SB Nation Minnesota - Wild Get a Point but Take a Loss Against Sabreshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48959/mn-fave.png2011-03-06T20:51:43-06:00http://minnesota.sbnation.com/rss/stream/17844122011-03-06T20:51:43-06:002011-03-06T20:51:43-06:00Wild Get a Point in OT Loss to Sabres
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<p>Game recap from Nathan Eide of <a href="http://www.HockeyWilderness.com">Hockey Wilderness</a>. Be sure to check out the full game recap for answers to the Five Questions of the Game and get some thoughts on the Sabres.</p>
<p><em>Tough loss, but being down 2-0 and in a game where they frankly looked like they were going through the motions all night against a team with whom there is no history or animosity on which to build, I guess you take the loser point and go home.</em></p>
<p>Wild came out of the gate with pace. Clearly, with <span>Ryan Miller</span> our and <span>Jhonas Enroth</span> in, they wanted to get on top early and often. All was going well until a bad <span>Brent Burns</span> turnover to THomas Vanek led to a three on two with Vanek to <span>Steve Montador</span> to <span>Jason Pominville</span> making Burns and Schultz looks out of positi9on and lost. Easy goal for the Sabres and a nice lead.</p>
<p>The rest of the first period was more of the same. decent pressure by the Wild, but the Sabres collapsed well and turned any Wild attack into a nice counter.</p>
<p>Second period started with more of the same, as the Sabres controlled the play by limiting the Wild’s chances. Rob Neidermayer put Buffalo up 2-0 with his first of the season as <span>Jose Theodore</span> left another fat rebound in the slot. The crowd took the 2-0 deficit as a reason to begin booing the hometown club when the Wild were unable to make anything happen with a power play killed by turnovers.</p>
<p>In a game dictacted by turnovers, <span>Brad Staubitz</span> took advantage of a deep Sabres turnover, when he was floating around the neutral zone, took a long headman pass and rifled a centering attempt toward <span>Warren Peters</span>, who buried it for his third career goal. That goal ended a scoreless streak dating back to November of 2009 and 19 games. Yeah, 19 games in 17 months. That pretty much tells the story.</p>
<p><span>Marek Zidlicky</span>, who has not been a major factor since returning from a grade 3 shoulder separation, fell in open ice after a pass and fanned on a one-timer attempt and fell on a delayed penalty. Let’s be honest, he is likely nowhere near 100%, and whether or not he’s actually helping the team in his current state is debatable. Anyway, he redeemed himself a bit by burying a nice snapshot on a one-timer from <span>Pierre-Marc Bouchard</span> to give the Wild a power play goal. It was a beautiful shot, but doesn’t silence the question about Zidlicky’s health.</p>
<p>The third period was a bit of a chess game, with each side looking to take advantage of the limited opportunities, and being silenced in each and every one. The Sabres collapse when the Wild had numbers better than just about anyone else I’ve seen this season. Every time the Wild came in with numbers, the Sabres defensemen know when to take the shooter and when to break off to cover the passing lanes, and the Wild are stymied. It’s fabulous.</p>
<p>As the third period went on, it appeared more and more that the Wild were content to get to OT and take the loser point. It wasn’t so much that they were outmatched, but they were dropping back into coverage unless they had numbers. It turned into a bit of an up and down game, as each team tried to get the home run shot, but didn’t want to get caught out of position.</p>
<p>OT winner for <span>Drew Stafford</span>. Nice win for Buffalo as Stafford outmuscled Brent Burns for the puck down low and buried it. That was a really nice goal for a highly talented player.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-wild/2011/3/6/2034091/wild-get-a-point-in-ot-loss-to-sabresBryan Reynolds2011-03-06T11:29:20-06:002011-03-06T11:29:20-06:00Playoff Push: Wild Duel Sabres
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<p>Game preview from <a href="http://www.HockeyWilderness.com">Hockey Wilderness</a>. Join the game thread tonight for full lineups and the Five Questions of the game.</p>
<p><em>The numbers don’t lie. The Wild are no longer on pace to make the playoffs. It will be close, but no cigar if the pace doesn’t change. Several different reporters say the Wild are on pace for just under 94 points. Eighth place looks to take 95. Imagine them missing the playoffs by one point. Would make for an easy post along the lines of “Where could that one point have come from?” It does not, however, make for much fun in April.</em></p>
<p>The point? No one wants to write the what if post, the “If they only” post. Seventeen games remaining? How about going on a tear and winning 14 of them? That would make it clear that they belong there. Backing in would be perfectly acceptable, but going in hot would be much, much more fun.</p>
