Tony Dean: WildHBcommunity: West Playoffs Taking Shape Tough Stretch Ahead for Wild WildHBcommunity: West Playoffs Taking Shape Tough Stretch Ahead for Wild

Enjoy your 2pts on Saturday.

Enjoy your 2pts on Saturday.
- Feds91Stammer

We sure need it.

We sure need it.
- Tony Dean

We are doing out best to get a 0.5% chance at McDavid.

I am crazy busy right now so I apologize for not creating more content here for the #WildHBcommunity.
- Tony Dean

I can appreciate your busy T, but you know you don't always have to have a complete blog with pics and stats and the whole nine yards!

I'll take a chance on speaking for everyone in the Wild HB community and say that we enjoy your very thorough blogs but I dont' think anyone would be disappointed if you just threw up a few arbitrary thought blogs once in awhile. At least something to freshen things up when we don't even have a blog on the front page anymore.

Plus maybe you can get that slug Ratgen to muster up one of his (now annual)blogs?!

Anyway, I appreciate your efforts and sometimes just female dog for the sake of female doging...

Wild started out very flat last night and it didn't help that NY seemed to have anticipated and strategized for that very scenario by coming out like gang busters in extremely effective fashion!

Some really poor and lazy play last night from a whole lot of key players. Suter being one of those. I can appreciate and respect his style of play, never over exerting himself, steady pace and what not. But that non-icing call involving him last night in the waining minute of the game with goalie pulled was a pathetic display from a captain that should ALWAYS be leading by example. Nope, instead he thought he'd do his usual lolligag to the puck and ended up getting beat to negate what should have been an icing to send the face off back down to the offensive zone.

I realize these guys have been playing balls to the wall, but with almost 5 days to prepare for a team that is clearly going to be the Easts most likely finals candidate the Wild showed that they either didn't bring their A game or for some stupid reason werent' taking this game very seriously.

Kevin Fallness reporting Zucker back practicing with the team. However most likely will not be back in the line up until at least the second round of the playoffs should the Wild make it that far.

I will certainly try to get on track with more updates as we go here certainly I try to provide enough content to make my stuff worthwhile. I realize just for access and news people seek out the beat writers so I try to create content different from that. I also hope your giving #WildWednesdayShow listens

I was thinking back to a blog before the season started, we were chatting about Dumba and admittedly, I didn't think he had the 'smarts' to make it on this team (this season anyway). I'm so glad that I was wrong! Although he still has quite a ways to go, he is playing some good puck lately. I like the combination that Tony brought up of Suter/Dumba, Scand/Spurg, and Brodin/Folin.

I'm torn on Cooke...I think he brings some good experience and an energy to playoff hockey that the Wild will desperately need again this year, but our squad has been playing so well together without him, that I hate to disrupt any of our existing combinations.

And the latest in the Strib says Zucker is about ready...expect to see him next week!

Regardless,...(at risk of beating a dead horse here)...depth is a very good problem to have!

Kevin Fallness reporting Zucker back practicing with the team. However most likely will not be back in the line up until at least the second round of the playoffs should the Wild make it that far.
- MnGump

Looks like Fallness and Blount got different stories today on Zucker.

Looks like Fallness and Blount got different stories today on Zucker.
- mngopherguy

Where is he going to slot in if he plays? I believe the speculation is that he will go back on Koivu's line and Stewart will stay there. That pushes Niederreiter down, likely to play with Coyle and Vanek. Which then pushes Fontaine to the fourth line.

I'm not crazy about that. I think playing with Fontaine is one of the main reasons we are seeing better production from Vanek. Putting Niederreiter there I'm afraid will decrease that production and hurt both Vanek and Niederreiter.

Maybe Zucker slots into the fourth line to start. And if that line at least has Haula or Schroeder on it that could be a pretty good line of speed and skill. I think Brodziak is in no matter what so I would think we'd see Zucker-Brodziak-Schroeder.

I suppose Zucker could slot in to the Koivu line and Niederrieter could go the fourth line - Schroeder-Brodziak-Niederreiter. That might not be too bad either and could give them better balance on the lines.

I think it's possible we could also see Zucker-Koivu-Pominville reunited at some point as well. In that case maybe they put Stewart with Parise and Granlund and maybe Niederreiter can move to the fourth line.

I'm torn on Cooke...I think he brings some good experience and an energy to playoff hockey that the Wild will desperately need again this year, but our squad has been playing so well together without him, that I hate to disrupt any of our existing combinations.
- mngopherguy

I have my own personal objection to Cooke being in the lineup, but that aside I'm not sure he brings anything that we're not already getting from the other guys. He does have a lot of playoff experience and that could help. I wonder if he's a guy they will try to trade in the off-season. There just doesn't seem to be a place for him in the lineup with the money he makes.

I have my own personal objection to Cooke being in the lineup, but that aside I'm not sure he brings anything that we're not already getting from the other guys. He does have a lot of playoff experience and that could help. I wonder if he's a guy they will try to trade in the off-season. There just doesn't seem to be a place for him in the lineup with the money he makes.
- Chinaski

They're gonna have to play him if they hope to trade him this off season.

