MNWild: Sedin Twins Lead Invasion on St. Paul Canucks Vs Wild Gameday
Tonight in St. Paul, the dirty cheating Vancouver Canucks 20-10-5 (45 points) will look to extend their seven game undefeated streak against the hometown Minnesota Wild 19-11-5 (43 pts).
The Wild have been far better on their home ice with a record of 13-3-2 opposed to a road record of 6-8-3 through 36 games this season. Vancouver has nearly identical home and road records of 10-5-3 at home and 10-5-2 on the road. The Canucks are currently undefeated in the month of December and the Wild will look to end that streak tonight at the X.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks will be without three key contributors in their lineup tonight as Alexandre Burrows, Alexander Edler, and Jordan Schroeder. In their absence the Canucks have gotten significant contributions from replacements Mike Santorelli, Chris Tanev, and Brad Richardson. The Canucks team that will take the ice tonight at the X has many familiar faces but a different demeanor and style of play under new head coach John Tortorella who was hired in the offseason in what turned out to be a coach swap with the New York Rangers hiring his predecessor Alain Vigneault as his replacement.
Wild fans have a special sort of distain for Burrows who has famously been the focal point of some lousy calls by the officials falling victim to embellishments during key points during competitive contests between these two franchises. Burrows favorite target for his brand of nonsense was the slight of build Pierre-Marc Bouchard who is no longer with the franchise. Burrows villain status now to Wild fans, is very similar to the role played by former Canuck and now Wild winger Matt Cooke. It will be interesting to see suited up in a Wild jersey battling in corners and getting under the skin of his former team.
When the trade deadline passed last season without either netminder for the Canucks being included in a deal with another NHL team, the entire hockey world wondered what general manager Mike Gillis was thinking.
As it turns out Gillis was unable to find a suitor for Roberto Luongo that was able to take on his massive contract but also offer enough compensation to the Canucks to have a trade make sense in his mind. Also playing heavily into the decision making process I believe was the play of Cory Schneider. With a great opportunity to unseat Luongo as the #1 goalie in Vancouver he failed to cease the moment. The younger and cheaper Scheinder was shipped at the 2013 NHL draft to New Jersey for the ninth overall pick in the draft which the Canucks used to select forward Bo Horvat.
Luongo has reinforced the tough decision making process by Gillis with his play this season. In 29 games this season he has a 2.19 goals against average, 16 wins, three shutouts, and a .921 save percentage. The Canucks were also able to promote goalie prospect Eddie Lack to be the backup to Luongo, he has also been performing well in his limited appearances. It is easy to see that the comparisons between Luongo and Schneider will occur for years to come but in what looked like a no win situation for Gillis, he was able to navigate through without doing damage to his current roster and also added a future asset for the organization.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild were able to get a late goal on a deflected puck by Nino Niederreiter to force overtime and eventually get a shootout win in Colorado on Saturday night. The Wild’s play was noticeably more aggressive and determined as the reality of their situation is that the current stretch of games seemingly will loom large towards earning a Western Conference playoff berth. The Wild played with purpose and although they could not find the net to save their lives in the first two and a half periods, they found a way to tie it up and sneak out a win versus the Avalanche.
Tonight the Wild is going to face a club that will look to setup on them in the offensive zone and use the cycle to create offense from the Sedin line. The Canucks have been getting great production from their blue liners specifically Jason Garrison who is having a great season accounting for four goals and 22 points. Also having Ryan Kesler back healthy has provided the Canucks with a potent dangerous top six that will be looking to attack the Wild on the rush and if given the opportunity on the power play. The Wild will have to play error free in their own zone to give themselves a chance to win this evening.
With the return of Mikael Granlund set to take place at some point during their Eastern Conference road trip, tonight will be a very important opportunity for Erik Haula to showcase his abilities centering the second line. Haula has been okay in his limited opportunity to fill in for Granlund. Haula’s opportunity to be in such a prominent role can be directly associated with the Wild’s need to spark secondary scoring which required Charlie Coyle to return to the top line. Coyle works his tail off every night in any role he is tasked with but he just doesn’t seem to be at the top of his game when playing the center position. Haula will need to be good in the face circle and work to create scoring opportunities for his linemates Jason Pominville and Niederreiter.
