SB Nation - Eric Belanger

Game 34 Preview: Jackets get Wild

Mike MacLean — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:04:19 -0000

More photos » by Terry Gilliam - AP

This is going to be brief- the Jackets need to win. Minny is on a tear, and Columbus very much isn't. The Wild, like Nashville, aren't a great team on paper- they make up for that by playing hard, physical hockey and they get timely scoring. Not to mention they have a great goaltender, one who finished behind ours in Vezina voting last year i may add.

I'm not a fan of making a trade just to shake things up, but what is there left to do? GM Scott Howson has put together a team that, again, on paper has all of the elements necessary to win, with the exception of one area. The forwards are a nice mix of snipers (Juice, Nasher); gritty forwards who can score (Vermette, Umby), playmakers (Voracek, Brass) and muckers (Torres, Pahlsson) just to name a few. We have a great goaltending tandem, but the defense needs help. Stralman has been great on the powerplay, as advertised. For that alone, he was a great add. Russ is coming into his own, and has been the best blueliner of late. The other four blueliners however, have not played well. Last season, Commie and Hejda were uber-reliable, steady minute-munchers who could hold the fort down. This year however, they are slow, plodding, and are missing assignments. Methot hasn't done much of anything, and Tyuts- well if he's not commiting a turnover he's horribly out of position. It's like he can't decide whether to play offense or focus on his defensive game. Regardless, a steady defenseman needs to be brought in. One who won't wow you, just somebody to settle things down. An older player would be great.

Or, and this would be the easiest move- the team can just work harder. I don't just mean turn it on when you are already down a goal or two, i mean start the game hard, set the tone, and continue for a full 60 minutes. The goals will come from hard work, and next thing you know- you've won the game.

Fearless Prediction: A solid 60 minute effort, for crying out loud this is the same team that was so great defensively last season, what happened? Did the fact that they are scoring now lead them to forget about their other duties? I predict they play hard, because of they don't, they will continue to get embarrassed.

Game Time: 8:00pm ET

Opponent's Blog: Hockey Wilderness

Game Page: Blue Jackets vs Wild Coverage

TSN Preview:Blue Jackets vs Wild Preview

TV: None

Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)

More after the jump...

From the Columbus Dispatch:

The Blue Jackets, who lost to Nashville last night at home, are 1-2-2 in the second game of back-to-backs this season. After a 7-12-2 start, the Wild has been one of the NHL's hottest clubs the last month, going 8-2-1. The Wild has won three of the last four games in Xcel Energy Center.

Jackets Links:

Columbus Blue Jackets / Columbus Blue Jackets Schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets Roster / Columbus Blue Jackets Stats

Here are the lineups for tonight's tilt:

Columbus Blue Jackets

Jason Chimera	Antoine Vermette	Rick Nash
Kristian Huselius	R.J. Umberger	Jakub Voracek
Andrew Murray	Samuel Pahlsson	Jared Boll
Fredrik Modin	Derick Brassard	Raffi Torres

Fedor Tyutin	Anton Stralman
Mike Commodore	Jan Hejda
Kris Russell	Marc Methot

Mathieu Garon

Steve Mason

EXTRA: Michael Blunden, Mathieu Roy

INJURED: Rostislav Klesla, Derek Dorsett

Minnesota Wild

Andrew Brunette	Mikko Koivu	Antti Miettinen
Chuck Kobasew	Eric Belanger	Cal Clutterbuck
Guillaume Latendresse	Kyle Brodziak	Martin Havlat
Derek Boogaard	Nathan Smith	James Sheppard

Greg Zanon	Nick Schultz
Marek Zidlicky	Kim Johnsson
Jaime Sifers	Shane Hnidy

Niklas Backstrom

Josh Harding

Minnesota Wild @ Colorado Avalanche: Game Recap

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

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Browse more photos »

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. Boston Bruins: Game Recap

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

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

Browse more photos »

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

View full size photo »

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

26 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)

Browse more photos »

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.

Minnesota Wild @ Pittsburgh Penguins: Game Recap

nathaneide — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:28:05 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

about 1 month ago: Minnesota Wild's Eric Belanger, right, celebrates scoring a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins with teammates Marek Zidlicky, center, of the Czech Republic, and Owen Nolan, of Ireland, in the first period of an NHL Hockey game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 2-1 Pittsburgh Penguins

When a team with the firepower of the Pittsburgh Penguins outshoots your squad 35-15, you have to assume it's going to be a bloodbath. Well, if it weren't for an absolutely stellar performance (not that we're not used to it) by Niklas Backstrom, it would have been. Backstrom was, once again, sensational.