Oh and breaking up Vanek & Fontaine could possibly one of the worst decisions Yeo could ever make

This has been bugging me for awhile now, and the NYR game only magnified it... the amount of stick penalties this team takes is downright absurd. I know a lot of it has to do with their lack of physical play; choosing to whack at a player rather than take the body, but it has become a serious point of concern this season. For a team that prides itself on its speed, these slashes, hooks, and high sticks should not be occurring as often as they do.
Without going back and looking at every penalty, I wish I could see how the Wild fare compared to the rest of the league with these stupid/lazy penalties.

This has been bugging me for awhile now, and the NYR game only magnified it... the amount of stick penalties this team takes is downright absurd. I know a lot of it has to do with their lack of physical play; choosing to whack at a player rather than take the body, but it has become a serious point of concern this season. For a team that prides itself on its speed, these slashes, hooks, and high sticks should not be occurring as often as they do.
Without going back and looking at every penalty, I wish I could see how the Wild fare compared to the rest of the league with these stupid/lazy penalties.
- SotaPopinski

I do think they could be called for more hooks and slashes. There are many times where I'd rather see the defending Wild player move his feet more to get better position instead of reaching with the stick. Off the top of my head, I think "move your feet Halua" has been a staple in my in-game quotebox.

Oh and breaking up Vanek & Fontaine could possibly one of the worst decisions Yeo could ever make
- SotaPopinski

I might be able to stomach it if he tried Vanek with Pominville. I think he could do this:
Parise-Granlund-Zucker
Niederreiter-Koivu-Stewart
Vanek-Coyle-Pominville
Schroeder/Carter-Brodziak/Haula-Fontaine

I might be able to stomach it if he tried Vanek with Pominville. I think he could do this:
Parise-Granlund-Zucker
Niederreiter-Koivu-Stewart
Vanek-Coyle-Pominville
Schroeder/Carter-Brodziak/Haula-Fontaine
- Chinaski

I didn't want to suggest moving pommers, because i doubt that will happen, but his game hasn't warrented him being on the first line. And I'm really nervous about breaking up fontaine and vanek, but i think you just have to at this point. But these lines make the most sense to me. Unfortunately Cooke will be back before zucks and will frank it all up.

Couldn't even come close to scoring on a 5 on 3 PP

As I watch games like this and the Rangers game the other night, I see some extremely sloppy, lazy and careless hockey.

It amazes me how this team went on such a tear like they did.

They whine and cry for penalty calls and can't do poop with their opportunities anyway!

Frustrating watching this team when things aren't clicking.

I guess a point is better than none, but they cannot continue to play half ass.

And what the (frank) is up with Pominville? Hes been a complete numb nuts with the puck lately. Can't one time to save his life, can't make a pass, can't catch a pass and flubs the puck on the PP!

I guess a point is better than none, but they cannot continue to play half ass.
- MnGump

Yes, showing up for 20-40 minutes a night isn't cutting it. I fear they over-exerted themselves during that unbelievable run and now are doing their best to tread above the water until playoff time.
Yeo continues to piss me off with his PP personnel, and his ludicrous comments about it after every game.

And what the (frank) is up with Pominville? Hes been a complete numb nuts with the puck lately. Can't one time to save his life, can't make a pass, can't catch a pass and flubs the puck on the PP!

- MnGump

He's snake bitten with his shot... has been all year. That was a pretty shotpass to Parise for the goal, though. Think it's about time to try someone else on Granny's right side. Nino, Zucker?

He's snake bitten with his shot... has been all year. That was a pretty shotpass to Parise for the goal, though. Think it's about time to try someone else on Granny's right side. Nino, Zucker?
- SotaPopinski

Maybe but Granlund just looks slow to me this year. Those three seemed to have good chemistry last year and were pretty creative with the puck. Now it just seems like they never have it. Maybe a speedier guy on the right would help that. It's worth a shot.

Maybe but Granlund just looks slow to me this year. Those three seemed to have good chemistry last year and were pretty creative with the puck. Now it just seems like they never have it. Maybe a speedier guy on the right would help that. It's worth a shot.
- Chinaski

Personally, with the exception of a handful of key plays, I think Granlund has looked very ordinary this season. He's not even hot and cold. His game seems to have no flow whatsoever and aside from his defensive game, he's certainly not a top 3 player... Maybe not even a top 6 player at this point.

If there's one thing this team does in the off season I'm hoping it's making some kind of move to improve down the middle of this line up. Maybe Graovac? I don't know, but Koivu's absence last night was extremely noticeable. And Carter is apparently going to need at least the rest of the regular season to get back into game form because he's had two very mediocre if not bad games so far after rejoining the line up.

Haula continues to take stupid penalties... Nino never seems to be in the right place and when he is he coughs up the puck or flubs a poorly timed pass.

And even though Pominville seems to be contributing in the point column on a nightly basis, he could (frank) up an empty net wet dream right now.

And when the hell is Coyle going step up his play? He's turning out to be a very average player.

It's absolutely amazing what a 4 day break can do to a team on an incredible hot streak.