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Saturday May 18, 2013

This is Michael Russo's 18th 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 and seen weekly on Fox Sports North.

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Wild ends Dallas skid and extends win streak to 6 games to retake division lead

Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: March 26, 2013 - 3:12 PM

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For the first time in my eight seasons as the Wild beat writer, I witnessed the Wild win in Dallas.
 
I’m hanging up my laptop now.
 
Ginormous victory in the Big D tonight as the Wild three times rallied from one-goal deficits and one time surrendered its first lead in 10 games in this rink of doom only to recover. The Wild scored a season-high seven goals on a season-high 42 shots to win 7-4 and take a W out of American Airlines Center for the first time since March 21, 2003 (16 losses ago).
 
“Thank God it’s over,” said Kyle Brodziak, whose fourth career shorthanded goal was the Wild’s first of the season to break a 4-4 tie with 7:22 left – 20 seconds after Mike Rupp tried to lift Ray Whitney’s stick and instead clipped him for a 4-minute power play.
 
Then, after Brodziak gave Minnesota a 5-4 lead, the penalty kill – like it has done so much this season – went to work and extinguished both minors en route to the Wild’s sixth consecutive regulation victory – the first time in team history the Wild’s done that. The Wild has now won 11 of 14 and is 15-5-1 in its past 21 to retake the top spot in the Northwest.
 
Big win because the Wild figured out a way to win in a game Niklas Backstrom clearly wasn’t at his best. He gave up some cheesy ones, but hours after getting NHL Second Star of the Week honors, Backstrom found a way to leave a winner thanks to some big saves on that third-period PK.
 
“It was a funny game for him too I think,” said coach Mike Yeo. “At the end of the day, he won. That’s what it’s all about.”
 
Backstrom is 14-3-1 in his past 18 (You can read Backstrom’s quotes in the gamer, and there are some other real good ones in there as well on www.startribune.com/wild).
 
Frankly though, Backstrom doesn’t play well in this building. I’d start him at home Wednesday vs. Phoenix and leave him home Friday to rest up for Saturday’s home game vs. Los Angeles. Why travel him? You can start rookies Matt Hackett or Darcy Kuemper in Dallas on Friday. Backstrom deserves the rest. He’s been that good in starting 15 of 16. He is tied for the NHL lead with 17 wins. You have backups for a reason.
 
By the way, as an aside because that’s the way my mind works, the Wild left its road whites and a ton of equipment here in Dallas instead of bringing it back to Minnesota. (As a friend of mine would sarcastically say, good story, tell it again).
 
Zach Parise scored two goals and an assist and had five shots. Mikko Koivu had a goal and assist on six shots and won 10 of 16 draws. Parise, who has a team-best 14 goals, was great on their chemistry, and I’ll put that in the follow for Wednesday’s paper because the Wild isn’t practicing Tuesday. Koivu and Parise have combined for 31 points the past 14 games.
 
Matt Cullen became the 37th American and ninth Minnesotan to score 200 goals. The 36-year-old also had an assist. Brodziak and Pierre-Marc Bouchard also had a goal and assist, Cal Clutterbuck brushed off a broken leg (kinda, sorta, OK not really) for two assists (created the Brodziak winner) and defense partners Clayton Stoner and Jared Spurgeon each had two assists and were plus-5’s – tying Todd White’s team record and setting a team record for defensemen.
 
Dany Heatley iced it with a goal the way the Wild scored all night – attacking the net.
 
“I love the way that we’re scoring goals,” Yeo said. “Obviously there’s skill involved. But it’s matching our identity that we’re a hard team. We’re physical. We defend hard. Offensively we’re going to be hard the way we get to the net and wear on teams.”
 
What else?
 
Cue Yeo: “Just real impressed with our guys to stick with it. It was one of those feelings at least behind the bench that you were like, ‘oh man, is this not our night.’ It felt like things weren’t bouncing our way even just giving the history in here. But they found a way to win.”
 
Yeo ain’t kidding. Parise had one sure-looking goal bounce off Derek Roy’s stick. Before Parise’s second-period goal, it looked like Brenden Dillon put one into his own net, but video review couldn’t find evidence it went in.
 
“I give them credit all game long continuing to push forward and stay with it and finding way,” Yeo said.
 
