SB Nation - James Sheppard

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 @ Calgary Flames: Game Recap

nathaneide — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:20:59 -0000

More photos » by Larry MacDougal - AP

11 days ago: Calgary Flames' Brian McGrattan, left, fights Minnesota Wild's Derek Boogaard during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Calgary on Friday, Dec. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Larry MacDougal)

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 2-1 (ot) Calgary Flames

Holy crap, the Wild won in Calgary. Holy crap, James Sheppard scored. Holy crap, Martin Havlat scored. Holy crap, the Wild had more than 40 shots on goal.

Ok, I'm not really sure which is more shocking, to be honest, but I'd say that beating Calgary in the Saddledome is the biggest surprise.

The Wild have now won seven of eight and seem to be turning it on right about the time many expected them to. It's great to see them winning with offense and winning with defense. Frankly, if it weren't for Kiprusoff, tonight would have been out of hand and the Wild would have won going away.

It's great to see Havlat getting into the flow of the game, and nice to see someone other than the top line carry the load for the offense.

Let's hope this solid defensive play continues. Things are finally turning around.

Please read the game recap over at Matchsticks and Gasoline

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Martin Havlat (1 G, 1 A)
Miikka Kiprusoff (44 saves)
James Sheppard (1 G)

Questions to Answer

I'm gonna let SpaethCo answer.

The Calgary Flames have been the best in the Northwest (no matter what folks in Colorado will have you believe) will the Wild get a good measuring stick against a solid team? We’re trying to fight our way back into the hunt, so for the sake of team confidence let’s say this is a great measuring stick. (only because we got the win)
Will the curse of the Saddledome continue to hover over the Wild? It tried really damn hard - maybe the curse was thrown off by the cold?
Which Finnish goalie will shine? Despite Backstrom getting the win, Kiprusoff held off 44 of 46 shots. From the Flames perspective, Kiprusoff gets the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd star.
Bruno has eight points in the last five games, and Mittens has seven goals in his last eight. Can they keep it up? Strangely enough, the underdogs of the team pull it off. Shep and Havlat - I wonder what the line would have been on that in Vegas?
The Flames have the best career record against the Wild. Why? They're really not that good, are they? Kiprusoff and Iginla? Nah, those guys have no talent at all. In fact, Calgary should send them to us for Boogard and a bag of pucks. Right?

Want to Solve the Concussion Issue?

BReynolds — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:28:01 -0000

The Wild now have four players out with concussions. Brent Burns, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Petr Sykora, and now Andrew Ebbett. A week or so ago, I discussed exactly what a concussion is. Now, let's talk about how to fix the problem, since the Wild seem to be disproportionately affected.

Join me after the jump for some fun with words.

The Holy Grail of concussion cures is not likely to be found anytime soon. There is no helmet, no protection device that can prevent the brain from moving inside the skull. Unless they find a way to change the laws of physics and get rid of that pesky inertia thing, concussions are going to happen. The focus needs to be on how to prevent as many as possible, and since it is equally impossible to make the ice surface soft, what else can be done?

Messier Cascade M11 Helmet

First, we have a basic, simple solution. Helmets. Specifically, the Messier designed helmet:

The helmet is designed to cushion the blow to the head using (in layman's terms) shock absorbers throughout the helmet to absorb up to 80% of the impact.

The question this begs is, why does the league not mandate its use? Change comes slow to the NHL, shocker, I know. It has been left up to the players to decide if they want to wear it, much like face shields. Similar to the NHL prior to helmet use being mandatory, the "cool" players don't wear face shields. The "cool" players won't wear the new helmet because the stigma has already been assigned to it, that only a sissy would wear this thing.

It will require the league mandating its use in order for players to wear it. Or, perhaps the Wild need to make the move and mandate their players wear it. Suck it up boys. I'd rather see you skating in this "goofy" new helmet than not see you at all.

Count me in as a proponent of making the helmet mandatory. It hurts no one, and could save careers.

