MNWild: Gameday Wild Vs. Columbus
The Minnesota Wild 17 - 8 - 5 (39 pts) will be in Columbus tonight for a matchup with the Blue Jackets 11 - 14 - 3 (25 pts) on the heels of last night’s signature victory at X. The Blue Jackets are missing some very significant members of their current roster, with maybe no absence larger than
Sergei Bobrovsky their talented Russian backstop. Also currently out of the lineup for Columbus are forwards
Marian Gaborik,
Nathan Horton, and
Jared Boll. For the Wild they will be without forwards
Mikael Granlund who is suffering from concussion associated symptoms and most likely
Zenon Konopka will be out as well.
Tonight will be a very good opportunity for the Wild to build some momentum with back to back victories but the Blue Jackets despite their current record and injuries are not to be overlooked. The Blue Jackets are the youngest team in the NHL right now and forwards Ryan Johnasen and
Cam Atkinson always seem to have success against the Wild. Tonight Blue Jackets head coach
Todd Richards will implore his team to challenge the Wild breakouts and force them off the puck before entering the offensive zone. The Blue Jackets are looking to make better decisions with the puck, identifying the Wild’s high pressure system as something that can make errors costly.
Curtis McElhinney is now the top netminder for the Blue Jackets with Bobrovsky out possibly more than a month. McElhinney is 30 years old and coming off of a very productive season in Springfield of the AHL that saw him lead the team to one of their best in history. McElhinney has been described as good in his 8 appearances for the Blue Jackets this season. The Blue Jackets defensive corps on paper look quite impressive with a top pairing of
Jack Johnson and
James Wisniewski. The Blue Jackets also feature a young gun blue liner of their own in 2012 2nd overall draft pick
Ryan Murray. Through 28 games in the NHL Murray 3-3-6 2 +/- and is tied for 3rd in TOI among rookie defensemen.
The Wild last night outplayed the Blackhawks only to find themselves in need of a late third period comeback. The Blackhawks made the most of their opportunities last night whether unfortunate blunders or suspect officiating.
Matt Cooke put the Wild on the board in the first with a beautifully constructed rush and snipe over Chicago netminder
Corey Crawford’s shoulder. Of note last night I pointed out
Dany Heatley to the Wild fans sitting next me, explaining the meaning of floating and cherry picking to them. They were then able to accurately identify it the rest of the evening and did so passionately. Heatley did contribute though on 2 of the 4 Wild goals. On
Zach Parise’s power play goal,
Jason Pominville unleashed a blast that landed up high on Heatley causing him to double over but backhand the puck on net. Parise then put it home. Then again on the winner the puck ended up on Heatley’s stick for yet another turnover scenario as he lost his balance. Heatley was able to swipe at the puck on the way down getting it to
Charlie Coyle who directed it to
Jared Spurgeon on to
Marco Scandella who scored his first of the season.
The Wild is clearly missing Mikael Granlund’s ability to be the 2nd line center and primary distributor to Jason Pominville and the 2nf power play unit. Granlund’s absence has created the need for Coyle to play in the middle. I think at this point enough of Coyle at center has been seen to eliminate it as a primary role for the young forward. He is versatile enough to fill in but it is definitely not a strength for him. Another opportunity that has proven to be fruitful in the absence of Granlund has been the start of
Erik Haula’s NHL career. In Haula the Wild and general manager Chuck Fletcher invested a 7th round draft pick on a kid from Finland who came to the United States to play in the USHL and then highly respected hockey factory Shattuck-St.Mary’s. Haula went on to become highly successful playing Gopher hockey elevating expectations of his NHL future. Haula is sure to return to Iowa of the AHL soon but he has certainly held his own against NHL competition in his first callup.
Tonight I look for the Wild to work very hard to get on the board early imposing their aggressive fore check and offensive zone puck possession style. The Wild top line of Parise, Koivu, and Pominville was dominate last night against the Blackhawks with Parise specifically having the puck on his stick around the net all game. Fox Sports North analyst and former member of the Wild
Wes Walz stated last night he believes Koivu is playing his best hockey ever in a Wild jersey this season. I wholeheartedly agree with Walz assessment. Koivu despite lacking the superstar stat production has elevated the Wild more often than not this season and he deserves more credit than he will likely receive. The more Koivu and Parise play together, the more I get the sense that the will push each other to unseen heights in each of their careers.
