Minnesota Wild

WildHBcommunity: MNWild in Pivotal Game Five Tonight in Colorado

Apr 26, 2014 • 5:10 pm

WildHBcommunity: MNWild in Pivotal Game Five Tonight in Colorado

The Minnesota Wild Return to the Pepsi Center Tonight After Tying The Series at 2-2.

The Minnesota Wild have dug themselves out of a 2 games down hole with back to back victories on their home ice versus the Colorado Avalanche. The Wild beyond tying the series, maybe more important was swinging the momentum and confidence in this series because after their complete self-destruct in game 1 it look like these team was just one more bad game from getting run out of the playoffs again in the first round.

The train of thought I have followed throughout this season is although this current roster is obviously the most talented and deepest in franchise history, it still appears that this would be a bridge season towards a deep run opportunity next year. This current team has been the best of the NHL for extended stretches during the 2013-14 regular season while also going on stretches where they were completely dominated and frankly embarrassed.

This team has required external motivation to generate inspiration to play the 200ft hockey system that has made them a team that can shut down any team in the league on a nightly basis. For the Wild to right the ship in the regular season that external motivation came during a complete blow out in St. Louis where Ken Hitchcock and his Blues rubbed the Wild's nose in it and continued to kick them while they were down.

The most recent external motivation was due in large part to the strategy and leadership of colorful Avalanche bench boss Patrick Roy and his team targeting slight of statue skilled Wild players Jared Spurgeon, Mikael Granlund , and Jonas Brodin with a choreographed barrage of checks and physicality early in this series. The Wild showed very little response to this punishing strategy employed by the Avalanche and frustrations boiled over when Wild winger Matt Cooke looked to finish a punishing check on Tyson Barrie a smaller skilled offensive defensemen for Colorado. Barrie attempted to avoid Cooke taking an evasive maneuver just before impact was made. The result was a knee to knee check delivered by Cooke on Barrie causing an MCL injury and ending possibly both players post season in the process.

The Avalanche was paid a heavy price for attempting to impose their will on the Wild with physical play and extended hostility in this series. Beyond inspiring the Wild to fight back and rally around each other, the Avalanche are very injury plagued on a whole. Besides missing Top 9 centers Matt Duchene and John Mitchell with pre-existing ailments, Jamie McGinn and Marc-Andre Cliche have been banged up in the last two matchups as well. The Avalanche has gotten out of this world play from their netminder Semyon Varlamov to keep them competitive in every game this series but the question surely will be how long can they expect that to be the norm?

What to Expect Tonight From The Avalanche

I am looking for the Avalanche and Roy to attempt to exploit matchups with their ability to make the last change being the home team. After being a flash of speed and scoring in the first two games of this series rookie forward Nathan Mackinnon was shut down in Minnesota. Tonight Roy will be looking for the line rushes and mismatches via speed tonight that made his team so dangerous in games 1 & 2. I can nearly guarantee that the nasty physical play returns tonight as the Avalanche has to change the dynamics of possession in this series that has seen the Wild dominate 3 of the 4 games.

The Minnesota Wild Wins Tonight if.....

The Minnesota Wild wins tonight if they play 200ft hockey contesting every pass and shot like they have during extended stretches of play this year when they porved they could beat any team in the league. When this team gets defeated they allow opponents to cycle and operate in the offensive zone with laying a hand on them. I look for contributions for all five skaters on the ice in the defensive end to support Darcy Kuemper and choke the life out of this desperate reeling Avalanche team on their home ice.

That 3rd line of Nino Niederreiter/Erik Haula/Justin Fontaine has to be the motivated and smart tonight as they will surely draw the Avalanche's top line for the majority of the night. Nino has to be a strong physical presence in both zones tonight for the Wild to create a marquee moment in franchise history taking control of this series going up 3-2.

Make no mistake about it this Wild team has been leaning heavily on it's young forward group playing in elevated roles and taking over this series. Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle, and Niederreiter have all proven they can play with the best the NHL has to offer and now they must prove they can help close out this series. Each of these young forwards has the potential to take over a game with dominating shift after shift tonight these three need to light the lamp and put their foot on the Avalanche's neck.