Harding valiant, but hurt as Wild rallied late to earn critical 4-2 home victory over Edmonton

“Another one bites the dust, Another one bites the dust, And another one gone, And another one gone, Another one bites the dust, Hey, I’m gonna get you too, Another one bites the dust” is one way to describe how the 2009-10 season is going by.  With the compressed schedule due to the Olympics is making the season evaporate at an incredible rate and in just over a week the 2 week Olympic break will be upon us.  As fast as the season has gone, the intensity of the current playoff race is already at an oppressive level, making each game seem to carry post-season implications.  Just look at the current standings for the teams sitting near the top 8 spots in the Western Conference.

8.  Calgary Flames – 64pts

9.  Detroit Red Wings – 64pts

10. Dallas Stars – 61pts

11. Anaheim Ducks – 61pts

12. St. Louis Blues – 59pts

13. Minnesota Wild – 58pts

After a 4-2 loss to Dallas the team slipped down to 13th and in last in the playoff chase as they trail 8th place Calgary by 6 points.  The Wild must find that killer instinct and fast.  That is how the Wild must approach tonight’s game against the Edmonton Oilers as they need to get out to an early lead and crush the hopes of the Oilers early.  The Oilers are coming off a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.  Every point is crucial and games against teams like the Oilers, and there is no way to avoid the classic sports cliche of a ‘must win’ when talking about the importance of tonight’s game.  So will the Wild benefit from being back home or will the Oilers spoil the first game of a 5-game homestand?

The Oilers were stepping up aggressively to start the 1st period, and it was Edmonton firing the first quality shot on goal as former Bloomington Jefferson Jaguar Tom Gilbert flung a long backhander on goal that was directed aside by Josh Harding.  Minnesota would try to answer back, as Guillaume Latendresse was denied from close range by Jeff Deslauriers.  The Oilers would respond with a great chance of their own as Jean-Francois Jacques would shovel a shot wide and then fire a weak backhander which was blocked to the corner by Harding.  Minnesota’s modified 2nd line of Robbie Earl, Andrew Ebbett, and Martin Havlat had a terrific scoring chance after a turnover in the neutral zone as Havlat fed Earl who ripped a shot that Deslauriers just got a piece of.  Moments later, it was that same line as Andrew Ebbett gave a nice diagonal feed to Havlat who chipped a shot on goal that was denied by the leg pad of Deslauriers.  The Wild would draw a tripping penalty on Shawn Horcoff who was caught reaching and he tripped up Mikko Koivu.  On the power play the Wild moved the puck very well against a passive Oilers’ penalty kill as Minnesota nearly cashed in near the crease as he lifted a puck over a sprawling Deslauriers.  Minnesota continued to control the puck very well, and despite setting up some good blasts from the point the Wild lacked creativity to really get Deslauriers moving to allow him to expose some holes to shoot at and the Wild would come up empty.  The Wild continued to apply offensive pressure, but they were sometimes guilty of looking for the perfect shot as Havlat carried the puck into the Wild zone and attempted an ill-advised pass to Nick Schultz who had joined the play and was skating down the slot as he was surrounded by Oilers and the errant pass would quickly thwart what could’ve been a potential scoring chance.  Minnesota was trying to assert itself physically as well as Guillaume Latendresse leveled Tom Gilbert with a big hit.  Edmonton nearly took advantage of a Wild defensive lapse as Marc-Antoine Pouliot raced in for a quick shot that was stopped and held onto by Josh Harding as the Oilers tried to crash the net.  Minnesota would go on the power play once again as Denis Grebeshkov got his stick into the face of Andrew Ebbett.  The Wild would have a great early scoring chance on the power play, as Marek Zidlicky unloaded a slap shot from the point that was redirected just wide by Owen Nolan.  Minnesota would have another fantastic chance as Antti Miettinen uncorked a slapper that struck the right post, but the Wild kept trying to stretch out the Oilers penalty kill unit as they threaded passes from one side of the ice to the other but Miettinen would fan the shot and the puck slid underneath Deslauriers who was very much out of position.  The Wild again would come up empty on the man advantage.  Moments after the Wild power play, Andrew Brunette try to jam a backhander through Deslaurier and on a rather late whistle Minnesota kept trying to poke a puck by the big bodied goalie but could not get it done.  A few minutes later, the Wild had another terrific scoring chance as Eric Belanger dished a pass to Owen Nolan who fired a wrister off the rush that was blocked up into the air by Deslauriers just as a crashing Cal Clutterbuck reached his crease but the puck would flutter harmlessly over the Oilers’ goal.  The Oilers would earn their first power play as John Scott took a retaliatory hit to Marc-Antoine Pouliot after he hit Andrew Ebbett from behind deep in the Wild zone but it was only Scott going into the penalty box as Zach Stortini skated over to give the big Wild defenseman a few shoves.  The Oilers power play would work the puck down low and along the half wall where they tried to set up the one-timer in the high slot but Minnesota’s penalty killers were keeping their sticks active and were just able to get enough of the puck to direct the passes off course and the game would remain knotted at 0-0 going into the 2nd.