Lastly before I provide the important numbers below, I think Marco Scandella has been an unsung hero for this Wild squad for the great majority of the season thus far. Scandella has flashed his potential at different points in the prior 2 seasons but has never been able to remain so effective and consistent in both ends of the ice like has this year for the Wild. Scandella has formed a very competitive and competent 2nd pairing with Jared Spurgeon this season. Spurgeon much more known for his offensive abilities often overshadows Scandella’s ability to play end to end hockey. Last night Scandella fired the winning shot through a crowd giving the Wild a signature victory against the Black Hawks who sit atop the Western Conference standings. Scandella deserved to be rewarded and there was no better time than with the game on the line in the packed Xcel Energy Center.
Individual Leaders
Minnesota Wild Columbus Blue Jackets
Points: Z. PARISE (23),M. KOIVU (23),J. POMINVILLE (19) R. JOHANSEN (20),J. WISNIEWSKI (18),B. DUBINSKY (15)
Goals: J. POMINVILLE (14),Z. PARISE (11),D. HEATLEY (6) R. JOHANSEN (10),N. FOLIGNO (7),A. ANISIMOV (7)
Assists: M. KOIVU (17),R. SUTER (15),Z. PARISE (12) J. WISNIEWSKI (16),B. DUBINSKY (10),R. JOHANSEN (10)
PP Goals: Z. PARISE (6),J. POMINVILLE (4),D. HEATLEY (3) R. UMBERGER (3),R. JOHANSEN (3),B. DUBINSKY (2)
SH Goals: Z. PARISE (1) B. DUBINSKY (2),A. ANISIMOV (1)
GW Goals: J. POMINVILLE (4),M. COOKE (2),M. KOIVU (2) R. UMBERGER (3),N. FOLIGNO (3),C. ATKINSON (2)
3+ Goals:
PIM: Z. KONOPKA (37),C. STONER (29),N. PROSSER (19) B. DUBINSKY (40),J. BOLL (38),N. FOLIGNO (38)
Shots: Z. PARISE (115),J. POMINVILLE (82),M. KOIVU (65) C. ATKINSON (81),R. JOHANSEN (77),J. WISNIEWSKI (55)
+/-: M. SCANDELLA (+9),N. NIEDERREITER (+7),M. COOKE (+6) D. SAVARD (+4),N. FOLIGNO (+3),J. SKILLE (+2)
Last Game –Wild 4 vs. Blackhawks 3: D Marco Scandella scored his first goal of the season with 1:48 left in regulation to lead
Minnesota to a 4-3 victory. D Jared Spurgeon had two assists, LW Matt Cooke, LW Zach Parise and D Jonas Brodin also scored
and G Josh Harding made 16 saves to help Minnesota earn its first regulation victory against Chicago in Saint Paul since Oct. 27,
2008.
Next Games (all times Central)
12/8 vs. SJ 5 p.m. –FSN, KFAN 100.3 FM
12/11 at ANA 9:30 p.m. –FSN, KFAN 100.3 FM
12/12 at SJ 9:30 p.m. –FSN, KFAN 100.3 FM
CURRENT WILD INJURIES
C Mikael Granlund (IR) –4 games (upper body)
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 78
Recent Transactions
12/1 –Reassigned Jason Zucker to Iowa (AHL)
11/29 –Recalled F Erik Haula from Iowa (AHL)
Wild vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
All-Time Wild Record: 23-16-7 (7-11-4 at Columbus)
2012-13: The Wild won the season series 2-0-1...RW Jason Pominville (2-2=4) led the Wild with four points...D Ryan Suter had three
points (1-2=3)...C Mikko Koivu (1-1=2) and LW Zach Parise (0- 2=2) had two points each...G Niklas Backstrom went 2-0-1 with a
1.30 GAA, a .938 SV% and one shutout...C Brandon Dubinsky (0- 3=3) led the Blue Jackets with three points...G Sergei Bobrovsky
went 1-1-0 with a 2.40 GAA and a .923 SV% in two starts.
WILD LEADERS: Koivu has 24 points (8-16=24) in 26 games and Suter has 24 points (2-22=24) in 45 contests.
WILD GOALIES: Backstrom is 11-5-2 with a 2.11 GAA, a .925 SV% and one shutout in 19 starts against Columbus...G Josh Harding
is 1-2-0 with a 3.68 GAA and a .880 SV% in three starts.
