It is an absolute dream come true for any hockey player, to finally reach the NHL even if its a few games which is the chance so very few ever get. A “cup of coffee” is what its called and you have to wonder what it must be like for Elk River’s Nate Prosser who is going to get his NHL debut tonight. Prosser, who just graduated from Colorado College after playing for the Tigers for four seasons signs a pro deal with his hometown team and now gets to live that dream that he may have had when he first laced up his skates in the little stone warming house in the “Pit” in Elk River. Prosser no doubt looked up at the picture of other Elk River greats like Joel Otto kissing the Stanley Cup as a member of the 1989 Cup winning Calgary Flames and Dan Hinote who won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001, and then went up through the program seeing current New Jersey Devil Paul Martin win the coveted Mr. Hockey an award in 2000. Prosser himself was a strong high school player under the tuteledge of Tony Sarsland, as the Elks’ on-ice minutes leader and a quality power play quarterback who played a similar style of game to Martin. In fact I vividly remember Prosser dressing for the Elks, and playing in the Xcel Energy Center during a holiday tournament.
As an Elk River native it makes me immensely proud to see another hometown kid make it to the NHL but to even get a “Cup of Coffee” with the Wild makes it that much sweeter. The fact Prosser is getting his shot is a testament to the onslaught of injuries the Wild have dealt with the last few games. Although I doubt Nate Prosser will really care as to the circumstances how he gets into his first NHL game. So will the Wild have enough to beat the lowly Oilers or will Minnesota give their fans something to cheer about in an awful season?
The Wild did not have good energy and pace to start the game and Edmonton seemed to want it more early out of the gate and it came as no surprise as they dictated play. Minnesota was chasing the Oilers and they’d find the back of the net less than 2 minutes into the game as a lazy effort by Martin Havlat led to a turnover near the Wild blueline by Ryan Potulny who passed it back to Taylor Chorney who delivered a nice diagonal pass to a wide open Dustin Penner who buried a quick snap shot by Niklas Backstrom to give Edmonton a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later, AHL journeyman Dean Arsene delivered left his feet to catch James Sheppard with his head down near the Oilers’ bench and immediately after that John Scott skated over to try to settle the score as he dropped the gloves. Arsene, the AHL veteran and long-time Hershey Bear wanted absolutely nothing to do with a fight with Scott who was already throwing big right hands and he quickly turtled. Scott would earn a 2-minute instigator, and a 10-minute game misconduct to go along with the 5-minute major for fighting as Andrew Brunette served big defenseman’s instigator. Luckily the Wild were able to kill off the Oilers’ power play with ease. Shortly after the big kill, the Wild drew a power play thanks to some nice hustle by Robbie Earl who was tripped up by Jason Strudwick. Yet the first power play of the game would be about as effective as the first power play was last night in Vancouver as the Oilers would find a way to score shorthanded. Getting caught pinching in the offensive zone, the Oilers would steal the puck after an errant pass and former Bloomington Jefferson star Tom Gilbert would fling a long pass to Ethan Moreau who snuck behind Martin Havlat who fell asleep while playing the point and made only a token effort to skate back into the play and the Edmonton captain would race into the Wild zone and fire a wrist shot that squeaked through the pads of Backstrom to give his team a 2-0 lead. It was the 13th shorthanded goal the Wild had given up in the season, leading the league in this very dubious category. Minnesota would not do much else with the remainder of their power play time and it was clear the shorthanded goal had served to demoralize the team. The Wild would try to answer back as Cal Clutterbuck started to assert himself by blasting some shots on goal but Devan Dubnyk was quick with the glove hand to take those chances away. Minnesota’s defense continued to have lapses even if it wasn’t intentional as rookie Nate Prosser would break his stick but he’d inexplicably try to play the puck watching the rest of the twig shatter in his hands. Prosser’s weak shot would have the young Elk River, Minnesota-native scrambling about not sure whether to return to the bench for a new stick or stay and play defensively and this put the Wild on their heels where Ryan Potulny pulled the trigger which was stopped by Backstrom. The Wild would end the period looking confused and disinterested trailing 2-0.
