GDT: Game #6: Columbus Blue Jackets @ YOUR MN WILD- Tuesday, 1/29/13 @ 7:00 pm CST

[Jarick]

Thoughts:

Top line looked great as usual. Parise is probably my favorite Wild player now. Does everything so well in every zone. Koivu looked good. Heatley looks slow.

Second line had some chances but kind of sucks defensively. That's going to be a problem. For as much as I banged the "get the scorers together" idea, I'm going to slide back to "make sure you don't have three guys who don't play strong defense" idea.

Or to paraphrase Lou Nanne on KFAN, if you're not scoring goals, you can't let in goals. The second line is giving up lots of chances which have and will result in goals.

Cullen for as much as I crap on him offensively is a very solid defensive forward. No, I don't think he's a top six player. But he's a solid third line guy you can throw out that won't be inept in his end.

To that extent, I am seeing the forwards collapsing WAY too much in the defensive zone at even strength. You can't just let the two point men completely have their way. The Wild forwards are also too clustered in the middle, giving up the boards and losing nearly every puck race or battle.

And of course stupid penalties.

Granlund, sorry, not ready for the NHL. He's been running around lost in his end the last couple games and alternating between getting knocked over or knocked off the puck in the offensive zone. He looks like he's hesitating without the puck and basically stops moving his feet in the neutral zone. Big disappointment from a kid I thought was Calder contender.

Suter - Brodin looked great. Suter moved the puck nicely, as did Brodin, who also made some big time plays. Sure they both made a couple mistakes but I was pretty damn happy watching those two. And it's nice to see D-men who can actually move the puck.

Gilbert I thought played well overall, some shifts were amazing, some were a little rough, but I'm pretty happy on the whole. I thought Stoner looked terrible, especially any time he had the puck on his stick. Russo thought he was great though, maybe I'm wrong.

Scandy-Falk were ok.

Didn't see much out of Backstrom other than he made some excellent saves and had some frightening out-of-position moments.

 

[MuckOG]

I was just shocked that Bouchard actually skated hard into the zone, went to the slot, and more amazingly.....ACTUALLY SHOT THE PUCK!!!!!

I was expecting the standard curl move at the blue line and look to dish that we've all become accustomed to with him.

 

[kegstandbyme]

<--- Likes Torrey Mitchell's game.

Likewise.

 

[Jarick]

Didn't help at all the few times he was carrying the puck into the zone with speed, Seto or Butch would make no effort to stay onside either though.

Noticed that too, Seto was offsides at least twice, maybe three times?

A win's a win but I'm personally getting tired of watching the same Undisiplined fly by the seat of your pants, Chinese Fire Drill Defensive hockey.. It reminds me of the Volkswagon commercial with the dad and kid playing catch... Is this the kinda D Yeosy's teaching our boy's..Gonna be a long tough season boy's..

Better than that garbage defense from TR's squad...swat the puck to the other team or make an outlet pass about 10 feet off target.

I'm being dead serious when I say that we need to trade Granlund. We are going to ruin him. He is not built for this division or conference.

Agreed. There were some positives, but it was overshadowed by the mistakes that were made making this game so darn close...against the Jackets....at home!

I'd like to never hear these two things again:

1. ______ is playing the second night of a back to back, they're going to be tired.

No they are not. They are elite athletes. How many times have we seen the Wild get stomped by a "tired" team?

2. ______ is a terrible team, Wild should completely dominate them.

If that's the case, the terrible teams would never win and the awesome teams would never lose. Games aren't played on paper. Gotta show up every night.

I would be all for bumping Brodziak up to 2nd line center, drop Granlund down to third line wing and bring up Setoguchi as a 2nd line winger for now.

Uh...Setoguchi is already the 2nd line winger.

The funny thing is, we were dominating and Columbus was riding a very hot Mason into keeping it close. It's almost like we weren't outshooting them 23-8 through 40 minutes. Yeah, the 3rd could've and should've been better, but Columbus built that period on 4 powerplays.

Not completely disagreeing, but to be fair, Columbus needed a couple fantastic breaks to stay in the game. Parise getting one goal waved off and another breakaway negated by a generous holding call? Gilbert's flukey deflection that led to a delay-of-game call? Mason making the save on PMB's penalty shot, and several desperation saves on top of that?

This on both accounts. The Wild dominated the second, played pretty damn well in the first, and just marched to the box in the third. Mason stood on his head. Not the defense mind you, but Mason. Yep the Koivu goal was flukey but how about that stop on Cullen? Seto had good looks too.

I was just shocked that Bouchard actually skated hard into the zone, went to the slot, and more amazingly.....ACTUALLY SHOT THE PUCK!!!!!

I was expecting the standard curl move at the blue line and look to dish that we've all become accustomed to with him.

