Minnesota Wild Rally in 3rd, Stun Islanders, 5-4
98. 4. 106. Final. 5
In Serendipitous form, the Minnesota Wild rally in the 3rd period, scoring 4 unanswered goals in a stunning come from behind victory over the New York Islanders.
Good evening, Wild fans. Coming in to this game, there were a ton of great storylines, Would Nino Niederreiter hang a couple of points against the team he felt didn’t give him a chance? What about the throng of Minnesotans now playing on Long Island? Check out Tyler’s game preview for more on those and many other stories.
In the end, there was only one storyline that mattered: a magnificent, jaw-dropping comeback, capped off by Nino Niederreiter’s game-winner gave the Wild 2 points and the victory. Looking at the box score, I don’t think anybody expected the Wild to pull off a win, trailing 3-0 after the first 20 minutes.
Keith Ballard was injured pretty significantly tonight, but we’ll get to that.
First Period:
This one looked like a blowout from the get-go, let’s be honest. The Islanders dominated puck possession and hung three goals on the board before the Wild could even catch their breath.
I thought Niklas Backstrom looked okay to start, especially considering much of the first 7 minutes were spent in the Defensive zone.
It took the wild just over 7 minutes to register a shot on goal, though they did have spurts of offense.
Michael Grabner’s second goal of the season, an absolute bomb from the high slot came as he entered the zone unprotected. Edina kid Anders Lee and Griffin Reinhart earned the assists to make it 1-0 Isles at 08:31 of the first period.
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The Wild earned a power play shortly after the goal, but nothing really clicked. Nothing really clicked for the Wild in the first period.
The Wild, who are extremely efficient on the power play at home, gave up a rare power play goal to Warroad’s Brock Nelson. Nelson tipped in a Nick Leddy shot just past Backstrom’s Right leg to make it 2-0 Isles at 17:15 of the first period. Pretty cool Minnesota connection there, eh?
32 seconds later, Matt Martin earned his 3rd of the year, potting home a Thomas Hickey redirection. Cal Clutterbuck was on top of Backstrom at the other side of the net, but that seemed to go missed by the on-ice officials. 3-0 Islanders at 17:47 of the first period.
Minnesota took its timeout immediately after the goal, and I imagine Yeo wasn’t asking the players where they got their matching sweaters. I saw what he said and it was not very pleasant at all.
The Wild looked completely listless in the first period for the second consecutive game and it showed on the shot clock.
Shots after one period: New York Islanders 11, Minnesota Wild 3
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Second period:
If the first period looked like a slow march toward a rout, the second period looked like a sprint toward victory for the hometown club.
Even with an Erik Haula holding penalty in the second minute, the Wild completely dominated the Islanders, holding them to just one shot on goal the whole frame, including no shots on the power play.
Let’s get to the Keith Ballard hit. First off, its several hours after the game, I’m home, and I’m still absolutely furious. Here’s the video, courtesy of Pro Hockey Talk
Matt Martin’s cross-check from behind sent Ballard face first in to the boards, despite Ballard’s attempt to turn away. Ballard, who did not have the puck, falls to his back and is clearly unconscious. I saw folks on twitter mention seizure activity, but there wasn’t any. You can see the Athletic trainer frantically signal for the paramedics that sit in the Zamboni tunnel. After 3 or 4 minutes, Ballard was able to miraculously get to his feet and walk down the tunnel. All of this happened in front of referee Brad Meier. All of it, including an UNCONSCIOUS player on the ice. I’ve been a paramedic for the entirety of my adult life and seeing Ballard on the ice made my stomach churn. There was no penalty, assessed on the play, not even a minor. I imagine the NHL will have some words for Meier and Martin.
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A scrum on the next play in regulation led to St. Paul’s’ Kyle Okposo taking a minor for slashing Mikael Granlund. Since there was no penalty, the best way to make a team pay is on the scoreboard.
With their first and only shot to reach Chad Johnson with the man advantage, Jason Pominville redirected a Ryan Suter point shot over the shoulder of the Isles netminder.
