SB Nation - Owen Nolan

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche: Game Recap

nathaneide — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:47:17 -0000

about 23 hours ago: Colorado Avalanche's John-Michael Liles, right, blocks Minnesota Wild's Derek Boogaard's attempt to score on goalie Craig Anderson in the third period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Dec. 21, 2009 in St. Paul. Minn. The Avalanche won 4-3. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

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Minnesota Wild 3-4 Colorado Avalanche

Well, that got interesting at the end. Kinda makes you wonder what would've happened had they not had a couple massive mental mistakes, like a turnover at the blue line and giving up another shorty.

The Wild fought off a horrible second period marked by bad power play chances, poor goaltending, sloppy defensive mistakes and a seemingly apathetic effort by bouncing back in the third with goals from Owen Nolan and Martin Havlat, but it wasn't enough as Matt Hendricks' shorthanded marker in the second period gave the Avalanche a 4-1 lead and it was just too much for the Wild.

This game was going to be a bit of a test for the club. There was enough time since the fire on Friday to get more comfortable with replacement gear, they were back in the friendly confines of the Xcel Energy Center and in front of the Team of 18,000 and were playing a team they had beaten once in regulation in the past 15 games.

Even so, the hole in the second period was too big to overcome, though the Wild gave a valiant effort in the third, outshooting the Avalanche 13-4 and putting together possibly their best period of the season.

Let's hope Backstrom and the defense pick it up against the Oilers on the 23rd.

Please read the game recap over at Mile High Hockey

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Martin Havlat (1 G)
Owen Nolan (1 G)
Cal Clutterbuck (1 G)

Questions to Answer

Will Niklas Backstrom look more confident in game two of "Operation break-in the new gear"? Well, as I learned, it's not new equipment, but he just doesn't look comfortable out there. Maybe Josh Harding needs to come in and give Backstrom a spell.
How will Owen Nolan look in his first game back with the club? Great to see Nolan get a goal. This team needs to to play well and provide leadership on the ice.
Can Martin Havlat continue to build his game? Another game, another goal. Havlat's on a roll. Looks like he finally has his feet underneath him.
Does Jon DiSalvatore get to keep the frequent flier miles he accumulated today since he didn't get to actually play? I'm still not sure he even got on the plane!
Why do the Wild hate me? I get an HDTV and none of the games have been in HD!!! Seriously, this is uncool. I'm having shoulder surgery tomorrow, and if the rest of the games this week aren't in HD, there's going to be hell to pay!

Game 38 Recap: Avalanche 4 - Wild 3

David Driscoll-Carignan — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:28:14 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

1 day ago: Colorado Avalanche's Kyle Quincey, right, keeps Minnesota Wild's Antti Miettinen, center, of Finland, away from the net and goalie Craig Anderson during the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Dec. 21, 2009, in St. Paul. Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

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Final - 12.21.2009	1	2	3	Total
Colorado Avalanche	1	3	0	4
Minnesota Wild	0	1	2	3

Complete Coverage >

(It really shouldn't have been this close, but by popular request, I'll be in shiny, happy mode for this recap).

The Avalanche showed they belong at the top of the standings as they held off a talented Wild team in a big 4-3 win in Minnesota. The Avs beat the Wild for the first time this year (after, you know, losing 4 games to a couple of really bad breaks and stuff) and guaranteed that they'll spend Christmas atop the NW division. They actually would have had a shot at first overall in the Western Conference, but the Sharks win over Dallas put the kibosh on that.

Even going all Altitude for this one, I can't say the Avalanche exactly came out flying in this one. In fact, I think both teams kind of looked like they were breaking in new equipment or something. Both teams had a, well, less-than-inspiring powerplay opportunity in the first. The Avs got a second opportunity late in the period when Owen Nolan dropped the gloves to challenge Kyle Quincey (after he put he put a legal hit on Antti Miettinen, shown above) and landed his grizzly ass in the box. The Avs didn't quite score on that PP, but did get the puck in just after the penalty expired with Matt Duchene banging home the rebound for his 23rd point of the year.