PMB is SO UNDERRATED by Wild fans. He hasn't been that kind of player for four years. He has been aggressive and driving the net for years now. He's been using his great shot for years now. Only problem is he's only had two half seasons to show it.

 

[Dee Oh Cee]

The NHL has the closest thing to parity as it can right now. There are no 'gimme' games anymore...anyone could beat anyone on any given night. Especially in an odd season such as this.

 

[Victorious Secret]

PMB is SO UNDERRATED by Wild fans. He hasn't been that kind of player for four years. He has been aggressive and driving the net for years now. He's been using his great shot for years now. Only problem is he's only had two half seasons to show it.

Its not that hes underrated. Its the fact we rarely saw him the last 4 years. Out of sight, out of mind.

 

[Jarick]

Its not that hes underrated. Its the fact we rarely saw him the last 4 years. Out of sight, out of mind.

But there's that lingering reputation of his: "perimeter player, won't go into the corners, won't go to the net, never shoots, curls towards the boards".

 

[Victorious Secret]

Curls towards the boards is correct, as is perimeter player. But he knows when to penetrate.

 

[Jbcraig1883]

Curls towards the boards is correct, as is perimeter player. But he knows when to penetrate.

 

[Victorious Secret]

 

[Jbcraig1883]

Figured that would end this thread so we can all forget about it, haha.

 

[DeuceMN]

Noticed that too, Seto was offsides at least twice, maybe three times?



Better than that garbage defense from TR's squad...swat the puck to the other team or make an outlet pass about 10 feet off target.







I'd like to never hear these two things again:

1. ______ is playing the second night of a back to back, they're going to be tired.

No they are not. They are elite athletes. How many times have we seen the Wild get stomped by a "tired" team?

2. ______ is a terrible team, Wild should completely dominate them.

If that's the case, the terrible teams would never win and the awesome teams would never lose. Games aren't played on paper. Gotta show up every night.





Uh...Setoguchi is already the 2nd line winger.





This on both accounts. The Wild dominated the second, played pretty damn well in the first, and just marched to the box in the third. Mason stood on his head. Not the defense mind you, but Mason. Yep the Koivu goal was flukey but how about that stop on Cullen? Seto had good looks too.



PMB is SO UNDERRATED by Wild fans. He hasn't been that kind of player for four years. He has been aggressive and driving the net for years now. He's been using his great shot for years now. Only problem is he's only had two half seasons to show it.

I agree with this and it makes me sad. We look forward to Granlund and all that, when we have had PMB for years. True, he's been injury prone, but when he's been on the ice he has frequently been one of our best forwards.

He is an amazing player in my opinion, and I do hope we keep him as long as we can balance out the lines to deal with his small stature. That, and I hope the extent of his injuries are behind him.

 

[Sportsfan1]

I missed the game last night, but simply put a win is a win, and I don't care in this shortened season how we get them.

 

[MuckOG]

PMB is SO UNDERRATED by Wild fans. He hasn't been that kind of player for four years. He has been aggressive and driving the net for years now. He's been using his great shot for years now. Only problem is he's only had two half seasons to show it.

If you have last night's game vs Chicago recorded, go back and view it about 20 seconds into the 5-3 during the 1st period. Bouchard is in the slot with the puck with an absolutely clear path to the net and what does he do?? Drop passes to Suter. He passed up (no pun intended) a CLEAR scoring opporunity!!!

This is what I'm talking about. Too often he looks to dish when he should be taking the shot.

I actually like him as a player and think he is very skilled....just wish he would take the puck to the net more than he does.

 

[bozak911]

If you have last night's game vs Chicago recorded, go back and view it about 20 seconds into the 5-3 during the 1st period. Bouchard is in the slot with the puck with an absolutely clear path to the net and what does he do?? Drop passes to Suter. He passed up (no pun intended) a CLEAR scoring opporunity!!!

This is what I'm talking about. Too often he looks to dish when he should be taking the shot.

I actually like him as a player and think he is very skilled....just wish he would take the puck to the net more than he does.

Wasn't he on his back hand there? If I remember correctly, he was crossing center from the LW side, which would have meant that the shot you wanted him to take would have been a weak backhander, whereas the drop pass to Suter was right on his strong side?

I dunno... but I'd rather he continue to use his creativity and smarts to set up a better play than tossing a weak ass backhander at a hot goalie... just me?

 

[MuckOG]

Wasn't he on his back hand there? If I remember correctly, he was crossing center from the LW side, which would have meant that the shot you wanted him to take would have been a weak backhander, whereas the drop pass to Suter was right on his strong side?

I dunno... but I'd rather he continue to use his creativity and smarts to set up a better play than tossing a weak ass backhander at a hot goalie... just me?

No...I'm talking before that. It was near the beginning of the 5-3, PMB had the puck on his forehand and had a clear path to the net....plenty of time to get a quality shot, and then he drop passed the puck behind him to Suter, who ended up taking the shot.