Mikko Koivu delivers in thrilling 3-2 shootout victory over Oilers

A bit of a Sunday morning tradition for many of those across the state of Minnesota is to tune into WCCO 830 AM to listen to Sports Huddle with Dave Mona and the irascible “Grandpa Sports” Sid Hartman.  While Sid Hartman is not a real big hockey guy an interesting comment was made by Minnesota’s sports media’s most senior member.  He noted that some friends of his had told him they would be rather upset if the Wild didn’t reach some sort of deal with star (but often injured) winger Marian Gaborik and goaltender Niklas Backstrom who is also set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.  “Grandpa Sports” as well as Dave Mona noted that many Wild season ticket holders have their packages split amongst multiple people to disperse the expense, not to mention the time commitment needed to attend 41 home games during the regular season.  Yet, with the economy what it is, many sports fans are really having to mull over whether they can afford or wish to renew their season tickets.  The Wild are immensely proud (and fortunate) to share the fact they have sold out every single game in franchise history including exhibition, playoffs and regular season games; over 325+ consecutive games and counting.  Every season, the team surveys its season ticket holders to ask a variety different questions including what concerns they are having.  It is very likely a good portion of the season ticket holders mentioned the fact they may have trouble affording tickets; as the Wild announced a season ticket price increase freeze (for all of its seats) for the playoffs and regular season for this year and next year as well, in addition to more fan-friendly multi-payment plans.  Going back to Sid Hartman’s comments though, if the Wild cannot manage to bring back these two important pieces will these loyal season ticket holders opt to save their money in tough economic times instead of renewing for another year? 

With all of this off-ice drama swirling about the team, there is still lots of hockey to be played and the Wild again find themselves very much in the mix for the post-season.  Minnesota currently sits in 8th place in the Western Conference in game #3 of a 4-game homestand as the Edmonton Oilers come to town.  The Oilers are in a nearly identical position as the Wild sitting in 9th with one less win in 52 games compared to Minnesota’s 51.  The Wild had a poor effort against Nashville and should be motivated to do better, especially against a division rival in a hyper tight race.  Can the Wild rally back or will it be another game of frustration?

The Oilers put out a rather physical line to start the game trying to set the tone early, but Minnesota would respond with nice shift of its own as James Sheppard threaded a pass to a charging Dan Fritsche who fired a wrist shot that Dwayne Roloson held onto.  Minnesota continued to swarm about in the Oiler’s zone and Derek Boogaard rocked Edmonton enforcer Steve MacIntyre with a big hit that sent him to the ice.  The Wild’s timely physicality opened up scoring chances as Minnesota’s Mikko Koivu was able to find some space and he wound up an rifled a slapper that Dwayne Roloson would freeze for a whistle.  Edmonton would recieve the first power play of the game as James Sheppard was called for hooking.  On the power play, the Oilers struggled to find open space and the Wild did a nice job of keeping their sticks active and their feet moving to disrupt the passing and shooting lanes.  With just around 30 seconds left in the Oilers’ power play, Cal Clutterbuck would inadvertently trip up Denis Grebeshkov giving Edmonton a short 5-on-3 power play.  Feeling his team had a critical opportunity, Oilers’ Head Coach Craig MacTavish called a timeout to talk things over.  Apparently the talk worked as Edmonton worked the puck from the half wall back up to the point setting up Sheldon Souray for a one-timer that beat a fairly well-screened Niklas Backstrom to give the OIlers’ a 1-0 lead and still over a minute of 5-on-4 power play time to work with.  Just as the Wild killed off the remainder of the Edmonton power play, James Sheppard outletted a pass up to Cal Clutterbuck who raced into the Oilers’ zone where he fluny a heavy wrist shot that appeared to surprise the former Wild goaltender as it struck the shoulder of Dwayne Roloson and out of harm’s way.  Edmonton’s Zach Stortini decided to take a strong run Peter Olvecky who was a bit vulnerable and he managed to absorb without too much damage.  Derek Boogaard didn’t like the hit and he let Stortini know he’d be waiting on the next faceoff, and sure enough Boogaard tried to start something and Stortini wanted nothing to do with it and it was the Boogeyman earning a minor to the chagrin of the home crowd.  Yet just seconds into the Oilers’ power play, Sheldon Souray got his arms a bit too high on Nick Schultz evening things up 4-on-4.  With the ice a little less crowded 4-on-4 the teams would trade rushes up ice with one another.  The Wild had a terrific shift from its energy line of Cal Clutterbuck, James Sheppard and Dan Fritsche; where they used their speed to find some space and made a nice play to hold the zone that yielded a nice opportunity for Sheppard who wound up an blasted a shot that was nabbed out of the air by Roloson.  Minnesota continued to show a lack of discipline as James Sheppard was busted for slashing giving the Oilers yet another power play.  The Wild’s penalty kill showed great patience and timely pressure on the puck carrier to clear the zone.  There was a little tension as Sheldon Souray bombed another shot that was wide of the mark but Erik Cole collided with Niklas Backstrom (to no call) that left him a bit twisted up a sore and head athletic trainer Don Fuller would visit Backstrom and he would remain in the game.  A few minutes later, the Wild would get on the board on a shot taken off the rush by Eric Belanger who blistered a slapper wide glove side to tie the game 1-1 getting the anxious Xcel Energy crowd back into the game.  The Wild continued to apply pressure as the top line of Mikko Koivu, Andrew Brunette and Antti Miettinen battled well along the boards and Koivu found Miettinen alone in the slot for a slap shot that was steered to the corner by Roloson.  Cal Clutterbuck would give the crowd more reason to cheer as he leveled Erik Cole with a big hit and the Wild had to feel good considering the late rally and having a tied game despite all of the ill-advised penalties they were taking.

