm CT

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Tonight's Games: Results

Florida Panthers, 3 vs. Ottawa Senators, 1
With Rostislav Olesz and Nathan Horton scoring 48 seconds apart early in the first period, the Panthers were able to defeat the Senators 3-1 giving the Senators their second loss in a row. Daniel Alfredsson score a powerplay goal to make the game 2-1, but Cory Stillman scored midway through the second period to keep the two goal lead.

Dallas Stars, 0 vs. New Jersey Devils, 5
The Star laid an egg, while Martin Brodeur makes 21 saves to get his 98th career shutout, his second of the season. John Madden scored two goals for the Devils, while David Clarkson and Minnesota natives Jamie Langenbrunner and Zach Parise each had a goal.

San Jose Sharks, 7 vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 6 SO
High scoring affair in Philadelphia as the Sharks go into Philly and get a win 7-6 in the shootout. There was a combined 7 goals in the first period, while JR gets the shootout clincher to secure another 2 points for the Sharks.

Detroit Red Wings, 4 vs. St. Louis Blues, 3
Tomas Holmstrom score for the fourth consecutive game as the Detroit Red Wings improve to 3-0 on the road and end the Blues 3-0 record at home. Pavel Datsyuk had two assists on the night, while Zetterberg, Lidstrom and Franzen also scored for the Red Wings.

Edmonton Oilers, 0 vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 3
And the Minnesota Wild for the second year in a row are the last unbeaten team again as the Dallas Stars were not the only team who laid an egg tonight. The Edmonton Oilers lost for the first time this season as Nikolai Khabibulin makes 23 saves for his 39th career shutout. Patrick Sharp, Brent Seabrook and Aaron Johnson scored for the Blackhawks, who under Joel Quenneville are 2-0-1.

Florida Panthers vs. Ottawa Senators, 6:00pm CT
Dallas Stars vs. New Jersey Devils, 6:00pm CT
San Jose Sharks vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 6:00pm CT
Detroit Red Wings vs. St. Louis Blues, 7:30pm CT
Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks 8:00pm CT

Other News...
Looks like Mark Parrish has signed a 25 game tryout with his former team, the New York Islanders, and will be playing in the AHL with Bridgeport. Let's hope he sticks and gets a job some where in the NHL. Marek Zidlicky is likely to make his Wild debut tomorrow against the HOT Sabres, and Bouchard should be back tomorrow too, so Zidlicky will probably be in for Reitz, while Bouchard is in for Gillies(?).

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Just some thoughts while I wait for the season opener

I find it amusing that the organization is letting Gaby do a hockey unplugged (if you guys don't know what a hockey unplugged is, it's where two players from the team go to a local establishment and answers questions from fans and sign autographs). They announced yesterday night during the hockey unplugged with Veilleux and Bouchard that the next unplugged will feature Marian Gaborik and Andrew Brunette at the end of this month. I'll bet my whole life's savings that the first question asked to Gaby is going to be about the contract negotiations, it's the burning question and seems like the only thing in the minds of fans and hockey analysts nowadays. Maybe the PR guys know something that the fans don't, and that either Gaby will be gone before October 21 or he'll sign a contract before then? Who knows? Now, I'm just really tired of hearing and talking about Gaby and his contraction negotiations, it's the same thing over and over again, so there will be no more mention of Gaby and contract in the same sentence, unless it's to say that Gaby signed a contract or that he couldn't and that the Wild traded him for Ovechkin (a fan can dream). I'll tell you what though, it will be interesting to see the fan reaction to Gaby on opening night when he gets on the ice. He's been on the ice in front of the fans during preseason while not signed, but he hasn't been in front of the fans since Risebrough's announcement of a stalemate in talks. That's it for the Gaby talks...is it Saturday yet?

Games Tonight
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings, 7:00 pm et
Boston Bruins vs. Colorado Avalanche, 10:00 pm et
Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks, 10:30 pm et
Anaheim Ducks vs. San Jose Sharks, 10:30 pm et

~ FOTW

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