BLUE JACKETS LEADERS: D Jack Johnson has 13 points (3-10=13) in 20 contests vs. Minnesota...D James Wisniewski owns 10
points (2-8=10) in 21 contests.
BLUE JACKETS GOALIES: Bobrovsky is 2-1-0 with a 1.95 GAA and a .926 SV% in three starts against the Wild...G Curtis
McElhinney is 1-1-1 with a 2.95 GAA and a .892 SV% in four games (three starts).
CONNECTIONS: LW Mike Rupp appeared in 39 games with Columbus (2005-06)...C Zenon Konopka skated in nine games with the
Blue Jackets (2006-08)... Columbus Head Coach Todd Richards served as the Wild’s Head Coach from 2009-11...Darryl Sydor
played 49 games for the Blue Jackets in 2003-04...RW Marian Gaborik is the Wild’s all-time franchise leader in goals (219), points
(437), plus- minus rating (plus-54), PPGs (59), GWGs (43) and shots (1,694) in 502 games...He was selected by Minnesota with the
third overall pick in the 2000 Entry Draft.
FAST FACT: Backstrom’s 24-save shutout on April 7, 2013 was the first in franchise history at Nationwide Arena.
12 Things to Know:
1. Minnesota has posted a 5-5-3 road record this season, going 3-2-1 in its last six games away from Saint Paul. Minnesota has earned
points in seven of its last 11 games at Columbus, posting a 6-4-1 record at Nationwide Arena since Dec. 8, 2007, including a 3-1-1
record in the last five games played at Columbus.
2. Minnesota completes its fourth of 13 sets of back-to-back games tonight.The Wild is 1-1-1 on the second night of consecutive games
this season, and is looking for its first sweep. Minnesota is 2-2-0 on the first night.
3. The Wild has allowed a total of 36, 5-on-5 goals this season –the fewest in the NHL. Josh Harding has allowed a total of 19, 5-on-5
goals in 23 games this season and his .950 even-strength SV% is tops amongst NHL goalies that have played more than seven games.
4. Josh Harding was named the NHL’s Third Star of November after posting an 8-2-2 record with a 1.88 GAA and .926 SV% in the
month, becoming the first player to earn NHL monthly honors in franchise history. On Monday, he posted his third shutout and 14th win
of the season –both single-season career highs (13-12-4 and 2 shutouts in 2011-12). His shutout streak, spanning three games, ended
with 0:17 left in the second period against Chicago and totaled a personal-best 131:36. Harding leads all NHL goalies in GAA (1.52),
ranks second in SV% (.935), T-1st in shutouts (3) and T-4th in wins (15-4-3). He is 12-1-0 on home ice this season, posting a 33-10-2
record in his career starts at Xcel Energy Center, including 26-5-1 since Jan. 27, 2010 and 15-2-0 in his last 17 starts in Saint Paul.
Minnesota Wild: Media Notes5. Minnesota plays against an Eastern Conference opponent for just the second time in a 13-game stretch (Nov. 23-Dec. 17). The Wild
has posted a 9-3-2 record against the Eastern Conference this season, while going 8-5-3 record against the West.
6. Mikko Koivu played in his 566th career game Thursday, winning 16-of-20 (80.0%) faceoffs on the night. He claims second place on
the Wild’s All-Time Games Played list, surpassing Pierre-Marc Bouchard (565) and now trails only Nick Schultz (743). Minnesota’s
Captain leads the Wild with 17 assists this season, and is second on the team with 23 points. He netted 14 points (5-9=14) in
November, including three game-tying or winning goals in the final five minutes of regulation: he tied the game with six seconds left in
regulation at COL (11/30, won the game with 2:57 remaining at OTT (11/20) and won the game with 3:12 remaining vs. WPG (11/17).
7. Minnesota has earned points in 15-of-16 games decided by one goal this season (10-1-5). Only Los Angeles (11-3-4) has more wins
and points from one-goal games.Seven of the last eight Wild wins have been decided by one goal.
