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Minnesota Wild vs Edmonton Oilers: Game Thread
by BReynolds on Mar 16, 2010 6:00 PM CDT
14 comments
Nathan is still MIA. Well, OK, he is in Orlando, but that may as well be MIA, right? So, you are left with a boring old game thread from me.
Enemy Blog:
Fun facts:
The Wild have won 12 straight vs the Oilers at the X, tied for second longest streak in the NHL.
Wellman will be the first college free agent to sign and play for the Wild since North Dakota’s Travis Roche signed prior to the last game of the inaugural 2000-2001 season. (via Wild.com)
Injury Report:
Derek Boogaard, Brent Burns, Niklas Backstrom, Shane Hnidy, Pierre-Marc Bouchard all will be out for sure. Greg Zanon is a game time decision (Justin Falk would fill in). Wade Dubielwicz will back-up Josh Harding, in Harding's fourth straight start. Owen Nolan looks to be playing.
Five Questions to Answer:
1. Harding looked bad in his first of four starts, and has since played well. Which Harding shows up tonight?
2. The Oilers are the worst team in hockey. Can the Wild avoid another embarrassing loss?
3. Will Casey Wellman or Justin Falk make their NHL debut, and if so, how will they look?
4. It's no longer if Latendresse will score, but how many, so: How many goals will Guillaume Latendresse score tongiht?
5. Will John Scott get to dance with Stortini, or does neither team really care any more?
Bonus Buddha Question:
6. Do the Oilers want Taylor Hall, or Tyler Seguin?
Enjoy the game.
-Buddha
14 comments | 0 recs |
Wild Sign Matthew Hackett
by BReynolds on Mar 16, 2010 4:48 PM CDT
1 comment
According to both Wild.com and Russo, the Wild have signed goalie prospect Matthew Hackett to a rookie contract. Russo has the term at three years, but I have not seen dollar figures. Hackett is the Wild's 3rd round pick from the 2009 draft, and was the top goalie available in that draft.
Hockeydb.com has his stats at:
That 33-18 record looks pretty good to me.The liklihood is that Hackett plays next year with the Houston Aeros, so I am certain we will hear plenty about him from Ms. Conduct. The question is, how does the goaltending situation play out within the organization?
Does Josh Harding now become a huge priority to off-load? Does Anton Khudobin become the default back-up for Backstrom? Does Wade Dubielewicz get a new contract with the Wild? Where does all of this leave Barry Brust?
Could it be Backstrom & Borat with the Wild, while Hackett & Brusty hold down the fort in Houston? That would likely be a dream come true for one of my favorite blog writers. Dream a little dream for me, H.
1 comment | 0 recs |
Congrats to Martin Skoula
by BReynolds on Mar 16, 2010 1:34 PM CDT
21 comments
According to reports via Twitter, Martin Skoula's wife has been given the go ahead to bring home their latest addition to the family, a little boy named Vojech. He is the fourth member of the family, with older brother, two year old Matej.
Congrats to the family (no, really). The fun part is after the jump. An updated family photo.
21 comments | 1 recs |
Wilderness Walk for 3-16-2010
by BReynolds on Mar 16, 2010 11:19 AM CDT
4 comments
Some news right off the top (all via @RussoStrib):
Defenseman Justin Falk has been recalled by the Wild. Derek Boogaard and Brent Burns both missed the morning skate. Niklas Backstrom was taking shots from Shane Hnidy. Newly acquired Casey Wellman also skated in the morning skate, and is a game time decsion.
OK, on to the walk.
Random Wild Picture of the Day:
Wild News:
UMass center picks Wild over 21 other suitors | StarTribune.com - Hopefully, the first of many stories about Casey Wellman.
Excited, nervous Wellman on his way | StarTribune.com - Current Rants. Good stuff.
Minnesota Wild sign free agent from UMass - TwinCities.com - Turns out, the Pio noticed, too.
After flight home, Wild players need rest. Their equipment needs work. | StarTribune.com - A different kind of article from Brian Stensaas. Enjoy.
Head Shots:
NHL gets dizzy over head shots | StarTribune.com - In what is about as vocal an article as I have read from Russo, he gets in a couple good barbs.
Wild GM Chuck Fletcher says concussions part of game in the NHL - TwinCities.com - A little different twist from Bruce Brothers.
KiPA's Korner:
Hitting The Post: NHL Recap 3-15-10: Bad start dooms Bruins; Wings win showdown - Your daily wrap up.
Off the Trail:
Adversity part of the game for Lundmark family - Elliotte Friedman - Cool story about the effect trades and rumors have at the dead line. THe 30 thoughts at the end are pretty good, too.
Game Day Enemy Perspective:
Edmonton Journal - Newspaper for the Edmonton area.
