SB Nation - Andrew Brunette

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

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.

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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."

Winter Classic Interview with Ed Olcyzk. His take on playing outside, kids and Martin Havlat

nathaneide — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:40:34 -0000

The NHL held a conference call with Ed Olczyk as part of the publicity for the 2009-2010 Winter Classic between the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers held at Fenway Park. There were a few of us from SBNation who were lucky enough to be on that call, and I had the first question.

Hockey Wilderness: With the decline in the number of kids playing pond hockey and the number of empty outdoor rinks increasing, do you see the Winter Classic and especially the marketing around it as a way for the NHL to get back to its roots and get kids playing outdoors again?

Ed Olczyk: Nathan, great question: There are a lot of rinks in Chicago, Detroit, Sioux City, etc. You have families and neighborhoods flooding rinks and putting up boards. But that cost, especially in this economy is one thing that hurts our sport. To give the kids more opportunity, that's the key. In some places it is cheaper to flood something outside, but the indoor ice is so much more readily available. Kids when I played, grew up on the rink, playing well after dark and those times are what drive our sport.

With the NHL playing outdoors, it's another way to showcase the history of the game and getting some players to play outside who may have never done so. The more kids playing outside, the better product we'll eventually see. The Winter Classic is a great way to get back to the grass-roots of our sport. I offer my help to any league or community or the National Hockey League to get educated about the benefits of outdoor skating and outdoor hockey!

Hockey Wilderness: You've spent the past three years in Chicago and got to see Martin Havlat at his best. Have you seen him this season, and can you give us some thoughts on what you've seen thus far?

Nathan, yeah I have seen Marty, and I think a lot of Marty as a player and a person. I think that sometimes when a player changes, it takes a while to get comfortable and get rolling. Marty is a terrific talent and with the success he had last year it isn't any secret that he was playing for a contract. The role was perfect. He wasn't asked to do too much. He wasn't the go-to guy, but he played like it. There are times where he looks lost, looks like he's doing too much or thinking too much, trying to figure out what's going on, but the last couple of games he's showing signs. Had a couple great rushes against Phoenix and a couple assists the game before that. With the Wild you have one of the most underrated players in Mikko Koivu and Andrew Brunette is a great talent. Marty needs help, he's a creative guy, but it's hard to find world class players to play with a guy like that. It's only a matter of time before he becomes a difference maker , it just takes a little bit of time and he'll get it going.

The rest are questions not asked by me, and I cherry picked some answers:

Some dude: How much has the Winter Classic helped the NHL gain popularity in the US?

You get people who may not have grown up watching and following hockey. We live in a hot-button society. You have people who say "I really want to see this team or this guy play" and you have the ability to showcase your best and brightest. That kid may then decide they want to try out hockey, and there are opportunities for them nationwide. There are more kids not from so-called "hockey hotbeds" and this may be the first time they've seen hockey outside.

Some other dude: What's next for the Winter Classic?

Every team has a drawing card when it comes to an individual. Some teams have more than 1 or 2 superstars, some teams have more history. But it takes two to tango, and there aren't unlimited venues. Should we go to Ann Arbor? Happy Valley? Minneapolis and the new Gopher stadium? I hope every team gets to play in one at some point, but the league has done a tremendous job in mapping it out. Obviously there are some places where you can't do it, but that's for people smarter than me to figure out.

So, that pretty much sums up the important stuff. Thanks to the NHL for setting it up.

Minnesota Wild vs. Anaheim Ducks: Game Recap

nathaneide — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:27:08 -0000

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

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Minnesota Wild 5-4 (so) Anaheim Ducks

Sometimes teams dominate from the start, sometimes they have to claw their way back and hope for the momentum to swing in their direction as they do so. Tonight was definitely the latter for the Wild.

After the Wild spotted the Ducks a two-goal lead twice, each time it was the Antti Miettinen - Mikko Koivu - Andrew Brunette line who put the squad on their backs to keep the Wild in the game and force the extra session where the Wild won in the shootout on goals by Miettinen and Guillaume Latendresse.