All of the scoring tonight happened in the first period. Kyle Brodziak opened the scoring on a nice wrist shot, thanks to good play in the zone by Brent Burns and Chuck Kobasew. It was a nice goal, set up by great effort the entire shift. However, 2:37 later, former Wild member Pascal Dupuis tied the game on a quick snapper. He was set up nicely by former fan favorite Martin Skoula.

It looked like the period was going to end 1-1, but thanks to an outstanding shift by Owen Nolan, Martin Havlat, Eric Belanger, Brent Burns and Greg Zanon working the puck in the corner and keeping play in the zone, Nolan kicked the puck to his feet while picking up his stick, then kicked it up the boards to Burns, who sent it across to Zanon. Zanon fired the puck toward the net where it was redirected to the corner, Havlat was waiting alone and found Belanger in the circle, fed him and Belly fired a shot over Marc-Andre Fleury's shoulder for the eventual game-winner with 0:00.6 left in the period.

The rest of the game consisted of Backstrom and the Wild countering every attack the Penguins threw at them, including pestering Sidney Crosby so much that he lost control, fighting with Marek Zidlicky (part of Crosby's 9 PIM) and started the ball rolling on Crosby crying to the refs at every opportunity. In fact, Sid was so off his game that the linesman dropped the puck with Crosby still outside the faceoff circle, complaining.

The Wild did a great job fighting off the Penguins tonight, capitalizing on their chances and worked hard. They earned this win, and will need these four days off to get some on-ice work to build on two solid games.

Please read the game recap over at PensBurgh

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Niklas Backstrom (34 saves)
Eric Belanger (1 G)
Marek Zidlicky (22:39 TOI, +1 and got in Sidney Crosby's head)

Questions to Answer

Will the Wild be the first team to 10 losses, tonight? Nope, they fought it off again.
Can the Wild build on their best game of the season? The Wild likely should've lost this game, but they did a much, much better job defensively tonight, keeping many of the shots to the sides and capitalized on their opportunities. Well done to get the road win.
Will Richards stick with the 1-man forecheck? It looked like he went back and forth, but they spent most of the time with the 1-man system.
Why can't Pouliot find the ice? I just don't get it. Pouliot has had a pretty good season, putting the effort in, but has yet to get regular ice-time.
Will James Sheppard finally get on the board? No. Sheppard had only 11:50 TOI, and never looked like he got into the flow.

Minnesota Wild vs. New York Rangers

nathaneide — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:34:04 -0000

More photos » by Andy King - AP

about 1 month ago: Minnesota Wild's Petr Sykora, right, and Andrew Brunette (15) are congratulated by teammates after Sykora scored a goal in the first period against the New York Rangers during their NHL hockey game in St. Paul, Minn., Friday, Oct. 30, 2009. The Wild defeated the Rangers 3-2. (AP Photo/Andy King)

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 3-2 New York Rangers

What was supposed to be the triumphant return of Marian Gaborik to Xcel Energy Center ended up instead being the triumphant return of Petr Sykora. After his sloppy, and uninspired play led to a benching then being scratched in the Wild's last two games, the Czech veteran got the message and worked hard tonight, doing what he was brought in to do. Play around 13-15 minutes, work the puck down low and get on the scoresheet. Toward the end of the first period, Sykora, Mikko Koivu and Andrew Brunette worked the puck down low, applying decent pressure on, until that point, the stellar Henrik Lundqvist. The play culminated in Sykora burying a tap-in past Lundqvist on a beautiful pass across the slot by Koivu. It was the result of hard work in the offensive zone. Classic NHL. In fact, the Wild seemed to get the message from coach Todd Richards, and Richards changed his game plan, abandoning the 2-man forecheck. The added help in the neutral zone alleviated a lot of the pressure on the defense and the Wild were buzzing. They controlled the flow of the game, and led in shots 12-5 after the first.

