SB Nation - Minnesota Wild

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche: Game Recap

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

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

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 3-4 Colorado Avalanche

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

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

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

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

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

Please read the game recap over at Mile High Hockey

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

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

Questions to Answer

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

Game 38 Recap: Avalanche 4 - Wild 3

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

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

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

Browse more photos »

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

Complete Coverage >

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How Erik Karlsson scored his first NHL goal

PeterR — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:00:49 -0000

It may have taken a little longer than he would have liked, or than many had expected, but Erik Karlsson scored his first NHL goal Saturday in the Ottawa Senators' 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild. How it happened will likely be forgotten if his career plays out as Senators fans and brass expect him to, but why not take a closer look at the play as it developed while it's still fresh in our minds.

It started off with a wrister from Karlsson. Bit of a weak-looking shot, with Karlsson sliding across the blue line, but he did what was most important: He hit the net.

(Read more... )

After Niklas Backstrom made the save, Joshua Hennessy and Peter Regin worked the front of the net. Minnesota defender Clayton Stoner appeared to hold a conversation with Backstrom, and Marek Zidlicky was bodied off the puck by Regin, who won the puck battle and drew the puck back to Alex Kovalev on the side boards.

With Kovalev on the sideboards, he draws left winger Cal Clutterbuck towards himself--and away from Karlsson's shooting lane--while settling down the puck. Once he's got it settled, he looks to Karlsson, and sets the rookie up with a perfect one-timer pass: A steady puck with a good pace, at just the right spot in front of Karlsson.

Cue the one-timer. We've heard a lot about Karlsson's slapshot, but haven't had much of an opportunity to really see him let one rip so far this season. This time, he made no mistake, and his timing--with a little help from a perfectly-placed pass from Kovalev, and some wingers drawn out of position (or just hesitant to block the shot), the puck got through.

Again in front of the net are Hennessy and Regin. Only Regin got a point on the goal, but both of them deserve some credit for winning that battle for the puck and for causing trouble in front of the net. For this second shot, Regin was right at the top of the crease, while Hennessy worked Zidlicky a little higher off the crease.

And a celebration ensues. It really looked like Kovalev wanted to get Karlsson that goal--in fact, it had kind of looked like the team had been working to get him his first for a few games now.

Might not be an amazing goal (wouldn't it have been spectacular if he'd scored on that breakaway a couple of games ago), but a first goal is a first goal. The fact that it was the fourth goal in a 4-1 victory won't likely matter much to him a few seasons from now.

Game 38 Preview: Avalanche at Wild

David Driscoll-Carignan — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:00:35 -0000


Colorado Avalanche	6 MT / 8 ET / 1 GMT	Minnesota Wild
20-11-6	December 21st, 2009	17-15-3
46 pts	Xcel Center	37 pts
3rd in West	St Paul, MN	11th in West

Here's an interesting question. The Avalanche are once again atop the NW division and currently sit in 3rd place in the Western Conference. After 37 games last year, the Avs were in 8th place in the conference, just a point ahead of, coincidentally enough, the Blue Jackets and the Wild. Clearly, they are greatly improved this year, right?

Are they? The Avs record through 37 games last year was 19-17-1 - this year's version has just one more win than last year's ticking time bomb had at this point. The biggest difference is that the Avs managed to get the stupid loser point 5 more times than last year's club. Essentially, if this league wasn't run by idiots, the Avs would basically be on the same pace as last year.

To this point, the Avs have 109 goals for and 107 goals against. Last year? 103 and 107. For all the talk of improvement, the Avs net change this year is 6 more goals scored. Goals against is exactly the same (no shock there: Anderson's 2.65 / .917 stats aren't all that different than Budaj's 2.74 / .903 through 37 games in '08).

The reality is, even with that white-hot October and an extended stay in the upper stratosphere of the standings, the Avs may not be all that much better than they were a year ago. This time last year they weren't a terrible team; they were a team struggling to find consistency, kind of like the '09 version that hasn't put 3 straight wins together since October 28th. There have certainly been some sparks, just as there some high points last fall.

In a recent game, Peter McNab guaranteed that the Avalanche would not have the 3rd overall pick again next year. That's not a sure thing yet, though, as improbable as it may sound. No one thought the Avalanche would be a lottery team at this point last year, but a 13-25-4 record over the final 45 games made it happen.