Chris Stewart made it 2-0 early in the 2nd period when his smoldering one-timer (set up by a slick pass by Paul Stastny) blew past Nik Backstrom into the top, far corner. On the replay, it looked like the Avs may have caught a break on that play, as it looked like Stastny clipped a Minnesota player with his stick on the play, but I called Curtis Glencross for his opinion after the game and he said that clearly the Wild player was diving.

Milan Hejduk made it 3-0 midway through the 2nd. He and T.J. Galiardi busted out on a breakaway. Hejduk, with the puck, wanted to pass but didn't have a lane so he wristed a beaut above Backstrom's blocker. Pretty, pretty play.

The Avs got a bit sloppy with that 3-goal lead...er, I mean they got a tough break. You know, the tough break like when you're on the powerplay and give up a 3-1 break to the other team and that team scores a shorthanded goal? Yeah, that kind of tough break. That goal was scored by Carl Clutterbuck who is really damn annoying.

The Avalanche returned the shorthanded favor not long after, when the Wild delivered an early Christmas present. Matt Hendricks and Cody McLeod grabbed the puck in the neutral zone and dumped the puck into the Wild zone...and then watched wide-eyed as every Minnesota player left the ice for a line change. That left the two on a 2-on-0 break. Those aren't the two most gifted scorers in the league, but even those guys can convert on a 2-on-0. Hendricks ended up with the goal after some fancy give and go passing. It was a crazy goal, especially as it would turn out to be the game winner.

As you all know, Owen Nolan is contractually obligated to score a goal every time he faces the Avalanche. I didn't have our team of fact-checkers research that, but I'm going to assume it's true. That dude always seems to score on us. Sure enough, he scored at the 11:37 mark of the 3rd. That goal was notable because it made it 4-2, but also because it was John-Michael Liles' final shift of the game. (Message or just a change to a more defensive focus?)

The Avalanche got another one of them bad breaks two minutes later when Martin Havlat found himself all alone behind Avalanche defensemen Brett Clark and Ryan Wilson and beat Craig Anderson for a deflating goal. This was Brett Clark's final shift of the game as well, his second straight shift that ended in a goal against, but at least he was in the picture when the goal was scored. Wilson was still at the red line, coasting back after getting caught pinching deep in a 4-2 hockey game.

But we're not being negative. Clearly, that was just a bad break, and the Avs were in control the rest of the way. Craig Anderson made some big stops and Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly had some big defensive shifts (not sure if Duchene's sliding save to block a puck headed for an open net made the highlight reel, but it was a big play). It wasn't as pretty as it could have been (and there was a couple of ugly boarding plays by the Wild including one where Derek Boogaard forced Kyle Quincey's head into the boards, knocking Quincey out of the game for a few shifts), but it was a win.

One thing that is pretty? All that facial hair the Avs are sporting right now. Not sure what the occasion is, but I dig it. Especially Chris Durno, whose beard gave him an odd resemblance to Peter Forsberg (from the waste up, I presume).

Minnesota Wild @ Montreal Canadiens: Game Recap

nathaneide — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:43:43 -0000

More photos » by Paul Chiasson - AP

5 days ago: Minnesota Wild's Cal Clutterbuck, right, is surrounded by teammates, from left to right, Nick Schultz, Shane Hnidy, Chuck Kobasew and Eric Belanger following his goal against the Montreal Canadiens during third-period NHL hockey action Thursday, Dec.17, 2009, in Montreal. The Wild defeated the Canadiens 3-1. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Paul Chiasson)

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Minnesota Wild 3-1 Montreal Canadiens

As goes Mikko Koivu, so go the Wild. Koivu's game winner came on the power play from Martin Havlat at 14:08 of the first period, and the game was pretty much over at that point. Yes, I said from Martin Havlat on the power play. Havlat continues his solid play and the Wild scored a power play goal, all on the same shift. Will wonders never cease?