8. Jason Pominville leads Minnesota with 14 goals this season, T-8th amongst all NHL players. His four game-winning goals lead the
Wild and ranks T-5th in the NHL. He has a point in three straight games (1-2=3) and ranks third on the Wild with 20 points (14-6=20)
this season, including 17 points (11-6=17) in his last 21 games. He was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week (Oct. 28-Nov. 3) after
ranking T-1st in the NHL in goals and scoring (4-2=6), becoming the fourth Wild player to be named First Star. The former Sabres
captain was acquired by the Wild April 3 and signed a five-year contract extension on Oct. 3. He skated in his 600th career NHL game
Oct. 26 and, after scoring the game winner in his return to Buffalo Oct. 14, has scored against all 30 NHL franchises. He tallied his
200th career goal Nov. 9 at Carolina.
9. Ryan Suter leads the NHL in TOI/game (29:27). He’s topped 30 minutes in eight of the last 15 games and 13 contests overall this
season –surpassing his 10 games of 30-plus minutes in 48 games last season. His 15 assists this season ranks second on the Wild
and T-11th amongst NHL defensemen. Since 2007-08, there have been 10, 35:00-plus performances in the NHL (regular season), and
Suter totaled three of them in the span of six days –the top three TOI of his career. According to Elias Sports Bureau, his 108:19 TOI in
three games Nov. 7-13 (36:06 average) is the most by any NHL player in three consecutive games since TOI started being tracked in
2000-01. He set a Wild franchise record with a career-high 36:51 TOI Nov. 7 in Washington –since Suter entered the NHL, only two
players have skated more in a regular season game: Dan Boyle (TB) 37:03, 2/23/08 and Andrej Meszaros (OTT) 37:47, 4/5/06. Last
season, the alternate captain led the NHL in TOI/game at 27:16 (franchise record), also leading the NHL in TOI/game during the
playoffs at 31:37, skating 41:08 in Game 1 at CHI (4/30). Suter ranked second in assists and third in scoring amongst defensemen last
season and was named to the 2012-13 NHL First All-Star Team and a finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy for first time in his
career (finished second in voting).
10. Zach Parise leads the Wild with 24 points (12-12=24) and five multi-point games this season. He netted his seventh power-play
goal in Thursday’s win against Chicago and now ranks tied for T-2nd for most PPG in the NHL this season. He has six points in his last
seven contests (2-4=6) and at least one point in 14 of his last 20 games –totaling 19 points (8-11=19) in that span. The Wild alternate
captain ranks second in the NHL with 115 shots this season. He is T-1st amongst all NHL players with 34 career shootout goals.
11. Seven Wild players were named to pre-Olympic rosters for their native countries: Zach Parise and Ryan Suter (USA), Niklas
Backstrom, Mikael Granlund and Mikko Koivu (Finland), Jonas Brodin (Sweden) and Nino Niederreiter (Switzerland). The 2014
Winter Olympics are set to take place in Sochi, Russia, with an NHL Olympic break from Feb. 9-25.
12. Iowa Wild Update
Last Game: 5-4 shootout win at San Antonio (12/4). Goal Scorers: Brian Connelly (1-2=3), Jason Zucker (1-2=3), Steven Kampfer,
Jonathon Blum (1-1=2). Goalie: Darcy Kuemper (44-of-48).
Leading Scorers: Brian Connelly (1-13=14), Jason Zucker (7-6=13), Jonathon Blum (3-8=11), Erik Haula (4-6=10)
Upcoming Schedule: at Texas (12/6 and 12/7)
Courtesy of wild.com/pressbox and @mnwildPR
3 Keys to Victory for Wild
1. The scoring from the blue line for the Wild is a welcome and need addition for a team that has historically been near the bottom of the league in scoring in general. I think
Keith Ballard has influenced the younger defensemen with his aggressive play and ability to get the puck on the goalie from the point. Jonas Brodin specifically before his cheekbone injury had begun to take his game deeper into the zone with more aggressive shots.
2. The Power Play needs to be less dancing and posturing. If the Wild needs so much maneuvering to get setup in the zone maybe they need to change their roles. The 2nd power play unit has been poor all season and Granlund missing does not help. It would be nice to see more decisive play like what occurred on Brodin’s game tying goal last night.
3. The Wild has fallen victim to the Blue Jackets ability to play conservative and protect the lead. Tonight it will be very important for the Wild to get out early because this is a Richards coached team so they will shut it down with a lead.
Just My Take,
Tony Dean
@TonyDean1204
Minnesota Wild Blogger • 
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