With 33 seconds left to go on John Scott’s roughing penalty the 2nd would start out with a very cautious pace as Minnesota killed off the remainder of the penalty without much difficulty.  Minnesota’s 2nd line would get the crowd going early as they would win a race to beat out an icing call and then hold the offensive zone as a long range shot by Kim Johnsson would be stopped by Deslauriers, but Martin Havlat was there to lift home the rebound over a sprawling Oilers’ goaltender to give the Wild a 1-0 lead.  The Oilers tried to respond, and the Wild looked calm and composed as they weathered the Edmonton pressure well and then going back on the attack.  The Wild’s top line of Koivu, Brunette and Miettinen would have a series of quality scoring chances as some great passing in the area down behind the goal line out to the slot nearly ended up in the back of the net as Koivu pulled the trigger only to have it blocked by the outstretched leg pad of Deslauriers.  Moments later it was a player near the Oilers’ crease that had Brunette set up for a scoring chance with a gaping net to work with but the shot went off the heel of his stick and wide of the mark as Minnesota brought the puck back to the crease before Deslauriers covered up up for a whistle.  On the ensuing faceoff, the Wild’s Owen Nolan would take a tripping penalty when he got entangled with Edmonton’s Jason Strudwick.  Edmonton’s power play unit found itself frustrated by the passive pressure of the Wild’s penalty kill was able to keep the Oilers to the perimeter but on the latter half of the Edmonton power play Marek Zidlicky would cross check Mike Comrie giving the road team a 41 second 5-on-3.  Minnesota’s penalty killers would collapse back in their triangle well to give the Oilers’ little to shoot at and Nick Schultz would have a big block and then kill valuable seconds by mucking up the play in the corner and Owen Nolan would leave the box where he almost was able to spark a clear of the zone.  ‘Almost’ is a key part of that statement as Edmonton worked the puck down low almost parallel to the goal line as Sam Gagner threaded a cross-ice pass to Comrie who snuck a shot just beyond the outstretched leg of Harding to tie the game 1-1.  Minnesota tried to answer back with its 2nd line as Guillaume Latendresse demonstrated good strength on the puck as he carried it down low and out to the point but they’d get to fancy as Kyle Brodziak would lose the puck while attempting a backhand pass.  The line would regroup and Latendresse would chase the dump in, win the battle for the puck and turn out toward the point before cutting towards the slot and firing a wrist shot that Deslauriers held onto.  Moments later, the Wild would earn a power play as Martin Havlat helped draw a power play as he made a pretty toe drag move before firing a shot from the slot that was blocked aside by the Oilers goaltender.  With Jean-Francois Jacques sitting in the box for slashing, the Wild put on a clinic with the way it moved the puck setting up a variety of quality scoring chances from the point and near the crease as Brunette would again feel snakebitten as he tapped another shot wide of an open net.  Minnesota worked the puck out to the point where Brent Burns nearly coughed up the puck to Patrick O’Sullivan but he’d hustle back to take the biscuit back but the end result was another Wild power play with nothing on the scoreboard to show for their solid effort.  The bodies started being thrown around as Greg Zanon had a pretty good collision with Edmonton’s Andrew Cogliano.  The Wild would get a pretty good scare as Dustin Penner rifled a shot off the rush that was blocked into the air by Josh Harding where he’d lose track of it and the puck would land right in the crease where it was swept out of harm’s way by an alert Nick Schultz.  A few moments later, the Oilers would again be on the attack as Dustin Penner used his big frame to muscle his way into the Wild zone as he almost started a cycle of the puck by himself where he’d ultimately be set up for a hard wrist shot that was gloved by Harding and the game would be tied at 1-1 going into the 3rd period.