Starting the second period, the Wild seemed to regress. The Rangers were moving the puck up and down the ice, and seemed to have the better chances. Then at 5:33 of the second period, Dane Byers, who was called up from the AHL today and jumped off the plane and onto the ice, took a pass from Wade Redden who forced a sloppy turnover by Owen Nolan, and wristed one past Niklas Backstrom. That goal, however, sparked something in the Wild instead of motivating New York. Just over two minutes later Petr Sykora started the play, making a nice pass to Martin Havlat who fed across to Eric Belanger who put the Wild back up 2-1. This time though, the Wild didn't let up. They kept up the pressure the rest of the period until Antti Miettinen took a drop pass from Mikko Koivu, used Koivu as a screen and snapped the puck through Lundqvist's 5-hole. The period ended 3-1 and the Wild saw a nice 25-13 lead in the shots on goal department.

The third period began the same way as the second, with the Wild on their heels and Marc Staal taking a pass from Vinny Prospal, streaking up the ice and firing a shot past Backstrom. Minnesota then settled down and fought off the Rangers for the remainder of the game, playing it safe and locking down the 3-2 win.

It was nice to see Havlat get an assist, as he was pointless in his last seven games. Heck, even Derek Boogaard looked good tonight with two quality scoring chances. I love when Boogey has a chance to park in front of the net. He's so big, takes up so much space and is so hard for the opposition to move, that he wreaks havoc down low. He hasn't scored since January of 2006, but if he continues to get decent minutes and get work in the low slot, he's going to get his garbage goal.

The Wild are lucky tomorrow, in that they face the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins without Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar, but we'll see what happens. Richards made it sound like he was going to put Anton Khudobin in net, but that might just be playing with the minds of the Pens. Who knows?

Please read the game recap over at Blueshirt Banter

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Petr Sykora (1 G, 1 A)
Mikko Koivu (2 A)
Antti Miettinen (1 G)

Questions to Answer

Will the Wild be the first team to 10 losses? Not yet!!
Can the goal against Nashville spark something in Owen Nolan? Well, Nolan didn't have a great game tonight, but did get four shots on goal and two decent scoring chances in 12:38, but was a -1 due to his turnover.
With Marian Gaborik out, who will pick up the offensive slack for the Rangers? Aside from Gaborik and Christopher Higgins, it should have been Ales Kotalik, but he was virtually non-existent. Lucky for the Rangers, Marc Staal had a decent game and finally got on the scoresheet.
With Sean Avery out, who will pick up the being offensive slack for the Rangers? Dane Byers. What's wrong kid? Your first career goal wasn't enough? You had to try to goad Cal Clutterbuck into a fight? Really?
This is a frustrated team. Can Todd Richards get them to turn things around? Tonight was the best 60 minutes of hockey the Wild played all season. They dominated much of play, but started to wane in the early part of the third period. Thankfully after the Staal goal, they locked it back down and got away with the regulation win. They'll need to look at this game on how to play within themselves.

Minnesota Wild vs. Nashville Predators: Game Recap

nathaneide — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:59:29 -0000

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

about 1 month ago: Nashville Predators right wing Patric Hornqvist (27) checks Minnesota Wild center Eric Belanger, left, during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid)

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 3-4 Nashville Predators

You wouldn't have guessed these were the two lowest scoring teams in the NHL. Then again, aside from 1:47 in the second period, the Wild spent 58:13 scoreless on 19 shots. Heck, even in their hot second period, they had three goals on three shots in 1:47, and one shot in the other 18:13.

The Wild once again found themselves down early as J.P. Dumont made a nice play to crash the net and score from close range on the backhand from David Legwand and Steve Sullivan. Then less than three minutes later, with James Sheppard in the box for delay of game (puck over glass), Shea Weber put the Predators up 2-0 with a pretty wrister from Steve Sullivan and Ryan Suter. The Wild started to come back at that point, but it wasn't enough for the home-town fans, as the boo-birds found their way into Xcel Energy Center.

The second period, however, got off to a great start, as the Wild scored on their first three shots. Starting at the 31 second mark, it was Brent Burns from Mikko Koivu on the power play, then at the 2:00 mark, Benoit Pouliot made a beautiful move at the Nashville blue-line, kicking it back to his stick, feeding across to Eric Belanger who slid it to a streaking Cal Clutterbuck who fired a laser beam from above the circle into the upper far corner over Dan Ellis. It was the nicest goal of the night. With Nashville on full retreat, the Wild capped the second period just :18 later with Owen Nolan taking a pass from Marek Zidlicky as he raced into the zone and fired a slapper past Ellis from between the circles. Antti Miettinen started the play after corraling the puck in the neutral zone. The third goal in three shots chased Dan Ellis from the game.

