Third Star- Mikael Granlund
Mikael Granlund probably hasn’t been on a whole lot of three star lists so far this season, much to the chagrin of Wild fans. But, out of hope for this being a start to better things that we’ve been waiting for, I’m giving Mikael the third star for this week on the strength of his game against Anaheim Friday night. Granlund tallied up two assists, and was a solid +2 on the night, despite the roller coaster (read: excruciating) game the team endured. In the Montreal game, Granlund was pointless but did fire a shot and logged a whopping 21+ minutes of ice time. Hopefully the Finnish Serial Killer can build on this solid (two game) week and get his offense on track after a mere 10 points in his first 24 games.
Second Star- Mikko Koivu
Dec 5, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Mikko Koivu (9) celebrates after scoring a goal during the second period against the Anaheim Ducks at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund in the same positive list? Balderdash! Tomfoolery! Poppycock! Other outdated expressions! But in reality, Koivu did have a productive week (relatively speaking, of course), with an assist against Montreal and that much needed power play goal against the Ducks. Sure, Koivu’s offensive game has been lackluster this season so far, on a similar pace to Granlund, which is half of his typical pace for points (0.44 P/G this season vs 0.83 P/G last season), while Koivu has done plenty to draw the ire of the #StripTheC crowd, his last week has shown some improvement, and all I ask of him is that he keeps up this point per game pace that he’s been on for the past four games.
First Star- Jonas Brodin
Nov 4, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin (25) against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Xcel Energy Center. The Penguins defeated the Wild 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
After heroically defeating the Mumps, Jonas Brodin has set his sights on the NHL. Unfortunately for Brodin, his typically reliable partner Ryan Suter caught his mumps soon thereafter, and was out for both games this week. The Swedish Chef would be proud of Brodin’s week covering for his fallen lad, as he racked up a goal and an assist, and posted a sparkling +4 rating on the week, while logging over 25 minutes in both games with Suter down. Brodin has rebounded nicely from what some called a sophomore slump, and adding his first goal of this season hopefully means he’s finding himself offensively, along with his so far solid defensive play.
