WildHBcommunity: Game Five What Wild Team Shows Up in STL?
Anyone in State of Hockey Confident About Knowing How Tonight Plays Out?
I have been thinking all day, not pondering because I know how the negative mojo associated with that word gets Minnesota sports fans all riled up, about how great the momentum swing was for confidence in our boys after game four. I also have decided that if I have nothing nice to say than it is best to say nothing at all about game four.
I have to believe that top to bottom the entire roster and organization as a whole was doing some soul searching after the St. Louis Blues made a mockery of the Minnesota Wild at the X. What comes next is the stuff of legends whether it is Zach Parise willing this team to victory with his drive to out work every opponent on the ice or a huge bounce back Devan Dubnyk to reclaim his savior status.
Tonight the Blues return home with a spring in their step and some swagger after completely annihilating their first round foe on heels of being shutout. I do not have access to the Wild like the Don Michael Russo and others but my first question would be how does a team that is so openly disrespectful towards you come into your kitchen and eat the food off your plate like that?
The Blues from the opening faceoff imposed their will with physical play and the Wild did very little about it other than look astonished no one wearing a Wild sweater cared to do anything about it. See i already got sucked back into last game and i suppose that is only to dance around the obvious that our boys who looked like world beaters down the stretch and through the first 3 games this series now must find a way tonight to overcome a team the empowered by allowing them back into a series everyone expects them to win.
Tonight from the puck drop until the final buzzer we shall see what the Wild is truly capable of because whether it is on the veteran leaders or bench boss Mike Yeo to light the fire, if they do not show some killer instinct and elevate their play at Scottrade Center than this season will be on life support.
Tonight Mikko Koivu and his line MUST make an impact in BOTH zones because relying on the smaller Mikael Granlund lead top line is going to be out of the question. Blues bench boss Ken Hitchcock is going to target Granlund with his matchups as he has done in the past. Charlie Coyle and his third line must work hard to create extended possession and generate offense. Thomas Vanek needs to step it up and prove to be a true disadvantage for the Blues.
What can I say about Ryan Suter, I will never attempt to diminish his reputation as a top pair minutes eater or a cement solid positional defender with amazing hockey intelligence. What I will call into question is his decision making both with the puck on the power play and in general. Suter at his best makes tremendous break out passes and carries the puck so well creating opportunities. Suter has left a ton to be desired when physical teams strike out at him which in turn cause him to dump the puck to nowhere and no one.
Suter is the big body of his pairing with Jonas Brodin so his allowing Vladimir Tarasenko and David Backes real estate in front of the net is just plain unacceptable. Suter needs a bounce back game in a big way and I am not sure if there is anyone in the Wild locker room that will mention it to him because of his stature. Suter must be a difference maker for this team and after his game five performance or lack there of, he definitely owes some tonight.
Dubnyk better bounce back fast and get his mind right because he had zero confidence to him in game five. He team did him no favors but let be real here he chased himself off the ice. Dubnyk is a great story but it is now time to prove his tremendous run and revival as an NHL #1 wasn't just a flash in the pan. The difference between the other Vezina finalist and Dubnyk is credentials and tonight is the most import game of Dubnyk's career.
Truly it is time to prove themselves capable of beating any team in the league under the most adverse conditions. That's the true test of a champion. If Yeo doesn't have his team prepared to respond early and often to the Blues tonight it will be a damn shame. Show and prove!
My Soap Box Moment
Lastly I saw a fellow Wild Internet Community writer/blogger Dakota Case get destroyed for throwing out there the idea that Mike Yeo should have given Dubnyk the hook after the 1st period to break the momentum of the Blues. I think Dakota presented a very logical and relevant idea to be honest. The problem with his idea lies in Yeo's steadfast avoidance of ruffling feathers or taking decisive action to address issues (Like Suter and Jason Pominville on the point of 1st PP Unit) and stem the tide.
Yeo was NEVER going to pull Dubnyk until his hand was forced to save the netminder from embarrassment. Dakota certainly didn't deserve the mob mentality savagery he received from Wild fans and even worse his fellow writers. Now don't get me wrong I know how comfortable the "safe zone" can be for the the Giles Ferrell's and Emilie Weiner's of the world that create most of their attention for themselves criticising others on the internet who put themselves out there with thoughts and ideas. I suppose if you must mock and ridicule others who don't blindly pledge allegiance to the narratives driven by the team to make yourself feel better than to each their own.
Cheers Dakota I understood what you meant by the tweet and I know how it feels to have someone try to get some shine being a jerk to you on the interwebs!
Wild Wednesday Show From Bennett's Chop and Rail House!
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Just My Take,
Tony Dean
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