Report from Xcel Energy Center: 2014 Season, Time to get Wild!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Thought I would post this thread, only because I was super excited to be at a live hockey event last night featuring one of my favorite teams, against a divisional rival....and even though it was a pre-season game (the final one before the real stuff begins), both the Blues and Wild put out many regulars and kept them on the ice for almost all of the game, the game itself was a bit intense for a exhibition game, game went into OT...and, hey, hey, hey....the Wild pulled it off with a win there as well!

 

Now, I probably won't be doing one of these 'reports' EVERYTIME I go to a game at Xcel Energy, as I do tend to get to more this season, but just felt like doing this one now, well, because like I said, I was/am super excited about the whole thing! 

 

First off, the atmosphere in the arena before anything even happened on the ice.

Went with my husband, and we were sure to get there a good hour and 15 minutes before game time to soak in that atmosphere.

People were talking, chirping, all excited...one could smell the food, feel that crisp cold emanating from that ice surface....Wild jerseys, caps, and jackets proudly being displayed (yea, there were a handful of Blues gear to be seen too, but hey, that just added to the competitive atmosphere)....and people were even SUPER FRIENDLY TOO!

 

You know how it can be sometimes...you go to a sporting arena, people pushing, shoving to get to where they want to get......everyone seemed extra nice to everyone else there....lol...not sure if it was a "Minnesota Nice" thing, excitement over being at the 'X', or people were just plain mellow from downing their favorite adult beverage, but it was awesome!

 

The PA announcements (HEY! That SAME guy who PA announces the games at Target Field is working over at the X now too! Never really realized that before...haha), some food (damned tasty burgers with the works!), followed by the rock music that ushers in the players taking the ice for their pre-game warmups.

 

Pucks flying everywhere on the ice, players shooting, stretching, meandering....some even having conversations with opposing players at the red line.

Hmm...I wonder what those were about....probably lots of niceties as players have been known to be quite civil with each other off the ice and in non game related environments.

Probably lots of "hey, how ya doin....hows the wife n kids"....and maybe followed by "glad to hear....now, don't go getting in my way during the game, or imma gonna knock you on your G^%^%mned @$$, eh?" 

 

Players interacting with fans sitting near the glass, pucks being flipped over to kids along the ice....and it always amazes me, how the goaltenders, after they stretch out a bit, just go wandering around the hash marks areas in the MIDDLE of pucks being shot at the net, and not once do they get hit!

 

This is a hockey atmosphere people!

Nothing else like it.

Sure, there is nice atmosphere at MLB games, raucous fans tailgating at NFL games...hmmm...couldn't tell you what a NBA game is like before the game starts as I have never been to one, believe it or not.....but there is simply no comparison to the atmosphere, the anticipation, and the pure adrenaline that goes with watching the players do their thing on the ice, looking around the arena at team banners imagining how your team will do against each and every one of those teams represented on the rafters, and if your team has had the success, seeing the Divisional, Conference, and Stanley Cup banners hanging in those same rafters reminding all that your team has reached the top, IS at the top, and wants to get there/stay there!

 

The X may not have title banners outside of their lone 2007-08 division win, but they are working on it! Just you wait...

 

But hey, I don't need to tell hardcore hockey fans on a hockey board about how great the atmosphere is at their favorite arena is right?

That's just preaching to the choir.......

 

Will post a bit later on the actual game....as it was more than just a 'pre-season' game...and it was pretty exciting, ending with a 5-4 OT win for the home team!

Just wanted to get some of my excitement down on paper (errrr, or monitor   ) and perhaps others can chime in on their own pre-game atmosphere stories!

 

Just rarin to go....Opening Night can't come soon enough!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Ok....back and as promised, a report on the actual game between St. Louis and Minnesota.

 

As I mentioned, the atmosphere in the arena, in the stands, on the concourses, hell, even in the concession stands was just awesome.

 

And it didn't stop there.

 

This game was the final tune up for both the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild...and it showed out on the ice.

Guys played hard from the opening puck drop to the final horn in OT.

