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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Predators, 4 vs. Wild, 8

The Wild did their part in this game, it's just too bad that they didn't do their part in the season, as the Wild have now been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with St. Louis defeating Columbus and Anaheim defeating Dallas. Onto a pretty good game by the Wild...

Nashville got the first lead of the game when turnovers in the Wild's defensive zone lead to Jason Arnott's first goal of the game, but on a delayed penalty Dan Fritsche scores on the breakaway to even up the score. Andrew Brunette caps off the scoring in the first period when he scored with 25.2 seconds left in the period on the powerplay to give the Wild a 2-1 lead going into the second. The Wild got the two goal lead in the second period when Marc-Andre Bergeron, but what really overshadowed the goal was Fritsche laying on the ice. As Fritsche was searching for the puck, Jordin Tootoo comes across with a high elbow and Fritsche laid on the ice, while Bergeron scored, and had to be helped off the ice. Kim Johnsson then adds a powerplay tally, but not long afterward Arnott cuts the lead in half as he notches in his second goal on the night. And as Tootoo is in the box, Bergeron gets his second goal of the game on the powerplay to make it 5-2 at the end of the second period. In the third, the Preds make it 5-3 on the powerplay as they had a 5 on 3 powerplay, but not long afterward, Mikko Koivu scores shorthanded to give the Wild a 6-3 lead. Steve Sullivan makes it 6-4 with a goal, but with less than two minutes left in regulation, Nashville pulled their goalie Pekka Rinne, and Cal Clutterbuck and Marek Zidlicky score empty netters to end the game and the home finale a 8-4 victory.

I guess it's a small consolation that the Wild eliminated the Predators from playoff contention...

Notes:

• Looks like Gaby's not going to be coming back next year (big surprise) as at the end of the night he took a lap around the rink and waved buh-bye, and the crowd gave him a big ovation, which did include me
  
• Dan Fritsche will not travel with the team after receiving a high hit from Preds agitator Jordin Tootoo. It will be the first game that Fristche has missed since being traded from the Rangers. My problem with the hit, it's obviously a hit to the head, and there are two refs watching the play and call nothing...and he was playing so well during the game...
  
  I really wished that the refs would've let John Scott get at Tootoo.
  
• The writers during JL presser really wanted to know whether or not he would be back next season. When asked if JL would be curious to see what the team would be like if he had a full team, he responded in true JL fashion that he's "curious but not that curious", but apparently he's already made a desicion on his future in coaching.
  
• SI's Allan Muir comparing Martin Skoula's physicality to a "pre-pubescent Zac Efron" really made my day...and for the record, I like Skoula...
• “Only in the NHL: A linesman had to pause the game for a few seconds to pick up two teeth from the mouth of Brunette after he was hit in the face with a puck in the second period” ~AP
  

UP NEXT: Saturday @ Columbus Blue Jackets, 6:00pm CT (I know that the guys are really disappointed in not making the playoffs, but I really hope we beat the Jackets badly tomorrow for not helping out cause.)

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Wild, 6 vs. Islanders, 2

Doesn't this game start the what-ifs for fans about Marian Gaborik; what if Gaby had been healthy the entire season (heck I would've taken half of the season)? In his 3rd game since returning from hip surgery Gaby looked like he was back in form, with a TOI of 19:22 and 2 goals and 2 assists for a four point night in a game that was physical and chippy to the end. Not even 5 minutes in and John Scott and newly recalled forward Joel Rechlicz when at it, with Scott getting the decision with his 6'8'' reach. The scoring didn't start until off of a faceoff win for the Islanders in their offensive zone Bruno Gervais score on a great play set up by Dean McAmmond and Mark Streit to give the Isles the 1-0 lead. The Wild tied it up when Marek Zidlicky was working just off the corner and feed Gaby who was standing in front of Isles goalie Yann Danis to pot the goal. With a late powerplay in the first, Antti Miettinen netted his career high 15th goal of the season 10 seconds into a Rechlicz holding minor. The first didn't end all happy, as Nick Schultz took exception with a slash by Blake Comeau, which entailed him to shove Comeau and as the off ice security was just opening the door to let the Wild into the locker room, Miettinen came back at Comeau to give him a shot, Comeau was being shoved through the doors, and it lead to a huge gather which saw both Comeau and Miettinen get coincidental roughing minors and former Gopher Kyle Okposo jawing at every Wild player he saw. The Wild built up their lead as Owen Nolan scored a powerplay goal in the second period when he went to the center of the offensive zone and gestered for the puck and got a great feed by Gaby, and when Martin Skoula scored from the point in the third period, the Wild had a comfortable 4-1 lead over the Islanders. The Isles came back with an Andy Hilbert goal to cut it to a two goal deficit, but the Wild put the game away when Andrew Brunette scored in front of the net, and on a 5-on-3 powerplay Gaby got his second goal of the game.

But I'm not too overly enthusiastic about the game, it was a game that the Wild should win against a team that the Wild is very much better than, it will make it interesting to play the Islanders next season though.

Notes:

• Scott got back into the lineup, which meant that Kurtis Foster and Craig Weller were the healthy scratches for the night.
• The Wild were much better last night in faceoff% winning 52-48.
  
• With 7 hits in the game, Clutterbuck broke the NHL hits record set last year by Dustin Brown with 311 hits; Clutterbuck now holds the record with 317 and counting.
• LOL...when Zidlicky and Okposo both went to the penalty box for coincidental roughing minors, Clutterbuck was already in the box. Clutterbuck was then gestering to Okposo to shave because "if he can’t grow it on the rest of his face, why try at all?".
• You see boys...if you drive to the net how many goals that you can score...
• This game was pretty interesting with the physicality and chippiness of it, but it also displayed a rare 3 on 3 opportunity when Zidlicky and Okposo took coincidentals and Clutterbuck and Comeau were already in the box for coincidentals.
  