The Wild were moving their feet well to start the 3rd.  After winning the initial draw, Minnesota worked the puck deep and from there they’d cycle the puck with some excellent assistance from their defenseman to hold the zone as Marek Zidlicky skated the puck behind the Oilers’ goal where he fed a cross-ice pass to Owen Nolan who hammered a quick shot that was held onto by Deslauriers.  The 2nd line would follow that up with an outstanding shift as they got the forecheck going well as Kyle Brodziak carried it down low setting up Latendresse for a sharp angle chance that was denied by Deslauriers and Minnesota gathered up the loose biscuit and passed it out to the point where Nick Schultz blistered a shot from the point that was blocked by Ryan Potulny, breaking his stick in the process.  The 2nd line would gather the loose puck as Havlat fed another pass to Schultz who hammered another slap shot that was stopped by Deslauriers.  Minnesota would be persistent, and a few minutes later their hard work would finally pay off as Antti Miettinen carried the puck into the Edmonton zone with speed drawing the Oilers defense with him and he’d drop a pass back to Mikko Koivu who carried it down low and then passed it back to Miettinen who chipped a shot near the crease and by Deslauriers to give the Wild a 2-1 lead.  The Wild would look to add to its lead as they followed up the goal with some nice aggressive shifts that had Andrew Ebbett ripping a wrist shot on goal that was blocked away by Deslauriers.  The Oilers would be patient and show some perseverance as rookie Alex Plante flung a wrist shot from the point that was redirected by Sam Gagner that did not miss by much.  Edmonton seemed to want to set up the point shots with the premise of create deflections, and traffic near the Wild crease.  Josh Harding would provide a little drama himself outside of his crease as he nearly caused a turnover as he attempted to play the puck behind his crease and was forced to scramble to poke check it away from a roving Patrick O’Sullivan.  The Oilers continued to work, as their grind line would charge the crease as Harding did the best he could to hold the right post but the puck would trickle in to tie the game at 2-2.  The goal would be reviewed but it appeared as though Pouliot’s attempt to stuff it in, was actually helped by Brent Burns who moved in to knock down Marc-Antoine Pouliot actually caused Harding to lose control of the post giving the puck the window to slide through and former Director of NHL Officials Stephen Walkom pointed to center ice for a good goal.  Making matters worse, Harding looked a bit worse for the wear but he decided to stay between the pipes for the Wild.  The Oilers kept on moving their feet and you could sense they were feeling some confidence as they were dictating the pace of play.  After a great chance by Owen Nolan to set up Cal Clutterbuck near the crease where he  A few minutes later, the Oilers had another terrific chance as Pouliot backhanded a shot which snuck behind Harding and back out towards the front of the goal to a crashing Jean-Francois Jacques who looked to bury a chance on the out of position Harding who shocked everyone by diving to make an incredible glove save.  Harding was clearly hurt by the desperation save and he earned a standing ovation for his effort and he needed help from trainer Don Fuller just to skate back to the bench before making his way back to the Wild locker room.  This would mean Anton Khudobin would make his Wild debut with a chance of earning a victory.  The Oilers predictably tried to pour on the pressure to get some pressure on the new and completely untested goaltender.  Minnesota and Khudobin would get some outstanding help on amazing individual effort by Guillaume Latendresse to win a battle for the puck along the wall and then walk it around Jason Strudwick and very patiently beat Deslauriers who dropped to his pads with a nice backhander giving the Wild the lead, 3-2.  Moments after the goal, the Oilers managed to connect on a stretch pass to Sam Gagner where he looked to b able to move in on a breakaway but a diving play by Greg Zanon appeared to hit the puck first but he was called for tripping much to the frustration of the Wild bench.  With the Oilers on the power play, they hoped to take advantage of a new goaltender but the Wild penalty killers were challenging the puck carrier well and mucking up the play killing valuable seconds from the man advantage.  Minnesota would scramble some more, but it was just a matter of time before Edmonton would finally put a shot on goal and force Khudobin to show his mettle.  It would come off the stick of Gagner who fired a sharp angle shot that he knocked down and in a flurry near his crease the Wild somehow were able to sweep the puck aside as Khudobin could not get to the loose biscuit to bail out their goaltender.  A few moments later, Khudobin again would luck out due to some good defensive support as Mikko Koivu helped force the Oilers Shawn Horcoff to lift a puck up and over the goal that “Dobby” was lucky since he had dropped early and was giving a lot of space up near the top of the goal.  The sellout crowd would give an appreciative cheer as Khudobin nabbed a long range shot out of the air, effectively killing the Oilers’ power play.  The Wild tried to apply some pressure by creating turnovers in the neutral zone and this nearly turned into a goal as Mikko Koivu stole a puck and he’d deliver a cross-ice pass to Antti Miettinen who rocketed a slapper that was snagged out of the air by the glove of Deslauriers.  The Oilers tried to rally for the equalizer but Minnesota’s defense did well to deny Edmonton time and space and keep shots to the outside and keeping Khudobin from having to make any real dangerous saves.  Minnesota would provide the backbreaker, on a neutral zone turnover by Martin Havlat as he worked a give and goal with Guillaume Latendresse and it was Latendresse who drew Deslauriers and the defense towards him before dishing it back to Havlat for the easy tap in goal to extend the Wild lead to two, 4-2.  The Oilers would pull Deslauriers with just over 30 seconds left, but Minnesota’s defense was again solid as they pressured Edmonton into some mistakes and all they were able to manage was one long range shot that was blocked aside by the shoulder of Khudobin and the Wild would celebrate a 4-2 victory.

