It amazes me the dichotomy that can be found in sports. Where you can watch one team that executes the game at such a high level while another team; supposedly in the same league can’t even execute a simple play. Coaches love to talk about ‘doing the little things right’ but what they often are talking about is simply executing the basics with more proficiency than their foes. It is the difference that is readily apparent between the Minnesota Wild and let’s say a team like the Detroit Red Wings. Teams that do not do the little things well are often inconsistent, commit lots of pointless turnovers and seem to find ways to lose games with their inability to execute simple plays at big moments. If you found yourself thinking, “hey aren’t you talking about the Wild?” I’m actually not but as the old saying goes, ‘if the shoe fits…” As I’ve been watching the streaming video of the Minnesota State Hockey Tournament, I am impressed by the level of execution by many of the teams I’ve watched. A classic example of the dichotomy I referred to earlier was in the Class A quarterfinal match up between Rochester Lourdes and Hermantown. Lourdes stayed close in the 1st period by playing smart hockey and were rewarded with some good scoring chances early for their discipline; but it all fell apart in the 2nd period where they forced plays they didn’t have and committed needless turnovers and Hermantown shredded them for 3 goals in what would become a 7-2 rout. What struck me though was the crispness and accuracy of the passes Hermantown had. They never seemed to be frazzled, and used simple passes to avoid forechecking pressure and did not give the puck away needlessly. It got me to think about the present state of the Minnesota Wild; a team that has had the worst record of all NHL teams through the 2nd half of the season. Watch any game during Minnesota’s 1st half, where it was the best team in the NHL and I can assure you that you would’ve seen a team that made lots of smart, simple plays with the puck; they avoided creating pointless turnovers and were consistent in their pressure all game long and the reward was in the form of wins. I realize the NHL is different from high school hockey but without question I would say Hermantown has better execution than the Wild. The Wild could learn a lot by watching Hermantown and some of the other better teams in the Tourney.
Will any hockey fan in Minnesota choose to watch the Wild over the State Tournament?
I live in Wisconsin, so to watch the games I have to log in to my computer. But honestly, back in Minnesota who in their right mind would want to watch the Wild play the Coyotes as opposed to watching quarterfinals action in Class AA? Unfortunately I will be watching the Wild tonight and probably staying posted on the action this evening via Twitter. Since the trade deadline, the level of execution the Wild have displayed has been abysmal at best. 1 goal in their last three games and giving up 15 over that span is hardly a formula for success. Tonight’s opponent is a team who is known for its ability to play safe, solid defensive hockey in the Phoenix Coyotes. With Minnesota struggling to even make tape-to-tape passes this could be another ugly blowout. Wild fans are already digging themselves into draft mode and oddly enough they may celebrate another loss more than they would a victory. So will the Wild’s lack of execution cost them another victory tonight?
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1st Period Thoughts: Minnesota had good energy to start the game, moving their feet well and and seemed to have a slight calm to their game. The Wild got a good shift from its top line as Dany Heatley dropped a pass back to Marco Scandella who stepped into a slap shot that was fought off by Jason LaBarbera. The Coyotes tried to answer back as Raffi Torres tried to jam home by Josh Harding but he’d hold on for the save as the two clubs exhibited a little orneryness early. Minnesota would light the lamp first as Keith Yandle made a horrible mental mistake by attempting a diagonal pass from deep in his own zone and his attempt went right to the stick of Darroll Powe who gladly accepted the gift and he wound up and fired a