SB Nation - Nick Schultz

Minnesota Wild @ Montreal Canadiens: Game Recap

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

More photos » by Paul Chiasson - AP

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

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 3-1 Montreal Canadiens

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

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

Questions to Answer

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

Game 34 Preview: Jackets get Wild

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

More photos » by Terry Gilliam - AP

Browse more photos »

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 @ Washington Capitals: Game Recap

nathaneide — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:42:49 -0000

More photos » by Evan Vucci - AP

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 1-3 Washington Capitals

Sometimes you play a team against whom you look silly. Tonight could have easily been that night. The Washington Capitals were faster, passed better, had more shots, played better in transition and crashed the net all night long. Were it not for Josh Harding's fantastic play, and guys diving in front of rebounds to clear them out, it could have been an ugly, ugly night.

The Wild looked good early. They controlled play, dominated in the neutral zone and were poised to score at any moment. Nick Schultz then took a tripping minor. At that point, Washington took over and was buzzing. Minnesota was thankful to get out of the first period scoreless. It looked like that luck was going to continue into the second period. Starting on the power play, the Wild were again carrying the play and just seconds after Chris Clark came back onto the ice from a bench minor for too many men, Cal Clutterbuck came streaking up the wing and rifled home a laser beam, putting Minnesota up 1-0. Washington answered the call right away, ratcheting up the intensity, and 4:08 later, with Antti Miettinen in the box for high-sticking, Mike Green showed what it means to "activate the defense", streaking through the low slot for a nice power play goal, tying the game at 1. Washington continued to pour it on, and Josh Harding continued to stem the tide, and the period ended 1-1 with the shots 31-16.

Minnesota knew that they had to play a tight game, take advantage of their opportunities, try to apply pressure to Semyon Varlamov and get the early goal. Things, however, did not go as planned. 2:00 into the period, Brian Pothier snapped home his second goal of the season. The Wild fought and clawed their way back into the game with 14 shots in the third period, but an empty net goal by Brooks Laich sealed the deal.

Tough loss for Josh Harding, who did everything in his power to win the game. It was nice to see Martin Havlat amass eight shots on goal, now he just needs to remember how to finish.

This wasn't a game many were expecting to win, even with Alex Ovechkin out of the lineup, but the Wild played admirably. Let's see if they can jump on a horrible Carolina team on Sunday.

Please read the game recap over at Japer's Rink

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Josh Harding (40 shots, 38 saves)
Mike Green (1 G)
Semyon Varlamov (31 shots, 30 saves)

Questions to Answer

A solid game last night turned into a bad loss in the third period. Will the Wild get a turnaround, or slide from that emotional loss? Minnesota came out hot. They controlled play early and didn't give up a shot on goal until almost 7:00 into the game. However, everything changed on the first power play. Shots were 39-23 from that point.
With Alex Ovechkin out, can the Wild succeed in slowing the rest of the Washington offense? Thanks to Josh Harding and a group of collapsing d-men and diving forwards clearing rebounds all night, they did a reasonably decent job on the score, but Washington absolutely controlled play.
Josh Harding hasn't started since losing on October 16 in Edmonton. Will he show signs of rust? No. He was brilliant.
Will the Boogaard - Sheppard - Pouliot line show great energy and create scoring chances again tonight? Alas, we did not see them together. Boogaard only had 5:30 against a ridiculously fast Washington team, but Sheppard and Pouliot and Pouliot played a decent game.
Can Owen Nolan keep up his excellent play of the last few games? The squad needs him to keep at it. Nolan had 4 shots on goal and looked poised to score all night.

Minnesota Wild vs. Dallas Stars: Game Recap

nathaneide — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:36:07 -0000

More photos » by Paul Battaglia - AP

about 1 month ago: Minnesota Wild center Mikko Koivu (9) is congratulated by teammates Marek Zidlicky, center, of the Czech Republic, and Andrew Brunette (15) after scoring against the Dallas Stars during the first period in an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 in St. Paul. The Wild won 3-2. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 3-2 Dallas Stars

Apparently the Wild learned something either from Todd Richards' rant or from watching tape of the 5-2 loss to the Canucks. Either way, they came out gangbusters in the first period tonight against the Dallas Stars. Cal Clutterbuck started the scoring by turning the tables on the Stars and instead of giving up the shorty, the Wild got one of their own. Later in the period, Mikko Koivu got back on the scoresheet with a nice goal on Marek Zidlicky's 8th assist of the season. It seems like an eternity since the Wild held a first period lead, but when you outshoot a team 17-4 in a period, chances are pretty good you'll have the lead at the end.

