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Morrissey Gets A Game, But We Can't Turn the Clock Back

April 19, 2018, 12:36 PM ET [15 Comments]
Dan Wallace
Minnesota Wild Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
So the NHL Department of Player Safety issued the Jets, Josh Morrissey, a one game suspension for his cross check to the head/neck of Eric Staal.

It is another case of the NHL trying to right a wrong, or something I don't know. The logic may be that if the Jets are up significantly on Friday and the series looking like it is coming to an end, the league does not want Morrissey in the game for the Wild players to target.

Or it may be a case that they are getting such backlash and bad press about the lack of a call for a flagrant penalty that occurred in the middle of the ice with both referees watching. How could they both miss the call, and worse apologize later in the game? That I am sure factored into the one game suspension as well.

Either way if the right call had been made during the game this would not even be a discussion and the league would have a firmer grip on what is and what is not acceptable to let go.

The logic of not wanting to send a team down two men just does not make any sense at all, because if Morrissey was to have shot the puck over the glass on an inadvertent clearing attempt the officials would be forced to put the Jets down two men by rule, and of course the stoppage of play. But since it was an infraction that took place in the course of play, the referees can use their discretion to make a call, regardless of how blatantly dangerous it was.

In my opinion this is just another case of the NHL and their archaic rationale. It reminds me of my favorite pet peeve of NHL penalties, the four minute high stick for drawing blood. Such a ridiculously silly rationale for determining a double minor, but that is a topic for another day ha.

What does the Morrissey suspension mean to the Jets who already played game four without defenseman, Tyler Myers. If Myers is unable to play in game five does that open the door for the Wild to exploit the Jets defense, presenting the opportunity for them to possibly steal the game in Winnipeg and bring the series back to the Xcel for game six?

No matter what happens on the Winnipeg side of the ice the Wild have to be much better if they intend on extending the series beyond Friday night. Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game. Yes, the Wild are missing now two key components of their lineup, but remember this team is built to be balanced, not at all top heavy with stars.

There is some truth to that statement, and through injury comes opportunity. There is a huge opportunity for someone to step up take a bigger role in the Wild success. There is also those that have been all but non-existent through the first four games of the series, most notably Jason Zucker, Nino Niederreiter, and Charlie Coyle.

These guys are the ones that should be leading the charge and especially Zucker who had a career year with 33 goals and 64 points. Zucker is RFA this Summer and looking for a significant raise based off those regular season numbers. Well no one cares about that, especially in Minnesota, where their team is on the brink of their sixth straight early playoff exit and third straight first round loss.

Through the first four games of the series Zucker is 0 goals, 0 assists, -2 +/-, 6 shots on goal, 5 hits, and 1 blocked shot. Niederreiter is 0 goals, 0 assists, -3 +/-, 6 shots on goal, 9 hits (7 in game 1), 0 blocked shots. Coyle is 0 goals 0 assists -2 +/-, 7 shots on goal, 5 hits, 0 blocked shots.

Those numbers tell the tale of the Wild. Yes Parise is out and he had goals in each of the first three games of the series and 15 goals in his last 21 games. He was as hot a goal scorer as there was in the league. Huge loss, no doubt, but where are the three aforementioned players in this series?

Excuses are for underachievers. Blaming losses on injuries and worse non-calls by the officials are not the formula for winners. I think that Matt Cullen could speak of the injuries that the Penguins suffered through in each of their last two runs to the Stanley Cup.

It is beyond time for the message to be put to the players on this team, to stop making excuses and get to working together to overcome adversity.

Devan Dubnyk is doing his part, and Mikael Granlund, Mikko Koivu, and Eric Staal are leading the way up front. But the most inspiring players have been the youngsters, led by Nick Seeler, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Jordan Greenway.

In order for the Wild to have any sustained success they must get production from Zucker, Niederreiter, and Coyle. Those three have been here for most of the playoff heartache, time for them to find the passion to avert that feeling once again in 2018.

Follow me on Twitter @dwallace17
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