WildHBcommunity: Wild Night Ahead in the Shark Tank?
Minnesota Wild Begin West Coast Road Trip in San Jose Tonight
The Minnesota Wild 28 - 20 - 5 (61 points) begin a very important four game west coast road trip tonight against the San Jose Sharks 33 - 12 - 6 (72 points) at HP Pavilion which is affectionately known as the Shark Tank. The Wild has found new life in the last 10 games going 7 - 3 - 0 but will need a supreme effort tonight to defeat the Sharks on their home ice where they have a record of 18 - 2 - 3 this season.
The Sharks Re-Sign Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau to 3yr Deals
The core of the San Jose Sharks is cemented with news Friday that their captain Joe Thornton and assistant captain Patrick Marleau had both come to terms on nearly identical pacts with the team. The Sharks will surely be out for blood tonight with the future of two of their most influential players no longer in doubt.
The Sharks franchise will forever be tied to Minnesota as its entering the league was facilitated by former North Stars owners George and Gordon Gund selling the team in exchange for rights to an NHL expansion franchise located in the Bay area of California. There were countless examples of players with Minnesota ties in the early years of the Sharks franchise, the most contemporary and important player example is Brent Burns in my mind.
Burns may just be my favorite member of the Wild during the first 10 years of the franchise. The raw talent and kid like excitement Burns displayed during his years here in a Wild jersey will always be something I miss on the ice at the X. Don’t get me wrong I absolutely believe Wild general manager did well by the franchise with the draft day swap of Burns to the Sharks for Charlie Coyle, Devin Setogucci, and Zach Phillips. Burns has been converted to a forward in San Jose a role which he had played with the Wild on a limited basis but for him to not be playing defense his value especially how great of return it netted in my opinion has been diminished. Not taking anything away from Burns because I respect the hell out of him as a player and a person but to see a star player leave via trade it has worked out nicely for the Wild.
Zach Parise Back in the Lineup Playing With Coyle and Nino Niederreiter
I realize that once Mikko Koivu returns to the ice for the Wild that he will mostly like be right back to centering Parise and Coyle but I really like the size and skill combination the current top line features. Parise has advocated for playing Coyle previously as the pair matchup really well in skill set, energy, and effort. Niederreiter is far more complimentary a player than I previously realized before his arrival. Affectionately refer to as the “KnightRider… or “El Nino…, Niederreiter has had a positive effect on each line he has been assigned this season.
It will be interesting to see how the Top 9 roles are assigned once the Wild gets every back healthy and even into next season. Many spots are obviously locked up(Koivu, Parise, Coyle, Granlund, Pominville, and Niederreiter) and then there is some less established players on the fringe(Zucker, Fontaine, Haula, Cooke, Brodziak, Mitchell, and Bulmer) so the evolution of who is assigned where will be very telling. I have contended since this summer that Brodziak should be centering the 4th line with Cooke and Mitchell/Fontaine. Obviously it would be a hybrid type of fourth line play a nearly similar if not identical role and minutes as they currently do but it would mean a more skilled 3rd line rather the junky Konopka lead Rupp/Heatley types they have gone with this year.
Individual Leaders Minnesota Wild San Jose Sharks Points: M. KOIVU (35),J. POMINVILLE (34),R. SUTER (31) J. THORNTON (53),J. PAVELSKI (51),P. MARLEAU (47) Goals: J. POMINVILLE (20),Z. PARISE (15),J. FONTAINE (12) J. PAVELSKI (28),P. MARLEAU (21),T. HERTL (15) Assists: M. KOIVU (27),R. SUTER (25),M. GRANLUND (18) J. THORNTON (47),P. MARLEAU (26),J. PAVELSKI (23) PP Goals: Z. PARISE (8),J. POMINVILLE (5),D. HEATLEY (3) J. PAVELSKI (10),P. MARLEAU (7),D. BOYLE (6) SH Goals: Z. PARISE (1) P. MARLEAU (1),M. VLASIC (1),T. WINGELS (1) GW Goals: J. POMINVILLE (5),M. COOKE (3),M. KOIVU (3) B. STUART (3),J. PAVELSKI (3),T. WINGELS (3) 3+ Goals: R. SUTER(1),J. FONTAINE(1) T. HERTL(1),J. PAVELSKI(1),B. BURNS(1) PIM: C. STONER (55),M. COOKE (34),K. BALLARD (31) A. DESJARDINS (70),M. BROWN (64),S. HANNAN (35) Shots: Z. PARISE (144),J. POMINVILLE (141),N. NIEDERREITER (108) P. MARLEAU (185),L. COUTURE (157),J. PAVELSKI (144) +/-: M. COOKE (+10),M. SCANDELLA (+10),N. NIEDERREITER (+10) B. BURNS (+22),J. BRAUN (+20),M. VLASIC (+17)