Havlat continues to bounce from line to line, which for many players and teams that would create chemistry problems, but for Havlat and the Wild right now, it's paying off. Maybe it gives him a chance to get away from other teams' checking lines, or maybe it allows him to play a bit more freewheeling, but either way, until he finds a connection with a couple of guys, I love the way things are working out over the last month and change.

I'm not going to hold Guillaume Latendresse's point-less game against him. It was his first game back in Montreal since the trade, and he was probably playing a bit tight. Even so, Lats is still bringing it on every shift, playing tough with the puck and getting himself in position to create problems. The scoring will come, I can smell it.

It was great to see Robbie Earl use his speed and get back on the scoresheet. There isn't a player on the Wild's roster right now that uses his opportunities as well as Earl, and that's ridiculously painful for me to say about the former ~~Diver~~ Badger. His opening goal really set the tone tonight.

Speaking of guys working hard and having it pay off, I just smile every time Cal Clutterbuck scores, and it isn't because I love the fact that the Wild score, it's because he earns everything he gets. This guy works his ass of each and every shift, leaves everything on the ice, is great off the ice and seeing him succeed is a thing of beauty.

Speaking of guys I love to watch, Owen Nolan has been snake-bitten lately. The Irish God of War just can't buy a break, and needs to get healthy in a hurry. Granted, I wasn't expecting him to match his performance of last season, but he needs to get on a roll here, and it'll only make things better for the Wild as they enter the middle of the season.

It's also nice to see the defense gelling. Greg Zanon, Nick Schultz and Clayton Stoner were fantastic tonight. Zanon has to have the best positional defense of anyone the Wild have ever had. He's seemingly always in the right spot to stop a shot. Schultz has completely turned his game around from the beginning of the season when he was trying too hard, and being abandoned too frequenly, and Stoner didn't look like a rookie out there tonight. He played a solid defensive game, and the best part ... you didn't notice it at all. That's what you want from a defensive defenseman.

This team is fun to watch right now, and they're back to being respectable. Now if they keep this up, maybe we can talk about adding a piece or two instead of trading off Andrew Brunette and Owen Nolan.

Please read the game recap over at Habs Eyes On The Prize

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Mikko Koivu (1 G)
Robbie Earl (1 G)
Cal Clutterbuck (1 G)

Questions to Answer

Can Lats get payback? He did get a standing ovation, but alas, no points in 14:34.
How is Pouliot liking life in Hamilton? Apparently he still has that wrist injury, so they'll likely see Benoit Pouliot in Montreal eventually, but it's not looking great for them so far.
How will Clayton Stoner react to getting his first call-up? Stoner didn't give up a goal, so that's a positive, and according to many, he looked decent on his first NHL game.
Mike Cammalleri has always eaten the Wild alive. Does that continue now that he's out of the West? Nope! Great to see the Wild keep him off the board.
How crappy is it that my first chance to watch a game on my new TV, and FSN is going standard def? Lame. I didn't get a chance to watch tonight, so I didn't get to see the reportedly horrible SD feed by FSN.

The Hottest Team In The West Comes To Town: Canucks-Wild Preview

Sean Zandberg — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:00:23 -0000

Wild (15-13-3) vs Canucks (17-14-0)

Game Time: 7:00 PST

TV: CBC

The Opposition: Hockey Wilderness

Update (2:12 PST): Dan Murphy is reporting on Twitter that Josh Harding will start for the Wild tonight and Canucks 1st round draft pick from 2000 Nathan Smith will take the place of the injured Owen Nolan.

**************************

The Minnesota Wild may have won 5 of 14 in October and 5 of 11 in November, but they have won 6 of 7 in December, including an 8-1-1 record in their last 10. The only other NHL teams that are cookin' like the Wild are the Capitals and Bruins. I managed to watch the 3rd period and OT of the Wild-Flames game last night. The Wild are still playing well defensively, but are utilizing a super speed and aggressive game as well. You'll see it when they play the Canucks tonight. This is a team that is rising from the Western Conference basement and making a push for a playoff spot.

