Corey Harvey: Bounce Back Saturday The Blues and Wild meet at 2 p.m for Game 2 of their first round series.

The key for the Wild is to weather the first 10 minutes of this game. If they can keep the Blues off the board early, then they can settle in and begin to impose their game on the Blues again. If they go down, then they'll be forced to open it up a bit which will give the blues gaps to exploit.

The key to a Blues win is being disciplined and not squandering momentum by taking ill advised penalties. If they keep applying pressure and forcing turnovers at the Wild's blue line I like their chances today very much. Despite the 2nd period I thought the Blues controlled the play for much of the game. If they do it again today it will only be a matter of time before Tank or Schwartz find the twine.

Nice Oshie article in the Star Tribune today.

Will be interesting game today. I don't have any certain stats or facts, but just from recollection, Wild don't seem to fare well in day games... Maybe they're vampires?!

.Minnesota played well defensively and for the most part kept the Blues to the outside all night.
- Corey Harvey

Thought the Wild did a very good job stifling the Blues top offensive contributors. Tarasenko did have a point but was held without a shot on goal, which is impressive in itself. Wild 4th line was a much bigger factor than I thought they would be. I think it's a testament to how solid the 3rd and 4th lines are for Yeo to have confidence in putting either out there for defensive zone face offs, especially late in the game.

Today will be a tough test and the Wild will have their hands full.

Minnesota played well defensively and for the most part kept the Blues to the outside all night.
- Cory Harvey

I don't know if this is the Wild's game plan but they seem content to give teams the outside on zone entry and let them cycle around the perimeter. It gives them time to setup in their own zone to defend the middle of the ice.

I'll be interested to see if the Blues try to attack the middle of the ice more on entry and eliminate that setup time for the Wild defense.

That could be a little risky if the Wild defensemen keep tight gaps because it could result in more turnovers at the blue line and more opportunities for the Wild on transition. But if the gaps aren't tight it could be a recipe for getting better chances for the Blues forwards and disrupting that structured, defensive setup.

i looked at the Blues schedule over the regular season and i agree with what Hitch said when they dont play great after long layoffs. They were 1-7-1 with 3 or more days rest. So lets hope for a better result from todays game. LGB

Nice Oshie article in the Star Tribune today.
- Chinaski

It's nice yeah... but I honestly despise these little Minny Homer feel good pieces. For whatever reason Twin Cities media retches have an uncanny knack of always finding any possible angle on someone in the lime light with any ties no matter how solid or obscure to Minnesota. So somehow we as Minnesotans can share in taking credit for Oshie's success?!

The guy lived in Warroad for 3 whole years which is practically in Canada. If he were a true Minnesota native then I'd say yeah, another American born NHL player native to Minnesota to make us proud! But the guy is from Washington and took a 3 year vacation here.

I'm all for good hockey stories and sincerely congrats to Oshie, but sometimes Minnesotans can be so shameless when they want to be noticed. To most we're always going to be flyover country or that really awesome state for fishing trips!

I'll bet Oshie hates fielding all the Minny homer questions he gets when plays here.

Go blues

It's nice yeah... but I honestly despise these little Minny Homer feel good pieces. For whatever reason Twin Cities media retches have an uncanny knack of always finding any possible angle on someone in the lime light with any ties no matter how solid or obscure to Minnesota. So somehow we as Minnesotans can share in taking credit for Oshie's success?!

The guy lived in Warroad for 3 whole years which is practically in Canada. If he were a true Minnesota native then I'd say yeah, another American born NHL player native to Minnesota to make us proud! But the guy is from Washington and took a 3 year vacation here.

I'm all for good hockey stories and sincerely congrats to Oshie, but sometimes Minnesotans can be so shameless when they want to be noticed. To most we're always going to be flyover country or that really awesome state to take a fishing trip!

I'll bet Oshie hates fielding all the Minny homer questions he gets when plays here.
- MnGump

Agreed!!!

