WildHBcommunity: Oilers Shake Up Roster Before Matchup with Wild at the X
Edmonton Oilers in Saint Paul for Matchup with the Minnesota Wild
Tonight the Edmonton Oilers 15 - 29 - 5 (35 points) will take the ice with two new additions to their lineup after general manager Craig MacTavish completed trade with the Los Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators. In for the Oilers tonight will be newly acquired netminder Ben Scrivens and gritty center Matt Hendricks. In return for Scrivens the Oilers will send their 2014 3rd round pick to the Kings. Edmonton native and former first round selection Devan Dubnyk was to the Predators in exchange for Hendricks.
The Minnesota Wild 25 - 19 - 5 (55 points) was riding a four game win streak into their Tuesday night debacle at the Excel Energy Center against the Senators losing 3-0. The Wild must take nothing for granted with the Oilers as both MacTavish trades were certainly to send a message to their roster. The Oilers have been the center of the universe for trade rumors this because of their abundance of young talented forwards. The Wild will need to improve their play in the defensive zone against this young offensively gifted Oilers team for them to emerge victorious tonight.
Which Young Forward Will be the Star for the Oilers Tonight
The Oilers young superstar Taylor Hall is currently leading the team in goals (18) and points (45) this season. Hall has 6 points in his last 5 games against the Wild with (1g, 2A) 3 points coming in their last meeting on April 26th of last season a win for the Oilers. The highly scrutinized sniper Nail Yakupov has enjoyed success versus the Wild in his young career accounting for (3G, 1A) 4 points in 4 games played. Yakupov has +/- of -30 this season and has been the target of frustration by first year head coach Dallas Eakins. Yakupov is hardly the only Oilers player with a disappointing on ice +/- total this season, specifically center Sam Gagner is a -21 this season while accounting for (6G, 13A) 19 points in 36 games.
The Oilers has enjoyed a resurgence in the play of winger Ales Hemsky of late which many have speculated will finally provide him resolution to the never ending trade rumors. Hemsky has seemingly been on the trading block for 3 years now with his value and production under the microscope under the NHL. The Oilers have yet to find a package for Hemsky in previous seasons but I have to believe that he gets moved either in and around the Olympic freeze or at the trade deadline this year. The Oilers are in desperate need of NHL caliber blue line talent and they could move Hemsky and possibly more to finally address the need.
It is hard to believe a team with such top tier young talent like the Oilers, appears so far from sustained success in the Western Conference. Surely Edmonton will be looking this offseason to commit to a core and then supplement with veterans through free agency and other means. It will be interesting to see the impact of Scrivens with the Oilers as he is replacing the heir apparent in Dubnyk and is also an impending unrestricted free agent. Also the addition David Perron via trade has gone in my opinion under the radar as he has put together a very capable first season in Edmonton after coming from St. Louis for Magnus Paajarvi and a 2014 2nd round pick. Perron has accounted for (17G, 17A) 34 points in 45 games with a +/- of -5 for the Oilers this year.
Minnesota Wild Gets Positive News on Missing Members
The missing members of the Minnesota Wild are beginning the road back to the lineup according to beat reporters at practice yesterday. Josh Harding who has been out of the lineup dealing with illness he has associated with the treatment of multiple sclerosis, believes he will return soon citing practices reps and timing concerns as the only thing delaying his return. Zach Parise who attempted to play through a foot injury after taking a slap shot off the foot was shut down in December because of what has been labeled a broken foot. Parise had it mandated by the Wild he was to stay off the ice during his recovery and he only returned this week. Parise sounds as if he will delay his return to the ice until the Olympics but I would not be surprised if he returned for a tune up game in the Wild lineup before that happens.
The Wild’s captain Mikko Koivu suffered a broken ankle for which he elected to have it surgically repaired. He has stated he believe he will still be able to participate in the Olympics but that might be wishful thinking. Jared Spurgeon sounded as if he was close to returning but his exact timeline has yet to be determined. Spurgeon was playing some his best hockey especially in the defensive zone before the injury. His pairing with Marco Scandella has been a bright spot for the Wild all season as each has complimented the other’s play and they certainly trust each other.