The Copper & Blue - SBN blog. In a related note, Derek is one point behind me in the SBN fantasy hockey league. Keep your fingers crossed that I can hold him off and keep the top seed going into the playoffs next week.
-Buddha
4 comments | 0 recs |
Meet Casey Wellman
by elisebutler on Mar 15, 2010 7:26 PM CDT
6 comments
Russo broke the story today that the Minnesota Wild will sign UMass sophomore forward Casey Wellman to a two-year, $1.8 million contract. You can read all of the details in BR's post below or Russo's blog.
One big thing about Wellman is that he plays center. The Wild aren't exactly overflowing with centers. This gives Wellman a lot greater of an opportunity to come to the team and get more of a chance. At this point in the season, might as well see what the guy can do at the NHL level.
But really, who is Casey Wellman...
6 comments | 0 recs |
Wild to Sign Casey Wellman
by BReynolds on Mar 15, 2010 6:24 PM CDT
3 comments
When Chuck Fletcher arrived in Minnesota, he made it clear that one weakness he noticed with the organization was in the free agent college ranks. Today, he has made his first effort to correct that issue. According to Russo, Casey Wellman, of the University of Massachusetts will sign with the Wild for two years (the first being this year), at $900K per year.
The likelihood is that Wellman makes his NHL debut very quickly:
Wellman arrives Tuesday morning and it's unclear as of now if he could potentially make his NHL debut against the Edmonton Oilers. He will be eligible and he IS NOT going to Houston.
From reading Russo's blog, this looks to be a move to shore up the center position, which is an obvious weakness. Not sure if this is a move to put Wellman in the second line center position, or if that would still be an issue to be settled this summer.
Wellman tied for sixth in the nation in scoring with 23 goals this season. His U Mass profile is HERE.
Enjoy this, Wild fans. We have a GM that notices weaknesses and works to correct them. According to the Russo blog (seriously, just go read it) Wellman had interest from 22 teams, and chose the Wild. That, too, is a change.
-Buddha
3 comments | 0 recs |
Versus Back on DirecTV; Ovie Suspended, Downie? Not So Much
by BReynolds on Mar 15, 2010 4:02 PM CDT
10 comments
One of the lengthiest battles I can remember in the media world is over. According to DirecTV on Twitter, Versus will return to the air this evening, on channel 603.
Only one remaining Wild game is scheduled to air on Versus, March 23rd at home vs the Sharks.
Enjoy the playoffs, everyone, the occasional NHL game is back on Versus.
Oh, in other news, Ovechkin was suspended 2 games for his hit against Brian Campbell last night. Steve Downie did not even get a hearing for his take down of Sidney Crosby. Discuss.
10 comments | 0 recs |
Wilderness Walk for 3-15-2010
by BReynolds on Mar 15, 2010 11:10 AM CDT
2 comments
The time change thing? Stupidity at it's finest.
Anyways, make sure you check out the debate going in the previous thread. Some interesting comments, to be sure. As for today, we have our usual round up, plus one rather interesting article. Enjoy.
New feature!
Random Wild Picture of the Day:
Wild News:
For Minnesota Wild, it's Josh Harding who's hot in goal - TwinCities.com - One of very few players who have decided to show up in the past few games. This string of games should start to show my theory is sound. Given enough games, Harding can play with the best.
Wild win second straight to move into 11th place in West - TwinCities.com - WOOO! We're #11! We're #11! YES! Let's riot on seven corners!
Black-and-blue Wild beat the Blues | StarTribune.com - Stensaas with likely will be his last Wild gamer for the season. Sad.
Postgame: Wild 4, Blues 2 | StarTribune.com - Current Rants from Stensaas.
KiPA's Korner:
Hitting The Post: NHL Recap 3-14-10: Ovie-less Caps stun Chicago; Canucks hang on - Another one of those days in the NHL yesterday. Lots of action, lots of controversy. Hope to see some suspensions come across the wire today.
Interesting Reading:
Q&A with Mike Bolt, Stanley Cup protector | StarTribune.com - This has to be one of the greatest jobs of all time.
Wild Looking to Improve National Presence - This article is a different take, which is always nice to see. A bit on the business side of things.
Alright, no game today, so no enemies to discuss. Unless something strikes me, this may be the only time you hear from me. Nathan is still in Florida with his "real" job, so he is likely out as well. Why do I tell you this? Because Paul Kukla over at Kukla's Korner insists on letting everyone know if he is going to be away from his computer for more than thirty seconds, so I figured there must be some people out there who just can't live without constant updates.
To those folks, I apologize. Please, do not go into convulsions. If something happens, we will let you know. Promise.
-Buddha
2 comments | 0 recs |
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