Enforcing the Rules On the Books

There are rules, already in place, to help prevent concussions. Problem is, they are not enforced. Charging, boarding, high sticking, elbowing, cross checking, slashing, tripping (am I missing any?) all have sub-clauses that if they cause injury or you show intent to injure, you can be suspended. The debate is long and ongoing about how to dole out suspensions and what garners a suspension and what doesn't. I won't go into that right now. Find any thread about suspensions, and join the discussion.

What needs to happen is for the league, and the NHLPA, to call for the rules to be enforced. It worked to eliminate the clutch and grab. There were not all that many rules added to eliminate it, they simply enforced the interference, hooking, and holding rules they already had.

Enforce the rules you have, and things calm down. At least a bit.

Eliminate One Specific Rule

Can you guess which one? That's right. The instigator rule. It is the worst thing that has happened to hockey since Jacques Lemaire perfected the trap. Fellow Wild blog Wild Puck asked today about The Code. The Code is supposed to make it clear to players that they must respect each other. It is the unwritten rules of any sport that are more important than the rules in the rule book. However, The Code is dead.

Gone are the days of bench clearing brawls, of knowing you were going to have to stare down Derek Boogaard if you crossed the line. Now, all you need to do is wait until Boogey is on the bench and take your shot. Not like Boogaard can jump the boards and come take you out. If he does, he gets suspended. So, you simply wait it out and take your shot when the scariest guy on the ice is James Sheppard.

If I am Ed Jovanovski, and I know that if I cross the line, no matter when or where, that all 6' 8" 275 lbs of Derek Boogaard are going to come crashing down on my head, I think twice. Andrew Ebbet gets put into the boards, or I poke check the puck away. Instead, Jovo has free reign to do anything he wants, knowing that the worst that will happen is he will need to rest his weary bones for a couple games.

Players are no longer allowed to police themselves. With less than five minutes left in a game, you no longer see the retribution doled out like in the old days. Now, it carries a suspension and a fine for the coach. So, no one does anything. By the time the next game comes around, the focus is back on getting the two points, and retribution can wait.

Why, you may ask. Why has The Code died? There is no simple answer other than: economics. Gary Bettman has decided it is more important to be able to market the game to people who have absolutely no interest in the game than it is to allow the players to play the game. Find yourself a non-hockey fan and ask them why they don't watch it. You will most likely find out that "they don't like the fighting." Despite the fact that the number of fights has plummeted, they still don't watch. They never will. So screw 'em. Stop catering to people who hate you.

But hold on a minute. We can't just get rid of people who hate the game and put the instigator rule to death. But Buddha, why not? Because there are hockey teams in non-traditional markets that are struggling. I know, here it comes. The "I'm a Minnesota hockey fan so I am so much better than you" right? Wrong.

The Coyotes have no corporate partners. Either do the Panthers or the Lightning. The institution of the instigator rule coincided with the expansion of the NHL into markets it did not need to be in. In order to garner the corporate partners it needed, the NHL need to get the violence under control. In doing so, the NHL killed The Code in order to make a buck.

They are now paying the price for that greed.

Players are dropping like flies. Concussions are clearly on the rise. There is no simple solution, and there will always be concussions in a game as fast and as physical as hockey. However, a combination of new protection, enforcement of rules, and elimination of the instigator penalties would certainly cut down on the bulk of them. Until they invent padded ice, something else needs to be done.

Got a better idea? Tell us about it.

-Buddha

Minnesota Wild @ Nashville Predators: Game Recap

nathaneide — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:29:52 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 5-3 Nashville Predators

Fifteen goals in three games. First time in franchise history they have scored five or more goals in three consecutive games. Points in seven straight games. Five straight wins. 10-3-3 in their last 16. One might say it looks like this team is getting the system, working hard to get back into games, opening up the offense and turning things around. Granted, it could all come crashing down around them, but many experts figured it would take until December for the team to really get comfortable in the system, and lord knows the injuries haven't helped things at all. But, all that said, things are looking awfully good for the Wild at the moment.