shot on goal that was partially redirected by Kyle Brodziak that beat LaBarbera giving the Wild a 1-0 lead. Perhaps trying to spark his team, but Twitter sensation and the Coyotes’ resident tough guy and grocery stick (by his own admission) Paul Bissonette would challenge Matt Kassian. Kassian also enjoys Twitter and the two would circle a bit at center ice before engaging. Bissonette would try to move in close and this caused Kassian to lose his feet and he’d fall down and the officials stepped in as the Wild enforcer just got back onto his skates wanting to keep fighting but it was too late. The two pugilists exchanged pleasantries, probably something along the lines of ‘this is not over yet’ and both would be sent to the box with fighting majors. Minnesota would go right back to work and some more poor defensive coverage by Phoenix would come back to haunt them as Steven Kampfer found himself wide open on the point and he ripped a snap shot by LaBarbera to make it 2-0 Wild. The Coyotes would try to rally back but some shaky puckhandling would derail a few attempts and Minnesota would go on the counter attack as Heatley set up Matt Cullen for a chance and his backhander was stopped by LaBarbera and he was unable to get much on the rebound. Phoenix was still working to cut into the Wild lead and Radim Vrbata pulled the trigger on a slapper that was just steered wide by Harding. The Wild were sitting back a bit as they looked to defend their two-goal lead throughout the rest of the 1st period. Normally this is not a good formula for victory; at least for the Wild that’s true (knock on wood). This wait and see approach begged Phoenix to press the attack and it was inevitable it was going to draw a penalty as Erik Christensen tripped up Antoine Vermette to give the Coyotes their first power play of the game. The Coyotes’ power play was fairly static, although they still were able to set up shooting opportunities but they settled for the perimeter and Harding did a nice job of absorbing pucks and forcing whistles. Minnesota would hold onto their 2-goal lead going into the 1st intermission being out shot 15-9. Not a bad start for the Wild but I did not like how they sat back in the 2nd half of the period instead of keeping their foot on the gas.
2nd Period Thoughts: I thought the Wild had a great 2nd period. Minnesota carried the play and never really let the Coyotes get much of anything going beyond a few opportunities on the power play. Minnesota was counter attacking well; and Kyle Brodziak was playing assertively and he had some excellent scoring chances early on. The Coyotes seemed to be going through the motions a bit throughout the period. Defensively I thought Minnesota was doing a good job of denying the attempts to move the puck to the middle of the ice in the offensive zone and this prevented Phoenix from having too many prime scoring chances. Josh Harding’s injury is just another obstacle for this team to overcome but as Wild trainer Don Fuller was talking to Head Coach Mike Yeo about Harding’s injury the words I could read from Fuller’s lips were “hip flexor” and “groin” and he concluded by saying he wasn’t sure which one. This meant Matt Hackett was going to get some more time in the Wild crease and he was solid enough making a few fine glove saves early. While he bailed himself out of his own small mistake late in the period the important thing was he kept the Coyotes off the scoreboard and really gaining any momentum in the period. Nick Palmieri continues to impress me with his willingness to go to the tough areas of the ice and he had a few good opportunities near the top of the crease as Jason LaBarbera kept the Coyotes’ hopes alive with a handful of quality saves from close range. Palmieri’s heavy collision into the goal looked bad with the slow way he got up but he looks like he’s no worse for the wear save perhaps a few bruises. It was a good 2nd period where Minnesota moved its feet well and I felt the Wild out hustled the Coyotes that period despite being out shot 16-6. The shot advantage really was the result of the power plays more than anything else; and Minnesota was forcing Phoenix to settle for a lot of shots taken from the perimeter.