The second period, however, had things a bit tense around the X. Dallas took advantage of a Mikko Koivu hooking penalty and Loui Eriksson scored on a deflection off Nick Schultz, then with Brent Burns in the box for interference (his third minor on the night) Mike Ribeiro and Brad Richards made a beautiful play to set up Eriksson for his second power play goal of the period. With the game tied at 2, the crowd got behind the Wild and at 18:12 of the second period, Zidlicky broke his scoreless streak wristing home a pass from Kyle Brodziak off Niklas Grossman for the eventual game winner. It was nice to see the Wild get a good break after the tough one earlier.

The Wild would go on to apply more pressure in the third, outshooting the Stars 11-7, but neither team would be able to score in the final frame.

All-in-all, this was the best 60 minutes of the season, marred only by the two power-play goals, and one of those was a fluky bounce off Schultz. It was nice to see the Wild outshoot the Stars tonight 37-21

Please read the game recap over at Defending Big D

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Marek Zidlicky (1 G, 1 A)
Loui Eriksson (2 G)
Mikko Koivu (1 G)

Questions to Answer

The trend of backups playing against the Wild seems to have begun, with Alex Auld getting the start over Marty Turco. Can the Wild take advantage of this? The Wild certainly applied pressure on Auld, getting to him early and ripping shots from all over the ice.
Will Michael Russo's ripping of Brent Burns have a positive effect on Burns' performance? Well, he had 8 PIM, so he was clearly irritated with someone.
Can Kyle Brodziak continue his solid play of the past few games? Brodziak had a nice game and added another assist.
Will Owen Nolan break out and start scoring down low again? Afraid not. I'm starting to wonder if he's showing his age.
With leading scorer James Neal out injured, can the Wild keep the Stars offense in check? Aside from Loui Eriksson on the power play, the Wild did a great job defensively tonight.

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.

Minnesota Wild vs. Carolina Hurricanes: Game Recap

nathaneide — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:23:47 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

about 1 month ago: Minnesota Wild's Greg Zanon, left, and Cal Clutterbuck celebrate Clutterbuck's game-winning goal in overtime against the Carolina Hurricanes in an NHL hockey game Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009 in St. Paul, Minn. The Wild won 3-2. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 3-2 (ot) Carolina Hurricanes

Apparently the Wild want the fans to get more than their money worth at Xcel Energy Center. All three of the Wild's home games this season have gone into overtime, with the Wild winning all three.

The Hurricanes opened the game well, moving up and down the ice, controlling play and keeping the Wild from getting a shot until the 7:20 mark, including a shot-less power play, and only a Ray Whitney power play gave the Wild an opportunity to finally get into the groove. After Joni Pitkanen made a great play down low to feed Ray Whitney who slid the puck across the crease for an easy, but beautiful, Sergei Samsonov tap-in for a 1-0 lead on the power play, did the Wild start to apply pressure.

Tim Conboy took an ill-advised roughing penalty for punching Cal Clutterbuck well after the whistle after Clutterbuck crashed toward the net to get a rebound, then John Scott came in, pulled Conboy off Clutterbuck and dropped the gloves only to have the linesman send Scott away, breaking up the fight before it happened. Frankly, it was a crap move by the linesman. They were both ready to go, but by sending Scott away after he dropped the gloves the refs evened up the calls, sending Scott to the box for unsportsmanlike conduct. While skating 4 on 4 Aaron Ward was whistled for high-sticking, putting the Wild up 4 on 3, and Andrew Brunette did what he does best, scoring down low on the power play. This goal really sparked the team, and they started picking up the play.

On the next shift, it was clear that both Scott and Conboy were jawing in the boxes, as they dropped the gloves after the drop of the puck. The two former WCHA foes (Scott of Michigan Tech and Conboy of St. Cloud State) faced off and Conboy may think he's a bruiser (listed at 6'2", 210), but Scott (6'8", 258) destroyed him, connecting time and again, andConboy hung on for dear life, trying to protect his head. Scott received a rousing ovation from the announced crowd of 18,215.