Individual Leaders Vancouver Canucks Minnesota Wild Points: D. SEDIN (31),H. SEDIN (31),R. KESLER (26) Z. PARISE (26),M. KOIVU (25),J. POMINVILLE (23) Goals: R. KESLER (15),D. SEDIN (11),C. HIGGINS (10) J. POMINVILLE (15),Z. PARISE (14),M. KOIVU (7) Assists: H. SEDIN (22),D. SEDIN (20),J. GARRISON (18) M. KOIVU (18),R. SUTER (18),Z. PARISE (12) PP Goals: R. KESLER (5),D. SEDIN (4),H. SEDIN (4) Z. PARISE (7),J. POMINVILLE (5),D. HEATLEY (3) SH Goals: B. RICHARDSON (2),J. GARRISON (1),C. TANEV (1) Z. PARISE (1) GW Goals: R. KESLER (5),C. HIGGINS (4),D. SEDIN (3) J. POMINVILLE (4),M. KOIVU (3),M. COOKE (2) 3+ Goals: PIM: T. SESTITO (77),Z. KASSIAN (47),K. BIEKSA (32) Z. KONOPKA (43),C. STONER (35),N. NIEDERREITER (22) Shots: R. KESLER (128),D. SEDIN (113),C. HIGGINS (111) Z. PARISE (136),J. POMINVILLE (96),M. KOIVU (77) +/-: M. SANTORELLI (+13),K. BIEKSA (+11),D. HAMHUIS (+10) M. SCANDELLA (+9),M. COOKE (+7),Z. PARISE (+6)
Last Game –Wild 2 at Colorado 1 (SO): Nino Niederreiter tied the game with 3:53 left in regulation before Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu scored in the shootout to lead the Wild to victory in Denver Saturday night. Josh Harding made 26 saves through overtime before stopping two-of-three shootout attempts to earn his 17th win of the season. Next Games (all times Central) 12/19 at PIT 6 p.m. –FSN, NHLN, KFAN 100.3 FM 12/22 at NYR 6:30 pm –FSN, KFAN 100.3 12/23 at PHI 6:30 p.m. –NBCSN, KFAN 100.3 FM CURRENT WILD INJURIES C Mikael Granlund (IR) –9 games (upper body) TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 83 Recent Transactions 12/13 –Recalled C Erik Haula from Iowa (AHL) and reassigned F Jason Zucker to Iowa (AHL) 12/12 –Recalled F Brett Bulmer from Iowa (AHL) Wild vs. Canucks All-Time Wild Record: 30-29-14 (19-13-5 at Xcel Energy Center, 11-16-9 at Vancouver) 2012-13: The Wild went 2-2-0 against the Canucks last season...LW Zach Parise (2-1=3) had three points...D Jonas Brodin (1-1=2), RW Charlie Coyle (1-1=2), C Mikko Koivu (0-2=2), D Jared Spurgeon (1-1=2), D Clayton Stoner (0-2=2) and D Ryan Suter (0-2=2) had two points each...G Niklas Backstrom went 2-1-0 with a 2.63 GAA and a .911 SV% in three starts...G Darcy Kuemper saved 28- of-30 shots in his first career start (2/12/13)...LW Mason Raymond(1- 2=3) and D Jason Garrison (0-3=3) led Vancouver with three points each...RW Jannik Hansen, LW Chris Higgins and C Henrik Sedin registered two goals each...G Roberto Luongo went 1-1-0 with a 2.03 GAA and a .922 SV% in two starts. WILD LEADERS: Koivu leads Minnesota with 27 points (10-17=27) in 44 games against Vancouver...C Kyle Brodziak owns 16 points (7-9=16) in 34 games...LW Dany Heatley has 14 points (5-9=14) in 25 games. WILD GOALIES: Backstrom is 13-13-6 with a 2.63 GAA, a .908 SV% and one shutout in 33 games (31 starts) vs. the Canucks...G Josh Harding is 2-4-0 with a 2.41 GAA, a .917 SV% and one shutout in eight games (six starts). CANUCKS LEADERS: H. Sedin owns 57 points (11-46=57) in 72 games vs. Minnesota...He ranks first all-time against the Wild in assists and games played and second in points...LW Daniel Sedin has 54 points (19-35=54) in 68 matches...He ranks second in assists, third in points and tied for third in games played against Minnesota...C Ryan Kesler owns 27 points (20-7=27) in 47 contests. CANUCKS GOALIES: Luongo is 17-15-5 with a 2.68 GAA, a .904 SV% and five shutouts in 37 starts against the Wild…G Eddie Lack has not faced Minnesota. CONNECTIONS: D Keith Ballard skated in 148 games with Vancouver in three seasons (2010-13)...LW Matt Cooke was selected by the Canucks in the sixth round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft and collected 203 points (83-120=203) in 566 games during nine seasons with Vancouver (1998-2008)...Darby Hendrickson skated in 27 games with the Canucks in 1998-99...Bob Mason appeared in six games with Vancouver in 1990-91...D Andrew Alberts is from Minneapolis…C Jordan Schroeder is a native of Lakeville and played two seasons at the University of Minnesota (2008-2010). FAST FACT: Luongo is 3-9-2 with a 3.56 GAA, a .873 SV% and one shutout in 14 starts at Xcel Energy Center and 14-6-3 with a 2.18 GAA, a .921 SV% and four shutouts in 23 starts at Rogers Arena…His last start in St. Paul was Oct. 19, 2010 and he has been pulled in his last three starts at Xcel Energy Center, allowing at least five goals in all three contests. 13 Things to Know: 1. Minnesota returns to home ice with a 13-3-2 record in Saint Paul this season, tied for the most wins and points at home in the Western Conference. The Wild has won nine of its last 11 games and 13 of its last 16 contests on home ice. Minnesota plays its lone home game in a stretch where seven of eight games are on the road, having posted a 6-8-3 record on the road this season. 2. Nino Niederreiter is set to skate in his 100th NHL game Tuesday. He tied the game with 3:53 left in regulation Saturday and ranks T-4th on the Wild in goals (6), T-5th in assists (10) and points (16), and second in hits (79) in 35 games this season. He previously totaled three points (2-1=3) in 64 games over parts of two seasons with the New York Islanders (2010-12). 