Challenging schedule to test the Wild’s place in the Central Division
By Derek Felska
There is a saying that used to hang on the walls of our locker room at the school I coach at, “Adversity reveals character.” Throughout any season, even for teams that have had a lot of success there are difficulties that occur. Injuries, illness and suspensions can take key players out of the lineup and even a quality team can imperil the outcome of a season and test a team’s depth and resilience. So can the schedule, as a difficult week can serve as a crucible to establish the true strength or weakness of the team. The Minnesota Wild are about to go through the equivalent of final exams week as they face a gauntlet of the next five games, 3 of which are against Central Division foes who are all currently ahead of them in the standings.
The refrain among some experts tout that being in 5th place in the Central Division is not so bad as the Wild have at least one game in hand on the 3 Central Division foes in Winnipeg (31 games), Chicago (30 games) and Nashville (29 games). Those games in hand only mean anything unless you win. The Wild have struggled to put together any kind of significant winning streak this season. So the team has has done more of a dance in the standings; two steps forward, one step back and so on. The result has been frustration, and it boiled over into a profanity-laced speech by Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo at a team practice on December 12th that is sort of outlined here in this article by Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
"“You don’t want to put yourself in that situation where you’re forced to string together eight wins just to have a sniff. Regardless of the games in hand, we’re still five points back from Winnipeg. That’s not good enough. We should be better. We’re underachieving. It had to be addressed. Like I said, it was long overdue.” ~ Zach Parise to the Minneapolis Star Tribune on December 12th, 2014"
The ‘pep talk’ that Mike Yeo gave his club was meant to awaken or shame the team to playing up to its ability. They will need that improved level over the next week in a half. Let’s look at each of the Wild’s next 5 opponents.
Tuesday, Dec. 16th vs. Chicago Blackhawks (21-9-1) 43pts 2nd in Central
The Blackhawks have started to find their old form again after a slow start. Chicago still has the enviable combination of speed, skill, size and grit that can both shut you down while they light you up on the scoreboard. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and a resurgent Kris Versteeg have been leading the way for a potent Chicago offense that is operating at just under 3 goals per game. With Brandon Saad, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, and Brad Richards in their top 9 the Blackhawks have the kind of forward depth that make them a Stanley Cup contender. Also who could forget super pest Andrew Shaw who is having a solid season along with ‘Wild killer’ Bryan Bickell. Defensively, the Blackhawks are equally deep with last year’s Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith on a top pairing with Brent Seabrook. Swedes Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya round out their top 4. Between the pipes are what some hockey experts believe is the Blackhawks’ only weakness, but it seems odd to say a player like Corey Crawford with a .929 save percentage and a 1.87 goals against average is a weak link.
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Da Windy City
The Minnesota Wild know all too well how tough it is to beat Chicago, especially after being knocked out of the playoffs for the last two seasons. A lack of scoring was the culprit both times, so finding a way by the Blackhawks’ defense and making the power play could go a long way to surprising Chicago. Yes, Chicago has the top penalty kill in the league but the Wild’s power play has been trending upward lately. Another key for the Wild will be to play a strong puck possession game so as not to give the Blackhawks (1st in Corsi ratings) much in the way of foolish turnovers. Helping Minnesota’s cause is the return of defenseman Marco Scandella after a 2-game NHL suspension for a check to the head of the New York Islanders’ Brock Nelson.
Wednesday, December 17th vs. Boston Bruins (15-13-2) 32pts 6th in the Atlantic
It has been a frustrating season for the Bruins who have become used to having their way in the Eastern Conference. Injuries to key players like Zdeno Chara and Adam McQuaid have pushed the club’s blue depth to the limits. The Bruins have also suffered through sub-par offensive performances from players like Brad Marchand and Milan Lucic and you have the recipe for a club wallowing in mediocrity. Yet, that makes the Bruins a team desperate for points and knowing they’ll be playing a Wild club who will be coming off a game against division rival Chicago the night before will make them motivated to catch Minnesota while it may be feeling a bit fatigued after a 3-game road trip.
