MNWild: Flyers Drop in for Monday Night Matchup
Tonight the Minnesota Wild 15 - 8 - 5 (35 pts) play host to the Philadelphia Flyers 12 - 12 - 2 (26 pts) at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul. The Flyers are currently on a six game road trip that began in Nashville on Saturday with the Flyers earning the shootout victory 3-2 versus the Predators. The Flyers are currently in a state of flux with their longtime bench boss
Peter Laviolette getting the axe after their 0-3 start to the 2013-14 he was replaced by his assistant coach
Craig Berube.
The Flyers are the focal point for rumors and buzz from top to bottom as a franchise it seems already this year. Their current general manager
Paul Holmgren is a MN native and a highly thought of personnel man in the NHL. Despite their best efforts to be aggressive and reshape the Flyers over the past 5 years, there is serious talk of a complete overhaul of the franchise from top to bottom on the way. It remains to be seen if Holmgren has enough equity in Philly to be charged with how the organization gets back on track.
The Flyers despite early season struggles are a very talented team in both ends of the rink.
Claude Giroux the Flyers talented centermen, at different points during the previous two seasons could arguably be described as the best player in hockey. The Flyers added
Vincent Lecavalier this past offseason to help tie together their talented gritty roster in hopes of a deep playoff push. The Flyers also added under the radar extremely talented defensemen
Mark Streit to an already solid defensive corps. Lastly the goaltending situation played itself out with the buyout of maligned
Ilya Bryzgalov and signing of free agent netminders
Ray Emery and
Steve Mason.
My personal opinion is the Flyers need to settle in let their young players commit to each other and their future together in Philadelphia. Players like the Schenn brothers,
Sean Couturier,
Jakub Voracek, and
Wayne Simmonds are a good enough core to build around and supplement. Too much tinkering and basically out smarting themselves has created the issues that have plagued the organization and fan base. I think it is time to slow down to turn style and commit to renewing their storied traditions of nasty blue collar bruising hockey in Philly.
The Wild only managed to capture one point in their home and home weekend series with the Avalanche which is disappointing. The Wild created a marquee moment in Colorado though, when with 6 seconds left
Mikko Koivu put one past Semyon Valarmov to force overtime. Despite a loss in the shootout, head coach Mike Yeo believes the way the Wild finished regulation in Colorado showed go a long way towards capturing some momentum which has been absent during their current 4 game winless streak.
With
Mikael Granlund and Zenon Konpka out of the lineup due to injury, Yeo’s new look lines will feature some interesting combinations and roles. Eric Haula called up when it was uncertain
Zach Parise would be able to return to action, has earned an extended look with the Wild. Haula is currently slotted into the second line center position for the missing Granlund.
Jason Zucker called up in addition to Haula, was returned to Iowa and replaced by
Mike Rupp for tonight.
Dany Heatley is again elevated into the top6 playing on the 2nd line with Haula and Nino Niederrieter.
Charlie Coyle will get a look as the 3rd line center with Rupp and
Justin Fontaine on his wings.
The play of
Kyle Brodziak has come under fire again of late despite his playing being mostly positive and productive through the first 2 months. Brodziak when paired with
Matt Cooke and anyone other than Heatley this season created results in both ends for the third line. Brodziak’s line gets bumped back tonight with Konopka out of the lineup.
Torrey Mitchell still working to return from a leg injury will pay on the wing with Brodziak and Cooke tonight. Tonight I really think the 4th line could catch the Flyers by surprise with their work in both zones.
The Wild need to have tonight be about attitude and effort if they are to defeat the Flyers at the X tonight. Sure this Flyers team is not without their flaws and has not gotten out to the start they had envisioned, but what they are definitely capable of is lighting the lamp and pounding the Wild into submission. The Flyers will attempt tonight to impose their will with physical play and agitators specifically
Scott Hartnell and
Steve Downie. The Wild’s defensive corps will need to be sound positionally and clear the net front whenever possible. The Flyers are looking to turn their season around and winning on the road can be a cure for what ails.
Individual Leaders
Philadelphia Flyers Minnesota Wild
Points: C. GIROUX (18),B. SCHENN (15),V. LECAVALIER (14) Z. PARISE (23),M. KOIVU (22),J. POMINVILLE (18)
Goals: V. LECAVALIER (9),M. READ (8),B. SCHENN (7) J. POMINVILLE (13),Z. PARISE (11),D. HEATLEY (6)
Assists: C. GIROUX (14),S. DOWNIE (13),J. VORACEK (9) M. KOIVU (16),R. SUTER (15),Z. PARISE (12)
PP Goals: V. LECAVALIER (5),W. SIMMONDS (3),B. SCHENN (3) Z. PARISE (6),J. POMINVILLE (4),D. HEATLEY (3)
SH Goals: A. HALL (1),M. READ (1),S. COUTURIER (1) Z. PARISE (1)
GW Goals: B. COBURN (2),C. GIROUX (2),B. SCHENN (2) J. POMINVILLE (3),M. COOKE (2),M. KOIVU (2)
3+ Goals: V. LECAVALIER(1)
PIM: S. DOWNIE (63),Z. RINALDO (48),W. SIMMONDS (45) Z. KONOPKA (37),C. STONER (29),N. PROSSER (19)
Shots: C. GIROUX (71),M. READ (65),S. HARTNELL (62) Z. PARISE (113),J. POMINVILLE (79),N. NIEDERREITER (65)
+/-: S. DOWNIE (+11),S. COUTURIER (+8),K. TIMONEN (+3) M. SCANDELLA (+8),M. COOKE (+6),N. NIEDERREITER (+6)
Last Game –Wild 2 at Avalanche 3 (SO): Minnesota scored two goals with less than four minutes remaining in regulation, including a
Mikko Koivu tying goal with six seconds left to force overtime, before falling in a shootout Saturday night in Denver. Matt Cooke also
scored for Minnesota and Josh Harding stopped 23-of-25 shots through overtime and two-of-three in the shootout. The contest
marked the first time in Wild history Minnesota has played in a penalty-free game.