Shots in the first ended at 9-9. The Wild were definitely carrying momentum into the second period. In fact, just 1:51 into the second period, Kyle Brodziak raced to a loose puck, beating the Carolina defense, making a slick move, dekeing around Cam Ward, getting him down and sliding the puck into the open net on the backhand. It was a fantastic move by a guy who had been providing energy all season for Minnesota. It was Brodziak's first goal as a member of the Wild and his first overall since March 27 of last season as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. Joni Pitkanen then silenced the crowd, taking another nice pass from Ray Whitney and beating a helpless Niklas Backstrom, knotting the game at 2. It was the second point of the night for both Pitkanen and Whitney.

The third period was back and forth, neither team really getting a lot of chances, but Carolina had the better ones, unfortunately for them, the Wild still had Backstrom. He was stellar tonight, making stops that most goaltenders simply could not make. It looked like things were heading toward a Hurricane victory until Pitkanen lost his head. He and Clutterbuck were skating up the ice trying to get back into the play when Cal must've said something to which Pitkaned took offense, because right in front of the Wild bench, Pitkanen hit Clutterbuck with a back elbow and the back ref raised his hands. Everyone in the arena saw it, Pitkanen committed one of the dumbest penalties I've ever seen. The Wild then took control on the power play, but couldn't get things to click and Eric Staal took a long pass after yet another Wild turnover, broke toward Backstrom, but Nik was once again up to the task, stoning him with less than a minute left. In the crowd, you could feel the points slipping away as Staal broke in on Backstrom, but Nik saved the game.

The Wild controlled play heading into the overtime, gaining momentum from the idiotic penalty on Pitkanen. It only took 1:55 for Greg Zanon to ring the post, the deflection to hit Clutterbuck in the face, then Cal dove across the open crease and, laid out on his belly, swung his stick at the puck and ....

Welcome back Cal. We missed you.

Tonight's game was a closely battled affair, in which Niklas Backstrom earned his salary, saving the Wild defensemen time and again, including robbing Eric Stall three times, with the biggest coming on a shorthanded breakaway with around a minute left in play.

Realistically, the 3-2 score shouldn't have been that close. Aside from Backstrom coming up huge time and again, the Hurricanes took 10 penalties, giving the Wild seven power plays, in which the Wild only scored once, and looked anemic on three others. I have to think this will get straightened out once Richards figures out who to have out there. Frankly, Shane Hnidy and Nick Schultz should never be on the power play. Those two were just terrible, and when they were paired together, the power play never clicked.

Time to take what the team learned from tonight and see if they can get their first road win of the season at Chicago.

Please read the game recap over at Canes Country

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Cal Clutterbuck (1 G)
Kyle Brodziak (1 G)
Niklas Backstrom (25 saves)

Questions to Answer

Will the Wild look lethargic on the back-to-back? Well, if no shots until the 7:00+ gone in the period is lethargic, then yeah. Luckily they picked up play after Carolina scored..
Can Petr Sykora's return help Martin Havlat? Umm, Havlat and Sykora were kept in check all night.
Is putting Kobasew on the top line going to help Koivu find some space? Not only did Kobasew's effort and hustle give Koivu some space, but, combined with Clutterbuck and Brodziak, they sparked the rest of the team to start driving for the net.
With no Steve Yzerman in the building, will Brent Burns relax and find his game? Burns looked better tonight, but still had periods of time where he would seemingly forget how to play defense. However, his offensive game was fabulous tonight.
Since Kim Johnsson is out, who will take his huge minutes? Marek Zidlicky had 27:02 TOI, but the guy sitting behind me wanted him in the press box all night. Burns had 24:31 and Greg Zanon had 24:13 of stellar defensive play. He's a lifesaver for this team. Nick Schultz only had 20:49, but that was surprising, since it seemed like he was always out there.

Minnesota Wild @ Vancouver Canucks: Game Recap

nathaneide — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 06:20:24 -0000

More photos » by DARRYL DYCK - AP

2 months ago: Vancouver Canucks' Steve Bernier, right, watches a shot by teammate Mikael Samuelsson, not pictured, of Sweden, gets past Minnesota Wild's Niklas Backstrom, center, of Finland, and Mikko Koivu, left, of Finland, during third period of their NHL hockey game in Vancouver, B.C., on Saturday Oct. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck)

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 1-2 Vancouver Canucks

Yet another tight game between the Wild and Canucks. Unfortunately, the Canucks continued the trend started last season, defeating the Wild 2-1 in Vancouver to give the Wild an 0-5 West Coast swing. Minnesota got out to a nice first period defensively, playing a tight game, keeping mistakes to a minimum but didn't get their first shot until the game was almost nine minutes old. Just 90 seconds after their first shot, the tight checking Wild took advantage as Mikko Koivu took a feed from Andrew Brunette and put the Wild on the board. The assist extended Brunette's point streak to 7 games. The teams traded shots for the rest of the period, but it ended with the Wild up 1-0 while being outshot 10-4.