The Wild did not waste much time in answering in the 2nd, just 12 seconds in Mikko Koivu would drive wide and center a pass to Andrew Brunette moving down the Oilers’ slot and he’d fire a quick snap shot that went off the left post and in to cut Edmonton’s lead in half, 2-1. Edmonton seemed to be sparked by the tally while the Wild seemed content to sit back and wait for another gift wrapped scoring opportunity. Minnesota’s passiveness nearly cost them as Dustin Penner made a great long pass to Ryan Potulny and the former Golden Gophers star raced in on Backstrom who managed to close the pads enough to shut him down. The Oilers continued to apply pressure, as they looked to have more jump and initiative as a quick shot by Ryan Whitney was masterfully redirected on goal by Marc-Antoine Pouliot that was shut down by accident by the leg pad of Backstrom who clearly did not see the puck after the deflection until it hit him. Former Wild draft pick Patrick O’Sullivan made a nice individual move to dance around Brent Burns and was able to get off a good backhander that hit the right post and the puck went out into the Minnesota crease to be covered up by Backstrom. The Wild were only able to create a few token scoring chances down the stretch of the period, the best one coming off the stick of Mikko Koivu who was set up nicely by Antti Miettinen from the slot that was steered aside by Dubnyk. Moments later it was Casey Wellman who used his speed to get around the Oilers’ defense to fire a shot that missed wide of the net. Some good hard work by Mikko Koivu helped return the favor by dishing a pass from beneath the goal line to Miettinen for a quick shot only to be stopped by the 6’6″ Oilers’ goalie. The Wild also came close to giving another goal as a shot from the high slot by Taylor Chorney missed just wide of Backstrom. Moments after that the Oilers had another terrific chance as a bad change turned into a 3-on-1 and a desperate diving play Brent Burns to try to disrupt Ryan Jones as he took the puck to the Wild crease would pinball around but stay out as Backstrom was able to kick it to the corner. As the final horn for the period blew, there would be a little chippiness as Andrew Cogliano got into it with Nate Prosser who gave him a few shoves and the fiesty Cogliano tried to answer back and Niklas Backstrom would give the Oilers forward a shove which started a little frakas but no penalties would be called as the Wild were still behind by one, 2-1.
Minnesota started out the 3rd period with a great scoring chance early as Ethan Moreau coughed up the puck behind his net to a forechecking Andrew Brunette who fed a quick pass out front to Koivu who couldn’t get much on the shot due to a quick stick check by Tom Gilbert. Minnesota seemed mildly interested in battling for the equalizer as they were now without Guillaume Latendresse and Martin Havlat due to an upper body injury and a lower body injury respectively. The Wild started to double-shift its top line of Brunette, Miettinen and Koivu and it started to pay dividends as they worked the puck down low and the hard work of Brunette drew a tripping penalty on Dean Arsene. On the power play the Wild really found themselves shorthanded by being forced to play the they young kids and no one seemed willing to shoot the puck and Mikko Koivu’s attempts to work a play near the crease were foiled by the quick sticks of the Oilers’ penalty killers. The inexperienced nearly turned into disaster as a tired Cam Barker was outlegged to an Oilers’ clear of the zone and as Minnesota tried to help out Barker he was able to flip a pass back to the slot to a wide open Patrick O’Sullivan who ripped a shot on goal that was stopped by Backstrom. Minnesota was showing a little urgency as John Scott was tagged with a high sticking penalty for a hit he gave Andrew Cogliano. The Wild’s penalty killers did an excellent job of being strong on the stick as Brent Burns was able to win a battle for the puck and then backhand a clearing attempt. Minnesota was even taking its chances to threaten shorthanded as Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Brodziak worked a 2-on-1, and it was Clutterbuck ripping a wrist shot high that was stopped by the shoulder of Dubnyk. However the shortened bench started to show up in the lack of jump in the Wild’s skates and this inability to really move would comeback to haunt them as Brent Burns would cough up a puck along the boards deep in his own zone and Marc-Antoine Pouliot dished a puck back to Shawn Horcoff who wasted no time taking the puck to the net for a point-blank range chance that was stopped by Backstrom and as he followed up the rebound Ethan Moreau would shovel it home to give the Oilers’ a 3-1 lead. The Oilers could sense the Wild have broken the Minnesota’s spirits and they tried setting up Ethan Moreau for a hat trick and he’d make a nice little move around a Wild defender and he’d try to pull a puck around Backstrom who stopped him on a nice toe save. However, the Wild’s troubles would only continue as Nate Prosser would get his stick into the face of Ryan Potulny giving him a nice cut just below the lip before he fell on top of a sprawling Niklas Backstrom earning the former Elk a double-minor. Edmonton did not waste much time in punishing the Wild for the penalty as Mikko Koivu was beaten cleanly on the draw and a pass from Gilbert to Potulny who rifled a shot on goal yielded a big rebound that Dustin Penner was all too happy to pounce on for an easy goal giving the Oilers a 4-1 lead. Moreau continued to buzz around the ice looking for a hat-trick and his teammates seemed focus on giving him that accomplishment as they continued to dish the puck to him and Backstrom seemed equally determined to deny him that 3rd goal. Backstrom would manage to keep Moreau from his hat trick but it was a pyrric victory in a 4-1 loss to the lowly Oilers.