The 2nd period started out with a far more cautious pace then the first.  A bit of an odd play was when Denis Grebeshkov as he lost an edge and fell right in front of a forechecking Mikko Koivu but he would slide into the Finn preventing him from taking advantage of the turnover much to the consternation of the home crowd who thought it deserved a penalty.  The Wild would apply some pressure as Eric Belanger forced the issue before delivering an outlet pass to Owen Nolan who caught the Oilers’ on a line change for a 2-on-1 but Nolan was unable to get a shot or a pass off as a diving Ladislav Smid got in the way.  Minnesota was moving their feet well and this would draw a hooking penalty On the power play Minnesota worked the puck well from the half-wall back to the point setting up a blast from the point by Brent Burns that was deflected up into the netting.  Edmonton had a good shorthanded chance, as Kyle Brodziak won a battle along the boards deep in the Minnesota zone and his wrap around attempt just didn’t quite curl enough to his liking.  The Wild were unable to find the twine behind Dwayne Roloson.  Minnesota’s hustle was becoming more pronounced and they were having the Oilers’ chasing in their own zone.  Perhaps feeling a need to respond to Minnesota’s attack, Dustin Penner would drive deep into the Minnesota zone before ripping a wrist shot from just beneath the right faceoff dot that Backstrom held onto.  Owen Nolan would send Ladislav Smid careening into his own bench with an nice hit, and moments later Derek Boogaard tried to get under the skin of Zach Stortini as he directed a pass into the open Edmonton net after an offsides call had been made.  The two would exchange a few words but nothing more would come of it.  Cal Clutterbuck made a nice little play after winning a battle near the boards against Liam Reddox, he would fling a shot off the stick of Edmonton’s Steve Staios right on goal where a surprised Dwayne Roloson covered it up for a stoppage in play.  Minnesota had another real close opportunity as Peter Olvecky started a rush into the Oilers’ zone and a fortunate bounce led to a close-range chance for Olvecky that had Roloson sprawling in his crease but Stephane Veilleux was unable to slide a shot through the mass of legs and bodies.  Edmonton attempted to mount an attack of its own and Sam Gagner drew the defense before delivering a drop pass to Sheldon Souray who unloaded a laser from the point that was gloved by Backstrom.  Both teams would trade rushes with one another; but in the closing seconds the Wild would pour it on as Cal Clutterbuck led two rushes up the ice that led to some quick shots that came close to lighting the lamp.  The Oilers had a golden opportunity late as a flip pass found Sam Gagner behind the Wild defense and he raced in all alone on the breakaway and his wrist shot was denied by Backstrom and he plowed into Niklas Backstrom earning a goaltender interference call as Edmonton Head Coach Craig MacTavish tried to protest the call.  That meant the Wild would start the 3rd period with a power play, but the game was still tied at 1-1 at the end of two.