However, Minnesota couldn't capitalize on the lead, as 4:23 into the frame Ryan Kesler took advantage of a stickless Niklas Backstrom and banked one in off his leg as Backstrom attempted to get the pad on the post. The Canucks completely dominated the second period, but Backstrom kept the Wild in the game as the period ended 1-1 even though the shot totals were 27-8 in favor of Vancouver.

To open the third, Vancouver came out flying. James Sheppard took a roughing call as he was trying to clear the slot, and Vancouver was buzzing on the ensuing power play. Just as Sheppard stepped onto the ice, Alex Burrows fired a shot that Backstrom deflected, but unfortunately all four penalty killers were on the strong side of the ice as Mikael Samuelsson crashed unabated to the net and buried the rebound over a sprawling Backstrom.

At that point, the Wild took more and more chances and turned up the pressure, but Roberto Luongo was up to the task. He made numerous nice saves on power play shots by Brent Burns, Antti Miettinen and a game saver on Andrew Brunette as the puck trickled just past the post.

The Wild power play was seriously deficient tonight, but it looked to be a result of chemistry, comfortability and personnel more than anything else. I'm not sure why Nick Schultz is on the power play, nor do I get why Marek Zidlicky (he was responsible for covering Samuelsson on the weak side on the goal) is on the penalty kill. But, chalk this one up to Richards becoming better acquainted with the team. I'm not horribly disturbed by this trend, so long as it is rectified. They had good chances, but didn't connect on the passes down low and spent too long looking for the pretty play as Owen Nolan and Brunette were getting manhandled in the low slot.

Positives from tonight:

Nathan Smith on the PK. I was wondering what the hell a career AHLer was doing on special teams, but Smith was fantastic on the kill. Played great positionally, didn't try to do too much with the puck and cleared the zone.
Shane Hnidy down low. He was one of few Wild defensemen who hit everything he saw in the slot, and the Sheriff did a great job keeping the Canucks from creating too many problems for Backstrom.
Benoit Pouliot. This is two games in a row where I've liked what I've seen from Pouliot. He played physically in his own end, made smart plays in the offensive zone and gave good effort on each shift. He was rewarded for his good game in Edmonton (career high TOI of 15+) with 14:23 time on ice and will likely get more as he continues to show his worth. I also liked what I saw on the bench. Pouliot and Koivu were talking and Mikko did a great job of keeping Pouliot's head in the game and pointing out what went on during his shifts. That's why no matter who has the C, Mikko is the captain.

Time for the Wild to get home, watch tape of these five games, learn from their mistakes and get up for the Avalanche on Wednesday.

Please read the game recap over at Nucks Misconduct.

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Ryan Kesler (1 G)
Niklas Backstrom (37 saves)
Alexandre Burrows (1 A)

Questions to Answer

In the battle of underperforming teams, which one performs to their expectations? Frankly, both teams looked as if they were out of sync and missing major components. That said, the Wild didn't look horrible tonight, nor did the Canucks. Were it not a back to back, the WIld may have had some more gas at the end, but they looked exhausted.
Can the Wild take advantage of the large number of shots and turn some into scoring chances by crashing the net? Well, they didn't quite match the # of shots from last game in Edmonton, and didn't have a huge # of scoring chances, but it looked to be because of miscommunication and lack of chemistry rather than lack of effort. There were some nice plays around the net, but lots of centering attempts going into areas where someone should be, but there was nobody there.
Which Roberto Luongo shows up tonight? The good one. He was very tough tonight. Played the angles well, was great with the puck and kept the rebounds to a minimum.
Can Brent Burns find his game? Burns looked lost out there. It's like he's trying to do everything himself. He needs these few days off to get himself settled down and play within himself.
With no Pierre-Marc Bouchard on the ice, who will Alexandre Burrows try to kill? I guess with no PMB, Burrows stops playing chippy.