• I was so annoyed with the MSG commentators for the Islanders during the broadcast last night. They just kept talking about the "restrictions" of the system and how the Wild play a trap which leads to a "boring" game...GAWD the Wild don't play the trap anymore, granted it's a defensive first system, but that just means that the d-men just need to know when and when not pinch into the the offensive zone so that it doesn't lead to an odd man rush, a scoring opportunity or, worst, a goal against. Ugghhhh...I'm just so tired of commentators and mainstream media saying that the Wild play a "trap and boring" game...

Scott vs. Rechlicz


Let's hope that this 6 goal output by the Wild doesn't mean that they'll lay an egg in Calgary...but I won't hold my breathe knowing what the Wild's record is in Calgary (and overall against Calgary for that matter).

UP NEXT: Saturday @ Calgary Flames, 9:00pm CT

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Wild, 1 vs. Avalanche, 2 SO

You've got to feel for those 150 or so Wild fans that shelled out the money to go on that road trip to watch a one goal, 17 shots effort by the Wild in a 2-1 shootout loss against the 15th seeded Colorado Avalanche. I think I'm going to have a new way of analyzing Wild games...whether or not it was a complete waste of my time to watch the entire game, because this one was. The Avs dominated play for most of the game, and that's a sad thing to say. The Wild started off the scoring when Marc-Andre Bergeron scored on the powerplay in the first, but John-Michael Liles was able to tie the game 37 seconds into the second period on the powerplay that carried over from the first. You knew that the Wild were doomed when they couldn't get anything going on the 6-minute powerplay that Colorado gave to them in the second (Cody McCormick double minor for high sticking, Ryan Smyth hooking). That entire powerplay sequence basically entailed the Wild dumping the puck into the offensive zone and the Avs getting to the puck first to be able to get the puck out of the zone. The Wild just couldn't for the life of them get the puck out of their defensive end during the latter part of the second and the entire third period, and when they did they couldn't put any sustained pressure on the the Avs in their offensive zone with errant passes and dump ins where the Avs got to the puck first, and it showed in the shot total with the Avs outshooting the Wild 41-17 in the game (38-15 in regulation). Niklas Backstrom was the only reason that the Wild were able to get a point in this game making 40 of 41 saves in the regulation and overtime. Wojtek Wolski (shootout winner) and Milan Hejduk scored in the shootout, while Peter Budaj made saves against Owen Nolan and Mikko Koivu to give the the Avs the extra point.

Is it sad that this is the team that we've seen all season?...and some fans still hold hope that they get another gear to try and make the playoffs (if only to lose in the first round to the Sharks or Wings).

Is it sad that I think that the Wild and Avalanche are similar teams in regards to their on ice performance?...the only difference in the teams is that the Wild have the tandem of Backstrom and Harding, while the Avs have Budaj and Raycroft.

Notes:

• Gaborik skated with the team yesterday in Colorado...yes it's true.
• Doug Risebrough says that there's a potential for signing Marian Gaborik short term. Honestly, bridges have been burned, GET OVER IT...and even if they offer a short term contract, what's the odds that Gaby wants to sign here? Oh, and another question, Gaby has played how many games this season?
• I wonder if McCormick is going to get anything for the head shot on Cal (maybe a response to Cal's check on Foote in the first who sustained a head injury and didn't return, but I don't remember seeing the hit), but knowing the league and how inconsistent Campbell is at doling out discipline, I'm not holding my breath...and how do you get called for a dive when you're crosschecked?
• Here's the Scott vs. McCormick fight from last night, no doubt it was in response to the head shot on Cal, and Scottie was definitely icing his knuckles in the penalty box afterward (I believe this was John Scott's first fight in the NHL?):
  
  
• TWO effin shots in the third period, and their first shot came with 4:23 left in regulations...are you freaking kidding me!

UP NEXT: Saturday @ Dallas Stars, 7:00pm CT

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Wild Loses 4-2 to Jackets B-Team

Whether or not you want to believe it, it's true. The Blue Jackets, a team that has been recently decimated by injuries and significant ones at that with 6 regulars out of the lineup for tonight's game, including Rick Nash, outworked, outskilled, out-everything the Wild in tonight's game and handed the Wild their second straight loss. The rookies completely dominated the Wild in the game, with Filatov getting the hat trick, Dorsett getting a goal, and Mason making all the right saves. I give a lot of credit to the Jackets' players who kept the Wild's shots on the perimeter, especially on the powerplay. The Wild should've gone 0 for on the powerplay, but a late powerplay opportunity for the Wild allowed Marek Zidlicky to get his 6th goal of the season, all of which have been on the powerplay, to make it a two goal deficit instead of a three goal deficit.

Just another case of the Wild playing well the first two periods and self imploding in the third period, they just can't string a solid 60-minute game, and I've said and thought that way too many times this season. And the Wild at the half way point in their season are OUT of a playoff spot.

Game Notes:
• Harding in net, with Backstrom getting some rest. Reitz, Gillies and Boogaard were the scratches; Boogaard skated during practice but did not play.
• There was a high hit by Mike Commodore on Clutterbuck in the third, driving Clutterbuck's head into the glass, but no call.
• Filatov's first goal of the night will be on highlights...mainly thanks to Josh Harding.
• Good fight between Weller and Boll during the second.
• I don't think JL was too happy with the d-men today, there was a lot of d pair shuffling during the game..never put Skoula and Scott together again.
• Ohhh...and the Wild lose again against a team on the backend of a back to back.

UP NEXT: Tuesday vs. Phoenix Coyotes, 7:00pm CT

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