MINNESOTA WILD HOCKEY CLUB

WILD MILD THIS OFFSEASON

2009-01-31T06:34:00.002-06:00

Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul)-
There's the old adage that if isn't broke, don't fix it. This holds true for the Minnesota Wild this offseason. But what may not be broke, does need some tinkering when players are lost with no compensation (retirement).

Coming off a disappointing end to an otherwise superb season, Wild management made the decision to wait until after players announced their retirement, whether or not to take this season off and get younger.

"We have a core group of players that are a mixture of young and well, not so young guys," said Wild GM, Blake Wendt. "Early on we were prepared to take a step back if we lost alot of guys to retirement. We have a handful that are on that bubble every offseason."

The retirement process came, and the only player lost from the Wild roster was defensive center, Wes Walz. A player who will be missed, but not someone to take this hockey club away from their goal of another championship.

"I kind of just let the players be in their decisions," said Wendt. "I wasn't going to try and sway any of them in them coming back next season. With Wes, we kind of figured he wasn't coming back. Although an integral part to our success and in winning the Cup a season ago, he just wasn't getting the same ice time and was a healthy scratch for several games. Wes won't be going too far though. He's staying with the organization as 'special assistant' who will break down video for us during games and keep us updated during intermissions and help in preparing the team for the game."

With losing a defensive center like Walz, the Wild were not looking forward to having to release another to waivers. But they did as Michael Peca was reluctantly released this week.

"It's tough to lose a guy like Mike," said Wendt. "His play on the ice, the passion for for the game, his penalty killing and leadership... that's hard to replace, if not impossible."

They addressed that need for defense up front by making a trade with the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Sending Ales Hemsky, Jeff Taffe and Kurt Sauer to Beantown, for Todd Marchant and David Backes.

"We not only brought back a defensive-minded center to help ease the loss of Peca and Walz, but we weren't left completely empty on the right wing in losing Hemsky," said Wendt. "Plus we got a tougher player in David Backes to give the Sedin line some punch."

It is believed that Hemsky's time with the Wild was wearing thin after a sub par regular season, and an ice cold post-season.

Next up for the Wild will be selecting a player from the waiver pool that Peca was sent to. They will pick second to last at the 29th spot.

Is Minnesota's roster set for GLHL Season 15?

"We're close, if not there," said Wendt. "I don't think we'll actively be shopping around. But if someone comes to us, we always look at every offer to see if it makes us better."

Will the Wild make a deal in reaction to someone within the division making a trade?

"We never make trades to counter a trade made by someone else in the Northwest. Our division is one of the most active divisions in the league. Especially this off season it seems. But they are making those moves to get to our level. We see no need to adjust our roster based on another teams roster moves. I am more than confident that we have a solid, strong hockey club."

WILD REFLECT ON SEASON 14

2008-12-21T07:06:00.003-06:00

Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul)-
It was a quiet, solemn flight home from Long Island for the Minnesota Wild. A week ago they were the most dominant hockey club in the GLHL. They had just swept the Chicago Blackhawks for their second Western Conference title in as many years. They had swept the St. Louis Blues in the quarter-finals and beat their divisional fow, Vancouver Canucks in the semis. They were running on all cylinders. They were the best defense in the league all season, and only took it up a notch in the playoffs. Defense wins championships. It did for Minnesota last season. But they didn't face an offense like the New York Islanders last season.

The mood in St. Paul was electric for Game 1 of the GLHL Cup Final. In keeping with tradition from last season, the Wild hung their third consecutive Northwest Division Champions banner prior to this game. During player introductions, if it wasn't for their pictures plastered on the scoreboard, you wouldn't know who was stepping on the ice it was so loud.

Minnesota took Game 1 by a convincing 6-3 win. The first line was clicking and Luongo was steller.

Game 2 wasn't the same for the Wild. They lost 4-3 in a game that they generally dominated in.

Game 3 on Long Island was much of the same for Minnesota. Joe Sakic opened the scoring in the second, but Byron Dafoe was unflappable and the Wild couldn't break him. Bryan McCabe finally got the Islanders back in the third and former Wild player, Josh Langfeld dropped his former team with the game-winner in overtime.

Game 4 was a must win of sorts for the Wild. They couldn't go home without at least a split in New York and the series. A win they needed, and a win they very much got. Going 2-for-4 on the powerplay and winning 7-2. Sakic scored both of Minnesota's PP tallies and added a third to complete the hattrick. He also added two helpers to finish the night with five points. Markus Naslund netted two of his own and two assists, and Jason Blake scored one goal to go along with his five assists. Everything was clicking for the trip home.

Game 5 and the series lead was well within reach for the Wild. They took the momentum from Game 4 and peppered Byron Dafoe with 47 shots. But Dafoe was the difference maker. Despite giving up two powerplay goals and four total, Lord Byron stopped enough for the Isles high-powered offense to score one more than Minnesota. The final score was 5-4 Islanders. It was now elimination time going back to New York.

Game 6 was not to be for Minnesota. Giving up the first two goals of the game, Roberto Luongo and his team could not come back and never took the lead in their final game of Season 14. The Islanders beat the Wild 4-3 to take their second GLHL Cup.