Yeo on not having to answer questions on The Streak before Friday’s game here: “Really glad. Are we done with this?”
 
Koivu on the game: “Usually when it’s fun to watch, it’s not the type of game you want, especially on the road.”
 
But as Koivu and then Parise said, “Every time they scored, we responded.”
 
Love this quote on Antoine Roussel from Mike Rupp (Rupp got a misconduct after the double minor on Whitney when he came together with Roussel and he fell: “Lot of smoke and mirrors with that No. 60. Where I’m from you don’t lay on the ice unless you’re hurt.”
 
Heck of an effort by Clutterbuck, who couldn’t put any weight on his right leg as he skated off the ice following a violent first-period collision with the net. He returned in the second to assist on two goals. He still was limping badly after the game.
 
Lastly, here’s some tweets on the game from @mnwildpr (PR stalwart Ryan Stanzel):

Wild with 1st 7 goal outing since 8-4 W 4/10/09 vs NSH. Last time w 7 on road was 11/16/06 in SO win at NSH...

 2nd time in team history with 7 goals in regulation on road, 3/25/04 at CHI an 8-2 win
 
Wild just the 4th team to score 7 goals in Dallas since 1997-98 season. Chicago did it March 16 of this season
 
4th all-time Wild win streak of 6-plus games. 1st time w 6 straight in regulation. Team record is 9 wins (3/8-3/24/07)
 
Wild has 5 straight road wins - 2 off team record. 4 straight in regulation on road ties team record
 
Stoner/Spurgeon join Salo/Gonchar as lone nhl players at +5 this ssn. 1st teammates at +5 in 1 game since EDM Peckham/Petry vs CHI 11/19/11
  
Wild had combined to score 7 goals in last 5 trips to North Texas
 
2nd win for Backstrom since Dec '09 when allowing 4+ goals. Other came 9 days ago in Denver
 
OK, that’s it for me. Wild doesn’t practice Tuesday. My editor, Chris Miller is covering Wednesday’s 8 p.m. game for moi. Treat him nice. Follow him on Twitter at @cmillstrib. Kent Youngblood has Thursday’s practice and I’ll be back with ya Friday from Dallas.
 
I plan to make my Sunday column another blog Q and A where you can ask me some questions and I’ll answer those selected in my Sunday column. Look for that blog to enter questions sometime Wednesday.
 
Anyway, crazy night. Wild win in Dallas for the first time since 2003 and James Sheppard scored his first NHL goal since 2009.
 

Wild looks to vanquish Dallas demons, makes roster moves, sends down Zucker

Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: March 24, 2013 - 4:59 PM

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UPDATED

The Wild had a fun, quick practice at St. Thomas Academy this morning and is about to hit the friendly sky for a southbound flight to the Lone Star State.

Most the Wild's practice today was a small area 3-on-2 game where both nets are on the same goal line. Gloves are lined up vertically in the middle of the zone, and when the puck crosses to that side, a new 3-on-2 begins aimed at one of the nets. It's fun to watch.

Causes quick plays in tight spaces, communication, players are basically unaware as to how hard they're actually working because they're having so much fun and it triggers lots of hooting and hollering -- mostly from assistant coach Darryl Sydor, who seems to love whatever team Mikko Koivu is on.

Left wing Mike Rupp, who missed the past three games with a lower body injury, practiced today and will be on that plane for the quick trip to Dallas. He was oddly the only player to wear a white helmet today. I figured it must be his version of the yellow "Do Not Touch Me, I'm Hurt" jersey, but he simply made a faux pas and packed the wrong helmet for the dress and drive.

I am not sure if Rupp is going to play yet though. I hear the Wild is going to reassign Jason Zucker this afternoon, presumably because Pierre-Marc Bouchard has taken his spot on the second line and Zucker isn't suited for the fourth line. But it sounds to me like the Wild will recall a player as it reassigns Zucker. I'll update when I know.

I also think the Wild will flip goalies at some point. They'll need a backup to play next weekend, and Matt Hackett will have gone three weeks without a game by then.

Update: Zucker was indeed sent down and former Badger Jake Dowell recalled. Dowell is a former Star with a physical edge. I'd think Zucker will be back if there's an injury in a top-line role or a spot opened up. Could be very short-term. He'll be back. Blame Corey Perry.