Last Game –Wild 2 vs. Blackhawks 1: The Wild used two first-period goals en route to a 2-0 victory versus Chicago Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center. RW Jason Pominville and LW Matt Cooke scored for Minnesota, while G Darcy Kuemper made 33 saves in the win. Next Games (all times Central) 1/28 at ANA 9 p.m. –FSN, KFAN 100.3 FM 1/30 at COL 8 p.m. –FSN, KFAN 100.3 FM 2/1 at CGY 9 p.m. –FSN, KFAN 100.3 FM Current Wild Injuries G Josh Harding (IR) –11 games (illness) D Jared Spurgeon (IR) –10 games (lower body) C Mikko Koivu (IR) –9 games (ankle fracture) TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 138 Recent Transactions 1/23 –Reassigned D Jonathon Blum to Iowa (AHL) 1/22 –Reassigned G Johan Gustafsson to Iowa (AHL) Upcoming Milestones RW Jason Pominville –499 career points (209-290=499) LW Mike Rupp –99 career points (54-45=99) Wild vs. Sharks All-Time Wild Record: 20-24-5 (12-9-3 at Xcel Energy Center, 8-15-2 at San Jose) 2013-14: The Wild won the first meeting 3-1 at Xcel Energy Center (12/8) and the Sharks won the second, 3-1, at SAP Center (12/12)...LW Zach Parise (2-0=2) and D Marco Scandella (0- 2=2) lead the Wild with two points each...D Jonas Brodin and C Mikko Koivu also scored for Minnesota...G Josh Harding made 37 saves to earn the win in the first contest and G Niklas Backstrom stopped 36-of-39 shots in the second contest...D Matt Irwin (0- 2=2), C Joe Pavelski (2-0=2) and C Joe Thornton (0-2=2) lead the Sharks with two points apiece while G Antti Niemi was 1-1-0 with a 1.53 GAA and .929 SV% in two starts. WILD LEADERS: D Keith Ballard has 19 points (3-16=19) in 38 games...Koivu has 16 points (6-10=16) in 29 games against San Jose...D Ryan Suter owns 16 points (2-14=16) in 32 contests... Parise has 11 points (5-6=11) in 11 games. WILD GOALIES: Backstrom is 6-13-3 with a 3.07 GAA, a .907 SV% and two shutouts in 22 starts against the Sharks... Harding is 2-1- 0 with a 3.55 GAA and a .908 SV% in four starts...G Darcy Kuemper has made one appearance, allowing one goal on two shots (4/18/13). SHARKS LEADERS: LW Patrick Marleau has 34 points (17-17=34) in 49 games against Minnesota...Thornton owns 31 points (8- 23=31) in 35 contests...RW Marty Havlat has 16 points (10-6=16) in 20 games...Pavelski has 18 points (11-7=18) in 25 games...D Dan Boyle owns 17 points (5-12=17) in 27 matches. SHARKS GOALIES: Niemi is 7-3-1 with a 1.82 GAA, a .928 SV% and one shutout in 11 starts vs. the Wild...G Alex Stalock has not faced Minnesota. CONNECTIONS: LW Dany Heatley spent two seasons (2009-11) with San Jose and was acquired by the Wild for Havlat (7/2/11)... RW Torrey Mitchell was drafted 126th overall by the Sharks in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and recorded 73 points (30-43=73) in four seasons with San Jose (2007-12) before being signed by Minnesota as a free agent (7/1/12)...Havlat compiled 116 points (40- 76=116) in 115 games with the Wild (2009-11)...D Brent Burns was drafted 20th overall by the Wild in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and ranks sixth on the team’s all-time scoring list with 183 points (55-128=183) in 453 games (2003-11)...The Wild acquired LW Devin Setoguchi, RW Charlie Coyle and a 2011 first-round pick (C Zack Phillips) in exchange for Burns (6/24/11)...D Justin Braun (Minneapolis) is a Minnesota native...C James Sheppard was selected ninth overall by Minnesota in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and skated in 224 games with the Wild (2007-10)...Todd McLellan coached the Wild’s prospects in Cleveland (2000-01) and Houston (2001-05)...G Alex Stalock hails from St. Paul and played three seasons with University of Minnesota-Duluth (2006-2009). FAST FACT: Minnesota is 6-0-0 in the last six meetings played against San Jose at Xcel Energy Center and 1-8-0 in the last nine contests at SAP Center. 13 Things to Know: 1. The Wild is 8-3-0 in 2014 and has won three of its last four games. After moving to 19-7-2 record on home, the Wild begins a fourgame road trip, tied for its longest this season. The Wild is 9-13-3 on the road, having won three of its last four contests away from Saint Paul. Minnesota Wild: Media Notes 2. Darcy Kuemper has started six consecutive games for the Wild. Since being recalled from Iowa (AHL) Jan. 2, he has posted a 5-2-0 record, stopping 209-of-221 shots for a .945 SV%, a 1.68 GAA and one shutout. If he plays Saturday, he will become just the third rookie goalie to play at least 10 games for Minnesota. His five wins rank second all-time for most victories by a Wild rookie goaltender (11, Harding, 2007-08). 