"It's been a couple days, and it's still a tough pill to swallow," said Wild GM Blake Wendt. "We had so many oppurtunities, so many chances to win. We dismantled them in both our wins (6-3 and 7-2) and lost by only a goal in every other game. We knew coming into this series that they were sickening with their offense (105 GF). But we felt that our defense (53 GA) and Louie (Luongo) were enough to shut them down, and our offense would take over. We did for those two games, but just couldn't figure out Dafoe in the rest. But we can't dwell on it. It's over and obviously the better team won. Congratulations to the Islanders. They got it done. For us, we have to see what transpires in the offseason to see what direction we go. If I had it my way I'd keep this team intact. With the waivers rule, we'll probably going to lose Michael Peca for sure. Mike's leadership and penalty killing are invaluable to this team. But if he is all we lose, then I see no need for much change beyond that. But we are a veteren team and some guys have to decide if they're going to continue or hang it up. If we lose one or two guys to retirement, then we'll have to re-adjust our thinking and maybe take a step back. But that's out of my hands right now. All we can do is remain hopeful that everyone returns. We'll have another successful season if that happens."

WILD FACE HAWKS IN WEST FINAL

2008-12-09T15:58:00.002-06:00

Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul)- After spending most of past week practicing and facing each other, the Minnesota Wild finally know who they will play against in the Western Conference Final. The Chicago Blackhawks.

It took the Blackhawks a overtime in a Game 7 against Detroit to advance.

Having swept in their semi-final series against the Blues, the Wild are more than ready to get into some game action.

"We're getting sick of each other," joked Michael Peca. "Our practices have been tough this week. Two hours everyday. Lots of video and watching their (CHI-DET) series. Hopefully we can match their game speed. They're going to be pumped after such a big win against Detroit. Obviously scoring early and trying to slow them down will be a priority."

The Wild played the 'Hawks four times in the regular season. Going 2-1-1. Minnesota won the first two contests 2-1 and 2-0 respectively. Chicago tied the next 4-4 and won the last 4-2. Each team scoring nine goals total.

"I think we match up pretty well," said Wild GM Blake Wendt. "I envision close games throughout this series. Whoever scores last will probably win. Which makes small mistakes or match-up mix ups even more magnified. Should be a great series for fans, and take a couple years off the lives of the coaches."

MINNY SWEEP TO WEST FINAL

2008-12-02T06:16:00.002-06:00

Scottrade Center (St. Louis)- For the first time in their playoff history, the Minnesota Wild have swept a series to advance to the Western Conference Final.
-Game 4 in St. Louis was anything but an automatic win for the Wild. Neither team scored in the first period. The Blues won the period in shots at 11-7.
-"I think it was good for Louie (Luongo) to get those shots early," said Wild GM Blake Wendt. "The defense did a good job clearing lanes for him to see the shots. But Roberto made some nice saves on his own to keep this game to our advantage."
-Within a minute of the second period and the Blues were finally rewarded with their shots and were up 1-0 from a Martin Havlat goal.
-The celebration was short lived as before the PA announcer had time to announce the home team's tally, Minnesota's Colin White blasted the puck from the blueline past a blind Martin Brodeur. -The Wild would not trail again in this game.
-Five minutes later and the lead was taken after a Ian Laperriere breakaway.
-The smell of blood was in the air, and the Wild were thirsty for goals. Jason Blake took a feed from Markus Naslund and Joe Sakic to make it 3-1 Wild.
-The Blues would not go down though. Brendan Morrow scored with the man-advantage to bring his team within one.
-"Their fans were back in the game after Morrow's goal," said Wendt. "It was important for us to not let them change our game. We were still ahead, and it needed to stay that way."
-Joe Sakic did his part in keeping the advantage on Minnesota's side. Scoring at 14:07 to put the Wild up 4-2. That score would hold going into the second intermission.
-St. Louis would not go down without a fight. Literally. Rob Brind'Amour decided it was time to square off with someone to spark his teammates. After trying to crash the net, Alexei Zhitnik took exception to Brind'Amour and the two drops their gloves. Brind'Amour started the bout off well, but Zhitnik waited for his opening and knocked down his opponent with a series of haymakers.
-With a minute left in the game, Brodeur was pulled for the Blues' last chance.
-Sakic ended that chance and finished off St. Louis with and empty netter at 19:14.
-Although outshot 28-41, Minnesota prevailed due in large part to their netminder.
-"Louie took his game to the next level tonight," said Naslund. "We hung him out to dry too often, and he only rewarded us with amazing stops. He's the heart and soul of this team and we wouldn't have had the success we've had without him. Guess he gets some dinners paid for from now on."
-The Wild will have at least the next two days off before they find out who they play in the Western Conference Final. Detroit and Chicago are all tied up at 2-2 in their series.
-"It will be nice to get healed up a little bit," said Michael Peca. "This time is important in a physical sense. The mental part is key though. We have to stay focused and not take our game down. I imagine our practices will be pretty intense before we get some games in again."
-3 STARS from Game 4...
#1 Roberto Luongo (MIN) - 39 saves while only allowing 2 goals in win
#2 Joe Sakic (MIN) - 2 goals and an assist
#3 Jason Blake (MIN) - Game-winning goal and 2 assists