Tonight's win was fantastic to witness because it didn't require the efforts of one line carrying the team. They didn't need an unhuman effort by their goaltender. They weren't scraping to get back into the game. Heck, they scored five goals, and didn't even get a multi-goal game from anyone. It was 5-1 before things got sloppy for the Wild halfway through the third period, and at that point, everyone was even or better on the +/-. Minnesota amassed 39 shots on goal, had points from 10 different guys and, on the second night of a back to back, were able to give breaks to some of the guys who had heavy workloads on Friday against Anaheim.

Martin Havlat finally had his first multi-point game since October 6, and did so by working hard and making great passes down low. Antti Miettinen scored on a pretty powerplay goal, and now has six goals in his last six games. James Sheppard finally notched his first goal of the season, and Derek Boogaard even got an assist on a fantastic breakout pass to Martin Havlat, who then fed Andrew Ebbett (who has been a wonderful acquisition).

Tonight was the kind of game the Wild fanbase has been expecting and waiting for all season. Minnesota skated hard, forechecked aggressively, forced the opposition to make mistakes in their own end, found the open man and peppered the net. If this is the new system, I'll take it.

Please read the game recap over at On the Forecheck

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Andrew Brunette (1 G, 1 A)
Martin Havlat (2 A)
James Sheppard (1 G)

Questions to Answer

Can the Wild get points in their 7th straight? Indeed they did. Wild are now over .500!
Something tells me being at home will cause Jordin Tootoo's chest to puff out and he'll try to pull his crap again. Will I be seen as the prescient one? I guess I'm really confused, but Tootoo behaved again.
With five goals in his last five games, can Antti Miettinen continue to put goals on the board? Six goals in six games. Not half bad.
Does playing 30 minutes last night affect Zidlicky and Zanon? Zanon got sloppy late in the game, giving up two goals and ended up a -2, but got a nice break only having 18:58 TOI and Zidlicky went back to his typical 22:34.
Are we in store for another Nashville vs. Minnesota shootout (not the game deciding kind)? It shouldn't have been. Wild were dominant, but got sloppy after the game was in hand.

On "He Who Shall No Longer be Mentioned"

BReynolds — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:45:59 -0000

More photos » by Paul Battaglia - AP

"He Who Shall No Longer be Mentioned" would never have made the moves to bring these two guys into the fold. That would have been taking a chance, and that would just be wrong.

Browse more photos »

Today, Puck Daddy has a post about the top ten GMs of the past decade. No, "He Who Shall No Longer be Mentioned" is not truly part of the list, but Wysh gives us this comment while discussing his number 10 pick:

"This could have easily been David Poile of the Nashville Predators or Doug Risebrough of the Minnesota Wild, managing small payrolls and keeping their expansion franchises competitive for most of the decade."

If by "keeping them competitive" you mean that "He Who Shall No Longer be Mentioned" traded away draft picks like they were toilet paper and left the prospect cupboard completely bare, allowing for absolutely no future improvement.

Or maybe it means alienating the only true star the franchise has ever seen.

Or perhaps it is the misuse of the few prospects they did have, such as Colton Gilles and James Sheppard. Gilles' free agent clock is now ticking as he played too many games and Sheppard can't go down to the AHL without waivers, making it impossible to give him the minutes and responsibility he needs to progress, and likely costing him his career in Minnesota at some point in the near future.

Or perhaps "keeping them competitive" means managing the team into infinite mediocrity by bringing in mediocre free agents and forcing a great (although sour puss) coach to work a defensive system that could have put a tweaker to sleep.

Or perhaps it was the trade for Crazy Chris Simon for a sixth round pick at the deadline, so Simon could play in what, six games?

Sure, they made the playoffs. Sure, they even won a division title. Know what they didn't do? Get better. Ever. They got lucky run to go to the conference finals, and after that, nothing. "Keeping them competitive" makes me think of how retail stores say their prices are "competitive," which of course, means they are exactly the same as everyone else. Fans don't want "competitive." They want winners.

"He Who Shall No Longer be Mentioned" is not a winner. No team he has ever been the GM of has gotten better in his time there. Ask the Flames. The Wild are hamstrung for the foreseeable future while Chuck Fletcher first has to undo the damage caused by "He Who Shall No Longer be Mentioned" before he can then make the team better.