Players fighting for jobs still, guys looking to see what they really had in their linemates, and put simply, two division rivals, one who thinks they should be winning a Cup this season, the other who thinks they should be considered for one....I will let the readers decide which is which...  .

 

The two teams played back to back games in pre-season, this final one obviously being the second one, and it was the Blues winning handily 4-1 at Scottrade beforehand, so the Wild had something they wanted to give back to St. Louis.

 

Tempo was pretty good all game, no real lulls in the action, regulars were out there most of the game, and but both teams seem to roll out more their bottom 2 lines a bit more than they probably would have during a regular season game.

Makes sense if that was the case as I am sure the coaching staffs of each team already have a good idea who their top six guys are going to be, but the bottom six, being just as important needed to be sorted and the final exhibition game was the perfect place to do so.

 

Looking at Minnesota specifically, man, I have to say, their PP looked very good out there. In fact, I understand the PP overall has looked very good in the entire pre-season.

And its not all just about the actual goals scored, though obviously, that is the point of being on the PP.

 

I am talking about entering the zone, keeping the puck IN the zone, making crisp passes, setting up well, and getting the opposition scrambling around their own zone while your PP units get Grade A shots at the net.

The Wild went 2 for 7 on the PP in this game, but I would say that on at least 5 of those 7 chances, the Wild entered, set up, and moved the puck very well in the offensive zone, while the other two PP chances looked more like last season's where the Wild simply could not enter the zone with any speed, nor keep it in the zone for anything meaningful.

 

Minnesota's issues mainly seemed to stem from lack of goal production, and while they will still need to get it done 5 on 5, capitalizing on their PP chances during the season will be a huge boost in more ways than one.

On top of the obvious scoreboard advantage to converting on PP chances, it will also lessen the opposition's aggressiveness as they will surely be a bit hesitant if they think that a penalty assessed to them will be giving a good working Minnesota PP a chance to strike them down.

St. Louis sure was aggressive in this game, and the Wild made them pay twice for it.

 

Defensively, overall as a group, one could tell it was still pre-season. The Wild did not have Ryan Suter playing in this one, so the bulk of the 'D' minutes seemed to go to guys like Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, Christian Folin, and yes, Matt Dumba.

Keith Ballard also got quite a bit of time it seemed, and in Ballard-like fashion, he scrambled around, coughed up the puck a few times, and made some ill advised plays in his own end.....cmon, Minnesota, stop the pain with this guy already...

 

Matt Dumba.

Wow. The guy was all over the place, skated masterfully, seemed to get into shooting lanes at the right times, made some nice veteran type, professional checks (even had a few old school hip checks!), played in all sorts of situations (even strength, PP, and just a tad on the PK), scored a goal, got an assist, and even found himself acting in defense of teammates in scrums, yet not doing anything overly stupid to garner extra penalties.

 

Sure, there were times when the St. Louis forwards were able to get around him or make a quick pass when they saw him commit to an area too soon, but hey, those are the types of things a young D-man may still do, and those are fixable with ice time and experience.

 

On the whole, I was very happy with what I saw out of Dumba. As of this posting, not sure whether he will actually make the NHL roster right away or not, but IMO, he made a strong case for it in this last exhibition game and the Wild would REALLY need to come up with a good reason to keep him off the roster.

Minnesota has lots of nice D-men now, I know, but they gotta find a spot for this guy in Minnesota and NOT in Juniors or Iowa.

Waive Keith Ballard. Problem solved.  

 

The forwards overall looked pretty good as well. All lines seem to be on the same page and new addition Thomas Vanek picked up a PP goal in the game as well.

Young players that need to step up in 2014-15 such as Mikael Granlund and Erik Haula did well, both picking up goals, and of course, old stand bys such as Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise did what they always do and that is create offense, Zach setting up two goals, and Mikko with a the game winner in OT.

 

Finally, goaltending.

Darcy Kuemper played the entire game, faced only 23 shots (thanks to the D limiting the St. Louis chances), however, he DID let in 4 goals, and on two in particular, he looked a bit bad on.

