Wild vs. Flames 12/15/18 @ 12:30PM CST at the X

[CreaseAndAssist]

Wild vs. Flames Game Preview

 

Minnesota Wild (17-12-2)  36pts  4th in the Central

3.23 Goals For Per Game (10th in the NHL)

2.84 Goals Against Per Game (10th in the NHL)

 

25.3% Power Play (7th in the NHL)

85.1% Penalty Kill (2nd in the NHL)

 

Top 5 Scorers:

1. #64 Mikael Granlund ~ 11G 21A = 32pts

2. #11 Zach Parise ~ 15G 14A = 29pts

3. #20 Ryan Suter ~ 4G 22A = 26pts

4. #24 Matthew Dumba ~ 12G 10A = 22pts

5. #12 Eric Staal ~ 12G 10A = 22pts

 

Top 3 PIM’s:

1. #17 Marcus Foligno ~ 23 PIM’s

2. #23 J.T. Brown ~ 22 PIM’s

3. #21 Eric Fehr ~ 22 PIM’s

 

Top Goaltenders:

1. #40 Devan Dubnyk (12-9-2)  2.65GAA  .912%SP

2. #32 Alex Stalock (5-3-0)  2.65GAA  .904%SP

 

Vs.

 

Calgary Flames (20-10-2)  42pts  1st in the Pacific

3.53 Goals For Per Game (6th in the NHL)

2.78 Goals Against Per Game (7th in the NHL)

 

22.1% Power Play (11th in the NHL)

78.2% Penalty Kill (19th in the NHL)

 

Top 5 Scorers:

1. #13 Johnny Gaudreau ~ 13G 29A = 42pts

2. #23 Sean Monahan ~ 20G 18A = 38pts

3. #19 Matthew Tkachuk ~ 13G 24A = 37pts

4. #28 Elias Lindholm ~ 16G 18A = 34pts

5. #5 Mark Giordano ~ 4G 28A = 32pts

 

Top 3 PIM’s:

1. #93 Sam Bennett ~ 46 PIM’s

2. #5 Mark Giordano ~ 26 PIM’s

3. #19 Matthew Tkachuk ~ 24 PIM’s

 

Top Goaltenders:

1. #41 Mike Smith (11-7-1)  2.99GAA  .888%SP  2SO

2. #33 David Rittich (9-3-1)  2.31GAA  .921%SP  1SO

 

MNSOTA wrote up the game preview, I'll be on the post-gamer.  Dubnyk's getting the start.  Mikko is still a game time decision as far as I can tell.  If he does come back, I'd hope they'd put him on the 3rd line between Kunin and Greenway and let Eriksson Ek sit because the top 2 lines have been great the last two games.  Should be an interesting rematch.  Enjoy and discuss!  

[IllaZilla]

Personally, I'd leave Koivu sit one more game, just to make sure. And the Wild don't need to be distracted by a "revenge" factor. They need to focus on slowing down the Flames and making the Flames play the Wild's game, not trying to punch out Giordano's lights. And what will it hurt having Koivu sit one more game? Maybe Der Kapitan might have a bruised ego, but so what. If he's truly a team player like everyone on the team keeps saying he is, then he won't mess up the newly created chemistry on the second line...

 

The team seems to have shaken off that funk they were in. The Parise-Coyle-Niederreitter line is producing. Dubnyk seems to have gotten back to normal. Leave it alone.

 

But I have a feeling the first face off lost by Coyle or mistake he makes BB will insert Koivu right back in his old 2C spot...

 

Hopefully the Wild learned they can't stand around with the Flames like they did last time or they'll get eaten alive...

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

3 minutes ago, IllaZilla said:

Personally, I'd leave Koivu sit one more game, just to make sure. And the Wild don't need to be distracted by a "revenge" factor. They need to focus on slowing down the Flames and making the Flames play the Wild's game, not trying to punch out Giordano's lights. And what will it hurt having Koivu sit one more game? Maybe Der Kapitan might have a bruised ego, but so what. If he's truly a team player like everyone on the team keeps saying he is, then he won't mess up the newly created chemistry on the second line...

 

The team seems to have shaken off that funk they were in. The Parise-Coyle-Niederreitter line is producing. Dubnyk seems to have gotten back to normal. Leave it alone.

 

But I have a feeling the first face off lost by Coyle or mistake he makes BB will insert Koivu right back in his old 2C spot...