I likely should not take too much offense to the one obscure line in an otherwise very good post from Wysh, but anytime "He Who Shall No Longer be Mentioned" is given any kind of credit for anything, it makes my stomach turn.

-Buddha

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 @ Tampa Bay Lightning: Game Recap

nathaneide — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:31:51 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

about 1 month ago: Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) scores on Minnesota Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom (32), of Finland, during a shootout in an NHL hockey game Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009 in Tampa, Fla. The Lightning won the game 4-3. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 3-4 (so) Tampa Bay Lightning

Oh, if only the Wild could play in the East. For the second straight season the Minnesota Wild feast upon the Eastern Conference. Tonight, the up-tempo Wild made the Lightning look like the Wild from the first two weeks. Tampa Bay was turning the puck over time and again all night long, and were it not for the heroics of Antero Niittymaki, the score could have easily been closer to 7-2 or 8-2.

Of course, this season we have seen all too frequently what happens when the Wild don't go all out for all 60 minutes. Taking a nice 3-1 lead into the third period and outshooting the Lightning 23-13, the Wild gave up goal to Steve Downie on a bad turnover by Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Brodziak, then with Marek Zidlicky in the box, Ryan Malone scored with 14.7 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime. All that was remaining was the shootout winner for Steven Stamkos.

Unfortunately the best game of the season by Benoit Pouliot and James Sheppard, as well as a fantastic goal by Owen Nolan was wasted by the Wild's inability to stop the shorthanded floodgates and another bad turnover at the blueline leading to a goal. Too many times this season the Wild have given up turnovers only to see the red light lit.

Martin Havlat really needs to either get his head examined after the Kronwalling, or he needs to look in the mirror and tell his reflection that he's good enough, smart enough and if he SHOOTS THE PUCK people may like him.

Get ready for the Caps tomorrow. This was a bad, bad loss.

Oh, and in case you didn't see Owen Nolan's goal. Here's the reason he is going to be a hot commodity come March, and why he's my favorite member of the Minnesota Wild.

Please read the game recap over at Raw Charge

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Steven Stamkos (1 G, 1 A, 1 shootout winner)
Ryan Malone (1 G, 1 A)
Antero Niittymaki (31 saves)

Questions to Answer

The Wild seem to have found some kind of identity in the last 5 games, winning 4 of those. Trend or Mirage? Seems like a trend. Wish the Wild could play the East all the time.
Could it be that adding Owen Nolan to the Belanger-Havlat line, will be the spark Havlat needs? Well, it certainly seems to be the spark Nolan needed.
Johnsson was solid and showed little rust in his first game back in Toronto. Will he see a set-back tonight? Not at all. Great goal for Johnsson tonight.
Over/Under on shots on goal by Martin Havlat: 5
With Steven Stamkos looking so good in the early part of this season, can the Wild slow the kid down? Stamkos made a great play on the shorthanded goal by separating Shane Hnidy from the puck then getting in position to take the pass from Malone and burying it, then he added an assist and the eventual game winner. Nice to see the kid coming into his own.

On Player Availability

BReynolds — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:40:01 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

It's a bad picture, yes, but look at how excited the lady in the background is...

Browse more photos »

Big props going out to our resident hero, Michael Russo, today. In his blog, of which we are all aware, he gives us our daily information and then gives us something else. He gives us a little view inside the relationship between player and media.

I will not pull too much of his post to comment on, but here are some of the nuggets. Make sure you head over and read the entire post, and maybe buy a subscription to the Trib to support Russo's work.

That clip of Burns refusing to answer questions in full sentences and mumbling under his breath is what we get all the time after games -- when he's willing to come out and talk to us.

And I'm pretty sure Burns has been treated a little better in his tenure than James Sheppard has, yet Sheppard is constantly available, constantly willing to talk even though he knows what critical stories are being written on him.

The media exists not to be a nuisance. These are very well-paid professional athletes, and we are the liaison between the team and the fans. Part of a player's job is to be accountable to the fans who root them on, who pay their salaries!