WILD PREVAIL, MOVE ON

2008-11-23T10:00:00.002-06:00

GM Place (Vancouver)- It took six games after going up 3-0 in the series. But the Minnesota Wild have finally put away the Vancouver Canucks are moving onto the Western Conference Semi-finals against either the Calgary Flames or St. Louis Blues.
-Last nights contest was a nail-biter for both clubs. The Canucks needed to win to stay alive, and the Wild did not want to repeat what happened two seasons ago. When Vancouver came back from a 3-1 series deficit to win a game seven in overtime.
-Fourteen minutes into the first, Vancouver defenseman Mark Streit beat Roberto Luongo to put the Canucks ahead. This was Luongo's first game back from an injury in Game 4. Vancouver took that lead into the second period.
-In the second though, Minnesota's Joe Sakic netted his first goal of the series. The BC native was overdue, as he was the Wild's leading scorer during the regular season.
-"Goals are hard to come by against this team," said Sakic. "They played us tough all season, and it wasn't any different in the playoffs. They shutdown our scoring lines pretty well, so we are always pressing and trying to get a break."
-The third period seen no goals. But Minnesota played most of the period on the attack, outshooting their opponent 11-6.
-"Our gameplan was pretty simple in the third, and in OT," said Michael Peca. "Whenever we had a shot, we took it. This is when fluke goals go in, so we weren't picky about placement. Just try and get them on Theodore and see what happens."
-Overtime was the same for the Wild. Outshooting the Canucks 8-5 before Peca won the game and the series off a deflection from an Ales Hemsky shot under the glove of Jose Theodore.
-"We were not looking forward to playing these guys in the first round," said Wild GM Blake Wendt. "I wouldn't say we were worried. But they played us tough all season and seemed to have our number too often. They're a resiliant team that has been in playoff-mode for a long time just to get in and stay in. As long as they keep doing what they're doing, we'll continue to play tight in the Northwest."
-Game seven between the Flames and Blues will be tonight. The Wild have no preference on either.
-"Obviously we're more familiar with Calgary," said Wild captain Markus Naslund. "But both are very dangerous teams. I wouldn't say we would want to play one over the other. Both are respected and we can't take either lightly. It's the playoffs. No one is ever underestimated."

LUONGO HURT IN MINNY LOSS

2008-11-20T11:43:00.002-06:00

GM Place (Vancouver)- The Minnesota Wild were clicking on all cylinders for Game 4 in Vancouver. Leading 3-0 in the Best-of-7 series, the Wild looked to finish off their division rival with a sweep.
-Things started off well enough for Minnesota. Alexei Zhitnik scored his first goal of the series at the 3:04 mark of the first period.
-Vancouver would answer almost two minutes later to even things up again.
-"Like what seems like every time we play these guys, things were very tight," said Wild forward Michael Peca. "We knew coming into this game that they were not going to go down easy. They hadn't all season. Why would they now?"
-Both teams played a defense-first game for most of the second period. Neither wanting to give the other a scoring opportunity, while also not pressing for their own goal.
-That ended at the 11:21 mark of the second, when Canucks defenseman Pavel Kubina blasted a shot from the point through a screen. The puck deflecting off of Roberto Luongo's right shoulder. The same shoulder the Wild tender hurt in pre-season.
-Luongo laid on the ice in agony as people in the Land of 10,000 lakes held their collective breaths. He struggled to moved the shoulder at all when trainers worked on him at his crease.
-After a few minutes it was decided that Luongo's backup, Jamie Storr would finish the game.
-Storr played in nine games during the regular season. Going undefeated at 8-0.
-"You never want to see a guy like Louie (Luongo) go down," said Wild forward Daniel Sedin. "Especially in such a big game. But we have all the confidence in the world with Jamie also. He played great in every game all season."
-Storr would finish out the second facing only one shot.
-As both teams readied for the third period, Storr remained in net for the Wild, and Luongo was very much not visible on Minnesota's bench.
-At 1:06 in the third, Zhitnik scored again for the Wild. A goal that took alot of pressure of of Storr and much needed momentum for Minnesota.
-But at the 7:25 mark, Zhitnik took a holding the stick penalty and at 8:50 Mike Sillinger made him pay with the go ahead and game winning goal for the Canucks.
-"I didn't think I held his stick," said Zhitnik. "But they called it and I sat to watch them score. It sucks, but we'll come back."
-As for Luongo, he flew back with the team to Minnesota but is not expected to play in Game 5. He skated with the team in the morning skate. But did not take shots and was only on the ice for thirty minutes. Storr and third-string goalie, Curtis McElhinney finished out the skate.
-"Unless something miraculous happens, I don't think Roberto plays tonight," said Wild head coach Kevin Constantine.
-Officially, Roberto Luongo is listed as day-to-day with an "upper body injury."

CAPTAIN LIFTS WILD IN NUCKLAND

2008-11-19T09:20:00.005-06:00

GM Place (Vancouver)- In the biggest game of this best of seven series against the Vancouver Canucks, the Minnesota Wild came out on top after some last second heroics from their long-standing leader. Putting the defending GLHL Cup champions one win away from advancing.
-Within the first five minutes of the first period, Markus Naslund had already managed two goals with one on the power play. The Canucks would answer with one of their own to finish the period.
-The second period found both hockey clubs jockeying for position. Both not wanting to give up the next very big goal.
-"They were picking their shots," said Roberto Luongo. "Seemed like they were hesitant to press too far for fear of getting caught deep."
-Vancouver would finally crack the Wild defense and tied the game at the 8:42 mark of the third period. Minnesota would answer a minute later with Daniel Sedin's first goal of the playoffs.
-The game seemed destined for overtime when Mike Sillinger brought the Canucks back at the 17:34 mark of the third period.
-"We had no intentions of continuing this game," said Wild defenseman Teppo Numminen. "We knew if we let them build on their momentum and their crowd pushing them along, especially so close to the end of the period. We'd be hosed in OT."
-The Canucks didn't help themselves when Ladislav Nagy took an unnecessary hooking penalty with a minute and fifteen seconds remaining. Plenty of time for the Wild to end the game in regulation.
-That they did. Naslund one timed a quick pass from Numminen and the puck deflected off the outside leg of an out-of-position Jose Theodore to win the game for the Wild with eighteen seconds remaining in regulation.
-"Anyone who thought this series would be a one-sided affair is crazy and didn't see these two teams play all season," said Wild GM Blake Wendt. "We don't fear anyone in this league. But we respect the Canucks very much. Their game counters ours very well. For whatever reason they play very well against us, and we have to be at the top of our game to beat them. Being up 3-0 in this series doesn't make us anymore comfortable. We're not expecting them to roll over and let us just move on."
-Minnesota plays again tonight in Vancouver for what could be a deciding game four.