3rd Period Thoughts: The Coyotes were swarming around the Wild end early and their pressure would lead to an early goal as Raffi Torres snapped a shot by Hackett, 2-1 Wild with just over 18 minutes left in regulation. Phoenix continued their assault as they pressed for the equalizer as Vermette whistled a shot wide and the Coyotes would gather up the biscuit and it was Vermette drawing Hackett to commit by sitting onto his pads, and he dished it over to Lauri Korpikoski who buried a shot into the open net and just like that (in just over a minute) it was 2-2. Mike Yeo sensing an obvious momentum shift called a timeout to rip into his team to re-focus them after an awful start. The Wild stayed in a very passive 1-2-2, hoping to draw the Coyotes into a turnover but it didn’t even seem to slow Phoenix down as they were move in off the rush into the Minnesota zone with relative ease. A few minutes later the Wild tried to counter back with some pressure of its own as Palmieri again motored his way around the defense and used his good-sized frame to protect the puck as he swung a one-handed shot on goal that was swept aside with ease by LaBarbera. Minnesota would find itself into some more penalty trouble as Darroll Powe slashed Torres’ stick in half giving the Coyotes a man advantage. The Coyotes power play was short lived as Matt Cullen intercepted a pass and he raced off on a break away before Cullen’s stick was hacked by Vermette who earned a slashing minor of his own making it 4-on-4 hockey for next 1:40. The Wild tried to go on the attack with the ice a bit more open at 4-on-4 and Marco Scandella made a great cross-ice pass to a crashing Nate Prosser that was stonewalled perfectly by LaBarbera. Minnesota continued to look aggressive in the 4-on-4 and Scandella again served as the catalyst as he dropped his shoulder and took the puck the crease for a quick shot that was stopped by LaBarbera and he would cover despite a weak attempt to poke the puck home by Christensen. A few minutes later, a strange bounce on a dump in where the puck struck a broken stick and skittered right out in front where the biscuit eluded Hackett who left his crease to play the puck but it was swept out of harm’s way by Scandella. Then just seconds later it was Daymond Langkow lifting a shot off the cross bar and out as Minnesota dodged another Phoenix bullet. The Coyotes were really starting tilt the ice in their favor as Minnesota was struggling just to clear the zone. It would get tilted a little further when Devin Setoguchi found himself tagged with a minor for high sticking Keith Yandle with just under 3 minutes left to play. The Coyotes were pretty patient and deliberate on the man advantage as they were looking to set up the perfect shot but they’d overhandle it and help Minnesota by clearing the zone by themselves. Warren Peters would break his stick blocking a shot but he continued to move his feet well and he’d intercept a pass and the Wild would clear the zone and get a huge penalty kill. Taylor Pyatt would rip one last shot that was stopped by Hackett and the game would go to overtime.
Overtime Thoughts: The Coyotes were looking hungry to start overtime as they set up Vrbata for a quick shot that didn’t miss by much. Minnesota would counter attack with a line of Christensen, Heatley, Tom Gilbert and Scandella and they ultimately created a chance for Scandella who pulled the trigger on a sharp angle shot that was stopped by LaBarbera. Phoenix had a great chance late in overtime as Yandle uncorked a slap shot that would deflect and surprise Hackett who just managed to fight off the puck. Minnesota would have the last quality chance as Cullen stepped into a slapper that missed high and wide and the game would go to a shootout.
Shootout Summary: The Coyotes elected to shoot first as Ray Whitney was going to be Phoenix’s first shooter. Whitney would move in rather slowly from left and back to the right where he ripped a wrist shot by Hackett and off the post and in, 1-0 Coyotes. Minnesota’s first shooter was their ace Erik Christensen who raced in and then promptly beat LaBarbera stick side, 1-1 now. The Coyotes next shooter was Radim Vrbata, and he’d start wide right and move to his left but his backhand bid missed wide. The Wild’s next shooter was Matt Cullen. Cullen would move in slowly where he tried to fire it through 5-hole but LaBarbera crossed the legs just enough to keep it out, still 1-1. Phoenix’s next shooter was Mikkel Boedker, and the swift Dane would race in and give a little shoulder shake where he tried to fire it with the forehand but he was unable to lift it over the sprawling Hackett and Minnesota had a chance to win the game. Minnesota’s next shooter was Kyle Brodziak, and he made a nice little backhand to forehand deke but LaBarbera would roll over and leave his leg down just enough to come up with the stop so we’d go to sudden death. The Coyotes next shooter wsa Shane Doan, and he’d make a simple little backhand to forehand drag around the sprawling Hackett and it was 2-1 Phoenix. This meant Setoguchi had to score to keep Minnesota alive and he moved in and rifled a snap shot by LaBarbera and the shootout continued. Phoenix’s next shooter was Oliver Ekman-Larsson and the rookie blueliner would move in slowly and fire a wrist shot that was popped up into the air and the puck just fluttered wide of the goal. Minnesota had another chance to win it as Dany Heatley was the Wild’s next shooter. Heatley moved in made a quick little deke and he’d beat LaBarbera 5-hole to give Minnesota a 3-2 shootout victory.
