YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
Wednesday May 23, 2012
This is Michael Russo's 17th year covering the National Hockey League. He's covered the Minnesota Wild for the Star Tribune since 2005 following 10 years of covering the Florida Panthers for the Sun-Sentinel. Michael uses “Russo’s Rants” to feed a wide-ranging hockey-centric discussion with readers, and can be heard weekly on KFAN (100.3 FM) radio.
Also find Russo on Facebook.
Email Michael to talk about hockey.
Wild 3, Avalanche 2 (SH); Slight Bouchard update
Posted by: under Wild game coverage Updated: October 22, 2009 - 8:41 AM
I was talking to Lightning GM Brian Lawton during the intermission, and we were shooting the breeze about a lot of stuff. At one point, we were talking about the game and how scoring only one power-play goal in the first period for the Wild could actually have been a bad thing.
The Wild had to feel like it left some goals on the ice when leading only 1-0 after 1. The Wild had four power plays, and all four were spent in the offensive zone. Yet one goal.
Whether that disappointment led to a shoddy second, who knows, but the Wild was sloppy and inefficient during an aggravating middle frame. Outshot 18-4 and outscored 2-0. Overskating pucks, shanking shots, missing nets, turning it over.
But Koivu and Niklas Backstrom saved the day in the third, and the Wild skated off with a 3-2 shootout win, its first since Oct. 6.
Now the Wild has to figure out how to play 60 minutes, although all teams say that. As coach Todd Richards said, every game has ebbs and flows. But you can't mail an entire 20 minutes in. The Wild escaped tonight. The young and scrappy Avs were finishing up a seven-game trip (4-1-2) and just couldn't get it done despite some good netminding by big free-agent surprise Craig Anderson.
The Avs are young and hungry. Some good talent there. Matt Duchene will be a superstar. The 18-year-old kid, takenj third overall at the June Draft in Montreal, was awesome tonight and forced the Brent Burns turnover that led to the go-ahead goal in the second by Kyle Quincey.
Just some tidbits:
-- Talked to Pierre-Marc Bouchard up here in the pressbox tonight. It's going to be awhile still, although he is feeling a little better. But still headaches and concussion-like symptoms. He doesn't think his concussion from last season ever fully healed, and when he was cross-checked in the chin during the first exhibition game in September, he thinks it put him into a relapse of sorts. He then was told he was sick. Whether he was or not, he always thought he had a concussion because when he was back playing, he for a week kept dropping hints to the media that he thought he had a concussion. What I feel bad about is we jumped all over him for how bad he was Opening Night in Columbus. Even devoted an entire article to it the day after the opener. He was bad because he was playing with a concussion! Now he's got to get symptom free.
-- The Wild and Avs played a one-goal game for the 13th time in 15 meetings at Xcel, counting the playoffs. Each of the last eight meetings, including the playoffs, has been decided by one goal.
-- Koivu scored his eighth career shootout winner and is 16 for 35 in shootouts.
-- Niklas Backstrom made 33 saves and hasn't lost at home in regulation in 14 decisions (10-0-4) dating back to Feb. 6. That ties his own 14-game home unbeaten regulation streak (11-0-3). Backstrom is now 24-4-8 all-time at home in his career vs. Northwest Division opponents, including 7-1-1 against Colorado. He has allowed two goals or less 29 times in 36 home decisions vs. the NW.
-- Minnesota is 9-1-2 in its past 12 vs. Colorado overall, 10-1-2 in its past 13 at home vs. the Avs.
-- Brent Burns scored a power-play goal, his first goal of the season, and first since Feb. 12.
-- Minnesota has killed off 18 straight power plays since the SJ Dany Heatley winning goal Oct. 10.
-- Marek Zidlicky had two assists, giving him five this season.
-- Andrew Brunette's seven-game point streak ended.
-- Derek Boogaard demolished David Koci in a fight, and broke up a 3-on-2 Colorado rush doing it. It was Boogaard's first fight since Jan. 30 (Edmonton's Steve MacIntyre).
Talk to you after practice and before my flight to St. Louis. I feel like I just got back to Minnesota, darn it.
ADVERTISEMENT
recent posts
- Defending the Blue Line hosting charity game featuring Parise, others
- Mikael Granlund signs with the Wild
- Russo: "Granlund Watch" should be shortlived; Wild injury updates
- Koivu's tying goal helps leads Finland to last-second win over the U.S.
- It's official: LaPanta named Wild TV play-by-play man
- Russo: Announcement on Wild's play-by-play voice delayed by backlash
- Wild, LaPanta appear to be inching toward play-by-play marriage
- Wild re-signs defenseman Clayton Stoner, close to signing Johan Gustafsson
- Wild gets Devils' 2013 third-rounder; Prospects still playing; Wild Road Tour information
- First-round highlights
- Aeros eliminated, Wild officially in offseason
- Aeros avoid elimination, Game 4 Tuesday
- Terhaar removed as Wild's TV play-by-play voice
- Postseason begins Thursday for Wild's Houston affiliate
- Wild owner Craig Leipold Q&A
- First 17 players, some with Minnesota ties, named to U.S. World Championship team
- Wild to select 7th in NHL Draft
- Russo: Wild's offseason begins
- Stanley Cup playoff first-round matchups and schedule
Post By Category
- Severe Wednesday, Thursday Soaker (2"+ rain...holiday weekend preview)
- Tree planting honors Minneapolis man who died helping neighbor
- New restaurant to open in downtown Hyatt
- Belmont Stakes: Shooting the messenger?
- Target volunteers head to North Minneapolis
- Home sales and prices up in Minnesota and across the country during April
ADVERTISEMENT
inside the StarTribune
-
425 Portland Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55488
(612) 673-4000
- Company
- Subscriber Services
- Website
- Buy Ads
- Store
- Connect with Us
© 2012 StarTribune. All rights reserved.
StarTribune.com is powered by Limelight Networks
Newspaper Subscriptions
eEdition
RSS
Newsletters