WILD DOUSE FLAMES

2008-09-10T02:11:00.006-05:00

Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul)- The Minnesota Wild kept rolling last night with a 3-2 win over their arch rival Calgary Flames.
-With the win the Wild are now 9-0-1 in their last ten games. Good enough to rank them the hottest team in the Great Lakes Hockey League.
-The Flames came into St. Paul trying to keep pace with the Wild and the fourteen points seperating them in the Northwest Division.
-Minnesota's Antti Laaksonen opened the scoring in the first with his eighth goal of the season from Jay McKee and Michael Peca.
-Calgary countered in the second period by scoring a pair of special team goals. Freddy Modin with a shorty, and Kyle Wellwood with a powerplay tally.
-The Flames held their one goal league for exactly forty seconds, after Trevor Linden took a breakaway in on Niklas Backstrom. Beating the Finnish netminder between the legs.
-Both teams skated even for almost ten more minutes until Joe Sakic took a feed from Linden and Markus Naslund, and beat Backstrom with eight seconds left in the Erik Cole minor.
-The remainder of the second and the rest of the game, the Wild demonstrated their solid defensive play. Shutting down any Calgary attempt to even gain the blueline. Roberto Luongo only faced three shots in the third. And those shots were in desperation from odd angles.
-"It was a good win as a team," said Markus Naslund. "We gave them a few too many chances there in the second. But we countered nicely, got the lead back and held it. Just the game we needed to tune up for tomorrow night."
-Tomorrow nights contest will pit the two hottest teams against each other in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. As the Anaheim Ducks come in 8-1-1 their last ten. And a 7-3 thumping of the Dallas Stars in Orange County.
-"They're an explosive team that we can't make any mistakes against," said Wild head coach Kevin Constantine. "They're averaging over four and a half goals a game from several snipers that will pick you apart. If we can play disciplined and shut them down as best we can, we'll be alright. As long as we can match their offense and score one more goal then they do."

WILD STAYING CONSISTANT

2008-09-03T22:12:00.003-05:00

Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul)- With the midway point of the GLHL season approaching, the Minnesota Wild want to stay as focused and consistent in the second half as the first.
-The Wild currently sit as the first overall club in the league with a 34-6-4 record and a .818 winning percentage. But if you looked at almost every other statistic, you might not believe such a fact.
-Minnesota is slowly creeping up the ranks as an offensive team. Currently ranked 6th, and finally scoring an average of 4 goals a game. It seems as though everything is again is coming together as planned.
-"Where we're ranked in any category doesn't mean too much right now to us," said GM Blake Wendt. "As long as we're in the playoffs, we'll go from there."
-Does the General Manager ever look at those 'meaningless' rankings?
-"Of course," said Wendt. "They're still important when making adjustments against other teams. We just don't get caught up in where we're ranked. We don't use them to pump the guys up before a game. Nothing like 'the Wings are right on our heels. We have to win this game to stay ahead of them'. We set out to win every game we play. So if we're in first, of course we want to stay there. But the Presidents Trophy is not what we set out to win. Our goal comes sixteen wins into the playoffs."
-It's that attitude that this entire team is trying to maintain the rest of the way.
-"Everything is just even keeled here," said Ian Laperriere, who was acquired just a few weeks ago. "There's no panic when things get rough, and guys aren't swinging from the rafters after a big win. Everyone seems to understand that the ultimate goal is a ways away and that's when you can just go nuts."
-Aside from staying steady, the Wild are also very balanced. Everyone contributes at both ends of the ice. As evidenced in being ranked sixth overall offensively, but only having one player ranked in the Top-20 points-wise (Sakic).
-"If you're not balanced on both ends, you'll sink," said Wendt. "Everyone out there must be on the same page. The opposition can turn the puck around on you real quick, and if you only have guys out there to score for you, you're screwed. If you can't play defense, you won't survive on this team."
-What are the goals in the second half of the season?
-"Continue to do what we're doing and get better. Limit our mistakes and up the tempo of our game every night. We can't relax for anyone."
-How important is it to finish with the Presidents Trophy?
-"Obviously if you finish first overall, you have home ice throughout the playoffs. We're pretty good at home. But we didn't have that last season and we did just fine in the playoffs."