Minnesota started the 3rd on the man-advantage, and the Wild looked rather relaxed allowing the Oiler’s to kill over a minute of it with little to show for it in terms of shots on goal.  Yet with just over 30 seconds left in the power play Marc-Andre Bergeron rocketed a blast from the point that struck the right post and out.  The Wild would again come up short on the power play, but Minnesota would continue to apply pressure offensively as Belanger found himself alone in the slot and his wrist shot just was wide of the mark.  The Oilers counter attacked with some great pressure of its own as Sam Gagner drove the puck deep into the Wild zone that had Minnesota scrambling about and he’d toss a puck out towards the crease where it ended up on the stick of former Bloomington Jefferson star Tom Gilbert who unleashed a snap shot that ws blocked by a Wild defender.  In the scramble for the loose puck Pierre-Marc Bouchard tripped up Erik Cole for a penalty giving Edmonton another power play.  The Wild perhaps sick of waiting for the Oilers biding their time to set up a point blast by Sheldon Souray, Minnesota went on the attack as Mikko Koivu and Antti Miettinen raced into the Edmonton zone.  Koivu stretched out the Edmonton defense before sliding a quick cross-ice pass to Miettinen who blasted a one-timer by Roloson for a shorthanded goal giving Minnesota a 2-1 lead.  A few minutes later, Martin Skoula took a puck to the face when Marc-Antoine Pouliot fired a shot that hit him right in the mouth that had him worse for the wear and he’d head to the locker room to assess the damage.  The Wild would slow things down, content to keep short shifts but their focus was seemingly a bit diminished as they were not making smart plays with the puck and looked a bit sloppy fending off Edmonton as they tried to press for the equalizer.  The aggressive posture of the Oilers’ also made them vulnerable to Minnesota’s counter-punching style as Eric Belanger stole a puck off the forecheck setting up Stephane Veilleux for a quick shot that was gloved by Roloson.  The Oilers would persist and earn that equalizer as Ladislav Smid drove toward the Wild goal and got off a wrister that was kicked out by Backstrom but Gagner was there to fire home the rebound to tie the game at two goals apiece.  Owen Nolan tied up an Oilers’ player where Eric Belanger swept into lead a rush into the Oiler’s zone before giving a drop pass to Pierre-Marc Bouchard who pulled the trigger and his shot glanced off the right post and out.  In a frantic sequence both teams were trading rushes and after a nice defensive play by Sheldon Souray to break up a rush attempt by Mikko Koivu the puck would end up back in the Wild zone where Ales Hemsky showed great patience as he tried to set up Ethan Moreau who could not wrap it around a sprawling Niklas Backstrom.  Pierre-Marc Bouchard would get a holding penalty with under 30 seconds left in the 3rd period giving the Oilers a late power play.  Mikko Koivu would have his stick shatter as he tried to clear the zone and Ales Hemsky had a quality chance at point-blank range that was absorbed by Niklas Backstrom for a big save and the game would go to overtime. 

In overtime the Oilers would have nearly a 1:22 of 4-on-3 power play to work with.  The Oilers’ strategy was simple, give the puck to Sheldon Souray and let him just wind up and blister slap shots from the point and Souray had 3 separate bombs from the point including one that glanced off the right post.  Minnesota would earn the big penalty kill and the Wild tried to go on the attack.  The Oilers were moving their feet well and giving the Wild little room to operate, but some turnovers would yield some outstanding chances.  Steve Staios would lose an edge and give the puck right to Dan Fritsche who pushed a pass up to Eric Belanger who skated in and gave a small hesitation move before letting loose a shot that was blocked away by Dwayne Roloson.  Minnesota swarmed about the Oilers’ zone taking shots from all over as Roloson was scrambling in his crease but coming up with the big saves to keep his team in the game.  The Wild continued to create turnovers and they peppered Dwayne Roloson with shots.  With just over 12 seconds left the Wild would call a timeout to talk things over as they had a faceoff in the Edmonton zone.  Mikko Koivu would lose the draw and Minnesota never got a shot on goal in the closing seconds sending the game to a shootout.        