One was where he was a bit slow to cover his far post when the Blues had zone time and were making good passes. He seemed to freeze up at times during the sequence which indicated he had no clue what the Blues were going to do...a few passes later, he found a Blues players taking a one timer shot on his far post that he probably should have been cheating towards, seeing as how he had a D-man of his own near his short side in the way of a shot there.

 

On another, a Blues players skated behind the net, and Kuemper looked like he just assumed the player was going to take the puck with him, when in fact, the players dropped the puck behind him as he skated behind, no one picked up the late St. Louis skater coming in, and it was an easy score because Kuemper had left that first side completely open while he was still looking at the skater who went behind the net (who had no puck).

 

Obviously, these are things that need to be worked on...anticipation...and hopefully that comes quickly during the early going in the season, as Kuemper does look like he is slotted as the number 1 for the team.

On the bright side, Kuemper did make the easy expected saves the one likes to see....if he saw it coming, he stopped it for the most part, and that is all you really want from your goalie..see it, stop it.

 

Also, with regular defense pairings in the regular season, the other team should NOT get as easy chances as some of the Blues players did here. Ryan Suter is the anchor of that defense, he sets the tempo and stabilizes those pairings, and that will make all the difference to Kuemper as he learns to anticipate, read, and make saves a bit more timely during the season.

 

All I got for now.

Did I mention I am very excited for the regular season to begin?

Well, I am.

And I fully expect the Wild to challenge the Blues, Hawks, and Avalanche for the top spot in the division....but surely to grab a guaranteed top three playoff spot once late April rolls around.

[hf101]

Great write up TGF!!!

 

One more day to wait until the season finally opens.  

 

I have to order my center ice today so not to miss many Wild games.  I really hope Kuemper has a strong season as I expect Backstrom will soon become the back up.  This team has all the tools to have a great season and make a strong run in the playoffs.  It's been a long time for Minnesota fans to have a team that is championship material.  

 

I went to the Flyers / Devils preseason game a week or so ago and yeah nothing really beats watching the game live.  We have tickets to open the home season against the Devils as well on Thursday.  Can't wait!

 

Drop that Puck!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Great write up TGF!!!

 

One more day to wait until the season finally opens.  

 

I have to order my center ice today so not to miss many Wild games.  I really hope Kuemper has a strong season as I expect Backstrom will soon become the back up.  This team has all the tools to have a great season and make a strong run in the playoffs.  It's been a long time for Minnesota fans to have a team that is championship material.  

 

I went to the Flyers / Devils preseason game a week or so ago and yeah nothing really beats watching the game live.  We have tickets to open the home season against the Devils as well on Thursday.  Can't wait!

 

Drop that Puck!

 

Thanks, HF....

 

Tomorrow we get four games, though no Wild till Thurs, but your Flyers get things started on the road in Boston.

That will be the game I will watch to begin the season, Phi-Bos, as I want to see not only how the Flyers look (potential competition for the Lightning for a WC), but most definitely want to see how the B's look (DEFINITE competition for my Bolts!), as I haven't really watched much of either during the pre-season....mostly read stuff about them.

 

Center Ice...

Yea, don't skimp on that!

Although, they DO give you a week long preview, so if for some reason you don't get it ordered on time, you can still catch games for 7 days on it.

Not sure if they still do it, but some years they give 'early bird' specials, where if you order before the season starts, you get like 20 dollars off the package.

 

That's not a lot off given the price of the package, but its something. We usually just use up the preview week before actually ordering.

 

And live hockey is just too much fun.

Like I mentioned, will be taking in more live games this season, so I will get mucho exposure to that awesome atmosphere more often this season....and I expect, given what the Wild have shown they will be putting on the ice, for those games to all be meaningful!

 

Not anointing Minnesota Stanley Cup bound or anything, but I AM expecting a hella season, and for the team to be right up there with the division's best all season long and into the playoffs....WELL into the playoffs if things work out right.

 

Mr. Kuemper, barring any injuries or serious downgrades in play, SHOULD be the starting goaltender.

I believe Nick Backstrom has come to terms with the team and himself, that he is now the number 2.  But I think, at this point in his career, he just wants to win, and I think he would like to win with the team he has always known here in the Twin Cities.