It's madness. Only 6 points separate 8th place Dallas from 14th place St. Louis, and the Canucks are right in the middle of the dung heap. It further emphasizes the point that the Canucks need to get on a roll...and quick. Once again, Vancouver plays a team that is playing the 2nd game in 2 nights. That is not something to take for granted, as I had mentioned Minny's speed game is intense.

More after the jump...

The Wild are now 6-10-2 on the road this season. That almost mirrors the Canucks' road futility (6-10-0).

Martin Havlat has not found his game in Minnesota yet. However, right when the play-by-play guys were mentioning his 2 goals, 9 assists and -17 rating this season, Havlat bagged the OT winner tonight. He finished with a goal and an assist and a +2 rating against the Flames. How unlike him. He now has 1 goal and 4 assists in his last 8 games. He's slowly heating up.

More Wild player stats over their last 8 games:

-Andrew Brunette has 1 goal and 8 assists

-Mikko Koivu has 3 goals and 4 assists

-Antii Miettinen has 5 goals and 1 assist

Complete list of Wild player stats here.

The last time the Wild played in a back-to-back scenario, Josh Harding, who's stats are nowhere near as good as Niklas Backstrom's, got the start in a 5-3 win over the Predators on December 5th. I wonder if Harding plays tonight.

COMPARATIVE STATS

GOALS PER GAME AVERAGE: Canucks 4th, Wild 24th

GOALS AGAINST PER GAME: Canucks 8th, Wild 17th

5 on 5 F/A: Canucks 3rd, Wild 27th

POWERPLAY: Canucks 4th, Wild 19th

PK: Wild 8th, Canucks 27th

SHOTS PER GAME: Canucks 10th, Wild 17th

SHOTS AGAINST PER GAME: Wild 8th, Canucks 10th

The Canucks are 2-0 against the Wild this year, winning 2-1 on October 17th and 5-2 on November 5th.

Mike Gillis is not so happy with the Canucks' efforts so far this season, and he let them hear about it on Thursday. He challenged the players to "look in the mirror".

"There was a sense of complacency," he said. "I think our guys thought, OK, let's just get back in the playoffs and redeem ourselves for what happened with Chicago and forgot you've got to play 82 games to get into the playoffs. I think now it's been imparted to them that no one's happy with where we sit today. I believe this team is a better one than we had last year and we've yet to show it on a consistent basis."

Coyotes Celebrate Cinco de Coyo(te), Bryzgalov Gets Shutout in 2-0 Win.

OdinMercer — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 08:15:48 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

14 days ago: Phoenix Coyotes' Ilya Bryzgalov (30), of Russia, celebrates his shutout win with teammate Keith Yandle (3) at the end of the third period after an NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild Monday, Dec. 7, 2009, in Glendale, Ariz. The Coyotes defeated the Wild 2-0. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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Woooooo! 5 wins in a row baby! Have a Margarita tonight because it's Cinco de Coyo! The fans around the arena were certainly high-fiving and celebrating and while there's still a long way to go, a shutout win over the Wild certainly made everyone feel good and elevated the Coyotes to 37 points on the season. It also sets up a matchup with the Kings on Thursday that will be for the fifth place spot in the West and 2nd in the division either way. But enough with standings and all that poppycock. To the gameness!

First of all I was really annoyed that Mikkel Boedker was a scratch tonight. I'm glad Peter Mueller got to come back and played fairly well but Mikkel Boedker has played his pants off lately and not gotten any reward for it. I get that Tippett doesn't want to use younger layers as that just doesn't fint into his scheme, but to call him up and use the minutes he's played pretty well and get no reward is disappointing at best. Then the guy I highlighted in the pregame Cal Clutterbuck, was a scratch as well as I guess he got some sort of illness that's been going around. His absence didn't really decrease the amount of hitting and all around scrapping as the teams would get into hitting matches and fights especially later in the game.