Josh Harding was robbed of his victory since his relief Matt Hackett gave up two goals, but it still was a joint effort as they combined for 39 saves. Harding’s injury could make things very interesting as the Wild are already using two ECHL goaltenders (Matt Keetley and Joe Fallon) in Houston right now. Unless Harding can somehow heal or at least be ok enough to sit on the bench (which I doubt by the way he gingerly skated off the ice) I think the team is going to have some soul searching to do. Hackett was ok, but he still showed the signs of immaturity as he got exposed for dropping to his pads too quickly on the Coyotes quick goals early in the 3rd. Defensively the Wild did well considering they only dressed 5 defenseman tonight. I thought they did a pretty good job despite having 3 defenseman (Kampfer, Gilbert and Scandella) logging 31+ minutes this evening. Scandella was especially dominant where he took the initiative to create something offensively and even demonstrated a little his fiesty side as well.
Offensively the Wild had a good start thanks to some good hustle and keeping things simple, but I did not like how they took their foot off the gas and more or less play rope-a-dope for most of the 2nd and 3rd periods. One player who really perplexes me is Devin Setoguchi, where he has good speed and skills but he makes some truly high risk, low reward decisions with the puck. He was brought to this club to be the assertive one and take his chances and this team is best served when he is shooting the puck. Trying to be a playmaker does not help this team because more often than not he’s dishing the puck to a player who is inferior as a finisher to himself. Erik Christensen drives me nuts with his soft play during regulation; where he shows little desire to really battle in the tough areas of the ice but he is absolutely stone cold on the shootout. Tonight he had an opportunity to go one on one with the goaltender but he opted for a shot; maybe its just me but if I had such a great repertoire as he does why not use one of those moves then so we don’t have to go to a shootout at all? Either way, he knows how to bury the puck in that situation as he scored his 27th shootout goal of his career which is one of the best in NHL history.
The two points in this game are kind of a mixed blessing. It feels good to win, but at this point it doesn’t really matter to the Wild. We’re not going to the post-season and as people so often love to whine about the Vikings it only hurts our chances to get a higher selection in the draft. Mike Yeo focused of course on the team’s play rather than the draft when he said, “Unbelievable character win, love the effort.” He quantified Harding’s injury as a ‘tweak and lower body’ and said Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher and Yeo had discussed this possibility. Yeo marveled at the stamina of his defenseman who played a man short all night long, especially Kurtis Foster who came into this game pretty banged up. A win is a win, and beggar’s can’t be choosers so hopefully this team can rest up before its next game on Sunday against Calgary.
Wild Notes:
~ The Wild roster tonight is as follows: Dany Heatley, Devin Setoguchi, Matt Cullen, Erik Christensen, Warren Peters, Jed Ortmeyer, Matt Kassian, Stephane Veilleux, Kyle Brodziak, Nick Johnson, Darroll Powe, Nick Palmieri, Tom Gilbert, Kurtis Foster, Marco Scandella, Clayton Stoner (although he never played) and Steven Kampfer. Matt Hackett shared duties between the pipes with Josh Harding. Justin Falk, Niklas Backstrom, Cal Clutterbuck, and Jared Spurgeon.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Raffi Torres, 2nd Star Lauri Korpikoski, 3rd Star Jason LaBarbera
~ Attendance was 11,716 at Jobing.com Arena.
Where Are They Now?