[jammer2]

@TropicalFruitGirl26  Nice to see Dumba's game is improving. He looked horrible at the World Jr's last year, but young players tend to be all over the place at times. I'm sure the Wild are counting on Matthew to be a cornerstone on defense, they must be thrilled to see him playing like a vet.

[OccamsRazor]

Man Folin has looked nice. Nothing spectacular but just calm with the puck skates with a lot of confidence handles the puck well and i love how he plays his side of the ice and doesn't look lost chasing guys around the ice stay on his side and keeps his side secure. Man the Flyers could have used this guy so bad. He man turn into a steal. Very impressed from what i've seen of him. 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

@jammer2

 

Matt Dumba is continuing to look and play well. There is no turning back now...he is at the NHL level to stay!

 

@OccamsRazor

Folin has been non descript to this point, but since he isn't doing anything to hurt the team (and in fact, doing those unspectacular things you said) that is  GOOD thing.

 

Coach Mike Yeo was interviewed the other day, and he alluded to the fact that while Ryan Suter is still the number one defenseman, he would like his minutes managed better this season, so that Suter doesn't HAVE to play 34-35 min a game, and be much fresher come playoff time.

 

That means, more time for everyone else on the blue line, including guys like Dumba and Folin.

And so far, albeit just two games, and against the same team, Colorado, he has been true to his word as the TOI numbers seem to be a bit more evened out amongst the defense than they had the last two seasons.

 

Also, guys, originally, I was NOT going to do threads and reports every time I went to Xcel Energy, but I changed my mind.

I won't crop up a new thread every single time, but will use this one every time I attend a game and just post my takes on the game I watched or any other things of interest that went on that night......so for those interested in my adventures at the 'X', just tune in here throughout the season! 

 

My next game I will be able to get out to will be against Arizona on the 23rd of this month....then two days later I will be there again when my hometown Bolts visit. Only TWO times during the year will I root AGAINST Minnesota, and one will be on the 25th this month, and whenever the Wild visit Tampa....yes, my TB roots run quite deep....  

Can't wait to see Stamkos, Bishop, Johnson, Gudas, and the rest of my Bolts live and in person!!

[OccamsRazor]

Folin has been non descript to this point, but since he isn't doing anything to hurt the team (and in fact, doing those unspectacular things you said) that is  GOOD thing.

 

Well i thought he has looked pretty solid not you guys best Dman but he has showed poise and has handled the puck well for a guy with only a game or 2 under his belt. Nothing flashy but has got the puck up ice and has a shot accurate shot actually get it on net. Something i dream Braydon Coburn could do some day. I trade any of our current starters your choice for him.............even Coburn.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Took in another game last night at the 'X', this time against the now ARIZONA Coyotes....

 

Game atmosphere didn't have quite the 'big game feel' that a rival game would have, but since the fans at Excel have only had one home game so far, one could still feel the buzz of having Minnesota Wild hockey being played in St. Paul.

Wild beat the Yotes 2-0 to not only remain unbeaten at home (yea, yea, I know, only two games...lol) but remain UNSCORED on at home (5-0 win and this 2-0 win) as Darcy Kuemper recorded his third overall shut out on the season.

 

Vezina candidate anyone?

Ok, ok...way too premature to say something like that....but still, I like the way he has looked, even in his one loss this season against Anaheim, he only gave up two goals while losing that game 2-1.

 

The Coyotes came in sporting a pretty good PP and decent 5 on 5 play, but pretty bad PK and overall defensive play, but one wouldn't have known that watching this team play.

Yotes kept good pressure in the Wild zone, goalie Mike Smith kept his team in the game, and in particular, two players, Joe Vitale and Keith Yandle, continually caused problems with their relentless checking....Thomas Vanek in particular was being frustrated by these guys.

 

Yandle seemed to have been assigned to covering new $16M dollar man Charlie Coyle, and did well against him, although Mr. Coyle did score himself a goal.

Jason Pominville picked up the other goal for Minnesota.

 

Wild PP is STILL without a goal and that is just incredible. They ARE getting the chances, and the law of averages says if they continue to generate those chances, the goals will eventually come, but right now, it is a point of concern.