3. Jason Pominville scored his 20th goal of the season Thursday and has now hit the milestone in seven of his nine NHL seasons. He becomes the 15th Wild player in team history to score 20 goals in a season –the 25th time the feat has been accomplished. He sits at 499 career points (209-290=499) and his 20 goals lead the Wild and rank T-19th in the NHL this season, entering play Friday. The winger ranks second on the Wild with 34 points (20-14=34) this season, including 17 points (7-10=17) in the last 26 games. He scored the game winner in his return to Buffalo Oct. 14, completing a collection of goals against all 30 NHL franchises. 4. Justin Fontaine tallied an assist Thursday and now has 10 points (6-4=10) in his last 15 games, totaling 18 points in 46 games this season. He’s also tied for the team lead with a plus-10 rating. He scored his 12th goal of the season Jan. 16, taking sole possession for third-most goals by a Wild rookie in a single season. His 12 goals also rank third on the Wild and sixth amongst all NHL rookies this season. He became the first Wild rookie to record a hat trick in franchise history at PHX (1/9). 5. Kyle Brodziak recorded his 200th NHL career point with an assist Thursday. Brodziak has six points (2-4=6) and a plus-6 rating in the Wild’s 11 games in 2014, totaling 16 points (4-12=16) this season. 6. Ryan Suter has recorded at least one point in 13 of his last 21 games, totaling 16 points (6-10=16) in that span. He has six goals in his last 13 games, after netting four goals in three of his previous four seasons. The U.S. Olympian ranks third on the Wild with 31 points (6-25=31) this season, ranking 10th amongst all NHL defensemen entering play Friday, while also leading Minnesota with 82 blocked shots. He leads the NHL in TOI/game (29:32) and has hit the 30-minute mark in 10 of the last 20 games and 24 times overall this season. 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, while also becoming the first defenseman in franchise history to score twice in less than a minute (Elias Sports Bureau). Since 2007-08, there have been 11, 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). 7. Mikael Granlund has nine points (1-8=9) in 16 games since returning from an upper-body injury that saw him skate just 29 seconds in the span of 14 games (Nov. 23-Dec. 19). The Finnish Olympian has registered 21 points (3-18=21) in 40 games this season. He totaled eight points (2-6=8) in 27 games during his rookie year with Minnesota last season. 8. Matt Cooke scored his third GWG Thursday, T-2nd on the Wild this season and one shy of his career high of four game winners in a single season. He’s tied for the Wild lead with a plus-10 rating this season, totaling 21 points (7-14=21) in 53 games. 9. Dany Heatley has totaled six points (1-5=6) and a plus-4 rating in his last seven games. He ranks T-4th on the Wild with nine goals this season. 10. Charlie Coyle has recorded six points (2-4=6) in his last seven games, having already set a career high for most points in a season, now with 18 points (6-12=18) in 41 contests this year. He earned his first career two-goal game in 40 seconds 1/11 vs. COL, setting a franchise record for fastest two goals by a Wild player at Xcel Energy Center. 11. LW Zach Parise returned to the lineup Thursday after missing the last 14 games with a foot contusion. The U.S. Olympian has 27 points (15-12=27) in 38 games this season, T-2nd on the Wild with six multi-point games. He missed one game earlier this season after originally suffering the injury after taking a shot to the foot Nov. 25 at STL. 12. Nino Niederreiter has nine points (3-6=9) and a plus-5 rating in his last 13 games. He ranks fifth on the Wild with 26 points (9- 17=26) in 52 games this season, ranking fourth on the team in assists and T-4th in goals. The Swiss Olympian is tied for the Wild lead with a plus-10 rating and ranks second with 122 hits. He previously totaled three points (2-1=3) in 64 NHL games over parts of two seasons with the New York Islanders (2010-12). 13. Five Wild players have been named to 2014 Olympic rosters: Zach Parise and Ryan Suter will represent the U.S., Nino Niederreiter will skate for Switzerland and Mikael Granlund and Mikko Koivu will play for Finland. 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.
Just My Take, Tony Dean
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