The Wild will have to dig deep after what should be a pretty good battle on Tuesday against Chicago, but these opportunities to play clubs outside of the Conference are important in regards to gaining ground in the standings. The one nice aspect of playing a club like Boston is the team can give up the mercy point and not feel as bad; so even forcing a game into overtime and guaranteeing the club a point in the standings would be a nice prize.
Saturday, December 20th vs. Nashville Predators (19-8-2) 40pts 3rd in the Central
The Predators parted ways with its only head coach in Barry Trotz and swapped him out for Peter Laviolette as the club hoped to embrace a more up-tempo style of hockey. So far Laviolette’s squad has been embraced that style of play and while they still do not have a big marquee name up front, they are a team that attacks in waves led by youngster Filip Forsberg, former Penguins’ triggerman James Neal and a collection of veterans like Olli Jokinen, Mike Ribeiro and Mike Fisher. On the blueline, perennial all star Shea Weber and his underrated defensive partner Roman Josi keep watch over the Predators’ end. Pekka Rinne is arguably the best goaltender in the Central Division.
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Predlines
The Wild have two full days to rest up before the Predators come to town. The Wild must be ready to give a 60-minute effort to beat the Predators. Like Chicago, this is the first time these two clubs have faced one another this season and Minnesota will be smart to limit its turnovers as the Predators are 6th in Corsi ratings (the Wild are 3rd). This would be a great game for Mikael Granlund to have an impact against a club that doesn’t possess as many bigger skaters as the Bruins or Blackhawks.
Tuesday, December 23rd vs. Philadelphia Flyers (11-13-5) 27pts 5th in the Metropolitan
The Wild will again have a few days to recover before the Flyers arrive. Considering the Flyers present struggles this is a game the Wild need to have. Philadelphia is led by its duo of Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. Wayne Simmonds, Sean Couturier, Vincent Lecavalier provide size, skill and a little sandpaper including the Flyers secondary scoring which has been inconsistent which has been a major source of their problems. The team will be wise to keep its head on a swivel with Zac Rinaldo who will be looking to run some more players the way he did last time the two clubs played on November 20th.
This is another game where the Wild have to put the boots to an Eastern Conference club that is struggling. Puck possession is again their greatest friend for the Wild as the Flyers are 25th in Corsi and doing their best to shut down Voracek and Giroux should give Minnesota a decent chance to come away with two points. The Flyers penalty kill, the 2nd worst in the NHL at under 75% is another area for the Wild to exploit.
Saturday, December 27th vs. Winnipeg Jets (15-10-6) 36pts 4th in the Central
The Wild have been trailing the Jets for what seems like the majority of the season and whenever Minnesota earns a victory, so does Winnipeg. Currently the Wild have 3 games in hand and trail the Jets by 3 points in the standings. The Jets have made the most of their games against clubs that are near the bottom of the standings but this is another 4 point game for the Wild. Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little, Evander Kane lead the way for the Jets’ offense. It is interesting to note how a club, which was having well publicized tension between players (Wheeler and Kane) and Head Coach Paul Maurice is all smiles these days. Dustin Byfuglien provides the bombs from the point while Toby Enstrom is the puck moving element that allows the Jets to make a smooth transition from defense to offense.
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Jets White Out
This is a game the Wild have to find a way of not only earning 2 points but not giving up any to the Jets. The last time the two clubs played the Wild squandered a big lead to allow Winnipeg to keep a 1-point advantage against them in the standings. The Jets operate in a delicate balance where their 25th ranked (2.29 goals per game) offense is matched by the same amount of goals that they allowed. On paper the Wild appear to be a good match against the Jets, but a the 4 day break between their last game may mean there might be a little rust to their play.
If the Wild can end up with 3 or 4 wins in this 5-game stretch can put the Wild in very good shape both within the Central Division and back into the playoff picture. By the time this 5-game test is finished we’ll know if the Wild can contend for a playoff spot or are they just fooling themselves. Hopefully the Wild make the most of these games, so they don’t have to have another angry ‘pep talk’ to start 2015.