<p>The first task at hand? The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.diebytheblade.com/">Buffalo Sabres</a>. Looking at the roster, it is difficult to image this team is where it is. Vanek, Connolly, Miller, Myers, Ennis. Ridiculous levels of underachieving somewhere. They are also a team one point out of the playoffs. If you think they aren’t coing out fighting for their lives, you’ve lost a step.</p>
<p><span>Cal Clutterbuck</span> is out with an “upper body injury.” Russo says Dave Barr made it clear the injury is from the Gillies hit. No further details. <span>Mikko Koivu</span> is still out. The leading energy guy, and the leader. Once again, the Wild have to step up as a team and show they have what it takes to get in. No excuses, just do it.</p>
<p>Solving <span>Ryan Miller</span> is a daunting task at any point in the season. One point out of the playoffs, in the big time? Sure glad they scheduled this game this late in the season. Miller should be fun to watch tonight. The Wild, however, will need to find a way to get Miller moving, and create some open space. One of the best in the business, he isn’t going to hand this one to the Wild.</p>
<p>Herculean efforts from here on out. Nothing less than the absolute best will be enough.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-wild/2011/3/6/2033238/playoff-push-wild-duel-sabresBryan Reynolds2011-03-04T23:01:55-06:002011-03-04T23:01:55-06:00Wild Snap Losing Streak With 3-1 Victory Over Rangers
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<p>A bit late on this one, so we'll just go with <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hockeywilderness.com/2011/3/3/2028732/minnesota-wild-vs-new-york-rangers-game-recap">what the folks from Hockey Wilderness had to say</a> about this triumph.</p>
<p><i>It is official. The Wild have moved the second period nap to a first period nap. Just two shots on goal in the entire period, and none for the first 17:45, the Wild started this game completely lost. Dazed and Confused. Charlie Sheen. Completely and totally out matched.</i></p>
<p><i>The Rangers took a 1-0 lead into the locker room, and Wild fans took a one goal deficit and ran for cover. Surely this was a night to be forgotten. After a beat down on Long Island, the Wild were going to run into the Rangers and the wheels would officially be off.</i></p>
<p><i>Then the second period started. It was immediately clear someone had something to say in the locker room because a totally different team came out. A team that saw themselves battling in the corners, forechecking hard, backchecking hard, and... wait for it... scoring goals. </i></p>
<p><i>The defense tightened up, and that helped to open up the offense a bit. <span>Kyle Brodziak</span> postponed the new nickname unveiling for the Wild power play, scoring to tie the game after an Eric Christensen high sticking penalty. That goal gave the Wild some serious life, and none other than <span>Casey Wellman</span> would score the game winner later in the second period.</i></p>
<p><i>At the end of the second, the Wild heard a familiar sound. The home team being booed off the ice.</i></p>
<p><i>More of the same in the third as the Wild continued to bring the battle to the Rangers, rather than sitting back. <span>Jose Theodore</span> continued to keep them in the game with his second 40 save performance in a row. Young Wellman made himself a case to stick around awhile with a huge back check to save a goal late. <span>Brent Burns</span> played solid, harkening back to the Inglewood Jack I remember. </i></p>
<p><i>A few names we did not hear much from? <span>Cal Clutterbuck</span>, after being drilled by <span>Trevor Gillies</span>, Clutterbuck played almost 15 minutes tonight, but was not his usual self. <span>Antti Miettinen</span> did nothing tonight, nor did <span>Matt Cullen</span> register for much.</i></p>
<p><i>The Wild get to come home for a few days with the losing streak halted and riding a bit higher in the saddle. Good to see them get back in the win column. It's going to be a fun ride to the finish, folks.</i></p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-wild/2011/3/4/2031127/wild-snap-losing-streak-with-3-1-victory-over-rangersChristopher Gates2011-03-03T13:08:54-06:002011-03-03T13:08:54-06:00Wild Take The Show To Broadway To Face The Rangers
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<p>Game preview courtesy of <a href="http://www.hockeywilderness.com">Hockey Wilderness</a>. Please visit the game thread later today for the lineups and the Five Questions of the Day.</p>