This was an exciting game to be sure, and it's great to get these kinds of wins, but wow, this defense needs to pick things up, and the blame certainly cannot be pointed at Greg Zanon and Marek Zidlicky. Zanon was a +1 in 29:32 and Zidlicky was a +2 with two assists and two PIM in 30:42. These two are feeding off each other very well. Wilderness writer mbennett and I were discussing these two tonight, and I think he had a great point.:

I think Zid is learning from Zanon (on positional defense) and I think the trust in Zanon allows Zid to go in on offense

I couldn't agree more. These two are feeding off each other, and with this pairing being so solid right now, it allows the forwards, especially the Koivu line tonight, to play deeper, forecheck harder and get more aggressive in the offensive zone. It clearly showed tonight, especially late in the game.

Please read the game recap over at Anaheim Calling

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Mikko Koivu (2 G, 1 A)
Antti Miettinen (2 G, 1 A)
Andrew Brunette (3 A)

Questions to Answer

Will this look like a battle of the cellar? Sloppy play, weak defense, but definitely not boring.
Can Latendresse and Ebbett continue to play with the chip on their shoulder? Lats had a simply fantastic shootout winner but no shots in 17:53. Ebbett was a -1 in 13:33 and had 4 PIM, but they worked each shift.
Does Martin Havlat bounce back? Who?
Will the Wild continue their "hot streak"? Well, we'll take the shootout win and points in the sixth straight game, but this defense needs to get it together. The offense is finally clicking, but the D is the big question mark right now.
Can the Wild keep Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan and Ryan Getzlaf off the scoresheet? Getzlaf had three assists, Bobby Ryan had two goals and Corey Perry had an assist. That line is simply fantastic.

Minnesota Wild vs. Nashville Predators: Game Recap

nathaneide — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:33:34 -0000

More photos » by Paul Battaglia - AP

11 days ago: Minnesota Wild center Andrew Ebbett (16) celebrates his game-winning goal in overtime with teammate Guillaume Latendresse (48) in an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009 in St. Paul, Minn. The Wild won 5-4. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

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Minnesota Wild 5-4 (ot) Nashville Predators

You can never miss a Predators - Wild matchup. These two teams always seem to play an up-tempo, exciting, hotly contested game. They're typically very enjoyable to watch. Tonight was absolutely no different.

Tonight, Guillaume Latendresse showed what having a true power forward can do for a team, when the guy is willing to use his size, and exercise his will on the opposition. On numerous occasions, Lats either drove to the net to make a play, or forced a turnover by taking the body, or used his power down low to keep a play alive. He was snake bitten, hitting three pipes, but that didn't stop him from getting the third Wild goal of the first period and forcing the play in overtime on the Andrew Ebbett winner.

It's nice to see guys like Ebbett and Latendresse fitting in so well right off the bat. After he game, Ebbett was asked how he's fitting in with the Wild and he said "I wasn't having fun in Chicago, and haven't had fun playing since the playoffs last season. I'm having fun with this team" and that's the key to me. He looks like he's having fun out there, and it's contagious. Ebbett, Latendresse, Brodziak and Clutterbuck are providing enough energy to spark the guys like Mikko Koivu, Andrew Brunette, Antti Miettinen and others. They are clearly feeding off each other, and it's showing. The Wild have points in each of their last five games, and seem to be clicking offensively. Now, if we can get the defense to catch up (and that means forwards paying attention to their defensive responsibilities too) then we can really see what this new system can do.

Please read the game recap over at On the Forecheck

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Guillaume Latendresse (1 G, 1 A)
Mikko Koivu (1 G, 1 A)
Steve Sullivan (1 G, 3 A)

Questions to Answer

Are the Wild going to be rusty after the time off? They got off to a decent start, then fell asleep for the second period, then came roaring back in the third.
With Jordin Tootoo back in the lineup for Nashville, will he get under the skin of the Wild, and can someone please knock his teeth out? Tootoo's antics were absent. I like that. The only real scuffle was the boring fight between Wade Belak and Derek Boogaard, which looked like two enforcers looking to prove they still belong.
Will taking Chuck Kobasew off the first line affect his great play since moving up there? Kobasew was a -2 tonight. He definitely needs to find a line and build some chemistry.
Will moving Martin Havlat to the fourth line send a message, or will he find good chemistry with Andrew Ebbett? Didn't really notice Havlat much, but with Ebbett and Latendresse, the Wild found a great combo platter.
Will the cutting of the mustache be like Samson cutting his hair? Definitely not offensively. Too bad the defense was beyond poor tonight.

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche: Game Recap

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

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

17 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

17 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.