The goal was originally credited to Suter, but it was switched to a Jason Pominville deflection for his 6th of the year. 3-1 Isles at 09:01 of the second period.
Kyle Brodziak stood up to Matt Martin, fighting him on his next shift. Brodziak did not win that fight, but I guess he gets style points.
Josh Bailey put the Isles back up by 3 with their only shot on goal in the second to make it 4-1 Isles at 17:17 of the second period. Bailey had a pseudo breakaway thanks to a long outlet pass and a defensive breakdown.
Shots after two periods: New York Islanders 12, Minnesota Wild 15
Third Period:
The rally came, and in stunning fashion.
First, It was Mikko Koivu’s 5th of the year, a wrist shot from the base of the face-off circle that rose above Johnson’s leg pad. 4-2 Isles at 02:51 of the third period.
Reinhart sent the Wild back to the power play early in the first, but the Wild didn’t manage any shots, though Mikael Granlund had a good chance.
Next, Erik Haula, at the end of a long shift that saw tons of scoring chances generated, put home his third of the year. Picking up a loose puck, he fired a shot wide of Johnson that bounced off of Thomas Hickey’s skate and slid in to a wide open net. 4-3 Isles at 11:03 of the third period. Haula’s line was abuzz that whole shift, so it’s nice to see that pay off for them.
Thomas Vanek scored the equalizer against his old squad 45 seconds later. Remember, he’s playing on the top line with Granlund and Parise, so he had to produce eventually. The play started with a long shot by Parise that bounced off Johnson. Brock Nelson then fell on top of Johnson, causing the puck to squirt free. From there, Vanek and Granlund chipped away until Vanek found an opening past the glove of Johnson. 4-4 tie at 11:48 of the third period.
Was anybody else nervous at this point? Me too. The Wild stood tall, limiting chances and holding the Islanders without a shot on goal during a power play and a 4-on-4 in the following minutes.
To complete the rally, Nino Niederreiter spurned the team that drafted him. In front of the net, Nino picked up his own rebound and planted home a quick wrist shot as he fell to the ice on his stomach. 5-4 Wild at 15:27 of the third period.
Niederreiter was absolutely tenacious tonight, seemingly trying to prove he was worth the 5th overall pick in the 2010 draft. He never really earned his chance with the Isles, so I think he was pretty excited for this game.
Marco Scandella nearly ruined it for the Wild, taking an illegal check to the head penalty with two and a half minutes remaining. Remember, he got fined for this a few weeks ago, so I imagine he may get fined again.
The Wild killed the penalty, allowing only one shot on goal. Koivu missed an empty net bid late, but oh well. The Minnesota Wild rally was complete, winning 5-4 in regulation.
Trembley’s Take:
I thought the Wild were going to lose tonight, I really did. This marks the second consecutive game where a flat first period nearly cost the Wild.
Keith Ballard is at a St. Paul hospital resting, according to the Wild. We certainly wish him the best. Hopefully it’s nothing serious, as the Wild could use his grit. I want one person to tell me that not a single one of the 4 officials saw that hit, because I don’t believe it. Martin should have been ejected. I think he’s got a suspension coming, although I still don’t think it will do any justice.
The Ballard hit was definitely the turn around point for the Wild and most of the players in post-game interviews pointed toward that being the spark in their step
Thomas Vanek posted a 66% Corsi for, second among all forwards. If he keeps that up, his move to the top line will pay off in dividends for the Wild.
Nate Prosser was a 76% Corsi for tonight and I think he played a really good all around game. If he plays the remaining schedule like he has the last two games, expect a more permanent spot for him down the road.
Nobody screamed for Backstrom’s head after allowing 3 goals in the first, which is surprising as the Wild crowd has turned on its netminders very quickly lately.
The Wild is now 15-10-1 for 31 points. Wins by the Sharks and Jets leave the Wild in 10th place for the Western Conference, though a loss by the L.A. Kings helps things. The Wild take on San Jose on Thursday with a chance to grab two more points and leapfrog the Kings. The Wild have 4 games in hand over the 8th place Sharks, as well. I’ll talk to you Thursday, fans.