WILD SHOOT DOWN FLYERS

2008-07-14T08:25:00.002-05:00

Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul)- The last time these two teams met it was Game 7 of the GLHL Cup Final. Needless to say, this game didn't need much build up.
--The Wild would score first with a powerplay goal from point off the stick of Oleg Tverdovsky past a screened J-S Giguere. As successful as Minnesota has been this season, the powerplay has been nothing to be proud of lately. Before Tverdovsky's tally, the Wild went 0-for-28 in their last eight games with the man advantage.
--"We were also 6-1-1 in those games," said Wild defenseman Jay McKee. "It was something we've been focusing on extensively in practice, but we all knew it was a matter of time. Maybe if we were 0-8, then there might have been some panic. There's too much firepower on this club to not eventually explode."
--An explosion was exactly what the Wild did on the powerplay against the Philadelphia Flyers. Finishing the game with four of their five goals with the extra man.
--"It's good to start capitalizing on the powerplay," said Markus Naslund. "But the win is more important."
--The Wild ended up beating the Flyers 5-2, but lost one of their best offensive (and defensive) weapons again. Trevor Linden left the game with back spasms after only nine minutes of icetime. This is the third time Linden has been injured this season. He is not expected to travel with the team to Detroit or Columbus.
--"Trevor will stay in the Twin Cities for a couple days for further evaluation," said GM Blake Wendt. "We'd love to have him with us. Especially against a red hot team like Detroit. But not if he's going to further aggravate an injury and be a liability on the ice. It's still early in the season and not worth having someone have a chronic or lingering injury all season that never really heals, and they're done when the most important games of the season come up."
--Minnesota travels to Detroit today to play the scorching Red Wings. The Wings are 10-0 in their last ten.
--"This will be our toughest test so far this season," said Wendt. "There are so many stories or headlines to associate with this game. They won the Cup in Season 12. We knocked them out in the Western Conference Final and won the Cup last season. We're ranked first, they're ranked second. State of Hockey versus Hockeytown. Does it get any better than that? Our job now is to not get caught up in all the hooplah associated with this game. We need to look at as just that. Another game. We need to go in there and respect that they play a solid all around game. But not give them an inch. The first step in any road game is to try to shut down their flow defensively. Take the crowd out. Then see what holes we can pick at and get some quality shots on their goalie. If we get into a run-and-gun shootout with this team, we're toast. That might be a fun game for fans to watch. But we're not there to entertain Detroit's fans. We want them to go home pissed off."
--The Wild play Detroit tonight, Columbus tomorrow, then play the next three in California against San Jose, Anaheim and LA, before heading back home.

WILD RISE ABOVE PHOENIX

2008-07-11T01:35:00.003-05:00

Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul)- There was a buzz around the arena well before the drop of the puck between the Minnesota Wild and the Phoenix Coyotes.
--Hours before the game, the Wild made some roster changes by bringing in Ian Laperriere from Pittsburgh, and sending Jordin Tootoo (along w/ two draft picks) back to the Penguins.
--Laperriere arrived in the Twin Cities two hours after the trade was finalized, and four hours before gametime. He was the last Wild player to hit the ice for warmups, and was welcomed to his new club with a loud cheer from the fans.
--"It's been a crazy day to put it mildly," said Laperriere. "This morning I woke up a Penguin, and tonight I'm hitting the ice for the Minnesota Wild. I got enough packed to get me threw the weekend before my family gets here. I had to bum sticks for other guys when I got here."
--Laperriere played the entire game on Michael Peca's line with Antti Laaksonen. They seemed to have a good feel for one another. Despite this literally being the first time they'd ever played together. Not even a practice under their belts. The only part of Laperriere that looked out of place was his gloves. He still has his black gloves from Pittsburgh.
--The game itself had it's ups and downs. The Wild did win 5-3. They did counter being outshot by twenty in their last game, by outshooting the Coyotes by twenty. But they gave up two powerplay goals, while once again not scoring one of their own.
--Joe Sakic scored a hattrick and Ales Hemsky finished the night with a goal and three assists.
--"It's a good win," said Markus Naslund. "We have work still to do and cannot be satisfied with any game where we didn't dominate the opponent. But we are going in the right direction."
--Minnesota faces the St. Louis Blues tomorrow in St. Paul.

WILD ACQUIRE LAPERRIERE

2008-07-10T21:43:00.002-05:00

Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul)- The Minnesota Wild have completed a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins, bringing Center/Right-winger Ian Laperriere to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. In return the Wild sent right-winger Jordin Tootoo and their first and second round draft picks next season to the Steel City.
--"We are thrilled to have Lappy in a Wild sweater," said GM Blake Wendt. "We were already pretty set defensively, but he brings so much more to the table than shoring up his own end. He plays a physical, in-your-face style while also sacrificing his body and blocking a ton of shots. He's a leader coming into a locker room that already has great veteren leadership. He'll stick up for his teammates at the drop of a hat and can also pot come goals for us."
--Laperriere will be in the lineup for tonights game against the Phoenix Coyotes. He will wear #14.