<p><em>The <a href="https://www.blueshirtbanter.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New York Rangers</a> are not having a great go of it lately. In their past 10 they are 4-6, they have some serious injury issues, including some guy named <span>Marian Gaborik</span> they seem to think is a big deal, and <span>Derek Boogaard</span>, among others. Tons of payroll sitting on the side of the road, more buried in the <span class="caps">AHL</span>, and the Rangers are on their way, baby.</em></p>
<p>Still, the Rangers have weapons, and they have King Henrik. Coming out of last night, the Wild are embarrassed, and run head long into a team they may not have beaten on the best of nights. It will be interesting to see the game plan in this one. Stop the offense? Pour on the forecheck? What is the answer?</p>
<p>Todd Richards told Russo the Brunette- Cullen – Mittens line is no more. What it will look like, we’ll have to wait until warm ups to find out. There are conflicting reports if <span>Casey Wellman</span> is coming up or not. If he does, it would do this team some good. Bench someone. Anyone. Send a message. The last three games have just not been what we are used to seeing.</p>
<p>Regardless of who is in the lineup, the Wild need to turn it around, and soon. Tonight would be a good option, with the team coming back home, they could use a spark. Lose tonight, it’s a three game losing streak, and four out of five. Not exactly the type of run they need with the playoffs looming.</p>
<p>They were as high as fifth, now they are eleventh. Playoff position is only two points away, but continue losing, and that gap will grow. Ask the Avs. Time to turn it around. Right now. Tonight. They have reason to be angry, reason to be desperate, and reason to prove themselves. If they will remains to be seen.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-wild/2011/3/3/2027763/wild-take-the-show-to-broadway-to-face-the-rangersBryan Reynolds2011-03-02T22:29:31-06:002011-03-02T22:29:31-06:00Wild Look Lackluster In 4-1 Loss On Long Island
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<p>Game recap from JS Landry at <a href="http://www.HockeyWilderness.com">Hockey Wilderness</a>. Check out the gamer over there for the tree stars, and answers to the five questions of the day.</p>
<p><em>Hoooo boy, this one was a doozy. The Wild were out of a playoff spot before tonight’s game, and with tonight’s embarassing outing, the margin for error is growing thin.</em></p>
<p>Now, I missed the first 30 minutes of the game due to a night class, but when I saw the 3-0 Isles lead, I was shocked, but then again, the Isles, while one of the statistically worst teams in the league, are nothing to scoff at. With guys like <span>John Tavares</span>, <span>Michael Grabner</span>, <span>Kyle Okposo</span>, <span>Blake Comeau</span>, <span>Frans Nielsen</span> and recently acquired Montoya stepping it up, they’ve become quite dangerous, especially since they basically have nothing to lose now. Seems I haven’t missed much in the first 30: A couple of Comeau goals, an Okposo goal, the pulling of <span>Niklas Backstrom</span> after just 3 goals as opposed to the 8-9 it usually takes before Coach Richards decides he’s done for the night. The biggest event I missed though was the <span>Trevor Gillies</span> headshot on <span>Cal Clutterbuck</span> after he boarded Justin Dibenedetto. Now, I haven’t seen the hit yet, so I can’t talk much about it except that it has people talking about him getting a call from Colin ‘’The hammer’’ Campbell. Gillies just recently ended his 9 game suspension, so I’m betting… that Campbell will not even take that into consideration while spinning the Wheel of Justice! Clutterbuck did get back in the play after staying down a while, but I wouldn’t be all that surprised if it shook up his marbles a little bit. Let’s hope it doesn’t end up being a concussion. <span>Andrew MacDonald</span> added a back-breaker goal in the second period to make it 4-0.</p>
<p>Third period started without <span>Andrew Brunette</span> on the bench. This is bad. Really bad. It usually takes a lot to keep this guy off the ice. He would return with around 7 minutes to play, but he’s banged up. The Wild managed a goal off a pretty play set up by <span>Martin Havlat</span> and <span>Pierre-Marc Bouchard</span> which would be finished by <span>John Madden</span>, but it was a rather meaningless goal, just a twinkle of positivity. In fact, the increasing chemistry between Havlat and <span class="caps">PMB</span> is about the only thing we’ve had going for us in the last two losses. From what I saw tonight, the Wild played some pretty poor hockey. Bad passes, falling down all over the place, too many penalties and they just looked tired, which is exactly what I said about the last game. The Islanders ran them over and the players I enumerated above (apart from Tavares who was basically a non-factor tonight, thank God) were dominant and handed the Wild a second loss in a row.</p>