Where am I going with all this? The Avalanche are 0-2-2 against the Wild this year. The Wild sputtered out of the starting blocks this year, and the Avs gave away points that they shouldn't have given away. Now, Minnesota is gathering momentum (7-3-0 in the last 10). Minnesota has already clinched the season series against Colorado, which becomes critical in the not-as-unlikely-as-you-think event that these two finish the season tied in the standings.

On Saturday, the Avalanche may have been as close to the elusive 60-minute effort as they've been all year and are generally playing solid hockey with 5 wins in the last 7 games. Unfortunately, the two losses were stinkers against Capitals and, yes, the Wild. If the Avalanche are going to be serious about making a run at the playoffs this year, the Avs will need to eliminate those kinds of deep valleys from the itinerary. Plus, a win tonight guarantees that the Avalanche will stay in first in the NW through Christmas.

Avalanche vs Wild coverage

Hockey Wilderness

Today in Colorado Avalanche History: December 21st, 2007. David Jones makes his NHL debut against the New York Rangers.

Strong team play leads Senators to 4-1 win over Wild

Mark Parisi — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:41:53 -0000

More photos » by Adrian Wyld - AP

Browse more photos »

The Ottawa Senators stepped up their game tonight for goalie Mike "Not Martin" Brodeur, who made his NHL debut. Brodeur only let in one goal on 23 shots, but that didn’t matter as the team put up four goals to support him. Ottawa was strong in almost all facets of the game (except for one… you can guess now and see if you’re right later) and made what looked like a concerted effort to help out their young goaltender. Brodeur was not spectacular, but he did not need to be – defensemen were quick to jump on and clear rebounds, clear traffic in front of the net, and the team as a whole worked to keep shots to the outside.

I’m giving out praise like Halloween candy tonight, so let’s get right to it.

Sens Hero #1: Erik Karlsson.
Karlsson recorded his first NHL goal tonight, and it was well deserved. A player whose game has improved every night since his recall, it seems he is rewarding GM Bryan Murray’s faith in him. Karlsson weighs as much as my cat, but he already possesses a big time shot, and Alex Kovalev had the smarts to feed him. His first blast rebounded to Kovalev, who simply decided to pass to him again. His second shot did not miss. It is exciting to see Karlsson’s offensive vision develop. He is making smart plays more and more often, though he is far from perfect. If he can fill out his frame, his potential is very exciting to think about.

Sens Hero #2: Mike Brodeur.
Guy won his NHL debut and only let in one goal, come on. This alone is enough for hero status, but when the Wild started to buzz late in the third, he put together several great saves. The team then rallied behind him and used the momentum to generate a long stretch in Minnesota’s zone, effectively canceling all of the Wild’s hard work.

Sens Hero #3: Peter Regin.
Hamlet, like Karlsson, is riding a string of strong games lately. Regin put together a two-assist game tonight. He is probably not going to be a dominant goal scorer, but he is strong defensively and has some pretty decent offensive skills. If he can continue contributing at this level, he will be a player on the team for quite a while.

Sens Zeroes:
I have none tonight. How awesome is that?

One of these things is not like the other:
Mike Fisher and Jonathan Cheechoo both scored their 300^th point tonight. Way to go, guys!

Oh, hello there:
Milan Michalek scored the game-winning goal tonight, snapping a nine-game goalless drought. It was a snap shot, changing up from his previous pattern of goals from in front of the net. It’s nice to see a reminder that he can score from many different places on the ice. The goal was also his team-leading 16^th.

Anyone else notice?
Ottawa has done a really good job of limiting team’s shots recently. Teams that are averaging 30 shots a game are playing the Senators and only coming away with 22 or 23.

Sens Killers: Ottawa’s Power Play.
Another 0-for effort tonight, as the Senators went 0-for-6 on with the man advantage. Don’t worry, guys, it’s not like special teams matter in the playoffs or anything. Is Clouston even working on this with the team?

Jealous of Picard?
Anton Volchenkov opened the scoring tonight with an awesome shot. Anytime the Android scores, it’s fun to see, and he ripped a shot for a goal tonight. But that wasn’t good enough for him, as he took another shot that was also a good scoring opportunity. In addition, Volchenkov and Chris Phillips were +3 tonight, supporting three different goal-scoring lines tonight.

Shot Chart from the game:

Game highlights:

Mike Brodeur in net tonight

DarrenM — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:07:59 -0000

via www.rds.ca, used without permission

Mike "Not Martin" Brodeur starts in net tonight against the Minnesota Wild. Somewhere, user Ryan Classic just shed a tear of happiness. Somewhere else, a misinformed hockey fan believes the Senators' starting goalie is trying to break Terry Sawchuk's shootout record tonight.