Minnesota Wild vs. Boston Bruins: Game Recap

nathaneide — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:30:49 -0000

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

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Minnesota Wild 1-2 (so) Boston Bruins

Outshooting a team 29-16, only scoring once and not getting the two points brings a feeling of deja vu across the Wilderness.

Yes, the Wild were missing Brent Burns, Antti Miettinen, Martin Havlat, Petr Sykora and Pierre-Marc Bouchard to injury and Guillaume Latendresse to visa issues and still dominated the Bruins, but once again, they couldn't find the back of the net.

Tuukka Rask was outstanding tonight. He made at least four saves that he really had no business making, which could have easily busted the game wide open. Conversely, Niklas Backstrom made two exceptional saves in the third period and overtime that were worthy of end of the season highlight reels to keep the Wild in it.

The Wild came out like a team well-rested, even though they were missing five regulars. They controlled the play and outshot the Bruins 11-2 in the first frame. Unfortunately they just ran into a brick wall in Rask and Byron Bitz made the most of the only good scoring opportunity Boston had, tipping home a Derek Morris attempt.

The locker room in the first intermission must have been one of disappointment for not scoring on 11 shots, but the guys had to feel good that they were able to take it to one of the best teams in the East. The Wild came out firing again in the second period. They didn't quite get as many shots in the second as the first, but they were still controlling the play, and at 10:23 of the second, Andrew Ebbett brought the Xcel Energy crowd to its feet with a gorgeous redirect of a Kyle Brodziak shot and finally beat Rask. This power play goal was the kind that would normally open up the scoring. The Wild were dominating play and had finally broken through the wall. However, Rask was simply too tough tonight.

The third period was one in which the Wild controlled play early, then suddenly Boston seemed to realize that they were tied and took over the game, penning the Wild deep in their zone for most of the last ten minutes and until Dennis Wideman finally was whistled for high-sticking (he got away with another high-stick and a sucker punch earlier) then the Wild brought the pressure again, but it was too little too late as the Wild took too long setting up the power play and not enough time and effort on getting the puck to the net. When they finally did, they caused some problems for the Bruins and Andrew Brunette was staring a wide-open goal in the face, but couldn't control the puck and the Bruins cleared, ending the overtime.

The shootout was the most bothersome part for me. Mikko Koivu used pure power to put the puck through Rask to open the shootout, but Marek Zidlicky came up second and was stuffed (why is he in the shootout?), then Eric Belanger's attempt was gloved and Chuck Kobasew was stopped by Rask, making the David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron goals good enough to give the Bruins an undeserved two points.

It was a frustrating loss, considering how well the Wild played, until it came time to actually put the puck in the net. They seemingly don't have the finishers. Too many playmakers, not enough goal scorers. Maybe the return of Havlat and Sykora and bringing in Latendresse will alleviate this problem, but I haven't seen enough from Marty and Petr to make me think that is going to be the case.

Have a good Thanksgiving, and we'll see you on Friday at 1:00 for the first of a home and home with the Avalanche.

Please read the game recap over at Stanley Cup of Chowder

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Tuukka Rask (2 G)
Andrew Ebbett (1 G)
Byron Bitz (1 G)

Questions to Answer

How is Andrew Ebbett going to fit? One nice power play goal and great shifts tonight. Love the way this kid came out and brought it tonight. Let's hope he continues to do so.
How are Chuck Kobasew and Shane Hnidy going to react to playing against their old squad? Hnidy played with a bit of a mean streak tonight and looked solid. Kobasew had the chance to dagger the B's, but couldn't pull it off in the end.
Will Patrice Bergeron stay on his hot streak? Bergeron terrified me all night. It seemed like every time he was on the ice, he was ready to score. Let's hope Pierre-Marc Bouchard can look like this when he comes back from his concussion. That said, the Wild did a nice job keeping him off the scoresheet.
Can Andrew Brunette continue to play well and add to his point streak? (6 points in his last 6 games) Not sure how Bruno didn't score on the powerplay in overtime, but he just couldn't control the puck with a yawning cage in front of him.
Can the Wild get to Tuukka Rask? Afraid not. Rask was fantastic tonight. Absolutely fantastic.

Andrew Ebbett and Guillaume Latendresse: What's the effect?

nathaneide — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:49:47 -0000

by Paul Chiasson - AP

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In the last three days, the Minnesota Wild have added Andrew Ebbett off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks and traded Benoit Pouliot to the Montreal Canadiens for Guillaume Latendresse. These moves are likely seen from the front office as a way to spark a rather anemic offense and to try to provide some change to a team that has been underperforming to the expectations set by the franchise and the fanbase.