Next Games (all times Central)
12/5 vs. CHI 7 p.m. –NHL Network, FSN, KFAN 100.3 FM
12/6 at CBJ 6 p.m. –FSN, KFAN 100.3 FM
12/8 vs. SJ 5 p.m. –FSN, KFAN 100.3 FM
CURRENT WILD INJURIES
C Zenon Konopka –1 game (eye)
C Mikael Granlund (IR) –2 games(upper body)
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 76
Recent Transactions
12/1 –Reassigned F Jason Zucker to Iowa (AHL)
11/29 –Recalled F Erik Haula from Iowa (AHL)
Wild vs. Flyers
All-Time Wild Record: 4-8-1 (2-2-1 at Xcel Energy Center)
2011-12: The Flyers beat the Wild 5-1 at Wells Fargo Center (1/17/12) in the last meeting between the two teams...C Darroll Powe
scored for Minnesota and G Josh Harding made 29 saves...D Braydon Coburn, C Sean Couturier, LW Scott Hartnell, D Kimmo
Timonen and RW Jakub Voracek scored for Philadelphia and G Ilya Bryzgalov made 25 saves.
WILD LEADERS: LW Zach Parise has 36 points (18-18=36) in 40 games vs. the Flyers –his 18 goals are his most against any
team...LW Dany Heatley has 31 points (18-13=31) in 28 games...RW Jason Pominville has 27 points (11-16=27) in 28 matchups.
WILD GOALIES: G Niklas Backstrom is 1-3-0 with a 3.73 GAA and a .865 SV% in four starts against Philadelphia...Harding is 0-1-0
with a 5.00 GAA and a .853 SV% in one start.
FLYERS LEADERS: Timonen has 14 points (6-8=14) in 28 matches vs. the Wild...Hartnell has 12 points (4-8=12) in 25 contests.
FLYERS GOALIES: G Ray Emery stopped all 20 shots faced in his only start against Minnesota last season (4/9/13) and is 4-0-1 with
a 2.32 GAA, a .919 SV% and one shutout in five career starts...G Steve Mason is 4-6-1 with a 2.79 GAA and a .904 SV% in 11 starts.
CONNECTIONS: RW Adam Hall played 23 games with the Wild during the 2006-07 season...RW Matt Read played four seasons at
Bemidji State (2007-11).
FAST FACTS: Minnesota earned back-to-back shutouts against Philadelphia (2/10/03, 2/12/03); the first back-to-back shutouts in Wild
franchise history...The Flyers have outscored the Wild 38-20 all-time, including an 11-2 advantage in the last two games... Minnesota’s
20 goals against Philadelphia are the fewest goals against any team.
13 Things to Know:
1. Minnesota returns home with a 10-3-2 record in Saint Paul this season. The Wild has won six of its last eight games and 10 of its last
13 contests on home ice.
2. Minnesota plays its lone game against an Eastern Conference team in a stretch where 12-of-13 contests are against Western
Conference opponents (Nov. 23-Dec. 17). The Wild has posted an 8-3-2 record against the East this season, while going 7-5-3 against
the West.
3. Minnesota has earned points in 14-of-15 games decided by one goal this season (9-1-5). Only Chicago has more wins and points
from one-goal games (10-1-4). The Wild’s last six wins have all decided by one goal –including its last five wins, where it has tied or
scored the winning goal in the final 10 minutes of regulation.
4. Minnesota has allowed a total of 34, 5-on-5 goals this season –the fewest in the NHL. Josh Harding has allowed a total of 17, 5-on-
5 goals in 21 games this season and his .950 even-strength SV% is tops amongst NHL goalies who have played more than seven
games.
5. Mikko Koivu (5-9=14) and Zach Parise (5-9=14) combined for 28 points in November, including five game-tying or winning goals in
the final five minutes of regulation. Koivu tied the game with six seconds left in regulation Saturday at COL, won the game with 2:57
remaining at OTT on Nov. 20, and won the game with 3:12 remaining vs. WPG Nov. 17. Parise tied the game with 4:55 remaining in
Minnesota Wild: Media Notes
regulation during a shootout win at WPG Nov. 23 and tied the game with 4:17 left in a shootout win vs. TOR Nov. 13.