<p>In a real head-scratcher, Clutterbuck throws an absolutely clean hit on <span>Justin DiBenedetto</span> in the second period(these two do not like each other much, I reckon), which got <span>Zenon Konopka</span> all riled-up and <span>Brad Staubitz</span> stepped in to fight Konopka. Normal so far, right? Well the head-scratching begins when the refs decided Staubitz and Konopka would get 5 fo fighting and Clutterbuck (who threw a <span class="caps">CLEAN</span> <span class="caps">HIT</span>) got 10 minutes for inciting… <span class="caps">WHAT</span>? Russo explained that it’s because Clutterbuck was being a little motormouth while referee Stephane Auger was trying to break the fight up. The inciting penalty in the rulebook goes a little something like this: rule 75.4 (iii) (iii) Any player who, after warning by the Referee, persists in any course of conduct (including threatening or abusive language or gestures…) designed to incite an opponent into incurring a penalty. (Stick tap to @tjdonelon). Since this happened away from the viewers’…view, we all stood puzzled for a while, but I guess it was a deserved penalty. It was the first time I’ve ever seen that call made as far as I know.</p>
<p>In short, the Wild sucked, Andrew Brunette is hurt, Backstrom’s been shaky in the last two games, they’ve fallen further away from a playoff spot, and there’s another game to play tomorrow night. Yeesh. This was certainly a night to forget, and the Wild need to win one, fast.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-wild/2011/3/2/2026711/wild-look-lackluster-in-4-1-loss-on-long-islandBryan Reynolds2011-03-02T10:43:36-06:002011-03-02T10:43:36-06:00Wild Head East to Face Islanders
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<p>Game preview from <a href="http://www.HockeyWilderness.com">Hockey Wilderness</a>. Be sure to check out the game thread tonight for full lineups and the Five Questions for the night.</p>
<p><i>If ever there were a team that the Wild should beat, and beat badly, this is it. While they are all in the <span class="caps">NHL</span> for a reason, once you get past the first line of the lineup above, there aren’t many names anyone outside of the Islanders fan base will recognize. <span>Mark Katic</span>? <span>Al Montoya</span>? Yikes.</i></p>
<p><i>The Wild will go into this one with a clear vision of a victory. The problem is, in games like this, teams often overlook their opponent and wind up looking silly in the process. The Wild cannot overlook anyone on the roster, and will have to play like they are playing the Red Wings. Crushing a weaker opponent is okay. It really is.</i></p>
<p><i>The Wild have fallen out of playoff position in the past two games, and they need to stop the bleeding. This is a perfect game to do so, and with the Rangers tomorrow, could come out of New York with a winning streak. All they need to do is know they can win, and then go out and do it.</i></p>
<p><i>The domination the Wild once held versus Eastern opponents is gone with a 5-6-1 record this season, but these are two very beatable teams, especially tonight’s opponent. If the Wild lose to the Isles, they need to go on some kind of retreat and find themselves, because any team that can beat Vancouver had better be able to beat the Islanders.</i></p>
<p><i>What do they have to do to win tonight? Show up. No, really. Show up. They didn’t show up against Chicago until it was too late. While the Isles are not the Hawks, the Wild still need to come out fast and play hard. Otherwise, they will roll into Manhattan with an embarrassment around their necks. </i></p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-wild/2011/3/2/2025068/wild-head-east-to-face-islandersBryan Reynolds2011-02-28T21:41:40-06:002011-02-28T21:41:40-06:00Blackhawks Down Wild 4-2
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<p>Game re-cap courtesy of <a href="http://www.HockeyWilderness.com">Hockey Wilderness</a>. Head over and check out the ful re-cap, including the Three Stars of the game and the answers to the Five Questions of the night.</p>
<p><em>A new pattern is emerging, one that is tied to the time of year, not to the team. First periods are becoming tighter as teams focus on defense first, keeping the game close, and trying to get at least one point out of the deal. Tonight was no exception, with both teams getting physical, but not very many chances.</em></p>
<p><span>Cal Clutterbuck</span> made his presence known, as did <span>Jared Spurgeon</span>. The physicality of the game sets the tone. With the Hawks coming off a game last night, the Wild clearly had the game plan to come out with some hard hits and make the Hawks think more than normal.</p>
<p>It didn’t work.</p>
<p>The Hawks came out in the second with a mission and with a plan. They were passing well, shooting often, and creating chances. On the first Hawks goal, Backstrom was beat cleanly after <span>John Madden</span> missed that the puck came back around the net. <span>Clayton Stoner</span> attempted to play the man, but that left the shooter wide open, and Backs did not get across fast enough.</p>
