Wild leave St. Louis with a split

I guess Mother Nature wanted to welcome the Minnesota Wild back to town for game three of their first-round playoff series with the St. Louis Blues. Today's cold, windy weather feels more like a fall day at the start of hockey season. Good ol' Minnesota.

Anyway, enough weather talk. Let's get pumped up for game three tonight. The Wild returns home after skating to a 1-1 split in St. Louis Thursday and Saturday. The Wild took game one 4-2 and the Blues won the next one 4-1. I'd say both of those scores are slightly misleading as to how the games played out. 

Game one

The physical game of the Blues was much-hyped before the series began. It seemed the Wild were ready for it. They stuck to their game and even got out to an early 1-0 lead a couple minutes in on a goal from the red-hot Jason Zucker. 

It was a great play. Zucker had the puck with speed (obviously) and looked to the bench before entering the offensive zone on the far side. There was a line change going on, and you could tell he thought about dumping the puck in so he could change. Instead, he drove into the zone, let a sharp-angle shot go and then scored on his own wrap-around rebound.

The Wild's power play, which has pretty much been a low point all season, came through early in the second period when Matt Dumba scored his first playoff goal on a shot from the point to put the Wild up 2-0. 

St. Louis didn't seem ready to play in this one, at least not until maybe the third period. How could you tell? Well, if you weren't watching their play on the ice, the chorus of boos from their fans provided a clue as to how things were going for the home team. 

The final couple minutes got interesting. Mikael Granlund scored an empty netter with 1:13 left. Game over, everyone thought. But the Blues made it 3-2 just 14 seconds later on a shorthanded opportunity. Jason Pominville sealed the deal for real this time with a power-play, empty-net goal with 20 seconds on the clock. 

Game two

The Blues showed up from the opening faceoff this time. They brought their physical game and there were some more after-whistle feathers ruffling. Kinda-tough guy Steve Ott was out there doing what he does best, even petting Zucker on top of his helmet at one point. Vladimir Tarasenko put his team on top with two first-period goals, one on the power play. That second goal is one goalie Devan Dubnyk would like to have back, I'm sure.

Down 2-0 after two periods, the Wild did what it needed to: Score early in the third. Marco Scandella got the tally. It was great, but he also made a couple costly turnovers and defensive miscues. He wasn't the only one. Thomas Vanek and Pominville (maybe some others?) didn't have the best games either. I'll pick on Vanek because I like to; he couldn't seem to move his feet at all.

Some of the penalties were questionable, on both sides. The classic goaltender interference penalty was called on Zach Parise. I don't even know what's interference and what's not anymore with these calls. I'm also not saying the penalties had affected the outcome of the game. I'm just saying.

The Wild tried to battle back trailing 2-1 in the third. It had some unlucky plays, too. A couple pucks during the game hit awkwardly off the stanchion behind Blues goalie Jake Allen. Of course, those pucks nearly went in but didn't.

Perhaps the closest moment was a Charlie Coyle shot off the crossbar. The rebound ended up behind Allen on the goal line. Any further and it would have been in. But David Backes (Minnesota's own) came to his goaltender's rescue and cleared the puck out of the way.

Here was a reactionary Tweet:

#mnwild nearly tied it. Here is the reaction from me and mom: "NOOOOOOOOO...OHOHOHOH! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"
— Heather Rule (@hlrule) April 18, 2015

With about two minutes left, the Blues put the game away with another goal. Then Tarasenko ended up with the hat trick with an empty netter.

Thoughts from the split
Afterward, there was some unrest on Twitter about the game the Wild played. When you lose, of course you can point to what went wrong. But I really didn't think the Wild played a bad game. I mean, they nearly tied it up. They didn't get run out of the building.

Besides, a 2-0 series lead would have been great, but did we really think that was the most realistic option? If we've learned anything about this Wild team, it's that they don't do anything the easy way. Look at the playoff series they've won. During their 2003 run, they came back from 3-1 series deficits against Colorado and Vancouver to win in seven games. Last year, they beat the Avs in seven games.

I think the big question right now is: Can the Wild regain the home ice advantage? Unlike the past, it's been a much better team on the road, especially lately, than at home this season.

The Blues and Wild have matched up well so far in this series. I think we'll continue to see good hockey throughout the rest of the series. But let's hope there's a little puck luck for the Wild.

No doubt about it: Wild will be tested physically in Blues series

Playoff hockey is upon us. Time for the state of hockey to get excited. 

For the third year in a row, the Minnesota Wild will play in the postseason. The past two years the Chicago Blackhawks ended the Wild's run, in the first and second rounds, respectively. This year, the top-wild card Wild face Central Division Champion St. Louis Blues. Game one is Thursday night with an 8:30 p.m. (central) puck drop. 

There's been much speculation over the past few weeks about a possible opponent for the Wild and who the best matchup would be. In such a tight and competitive conference like the West, it's best to let the chips fall and see what happens. The Wild had a chance at snagging the third spot instead of the wild card, but that wasn't meant to be. 

Facing the Blues

So, it's off the St. Louis they'll go. The Wild better be prepared for a physical game. Over the past few seasons, I've watched as the Blues have thrown their weight around in the postseason. It's concerning as a Wild fan because I don't think this Minnesota team is extremely physical. They really need guys like Charlie Coyle and Chris Stewart to step up in this regard. 

The Blues have a ton of talent, including Minnesota's own T.J. Oshie and David Backes, who know how to score and throw the heavy hits. Trust me, they won't be thinking about their Minnesota roots when they're on the ice. Then there's also Steve Ott in a blue sweater, a veteran tough guy that could cause problems for the Wild. Plenty of potential for physical play.