For the most part the game itself was an outstanding goalie battle. Both Ilya Bryzgalov and Niklas Backstrom were outstanding, but the Phoenix offense was just good enough to get a missed rebound past him for the first goal by Scottie Upshall. Then Shane Doan made a fantastic move to get the puck to Taylor Pyatt who scored his third goal in as many games. On the offensive end that was the entirety of the production offensively.

In the third period though the game started to get away from the officials in a big way. Mid way through the period Ed Jovanovski made a big hit on one of the Wild players (I can't recall who it was) but there was no penalty and the Minnesota players wanted to go after him. The hitting picked up in a big way after that with Winnik, Upshall and Jovo all getting hits on people within a short time. The emotions boiled over at the end of the game with a huge scrum in the corner. Keith Yandle threw a few punches in the middle of the crowd, but Vernon Fiddler grabbed a guy out of the pile and simply beat the hell out of him. Owen Nolan and Keith Yandle almost went after each other too, but the officials were able to clear the players off the ice so that the team and the crowd could celebrate what really mattered in Ilya Bryzgalov's shutout. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some fines or suspensions handed out because of the after the horn activities.

Minnesota Wild @ Colorado Avalanche: Game Recap

nathaneide — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:08:16 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

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Minnesota Wild 3-2 (so) Colorado Avalanche

Two games against the Avalanche, two excellent efforts, seven goals and four points. This was exactly the kind of week the Wild needed to try to break out of their funk. Hopefully they can build on this, and Andrew Ebbett and Guillaume Latendresse continue to fit in as well as they have in the first week.

While it didn't always look this way on the scoreboard, the Wild controlled this game. Colorado got sloppy once they had the lead and Minnesota took advantage of the miscues and poorly times penalties, worked their way back into it, and never relinquished control, carrying it through to the shootout, where Mikko Koivu and Andrew Ebbett sealed the deal.

The Wild came out hot, with 12 shots in the first and 14 in the second. Were it not for the outstanding goaltending of Craig Anderson, the Avs could've easily found themselves on the wrong end of a bloodbath. Lucky for them, Matt Hendricks and Matt Duchene took advantage of two nice scoring chances (basically the only two chances in the first for the Avs) and got the Avs up 2-0 against the run of play. After that second goal, the Wild kept up the pressure and you could feel that it was only a matter of time until they took over on the scoreboard as well.

The scoring was started early in the second as Eric Belanger came flying in on a two on one, and rocketed one past Anderson. Nice to see Belly score, because he hadn't done so all month. After that goal, the Wild kept flying and kept the pressure on, but Anderson kept turning away everything the Wild could throw at him.

Each team had a goal disallowed for being played with a high stick. Duchene in the first and Guillaume Latendresse in the third. Lucky for the Wild, Latendresse is learning from his past in Montreal and parking himself in front of the net to get the rebounds, the way a power forward should. After a shot from Owen Nolan goes off Anderson, Latendresse is right there to bury it and get his first goal as a member of the Minnesota Wild.

Neither team would get another opportunity in regulation, and in overtime, disaster was averted as a puck trickled just wide of the cage as Josh Harding mussed it with his glove and it slid through the crease. This would send both teams to the shootout where Mikko Koivu would use his patented backhand roofer, then Andrew Ebbett scored the winner as Marek Svatos and Wojtek Wolski were stopped by Harding.

Please read the game recap over at Mile High Hockey

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Guillaume Latendresse (1 G)
Andrew Ebbett (shootout winner)
Craig Anderson (34 saves)

Questions to Answer

Will Kobasew find the first line to his liking again? He didn't score, but did get three shots and at least two nice scoring chances tonight. I think he fits well on that line.
Will Josh Harding perform well, spelling Backstrom? Harding was very solid today. Definitely earned his first win of the season.
Does Latendresse show signs of fatigue with all his travel the last few days? If he was feeling it, he certainly wasn't showing it. Nice goal to tie it up.
Is Adrian Dater the biggest ass in NHL media? Always. Luckily he talks trash about the Avs as well as anyone they play.
Will we see some bitterness due to the home and home? Will this game get ugly? Well, it got ugly really early on as David Koci tried to spark the Avs by tangling with John Scott. Not a great decision by Koci, as he couldn't match the reach of Scott, and it was a series of grabs and punches that didn't really land.

