Minnesota Wild @ Florida Panthers: The Morning After

From The Local Press

Star Tribune

Mikko Koivu had a goal and four assists and Antti Miettinen scored twice on the power play to help the Minnesota Wild stay unbeaten with a 6-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.

Koivu's four assists tied a franchise record and gave him eight assists in three games. Miettinen added an assist and has five goals in three games, all wins for the Wild. Andrew Brunette, Kim Johnsson and Benoit Pouliot also scored for Minnesota.

It's the third consecutive season Minnesota has started off with three consecutive victories. The Wild started 5-0 last season and 6-0 in 2006-07.

TwinCities.com

The Wild broke out the old smoke and mirrors Thursday night, playing one of those conservative trapping games that used to confound and frustrate opponents in equal measure.

The Florida Panthers were on the wrong end this time, 6-2 losers to a team with four of its best players sidelined by injury.

Antti Miettinen scored his fifth goal in three games, and Mikko Koivu set a career high with five points — a goal and four assists — as the Wild got big nights from some improbable heroes to improve to 3-0-0 this season.

Andrew Brunette and Kim Johnsson scored, and Benoit Pouliot had a goal and assist, for Minnesota, which completes its southeastern road trip with a game at Tampa Bay on Saturday night.

With Marian Gaborik and Owen Nolan watching in street clothes, and Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Marek Zidlicky back in Minnesota, the Wild worked the neutral zone like they did in the old days, when they were an overmatched expansion team trying stay with established clubs.

They forced turnovers and basically kept the Panthers out of the offensive zone for much of the game.

But this team has more talent than those did, even with some of its best players out. Koivu was, again, sensational, feeding Brunette to help the Wild go up 1-0 at 11:50 of the first period, and sending a sharp cross-ice pass to Miettinen, who buried it top shelf for a power-play goal and 3-1 lead late in the second period.

From the Not so Local Press

Miami Herald

The Panthers were built around goaltending and defense. It sure hasn't looked like it.

Despite Minnesota playing without three of its biggest offensive threats, the Panthers couldn't stop the defensive-minded Wild Thursday night, Minnesota scoring three in the second period to roll 6-2 in an ugly affair at BankAtlantic Center.

Good thing there weren't many there to witness it.

Florida hasn't beaten Minnesota since the Wild was an expansion team in 2001, the Panthers winless in the past seven meetings. In that span, Florida has been outscored 30-11 by a team, well, not known for its scoring.

And Minnesota did its damage without Marian Gaborik, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Owen Nolan. Instead, the Wild got goals from Andrew Brunette (on Minnesota's second shot of the game almost 12 minutes in), Kim Johnsson, Antti Miettinen (twice), Benoit Pouliot and Mikko Koivu.

Those few fans in attendance didn't like what they saw, one openly taunting Vokoun after Pouliot dipped and dodged through the Florida defense and scored a way-too-easy goal to make it 4-2. Coach Pete DeBoer must have heard the critic, backup Craig Anderson put in to start the third.

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