...

That's Brent Burns' job. But he clearly doesn't think of it that way.

I'm sorry. This just had to be said. This might have just ruined my dealings with Brent Burns, but you know what, the next time he scores an overtime winner, you can bet that I'll be there to report on it happily.

As I said above. Big props to Russo for going out on the limb with this one. The public relationship between Burns and Russo has always been a positive one, and Burns has benefited from that positive coverage. Burns is a fan favorite both because of his physical play on the ice, and because the media has always portrayed him in a good light. If Russo, Bruce Brothers, and the sports columnists had called out Burns for the past three years, do you believe he would still have the cache he has now? No way.

Breaking it down, Burns had a terrible season last year. We all blamed it on Lemaire and the experiment with Burns at wing. With a concussion at the end of last season, there are ever more excuses for Burns' play this season. A league worst +/- rating, making Skoula-esque mistakes on nearly a game to game basis, and not showing much of the physical play we are accustomed to seeing.

Burns deserves to be called out. By media, by his coach, and by his teammates.

I remember a story I read last year, but do not remember who wrote it. If someone recognizes it, let me know. The story was discussing why bloggers are not allowed in the press box, and giving some justifications for that. One of the reasons was that beat writers, such as Russo, have to own up to any comments they make in print, and they have to show up in the locker room the next night and face the music. If Russo were to call out Derek Boogaard for taking a stupid penalty, he has to go in there and look Boogaard in the chest and take his proverbial lumps.That is Russo's job.

The correlation here is that players need to face the music, too. Russo mentions a couple players in the post that have done so.Not sure why players assume they don't need to. Granted, there is nothing in the contract that says they have to talk to the media. However, the last time I checked the testosterone meter, part of the deal with being a man is stepping up and not dodging the fight.

Burns has never backed down from a fight on the ice. Why would he do so in the locker room? I've met Russo. He's really not that scary. (Sorry Russo.)

Brent Burns will likely continue to be a fan favorite, despite his poor play. He has the personality for it. That said, if he will not own up to his poor play, and will not explain what the issue may be, then well informed fans will turn away from him.

There really are not many directions to take this story. Burns is playing poorly. Russo called him on it, and on his lack of public accountability. We can only hope that he is owning up to it with his teammates.

-Buddha

A Lone Star Friday

Yankee Canuck — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:14:56 -0000

Little known fact: Turco and Hordichuk are phenomenal dance partners.

View full size photo »

2:15 PM ET Update: Botchford (who you really should follow on Twitter) just reported that Cory Schneider will get the start in net tonight. And it also sounds like Neal is indeed out for Dallas.

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

Another gutsy performance from the duct tape B squad last night, with particular accolades finally due for the fourth line. If you remember Vancouver's last loss to Calgary, noted puck master Brian McGratton made Vancouver's sleepy defense and fourth liners pay for their soft coverage in letting him drive hard to the net. Last night, Blackout and crew finally got to practice that script: when James Sheppard made an awful clearing attempt in his own zone, it ended up on Hordichuk's stick who rifled a rocket past Backstrom. It was Blackout's first shot of the season (he ended up with 2 SOG last night, so his shooting percentage is a finely-tuned .500) and first goal in 50 games.

In the second game in his second campaign with the Orca, Mr. Petting Zoo potted a goal that, as Sean said, was very lucky and one Backstrom likely would have had if he was playing on top of his game. Nevertheless, it was the old adage of "put the puck on net" that worked and it turned into a huge goal to pad the lead by two and help end Backstrom's night a period early.

And Johnson? As Mike Russo noted, "Guy is taken off on a stretcher nine days ago, and he has an assist, wins 7 of 9 draws and blocks five shots." Not bad for a guy who doesn't belong in the NHL, eh?

So on a night when the team's best line (Kesler's) finished a combined -5, they found another group of heroes. And, once again, Raycroft played a strong game in net for his fourth win of the year. And best news of all: unless they're being coy, no one was injured. I'm as shocked as you are.