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche: Game Recap

nathaneide — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 05:41:23 -0000

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

25 days ago: Minnesota Wild right wing Chuck Kobasew, right, celebrates his open-net hat trick goal with the Wild's Mikko Koivu (9), of Finland, as Colorado Avalanche's Wojtek Wolski, bottom, skates past during the third period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 27, 2009, in St. Paul, Minn. Minnesota won 5-3. (AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid)

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Minnesota Wild 5-3 Colorado Avalanche

Seems like the Wild learned the trick to solving their finishing woes ... find the guy with the hot hand. Today, that guy was Chuck Kobasew.

Once again, the Wild came storming out of the gate, attacking Avalanche netminder Craig Anderson time and again. They had six early shots on goal, only to be foiled as Kyle Quincey snapped home a nice feed from Colorado's rookie sensation Matt Duchene. 3:30 later, Owen Nolan got the Wild on the board as he took a rebound from a Greg Zanon shot, waited for Anderson to slide over, and wristed the puck underneath Anderson to tie the game at one. This was a big goal, because it slowed the momentum Colorado had gathered after the Quincey goal.

The second period started much the same way. The Wild came out hot, and Chuck Kobasew started his big day, scoring on a beautiful pass from Derek Boogaard behind the net. This was Boogaard's first point of the season, and it was much deserved, as Boogaard has been working hard with the puck and vying for position down low. Colorado, however, took advantage of the power play just 1:53 later as Paul Stastny tied the game at two. The Wild then went immediately on the power play and Kobasew got his second of the afternoon on a typical play from Andrew Brunette, finding the open man on the power play. Chris Stewart then tied the game again with just over 2:00 left in the period.

The third period, though, was all Minnesota. The Wild got the first seven shots of the period, then Andrew Brunette added to his team leading goal count taking a Mikko Koivu pass and burying it for the game winning goal. Greg Zanon was also given an assist on the Brunette goal, his second of the day.

The teams went back and forth, and it felt like Colorado might score at any moment late in regulation as they kept the pressure up until, with the extra skater on for the Avalanche, Greg Zanon blocked a pass, chipped the puck to Koivu who streaked down the left wing, with Kobasew crashing up the slot. Koivu smartly spun at the half-wall, centered it to Kobasew who turned, kicked the puck to his stick, and skating backward, slid the puck into the empty net for the hat trick, the second of his career.

It was nice to see the Wild get the two power play goals, and add to their power play streak. Prior to this week, the power play had been a momentum killer for Minnesota. It was also nice to see the offense pick-up Nik Backstrom, as he was rather shaky today, fighting off too many pucks, and giving up big rebounds.

Tomorrow should be a blast, as this was a tightly-contested game. The Avs took too many lazy penalties and the Wild were able to capitalize. I'm sure Joe Sacco will give the Avs a talking-to on the trip back to Denver.

See you tomorrow night.

Please read the game recap over at Mile High Hockey

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Chuck Kobasew (3 G)
MIkko Koivu (3 A)
Andrew Brunette (1 G, 1 A)

Questions to Answer

Will Guillaume Latendresse have an impact in his first game the way Andrew Ebbett did? Lats didn't factor in the scoring, but as the game went on, he got more and more involved in the play. He's a big kid, and once his linemates get comfortable with him, and once he parks himself in the low slot and crashes to the net, he looks like the kind of guy who can rack up the scoring down low.
Can the Wild come out with a solid effort against Colorado, the way they did against Boston? Two really great efforts in a row. The difference between today and Wednesday? No Tuukka Rask, the Wild got a goal in the first period to get some momentum and they concentrated on finishing.
Craig Anderson has been sliding back to Earth lately. Will that continue today? 4 goals allowed and was fighting the puck all afternoon (then again, so was Niklas Backstrom)
Do the Xcel Energy fans suffer from Trytophan hangover, or will the building be energized? Hard not to be energized with five goals, but I didn't see enough hats on the ice after Kobasew's third goal!
avalanche.nhl.com seems to overlook the next two games with the Wild. Will the Avs do the same? They definitely did not. This was a hard fought game. Tomorrow should be really fun.