3. Josh Harding leads the NHL in GAA (1.49), ranks T-1st in shutouts (3), second in SV% (.939), and T-2nd in wins (17-5-3). He’s already set career highs for most wins and shutouts in a single season (13-12-4 and 2 shutouts in 2011-12), and a personal-best 131:36 shutout streak. He is 13-1-0 on home ice this season, posting a 34-10-2 record in his career starts at Xcel Energy Center, Minnesota Wild: Media Notes including 27-5-1 since Jan. 27, 2010 and 16-2-0 in his last 18 starts in Saint Paul. He 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. 4. Ryan Suter leads the NHL in TOI/game (29:32), nearly two minutes more than any other player. He’s topped 30 minutes in two straight games, 11 of the last 20 contests and 16 times overall this season –surpassing his 10 games of 30-plus minutes in 48 games last season. He has a three-game assist streak (3) and his 18 assists this season rank T-1st on the Wild and T-7th 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 at WSH (11/7). 5. The Wild has allowed a total of 43, 5-on-5 goals this season –second-fewest in the NHL. Josh Harding has allowed 23, 5-on-5 goals this season and his .949 even-strength SV% is tops amongst NHL goalies that have played more than five games. 6. Minnesota continues a stretch where it faces Western Conference opponents in 11-of-13 games (Nov. 23-Dec. 17). The Wild is 10-7- 3 record against the Western Conference this season including an 8-4-1 record against the Central Division and a 2-3-2 mark against the Pacific Division. The Wild is 9-4-2 against the Eastern Conference. 7. The Wild is 11-2-5 in one goal games this season (.611). Only Anaheim (12-1-5) has more wins from one-goal games. Eight of the last 10 Wild wins have been decided by one goal. 8. Mikko Koivu netted his 14th career shootout game-deciding goal Saturday, tied with Sidney Crosby for most amongst all NHL players. His 33 career shootout goals rank T-4th for most amongst all players. Minnesota’s captain leads the Wild in assists (18) and is second in scoring (25), posting 17 points (6-11=17) in the last 20 games. He also ranks third amongst all NHL forwards in TOI/game (21:39) and 6th in faceoffs won. 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 Nov. 30 at COL, won the game with 2:57 remaining at OTT on Nov. 20, and won the game with 3:12 remaining vs. WPG Nov. 17. 9. Zach Parise leads the Wild with 26 points (14-12=26) and six multi-point games this season. Six of his 14 goals have been the Wild’s first goal of the game. He ranks fourth in the NHL in shots (136) and PPGs (7). He has eight points in his last 12 contests (4-4=8) and 21 points (10-11=21) in his last 25 games. The Wild alternate captain scored his 35th career shootout goal Saturday, ranking second amongst all NHL players, going 35-for-76 (46.1%). 10. Jason Pominville registered an assist Saturday and has six points (2-4=6) in the last eight games. He leads Minnesota with 15 goals this season (T-13th in NHL). His four game-winning goals lead the Wild (T-6th in NHL) and he ranks second on the team in shots (96) and PPGs (5), and third in scoring (15-8=23). 11. Jonas Brodin tallied his sixth goal of the season Thursday, and ranks T-4th on the Wild in goals and T-6th amongst NHL defensemen. His three PPGs rank T-3rd on the team and T-7th amongst NHL defensemen. He also ranks 19th in the NHL in TOI/game (24:44). In his rookie season last year, Brodin recorded one PPG and 11 points (2-9=11) in 45 games, averaging 23:12 in TOI/game. 12. Minnesota’s opponents in its current five-game stretch (ANA, SJ, COL, VAN, PIT) are a combined 107-43-18 (.690). 13. Iowa Wild Update Last Game: 3-1 win vs. Rockford (12/15). Goal Scorers: Zack Phillips (4), Carson McMillan (3), Tyler Graovac (4) Goalie: Darcy Kuemper (37-of-38) Upcoming Schedule: vs. Grand Rapids (12/18), vs. Hamilton (12/20), vs. San Antonio (12/21) Leading Scorers: Brian Connelly (1-14=15) , Erik Haula (7-7=14), Jonathon Blum (3-11=14)
3 Keys to Victory for Wild
1. The Wild needs to be rewarded for its aggressive play style like it was earlier in the season. To reinforce the energy and effort they need to get on the board early tonight against the Canucks. The Wild needs to draw more penalties and carrying the puck and extending offensive zone possession will do that.
2. The Wild defensive corps has to clear the front of the net tonight and work to disrupt the cycle of the Canucks. Whenever the Sedin twins are on the ice they must be accounted for. All three pairings have to be solid positionally tonight for the Wild to get a win.
3. Josh Harding needs support from his team, he has been able to bail the Wild out this season but some goal support is needed. Tonight the Wild needs to be effective with the puck in their zone and effective with its breakout.
Just My Take, Tony Dean @TonyDean1204