Blackhawks and Panthers Are Sneaking up on the Wild

The race atop of the NHL standings is really heating up.  The Wild continue their Cinderella run but they are now tied at the top with the Blackhawks.  The Cinderella tag may not be enough for the Wild to stave off all comers.  We think the Blackhawks are the obvious threat to the Wild for first place and we like the Panthers and give them an outside chance of reaching number one.

Both teams are similar in that they have a good veteran core complimented with solid young talent.  The steamroller in Chicago is chugging along led by the usual suspects including Toews, Sharp, Hossa, and Kane.  Toews is playing so well at both ends of the ice that he looks like the favorite for the MVP title in the NHL.  I am sure the Hawks Captain would gladly give that award up for another Stanley Cup ring.  He might yet get his chance.   Joel Quennville has got his boys flying because he knows how to relate to his players.  He has their respect because he took them to the last Cup win and he knows how to win.  It also helps that he was in the NHL for years and which helps him identify the hot points to motivate his team.

The Panthers are also led by an NHL vet in Kevin Dineen.  Just like the Hawks' coach; Dineen can relate to his players and he has the team clicking and threatening for number one. The Panthers made some good moves in the post season and they are paying off. Kris Versteeg is arguably their best acquisition.  Versteeg ,who played for the Hawks when they won the Cup, has a +/- of +17 and he has scored 17 goals.   We think Florida could surprise if Boston cools down and the Wild's Cinderella clock strike midnight.  The Flyers are without Giroux and Pronger now so they are a lame ducks.  Now is the time for Florida to turn it on and start chasing Chicago and the Wild.

Blue Jackets and Wild - A Tale of Two Cities - Doormats versus Champs

Parity is the name of the game in the new NHL.  Most teams got that memo and acted accordingly.  Two teams however were left off the list for the parity memo.  The Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild are  glowing examples that parity doesn't exist for everyone.

Columbus has been solidly at the bottom of the league all year.  Injuries and suspensions put these guys behind the eight ball from the get go and they never recovered.  The breakout year that never was has become an issue for the Blue Jackets.  Additions like Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski were supposed to make the team a competitor but mismanagement and bad luck have turned that plan on its head.  This has exposed Columbus' lack of depth.  When the injury bug hits or suspensions become an issue; there should be guys on the bench to pick up the slack.  Excuses are for recreational leagues and not the NHL.   The big question is why management has not taken steps to shake things up.  Respect for the fans is reflected in the product on the ice.  The talent is there in Columbus; coaching and vision are missing.  It will be interesting to see how the Blue Jackets rebound from this year. The first step in our book is a coaching or management change.

The Wild are the exact opposite of the Blue Jackets.  The obvious difference is their position in the standings but the real fundamental difference is the operational focus on a sound organization with real hockey men behind the scenes.  Head coach, Mike Yeo is the principal reason for the success of the Minnesota Wild.  The new coach has got the troops balanced and performing on cue.  The Wild are a mix of veterans and rookies and they find  a way to win even when it looks like they should be losing.  The rookies on the Wild played for Yeo in the minors and that continuity at the NHL level has paid off in spades for the big club.  Josh Harding and Dany Heatley are just two of the standouts for Minnesota.  When Josh Harding went down; Matt Hackett stepped in.  That's depth and team play.   It will be interesting to see how far the Wild can go with this year's addition.  We suspect you will see more fireworks from this group of players.  Confidence has a way of building and the only way these guys will come down the ranks is if they hit a supersized wall of injuries.

The 5 Best Movember Mustaches of the NHL

In honor of the end of “Movember” in the NHL its time to look around the league and find the 5 best mustaches in the league.  After searching through pictures and polls I have narrowed it down to what I feel are the five best staches in the NHL.  All five players had to be current active players in the league, and coaches were not considered(if they had we could very well have coaches holding 3 or 4 of the top five spots).  So without further ado here is the Top 5 mustaches from the 2011 edition of Movember.  Enjoy.

#5.Tim Thomas-Boston Bruins G

Thomas does not have the Best stache in the league however his efforts to grow one land him in the top five.  The Bruins goaltender not only got into the Movember mood with growing what one person called a “ ol gym teacher” stache, he also had a new mask made up.  If you haven’t taken the time to check it out I highly recommend you do so.

#4. Nate Thompson-Tampa Bay Lightning F

The handlebar mustache is a look that many players have tried to pull off this Movember.  Few players, however have managed to pull it off like Thompson. 

#3 Mike Brown- Toronto Maple Leafs F

While Brown is one of the few players in the league who maintain a stache year round, his was too good to be left out of the Movember Top 5. 

#2. George Parros- Anaheim Ducks F

Parros is easily the man with the best mustache year round in the league.  While he shaved his famous stache before Movember started he still had one of the best ones of the month.