 

Hopefully the Wild learned they can't stand around with the Flames like they did last time or they'll get eaten alive...

 

Though I'm not on board with the whole "Mikko has little value" vibe I get from your post, I DO agree with everything else.
The team HAS been playing well without Koivu due to certain other players having to step up and so I would agree in not messing up any chemistry that has been formed...especially when it comes to two guys (Coyle and Nino) who have been pretty much floundering all season...………. leave what is working the hell alone!!

Also, I've said this on some ancient posts on this site before all you newer guys came on board, but I will say it again:
Charlie Coyle makes a better center than wing. Yes. I truly believe that.

Is he an elite center? Or even a borderline elite center? No.
However, at the center position, I find he is more engaged in the game, he is a bit more cerebral, and he seems to relish in the extra responsibility the center position carries.

The common logic is, "well, at wing he has less to worry and think about and should be better".
Ok, fine...for maybe most players, but I really think that Coyle is the type of guy that if you leave him with too much time to think about anything else except the constant ebb n flow on the ice, then he goes into a "wait mode" that is sometimes hard for him to shake off.

Really. I believe this...and his play on the ice reflects that IMO...he NEEDS to be mentally occupied in a way that the wing position can't seem to do for him, but the center one can.
And whether he is a 2C, 3C or even a 4C if the team ever gets to the point where we have three legit top centermen (yea, we WISH!), I think the common thread is, Coyle SHOULD BE AT THE CENTER POSITION AND NOT THE WING!
And for better or worse, Nino and he seem to work well together...both seem a bit lost apart.

Ok, end of that mini rant....as always just my opinion and observation.

Back to Koivu, the Flames, and the "revenge factor" you mentioned....
I agree 1000%  this should be all about containing Calgary because the Flames simply outplayed Minnesota at every turn last game out.

And the Wild are going pretty good right now, and they don't need to be disrupted, as you put it, by anyone trying to play Batman or the Punisher out there...………… beat the team on the scoreboard, not the face.....best revenge you can get.

 

We will see how it pans out, but yea, Koivu should be "eased in" because the team is playing well and doesn't need to push any panic button, and the 4th line can maybe take a few extra hard shots when they check, but under NO circumstances should Minnesota make this about "getting even" for any perceived dirty play (Giordano really isn't that type of player....he just plays really hard general).

On the scoreboard boys...on the scoreboard.
Go Wild!

[IllaZilla]

1 hour ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

Though I'm not on board with the whole "Mikko has little value" vibe I get from your post, I DO agree with everything else.
The team HAS been playing well without Koivu due to certain other players having to step up and so I would agree in not messing up any chemistry that has been formed...especially when it comes to two guys (Coyle and Nino) who have been pretty much floundering all season...………. leave what is working the hell alone!!

Also, I've said this on some ancient posts on this site before all you newer guys came on board, but I will say it again:
Charlie Coyle makes a better center than wing. Yes. I truly believe that.

Is he an elite center? Or even a borderline elite center? No.
However, at the center position, I find he is more engaged in the game, he is a bit more cerebral, and he seems to relish in the extra responsibility the center position carries.

The common logic is, "well, at wing he has less to worry and think about and should be better".
Ok, fine...for maybe most players, but I really think that Coyle is the type of guy that if you leave him with too much time to think about anything else except the constant ebb n flow on the ice, then he goes into a "wait mode" that is sometimes hard for him to shake off.

Really. I believe this...and his play on the ice reflects that IMO...he NEEDS to be mentally occupied in a way that the wing position can't seem to do for him, but the center one can.
And whether he is a 2C, 3C or even a 4C if the team ever gets to the point where we have three legit top centermen (yea, we WISH!), I think the common thread is, Coyle SHOULD BE AT THE CENTER POSITION AND NOT THE WING!
And for better or worse, Nino and he seem to work well together...both seem a bit lost apart.

Ok, end of that mini rant....as always just my opinion and observation.

Back to Koivu, the Flames, and the "revenge factor" you mentioned....
I agree 1000%  this should be all about containing Calgary because the Flames simply outplayed Minnesota at every turn last game out.

And the Wild are going pretty good right now, and they don't need to be disrupted, as you put it, by anyone trying to play Batman or the Punisher out there...………… beat the team on the scoreboard, not the face.....best revenge you can get.