Tonight is Dany Heatley Bubble Head night at the Excel Energy Center, the #50in07 faithful better make their presence felt in full force. Also celebrating his 22nd birthday is winger Jason Zucker, tonight would be the perfect opportunity for him to celebrate by lighting the lamp and entertaing the crowd. Hopefully the Wild can build some momentum against the defensively inept Oilers on the home sheet tonight.
Keith Ballard who found himself benched and as a healthy scratch in the past week and a half, will be back in the lineup this evening for the Wild. Jonathan Blum was called up with the injury to Spurgeon and Mathew Dumba being assigned to Portland of the AHL. Ballard must earn his spot in the lineup starting tonight against the Oilers. With important deadlines with regard to player movement on the horizon the Wild brass will need to make judgment calls when it comes to the bottom of the roster.
Individual Leaders Edmonton Oilers Minnesota Wild Points: T. HALL (45),J. EBERLE (37),R. NUGENT-HOPKINS (36) M. KOIVU (35),J. POMINVILLE (31),R. SUTER (30) Goals: T. HALL (18),D. PERRON (17),J. EBERLE (14) J. POMINVILLE (18),Z. PARISE (15),J. FONTAINE (11) Assists: T. HALL (27),J. EBERLE (23),R. NUGENT-HOPKINS (23) M. KOIVU (27),R. SUTER (25),M. GRANLUND (16) PP Goals: D. PERRON (7),J. EBERLE (4),T. HALL (4) Z. PARISE (8),J. POMINVILLE (5),D. HEATLEY (3) SH Goals: B. GORDON (1),J. EBERLE (1) Z. PARISE (1) GW Goals: R. NUGENT-HOPKINS (3),D. PERRON (2),J. EBERLE (2) J. POMINVILLE (5),M. KOIVU (3),M. COOKE (2) 3+ Goals: T. HALL(1) R. SUTER(1),J. FONTAINE(1) PIM: L. GAZDIC (78),A. FERENCE (49),D. PERRON (44) C. STONER (46),K. BALLARD (31),M. COOKE (30) Shots: D. PERRON (134),T. HALL (134),J. EBERLE (127) Z. PARISE (144),J. POMINVILLE (132),M. KOIVU (103) +/-: M. MARINCIN (+2),R. JONES (+1),C. POTTER (-1) N. NIEDERREITER (+9),J. FONTAINE (+9),M. COOKE (+8)
Last Game –Wild 0 vs. Senators 3: Ottawa G Robin Lehner stopped all 27 Wild shots to earn his second career shutout as the Senators claimed a 3-0 victory Tuesday night in Saint Paul. Next Games (all times Central) 1/18 vs. DAL 8 p.m. –FSN, KFAN 100.3 FM 1/21 at DAL 7 p.m. –NBCSN, KFAN 100.3 FM 1/23 vs. CHI 7 p.m. –FSN, KFAN 100.3 FM Current Wild Injuries LW Zach Parise (IR) –11 games (lower body) G Josh Harding (IR) –7 games (illness) D Jared Spurgeon (IR) –6 games (lower body) C Mikko Koivu (IR) –5 games (ankle fracture) TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 123 Recent Transactions 1/7 –Loaned D Matt Dumba to Portland (WHL) Upcoming Milestones LW Mike Rupp –99 career points (54-45=99) C Kyle Brodziak –198 career points (85-113=198) RW Jason Pominville –496 career points (207-289=496) Wild vs. Oilers All-Time Wild Record: 41-23-9 (23-11-2 at Xcel Energy Center, 18-12-7 at Edmonton) 2012-13: The Wild won the season series 3-1-0 last season...RW Charlie Coyle (2-2=4) and C Mikko Koivu (2- 2=4) led Minnesota with four points each...D Ryan Suter added three assists...G Niklas Backstrom was 3-1-0 with a 2.72 GAA and a .877 SV% in four starts...G Josh Harding stopped 9-of-12 shots faced in relief of Backstrom (4/26)...LW Taylor Hall led the Oilers with five points (1- 4=5)...RW Jordan Eberle (1-3=4) and RW Nail Yakupov (3-1=4) had four points each...G Devan Dubnykwas 0-3-0 with a 4.14 GAA and a .881 SV% in three starts. WILD LEADERS: Koivu has 38 points (6-32=38) in 49 games against Edmonton, tied for his most points against any team... LW Dany Heatley owns 24 points (11-13=24) in 24 contests... Suter has 18 points (3-15=18) in 32 games. WILD GOALIES: Backstrom is 25-4-1 with a 1.91 GAA, a .928 SV% and four shutouts in 32 starts...Harding is 2-5-1 with a 2.87 GAA, a .902 SV% and one shutout in 12 games (seven starts)...G Darcy Kuemper has not faced Edmonton. OILERS LEADERS: LW Ryan Smyth