And finally the mustache you’ve all been waiting for.  Coming in at number one is Cal Clutterbuck of the 

Minnesota Wild

#1.Cal Clutterbuck-Minnesota Wild F

Clutterbuck tops the Movember charts for the second year in a row with his unbelievable stache.  While Clutterbuck got a jump start on Movember this season his thick epic stache is to for lack of better words epic to be left out for that tiny fact. 

Honorable Mention

Lanny McDonald

Ok so I said current players and that’s why Lanny didn’t make the top 5, but lets be honest.  Can you really talk hockey mustaches without having Lanny McDonald’s name somewhere?  If you don’t know Lanny’s stache you are missing out on the greatest mustache of all time.  

- Isaac Berky

The Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild are the Wild Childs of the Northwest Division of the NHL

Youth is key when the GMs of the NHL plan the future of their teams in a 3-5 year time horizon.  They look for players that they can draft, develop and keep.  Recent examples include the success of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning.  

Sometimes the potential of youth flourishes unexpectedly and the hometown fans are treated to breakout seasons which signal the start of something special.   The Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild could soon find themselves in the same company as the Pens and Bolts.  The Oil and Wild are young and aggressive teams which are showing real signs of developing into powerhouses. 

The 2011-2012 Edmonton Oilers have brought back respectability to Alberta's capital city.  Not since Gretzky and Messier have Oilers fans been so pumped up.    Eberle, Hall, and Nugent Hopkins are making the Oilers look like a dynasty in the making.  This kind of foundation (if kept intact) could mean a Stanley Cup for Edmonton in the next few years.  It is a bold statement but we like to pride ourselves on thinking out of the box.  We saw the potential for the Oil, early on this year, when all others discounted them and predicted another disappointing campaign.

Once the winning tradition firmly takes grip in Edmonton , again, the city will become a magnate for free agents and other veterans who will want to play for an upcoming team with a genuine shot at the NHL's top prize.  A Stanley Cup victory in Edmonton would be a kick in the pants for all Canadian squads but heck they deserve it.  Edmonton has suffered through some really bad years but the tide has definitely changed in the other direction.

Minnesota has got a great hockey tradition just like Edmonton.  Just like Edmonton they are off to a surprising start.  Josh Harding is the key to the Wild team and one the games upcoming net minders.  The guy is a rock and at only 27 years; he could be the go to guy in Minnesota for the foreseeable future.   He is 2nd in GAA and 1st in Save %.  This guy has taken his team from doormats in the NHL to the top spot in their division.  Eat your heart out Vancouver !!! Of course the addition of Setoguchi and Heatley has helped out , large.  We see good things ahead for the Wild.  They are young , well coached, and play in a solid hockey market.  If they keep up the winning pace; they will replace the memories of Bobby Smith and Dino Ciccarelli with stories about Harding and Heatley.  It is about time the Twin Cities see a winner on NHL ice.  It has been way to long !!!

Redwings V Wild Round 3!

Only 10 games in for Detroit and these 2 teams met for the 3^rd time this season already. Detroit took the 1^st game 2-1 in OT whilst losing 1-0 Saturday night in Minnesota.

Jiri Hudler was out of the line up after a poor 5 game pointless stretch where he hardly put a puck on net meaning Nyquist was brought up from Grand Rapids to start his 1^st NHL game for Detroit.

Mike Babcock had some strong words before the game and mixed the lines up from the start which seemed to give Detroit some extra bounce in the opening. Holmstrom was back with Datsyuk and Zetterberg whilst, Helm, Miller and Abdelkader looked to have good jump.

Detroit got an early powerplay and took a 1-0 lead just as that powerplay finished with Captain Nick Lidstrom redirecting a perfect pass from Zetterberg high past Josh Harding’s glove. The opening 6 minutes had all been Detroit with them outshooting the Wild 9-0 at this point.

All Detroit’s early momentum was then killed as first Miller and then Fillpula took 2 minute minors. Minnesota couldn’t take advantage of these back to back powerplay’s though and Detroit killed them off comfortably.

The first period really then faded out and finished with Detroit still holding their 1-0 lead and outshooting the Wild 12-4.

The 2^nd period never had any flow to it as Howard and Harding both stood firm without having to produce anything spectacular. Detroit ran into some penalty trouble towards the end of it but the Wild couldn’t find any rhythm on the powerplay and rarely created any great scoring chances.

The Redwings started the 3^rd as they finished the 2^nd, finding themselves spending more time in the penalty box as Bertuzzi got 2 minutes for a slash and Miller took 2 minutes for charging Harding as he came behind the net to play the puck. This lead to over a minute 5 on 3 for the Wild and straight away Howard made a magnificent glove save right down infront of his posts as Koivu couldn’t lift the puck into a gaping net. 2 more great pad saves from Howard saw the 5 on 3 killed as the Joe went wild. A huge penalty kill for Detroit got the penalty killers a deserved standing ovation.

Both defences were still on top as White found Eaves on a partial breakaway with the Wild defence doing well to stop him going in clear on Harding and causing him not to get his shot away.