WILD ESCAPE MUSIC CITY WITH A POINT

2008-07-10T03:14:00.002-05:00

Sommet Center (Nashville)- For the third game in a row, the Minnesota Wild went into overtime. Unlike the previous two, the outcome was an undecided tie after sixty-five minutes.
--The game started out very much in favor of the Wild. Joe Sakic took a quick feed from his linemates (Markus Naslund and Ales Hemsky) to put Minnesota up 1-0 at the 00:47 mark of the first period.
--The lead didn't last as the Predators kept the pressure and the puck in the Wild zone. Alex Kovalev took a nifty pass from Peter Forsberg and beat Roberto Luongo 5-hole.
--"We knew going into the room after the first that we had our work cut out for us for the remainder of the game," said Naslund. "They seemed to have a step on us."
--The first ended tied 1-1, with Nashville with a one shot advantage (11-10).
--The second period was a different story for the Wild. Minnesota ended up taking fourteen minutes in penalties. As compared to Nashville's two. On top of that, the Predator defense shut down the Wild high powered offense, while their offense pummeled the Wild netminder with twelve shots (compared to Minnesota's four).
--It took the better part of the second period for Nashville to capitalize, but capitalize they did. Kristian Huselius scoring on the powerplay to put his team on top.
--"The second period was by far our worst period this season," said head coach Kevin Constantine. "We were getting out worked. We were undisiplined. We simply didn't match their overall game, and we were not helping our own cause."
--For more than two thirds into the third period it looked as if a loss was a fore gone conclusion. But at 15:19, Oleg Tverdovsky took the puck in deep on his own. Abandoning his blueline and eventually putting the puck behind Patrick Lalime to tie the game.
--"We were desperate," said Tverdovsky. "Peca's line was out, so I knew that the defensive forwards were capable of adjusting if I didn't score. We needed the goal. I'm happy I could contribute."
--The five minutes in OT were not enough to declare a winner. Both teams ended up splitting the point.
--"Quite frankly, we didn't deserve the point," said Constantine. "There's not a whole lot of good things to take from this game. Louie (Luongo) stood on his head for us. Without him we get blown out of a game like this. The adjustment is quite simple in my opinion. We need to get off our heels and force the puck down their throat. They outshot us by twenty! We rarely ever get ourshot. Not acceptable!"
--The Wild head back to St. Paul tomorrow to play the Phoenix Coyotes.
--"Phoenix is comparable to this Nashville squad. Their record is not a reflextion of how dangerous they can be," said Constantine. "If we come out tomorrow the way we did tonight... we're in for a world of hurt."

WILD WIN IN OT... AGAIN

2008-07-09T23:20:00.004-05:00

Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul)- For the second night in a row, the Wild faithful were forced to endure another grueling game that could not be decided in sixty minutes of play. Or they were lucky enough to get to watch more hockey than they paid for. Depends how one looked at it.
--But just like the night before against the Canucks, the Wild beat the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 in OT.
--"We'd like to just put teams away early," said goaltender Roberto Luongo. "But teams are gunning for us and we're going to get their best effort every night. We just have to match that and overtake their drive with shutting them down and pushing the puck back in their end. Seems simple enough, but it doesn't always work."
--The Wild got on the board first, with a one-timer off the stick of Daniel Sedin. Daniel was skating hard towards the net when Jay McKee fired a cannon from the point.
--"I really wasn't going to touch it," said Sedin. "I was rushing the crease to distract Lehtonen. The puck came so quick that it was off my stick before I could react. I'll take it though. I only feel bad for Jay. He doesn't get too many goals when he spends most of his icetime shutting down the opposition."
--Columbus would answer the bell in the second period with another fluke goal for the second night in a row. Andreas Lilja looked to be trying to put the puck off the glass and in the corner to make a change. But the puck bounced off a seam in the "seamless" glass to a waiting Dan Fritsche who was all alone on Luongo. Beating the Wild netminder high shortside.
--"It's just one of those things you have no control over," said Luongo. "Fritsche put a real nice shot on me. I'll give him that."
--It wasn't until 3:48 in overtime that Ales Hemsky finally put the game away and gave the Wild their 19th win of the season. Taking a feed from Teppo Numminen and dancing around the Jackets defense to score his sixth and first game-winner of the season.
--"It's always great to help your team win," said Hemsky. "This was a tough game. To come out on top in these tough games really brings this locker room closer together."
--The Wild will be hitting the road again. Heading to the Sommet Center to face the Nashville Predators.
--"Nashville's one of those teams that may be struggling right now," said GM Blake Wendt. "But it's only going to take a collection of a few good wins to turn things around for them. Our job is to not be apart of their wins. Like every team we play... nothing will be taken for granted. They'll be getting our best effort."

HICCUP FOR MINNY IN BC

2008-07-06T15:10:00.003-05:00

General Motors Place (Vancouver)- The Minnesota Wild came into Vancouver last night with with a 16-1-1 record. Leading the league in overall points and the Northwest Division. Not scoring less than four goals in their last four games. Two scoring six. Including going 6-for-15 on the powerplay.
--Things were not in Minnesota's favor in western Canada. The Wild lost 4-3.
--The Wild started off the games looking sluggish. The Canucks were beating them to the corners, and coming out with the puck. Their passes weren't tape-to-tape. Even the unflappable Roberto Luongo wasn't on top of his game either. Allowing three goals on only nineteen shots.
--"I wouldn't say we weren't ready," said Markus Naslund. "But we were definately thrown off our game from the onset. Credit Vancouver with taking it too us from the drop of the puck. You could tell they wanted this game more. As the captain, I take full responsibility. We should not, and cannot ever let another team play harder than us."
--To add insult to the loss, Trevor Linden was injured after only a few shifts in the first period. He did not return and is expected to miss the next two games against the Avalanche and these Canucks back in Minnesota. This was only Linden's third game back after being out for three after blocking a shot against the Blues. The Wild would end up winning all three of those games without their leading scorer.
--"You hate to see a guy like Trevor get hurt again," said defenseman Scott Hannan. "Especially after just coming back."
--The Wild are back in St. Paul tonight to play the struggling Colorado Avalanche tonight. Despite the loss the Vancouver, don't expect a lot of changes to the lineup for Minnesota.
--"It's a loss, but it doesn't warrant a whole lot of changes to our lines," said head coach Kevin Constantine. "Obviously there will be some changes to adjust to Linden's injury. But we'll see after the skate. I haven't decided yet who will be playing with the Sedins."
--The Wild are 3-0 versus the Avalanche so far this season. Outscoring them 22-1.