Game 26 Recap: Wild 5 - Avalanche 3

David Driscoll-Carignan — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:11:23 -0000

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

25 days ago: Colorado Avalanche defenseman Ryan Wilson (44) goes to the ice after a check by Minnesota Wild right wing Cal Clutterbuck, right, during the first period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 27, 2009, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid)

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Final - 11.27.2009	1	2	3	Total
Colorado Avalanche	1	2	0	3
Minnesota Wild	1	2	2	5

Complete Coverage >

My motto's always been; when it's right, it's right.
Why wait until the middle of a cold dark night.
When everything's a little clearer in the light of day.
And you know the night is always gonna be there any way.

-The Starland Vocal Band, Afternoon Delight

Unless you are a fan of the Wild or an NHL linesman, this one wasn't much of an afternoon delight. The game was kind of a sloggy, stop-and-go affair with a ton of stoppages. There were 70 faceoffs - 18 more than were in the Avs OT game against Nashville on Wednesday. I'm sure the Wild will take it, however.

The Avalanche jumped on the board first. Matt Duchene was relegated to the 4th line today, but was a factor early. On just his 2nd shift, he moved the puck off the right wing boards. As his winger, Chris Stewart, drew the attention of a couple of Wild players, Duchene smartly dished it back to a wide open Kyle Quincey. Quincey hesitated a second before burying it past Nik Backstrom.

Minnesota tied it up about 4 minutes later when Owen Nolan was the first to a rebound in front of the net. It figures; he always seems to score against the Avs.

In the 2nd, Chuck Kobasew and his porn mustache (the Wild are growing mustaches for charity) made the game 2-1. Kobasew and Kyle Quincey collided in the corner. Quincey got to his feet, but let Kobasew go to pressure Derek Boogaard with the puck in the corner. Bad idea; Boogaard dished the puck to a now wide open Kobasew for an easy goal.

Both teams then traded quick PP goals, with Paul Stastny and Kobasew scoring goals with the man advantage. The Avalanche tied it late in the 2nd when Wojtek Wolski and Chris Stewart got a breakout when Shane Hnidy misplayed the puck and turned it over after a faceoff. Wolski streaked down the ice and made a tremendous pass to Stewart who slammed home his 2nd goal of the year.

While it was great that the Avalanche could tie the game, they had to have been kicking themselves a bit as both Matt Duchene and Paul Stastny had a beautiful scoring chance ring off the post and then TJ Galiardi's swat at a loose puck in the crease ended up knocking the puck out of the net instead of in. If any of those chances go in, the Avs are up 4-3 after two and have a chance at at least grabbing a point.

Instead, the teams were knotted up going into the 3rd and only one team seemed interested in changing that. Hint: it wasn't Colorado. The Avs were woefully outplayed in the first half of the 3rd with Minnesota getting several extended shifts in the offensive zone. Somehow, the Avalanche held on and had a chance to break the tie 8 minutes in when Marek Zidlicky went to the box for tripping. This being the Avalanche powerplay, the crucial opportunity was squandered. And, less than 20 seconds after the Wild killed it off, Darcy Tucker used up the last of the goodwill he had stored up in September by taking a slashing penalty. I was kind of unsure how to proceed there for a while when Tucker was actually playing well, but now that he's back to playing bad hockey I no longer feel conflicted as a fan. Anyway...shockingly, Minnesota scored on their powerplay when Mikko Koivu created a goal by coming out from behind the net with the puck (something he's done about 16,000 times against the Avs) before dishing to Andrew Brunette on the backside.