Minnesota Wild Equipment Destroyed

Joe Dunman — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:56:56 -0000

This is probably bad.

The equipment van of the Minnesota Wild has apparently caught fire and most of the team's gear has been destroyed. Obviously, this is a big deal.

The four most recent updates from the Twitter account of hockey reporter Bob McKenzie:

Minnesota Wild equipment van was in an accident, caught fire and much of the Wild players' equipment has been burned so badly it's toast.

No injuries in the accident, apparently, but if u know anything about NHL players and equipment, especially skates, players are apoplectic.

Wearing a brand new pair of skates or new equipment in an NHL regular season game is no player's idea of fun.

Nik Backstrom's equipment, all of it apparently, is up in smoke. Wild checking with the league to see what their options are. Unprecedented.

UPDATE: Photos available here, here and here. And also here.

Minnesota Wild equipment truck burns in Scotiabank Place parking lot

nathaneide — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:42:04 -0000

The Minnesota Wild suffered an off-ice loss as much of their equipment went up in flames after the team's practice on 12/18

View full size photo »

The truck carrying the Minnesota Wild's equipment caught fire following today's practice at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa. Almost everything was lost, and the Wild's equipment and training team is scrambling to take an inventory and get back to Minneapolis.

It'll be interesting to see what the actual cause of the fire was (Flame war with A2Y gone bad?) and what ramifications it will have on tomorrow's game with the Senators. New skates, new pads, new sticks. Chances are there will be a lot of uncomfortable players.

This is taking "red-hot" to an entirely new level.

We'll keep you up to date as new information surfaces.

Thanks to @boomer960 for the photos!

Minnesota Wild @ Montreal Canadiens: Game Recap

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

More photos » by Paul Chiasson - AP

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

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.

No Slump For Avalanche Sophomore Stewart

Joe Dunman — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:38:08 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

about 1 month ago: Colorado Avalanche right winger Chris Stewart, front, heads back to the team box after scoring a goal against Chicago Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi, left, of Finland, during the shootout period of the Avalanche's 4-3 shootout victory in an NHL hockey game in Denver on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009. The score by Stewart proved to be the game-winner for the Avalanche. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Browse more photos »

On November 28, Avalanche fans sighed deeply when early-season revelation David Jones went down with a torn ACL. In just 23 games, Jones had scored ten goals and sixteen points, and had become a 20+ minute-a-game fixture on the right wing of the second line. His season-ending injury meant one less major offensive contributor for a young team still trying to regain its impressive October momentum.

The last player expected to step up and fill Jones' skates was Chris Stewart. From October 30 to November 20, the 22 year-old Avalanche sophomore hadn't scored a single point, and managed only nine total shots on goal. During that ten-game drought, Coach Joe Sacco had reduced Stewart's ice time from fifteen minutes a night to less than ten.

But just before his fellow right winger Jones went down, something started to click for Stewart. On November 23, despite playing under eight minutes, Stewart assisted on a Cody McLeod goal that gave the Avalanche a 3-2 advantage over the Flyers. The team would go on to hold that lead and win 5-4. The next game, an overtime loss to the Predators, Stewart had another assist. Against the Wild on November 27, Stewart scored a goal and assisted on a Paul Stastny power play tally.

Then Jones went down, and the solid Avalanche right wing suddenly seemed as weak as the left.

Coach Sacco moved Stewart into a heavier rotation to fill the hole left by Jones, and he was quickly rewarded. Since the game against the Lightning on November 30, Stewart has scored multiple points in four games out of nine. Not bad for a player who scored just 19 points in 53 games last season. In fact, since the end of his ten-game drought, Stewart has scored 15 points in 13 games, and has fired 39 shots on goal. His ice time now ranges between 18 and 20 minutes a game, more than twice what it was during his dry period.

After a long, unsteady development, Chris Stewart finally seems comfortable in his skates. He's using his size to control the puck better, to hit harder, and to create more scoring chances than he ever has in the past. He's been an invaluable replacement for the injured David Jones, and Coach Sacco has recognized this by rewarding Stewart with more ice time and more time on the power play. Stewart is finally starting to look like the talented power forward the scouts have long predicted he would become.

ADDENDUM: Yahoo Sports has taken notice of Stewart, too. He's now listed as "Hot" (down Beachie) on their Fantasy tracker: