Its a classic sports cliche you hear every year in just about any sport. The ‘Cinderella’ team that somehow overcomes the odds to achieve greatness or notoriety in a way that was entirely unexpected. The sad thing is, unlike the fairy tale which spawned the term, ‘Cinderella’ teams often are spared from having a complete happy ending. Case in point, the NHL’s perennial ‘Cinderella’ team the last few years in the Phoenix Coyotes. They have continued to somehow put all of the talk about a lack of an owner (as the NHL currently owns and runs the team) and persistent rumors of relocation but they manage to battle their way to the playoffs the last 2 seasons. When the team parted ways with Ilya Bryzgalov, many felt the Coyotes may have the clock strike midnight and the Coyotes ‘Cinderella’ status come to an end. It hasn’t happened, as the Coyotes are currently 3rd in the Western Conference with a 15-10-3 record and 33 points. Using solid team defense and persistent effort the Coyotes keep finishing strong.
It certainly can be argued that the Wild are just as much of a ‘Cinderella’ team this season. Almost no one expected the Wild to even be amongst the top 8 teams in the Western Conference than being atop the NHL standings as they are right now. Heck, USAToday‘s Kevin Allen picked Minnesota to finish dead last! If there is anything that goes from being ‘Cinderella’ is that everyone is waiting for that moment when they suddenly return to reality. You can see that right here from Canada’s Sports Leader, TSN with its weekly ‘power rankings’ which you can see here. Just reading the ‘assessment’ of the Wild shows a true lack of belief in what Minnesota has achieved and little to no actual observation as to how they’ve accomplished what they have so far. TSN’s Scott Cullen is quoted as saying, “Four straight wins vaults the Wild to first overall in the NHL standings. While their goal differential has improved, it’s still not where it needs to be to rival the top teams, especially in light of their injuries.” Really?!?! Because the team keeps winning despite the injuries so now injuries are going to be a major reason for its failure? The goal differential is improved but its not where it needs to be to rival the top teams. Really?!?! Well the Wild are the top team, so is it really that important what its goal differential is as long as the team scores more goals than it gives up? The team is ranked #10 and it moved up from #16 where it was a week ago. Really?!?! The team was #1 overall in the league a week ago yet we as fans were supposed to believe the team should’ve been in the bottom half of the league? Do you check the standings much Scott? So will the Wild keep their improbable season going in a positive direction or will the Coyotes take a bite out of Minnesota?
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1st Period Thoughts: The game started with both clubs testing one another, looking for weaknesses early as Derek Morris pounced on a drifting puck that was about to leave the Wild zone and he gunned a slap shot wide of Niklas Backstrom. Minnesota would start to attack as the 2nd line of Matt Cullen, Casey Wellman and Pierre-Marc Bouchard used some quick passing to set up Cullen right in the slot but his shot was stopped by Mike Smith and unfortunately no one else was near the crease to tap home a rebound. Minnesota continued to swarm and it was Colton Gillies finding a little space and he fired a wrist shot through the traffic that struck the right post. The pressure Minnesota was able to create drew an interference penalty on Keith Yandle and the Wild would make them pay for their mistake. The Wild were persistent as ever and it should come as no surprise as the 3rd line outworked the Coyotes for the puck in the offensive zone and it was Kyle Brodziak who backhanded a shot as he fell to the ice that snuck through Smith 5-hole to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead. It was a classic Brodziak goal, where it was all heart and hard work. The Coyotes tried to answer back as Taylor Pyatt tried to jam a backhand by Backstrom but he kicked it aside and Mikko Koivu escorted the puck out of danger. Backstrom was looking a little shaky at the start, not terrible but not quite as air tight from what we’ve been used to this season but his defense was quick to retreat and sweep away loose pucks. The Coyotes were picking up their intensity but Minnesota was moving into shooting lanes and paying the physical price to block shots. The Wild tried to alleviate some of the pressure with some offense of their own as Dany Heatley fed a pass to Jeff Taffe who got off a quick shot that was stopped by Smith. Minnesota’s forecheck was also causing the Coyotes some problems as Pierre-Marc Bouchard intercepted a pass in the offensive zone and he’d rifle a shot on goal. The Wild started to take control of the game as they were attacking Phoenix in waves. It almost seemed like every line was taking its opportunity to put shots on goal and Mike Smith was starting to get busy in his crease. Even the Wild’s defense was joining in, jumping up into the rush and trying to help Minnesota overwhelm Phoenix early. The Coyotes tried to counter attack as Yandle wound up to tee up a slap shot but as Minnesota dropped to block the shot, Yandle would pull up and step around and then fire a wrist shot that was absorbed by Backstrom. Minnesota’s 2nd line was causing Phoenix a lot of grief as they outworked the Coyotes in their own zone along the wall as Bouchard had a backhander that Smith was just able to block away as they controlled the puck for almost 40 seconds in the offensive zone. As the Coyotes was able to get out of the offensive zone, Matt Cullen was tagged with an interference penalty giving Phoenix its first power play of the game. Minnesota continued to forecheck even on the penalty kill as Kyle Brodziak and Mikko Koivu frustrated the Coyotes with some hard work along the wall. Once in the Wild zone, the Coyotes actually moved the puck pretty effectively but when they went to shoot they either missed well wide or just fanned on the attempt. Minnesota killed the penalty without too much difficulty as the Coyotes failed to register a shot on goal. The Coyotes would go to work and kept Minnesota bottled up in its own end but again, it was unable to put any shots on goal as Minnesota did a nice job to take away shooting lanes forcing Phoenix to accept opportunities from the perimeter. Minnesota was able to create a little more offensive pressure late in the period as Jared Spurgeon took his chance by ripping a slapper from the point but his attempt was blocked by Taylor Pyatt. The Wild would skate into the 2nd period holding a 1-0 lead. A good road period for Minnesota who was hustling well and sticking to their system well. Wild out shooting the Coyotes 10-8.
2nd Period Thoughts: The Coyotes would try to work the puck down low as Martin Hanzal controlled the puck behind the Wild goal and he’d feed a pass out to Oliver Ekman-Larsson and he hammered a slap shot that was deflected up into the netting by Backstrom. The 4th line of the Wild had a good shift and Colton Gillies would check Boyd Gordon nearly into the Wild bench. Minnesota was starting to move its feet and a long stretch pass by Mike Lundin up to Jeff Taffe who dished it to Koivu for a nice one-timer that beat Smith cleanly to give the Wild a 2-0 lead. The Coyotes tried to answer right back as they set up a great bang-bang play where Ray Whitney was denied by a fine save by Backstrom. Phoenix tried to control the zone as Mikkel Boedker would wheel around the Wild zone but Minnesota kept their sticks active and despite lots of puck possession the Coyotes never even got a shot on goal. Minnesota was hustling well and was able to get a forecheck going with its 4th line which continued to show good energy. Perhaps they had too long of a shift and the Coyotes top line was causing the Wild a lot of problems and Lauri Korpikoski moved the puck out to the front where he slid a shot into the crease and Backstrom stretched to make a save and he was spared by a fortunate whistle. The Coyotes continued to try to work the puck down low and try to take advantage of its greater collection of big bodied forwards and Minnesota would struggle a bit against this pressure. Minnesota would finally stabilize things by sending out its 3rd line which was able to create a little trouble on the forecheck. The Wild would earn a penalty as Hanzal hooked Mike Lundin while they were racing for a puck in the Minnesota zone. Again Minnesota would make the Coyotes pay dearly on the power play as a partially blocked shot of Spurgeon would be picked up by Kyle Brodziak who swept up the loose biscuit and moved around the Coyotes net and beat Smith on a pretty wrap around to give the Wild a 3-0 lead. It was Brodziak’s 2nd goal of the game, and had to be a dagger to the hearts of the Coyotes who had been unlucky a few times after outworking Minnesota in the Wild zone. You could even sense the Coyotes were a little out of it after the Wild goal and Minnesota looked to pile it on offensively as the top line nearly connected on a cross-ice pass by Heatley that just missed the stick of a crashing Jared Spurgeon. The near goal seemed to awaken the Coyotes who really started to pour it on, and Shane Doan had a golden opportunity that was stopped by a diving block by Greg Zanon and the puck would clear the zone. The Coyotes continued to swarm and Backstrom would again be sprawling this time bailed out by a missed shot by David Schlemko. Phoenix would earn its 2nd power play of the game on what was more of a shove by Zanon that sent Boedker careening into the boards. On the Coyotes’ power play they were moving the puck well from the half-wall out to the point but the shots were not reaching Backstrom as they continued to miss wide making the penalty relatively easy. Minnesota’s penalty kill was more than a match to challenge the Coyotes’ entry into the offensive zone and the boo’s started to be heard from the very sparse crowd at Jobing.com Arena. The Wild were firmly in control going into the 3rd, carrying a 3-0 lead despite being outshot 11-3. Not a great period, but the team capitalized well on its few opportunities.
3rd Period Thoughts: Minnesota was moving well early in the 3rd period as Kyle Brodziak picked up a puck down low in the Coyotes’ zone and swung a shot on goal that was stopped by Smith and as the puck was pushed back out towards the wall, Darroll Powe delivered a big hit on the forecheck. The Coyotes were looking to start a comeback bid early and Shane Doan made a nice power move right along the goal line to the Wild crease as Clayton Stoner was unable to really push him off his path but luckily for him Backstrom was able to make the stop as the collided into the goal. Minnesota would give the Coyotes their 3rd power play of the game as Cody Almond tripped up Schlemko. Phoenix had a great chance on the man advantage as Ray Whitney was alone on a backdoor play but the shot was blocked aside by Spurgeon. Just moments later, the Wild would get a little lucky as Hanzal pushed down Spurgeon as he was chasing a puck down low which drew a few boo’s and some irate words from Coyotes bench boss Dave Tippett. With the ice a bit more open 4-on-4, Lauri Kopikoski turned on the jets to step around Nick Schultz and he swept a shot on goal that fooled Backstrom and the puck would just slide parallel a few inches in front of the goal line and fortunately for the Wild no Coyotes were there to pounce on the great opportunity. A few minutes later, the Wild would take a foolish penalty as Nick Johnson grabbed the shoulder of Derek Morris for an obvious holding call giving the Coyotes their 4th power play of the game. The Wild’s penalty killers did a nice job of collapsing and taking away passing and shooting lanes as the crowd beckoned the Coyotes to “shoot” in between a few boo’s. Minnesota would kill off the power play and continue to play rope-a-dope as the Coyotes were doing their best to cut into the Wild lead. The Wild would try to stem the tide a bit with its 2nd line who caused Phoenix some problems with some good speed and quick passing and they’d draw a high sticking call on Taylor Pyatt who got his stick into the grill of Casey Wellman. The Wild again were lethal on the man advantage as Bouchard would take the puck almost down the goal line before passing the puck back out to the point where Spurgeon stepped into a slapper that was redirected perfectly by Heatley to give Minnesota a 4-0 lead. The Coyotes tried to rally back and a close in chance by Doan was turned away by Backstrom and just a few moments later it was a shot by Daymond Langkow that nearly found the back of the net as Minnesota got another fortunate quick whistle. Phoenix simply couldn’t buy a goal as Pyatt had a breakaway and Backstrom dropped to the ice to stonewall his backhander as Minnesota continued to frustrate the Coyotes. The Coyotes continued to persist and after a great individual effort by Doan to work the puck into the zone, they’d finally solve Backstrom as Korpikoski sent the water bottle flying on a snap shot to cut the Wild lead to three, 4-1. Minnesota would continue to play rope-a-dope late as the Coyotes tried all that they could to make it a hockey game but the Wild would prevail 4-1.
Niklas Backstrom was very solid, giving up just one goal on 36 shots on goal. He didn’t face a lot of dangerous chances throughout most of the 1st period, but that was a credit to his defense which kept the Coyotes to the perimeter. Sure, the Coyotes were snake bitten and had some bad luck but good goaltenders often create that luck by making shooters think for that extra half second which leads to mental and physical mistakes. Defensively the Wild supported their goaltender very well, taking away rebounds before the Coyotes could pounce on the loose pucks. I thought Mike Lundin and Nick Schultz both had strong games.
Offensively, the Wild’s power play really was the difference in this game. Minnesota did not create much 5-on-5, but striking 3 times on the man advantage really put this one out of reach of the offensively challenged Coyotes. Kyle Brodziak continues to do whatever is needed to win games as he tallied 2 goals to get things started for Minnesota, both on the man advantage. Mikko Koivu also had a strong game adding a goal and an assist. Yet anyone who guessed that at this point in the season that Kyle Brodziak was going to be the first Wild player reach 10 goals then that person may wish to play the lottery today. Bouchard had two assists as he continues to find ways onto the score sheet. Jared Spurgeon had his first multi-point game of the year and Jeff Taffe has provided 2 point in two games so far which is exactly what this team needs as it gets healthy. Its nice to see the team provide some more goal support which no doubt will increase its chances to win games.