Even though Anton Khudobin will earn the victory, it really should be given to Josh Harding.  It was Harding’s diving save, his last save of the game that not only kept the Wild tied but inspired his team to a late-game rally.  Harding had 21 saves, while Khudobin had 9 of his own.  Khudobin was very square in his crease but you could see he was struggling to find the puck and see it through the screens Edmonton was using.  If Khudobin is going to make the start against Philadelphia he will certainly see a similar strategy employed by the Flyers.  Defensively the Wild were fairly solid, and provided great help late in the 3rd once Khudobin entered the game.

Offensively, the Wild got good production and momentum from its top two scoring lines.  Guillaume Latendresse continues to be a terrific catalyst for this team and tonight was another showcase of the tremendous chemistry he has with Martin Havlat.  It would be nice if the Wild could get some more contributions from its 3rd and 4th lines but perhaps some of its more offensively gifted defenseman in Brent Burns and Marek Zidlicky.  Yet its tough to complain with the way the team seems to be able to rally in the 3rd period.

The Wild have to be ready for a hard charging physical battle as the Philadelphia Flyers come to town.  Minnesota has traditionally struggled against the Flyers, as their physical play often was tough for the more finesse driven Wild to handle.  Yet the Wild are a more physical team from top to bottom than they have been in year’s past and once again it is a great opportunity to gain crucial points in the standings against a team outside of the Western Conference.