A working PP could have made the difference in the two games Minnesota lost by a goal apiece to the Ducks and Kings.

 

I actually think the PP is setting up better than they did last season, with some quick puck movement, particularly by the defense, but so far, they don't have the results to show for it.

On the flip side, their PK continues to do very well...and Darcy Kuemper is a big reason why.

 

Watching the Coyotes skate, it is a bit of a head scratcher as to why this team isn't winning more games.... 2-3-1 on the season, and have looked good in some games, pretty bad in others...just an overall uneven start for these guys.....but watching them live, they are definitely a fast and aggressive team.

 

Matt Dumba continues to play well and although his ice time  isn't anywhere near Suter or Brodin high, he is being given some key time on the ice, including PP time and time against the opposition's top lines.

There were, of course, a few instances where one could clearly see Dumba is still in the learning phases of the NHL game, as sometimes, those top forwards spun him around and overwhelmed him with fast movement and numbers.

You could see just a bit of indecision on Dumba's part as he tried to decide whom to cover, where to cover, and how quickly to get back into his defensive zone.

 

I am ok with that, however, because his play still has not been terrible, and those are the sorts of things you'd expect a 20 yr old defender to struggle with sometimes....and those are all things fixable with practice, coaching, and of course, MORE experience and ice time.

 

Over on the fan side of things, like I said, people were chirping and excited to have another home game, they were loud and supportive of the team, and went absolutely nuts on Minnesota's two goals, while letting out boisterous "oooo's and ahhh's" at those close Minnesota chances that didn't quite get there.

We also seemed to have sat about a two rows in front of an apparent wannabe play-by-play fan who was doing running commentary on the game from his seat!

 

Oh yea, and I got to meet FSN North's Kevin Gorg....

Well, ok, not really MEET him....he was on his way up the stairs in the lower bowl area, while we were on our way down, and I had a Davanni's pizza in my hands and nearly ran into him and splattered him with cheese n sausage....no harm no foul though, no clothing was injured, no pizza and drinks were spilt, he looked at me, excused himself politely while smiling, then got quickly past me on his merry way.

 

That would have been something to tell my friends.

"Hey, went to a hockey game and absolutely destroyed Kevin Gorg's suit with pizza and soda before he got a chance to do his intermission reports!"

Hah....

 

Anyways, had a good time as usual, at the game, made lots of new "friends" in the stands as we chatted up about the game, and ready to go back on Saturday, when the Tampa Bay Lightning come to town.

Although, since I will be rooting Bolts in that game (only time I root against Minnesota), those same 'buddy fans'  may not think so much of me this time around....... 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

In with another report from the 'X'....this time, a VERY bittersweet one.

 

Sweet because the Minnesota Wild really did go "wild" with a 7 goal outburst and just coasted to a 7-2 win and could do no wrong in their game.

Bitter because all that came at the expense of my hometown TB Lightning, who I actually was rooting for in this one game......and the Bolts simply had nothing in the tank for this game.

 

As usual, got in early enough to watch pre-game warm ups and such and even there, the Tampa Bay players just didn't look like they had much jump to them.

Injury depleted, second back to back game of this 5 game trip for them, and facing down a Wild team that had, to that point, played EVERYONE very tough, even in their two losses to Anaheim and Los Angeles.

 

If all that stuff sounds like 'excuses' for the Lightning, well, it's not. Just facts. Bottom line was, Bolts got beat by the better team on that night.

 

Kudos to the Minnesota Wild for putting on a clinic on how to deal with a team that is ripe for the pickings.

Wild played, from start to finish, an intense, no-let down game.

Even when Minnesota was up 5-1, they played like the game was still close. Every line put in 100% on every shift, the goaltending was sharp throughout. THAT is what you want to see out of your team night in, night out.

 

Still no PP goals for the Wild, which is strange considering the talent on the team, but 5 on 5, man, right now, not sure if there is a better team operating at 5 on 5 right now than this Wild crew.

 

As for the arena atmosphere, hey, I was glad I wasn't the ONLY Lightning fan there!