The Wild also flipped goalies, recalling Darcy Kuemper. It's unclear whether this is temporary though. Hackett could start one game with Houston and then maybe be recalled to play Friday in Dallas or in Minnesota against Los Angeles next Saturday.

I can't see Niklas Backstrom starting both road-home back-to-backs next weekend. If it were me, I'd go with a Hackett-Kuemper duo Friday in Dallas and don't even travel Backstrom. We'll talk to Yeo in the morning to get his comments on the moves.

The big Stars news is they traded captain Brenden Morrow to Pittsburgh. I've got to think now Boston pounces on Jarome Iginla.

Niklas Backstrom vs. Kari Lehtonen -- almost definitely -- Monday.

The Wild will be searching for its first win in Dallas since March 21, 2003. I'm no math major, but I think that's a little more than 10 calendar years!. Sixteen losses in a row (0-11-5), which is tied for the longest current losing streak by one team in one opposing building in the NHL (Calgary at Anaheim). The Wild's been outscored 62-30 in this stretch.

I have to dig up last year's file I put together of tweets I got when I asked for entries to: "The last time the Wild won in Dallas, ..."

For instance: The last time won in Dallas, Sid Hartman was still a young, up-and-coming columnist.

I'll find this file and blog em Monday morning.

The good news is the Wild snapped an 11-game winless streak in Vancouver last Monday, beat Detroit in regulation for the first time on the road since 2006 on Wednesday and half the Wild players have no clue such a streak even exists.

The Wild has said over and over lately that it feels it can beat any team in any building right now. Well, we will see. Bizarrely, the Wild plays in Dallas Monday and Friday with a home game in between vs. Phoenix.

I'll be on KFAN at 10 a.m. on Monday and on Fox Sports North during Wild Live at 7 p.m. Monday and again during the first intermission.

In some NHL news, Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman fired Guy Boucher very early this morning -- strangely before the Lightning plays in Winnipeg tonight. Not often are coaches fired in the middle of a road trip, let alone after taking a plane ride with the team following a loss at Ottawa yesterday. Must have been quite the flight.

Former Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff seems destined to replace Boucher and Yzerman indicated he's got somebody lined up. The other name circulating is minor-league coach Jon Cooper.

Also, TSN's Darren Dreger reports Calgary captain Jarome Iginla has four teams he is willing to be traded to -- Pittsburgh, Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Lastly, one reason why it was time for the Wild to send Mikael Granlund to Houston is he can play roles there he just wasn't able to in Minnesota. First line, first power play and even shootouts.

In Minnesota, it got to the point Granlund was either relegated to the fourth line or press box. He didn't get a shootout try because Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise and Matt Cullen are three of the best in the NHL (none of the Wild's four shootouts went past Round 3, Wild's 3-1 in shootouts).

In five games back with the Aeros, Granlund has one goal and five assists, and last night against Rochester scored this shootout beauty.

Red-hot Wild keeps growing as a team, climbing the standings

Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: March 21, 2013 - 5:23 AM

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Don’t look now, but the Wild has won four in a row overall, four in a row on the road, swept a 3+-game road trip for the first time since Jan. 2011 and for the first time in history won three consecutive road games by 2+ goals each.
 
Big 4-2 win tonight in Detroit. There seemed to be misinformation out there all night that this would be the Wild’s first win in Detroit in 14 games. It was the Wild’s first regulation win in Detroit in 14 (Jan. 3, 2006), but it was actually the Wild’s fourth win here in 14 games.
 
Nevertheless, the Wild typically doesn’t play well here, just like it didn’t play well in Vancouver before ousting the Canucks 3-1 on Monday. Could this team actually vanquish the 10-year demons in Dallas? That’s right, the Wild hasn’t won in American Airlines Center since 2003. Well, it’ll have two kicks at the can next week (Monday and Friday).
 
But, as coach Mike Yeo and player after play said after tonight’s win, this is a completely different team than year’s past. It has come together impressively since Feb. 9, going 13-5-1 in the past 19 games to sit atop the Northwest Division. It has won nine of its past 12 and is getting contributions everywhere.
 
