It is only appropriate that the NHL celebrates the 50th year of the goalie mask, when Montreal's Jacques Plante donned a mask after taking a shot to the face early in a game against the New York Rangers. It is interesting how a device designed to help protect goaltenders morphed into part of Halloween's lore when one of Hollywood's scary creations, Jason Voorhees wore a hockey 'jason' as he terrorized his victims in the Friday the 13th movie series. The irony of this character's use of the hockey mask is that its designed to scare people, when you consider the actual use of the mask is a way to provide a degree of safety and piece of mind for goaltenders as people shoot a very unforgiving rubber disc in excess of 90 mph at them. When the goalie mask was first introduced not all goaltenders liked it, in fact some refused to wear it like Lorne "Gump" Worsley. The mask rather quickly morphed into a work of art as goaltenders did their best to be creative from the infamous Gary Cheevers "stitches" mask to various team color striping patterns like that of former North Stars goaltender Gilles Meloche. Now days, the masks are airbrushed by professionals and are often loaded with all sorts of subtle symbolism making them just as impressive expressions of art that often make people overlook its use as protective equipment.
Perhaps the most scary thought of the night for the Wild is taking on the NHL's best team (currently speaking) in the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins have been playing like a well-oiled machine and Sidney Crosby has been on a torrent pace. Pittsburgh is without its very talented other center, Evgeni Malkin as he's hurt but the Steel City can still bring a lot of offense every game. Can the Wild follow up a good effort from last night, or will it find itself looking scared?
Sidney Crosby had the first good rush of the night as he blocked a pass near the point and went on the attack towards the Wild zone only to be stymied by a nice defensive play by Greg Zanon. The Wild weathered another solid shift by the Penguins 2nd line of Ruslan Fedotenko, Jordan Staal and Chris Bourque and almost was able to create a breakaway for Antti Miettinen as a long pass by Mikko Koivu was just out of reach. Moments later, the Wild's top line of Koivu, Miettinen and Andrew Brunette managed to sustain some offensive pressure as they cycled the puck down low and was able to create a few shooting opportunities for Koivu that forced Marc-Andre Fleury to make a few saves. The good shift created some nice momentum for the Wild and Minnesota's energy line followed it up with some quality work of its own as Chuck Kobasew fired a sharp angle shot that was kept out by a leg pad save by Fleury. Sidney Crosby would answer back finding a little room and turning on the acceleration to gain some more space before unleashing a hard snap shot that was turned aside by Niklas Backstrom. Jordan Staal moved the puck down low before sliding a pass towards the slot where Chris Bourque embellished a bit as he got his stick lifted by Eric Belanger and this would result in the Penguins first power play of the game. Minnesota's penalty killers did a nice job of preventing the 2nd chances opportunities off the rebounds Niklas Backstrom was giving up, with great examples from plays by Nick Schultz and Brent Burns as the Wild got a big early kill. A bad turnover in the in the neutral zone would turn into a rush for the Penguins, as former Wild winger Pascal Dupuis tried to deke and wrap a backhander by Backstrom but he was able to make the save and Minnesota's defense was able to keep Pittsburgh from pouncing on a rebound. The Wild would strike back with some hard work as Chuck Kobasew was able to work the puck deep where it was tracked down by Kyle Brodziak. Brodziak passed it back out to the point where passed it over to Brent Burns who fired a snap shot that was deflected by Kobasew that Fleury couldn't handle and Kyle Brodziak was there to tap home the rebound to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead. The Penguins would respond as former Wild defenseman Martin Skoula slid a pass to a wide open Pascal Dupuis that Backstrom was slow getting across on and Dupuis buried the wrist shot to tie the game at 1-1. One player who was turning and wheeling and dealing in the Wild zone was Pittsburgh's Chris Connor who turned and fired a few shots that were stopped by Backstrom, including one where the Wild's defense was able to help him out as Connor's pass glanced off the skate of John Scott and almost in the goal only to have it taken out of harm's way by Shane Hnidy. The Wild went on the attack late in the period and their aggressiveness would pay off. On a great initial sequence where the Wild drove the puck down low before moving it out to the point where Greg Zanon fired a slapper that was redirected beautifully by Owen Nolan and the shot glanced off the post. Minnesota gathered up the loose puck as Martin Havlat was assisted by some good hustle by Nolan to clear some space and Havlat was able to find Eric Belanger all alone near the right faceoff dot and he'd rip a snap shot that beat Fleury with just .6 seconds left giving the Wild a 2-1 lead going into the 2nd period.