At the same time, the Wild should focus on their game, too. Try to avoid those crushing hits as best they can, and hit the Blues where it counts: on the scoreboard. Zach Parise needs to continue his scoring, Jason Zucker needs to use his speed to dodge opponents and drive the net and let's hope Mikael Granlund can recapture some of his postseason magic he had in 2014.

The tough thing, too, is that whenever the Wild players battled back this season, get physical and stand up for their teammates, it often results in one-sided penalties. Maybe that's my subjective bias, but it's just what I see. Officiating in the NHL is far from perfect or consistent (as we found out in last year's first-round series against Colorado), so let's say an opponent throws a big hit after the whistle or puts a Wild player in a headlock. The Wild might retaliate and end up on the penalty kill or have a 4-on-4 situation. 

PP and PK will be key

Along with the physicality, special teams is another possible worry for the Wild. They're first in the NHL when it comes to the penalty kill, which is a big boost. However, their power play has struggled all season and ranks near the bottom of the barrel. Being able to score with the man advantage is magnified even more during the playoffs. The Wild did well on the power play last year in the playoffs, but the confidence isn't there this time around. 

Whether the Wild can pump in some goals on the power play could make or break their series.

On the positive side, the Wild have potential for more games on the road than at home. That's not a bad thing for a team that's played much better on the road lately than it has at home. That bit about home ice advantage might not come into play. 

It's still the playoffs; Wild's season is memorable

All analysis aside, we can't forget about how exciting the NHL playoffs are. It's fun to have so many good teams competing for the Stanley Cup, and it makes the outcomes really hard to predict. There's always more excitement with the playoffs, and players compare that first game to Christmas morning. 

We can't forget what an amazing second half this Wild team has had, either. I touched on it in my last post, about how Devan Dubnyk came in and this team went on an improbable run to make the playoffs. They looked very down and out in mid-January before Duby put on a Wild sweater. This really will go down as one of the most remarkable trades and season comebacks in Minnesota sports history. 

Still, I maintain what I said before the season started. If the Wild don't win two rounds in the playoffs, the season will be a disappointment. I think that's still true overall. But this season would obviously have been even more disappointing if the Wild didn't dig themselves out of that huge hole midseason. 

The Wild have played the past couple months in desperation mode, as if they were already in the playoffs. This could work against them if they fade early on. Or, it could keep propelling them deeper into the postseason and toward a Stanley Cup. 

My prediction: Wild beat the Blues in seven games. #Becauseitsthecup

Wild went from 'free falling' to playoff bound

Anybody who told you in mid-January that the Minnesota Wild would make the playoffs is a liar.

I don't think anyone (media, fans, even the players) could have predicted the amazing turnaround from the Wild in the second half this season. Because guess what? The Wild are in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

How did they get there? Ultimately they clinched a postseason berth with a 2-1 win Tuesday in Chicago. This came after a three-game losing streak and missed opportunities to clinch sooner. It seems like water under the bridge (what a difference a few hours makes...), but I know I wasn't the only fan nervous about this little slide.

Can they just make it easy for once? Maybe stop waiting for their backs to be up against the wall? They had a shot at trying to move up in the standings, but will likely take one of the wild card spots.

Now and then
Anyway, Tuesday's game was scoreless until late in the third period, when Mikael Granlund scored in a big moment with a great backhand move. Not long after, Jason Zucker scored a beauty that turned out to be the game winner. It was his first game back after missing a couple months with an injury. (Wild killer Bryan Bickell scored for the Blackhawks as time ticked down. And yeah, the grass is green and sky is blue.)

But that game is getting ahead of things just a tad. Let's rewind back to my Jan. 12 blog post, where I noted the Wild were "free falling." I was uncharacteristically harsh on the team, because at that point in the season, the Wild were in shambles.

They had just lost five straight games and held a 18-18-5 record. They'd gone through bouts with injuries, the flu, the mumps and heartache. The #FireYeo chatter got going again. Remember when coach Mike Yeo went on a tirade during practice in January? It almost doesn't even seem like the same season.

I called it one of the worst slumps in franchise history. I meant it. Now, this season seems to be the greatest comeback.

Best trade ever?
The Wild's amazing run started with a goaltender trade Jan. 14 when general manager Chuck Fletcher acquired Devan Dubnyk from Arizona for a third-round draft pick. And the rest is history. Duby was the answer to what was ailing the Wild. The trade ranks right up there in Minnesota sports history with the likes of the Twins getting Shannon Stewart in 2003.

In his 38 games with the Wild, Duby has racked up 27 wins, has a .938 save percentage, a 1.73 goals against average, was the first Wild player to be named the NHL First Star of the Week three times in a single season and set a franchise record for most consecutive starts.

Not bad at all.

Digging their way out
More than anything, I think a new face in the locker room gave the team some renewed energy. Plus, when you have a goaltender playing well, the guys in front of him play better, too. The tide started to turn, they started winning games and eventually dug themselves out of that deep hole.

The Wild were something like 14 points or so behind Chicago and very clearly out of the playoff picture earlier this season. With a postseason spot secured, the Wild sit at 45-27-8 with 98 points. The penalty kill is ranked first in the NHL, I believe (even if the power play is the complete opposite). They've won 11 straight games on the road, one away from a record set in 2005-06.

In my lengthy rant about everything that was wrong with the Wild, I challenged them to prove me wrong. (Because, I'm sure each player was reading.) This is what is so great about sports. Anything can happen, it's not over until it's over, that's why they play the games. All the cliches apply.

We'll worry about the postseason a little later. Right now, let's enjoy the comeback.

Because in January, no one saw this coming.