WILD KEEP ROLLING

2008-07-05T04:58:00.000-05:00

Rexall Place (Edmonton)- The Minnesota Wild once again played a division rival, and once again finished the evening on top. Beating the Oilers 6-3 in Edmonton.
--The Oilers started off strong. Suprising the visiting Wild and scoring two goals within the first half of the opening period.
--Michael Peca finally answered for the Wild. Scoring his 3rd of the season with less than four minutes to go in the first.
--Minnesota broke open the second period with Trevor Linden's league-leading 17th goal at the 2:14 mark.
--Travis Green had a rare chance on the man-advantage and made the best of it, scoring and putting the Wild up 3-2 going into the third.
--"I think our defense is solid enough to hold us with a one goal lead going into the third period," said GM Wendt. "It's always nice though to get that cushin and not really have any worries."
--At 6:52 in the third, captain Markus Naslund put his club up 4-2 with a PPG from Ales Hemsky and Teppo Numminen.
--Oleg Tverdovsky added to that lead less than a minute later. Taking a partial breakaway and beating Edmonton's Chris Osgood five hole.
--The Oilers would score again, but it was too little, too late. Peca added insult to injury by scoring a shorthanded empty net goal.
--The Minnesota Wild are now 16-1-1 in these first eighteen games of the season. Leading the GLHL overall, in team defense, penalty killing, at home and in the Northwest division. But don't tell the Wild, because they're not bragging about it.
--"It's still early in the season," said Linden. "We're really clicking right now. Everyone is having a blast and taking advantage of this game we love."
--"Obviously we're aware of how many games we've won so far," said Colin White. "But we're just not getting all gitty about it. It's great to win. That's always our goal going into every game. But we have to stay consistant and stay focused for the very next game."
--"One game at a time," said Daniel Sedin. "Sounds cliche', but that's how you have to look at it. We won tonight, we play Vancouver tomorrow. We can't look too far ahead or be over confident. We respect every team we play. But we also plan of beating every team we play."
--"It's a fine line we have to maneuver on right now," said Wendt. "We have to stay even keeled. That's the hardest part of being a successful team. Staying successful. If we start getting to confident and not respecting out opponent... we're going to get our teeth kicked in. At the same time, we can't get too jaded and not feel anything after winning. That's where the challenge of not getting too high or too low comes in. Right now it's all coming together. We just have to keep it this way."
--The Wild play the Vancouver Canucks tomorrow at General Motors Place.
--"They're struggling right now," said Wendt. "But it's only a matter of time before Vancouver puts the pieces together and becomes a dangerous team. Shepherd is a very active GM. He'll get it together soon enough. But we're still taking them serious right now. We're not letting up any."

WILD TIE, LOSE LINDEN

2008-06-27T03:16:00.000-05:00

Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul)- The Minnesota Wild have started off this young GLHL season as one of the hottest teams in the league.
--The Wild had a record of 11-1 coming into Thursday nights contest against the St. Louis Blues.
--"We've tried to keep an even keel attitude going," said captain Markus Naslund. "I think having the veterens that we do definately helps in keeping this team loose and focused."
--One of those veterens will be out of the lineup for the next week.
--While killing a penalty, Trevor Linden laid in front of a slap shot from the point. The shot hit Linden square on the side of his left foot, just above the boot. He hobbled off the ice and did not return.
--Linden has been the poster boy of "clutch" so far this season. He currently has the most game winning goals (6) and leads the league in overall goals (15). In fact, it was a goal off the stick of Linden that tied the game for Minnesota, after being down 3-1 coming into the third period.
--"This is an unfortunate loss," said GM Blake Wendt. "Trevor has been the heart and soul of this club. We'll probably rotate linemates with the Sedin's to try and plug this gaping hole. You cannot replace a guy like Trevor Linden. You just have to make due."
--The Wild play their arch-rival, the Calgary Flames tomorrow night in St. Paul. The loss of Linden will be hard to overcome. Especially given the opponent.
--"Calgary will definately be coming at us," said Wendt. "I don't expect Brad (MacDougall, Flames GM) to let up any, and feel sorry for us. This will be our first real test to see how we adapt to adversity against a dangerous team."