Wild Notes:

~ Wild roster tonight is as follows: Mikko Koivu, Martin Havlat, Andrew Brunette, Eric Belanger, Owen Nolan, Antti Miettinen, Andrew Ebbett, Robbie Earl, Cal Clutterbuck, Kyle Brodziak, Guillaume Latendresse, John Scott, Kim Johnsson, Nick Schultz, Shane Hnidy, Greg Zanon, Brent Burns and Marek Zidlicky.  Anton Khudobin would share goaltending duties with Josh Harding.  James Sheppard and goaltender Wade Dubielewicz were the healthy scratches.  Niklas Backstrom was placed on Injured Reserve over flu-like symptoms, while Clayton Stoner is struggling to comeback from a groin injury.  Chuck Kobasew‘s sprained ACL/MCL is still causing him problems and the post-concussion symptoms have not subsided for Pierre-Marc Bouchard.

~ The 3 Stars of the Game as selected by Let’s Play Hockey were: 1st Star Martin Havlat, 2nd Star Guillaume Latendresse, 3rd Star Jeff Deslauriers

Wild Prospect Report:

D – Marco Scandella ~ Val ‘d Or Foreurs (QMJHL)

2009-10 Stats: 31GP  9G 22A = 31pts  41 PIM’s

A few weeks ago, the hockey world was shaken by a vicious hit by Rouyn-Noranda Huskie and now Atlanta Thrashers prospect Patrice Cormier, and this gave every hockey fan reason to shake their head in shame.  Unfortunately, now this sort of incident is now connected to Wild prospect Marco Scandella who has been suspended indefinitely by the QMJHL President Gilles Courteau for an elbow to the face of Rimouski’s Alexandre Durette.  The photos of Durette do look pretty horrific as its obvious he will have to have numerous plastic surgery procedures to repair a torn upper lip.  Yet, the incident has received mixed reports whether Scandella intended to hurt Durette or not the way Patrice Cormier specifically looked to elbow Mikael Tam.  At this point, it looks as though Scandella could receive the same season-ending suspension Cormier did.  Very unfortunate for both Scandella and the Wild.

High School Boys Hockey Report:

Elk River Elks – (12-5-2) ~ recent score: 3-0 win over Maple Grove

The now #11 ranked (2A) Elks are really starting to shine in the home stretch of their 2009-10 season.  In their last game against Maple Grove the Elks and Crimson battled to a 0-0 to end the first period.  The Elks then got things going as senior Nick Filipovich fired a wrister that beat Ryan Coyne.  The Elks continued to press the attack and Maple Grove would struggle against Elk River’s forecheck and they would get tagged with a penalty.   On the man advantage, the Elks would light the lamp when sophomore Nicholas McCormack tapped home the loose biscuit to give Elk River a big 2-0 lead going into the 3rd.  Despite Maple Grove’s best attempts to cut into the Elks’ lead it was senior Chad Hennum burying the empty netter to seal a big 3-0 victory.  Elk River has some real tough games left, including a showdown against #4 ranked (2A) Blaine, #10 (2A) Centennial and #14 (2A) Osseo so hopefully the momentum they’ve created on their 6-game winning streak can propel them to more victories over these elite teams in the conference.  Senior Ben Jaremko is one of the state’s elite scorers with 27 goals and 39 points in just 14 games.  Sophomore goaltender Anders Franke leads the way with an 12-4-2 record, 2.27 goals against average, and a .905% save percentage.

Eagan Wildcats – (15-3-1) ~ recent score: 8-2 loss to Burnsville

Eagan Head Coach Michael Taylor really has to feel like he has something special with his Wildcats squad climbing to be amongst the state’s elite.  However the Wildcats most recent game was a significant setback against a plucky Burnsville Blades squad, and it was Eagan jumping out to a 2-0 lead on goals from sophomore Michael Zajac and a shorthanded tally by senior Eric Lutz.  Yet it was all downhill from there as the Blaze took back the lead in the 2nd period and then exploded for 5 goals in the 3rd.  Yet for the most part the Wildcats have been rock solid and Eagan has only one real dangerous game left in its remaining regular season schedule as the #8 ranked (2A) Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars coming to Eagan.  The Wildcats are not going to scare many teams with an ultra potent top line, but they roll 4 solid lines and are a great skating teams that works very hard in all areas of the ice.