Minnesota had a great chance off the rush to start the 2nd period as Chuck Kobasew delivered a sharp cross-ice pass to Cal Clutterbuck attempted to set up a crashing Kyle Brodziak that was knocked to the corner by Pittsburgh's Mark Eaton. The Wild continued to create some offense early as some strong play along the wall by James Sheppard would see the puck worked back out to the point where John Scott tee'd up a slapper that managed to get on goal and Fleury would cover it up for a whistle. Pittsburgh would answer back with a great shift from its top line where Bill Guerin and Sidney Crosby would put on a clinic down low with the puck as Guerin nearly lit the lamp as he roofed a wrap around chance that struck the pipe behind Niklas Backstrom but the Wild were able to get the clear after nearly a minute in their own zone. The Wild attempted to work the cycle themselves in the Pittsburgh zone as Koivu, Brunette and Miettinen had some great puck possession but they were unable to turn that time with the puck into shots on goal. A few moments later, the Penguins raced up the ice in a 3-on-2 and Crosby fed a cross-ice pass for Bill Guerin who launched a one-timer that was deflected up into the netting by the blocker of Niklas Backstrom on a play that looked offsides to begin with. The Wild would get caught scrambling a bit in its own end, as the Penguins top line came close to tying the game once again but Minnesota's defense was able gather up the loose puck and take it out of harm's way. Minnesota's top line would respond with a quality shift of its own as they worked the puck down low and Mikko Koivu would attempt a wrap around with the backhand that was shut down by Fleury. The Penguins would send out its top line and again they would press the attack and Minnesota would be scrambling a bit in its own end as Backstrom found himself with his head on a swivel and under siege as pucks were zooming all around the Wild crease. Moments later as the play started to get a bit more wide open and physical, a flurry near the Wild crease where Mike Rupp tried to jam a shot by a sprawling Niklas Backstrom would see the puck pop up and swatted out of the air by the glove of Chuck Kobasew who saved goal. The State of Hockey would show some great hustle as Mikko Koivu drew a slashing call as he skated down the slot for what would've been a prime chance giving the Wild its first power play of the game. The Penguins penalty killers were using good passive pressure and getting their sticks and legs in the shooting lanes as the Wild tried to set up Brent Burns for blasts from the point. The Wild tried to work the puck down low and out front and despite some decent puck movement Minnesota was unable to get a shot on goal. The Penguins attempted to apply pressure right off the killed penalty and they'd work the puck near the Wild crease and Jordan Staal chipped a backhand shot just wide of the Minnesota goal. After some good battling (and some mutual slashing) behind the Wild goal, Marek Zidlicky and Sidnely Crosby would get into it as the Pittsburgh captain dropped the glove with the Wild blueliner. Crosby got a quick advantage as he pulled the jersey over Zidlicky's head as he started throw some quick punches, but the officials were quick to jump in and stop the 'fight' and Zidlicky never really was allowed to fire back some punches for himself. After a fairly lengthy deliberation by the officials, both would receive 5-minute majors for fighting. Minnesota wasted little time in pressing the attack as the 2nd line of Eric Belanger, Petr Sykora and Martin Havlat would skate into the zone and Havlat would fire a quick shot that was directed away harmlessly by Fleury. The Wild's top line would forecheck well and swarm near the Penguins goal but again they struggled to get pucks on goal as Pittsburgh was blocking them well. Minnesota would go on the penalty kill as Nick Schultz broke Bill Guerin's stick in half with a wicked slash as he was frustrated at a puck that was in his feet and he was desperate to get a clear. On the power play, the Wild kept good active sticks and were able to deflect away passes and shots and for the most a part keep Pittsburgh shooting from the perimeter and with about 30 seconds left in the man advantage the period would end with Minnesota still holding a 2-1 lead.
