Another Wild game, another victory. The fans of the state of hockey have been treated to some exciting victories recently. And I was lucky enough to be present for two of their latest wins.
It started when they ended their four-game skid last week with a win against the Calgary Flames. For an encore? They pulled off the greatest comeback in their history, and one of their greatest regular-season games ever, with a 6-5 shootout win Saturday night against NHL-powerhouse Chicago.
"Sid the Kid" is in the house
Some might expect a bit of a letdown after such a great comeback, but the Wild brought their A-game Monday night when the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins came to town. It was a spirited and well-played game that ended in a 4-3 Wild victory, bringing their winning streak to three games.
The boys were wearing their dark-green jerseys, and they looked good, in more ways than one. They put on quite a show for the more than 19 thousand fans that packed the Xcel Energy Center.
There must have been a few bandwagons dropping off Pittsburgh fans, because I saw more than a few Sidney Crosby No. 87-jerseys walking around the concourses. And "Sid the Kid" did not disappoint them with his performance on the ice. Not wasting any time, he put the Pens on top less than two minutes into the game. He added another goal later in the game as well.
Latendresse is clutch again
Undoubtedly the No. 1 star that was shining brightly all night for the Wild was no surprise: Guillaume Latendresse. He had a career-high four-point night with the game-winning goal and three assists. He has done very well in Minnesota after being acquired from Montreal
It was an evenly-paced game, with neither team really running away with things. However, the men in stripes did get a little jeering from the fans due to some uneven penalty-calling. Cal Clutterbuck, the Wild's heavy hitter, took a few hits and a shot to the back of the neck in between the benches without any arms being raised.
Hittin' dirty
It took an ugly hit (later called "dirty" by coach Todd Richards) delivered by Sergei Gonchar to Clutterbuck that got the referee's attention. Gonchar jumped him from behind with a big shot to the head. Our tough guy was alright, but as a result, Gonchar received a five-minute major penalty for interference. That's pretty unheard of; it's the first time I've seen a five-minute major called for something other than fighting. Unfortunately, the Wild weren't able to capitalize.
That all took place in the third period, and from then on, the crowd let Gonchar have it with a chorus of "boos" each time he touched the puck. So far, it doesn't look like the NHL will punish Gonchar further with a fine and/or susupension, but they do review all incidents of this nature.
Niklas Backstrom bounced back well from being pulled the previous game against Chicago. He has a great track record against the Pens, and it showed Monday. He made 35 saves, and one spectacular one late in the third that was an absolute game-saver. It was an outstanding glove save that brought many fans, including myself, to their feet in appreciation.
The Wild look to keep their mini-streak alive this evening with a home game against a tough division rival, the Vancouver Canucks. Minnesota is 0-3 this year against the tough rival. But while the Wild are riding high, the Canucks have lost a few and are struggling on special teams. As usual, it should be a fun and physical game.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Putting out the fire
A five-game winning streak and a four-game losing streak made a head-on collision Wednesday night at the Xcel Energy Center. Both teams were coming into the second game of a back-to-back. One team is on top of the division, the other near the bottom. The Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild: Game on.
Fire burns early
Fireworks started when the game wasn't even two minutes old, with a goal from Olli Jokinen. Going down 1-0 early isn't the way to start off a game, especially when the Wild have been giving up at least four tallies in their past few games. Luckily, this was the only speed bump in the Wild's eventual 4-1 win over the division leaders.
The first Wild strike came later in the first period off a redirection - on the power play, where the Wild have struggled lately. Eric Belanger was the goal scorer. It was the first of two beauties on the night for him, a special one because it marked his 600th game. He couldn't have asked for a better one.
It was all knotted up at one apiece as the teams headed to their locker rooms after the first. The game had a great pace to it. Lots of offense, good skating and an overall exciting game. The Wild took a 2-1 lead and never looked back, notching two more goals off of veteran goalie Miikka Kiprusoff. Shots were plentiful too, with 35 for the Wild and 25 for the Flames.
Friendly rivals
My only disappointment of the night was there were no fights. All the ingredients were there between the physical teams: The Boogeyman and John Scott in the lineup, the Hit-man Cal Clutterbuck, a division-rivalry game that usually brings out the spirited rough stuff and the usual suspects for the Flames as well.
No fights, and not really any close calls either, unless you count Clutterbuck getting a hand white-wash to the face, which resulted in a penalty. But really, that's often how it goes. Games you think will provide a ton of extra-curricular entertainment don't, and then there's a game that gets quite physical that no one sees coming.
A solid win over the red-hot Flames to end a losing skid was just what the doctor ordered for the Wild. With the victory, the Wild move a game above .500 with a 21-20-3 record.