With Pekka Rinne entering, the Wild had to be feeling good. Unfortunately, they only amassed one more shot the rest of the period, and four minutes later, Joel Ward cut across the Wild zone, skated between the circle and fired a snap shot. The puck deflected off Michael Santorelli, tying the game at 3. That goal gave all of the momentum back to Nashville, who then outshot the Wild 9-4 in the second period.

The third period was a much tighter one for both teams defensively. In fact, it looked like we were heading for a fourth straight overtime game until the Wild misplayed a puck on the powerplay halfway through the frame, undressed Marek Zidlicky and fired a shot over Niklas Backstrom as Zidlicky screened him.

The Wild attempted to amass a late comeback, but it was not to be.

Brent Burns added to his horrible +/- with a -2 on the night (-13 for the season). Yes, he scored a goal, but he is still on the ice for far too many opposition goals. He really needs to sit for a couple games. He's just not getting this new system. Taking too many chances, trying too hard to get into the offensive flow, and he's hanging his partner out to dry and leaving Backstrom alone. The Olympics are all but out for Burns, so it's time for him to get his head right and get back into the game.

All in all, this team is a mess. They have flashes of pressure and decent play, but they are just disjointed right now. Someone needs to ask Todd Richards what he thinks is wrong and how he intends to fix it, because at this point, I don't see much improvement, and neither do many members of the team of 18,000.

Please read the game recap over at On the Forecheck

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Pekka Rinne (12 saves)
Cal Clutterbuck (1 G)
Steve Sullivan (2 A)

Questions to Answer

Four home games, four overtime wins? Unfortunately not, though it certainly looked like we were heading for OT for a while there.
How will Zanon perform against his old teammates? Zanon was a -1 in 23:09, but played a decent game. Nothing spectacular, but a reasonably solid defensive showing.
Seriously, Havlat, are you going to do something besides look like a matador? Well, he tried to get into a fight, made a couple of really pretty moves, but was shut down by the Preds defenders.
Is it going to be another night where the Wild rely heavily upon Bruno? Bruno tried to get another clutch goal, and had a prime scoring opportunity down low toward the end but was thwarted by Pekka Rinne.
Defense? Defense? Defense? No, No, No.

Minnesota Wild vs. Anaheim Ducks: Game Recap

nathaneide — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:45:58 -0000

More photos » by Hannah Foslien - AP

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 4-3 (ot) Anaheim Ducks

The Wild picked up right where they left off, playing a brutal first two periods tonight against the Anaheim Ducks. They were getting a decent number of shots (17 through periods 1 and 2), but not many were quality scoring chances, and they were still letting far too many opposition players enter the zone and get free down low. Each of the three Anaheim goals were a result of poor defensive positioning, something many of us anticipated as the team learns a new system and starts to grow out of old habits.

The defensemen were lax in their zone, seemed to be confused as to what to do with the puck on the breakout. There were miscommunications in taking the zone. The forwards were hanging the defensemen out to dry by forechecking too deep and getting caught out, then they weren't backchecking hard enough. To make matters worse, they weren't taking the zone with speed when they should be, and dumping when they shouldn't. The power play was sloppy, with the Wild hardly getting enough time in the offensive zone to set anything up. It was a comedy of errors.

"The second period got away from us," admitted Richards. "I don’t think we played real good hockey. I think the players felt that way, too. But we turned it around in the third. Each guy made a commitment to each other to turn it around. The guys were rewarded."

Then suddenly something clicked. Now, it may have been coincidental (and as someone who hates the fighting just to spark the team, I hope it was) but once John Scott paired off with Anaheim tough guy George Parros, and caught him with a clean right cross, knocking him to the ice, the team suddenly found their identity. After that point, the Wild took over the game. Shots were 13-2 in favor of the home team and the crowd (who was clearly energized by the Twins extra inning win over the Tigers to capture the AL Central) got back in the game as the Wild poured on the pressure.