This was a game where you almost expect a let down. It had created a new franchise record after earning a win over Los Angeles and its veteran goaltender was going back in the crease as they head into the homestretch of the road trip. Yet it didn’t happen. It wasn’t a perfect effort; they gave up far too many shots on goal but they hustled at the right times to deny the 2nd chance opportunites that the Coyotes thrive on and then capitalized on their opportunities which really put this game out of reach rather quickly. The Wild are the first NHL team to reach 20 wins, and they did so in just 30 games which is 10 fewer games than last season. I wonder what TSN’s Scott Cullen will say to that? My guess is he won’t even notice (sadly enough). Minnesota now travels to Winnipeg for the first time in franchise history for a regular season game; and what I think will soon be a big rivalry as well. Hopefully Minnesota can finish this road trip with another 2 points with a win over the Jets. But this certainly will make the long flight to Winnipeg a lot more pleasant.
Wild Notes:
~ The Wild roster tonight is as follows: Mikko Koivu, Dany Heatley, Jeff Taffe, Matt Cullen, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Casey Wellman, Colton Gillies, Cody Almond, Brad Staubitz, Nick Johnson, Kyle Brodziak, Darroll Powe, Nick Schultz, Greg Zanon, Clayton Stoner, Mike Lundin, Jared Spurgeon and Marco Scandella. Matt Hackett backed up Niklas Backstrom. Cal Clutterbuck, Nate Prosser and Josh Harding were the healthy scratches.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Kyle Brodziak, 2nd Star Niklas Backstrom, 3rd Star Mikko Koivu
~ Attendance was 10,976 at Jobing.com Arena.
~ The State of Hockey News would like to congratulate Matt Hackett on being named the NHL’s Top Goalie of the week.
Houston Aeros Report:
Record: (15-4-2-5) 37pts 2nd West Division
Top 5 Scorers:
1. #14 Jon DiSalvatore ~ 8G 13A = 21pts
2. #37 Justin Fontaine ~ 7G 8A = 15pts
3. #39 Chay Genoway ~ 1G 13A = 14pts
4. #13 Kris Foucault ~ 6G 6A = 12pts
5. #20 Chad Rau ~ 4G 8A = 12pts
Top 3 PIM’s:
1. #4 Drew Bagnall ~ 53 PIM’s
2. #25 Warren Peters ~ 44 PIM’s
3. #26 David McIntyre ~ 29 PIM’s
Top Goaltender:
1. #35 Darcy Kuemper (3-1-1) 1.78GAA .945%SP
Recent Score: Houston 1, San Antonio 0
It was classic goaltending battle at the friendly confines of Toyota Center Friday night. The battle pitted highly touted Florida Panthers’ prospect goaltender Jacob Markstrom against promising youngster Darcy Kuemper. The Aeros would finally break the stalemate on the power play as Jeff Penner fed a pass over to former University of Minnesota-Duluth star Justin Fontaine and he rifled a shot by Markstrom to give Houston a 1-0 lead mid-way through the 2nd period. Kuemper would face a deluge of pressure down the 2nd half of the game but he shut the door on the Rampage, stopping all 33 shots he faced to earn his first AHL shutout. Houston’s next game is against the Peoria Rivermen Sunday at 5:00PM CST.
Wild Prospect Report:
LW – Brett Bulmer (Kelowna, WHL) ~ Brett Bulmer banged home his 11th goal of the season but it wasn’t enough to give the Rockets a victory as they fell 4-3 in a shootout to the Swift Current Broncos Friday night.
C – Zack Phillips (Saint John, QMJHL) ~ It has to end sometime, right? Phillips scoring streak ended at 22 games after being held off the score sheet in a 3-2 loss to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan Friday. However, despite being held scoreless Phillips had one of his best nights on his faceoffs, winning an impressive 16-for-22 (72.7%) of his draws.
C – Erik Haula (Minnesota, WCHA) ~ In a chess match of a hockey game, the #2 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers were stunned by the plucky Michigan Tech Huskies who beat them 3-2 in overtime. Yet you can’t blame Haula who was one of the best Gophers all evening buzzing all over the offensive zone and adding an assist in a losing effort. The Pori, Finland native would add two more helpers to bring his totals to 9 goals and 25 points in 20 games.
LW – Jason Zucker (Denver, WCHA) ~ Jason Zucker is starting to re-establish that clutch touch that typified his freshman season that made him WCHA Rookie of the Year. The Las Vegas-native had two goals, including the game-tying goal as the Pioneers won a crucial 3-2 victory over the Bemidji State Beavers Friday evening.
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