<p>After that, the Wild defense started to shut down, looking lost and confused about what step to take next. In their own zone, in the Hawks zone, the entire squad was discombobulated and looking for help. The Hawks would take advantage yet again, going up 2-0 before the midpoint of the second. After that, the Wild simply looked like they wanted to survive and get to the locker room.</p>
<p>It didn’t work.</p>
<p><span>Greg Zanon</span>, of all defensemen, got caught pinching, and that turned loose <span>Patrick Kane</span> and <span>Jonathan Toews</span> on a 2-on-1 against Clayton Stoner. Stoner misplayed it, trying to stop the guy with the puck, leaving Toews all alone and open on the other side. He needed to let Backstrom have the shooter, and stop the pass. Pretty basic hockey to be exploited in the <span class="caps">NHL</span>.</p>
<p>The Wild were booed heartily as they left the ice, and deservedly so. It was the worst period of hockey they have played probably since December. Horrible effort, horrible team work, horrible in every aspect of the game.</p>
<p>The booing seemed to spark the Wild, as they came out in the third with some jump for the first time in the game. They were creating chances as Chicago seemed content to sit back a bit. <span>Martin Havlat</span> threw the team on his shoulders with a beautiful deke in front of Crawford to give the Wild their first goal of the game.</p>
<p>Then the Wild got their first power play, which sucked the life out of any momentum they had built up. Missed passes, shots from poor angles, just plain trying to hard. After the soul sucking force that is the Wild power play ended, they got back on their game again. Back to creating chances, they made Crawford come up big again and again. Nothing that registered on the score board, though.</p>
<p>A second Wild power play garnered some much better chances, but the best chance was one that never happened. Zidlicky had Crawford beat, and <span>Kyle Brodziak</span> was directly in front of the net, like a brick wall for ZIdlicky to shoot at. There was no shot, no chance created.</p>
<p><span>Brent Burns</span> would make it exciting again with about 4:30 to play, bring the fans alive, and putting a new jump in the Wild’s step. The new found momentum forced a delay of game call and gave the Wild another power play. After a beauty of a play at the line to keep in the puck by Bouchard, then another by Burns, then another by Bouchard, Patick Kane and <span>Marian Hossa</span> stormed down the ice shorthanded for the fourth goal.</p>
<p>That was the knife. That was the game. A game with periods of superb play, and long periods of disastrous play. Two points lost, and two points to the team directly below them in the standings. Too bad.</p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-wild/2011/2/28/2021912/blackhawks-down-wild-4-2Bryan Reynolds2011-02-28T16:03:38-06:002011-02-28T16:03:38-06:00Wild Face Tough Challenge, Need Two Points Against Blackhawks
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<p>Game preview from <a href="http://www.HockeyWilderness.com">Hockey Wilderness</a>. Be sure to check out the game thread for the lineups, the daily five questions, and to join the conversation.</p>
<p><em>After a trade deadline that left the <span class="caps">NHL</span> roster in tact, the Wild will now need to prove to their GM that he did the right thing. They, and he, believe this chemistry is enough to keep them in the playoffs. Now is their chance to prove it. <span>Mikko Koivu</span> and <span>Guillaume Latendresse</span> will be the Wild’s deadline pick-ups for this season. They will get nothing for their pending UFAs. This is the squad, for better or worse.</em></p>
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<p>Tonight, the Wild face a team with the exact same record. The Wild hold the tie breaker, making them the seventh place team. The standings haven’t changed much, despite the Wild winning far more than they lose. Tonight is just another night in the playoff race, folks. Another big game, another big two points.</p>
<p>The Blackhawks cannot enjoy being in this position, after winning the Stanley Cup last year. They have a team built for this type of pressure, and it will be difficult to beat them tonight. The weapons are all still there, and <span>Corey Crawford</span> continues to shine.</p>
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<p><em>For the Wild to win, they will need to continue playing out of their mind hockey. Solid defensively, magnificent in goal. Don’t change anything, and just play the game they can play. There should be no doubt in any Wild fan about this team, even without a big deadline addition. This is a very good team, and one that should not be afraid of the Hawks.</em></p>
https://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-wild/2011/2/28/2021253/wild-face-tough-challenge-need-two-points-against-balckhawksBryan Reynolds