Atlant Moscow Oblast’s Branko Radivojevic
RW – Branko Radivojevic (Atlant Moscow Oblast, KHL) ~ As part of Minnesota’s first big ‘free agent summer’ the Wild signed the former 3rd round pick of the Colorado Avalanche (99th Overall in 1999) “Radio” spent 2 seasons with the Wild from 2006-07 to 2007-08 where he worked as an energy winger. He had 18 goals, 41 points and 69 penalty minutes in 155 games for the Wild. Unfortunately he was not able to provide enough offense to justify a spot on the 2nd line and the Wild parted ways with ‘Radio’ and he took his game to Russia and the Kontinental Hockey League. Initially, the Slovakian-born forward had some very productive seasons, finishing amongst the top scorers in the KHL. Away from the ice Radivojevic loves hanging out with best friends Marcel Hossa and Marian Gaborik back home in Slovakia over the summer. The Piestany-native is currently playing for Atlant Moscow Oblast who is currently working their way through the KHL playoffs. Radivojevic has 7 goals and 27 points in 43 games.
Houston Aeros Report:
Houston Aeros’ Chris Clackson
Houston had a wild and crazy afternoon game on Tuesday against the Abbotsford Heat where the Aeros prevailed 7-6 in a shootout. Apart from the 13 goals scored all four goaltenders played in the game gives you an idea how this was likely a game the fans loved but one that drove Head Coaches John Torchetti and Troy Ward crazy. The Heat got things going early as a shot from the point eluded Joe Fallon to make it 1-0. Houston would answer right back as Chris Clackson notched his first as a member of the Aeros, but the good feelings were short-lived as Fallon gave up another goal from Minnesotan Clay Wilson on the power play to give the Heat a 2-1 advantage. The Aeros would answer back just 10 seconds later as Chad Rau buried his 1st goal of the game to tie it back up at two. Abbotsford would re-take the lead as the big bodied Hugh Jessimen would rip a shot by Fallon, and Torchetti had seen enough and Fallon would take a seat in favor of former Flames’ farmhand Matt Keetley who was called up from the ECHL. Houston would again have a quick response as team captain Jon DiSalvatore tied the game up less than a minute after Jessimen’s goal to make it 3-3 going into the 1st intermission. The Aeros would turn it on early in the 2nd period as they scored twice in quick succession as Kris Foucault and Chay Genoway lit the lamp giving Houston a 5-3 lead to chase Leland Irving from the crease as the Heat would bring in Danny Taylor. The change between the pipes seemed to work as the Heat rallied back to take the lead on goals from former Chilliwack Bruins’ star Ryan Howse, Jessimen’s 2nd goal of the game and the go-ahead marker by Ben Walter, 6-5 Abbotsford. For a time it appeared that the Heat may prevail but Rau would bury his 2nd goal of the game with just over 20 seconds left to send the game to overtime. After a cautious overtime the game would go to a shootout. In the shootout Keetley shut the door while C.J. Stretch, Foucault and Jeff Taffe buried their opportunities to give Houston a victory. Keetley had 13 saves in the victory.
The Aeros also made their ‘Clear List’ which is a listing of 22 players that are going to be allowed to compete in the post season. These lists do not include drafted players that may be added to the roster. With Houston in a fight for its playoff lives they certainly could use an boost of talent the ‘Clear List’ would indicate. Here is the 22-man ‘Clear List’ roster the Aeros forwarded to the AHL league offices in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Defensemen:
Jeff Penner
Nate Prosser
Drew Bagnall
Kyle Medvec
Kris Fredheim
Chay Genoway
Steven Kampfer
Tyler Cuma
Marco Scandella
Forwards:
Jeff Taffe
Jon DiSalvatore
Justin Fontaine
Chad Rau
Carson McMillan
Cody Almond
David McIntyre
Joel Broda
Jarod Palmer
Kris Foucault
Nick Palmieri
Goaltenders:
Darcy Kuemper
Matt Hackett
Wild Prospect Report:
Penticton Vees’ Mario Lucia
F – Mario Lucia (Penticton, BCHL) ~ It has been a record setting season for the Penticton Vees who added an exclamation point to their record-breaking 41st consecutive victory as the blew away the Trail Smoke Eaters 10-0 Tuesday night. The Minnesota-laden team is led by talented sniper Mario Lucia who contributed two goals and an assist in the blowout. Lucia has 39 goals, 91 points and 42 penalty minutes in 54 games.
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