SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Coming off back-to-back wins, and their first road win under Coach Todd Richards, the Minnesota Wild have finally shown some fight. After starting the season 1-6-0, the Wild have added two overtime victories and wins against the New York Rangers and defending Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins to finish up October at 5-9-0.
That record keeps them tied with the Anaheim Ducks for last in the Western Conference, but they have found some positives. They are 4-1-0 at home, and they have notched their first road win. They have won three of the past five, and four of the past seven games. They have the number one penalty kill rate in the NHL at 88%, and their team defense has made visible strides. The injury bug has started to relent as Martin Havlat and Petr Sykora have both returned to everyday action.
The negative vibe around the team has started to dissipate as well. After the loss at home versus Nashville, the locker room was a tense place to be, and players were giving short answers, not wanting to discuss much of anything. Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported having a player nearly blow up on him when he asked if he was hurt or simply a healthy scratch.
The Wild have still not found a way to score five-on-five. Despite the goals for / against ratio improving from .32 to .52, they are still tied for last in the NHL in that category with the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team with just one win on the season. Their power play has slipped from being ranked fourth in the league to fourteenth.
They still have just two players with a positive plus / minus rating (John Scott and Cal Clutterbuck). Team Captain Mikko Koivu is a -10 on the year, tied with Nick Schultz, and his defensive partner Brent Burns is a team worst -13. Schultz and Burns make up the teams top defensive pairing. The so called “ZZ Top” line of Marek Zidlicky and Greg Zannon is a combined -11 with seven points and zero goals between the two. Eric Belanger continues to lead the team in scoring, having seemingly secured the number two center spot with Pierre Marc Bouchard still out with concussion symptoms.
In recent game action, the Wild played a solid 2:30 against Nashville, scoring three goals in that span, but being shut out for the remaining portion of the game, and losing 4-3 on a break down while on the power play in a game tied half way through the third period. A pass hopped Zidlicky’s stick and a quick Jerred Smithson pick up, and a great move by him to use Brent Burns as a screen against Niklas Backstrom, led to a rare game winning short-handed goal.
With spirits down, and former franchise player Marian Gaborik returning (not playing) to Minnesota for the first time, the Wild found a way to beat a very good Henrik Lundqvist, and a very depleted New York Rangers squad. Petr Sykora had a goal and an assist in the game, after being benched by Richards in the previous game. The Wild played with the lead the entire game, which was a first for them this season. “It’s a lot better than looking up at the scoreboard and fighting for your goals,” said Richards after the game.
With the new NHL scheduling bearing down on them, the Wild left the Xcel Energy Center the night of the Rangers game and flew to Pittsburgh for the back leg of their back-to-back game nights. By all accounts, the Cup champions out played the Wild the entire game, outshooting the Wild 35-15, and having the lion’s share of scoring chances. Goaltender Niklas Backstrom played a stellar game making several saves that kept the Wild alive. The last 1:30 of the game, the puck never left the Wild’s zone, with Sidney Crosby and his squad firing shot after shot at Backstrom from point blank range.
This game also found a rather odd sight. In the second period, Zidlicky crashed hard into Crosby behind the Minnesota net. Crosby took offense and slashed Zidlicky. As play went on, the two exchanged slashes, and dropped gloves for a fight between two players known more for their offensive game than their enforcing abilities. Only a few seconds into the duel, Crosby pulled the jersey over Zidlicky’s head and the linesman broke up the tilt. The next day, Zidlicky admitted he should have received a game misconduct penalty for not having his jersey tied down properly.
In the end, the Wild came away with the two points, and a much needed first road victory. Practices this week started with a light mood on Sunday, and then back to work on Monday and Tuesday, practicing battling for the puck and face-off draws.
Going into November, the Wild must forget a terrible October which saw them struggling to find team chemistry, goals, and victories. If the team is to be more successful, they will need players such as Martin Havlat to step up the goal scoring, and players such as Burns and Schultz to find a way to up the defensive side of the puck. The main goal has to remain the same, and that is scoring goals during five-on-five play.
The team has shown they can play in the new system, and they have shown they can play with any opponent. All they need to do now is win.
The author can be reached at bryan.reynolds@prohockeynews.com
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