6. Josh Harding suffered his first home loss of the season Friday but remains 31-10-2 in career starts at Xcel Energy Center, including
24-5-1 since Jan. 27, 2010, 13-2-0 in his last 15 starts in Saint Paul and 10-1-0 this season. He is T-2nd in the NHL with a 1.52 GAA
and fifth with a .936 SV%. Overall, he’s posted a 13-4-3 record in 21 games this season, already matching his career high for most wins
in a season (13-12-4 in 2011-12).
7. Zach Parise leads the Wild with 23 points (11-12=23) and five multi-point games this season. He has five points in his last five
contests (1-4=5) and at least one point in 13 of his last 18 games –totaling 18 points (7-11=18) in that span. The Wild alternate captain
ranks second in the NHL with 113 shots this season and T-3rd with six PPG. He scored his sixth career shorthanded goal, the Wild’s
only shorthanded marker this season, Nov. 23 and five of his 11 goals have been the Wild’s first goal of the game. He is T-1st amongst
all NHL players with 34 career shootout goals, going 34-for-75 (45.3%).
8. Ryan Suter leads the NHL in TOI/game (29:35). He’s topped 30 minutes in eight of the last 13 games and 13 contests overall this
season –surpassing his 10 games of 30-plus minutes in 48 games last season. His 15 assists this season ranks second on the Wild
and T-8th amongst NHL defensemen. Since 2007-08, there have been 10, 35:00-plus performances in the NHL (regular season), and
Suter totaled three of them in the span of six days –the top three TOI of his career. According to Elias Sports Bureau, his 108:19 TOI in
three games Nov. 7-13 (36:06 average) is the most by any NHL player in three consecutive games since TOI started being tracked in
2000-01. He set a Wild franchise record with a career-high 36:51 TOI Nov. 7 in Washington –since Suter entered the NHL, only two
players have skated more in a regular season game: Dan Boyle (TB) 37:03, 2/23/08 and Andrej Meszaros (OTT) 37:47, 4/5/06. Last
season, the alternate captain led the NHL in TOI/game at 27:16 (franchise record), also leading the NHL in TOI/game during the
playoffs at 31:37, skating 41:08 in Game 1 at CHI (4/30). Suter ranked second in assists and third in scoring amongst defensemen last
season and was named to the 2012-13 NHL First All-Star Team and a finalist for the James Norris Memorial Trophy for first time in his
career (finished second in voting).
9. Jared Spurgeon registered four shots, four blocked shots, four hits and a plus-1 rating in a career-high 29:25 TOI Saturday. The
blueliner turned 24 this past Friday and has seven points (1-6=7) in 28 games with Minnesota this season.
10. Nino Niederreiter skated a career-high 18:12 TOI Saturday night. He has four points (2-2=4) in his last seven games, 10 points (3-
7=10) in his last 14 contests and leads Minnesota with 66 hits this season. He ranks T-4thon the team with 15 points (5-10=15),
surpassing his three points (2-1=3) in 64 games over parts of two seasons with the New York Islanders (2010-12).
11. Dany Heatley has four goals and five points in the last seven games. He’s totaled nine points (6-3=9) in 28 games this season.
12. Seven Wild players were named to pre-Olympic rosters for their native countries: Zach Parise and Ryan Suter (USA), Niklas
Backstrom, Mikael Granlund and Mikko Koivu (Finland), Jonas Brodin (Sweden) and Nino Niederreiter (Switzerland). The 2014
Winter Olympics are set to take place in Sochi, Russia, with an NHL Olympic break from Feb. 9-25.
13. Iowa Wild Update
Last Game: 3-1 win at Chicago (11/27). Goal Scorers: Jason Zucker (5, 6), Stephane Veilleux (2) Goalie: Darcy Kuemper (32-of-33).
Upcoming Schedule: at San Antonio (12/4); at Texas (12/6-7)
Leading Scorers: Brian Connelly (0-11=11), Jason Zucker (6-4=10) and Erik Haula (4-6=10)
Courtesy of wild.com/pressbox and @mnwildPR
3 Keys to Victory for Wild
1. The Wild was so successful during the first 2 months of the season being decisive with their passing in all 3 zones. The Wild need to quickly identify and implement their plan of attack tonight. Players capable of carrying the puck in and establishing the possession need to do so early and often tonight.
2. The Powerplay for the Wild has to produce when given the opportunity this evening. If the Wild is going to make teams the more physical teams pay, then it has to be through disciplined emotions and crippling powerplay goals.
3. The defensive pairings need to trap the Flyers in the defensive zone tonight to help extend the attack.
Keith Ballard’s return immediately provided an example of how pinching in and anticipating the play can change the Wild’s offensive from the blue line.
Marco Scandella and Jared Spurgeon have each looked more comfortable doing so and before his cheekbone injury Jonas Brodin was extending his play deeper and deeper into the opponents end with the production to justify the risk.
Just My Take,
Tony Dean
Follow Me on Twitter @AWKD
Minnesota Wild Blogger • 
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