The Wild had about 30 seconds left on the penalty kill to start the 3rd period. There were two outstanding defensive plays on the end of this shortened power play for the Penguins; the first came off a nice poke check by Mikko Koivu on an on-rushing Jordan Staal and the other came off an outstanding diving save by Backstrom to deny Staal and giving the Wild an important kill. The Wild's 4th line showed both physicality and surprising finesse as they bashed on the first half of the shift but then showed a little speed off the rush as Owen Nolan blasted a slapper that hit Fleury in the chest protector and James Sheppard wasn't able to get enough of the rebound to tap it by the Pittsburgh netminder. Moments later the Wild would take a foolish "too many men" penalty giving the Penguins a power play. Minnesota was able to use some good passive pressure to keep the Penguins to the perimeter, and in a bit of a controversial play, Brent Burns hacked the stick of Sidney Crosby who begged for a call. In a strange moment, Sid the Kid was too busy complaining to the official to attend to the faceoff and Eric Belanger won the draw uncontested which drew a serenade of boo's from the Mellon Arena crowd. The Wild did a nice job of denying space and time, and Minnesota would get the big kill without incident. Jordan Staal would trip up Shane Hnidy behind the Wild goal with no call, and a few moments later, a bad decision by Eric Belanger to attempt a diagonal cross-ice pass from deep in the Minnesota zone would be deflected away by Mike Rupp. Rupp would win the battle for the puck along the boards where he'd turn and fire a wrist shot that would hit Backstrom up high and he would fall on the loose biscuit for a whistle. The Wild would answer back with a nice turnover near the Pittsburgh blueline and he'd fling a heavy wrist shot that used a Antti Miettinen screen as Fleury would hold on for the save. Petr Sykora and Kris Letang would get into a bit of a battle after the offensive play and Sykora would get his stick up into the grill of Letang and both would go to the penalty box for high sticking and unsportsmanlike conduct respectively, making it 4-on-4. With the ice a bit more open the Penguins tried to create some offense off the rush as Sidney Crosby attempted to work his way around Greg Zanon but the well-positioned Wild defender was able to turn and disrupt the rush by sweeping the puck to the wall. The Penguins, perhaps sensing this was the time to go on the attack and they would swarm near the Wild crease taking advantage of some passive play by the Wild and in a flailing sequence where Martin Havlat, Niklas Backstrom had dropped to the ice Minnesota managed to keep the puck out of their goal. Mike Rupp and John Scott would go to the box with coincidental unsportsmanlike conduct minors and Pittsburgh seemed poised to go on the attack once again. Again, the 4-on-4 play looked more like a Pittsburgh power play as they seemed to almost want to play rope-a-dope in their own zone. Another flurry near the crease and Backstrom was able to stretch out and gather up the puck for a whistle. The constant pressure was also bringing the Mellon Arena crowd into the game, which for the most part had stayed pretty quiet. Minnesota would start mixing up their lines as they would send Cal Clutterbuck to work with Koivu and this would have the effect of being able to crash and bash and keep the play mucked up in the neutral zone instead of the Wild's end. The Wild's strategy was very straight forward, make smart plays and dump it deep and force the Penguins to come up the full length of the ice, and it wasn't pretty but it was fairly effective. Minnesota was hustling well, doing whatever it could to keep the puck out its zone. A ill-advised decision by Nick Schultz to toss a puck along the boards when he didn't have to nearly turned into disaster as the Penguins turned it into pressure in the Wild end, but Minnesota was just able to clear the zone. Moments later there was again another flurry near the Wild goal as Pittsburgh Craig Adams found himself all alone in the wild zone and he'd fire a wrister wide of the mark and there was a scramble near the Wild crease and ultimately Niklas Backstrom was able to cover up the puck. In the melee for the puck, Eric Belanger got Alex Goligoski's stick right up into his face, striking him in the nose causing it to bleed all over as Wild trainer Don Fuller attended to the wounded Minnesota forward. The Wild bench stood confused as there was no penalty on what was clearly a high stick. The Penguins would pull Fleury with about a minute and a half left to go, and they would try to create lots of traffic as they worked the puck to the point where Alex Goligoski was waiting to pull the trigger. Minnesota kept great active sticks and was doing whatever it took to get bodies in the shooting lanes to block the Penguins shots and after a fast and furious 1:00 the Wild were able to earn the win.