 

We will see how it pans out, but yea, Koivu should be "eased in" because the team is playing well and doesn't need to push any panic button, and the 4th line can maybe take a few extra hard shots when they check, but under NO circumstances should Minnesota make this about "getting even" for any perceived dirty play (Giordano really isn't that type of player....he just plays really hard general).

On the scoreboard boys...on the scoreboard.
Go Wild!

 

I'm not saying Koivu has little value. Koivu is what he is. He's a solid two-way center. Which isn't a bad thing. The main problem with Koivu is that he was never a fast skater and has only gotten slower (and the fact that the Wild FO kept saying he was a 1C when he really isn't). So many time he centers younger, faster players who have to stop at the blue line while he lumbers up the ice, destroying any possibility of catching the opposing team in transition. What I'm saying is that the Parise-Coyle Niederreitter line is performing really well right now and it would be a mistake to put Koivu back in there just because he came back and you don't want to hurt his feelings. 

 

I'm still not sold on Coyle. I don't hate him, but I won't be upset if the Wild trade him. Every year the Wild FO says "This is going to be his breakout year!" and we're still waiting. And maybe it's because he was part of the Brent Burns trade that now appears to have totally blown up in the Wild's face. But what's done is done. Oddly enough, he started producing more when the Wild moved him away from the center position to the wing. But I'm not the coach and I don't make those decisions.

 

I'm just hoping they remember what they did with the game against the Habs and the Panthers: pedal to the metal and don't let up...

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

@IllaZilla

 

Fair enough.

Funny you mention what the FO has been trying to sell on Koivu for the last umpteen years...
 

A little story...
I was once a member of a site called prosportsdaily (it might still exist, I don't know...their hockey section was a ghost town last I checked).

I would frequent the Wild forums there and there was this one guy... Pidge88 I believe.. yea, I remember the name because he was an unforgettable know-it-all, thinks-he-was-related-to-the-Pohlads type loudmouth who, if you didn't agree with him, meant you were a complete idiot...…………. who knows, maybe he is here now..  (LOL...just kidding....my sense of humor can be twisted sometimes, just ask @ruxpin  )...

Anyways, I once made a post where I said that while I have always been a Koivu fan (still am), even I could see, right from the very beginning, that he really wasn't a 1C... a 2C AT BEST, in his prime, maybe....but that I always felt he could be an ELITE 3C...and THAT isn't a slight on him at all, but rather an honest assessment of his skillset, demeanor, and tendencies on the ice (at least, from my point of view).
It's just that, the Wild drafted him and declared him their 1C, and paid him like one at the time (in truth, compared to what they had, I could see how he could be viewed that way), but in reality, on any other deeper team, he would have been a nice 2C, fantastic 3C.

 

Well, this Pidge dude absolutely went OFF!
I got called all sorts of names, he went on about how he has followed the Wild since DAY 1 (yea, because the Wild have been around for sooooo long...keeping in mind this tirade of his happened around 2006 or 2007....a lifetime 6 or 7 years of the team's existence lol), and that I had NO BUSINESS posting on a Wild forum if I couldn't see that Koivu absolutely was a 1C and that I should take my trolling %$# somewhere else.

Needless to say that forum's moderation was HIGHLY suspect, so he could say what he wanted with impunity.
Funny thing is (and I never understood the forum dynamic behind something like this...even today), some of the other 'long time' fans, who I generally posted civilly with, all of sudden not only sided with him (which is fine, not the first time I stand alone on something), but also took to berating me.... as if Mr. Pidgeon's opinion was the be-all, end-all in Wild law, and even they didn't dare cross him.
Ridiculous.
Worshipping what is likely some stay puft dude with a keyboard surgically attached to his grubby fingers because he is a lifelong 7 year Wild fan and what he says goes!!  

But, bottom line is...I AM a Koivu fan.
I never was trying to cut him down....even today, I am a fan of his, and I really feel, that slotted properly, and if he can put his ego aside, he has value to this team and they are better with him on it, than off.....again, keeping in mind situations.

But as an overall NHL fan that I've learned to become, I can also offer my honest opinion on a guy that I like, and I always felt he never was a 1C....he was by default.....and today, with his slowly eroding skillset, he definitely is NOT even a full fledged 2C anymore.

Sorry to burn your eyes on yet another long post....I do relish deep discussions on just about any team or player, but especially ones I follow....but I thought that point you made about Koivu matched up very well with what I always though of him with regards to how he should be utilized.

Man, I sure could have used your backup back then... hahahaha.
 