The Wild would elect to shoot last and the Oilers’ first shooter was Sam Gagner.  Gagner, son of former Minnesota North Star Dave Gagner raced down the middle and made a small shoulder fake but his forehanded chance was denied by Niklas Backstrom.  The Wild’s first shooter was Antti Miettinen, and the sneaky Finn took a very direct approach and hoped to catch Dwayne Roloson sleeping as he fired a shot 5-hole but the veteran goaltender shut the door.  Edmonton’s next shooter was Robert Nilsson, and the speedy Swede took a wide right approach but his forehanded attempt was steered away by Backstrom.  Minnesota’s next shooter was Marek Zidlicky who veered out to the left and he’d attempt a wrist shot to Roloson’s glove side but he got a piece of it to block it to the corner.  The Oilers’ next shooter was Ales Hemsky and the excellent stick-handling forward did not enter the zone with much speed and tried to wrist a shot over the shoulder of Backstrom but he got enough of it to send it up into the netting.  Minnesota’s next shooter was Brent Burns who had the opportunity to win the game.  The big defenseman took a measured approach into the Oilers’ zone before unleashing a heavy wrist shot that surprised Roloson and he beat the goaltender only to be shut down by the crossbar.  This gave the Oilers a little bit of life and their next shooter was Tom Gilbert and the big defenseman raced toward the Wild crease where he tried a little deke to the forehand by he couldn’t manage to lift the puck over the outstretched leg pad of Niklas Backstrom.  Minnesota’s next shooter was Mikko Koivu, and Koivu took a wide right approach where he calmly moved in and fired a wrist shot by the former Wild goaltender to give the State of Hockey a much-needed 3-2 victory. 

Niklas Backstrom was very solid in the victory shutting down all four of the Oilers’ shooters int he shootout in addition to making 28 saves.  The Oilers were able to get the normally calm a little frazzled by creating some traffic near the crease but Backstrom was able to battle through that to come up with the big stops when needed.  Backstrom did recieve some good defensive support clearing away some loose pucks that could’ve ended disastrously for the Wild. 

The big story was the Wild’s offense.  Minnesota was taking every opportunity to fire pucks on goal; and all of the lines contributed to the pressure.  Cal Clutterbuck continues to be a catalyst with his hits and Minnesota did not allow the Oilers to intimidate them physically.  While Minnesota Head Coach Jacques Lemaire will not be happy with the undisciplined penalties taken in the 1st period.  Minnesota battled and showed great perseverence in earning 2 points after what could’ve been a deflating late goal by Edmonton.  Having Owen Nolan back in the lineup was also helpful in giving the Wild two effective lines and his assertiveness to take the puck to the net was something Minnesota was really missing. 

The Wild have one more game left in this homestand as they will have a few days to rest up to prepare themselves for another tough Northwest Division battle when the Colorado Avalanche come to town on Wednesday.  Minnesota seized the opportunity today, and hopefully they can do so again to solidify their place in the playoff picture before they go on the road.   

Wild Notes:

~ Wild roster this afternoon was as follows: Mikko Koivu, Owen Nolan, Antti Miettinen, Andrew Brunette, Eric Belanger, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Stephane Veilleux, James Sheppard, Cal Clutterbuck, Peter Olvecky, Derek Boogaard, Dan Fritsche, Kim Johnsson, Martin Skoula, Nick Schultz, Marek Zidlicky, Brent Burns and Marc-Andre Bergeron.  Josh Harding backed up Niklas Backstrom.  Craig Weller and Colton Gillies were the healthy scratches as Marian Gaborik continues to recover from hip surgery.   

~ The 3 Stars of the Game as selected by Let’s Play Hockey were: 1st Star Antti Miettinen, 2nd Star Mikko Koivu, 3rd Star Sheldon Souray

~ In an interesting “Where are they now?” article over at NHL.com, they profile former Minnesota North Stars and Golden Gopher great Neal Broten.  Enjoy!  Neal Broten “Where are they now” article

Houston Aeros Report:

Record:  (22-21-1-8)  53pts  5th in West Division

The Aeros have struggled a bit as of late dropping their last two games by just one goal each against Quad City and respectively.  One player who is performing like he wants to be called back up is Krys Kolanos who has been red hot since the team sent him down a little over a week ago, now with 19 goals in just 27 games with the Aeros.  Since returning to Houston, Kolanos has scored 4 goals 2 assists and playing like a man possessed and worthy of perhaps another shot with the big club.  Corey Locke still continues to pace the team offensively with 18 goals and 52 points in 49 games.  Veteran Nolan Schaefer has reasserted himself as the starter for the Aeros again putting up solid numbers between the pipes with 2.44 goals against average and .908 save percentage.  Another player that hopes to help Houston as well as resume his NHL career on a 2-week conditioning / rehab stint is defenseman Kurtis Foster who is going to have his first game since breaking his femur last spring against San Jose.  Foster’s first game is tonight against the Chicago Wolves; and for a good portion of this week the Aeros will be in Minnesota practicing as they find themselves on the road in a few locales in the upper midwest.