Corey Harvey: Bounce Back Saturday
The Blues and Wild meet at 2 p.m for Game 2 of their first round series.
- Corey Harvey

It better be bounce back Saturday. Counting my pools and side bets, I have about a 1000 bucks riding on a deep Blues run. Counting on you guys for Draftkings today too

Nice write up Corey.

Hope the Blues keep it simple. Also hope they employ the same tactic and put pucks deep and pound Suter.

i looked at the Blues schedule over the regular season and i agree with what Hitch said when they dont play great after long layoffs. They were 1-7-1 with 3 or more days rest. So lets hope for a better result from todays game. LGB
- bleedblue2007

That might be the case but that was the regular season. How do you not get up and be ready to play in the play offs at home with a crazy crowd? Poor excuse. This time of year there are no excuses unless you are missing most of your top six. But for this team that is not a good excuse.

That might be the case but that was the regular season. How do you not get up and be ready to play in the play offs at home with a crazy crowd? Poor excuse. This time of year there are no excuses unless you are missing most of your top six. But for this team that is not a good excuse.
- BluemanGuruu

Thanks for your previous post. I thought the Blues started off great and were up for the game. Once the Wild scored on their first sequence of shots, it took some life out of the place and the team. That's what I think is not a good excuse. Gotta keep playing how they were before their goal and take momentum back.

NBC just showed the power play and penalty kill stats for each team in this year's playoffs. #StupidGraphics

Gunnarson has made terrible decisions with the puck...

Corey Harvey: Bounce Back Saturday
The Blues and Wild meet at 2 p.m for Game 2 of their first round series.
- Corey Harvey

Dooby dooby doo...

Gunnarson has made terrible decisions with the puck...
- eggsegan

Huge win today.

Gunnarson and Jackman are so bad.

Huge win today.

Gunnarson and Jackman are so bad.
- bcallaway

Bcal, did you have seats at The Arena?

Much needed win. One of the closest 4-1 wins I have ever seen. We have to come ready to play in Minny. We need one win minimum in their building on this trip.

Bcal, did you have seats at The Arena?
- eggsegan

No I didn't have season tickets till 2000.

Probably saw 15 - 20 games at the Arena over the years.

No I didn't have season tickets till 2000.

Probably saw 15 - 20 games at the Arena over the years.
- bcallaway

Just curious. There were a couple of guys that sat in front of us in the high 200s on one of the corners where they defended twice. Your tone in your comments reminds me of them...

Intense game today; glad the Blues played much better than the other night, but it was still nerve-wracking. Those had to be some of the weirdest puck bounces I've ever seen, just glad they didn't go in this time. It seems like those always go against the Blues. Let's go grab a couple of wins in Minnesota and wrap this thing up back home!

Huge win today.

Gunnarson and Jackman are so bad.
- bcallaway

Gunnar looks to be afraid of getting hit and Jackman looks incapable of dealing with fast players.

Until Berglund scored I was thinking who on this team is really a play off performer? Who wants t battle and wn battles? Amazingly Ott finds his old skill and speed come play off time. Yeah he is a bit over the edge.


Saw a terrible penalty called on the Wild. Parise could have been called for goaltender interference a few times in the first game but that one in game two was not not interference at all. He got pushed into him.

The Blues started out good and did not look any good the rest of the game until there was like fve minutes left. From the second to the beginning of the third most of them stopped hittng. I do not get why when a player is oen for a big hit and you got coverage why you do not take it. It is the play offs.

I love Nino and still cannot believe he was had for so little. He is the kind of player you want in the play offs. I did not like his cross check on Backes near the net in the third.

Nice to see the bounces go the Blues way as they started not going their way off the glass but still did not go in the net thankfully.

Allen has given up three goals in two games and Dub has given up five.

Huge win today.

Gunnarson and Jackman are so bad.
- bcallaway

You know, Jackman is so important to this franchise that he deserves a front office job...

There. Now Bortuzzo has a job. Gunnarson's talents are really suited to the bigger, European ice surface. There. Lindbohm has a job.