[Hockey-78]

Nice Dumba!!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

4 minutes ago, Hockey-78 said:

Nice Dumba!!

 

Missed it, but not totally unexpected.

Calgary wanted "their revenge" despite the fact that Dumba's hit was clean.
Maybe if Flames players weren't so nonchalant about prancing around the zone and REALIZE who is out there, then maybe Dumba doesn't make a pancake out of one of their players.

I'm with my friend @yave1964 on this site when he says, guys are getting too bent out of shape over CLEAN HITS!
Retaliating with an equally hard  hit on one of our guys is IMMEASURABLY preferable...but this is the ego-centric NHL we live in now...

[MNSOTA]

13 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

@IllaZilla

 

Fair enough.

Funny you mention what the FO has been trying to sell on Koivu for the last umpteen years...
 

A little story...
I was once a member of a site called prosportsdaily (it might still exist, I don't know...their hockey section was a ghost town last I checked).

I would frequent the Wild forums there and there was this one guy... Pidge88 I believe.. yea, I remember the name because he was an unforgettable know-it-all, thinks-he-was-related-to-the-Pohlads type loudmouth who, if you didn't agree with him, meant you were a complete idiot...…………. who knows, maybe he is here now..  (LOL...just kidding....my sense of humor can be twisted sometimes, just ask @ruxpin  )...

Anyways, I once made a post where I said that while I have always been a Koivu fan (still am), even I could see, right from the very beginning, that he really wasn't a 1C... a 2C AT BEST, in his prime, maybe....but that I always felt he could be an ELITE 3C...and THAT isn't a slight on him at all, but rather an honest assessment of his skillset, demeanor, and tendencies on the ice (at least, from my point of view).
It's just that, the Wild drafted him and declared him their 1C, and paid him like one at the time (in truth, compared to what they had, I could see how he could be viewed that way), but in reality, on any other deeper team, he would have been a nice 2C, fantastic 3C.

 

Well, this Pidge dude absolutely went OFF!
I got called all sorts of names, he went on about how he has followed the Wild since DAY 1 (yea, because the Wild have been around for sooooo long...keeping in mind this tirade of his happened around 2006 or 2007....a lifetime 6 or 7 years of the team's existence lol), and that I had NO BUSINESS posting on a Wild forum if I couldn't see that Koivu absolutely was a 1C and that I should take my trolling %$# somewhere else.

Needless to say that forum's moderation was HIGHLY suspect, so he could say what he wanted with impunity.
Funny thing is (and I never understood the forum dynamic behind something like this...even today), some of the other 'long time' fans, who I generally posted civilly with, all of sudden not only sided with him (which is fine, not the first time I stand alone on something), but also took to berating me.... as if Mr. Pidgeon's opinion was the be-all, end-all in Wild law, and even they didn't dare cross him.
Ridiculous.
Worshipping what is likely some stay puft dude with a keyboard surgically attached to his grubby fingers because he is a lifelong 7 year Wild fan and what he says goes!!  

But, bottom line is...I AM a Koivu fan.
I never was trying to cut him down....even today, I am a fan of his, and I really feel, that slotted properly, and if he can put his ego aside, he has value to this team and they are better with him on it, than off.....again, keeping in mind situations.

But as an overall NHL fan that I've learned to become, I can also offer my honest opinion on a guy that I like, and I always felt he never was a 1C....he was by default.....and today, with his slowly eroding skillset, he definitely is NOT even a full fledged 2C anymore.

Sorry to burn your eyes on yet another long post....I do relish deep discussions on just about any team or player, but especially ones I follow....but I thought that point you made about Koivu matched up very well with what I always though of him with regards to how he should be utilized.

Man, I sure could have used your backup back then... hahahaha.
 

 

I think your opinion on Kaptain Klydesdale would have been more appreciated over at the wild.com message boards. I have to wonder if your "pal" Pidge ever showed his face at wild.com.....had he said Koivu was the best thing since sliced bread, we would have given him a taste of his own medicine. If you thought the moderating was suspect over at those boards, ours was pretty much non-existent, well until enough of us had to report someone and Falness would finally take care of business.

[Hockey-78]

Coyle and even Nino have looked so much better without Koivu. Dayum, I want more of this no-Koivu show!

[Hockey-78]

3 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

Missed it, but not totally unexpected.

Calgary wanted "their revenge" despite the fact that Dumba's hit was clean.
Maybe if Flames players weren't so nonchalant about prancing around the zone and REALIZE who is out there, then maybe Dumba doesn't make a pancake out of one of their players.