Minnesota Wild @ Anaheim Ducks: Game Recap

nathaneide — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:32:43 -0000

More photos » by Francis Specker - AP

2 months ago: Anaheim Ducks' Corey Perry, center, is congratulated by teammates on the bench after scoring a goal against the Minnesota Wild in the first period of an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, Calif. on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Francis Specker)

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 2-3 Anaheim Ducks

And the hits just keep on coming. Another first period, another game in which the Wild seem to have left their brains in the locker room and quickly find themselves down 2-0. Each goal was more embarrassing than the previous. Neutral zone turnovers, defensive lapses, Czech superstars who show less interest in their own end of the ice less than Slovak superstars, Slovak Superstars who apparently left their paper mache groin for Czech superstars to use while here (Yes, Martin Havlat is day to day with a groin injury. I'm getting my "Told You So" post all ready). It's all bad right now for the Wild, and there are no signs of improvement.

This team is in complete disarray. Is it the new system? Is it fundamentals? Is it the lack of a captain? Lack of talent? Lack of heart? Bad coaching? Bad attitudes? Well, let's ask Russo:

Tonight wasn’t about a team in transition. Tonight was about a team that in the first period couldn’t win a puck battle, couldn’t make a play in the offensive zone and was just mindless at times in its own zone, and especially in the neutral zone.

Yeah. That sums it up for me. This is a team lost, adrift in a sea of NHLers who know what the hell they're supposed to do when they take the ice. The beginning of this season has not been a problem of learning a new system, it's a problem of craptastic fundamentals, and things need to change in a hurry. We can handle the growing pains, we can't handle a team that doesn't try, then when they do they f*&k it all up.

I don't even know what to say. There are bad stretches, then there are stretches when you are done with the game and can't figure out why you bother watching, then there are the ones you watch for 15 minutes then shut off the TV because it's not just one thing going badly, it's virtually everything on the ice, and the coach is seething on the bench and the players are going through the motions and you wonder if the players all need to be arrested for theft, because they aren't earning NHL paychecks right now.

Onto Edmonton. Hopefully Richards throws someone through a wall.

Go over to Anaheim Calling to see what they have to say about it.

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Corey Perry (2 G)
Ryan Carter (1 G)
Jonas Hiller (33 saves)

Questions to Answer

Can Sheppard and Pouliot pick up their play, especially since the team needs them more than ever? Nope. Sheppard was inconsistent and Pouliot was Pouliot.
Can Nathan Smith and Andy Hilbert provide anything? Richards liked their effort. Guess there's something to be said for heart.
Do the new d-pairings shore-up the blue line? Can't pin this entirely on the defense, and Nick Schultz was a +2 on the evening.
Do the Wild dig themselves another hole? Yes, that's precisely what they did. This team is a mental midget right now.
Will the Ryans strike again? Anaheim certainly can be fun to watch when they're pushing it, and the three Ryans are having fun against the Wild.

Minnesota Wild @ Los Angeles Kings: Game Recap

nathaneide — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:14:26 -0000

More photos » by Jason Redmond - AP

2 months ago: Los Angeles Kings' Ryan Smyth, from left, Jack Johnson and Anze Kopitar celebrate after Smyth scored against the Minnesota Wild during the first period of their NHL hockey game in Los Angeles on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 3-6 Los Angeles Kings

This was exactly not the way to start a West Coast road trip. In just over three minutes, the Wild did everything wrong. They were out of position defensively, allowed the Kings to roam free, screened Josh Harding on seemingly every shot and didn't clear anyone from the low slot. The result is that, once again, the Wild found themselves down 3-0 at the end of the first period.

Tonight, there would be no comeback. While Martin Havlat finally got his first goal in a Wild uniform, the Wild had no answer for Ryan Smyth, Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and the rest of the Kings. Nick Schultz got the Wild to 4-2 down at the end of the second period with a power play goal, and Kim Johnsson fired a nice shot under the crossbar 6:34 into the third period to get them within one at 4-3, but once again the Wild fell asleep in the defensive zone, allowing Teddy Purcell and Ryan Smyth to score just 36 seconds apart to blow it open at 6-3.

So, what went wrong? Well, Josh Harding can't be entirely to blame, though he was very not good tonight, stopping only 17 of 23 shots. The Wild forwards did their job in the offensive zone, playing a reasonably decent game, getting adequate pressure and scoring three times, but they were nowhere to be found in their own zone. They were almost too aggressive on the forecheck, then couldn't get back to play the proper positioning in the defensive zone. It was as if they worried entirely too much about playing the system correctly, but only one way. Time and again they left it up to the defense to handle the entire job of stopping the Kings and starting the transition.

If they want this new system to be successful, they cannot forget that there are two ends of the ice. Let's hope tonight was an anomaly, because if it wasn't, the sellout streak will end before Thanksgiving.