That was the winner. The Avalanche woke up late and had some sustained pressure with Craig Anderson off for an extra attacker, but they just couldn't get it past Backstrom. Eventually, the dam broke, Koivu got a breakaway and selflessly waited for Kobasew to get open so that he could collect the hat trick (I think they should have waved that one off - he was clearly in the crease!). The Wild aren't the greatest team in the NHL right now, but for the 2nd time this year they've shown the Avs that you can't take any NHL team for granted. The Avs have mailed in two opportunities against the Wild, and they have two losses to show for it. Let's hope they come out with a little more effort and consistency tomorrow.

Lines

The lines were completely changed around tonight (and bore no resemblance to what Altitude listed on their ticker at the start of the game). Matt Duchene started on the 4th line, but he and linemate Chris Stewart had solid games and played their way into good ice time. Wojtek Wolski and Cody McLeod played the early part of the game together, but seemed to switch sides frequently, something Sacco's done off and on all year. Milan Hejduk did not play in the 3rd period after suffering some sort of knee injury.

Hejduk - Stastny - Jones
Wolski - O'Reilly - McLeod
Tucker - Galiardi - Svatos
Koci - Duchene - Stewart

Hannan - Quincey
Wilson - Liles
Clark - Preissing

Quick Hits

Thanks in part to substantial PP time, Chris Stewart had 16:21 of ice time, the most minutes he's had since the 2nd game of the year
Paul Stastny took 32 of the teams 70 faceoffs today.
Tom Preissing had no PP ice time at all, and has had just a smattering of PP shifts after his debut in the 8-2 Vancouver debacle. With our PP struggling, would it be such a terrible idea to give him a shot?

Video Highlights

Next Up

The Avalanche host the Wild tomorrow night, in Denver.

Scorned Lovers: The Ballad of Former Sharks

Mr. Plank — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:12:48 -0000

"All the old knives that have rusted in my back, I drive in yours"

- Phaedrus

A common belief held amongst Sharks fans (and sports fans in general) is that a player will haunt his former team in every game he plays against them after leaving. A crucial goal, a crucial play-- all of these are pointed to and obsessed over, taken to be the norm and not the exception.

For example, look no further than Marcel Goc. Twenty goals to his name in four seasons with San Jose, and yet in his first game back to The Tank he managed to notch a goal against Thomas Greiss that tied the game in the second period. Game, set, match. The curse is among us; it is sleeping in our living room.

But is this the entire story? Do ex-Sharks truly flourish when playing against San Jose, or is it a mere matter of selective retention on our part? With the following set of criteria, that is what I set out to find.

1) Goals, assists, and points were the metrics used to determine how well they have fared. When we think of Sharks killers (Modano, Iginla), we immediately think of goals and assists. This list is no different.

2) Players must be a forward, and have forty games played with the Sharks before facing them in an opponent's jersey. Defensemen were not included due to their small point totals, but I plan on taking a look at them later in the year. Forty games played is an arbitrary cutoff point, but manages to weed out rental players and those who did not sufficiently impact the team-- essentially, what we're looking at are players who would be considered true San Jose Sharks.

3) Players need to have played their final game with San Jose no earlier than the 1999-2000 season. I wish I could have done this for the Sharks entire history, but the seasonal splits from Yahoo! and ESPN only go back to 2000-2001. Yahoo! contains total splits since 1989, but these do not reflect the basis of this study-- how players fare after leaving the Sharks. For example, Teemu Selanne played against the Sharks both before and after he wore teal. We only want to see how he has fared afterwards.

4) Players need to have played at least one game against the Sharks after leaving. Self-explanatory.

With all of these fulfilled, we come to a grand total of sixteen forwards. These players are Niklas Sundstrom, Jeff Friesen, Todd Harvey, Dave Lowry, Owen Nolan, Mike Ricci, Marco Sturm, Matt Bradley, Teemu Selanne, Mark Smith, Scott Thornton, Alyn McCauley, Wayne Primeau, Nils Ekman, Steve Bernier, and Marcel Goc.

What follows is the raw totals of these sixteen players-- their regular season point totals with the Sharks, after leaving the Sharks, and against the Sharks.