At 6:29 of the third period, Mikko Koivu got the crowd to their feet as the power play finally connected. Havlat to Brunette to Koivu who buried it past Jean-Sebastian Giguere. Once that first one got past the seemingly unbeatable Giguere (the Wild killer), the team realized that yes, he was human and can be beaten. Six minutes later, Petr Sykora did what Petr Sykora was born to do, score a goal-scorers goal with Todd Marchant draped over his back coming across the low slot. It was a nice finish to a great feed from Martin Havlat (his second beautiful assist of the night). Then with the crowd rolling and the team fired up, Eric Belanger took Todd Richards advice to heart, and just threw the puck at the net. His wrister on the power play beat Giguere in the 5-hole (again assisted by Havlat) and the game was tied. With just over two minutes left in regulation, the Wild absolutely owned play. They had a couple more decent scoring chances, but as time ran down and this as headed to overtime, the Metrodome magic seemed to travel east on 94.

I don't even recall Anaheim having the puck in the extra session. Every time I looked at the TV, the Wild were either streaking through the neutral zone, or working the puck for an open shot. With a scrum in front of the net at the 1:44, Anaheim's James Wisniewski made a boneheaded decision to punch Kyle Brodziak in the face, and Brodziak did the smart thing and just stood there. Wisniewski was heading off for a stupid roughing penalty, and you knew this was over. With the Wild working the puck below the goal line and looking for the quick goal, Kim Johnsson fed down low to Eric Belanger who put the puck in front of the net and Andrew Brunette, always the poacher, popped home the game winner and the jubilant crowd once again danced to the sounds of Joe Satriani.

A beautiful ending to the night. Let's hope Richards can get these guys concentrating on playing the way they did in the third period. It's time to hit the road for a brutal West Coast swing.

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Martin Havlat (3 A)
Eric Belanger (1 G, 2 A)
Andrew Brunette (1 G, 1 A)

Questions to Answer

Can the Wild bounce back from a relatively weak performance? For two periods, they were even worse, but everything changed in the third.
Will John Scott settle in at wing? In 3:07 TOI, Scott was a non-factor. Then in his last :03 of TOI, he pounded ~~Freddie Mercury~~ George Parros and seemed to have turned the game around. That being said, I hate him at wing.
With no Chris Pronger, no Chris Kunitz, no Brian Burke, no Todd Bertuzzi, do we still hate the Ducks? I would have said no, but these Ducks were still awfully chippy, and apparently decided to try to start a fight after Brunette's game winner.
Can Bouchard get over whatever was with him on Saturday? It seemed so, until he went to Fletcher and said that his recurring headaches needed to keep him out. Let's hope this doesn't linger, but I have a bad feeling about it.
Can the Wild stop Corey Perry, Ryan Carter and Bobby Ryan this year? 1 assist between the three of them. I like that.

Game One: Jackets vs Wild Preview

Mike MacLean — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 18:34:30 -0000

Welcome back!

The 2009/2010 NHL season kicks off for the Jackets tonight, as they take on Minnesota in Nationwide Arena. The Jackets are coming off their most successful season and will look to get off to a fast start against a revamped Minnesota team.

Here are the projected lines for tonight's game:

Columbus:

Nash-Brassard-Huselius
Filatov-Vermette-Voracek
Umberger-Pahlsson-Chimera
Torres-Murray-Dorsett

Methot-Hejda
Tyutin-Klesla
Roy-Russell

Mason

Minnesota

Brunette-Koivu-Havlat
Sykora-Bouchard-Nolan
Miettinen-Sheppard-Clutterbuck
Scott-Belanger-Brodziak
Pouliot

Zanon-Burns
Schultz-Johnsson
Hnidy-Zidlicky

Backstrom

You'll notice that Mike Commodore is out of the lineup- he is on the IR until Sunday at the earliest with a slight groin pull. Mathieu Roy was recalled from Syracuse and will pair up with Russell on the bottom pairing.

This is a statement game for Jason Chimera. He has been involved in trade rumors, has been cast aside by many fans as being "not good enough" and was boarded by Wild forward Eric Belanger in the preseason. I expect him to come out flying, a goal by Chimmer wouldn't be out of the question.

I am so excited to see if the second line can develop quickly and stay together. There is so much talent there, and it could prove to be the best set of secondary scoring the Jackets have ever had. Umberger adds grit and scoring to the third line, I wonder how his move off of a scoring line will affect his game?

Here, and in the future, the game preview posts can act as Game Threads, use the comments to fire back and forth while the game is on the go!

Go Jackets!