As was the case last night you can put no blame on Niklas Backstrom for tonight’s loss, as he made 27 saves and kept Minnesota into the game even though it seemed to lack the energy and desire to really challenge the Oilers. This is not a criticism of Backstrom, who was playing while battling a groin injury and was a game-time decision but why not use Wade Dubielewicz? Why risk hurting Backstrom further in a meaningless game against a non-playoff bound team? I can see wanting to use your best goaltender if you wish to play the role of a spoiler but there is nothing to spoil by using Dubielewicz in this game. Dubielewicz has been a consumate teammate all season, showing great energy on the bench, unusually so for a goaltender but you could tell he was disappointed as he seemed very reserved while riding the pine tonight. Why put him through that torture when you have a banged up #1 goalie; give him the nod and let the rest of the team feed off his energy. Dubielewicz no doubt feels compelled to have a strong performance after the terrible start he had earlier in the season and wishes to rectify it so give him a shot and see what happens. On the other end, it is painful to watch Greg Zanon to play and not in the normal ‘wow this guy is so tough as a shot blocking machine’ type of way, but rather its sad watching him limp through his shifts. I have admired his incredible courage and steady play throughout the entire season. While I think its a testament to his incredible toughness and competitive fire doesn’t the Wild have someone else that it could give some of those minutes to? If I was Nick Schultz and Marek Zidlicky I’d have to be in extremely bad shape to miss a shift after I saw Zanon limp his way through a long penalty kill the way he was tonight.
Offensively the Wild had absolutely nothing from anyone other than its top line of Mikko Koivu, Andrew Brunette and Antti Miettinen. Martin Havlat, whether he was suffering a lower body injury or not seemed to not have his heart in it and played a role in the first two goals scored on the Wild both last night and tonight. When combined with the loss of Guillaume Latendresse, it also does not bode well for the Wild’s chances over the last 2 games, especially in their next game against Calgary.
Wild Notes:
~ The Wild roster tonight was as follows: Mikko Koivu, Martin Havlat, Andrew Brunette, Antti Miettinen, Robbie Earl, Cody Almond, Kyle Brodziak, Derek Boogaard, Cal Clutterbuck, Casey Wellman, Guillaume Latendresse, Nate Prosser, John Scott, Shane Hnidy, Greg Zanon, Cam Barker and Brent Burns. Wade Dubielewicz backed up Niklas Backstrom. Owen Nolan, Nick Schultz and Marek Zidlicky were healthy scratches in this game even though all of them were nursing some minor injuries. Clayton Stoner, Chuck Kobasew, Josh Harding are out with ‘lower body injuries’ while Andrew Ebbett is out for the season with a broken finger and Pierre-Marc Bouchard is still battling post-concussion syndrome.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Ethan Moreau, 2nd Star Devan Dubnyk, 3rd Star Dustin Penner
~ Nate Prosser wore #39 for the Wild in his NHL debut, as well as scoring his first NHL point an assist on Andrew Brunette’s goal.
Wild Prospect Report:
F – Erik Haula ~ Omaha Lancers (USHL)
Great sign Wild fans as Erik Haula appears to be heating up as he notched 2 goals, 1 assist, +3 in 5-4 Omaha Lancers win over Des Moines on Saturday. His tally in the 3rd period would be the game winner for the Lancers as Omaha looks to be in good position to battle for the right to hoist the Clark Cup. Omaha current sits atop the USHL’s West Division with 42 wins and 90 points, and Haula’s 28 goals (tied for 2nd on the team with a former member of the California Wave and player featured in Hockey Documentary In the Crease, Troy Power) and 72 points are a big reason the Lancers look to be in great shape.
Houston Aeros Update:
2009-10 Record: (32-32-7-5) 76pts Last in AHL’s West Division
Houston 3, Texas 2
The Aeros managed to find some pride this weekend with a 3-2 win over growing in-state rival the Texas Stars in Austin on Saturday after managing to defeat the Chicago Wolves 4-3 at Houston’s Toyota Center on Friday. In Saturday’s tilt, the Aeros would jump out to a 1-0 lead just under a 1:30 in the 2nd period on a tap in goal by Peter Zingoni that was set up by a blast from the point by Maxim Noreau. The Stars would answer back with a goal of its own just a minute later as former Michigan star Andrew Hutchinson found the twine behind Darcy Kuemper who was making his 2nd professional start in as many nights. The goal got the Aeros moving and this is where the really started to pour on the pressure as they were swarming in the Stars’ zone peppering Brent Krahn with shots. Finally, just past the 12-minute mark Robbie Earl raced in and rifled a wrister by Krahn to give the Aeros a 2-1 lead. Earl would add another goal early in the 2nd to give Houston a 2-goal lead. From here, the Aeros would sit back a bit and hold off a strong Texas counter attack as Travis Morin blistered a slap shot by Kuemper to cut it to one but the former Red Deer stalwart held strong to give Houston a 3-2 victory. Kuemper faced two of the better offenses in the Western Conference of the AHL and came away with two victories allowing 5 goals in 2 games. Marco Scandella, another Wild prospect who joined the Aeros at the conclusion of his junior season with the Val ‘d Or Foreurs chipped in with an assist on Zingoni’s goal. It was a quality showing by some of the Wild’s prospects and that is a good sign of things to come, especially for Kuemper who had a pretty rough ride in the WHL playoffs. The Aeros may not have any playoff hopes but they are playing better hockey as of late as players no doubt fight for jobs and try to show the Wild that they shouldn’t give up on them just yet.
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