If the rumors are true, then it's likely that both Luongo and happy fists Hansen will slot in for Tuesday's game against the Blues. That means tonight - as they head into Big D to visit with their old coach and the rest of the Stars - could be the last time we'll see the B squad together. Based on the way they are playing, that may not be a good thing. As broken as they are with injuries, their game sure doesn't look broke so why fix it?

At any rate, the Canucks may grab a small break tonight if James Neal, the Stars' leading scorer, can't make it tonight because of a sore groin. The Stars may grab a small break if SOB returns from his suspension and AV decides to let him play again.

Dallas has lost three straight, including 2OTLs, and would probably love to blow up on Vancouver. They're only two points behind the Canucks and, with the exception of Neal, are finally healthy and getting contributions from a number of guys, including Richards, Morrow, Ribeiro and Eriksson. They are also getting Mike Modano back after an extended rib injury. In his first game back on Wednesday, the 39 year old center had roughly 15 minutes and some ample PP time, so expect more of him too. Turco is 4-2-4 with a .913 SV% and a 2.33 GAA.

A good preview is available from Andrew's Star Page which shows some side by side comparisons between the two. Good to see Vancouver has the edge in face-off wins so far (51.3% to 48.1%). Maybe Pudge will be the hero on the stat sheet right there.

As usual, more updates will be posted as we get them. If you see anything, throw them in the comments. For more on the Dallas side of things, do stroll on over to Defending Big D.

Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks: Game Recap

nathaneide — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:36:47 -0000

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 2-5 Vancouver Canucks

The Minnesota Wild, according to coach Todd Richards, are a team that needs to play with a sense of urgency. They simply aren't showing it and every single player on the roster needs to take a long hard look in the mirror and ask themselves what they can do to improve the play of the team overall.

Sure, Kyle Brodziak had two goals, Cal Clutterbuck was a +2 and had five hits, Niklas Backstrom has been the backbone of the franchise (even though he was pulled tonight) and Chuck Kobasew gives his all at both ends of the ice, but there isn't a single guy on the team who can't improve right now.

Martin Havlat is bordering on bust material and is a -12. Petr Sykora is ridiculously streaky. Brent Burns has kissed his Olympic hopes goodbye and sits at -13. Mikko Koivu can't motivate the team on his own and Erik Belanger went out early with an "upper-body injury." After two good wins over the Rangers and Penguins, one would hope this team would take a step forward, but tonight was a massive step in the wrong direction.

The positives tonight? Well both Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Brodziak continue to provide the kind of effort this team sorely lacks. Brodziak is cleaning up rebounds down low. Clutterbuck is providing energy to a lackluster team and trying to hit anything that moves. Brent Burns had an assist, giving him six points (2-4) in his last eight games.

The negatives? Backstrom had an off night, giving up four goals, including two softies. Martin Havlat was a pitiful -3. Derek Boogaard backed up three good games with a stupid double minor and was essentially benched the rest of the night. The Wild gave up an NHL-leading fourth shorthanded goal of the season.

I don't even know what to say at this point. Let's just put it aside and concentrate on Saturday when the Dallas Stars come to town.

Please read the game recap over at Nucks Misconduct

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Alexandre Burrows (1 G, 1 A)
Kyle Brodziak (2 G)
Alexander Edler (2 A)

Questions to Answer

Will the Wild be the first team to 10 losses, this time? Yes. But with Carolina and Toronto both having 7 points, the Wild aren't the worst team in the league.
Will the time off have a negative effect? They certainly came out slow against a team riddled with injuries.
Does putting a solid Nick Schultz on with Brent Burns allow Burnsie to get into the play without causing too many problems for Nik Backstrom? How about ZZ Top? Burns had an assist and was a 0. Nick Schultz was a -1. Greg Zanon was a 0 and blocked 2 shots. Marek Zidlicky had an assist and was a -1. Frankly, I like the new pairings, but they need to get comfortable.
Seriously, where the hell is Pouliot? Is he dead? Undisclosed concussion?
How long will James Sheppard be allowed to center that line, not perform, without someone else taking his minutes? Sheppard was a -1 in 14:30. He might as well not be on the ice.