Amazing how a good amount of Bolts fans found their way into the building. Yes, I actually counted...the ones I saw or talked to, totaled about a dozen or so.

Many more could be seen in the lower bowls and in the rafters............not that they had anything to cheer about this night.

I did go to the arena wearing a Vinnie LeCavalier shirt, which some fans gave me a hard time over.....it's all good, I figured as much.

 

Although I would have liked to see a 3-2 or 4-3 OT win for the Bolts (that way Minnesota at least got a point...lol), I have to say, overall, I am very proud of the way the Wild went about their business and got things done.

Tampa Bay were too gassed to put up much resistance and the Wild do what any good team would do...bury the opposition.

 

Oh, and one last note....I have made it to three games so far this season: Pre-season against the Blues, against the Coyotes, and just recently this game against the Lightning.

All wins for the Minnesota Wild.

Hey, I could get spoiled by that!

 

And some pretty neat giveaways at those events as well....Wild baseball caps, team schedule posters, team 2014 to the end of 2015 calenders, some money off of gasoline all made their way home with us.

Wild wins and cool giveaways...can't ask for better than that!

 

Next game for us, will be Nov 16th, against the Winnipeg Jets....and yea, I am going to be expecting ANOTHER win there too.....

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Exciting game against the Anaheim Ducks last night...though I wish the result was different.

 

A 5-4 win by the Ducks, but they had a 3-0 lead after the 1st period and Minnesota not only stormed back to tie the game, but even took the lead at one point, 4-3.

Unfortunately for them, Darcy Kuemper was not at his best tonight (Frederik Anderson for Anaheim wasn't that good himself really this game), and was even relieved by Nik Backstrom in the 3rd.

 

My previous attended game was when the Winnipeg Jets were in town...many, many Jets fans in attendance, the "Go Jets Go" chant fighting the "Let's Go Wild" chant....this game, a few Anaheim fans in attendance, but not much to overpower the raucous Minnesota faithful on hand.

Too bad the team on the ice Anaheim had simply outlasted the Wild...despite the fans doing all they can to pump up the Wild.

 

Game just had that feel...that despite the Wild falling behind, they  had it in them to get back in this game, and they did.

 

Keith Ballard, one of my favorite pictures to throw darts at, was pretty darned good in this game...very physical, involved in just about everything, and played very good D overall.

He even got into a fight with a former favorite of mine, Nate Thompson, but Thompson did get the better of Ballard in the fisticuffs. Still though, nice to see Ballard pretty much do it all when it came to the physical and defensive play for this game.

 

Another kudos award to Jason Zucker who was EVERYWHERE on the ice. Everytime some scoring chances happened, you can be #16 was in the middle of it.

He has come a LONG way from the guy the Wild first brought up who shied away from contact, didn't go to the high traffic areas, and turned away after taking his one shot.

 

The guy now looks for opportunities to use his speed, goes into high traffic areas to draw the defense, plays along the boards, and looks for rebound opportunities after taking his initial shots.

Very good overall game, even if the score sheet shows he had 0 points on the night...he was just a catalyst that drove everyone else this game.

 

Thomas Vanek, still MIA (he did play, but you could hardly tell)....nuff said on that....

 

Former Wild Clayton Stoner came back to town with his new team, and he forgot all about friendships on his former team as he could be seen going at his former teammates pretty darned hard. I would expect nothing less from Stoner...I liked his style of play when he was with us, and I figured he wouldn't change anything about the way he plays in Anaheim, even if it is against his old mates.

 

Oh, and I got to have one of the Xcel Energy Centers awesome steak burgers and I even won a $4 powerball ticket to the Minnesota State lottery...not a bad night!

I have NO idea how lottery powerballs work (never played them), but hey, it was a free ticket, I will take my chances....and if I strike jackpot, maybe I will arrange for everyone here on HF.net to meet somewhere and have a few drinks together, no?

Ah well...one can dream....

 

That's all I got for now....looking forward to my next game, which from the looks of things, should be Jan 10th when Smashville comes to Xcel...though I may see some games live before then...I have won games via calling in radios stations before (I seem to be lucky that way..hehe), so I might win one before then!