We've already looked a bit deeper into Andrew Ebbett, and much has been said about Latendresse's lackluster performance in Montreal, culminating in this passage from Habs Eyes on the Prize

2009-10 was said to be a season in which Latendresse would finally surpass the 20 goal mark, which is still something noteworthy for depth player on teams thought to be playoff bound. After seasons of 16, 16 and 14 goals, much more was expected of the former second round pick.

What effect will adding Ebbett and Latendresse have on the Wild? Where will they fit in the lines? How will this affect the offense, and will they be the type of players to give their all on every shift, work hard in the offensive zone and get back to cover their defensive responsibilities? How will this change the

Ebbett seems to be a second or third line center. He'll likely fit with Cal Clutterbuck and will likely see Latendresse on his other wing. With these two coming in, it's already moved Nathan Smith back to Houston and will probably see Danny Irmen on his way out other, with Robbie Earl joining them if/when Chuck Kobasew, Petr Sykora and Pierre-Marc Bouchard return.

With everyone healthy, lines might look something like this:

Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Martin Havlat
Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger - Antti Miettinen
Guillaume Latendresse - Andrew Ebbett - Petr Sykora
Cal Clutterbuck - Kyle Brodziak - Chuck Kobasew

So, where does this leave PMB, should he ever return? What about Derek Boogaard? Can you move Robbie Earl back to Houston? Does James Sheppard fit anywhere? Obviously injuries have played a major role this season, but if everyone's healthy, there are simply too many spots, and not enough guys have proven that they are assured a spot in the lineup.

So Wilderness, give me your answers!

Minnesota Wild vs. New York Islanders: Game Recap

nathaneide — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:57:12 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

23 days ago: Minnesota Wild's Owen Nolan celebrates his tie-breaking goal against the New York Islanders in the third period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 20, 2009, in St. Paul, Minn. Nolan scored two goals in the Wild's 3-2 win. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

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Minnesota Wild 3-2 New York Islanders

Ahh, when in doubt, put your faith in Owen Nolan.

"He showed great composure on the game-winning goal," said Head Coach, Todd Richards. "A lot of guys get in that situation and rush it a little bit. Great composure."

Umm, could that be because he has scored 412 NHL goals? Maybe because he's 37 and has 19 years of NHL experience? No. I think it's because he embodies everything a professional hockey player should be. He's tough, has great hands, sees the ice, knows where the play is going to be, shows heart, emotion and plays with grit. Oh, and he's simply awesome.

This was a big win. The Wild were without six regulars and three guys who were in Houston a week ago.

In a game with so many young guys in the lineup, it was nice to see the veterans play such a big role. Nolan scored twice, Mikko Koivu got a power play goal (which is nice to see, considering how anemic the man advantage has been), Andrew Brunette got an assist, Marek Zidlicky factored in the scoring and looked solid defensively, even Shane Hnidy played a tough game, amassing 19 PIM (though his instigator call was a complete joke).

You could tell that the crowd was poised to erupt all night. They were ready to either boo the Wild off the ice, or jump out of their seats at any moment in jubilation. Sure, part of it could have been because of Josh Sacco's rendition of Herb Brooks' pregame speech from the Miracle on Ice, but no matter the reason, it was nice to see an energetic crowd at the X.

Tonight wasn't a brilliantly played game by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a hard-fought victory, and it was great to see the Wild come from behind, play for 60 minutes and get off the ice with the two points.

Now, get healthy and we'll see you on the 25th.

Please read the game recap over at Lighthouse Hockey

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Owen Nolan (2 G)
Eric Belanger (2 A)
Mikko Koivu (1 G)

Questions to Answer

How much better will the Wild be with no Martin Havlat? Well, to be honest, they were better defensively without Havlat.
Will we see the future of the NHL in John Tavares? Tavares only had two shots on goal, but looked awfully good out there. He's going to be a very good player. Tough on the puck, fights to get position and works on every shift. He and Kyle Okposo make a fearsome duo.
Richard Park is still in the NHL? Seriously? Wow. Park was a -1, but didn't look to have lost a step. He's still awfully quick.
Will the aggression from yesterday's practice show tonight? The guys were playing with a bit of a mean streak tonight. It's nice to see, frankly.
If they come out flat, should we start to wonder whose job it is to motivate professional athletes? They didn't come out flat, but let's see if they can continue to build. It's not hard to show more effort than they did against Phoenix.