leads Edmonton in career scoring against Minnesota with 44 points (20-24=44) in 61 games...He ranks third all-time versus the Wild with five game- winning goals, tied for third in goals, sixth in games played and sixth in scoring...RW Ales Hemsky owns 16 points (7-9=16) in 45 matches...Eberle has 14 points (4-10=14) in 15 games. OILERS GOALIES: G Ilya Bryzgalov is 7-8-0 with a 2.64 GAA, a .911 SV% and two shutouts in 16 games (15 starts)…G Ben Scrivens has never faced Minnesota. CONNECTIONS: D Nick Schultz spent parts of 10 seasons with the Wild (2001-12) and is the franchise leader in games played (743), seventh in assists and 11th in scoring (26-102=128)...He was selected 33rd overall by Minnesota in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft...C Kyle Brodziak was acquired from Edmonton in a trade (6/27/09) after spending four seasons with the Oilers (2005- 09)...LW Ryan Jones was selected by the Wild in the fourth round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft...C Matt Hendricks is a native of Blaine and went to St. Cloud State (2000-04). FAST FACTS: The Wild’s 18 wins in Edmonton and 41 wins over- all are the most against any franchise...Backstrom suffered his first home loss to the Oilers in the final meeting last season (4/26/13)...He is 17-1-0 with a 1.49 GAA, a .942 SV% and four shutouts in 18 home starts against Edmonton. 13 Things to Know: 1. Minnesota is set to play in its 1,000th regular-season game in franchise history. TheWild is 456-400-143 through 999 games,including a 266-159-75 home record and a 190-241-68 road record.Minnesota continues a three-game home stand, having posted a 16-7-2 record in Saint Paul this season and winning 12 of its last 18 games and 16 of its last 23 contests on home ice. 2. Jason Zucker celebrates his 22nd birthday Thursday. He has totaled three goals and a plus-4 rating in seven games since being recalled from Iowa (AHL) Jan. 1. Minnesota Wild: Media Notes 3. Dany Heatley scored his 63rd career game-winning goal Sunday in Nashville. He has totaled four points (1-3=4) and a plus-3 rating in his last three games. He ranks T-4th on the Wild with nine goals this season. The first 5,000 fans at Thursday’s game will receive a Dany Heatley booblehead. 4. Charlie Coyle has recorded four points in his last three games (2-2=4), having now set a career high for most points in a season (6- 10=16) in 37 contests this year. He earned his first career two-goal game in 40 seconds Saturday, setting a franchise record for fastest two goals by a Wild player at Xcel Energy Center. 5. Ryan Suter used an assist to tally his 300th NHL point Sunday (47-253=300). He has recorded at least one point in 12 of his last 17 games, totaling 15 points (5-10=15) in that span. He ranks third on the Wild with 30 points (5-25=30) this season, T-8th amongst all NHL defensemen entering play Wednesday. He used three shots to record his first career hat trick vs. WSH (1/4), becoming the first defenseman in Wild history to accomplish the feat. His two power-play goals that night were scored 42 seconds apart in the second period, becoming the first defenseman in franchise history to score twice in less than a minute (Elias Sports Bureau). He leads the NHL in TOI/game (29:36) and has hit the 30-minute mark in nine of the last 16 games and 23 times overall this season. 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 this season –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). 6. Nino Niederreiter has eight points (3-5=8) and a plus-4 rating in his last nine games. He ranks fifth on the Wild with 25 points (9- 16=25) in 49 games this season, ranking T-3rd on the team in assists and T-4th in goals. He also leads the Wild 114 hits this season and is T-1st with a plus-9 rating. He previously totaled three points (2-1=3) in 64 NHL games over parts of two seasons with the New York Islanders (2010-12). 