A penalty to the Wild with around 8 minutes left saw Detroit get some puck on Harding but he pulled a great save off Lidstrom and then stood firm to kill off the Redwings 2^nd powerplay of the game.

Abdelkader then got a great scoring chance as a turn over at mid ice caught the Wild on a change but Harding again got his glove on it to pull off the big save. This lead to another penalty though on the Wild as Detroit started to push to finish the game off. The powerplay however was cut short as Holmstrom took a penalty only 45 seconds into the man advantage.

Minnesota tied the game up with Harding pulled and just over a minute left as Koivu tipped a long shot in past Howard to break his shut out. Detroit got caught with a tired line on the ice at the end and the game went into OT.

A minute into OT and Franzen was called for goaltender interference and Detroit’s desire to keep putting themselves in difficult situations continued. An 8^th powerplay chance for Minnesota lead to the game winning goal for Devin Setoguchi infront as he tucked the puck in from close range.

Detroit defensively again were solid but just can’t get any sort of rhythm going upfront. They have now only scored 5 goals in the last 5 games, unsurprisingly they have only taken 1 point from 10 in that run. At the minute, Jimmy Howard seems to be holding this Detroit team in games. Penalty trouble cost the Redwings this game. From taking penalty number 1 after a good start to the opening period they never got any constant attacking play and Minnesota were able to hold in there with them and then hit them when it mattered.

by Adam Yates

Ottawa v Minnesota Game Review

Ottawa have had a tough start to the season, losing 5-3 and 6-5 so far and looking were looking for a better defensive performance in this one.

Ottawa started the game with a PP and chances for Spezza and Alfredsson but Minnesota held on and killed the penalty well. The first 8 minutes the Senators were really on top, taking the game to the Wild with Backstrom seeing a lot of the puck.  They would have been disappointed when the Wild then took the lead with a Brosiak tip infront from what seemed a soft shot by Stoner towards the goal.

Kassian and Konopka then decided it was time to drop the gloves and a pretty even battle of the heavyweights ensued. Konopka picked up an extra 2 minutes for instigation but the Wild couldn’t capitalise on the PP. A ragin dash through centre ice saw his long shot take a funny bounce back off the boards and through the crease but Foligno failed to carrel the puck and his attempt went just wide.

Minnesota took a 2-0 lead before the end of the period after a series of bad plays again by veterans on the Ottawa side. 1^st Spezza took a ridiculous slashing penalty, retaliating as he was skating off the ice for  a line change and being caught for it. Gonchar then failed to clear the zone on the resulting PP, only sending the puck round the boards and straight back to Koivu who in turn found Heatley and he set up Setoguchi for the one timer. That was the end of the 1^st period and despite a better performance the Senators still found themselves down on the scoreboard.

Brosiak had a great chance early in the 2^nd period to make it 3-0 as he skated in alone on Anderson but the netminder got a piece of it and fended it off. Nick Foligno got the Senators back into the game just before the halfway stage of the 2^nd as his line with Neil and Ragin did some great work in crashing the net and he tucked a loose puck away from close range. Ottawa at this point were outshooting Minnesota 10-1 in the 2^nd period.

Ottawa continued to dominate the period but the score remained at 2-1 going into the 3^rd. Only 2 minutes into the 3^rd the Wild got their 2 goal lead back as Johnson made a strong play to the net and the puck pinballed off numerous players infront, creeping in over the line. As the play went to review the puck clearly did go completely over the line and the goal stood. This incensed Ottawa as Phillips had his stick broken on a slash as the play was made and the officials missed the call.

 

Chris Neil made it 3-2 with almost 14 minutes left with another goal that went to review as he clipped the puck high into the net from a tight angle. It hit the back of the netting and shot straight out which confused the officials as they original waved no goal which lead to a melee infront with players squaring off to each other in a mad few minutes of scuffling.

Michalek and Clutterbuck were both given 2 minute roughing penalties from that scuffle and a further 2 minutes were then taken by Minnesota as Zidlicky was called for high sticking. This led to open ice and some great chances for the Senators with Colin Greening tying the game on the 5 on 4 pp as he stood infront of the net acting as a screen and picked up a loose puck and found the five hole of Nicklas Backstrom.

Both teams battled for the rest of the 3^rd with Minnesota coming back into the game a little. However, neither team were able to find the winning goal in regulation and it headed into OT. The overtime period was a pretty quick one with neither team able to capitalise on the open ice situation and the game headed into penalty shots. Michalek took the first shot and he buried his attempt. Koivu then missed. Both Spezza and Cullen put their attempts away meaning captain Daniel Alfredsson had the chance to win the game with his shot and he put the puck into the twine and the Sens won 4-3 after PS.

My star for the game was Chris Neil of Ottawa. He picked up a goal and an assist, was a pest all game and made some big hits when his team were 2-0 down to try and motivate the Senators. He was all over ex Ottawa man Dany Heatley, much to the delight of the home fans and his line with Ragin and Foligno played well all night.

by Adam Yates