Minnesota Wild vs Florida Panthers: Game Recap
by BReynolds on Mar 9, 2010 10:02 PM CST
in Events
8 comments
Minnesota Wild 2 -3 Florida Panthers
Please visit Litter Box Cats for enemy perspective.
Words fail me on nights like this. Two NHL teams take the ice and some how Oksana Baiul and Nancy Kerrigan wind up having a rematch.
The Wild jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on nice goals from Mikko Koivu and Robbie Earl. They had two goals on four shots on goal. The Panthers looked lost, and the Wild looked to be on cruise control. Turns out, it wasn't cruise control, they just let off the gas pedal.
The Panthers out played, out hustled, out passed, out skated, out battled, and out shot the Wild. Speaking of out shot, what kind of squad can only manage 11 SOG in 65 minutes? The Panthers out shot the Wild 12-4 in the first, 9-3 in the second, and 10-2 in the third. The Wild did manage to out shoot the Panthers in OT by a truly devastating 2-0.
Cory Stillman and Michael Frolik had as many SOG as the Wild did through three.
In three games, the Wild have made Jeff Deslauriers, Vesa Toskala, and Tomas Vokoun look like Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy and Terry Sawchuk. Allowing one of the three to make them look silly would be bad, but all three?
Since coming back from the Olympics, the Wild have shown no heart. They have not played the physical, fast paced, hard fore-checking game they played before the break. They have not shown any desire to make a playoff run, and as a result, have completely killed any chance they had to make it.
At the trade deadline, Owen Nolan sat down with Chuck Fletcher. Fletcher offered to trade him to a contender, and Nolan turned down the offer, saying he believed this team had the players and ability to make the playoffs. This entire team owes Cowboy an apology.
Hockey Wilderness Three Stars:
- Cory Stillman (1G, 5 SOG)
- Michael Frolik (1G, 4SOG)
- Niklas Backstrom (29 Saves, Only Wild player to show up tonight)
Five Questions to Answer:
- So, can the Wild give a beatdown to a team who has given up on the season? Backstrom did. No one else bothered.
- How will Petr Kalus look in his premiere? 6:41 TOI, no shots, no penalties, no... anything. A non-factor.
- Can the Irish God of War provide some leadership to the younguns? Hard to bad mouth Nolan, but the kids sure don't seem to care one way or the other.
- Will Benedict Russo show his true colors tonight? Funny question. He seemed to stay objective, though. Too bad. Could have been the only entertainment this game had.
- Cal Clutterbuck is out because of a charley horse? Really? Ok. Yeah. I'm not buying this either.
-Buddha
0 recs |
8 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
The first game back after the Olympics
IMHO, they played very well to shutout the Flames in Calgary. I was hoping it was a sign of play to come in March. Wow, was I wrong.
Any comments on tonight’s performance don’t deserve the time it takes for these keystrokes…
Let's Go Wild!
Just gross.
And poor Nolan.
RonGarde: Target Field is going to be exactly like Progressive Field, except you'll have a chance to die of frostbite in the middle of July
More to depress...
Was informed that the Wild’s SOGs were the lowest in team history in regulation and in an OT game. Also, the Panthers are surrendering over 30 SOG a game on average, worst in the NHL.
So. Records broken in the past two games:
Fastest goal given up to an opponent at home, lowest SOG production in regulation, lowest SOG production in an OT game.
Excellent boys. Be proud.
It gets worse...
From Russo:
— Against a Florida team that allows the most shots in the NHL per game (34.0), the Wild registed 11 shots.
Through regulation, nine! So if you sat in parts of the club level tonight, you paid $10.89 per regulation shot registered by the Wild. But the Wild took two more in overtime, so that actually goes down to $8.90.
Bargain!
Let’s talk records:
— Those two shots in overtime allowed the Wild to NOT break the team record for fewest shots in a game. Instead, it only tied it with 11.
— The 11 shots at home by the Wild breaks the team record of 13.
— The 11 shots by the Wild were the fewest by an NHL team at home since Oct. 2006 (Atlanta vs. Tampa).
— The 11 shots by the Wild were the fewest allowed in Florida Panthers history, which began in 1993-94. Little ironic that I got to witness it, eh? Remember, I covered Roberto Luongo set the NHL record back-to-back seasons for shots faced and saves made.
I want my money back!!
They should have been offering free ticket vouchers at the doors on the way out last night. That was completely pathetic! What was up with the shootout? Other than Mikko, no one even tried to score, they just tried to defy physics and shoot the puck through Vokoun.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
Related FanPosts on Hockey Wilderness
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