WILD BURY AVS WITH 12 GOALS

2008-06-23T21:23:00.000-05:00

Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul)- The Minnesota Wild were only back in St. Paul for one game after spending the last four on the west coast.
--Before their trip to the desert to play the Coyotes, there were whispers around hockey circles that the wheels were about to come off the Minnesota Express. Although they were 3-0, they were fairly close games with the exeption of the 3-0 shutout of the Oilers.
--The retirement of Peter Bondra in the offseason, and the subsequent lack of another sniper to replace him not being acquired. Left some of the Wild faithful a little worried about the offensive machine they were accustomed to in Season 13.
--That worry was (or at least should be!) erased on Sunday against the Colorado Avalanche.
--Captain, Markus Naslund opened the scoring within the first minute of the game. Taking a beautiful cross ice pass from Ales Hemsky, and one timing the puck through the legs of Evgeni Nabokov.
--Less than four minutes later, defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky intercepted a lazy pass at his own blueline and hustled down the ice to beat a sprawling Nabokov high glove side.
--"Nabby looked a little off with his glove on my goal," said Tverdovsky. "I told the guys on the bench and we just kept picking his glove hand apart."
--At 11:03 in the first, defenseman Kim Johnsson one-timed a slap shot through traffic, beating Nabokov high glove side.
--Joe Sakic put on a passing clinic with his linemates Naslund and Trevor Linden, eventually scoring the fourth and final goal of the first period.
--"When we got to the locker room, the mood was electric," said Henrik Sedin. "Everyone kept saying that we can't stop what we're doing. Colorado has too many weapons like Ovechkin, that can take a game over and leave a sour taste in our mouth. We had all intentions to keep going at them in the second."
--That they did.
--Markus Naslund opened up the scoring again in the second period. This time waiting about thirty seconds longer to light the lamp.
--Almost three minutes later at 4:19, Joe Sakic also netted his second of the night.
--Ales Hemsky scored his first powerplay goal of the season at 6:37, from Kim Johnsson and Daniel Sedin. That would end up being the last goal of the second period. Putting the Wild up 7-0.
--The beginning of the third period looked as if the Avalanche might be able to turn things around. That after defenseman Scott Hannan took a lazy hooking minor to give Colorado the man advantage 42 seconds into the final period.
--Being a man down was apparently not so much a disatvantage after all.
--Teppo Numminen jumped on and intercepted a pass at the the top of this goalie's crease, quickly passing to Kim Johnsson, who hot potatoed the puck to a streaking Antti Laaksonen at the red line. With no Colorado defender within fifteen feet of him, Laaksonen deked twice and backhanded a shot over a sprawling Nabokov and off the far post to score a shorthanded goal for the Wild.
--The Wild would add four more goals in the third. Including another shorthanded goal. This time from Trevor Linden. His tenth of the season.
--"It's a great win for our club," said head coach Kevin Constantine. "Nobody in this locker room believed we had offensive issues. Hopefully this will cool down those who thought there were."
--"Maybe some guys were playing too tight," said Linden. "I don't know. I'd say everyone should be loosened up now."
--Amazingly enough, while scoring twelve goals as a team... not one Wild player had the hattrick.
--"Not something I really thought about, or noticed," said Sakic. "Guess that goes to show you the depth we still have on this team.
--The Wild hit are on the road for the next three games. Starting tonight against their division rival in Calgary, then Edmonton and a possible payback game in Colorado.
--"We really can't get too high on wins like this," said GM Blake Wendt. "Yes, they're great. But we can't get too cocky and start taking any team for granted. We do that, and a team like the Flames will pick us apart tonight. It's a benefit to have the veterens that we do. They keep everyone grounded and focused."
--"Nobody cares what you did yesterday," said goaltender Roberto Luongo. "It's about today and tomorrow. You take something from every game, and improve for the next. Yeah, the twelve goals were good overall for our goal-scorers to breakout. But I would feel the same way if we won 1-0. It's a win. A win to build on and keep building on until the ultimate goal of all is reached again."

LUONGO BLANKS OIL IN DEBUT

2008-06-18T01:38:00.000-05:00

Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul)- It took three games for Roberto Luongo to make his GLHL Season 14 debut for the Minnesota Wild. It took ten seconds for a packed house on Kellogg Avenue to realize that their netminder doesn't have a Cup hangover or rust to speak of.
--Edmonton's Doug Weight took a feed from the opening faceoff and bulled his way to the front of the Wild net to backhand a very nice shot high, but right into Luongo's waiting glove.
--"It's always good to get right into a game from the start, after being off for so long," said Luongo. "I was completely in the 'zone' from that point on."
--Luongo hadn't played since the fourth pre-season game in Philadelphia. It was there that he took a hard shot from Dany Heatley up in his armpit. Luongo didn't play in the remaining four pre-season games, or the first two regular season games.
--"There was some soreness there (pointing to his left shoulder area)," said Luongo. "I could've played through it. But the trainers and coaches decided that it wasn't worth the risk of having something nagging from the beginning of the season. There's no issue, no soreness at all now. I feel great."
--"Lou has been our horse for so long," said head coach Kevin Constantine. "The only reason he didn't even dress in the games he didn't play in, was simply because he wasn't even taking shots in practice."
--Roberto Luongo and his teammates went onto shutting out and beating the Edmonton Oilers 3-0.
--The Wild are now 3-0 to start the season, and embark on their first road trip of the season to the southwest. Beginning with Phoenix tomorrow.
--When Coach Constantine was asked how he thought his team has played so far, he had this to say: "Well, we're 3-0. You can't argue with wins. But we have alot of work to do. Defensively we are solid. Guys are doing everything right. Jamie (Storr) played great in the first two games, and Lou was stellar in this last one. But offensively we have alot to be desired. Henrik's line (with brother Daniel Sedin and Trevor Linden) is getting the job done. But no one else has really found their game yet. I'm not too worried about it though. It's always a benefit to have solid defense and goaltending. I'm totally confident that the goals will come. We're only three games into the season. No one is panicing or trying to drastically alter their game. Everything will come together. Road trips early in the season help to. Helps with the chemistry."
--Constantine did say he plans on rotating his lines against the Coyotes.
--"Hank's line deserves the top line minutes right now. Sakic's line (with Markus Naslund and Ales Hemsky) will likely makeup the second line. After that, I don't see a need to change anything else. Peca still looks good with Antti (Laaksonen). The addition of Domi seems to even give them an added spark. The fourth line with Walzy (Wes Walz) and Maneluk and Ortmeyer has been great shutting down the opposition. The D-pairing aren't changing either. Those six have been together since last season."
--The Wild play the Coyotes at the Jobing.com Arena tomorrow at 7:05 CDT. Phoenix is coming off a 6-5, come from behind win against Nashville. The 'Yotes scored three third period goals in a matter of three minutes.
--"They're a dangerous club," said Wild captain, Markus Naslund. "We have to take every team serious. Phoenix is no different."
--Phoenix will be without their veteren defenseman, Mattias Norstrom who was injured in their last game.