WildHBcommunity:Series Tied State of Hockey Bound Game 3 Tonight at X
Minnesota Wild Returns to the X Tonight for Game 3 with Chance to Control Series
Winning game one at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis has provided the Minnesota Wild an opportunity to take control of this first round series. With the next two games on home ice at the Excel Energy Center, this team must use matchups and last change to their advantage. Honestly this current group has played better on the road this season than at home so it is not like their performance at the X has been a huge advantage.Wild bench boss Mike Yeo must provided his players the opportunity to thrive in situations by how he deploys them in the next two games.
Yeo threw a curveball in game two playing Matt Cooke and Jordan Schroeder, tonight he will be returning with Justin Fontaine and Sean Bergenheim. I think the 4th line has been a great advantage for Yeo's squad this year so although it may seem like a subplot in the grand scheme of things, tonight having Fontaine back will be a boost in my opinion. Cooke is a guy that has a great deal of playoff experience and he certainly generates a ton of attention but honestly I would rather Schroeder or Bergenheim play over him at this point.
The Blues are top to bottom talented upfront with superstar talent and nasty gritty types. Blues captain David Backes is a great example of a tone setting physical forward capable of banging bodies and dominating in the dirty areas. Backes seems to set the tones for the Blues, if the Wild can get in his kitchen so to speak it can cause him to get distracted from the game affecting his performance. Backes and his boys (TJ Oshie, Steve Ott, and Ryan Reaves) all seem to take pleasure stirring up reactions and emotions of opponents. The flip side of the coin especially in game one was the blanket treatment the Wild used so effectively on Backes suffocating him. Backes was so frustration he took a bad penalty and was side tracked.
Tonight I am really hoping that the 4-1 loss at the Hands of the Blues in game 2 will spark this group to get their 100 foot forechecking game back on track. In game two this squad did not do a very good job of clearing the front of the net or keeping track of Vladimir Tarasenko. Those lapses and shortcomings just can happen for the Wild to emerge victorious this evening and again on Wednesday.
The strength of the Wild has been the five skater effort to limit opponents and create opportunities this season. This defensive corps is the biggest or toughest, instead they thrive extinguishing opponents skill players with disciplined gap control and strong positionally defense forcing puck carriers and passing to the outside. Ryan Suter must do more to move out Backes and others from the paint. The tiny but talented defenseman Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, and Matt Dumba must use their skating and stick work to disrupt the Blues before they get the opportunity to gain the offensive zone and anchor in.
I am sure Devan Dubnyk will be looking to bounce back after allowing (2 goals) of Tarasenko's hat trick and the Wild giving up 4 goals over all. Tonight will be a huge statement game for this series as both of these teams will be looking respond. Dubnyk has been the calm for this squad since his arrival via trade. Dubnyk and his defensemen must quiet the Blues snipers in Game 3. I have this feeling Dubnyk has to be chomping at the bit to get back out there and prove game 2 was a speed bump rather than reality.
The True X Factor for the Wild's Stanley Cup Aspirations in Mikael "FBJ" Granlund
The reality for the Wild is to bring home Lord Stanley's Cup to the State of Hockey, 23 year old Mikael Granlund needs to perform like the all world talent we have seen at different points over the past 3 seasons. I am not sure anyone can honestly commit to idea that Granlund is now an elite level #1 NHL pivot which was certainly the expectation of him. Granlund must elevate his game now for the Wild to defeat the Blues and emerge for the Western Conference playoffs the victor.
Granlund has certainly flashed elite level hockey intelligence and world class handle of the puck. Granlund is a hard working kid who has really impressed me with his focus on becoming a more defense capable center but he is still undersized by NHL standards. Granlund has lacked some killer instinct and decisiveness with the puck in my opinion which has limited his production this season.
Granlund showed in the Sochi Olympics and during stretches for the Wild that he is very capable of scoring goals and creating offense for teammates. The hiccup seems to be that he has been very easy to bump of the puck by larger opponents who also seem to be able to snuff him out by using physical play to blanket him ala the Pierre-Marc Bouchard defense.
I am not saying Granlund is Bouchard or the Finkle is Einhorn here but if this team is going to play him in the big spot situations and lean on him as a Top 6 center than he needs to elevate his play and produce goals that lead this team to victory. Wild general manager certainly rolled the dice on what the next contract for Granlund will look like choosing to wait until this summer when he is an RFA. It appears Fletcher saved himself some money as Granlund failed to reach 40 points (8 goals 31 assists) during the 2014-15 regular season.
Granlund has a history of concussion due to players using his size against to deliver massive hits. Granlund is crazy talented but what we have seen in his first 3 years in North America, is that he needs to better identify how to create space for himself with the puck to take advantage of his gifts. Certainly that is easier said than done but for Granlund to elevate his play I believe he has to be more assertive with the puck on his stick which he has proven capable of.
Granlund is the true X factor for the Wild in my mind because this is ultimately the most talented and deep roster in franchise history but this team really needs an elite level performance from the young finn to prove themselves as the best team in hockey.
Buckle Up! Tonight is going to be a War!
Jeff Dubay #WildWednesdayShow I am Back this Week! Live at Bennett's Chop and Rail House
#MNWild Look at This Right Here hot off the presses! #WildWednesdayShow @JeffDubay Banner! pic.twitter.com/vrVRNV6xwO
— Tony Dean (@TonyDeanHB) April 8, 2015Here is last week with special guests Tom Chorske and Ben Remington!
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Just My Take, Tony Dean
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