Game Recap -- Phoenix Coyotes at Minnesota Wild

mbennett — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:11:34 -0000

More photos » by Paul Battaglia - AP

25 days ago: Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle (3) jumps into the arms of teammate Scottie Upshall, after Upshall scored the go-ahead goal against the Minnesota Wild during the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009, in St. Paul, Minn. Shane Doan, back right, and Robert Lang (20) also celebrate. Phoenix won 3-2. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

Browse more photos »

Minnesota 2 - Phoenix 3

Greetings all, Nathan had more important things to do last night, (congrats on nine years my friend) so, I figured I would pop on in and give a game recap from the perspective of section 210, row 1. Never been in the upper deck before, so this was a good experience. You sure can see the plays (or lack thereof) developing from up yonder. Alrighty...let’s get to it...

Another ~~Fraud~~ Sellout at the X last night, packed to the rafters...if you are counting the nearly 2000 empty seats. The 'Yotes came in not faring well over the past Millenium versus the Wild, and we were told that on the scoreboard before the game. I felt this was a classic "Dick and Bert" moment, and, well, if you watched the game, you know the kiss of death occured.

The Wild came out Slloooooooowwww, and seemed to lack energy the entire game. The only consistent energy came from the Brodziak/Earl/Clutterbuck. The slow pace of the wild was matched by an equally lethargic attack from Phoenix. I saw more excitement at the prospect scrimmage this past summer. With under a minute to play, the Wild lost Owen Nolan for ~~tapping a player's ass with the blade of his stick~~ slashing. When the 'Yotes came out on the PP in the second, they scored on a laser from the right side of Backstrom off the stick of Radim Vrbata. 1-0 Yotes. That was all the scoring in the 2^nd.

The Wild bounced back with a nice hard working goal from the Koivu/Brunette/Miettinen line. Bruno found a free puck and an open net, and buried it. 1-1 tie. Sadly, as often happens, the Wild found themselves down 2-1 after a horribly played puck at the blue line led to a 2-1 the other way, and James Vandermeer faked the crossing pass and pushed the puck behind Backstrom. Come to think of it, I think it wasn’t so much a misplayed puck, but Kim Johnsson falling down.

With roughly five minutes to play, the Wild once again tried this "scoring" thing, much to the celebration of the fans. It was another classic Andrew Brunette setup from behind the net. Puck came hard around the back wall, Bruno pushed it along, Koivu tapped it back to Bruno who slides it in one motion out to Mittens who buries the puck from maybe 6 feet away. 2-2 tie.

As much rejoicing was occurring, the Wild forgot that the puck being dropped symbolizes that play is resuming, and within 20 seconds, Scottie Upshall takes a rebound off Backstrom and slides it underneath Nik for the 3-2 lead, and eventual game winner. It was a soft, soft goal, and it really took the wind out of the collective sails of the players and the fans.

Neither team was especially good this evening, but the Wild was worse. Please note that word choice…as opposed to the classic cliché of "they were the better team." Sadly, in this case…the wording, as it reads, is more accurate.

Lets take a look at the 5 questions posed by Nathan "Swine-Flu Survivor" Eide…

1. Any chance Danny Irmen can continue the first career goal trend? Well, he did get to wave at his family in the crowd, and I did see him out there…so he was physically present, but sadly…no goal for you!

2. Can Brent Burns continue improving upon his plus/minus? Burns was a -1, so by definition, this is a step back.

3. Will the Coyotes know how to play in front of actual people? They did look a bit puzzled by the breathing life forms on the other side of the glass…but they won, so, I guess they know how.

4. Ilya Bryzgalov is in net. He tends to play very poorly against the Wild (1-7, 3.42 lifetime). Will this trend continue? He played pretty well. Controlled rebounds, didn’t do anything stupid. A very serviceable performance, and got his win at the X.

5. 8 shots against Washington, 0 against Carolina. Which Martin Havlat will show up? Havlat had 4 shots, one was a decent opportunity. The Martin Havlat who likes to carry the puck into the zone and curl also showed up! I think it is time to look at getting him his number back…he clearly feels like "10 less of a man."