I'm with my friend @yave1964 on this site when he says, guys are getting too bent out of shape over CLEAN HITS!
Retaliating with an equally hard  hit on one of our guys is IMMEASURABLY preferable...but this is the ego-centric NHL we live in now...

Hopefully someone takes a round with Giordano too, then.

[IllaZilla]

@TropicalFruitGirl26

 

Yeah, even when Koivu was drafted his ceiling was predicted as a solid two-way 2C.

 

Doesn't help that the Wild FO threw 1C money at him and then justified it by saying "He does all the little things right and then there are the intangibles he brings to the game..." I can't fault the guy for taking the money. No one would tell their boss "No, no. You're paying me too much. I'll take a pay cut." But as a fan you just look at what he did compare to true 1C's (for the same price) and you're like "What the Hell?"

[IllaZilla]

Just now, Hockey-78 said:

Hopefully someone takes a round with Giordano too, then.

 

No. The Wild need to focus on putting the puck in the net, not trying to punch out Giordano. If the Flames want to be incensed over a clean hit, that's their problem.

[MNSOTA]

2 minutes ago, IllaZilla said:

@TropicalFruitGirl26

Doesn't help that the Wild FO threw 1C money at him and then justified it by saying "He does all the little things right and then there are the intangibles he brings to the game..." 

 

Yeah, that's the argument I've ALWAYS detested from the FO and the Koivu super-fans.

[wildstars95]

i like how be bennet talks tough and the kid couldn't do 2 pullups at pre scouting combine ,the boy's should rub that in to the punk

[McMahon 6]

1 hour ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

leave what is working the hell alone!!

 

Bingo. Especially the PP. I wonder what's with the sudden improvement there.

 

Like what I'm seeing so far. The Wild are looking unusually lively for a first period, and Doobs looks solid on rebound control. Got a good feeling about where this game's going. GO WILD!!

[Hockey-78]

2 minutes ago, IllaZilla said:

 

No. The Wild need to focus on putting the puck in the net, not trying to punch out Giordano. If the Flames want to be incensed over a clean hit, that's their problem.

No. It would only be smart if someone like Hendricks takes Giordano out for 5 mins. A below average and an above average.

[wildstars95]

2 minutes ago, Hockey-78 said:

No. It would only be smart if someone like Hendricks takes Giordano out for 5 mins. A below average and an above average.

just give him a good shot in his rebuilt ankle

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

7 minutes ago, Hockey-78 said:

Hopefully someone takes a round with Giordano too, then.

 

Well, either that, or at the very least, a very rough ride at some point along the boards or a nice open ice hit.
Again, though, I just hope the Wild focus more on the game and if that opportunity arises, take it....but don't go out of their way to do it.

That said, if the Wild can manage a comfortable lead, THEN maybe a bit of vigilantism may be in order..... maybe....not that I am condoning that sort of thing or anything...

[Hockey-78]

Gotta love to see 64 distributing the puck on the PP.

[IllaZilla]

Just now, McMahon 6 said:

 

Bingo. Especially the PP. I wonder what's with the sudden improvement there.

 

Like what I'm seeing so far. The Wild are looking unusually lively for a first period, and Doobs looks solid on rebound control. Got a good feeling about where this game's going. GO WILD!!

 

I know the initial reaction is to say that it's the absence of Koivu.

 

But if you look at the numbers:

vs. EDM 0-2

vs. MTL 4-4

vs. FLA 0-0

 

Have to see what happens today. Even then, it's a pretty small sample size...

[MNSOTA]

Well lovely.

[Hockey-78]

Giordano scores... great. Go after him already!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

2 minutes ago, Hockey-78 said:

Giordano scores... great. Go after him already!

 

Wait ...........did someone order a cup of salt rubbed into the wound???
 

[Hockey-78]

4 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

Well, either that, or at the very least, a very rough ride at some point along the boards or a nice open ice hit.
Again, though, I just hope the Wild focus more on the game and if that opportunity arises, take it....but don't go out of their way to do it.

That said, if the Wild can manage a comfortable lead, THEN maybe a bit of vigilantism may be in order..... maybe....not that I am condoning that sort of thing or anything...

Yeah, well he did knee Koivu so addition by subtraction really.

[Hockey-78]

2 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

Wait ...........did someone order a cup of salt rubbed into the wound???
 

I ordered some visible proof I was right.