Fire burns early
Fireworks started when the game wasn't even two minutes old, with a goal from Olli Jokinen. Going down 1-0 early isn't the way to start off a game, especially when the Wild have been giving up at least four tallies in their past few games. Luckily, this was the only speed bump in the Wild's eventual 4-1 win over the division leaders.
The first Wild strike came later in the first period off a redirection - on the power play, where the Wild have struggled lately. Eric Belanger was the goal scorer. It was the first of two beauties on the night for him, a special one because it marked his 600th game. He couldn't have asked for a better one.
It was all knotted up at one apiece as the teams headed to their locker rooms after the first. The game had a great pace to it. Lots of offense, good skating and an overall exciting game. The Wild took a 2-1 lead and never looked back, notching two more goals off of veteran goalie Miikka Kiprusoff. Shots were plentiful too, with 35 for the Wild and 25 for the Flames.
Friendly rivals
My only disappointment of the night was there were no fights. All the ingredients were there between the physical teams: The Boogeyman and John Scott in the lineup, the Hit-man Cal Clutterbuck, a division-rivalry game that usually brings out the spirited rough stuff and the usual suspects for the Flames as well.
No fights, and not really any close calls either, unless you count Clutterbuck getting a hand white-wash to the face, which resulted in a penalty. But really, that's often how it goes. Games you think will provide a ton of extra-curricular entertainment don't, and then there's a game that gets quite physical that no one sees coming.
A solid win over the red-hot Flames to end a losing skid was just what the doctor ordered for the Wild. With the victory, the Wild move a game above .500 with a 21-20-3 record.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
It's been way too long
Wow. I absolutely did not mean to neglect my blog for a month. At least I had a good run of keeping it updated once a week or so. December was one of the busiest months I've had in quite awhile. A lot has happened, and I wanted to share everything here. Don't worry, sports is involved, so I'm not writing anything totally off-topic.
We all know how busy the usual holiday time can be each year. It's so busy and stressful that at some point you wish the holidays would just get themselves over with so you can go back to the normal routine. For the first time ever, I have never had the "I want it to be January" feeling more than I did this December.
I mean this all in a good way. Early last month, I was spending some quality time with my laptop conducting the never-ending job search. I found a listing on Star Tribune.com for a part-time sports copy aide. Within a few days, I was hired.
I was very excited to be working at the Strib. It was almost like a dream come true, if you want a sappy line. When I received the phone call, I literally couldn't stop smiling for a few minutes. It felt great.
My job is to answer calls and take boxscores for all the high school games, mostly focusing on basketball and hockey. I also update statistics from the results of the games. I have met some great people and enjoyed my time there thus far.
While I spent my nights at the Strib, I was still working as an intern during the days. Throw in the usual holiday hustle and bustle, plus multiple car problems, and I had one hectic month. Now my schedule is settling down a bit, which has left me with some breathing room and a chance to update this fine blog.
Always time for hockey
I did make it to the Wild game the day after Christmas. In a fairly average game, they pulled out a 4-3 win against the St. Louis Blues, even after giving up a late goal. It was another good game, and fun to be there with the family.
We're going to the game against division-rival Calgary Wednesday night. The Wild have been sliding a bit lately, including a 4-1 loss this evening at Chicago, so let's hope they turn things around and come out on top over the Flames.
I hope to write about the game, or at the very least I'll be sure to keep this blog up to snuff again.
We all know how busy the usual holiday time can be each year. It's so busy and stressful that at some point you wish the holidays would just get themselves over with so you can go back to the normal routine. For the first time ever, I have never had the "I want it to be January" feeling more than I did this December.
I mean this all in a good way. Early last month, I was spending some quality time with my laptop conducting the never-ending job search. I found a listing on Star Tribune.com for a part-time sports copy aide. Within a few days, I was hired.
I was very excited to be working at the Strib. It was almost like a dream come true, if you want a sappy line. When I received the phone call, I literally couldn't stop smiling for a few minutes. It felt great.
My job is to answer calls and take boxscores for all the high school games, mostly focusing on basketball and hockey. I also update statistics from the results of the games. I have met some great people and enjoyed my time there thus far.
While I spent my nights at the Strib, I was still working as an intern during the days. Throw in the usual holiday hustle and bustle, plus multiple car problems, and I had one hectic month. Now my schedule is settling down a bit, which has left me with some breathing room and a chance to update this fine blog.
Always time for hockey
I did make it to the Wild game the day after Christmas. In a fairly average game, they pulled out a 4-3 win against the St. Louis Blues, even after giving up a late goal. It was another good game, and fun to be there with the family.
We're going to the game against division-rival Calgary Wednesday night. The Wild have been sliding a bit lately, including a 4-1 loss this evening at Chicago, so let's hope they turn things around and come out on top over the Flames.
I hope to write about the game, or at the very least I'll be sure to keep this blog up to snuff again.
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