7. Darcy Kuemper made his second-ever start in Saint Paul Tuesday night, making 29 saves in his first career loss at Xcel Energy Center. He is 2-1-0, stopping 91-of-95 shots faced for a 1.30 GAA and a .958 SV% since being recalled from Iowa (AHL) Jan. 2. He earned his first career NHL shutout and second win in as many starts, Sunday. 8. Minnesota begins a stretch of eight straight games and 12 of 13 games (Jan. 7-Feb. 1) against the Western Conference. The Wild is 14-10-3 against the West this season, including a 5-3-1 record against the Pacific Division. Minnesota has recorded a 11-9-2 against the Eastern Conference this season. 9. Justin Fontaine has seven points (5-2=7) in his last 10 games, totaling 16 points in 42 games this season. His 11 goals rank third on the Wild and sixth amongst all NHL rookies this season, and T-3rd for most by a Wild rookie in a single season. He became the first Wild rookie to record a hat trick in franchise history at PHX (1/9). At 26 years old, Fontaine becomes the oldest NHL player to register a hat trick in his rookie season since Fernando Pisani did so for the Oilers at the same age on March 22, 2003, according to Elias Sports Bureau. 10. Minnesota has scored at least one third-period goal in 16 straight wins, dating back to a 2-1 shootout win vs. Toronto on Nov. 13. In that span, the third-period goals have been a game-winning goal in six games and have tied the game to force extra time before winning in a shootout in five other contests. 11. Five Wild players have been named to 2014 Olympic rosters: Zach Parise and Ryan Suter were named to the U.S. Olympic Men's Hockey Team Jan. 1, Nino Niederreiter was named to Switzerland’s Olympic team Jan. 6 and Mikael Granlund and Mikko Koivu were named to Finland's roster Jan. 7. It will be Koivu's third trip to the Olympics, Parise and Suter's second time representing Team USA, and Granlund and Niederreiter's first Olympics. 12. Mikko Koivu underwent successful surgery on an ankle fracture Jan. 6, expecting to be sidelined four weeks. He suffered the fracture vs. Washington (1/4), where he returned to the ice after being hit by a clearing attempt to tally two assists and stretch his point streak to five games (1-7=8) –his longest this season. The Wild captain leads Minnesota in assists and points (8-27=35) in 44 games this season, including 27 points (7-19=27) in his last 29 games. On Dec. 29, he became the first player in franchise history to record 300 assists (Bouchard, 241). At the time of his injury, he ranked third amongst all NHL forwards in TOI/game (21:34) and fifth in faceoffs won. He ranks second amongst all NHL players with 14 career game-deciding goals in the shootout, and fifth with 33 career shootout goals. 13. Iowa Wild Update Last Game: 4-3 OT loss vs. Toronto (1/15) Goal Scorers: Jake Dowell (5), Steven Kampfer (4), Carson McMillan (7), Goalie: Johan Gustafsson (33-of-37) Upcoming Schedule: vs. Lake Erie (1/17 and 1/18) Leading Scorers: Brian Connelly (1-19=20), Erik Haula (9-8=17), Jonathon Blum (4-13=17), Carson McMillan (7-9=16) WILD PRONUNCIATION GUIDE #6 - Marco Scandella (skan-DEHL-a) #7 –Jonathon Blum (BLUHM) #9 - Mikko Koivu (MEE-koh KOY-voo) #11 - Zach Parise (pah-REE-see) #16 –Jason Zucker (ZOOK-ER) #19 - Stephane Veilleux (steph-AWN vay-OOH) #20 - Ryan Suter (SOO-tuhr) #21 - Kyle Brodziak (BRAWD-zee-ak) #22 - Nino Niederreiter (NEE-noh nee-duhr-RIGH-tuhr) #25 - Jonas Brodin (JOE-nuhs BROH-deen) #35 - Darcy Kuemper (KEHM-puhr) #39 - Nate Prosser (PRAW-suhr) #46 - Jared Spurgeon (SPUHR-juhn) #56 –Erik Haula (HOW-la) #64 - Mikael Granlund (mih-kigh-EHL GRAHN-lund)
Just My Take, Tony Dean
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