Oh, and Benoit Pouliot again was absolutely terrible. Seemingly uncaring with and without the puck. His 7:07 TOI was second lowest, with only John Scott (who cannot play forward at all) behind him at 4:13. And as much as they may want to be together, Petr Sykora and Martin Havlat are absolutely terrible together if they don't have the puck.

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Ryan Smyth (2 G, 1 A)
Anze Kopitar (1 G, 2 A)
Justin Williams (1 G, 2 A)

Questions to Answer

Will the Wild build on a solid 3rd period? Nope, if anything they regressed below where they were before the 3rd period Tuesday night.
Will Martin Havlat continue to be an assist machine? Havlat is fantastic with the puck and in the offensive zone, but he needs someone who backchecks like crazy because he may be worse defensively (at least tonight) than Marian Gaborik ever was. He needs to be with Koivu and maybe Clutterbuck.
Can the Wild get the Kings monkey off their back (0-4 last season against L.A.) Nope. They cannot handle this team for some reason.
Does Josh Harding begin showcasing himself tonight? Definitely. I think the Florida Everblades scout was drooling.
Can they kick off the West Coast Swing with a win? Nope. Crap fest.

Daily Links: Bouchard back; Who backs up Koivu?: Wild players generous; Johnsson a family man and more

nathaneide — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:47:11 -0000

Players give suites to kids - TwinCities.com
Following the lead of former Wild star Marian Gaborik, five Wild players have purchased three of the 66 Xcel Energy Center suites and are dispensing tickets for those suites to charitable causes this season. Goalie Niklas Backstrom, who joined Mikko Koivu and Nick Schultz to purchase one of the suites, said the trio is giving the tickets away because "everybody in our locker room, all the hockey players, know how fortunate they are to play here."

Competition is brisk at center behind Koivu | StarTribune.com
Opening night is Saturday, yet one of the Wild's biggest questions heading into training camp has yet to be answered: Who will be the Wild's No. 2 center behind Mikko Koivu? "It's wide open. It truly is," coach Todd Richards said Sunday. "We really thought [James] Sheppard had a great game [Friday] in Chicago. He scored a goal. He was on the ice when [Martin] Havlat scored.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard is back on the ice for the Minnesota Wild - TwinCities.com
With just one exhibition game remaining, Richards is still waiting to see his full team on the ice. He said forwards Mikko Koivu and Andrew Brunette and defenseman Shane Hnidy, all slowed by assorted injuries last week, are expected to play against the Flyers on Tuesday night in Philadelphia. Richards said he's hopeful defenseman Kim Johnsson also will be there.

Wild getting regulars back for exhibition finale at Philadelphia - TwinCities.com
When the Wild play the Flyers in Philadelphia tonight in their final exhibition game, they will be the closest to full strength since Todd Richards took over as coach this summer. In the lineup for the first time under Richards will be forwards Mikko Koivu and Andrew Brunette, and winger Petr Sykora returns after missing three games because of an ankle injury. "This is pretty much our team," Richards said Monday. "This will be our best measuring stick to date."

Will patience last when Wild needs to start out fast? | StarTribune.com
Tonight in Philadelphia, coach Todd Richards and his players get their last chance to check their progress without points on the line. But the need for patience in an innately impatient profession will remain. The trick for Richards and company will be to indulge it as much as they can, without losing ground early in what promises to be another tooth-and-nail Western Conference playoff chase.

What We Learned: 20 bold predictions for the NHL season - Puck Daddy - NHL - Yahoo! Sports
12. Cal Clutterbuck will finally dump the visor to earn Don Cherry's respect.

Johnsson right at home in Wild system | StarTribune.com
Johnsson's life consists of two different worlds, and he prefers them not colliding. Johnsson and his wife, Jeanette, have two daughters, Filippa, 6, and Felicia, 3, and "when I'm not here, I'm with my kids," Johnsson says. "When you get older, you realize why you play and you realize the career is very, very short. I go home to my kids, and there's no time to think about bad games and good games because you're just dad."

Russo’s Rants " Monday practice update; Johnsson extra
The news is getting better for the Wild, which is slowly getting players back on the ice. Petr Sykora and Kim Johnsson are practicing this morning. The only players not practicing are Benoit Pouliot, who was expected to be sidelined at least a week with a groin, and Derek Boogaard. Pierre-Marc Bouchard is practicing for a second day in a row. The traveling party hasn’t been determined as of yet.