Niklas Backstrom was outstanding, making 34 saves in the victory. It was not without help though, as the Wild's defenseman and forwards did a great job at helping out sweeping away loose pucks before they could turn into disaster and they deserve a lot of credit in this win. The penalty kill was again, perfect going 3 for 3 and did a nice job of keeping the Penguins to the perimeter. If there was any part of the game defensively where the Wild were not so good was when the play was 4-on-4 where Minnesota was often guilty of playing too passively in its own end turning it into a man-advantage situation for the Penguins. Luckily the Wild were able to collapse at the right times and get their bodies, sticks on those loose pucks to preserve their lead. Offensively, the Wild's chances were few and far between as they registered just 15 shots in the game. However, the Wild certainly were shooting the puck as the Penguins blocked 10-12 Minnesota shots in the course of the game. Minnesota had good effort from all of its lines and when they've been physical they've often been rewarded with some offensive pressure and that will likely continue to be the catalyst for the Wild. The State of Hockey worked hard and kept battling and fighting and that's precisely why they came away with its first road win and another two points in the standings. I must say, I've been pleasantly surprised by the effectiveness of the 4th line of Owen Nolan, James Sheppard and Derek Boogaard. They make the other team get their heads up and looking around and they often create some momentum for the other lines to feed off of. Wild Head Coach Todd Richards, "All the credit goes to the guys, and we were just completing our 7th game in 11 days and it was a great effort." He felt Backstrom deserved much of the credit for the victory and described tonight's victory as a 'character game' for this team. I am inclined to agree since the team was clearly doing whatever it took; diving to clear the zone, blocking shots to earn a win. The reward for this hard work of the back to back games (not to mention back to back victories) is a small respite as they return home where they will have the day off tomorrow and await their first meeting against the much-hated Vancouver Canucks in Vancouver on Thursday. Wild Notes:
~ Wild roster tonight is as follows: Mikko Koivu, Martin Havlat, Antti Miettinen, Owen Nolan, James Sheppard, Cal Clutterbuck, Kyle Brodziak, Andrew Brunette, Petr Sykora, Derek Boogaard, Chuck Kobasew, Brent Burns, Greg Zanon, Nick Schultz, Shane Hnidy, John Scott, and Marek Zidlicky as Anton Khudobin backed up Niklas Backstrom. Benoit Pouliot and Kim Johnsson were the scratches.
~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Niklas Backstrom, 2nd Star Eric Belanger, 3rd Star Pascal Dupuis
Wild Prospect Report:
D - Kyle Medvec - Vermont Catamounts (Hockey East, NCAA)
5GP 1G 1A = 2pts 12 PIM's
The 6'6" Apple Valley, Minnesota-native is off to a good start on a retooling Catamounts team. Medvec is still learning when to use his big frame, as well as to how to keep his feet moving so he does not get caught flat footed as he did during the NCAA Tournament last season. He is still an intriguing blueline prospect who has come along way to fully understanding how to use his athleticism and his big body to their fullest advantage.
D - Sean Lorens - Notre Dame Fighting Irish (CCHA, NCAA)
7GP 0G 1A = 1pt 8 PIM's
The Fighting Irish are off to a solid start, and so is Minnesota's prospect defenseman who is on a deep Notre Dame squad. Lorens is your classic stay-at-home defenseman who will never put up a lot of points but he possesses good mobility and is not afraid to be physical with his modest 6'1", 207lbs frame. Right now, Lorens is biding his time on the Fighting Irish's 3rd pairing as he's behind bluechipper Ian Cole and senior Nick Lawson.