Every line has an identity. It has scored 18 goals in the past four games. The blue line is playing great, especially effortless Ryan Suter and his ice-in-his-veins partner Jonas Brodin. Suter leads all NHL players in ice time, Brodin leads all NHL rookies. The power play has scored 11 times in the past 12 games and has climbed to 14th in the NHL. The penalty kill ranks fifth.
 
And Niklas Backstrom has just been awesome, going 12-3-1 in his past 16 starts and now sitting tied for second in the NHL with 15 wins. So much for being exhausted.
 
The best part of this team right now: The been-there, done-that attitude. Suter scores in Colorado? It’s followed up by a tiny little fist pump. Win a big game in Detroit? And player after player essentially says what Backstrom said, “It’s two points tonight. Next game comes fast. We just have to move on.”
 
Same stuff was said in Vancouver. There was no big party in the locker room after winning in Vancouver for the first time since 2009.
 
“You’ve got everybody going out and playing our game and playing hard, and that’s a good feeling,” Yeo said.
 
Asked if the Wild may look back at this road trip as a big breakthough, Yeo said, “I sure hope not because we’ve been doing a real good job at just looking at what’s right in front of us.”
 
Tonight, Devin Setoguchi scored two goals. He now has goals in four of the last five games, a five-game point streak and 11 goals and 18 points in the past 19 games. He now shares the goal scoring lead with Zach Parise after going scoreless in his first 10 games.
 
Mikko Koivu scored the eventual winner, Kyle Brodziak scored and Pierre-Marc Bouchard had two assists for his third consecutive multi-point game. Huge turnaround for Bouchard to escape the doghouse. He now has a four-game point streak since being scratched in three straight. Matt Cullen also extended his point streak to six games.
 
Brodin was great again. Charlie Coyle brushed off a dirty Niklas Kronwall head shot by helping set up Koivu’s winner with a great wall play to trigger a Brodin-led 2-on-1 with Parise. Backstrom made a season-high 36 saves.
 
The Wild was outshot 38-19, but not indicative, Backstrom said. He went 17 for 17 in the first period and said the shots were to the outside.
 
A month ago, the Wild would have said its legs were predictably mush after flying across the continent on Tuesday. No more excuses, said Suter. It’s about accountability.
 
“The main thing is everyone is ready to go from the start of the game no matter who it is,” Setoguchi said. “When you’ve got everyone going and every line jumping, it just makes it that much easier to go out there and play for everyone else.”
 
On winning in Vancouver and Detroit, Brodziak said, “Over the years, the wins in these two places have been few and far between. We feel really good about our team right now. We feel confident with any line we put out there, any d-man that we put out there, Backy obviously in the net. Everyone seems to be finding their stride. We’re playing the system well, everyone’s battling hard, our confidence is up as well.
 
“Saying that though, we can’t be satisfied. We’ve got to keep working hard and doing the things that got us to this point. We want to keep growing as a team.”
 
Anyway, read the game story on www.startribune.com/wild and also the notebook on why the Wild must be cautious adding big contracts the next little while. This, like the trade deadline story in Wednesday’s paper, are must-reads in my opinion if you want to understand as a Wild fan why the Wild can’t go out the next few years and sign and trade for every big name in the NHL.
 
That’s it for me. The Wild, which by the way had its bus break down on the way to the airport after the game, has the day off Thursday. Kent Youngblood has practice Friday. I’ll talk to you Saturday from the X before and after the San Jose game. And of course, follow me on Twitter please at www.twitter.com/russostrib. You may even see me at the X for the WCHA Final Five. Can’t wait to watch.

Wild looks to keep it rolling tonight in Detroit; Trade deadline, Haula scuttlebutt

Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: March 20, 2013 - 11:25 AM

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Tonight in Detroit, the Wild looks to sweep a road trip of 3-or-more games for the first time since Jan. 4-8, 2011, at New Jersey, Boston and Pittsburgh.

The Wild did have a five-game trip last year split into 4 and 1 where it won the first four games before returning home for a day and continuing the trip. But that technically still is considered a five-game trip, plus, since the loss Dec. 13, 2011, was in Winnipeg and that loss began the Wild's nose-dive-of-a-century, it shouldn't count just for that alone.

The Wild has won three in a row in regulation (COL, at COL, at VAN). It last won three in a row in regulation in the final five games of a seven-game winning streak Nov. 28-Dec. 10, 2011. Minnesota has won three straight on the road for the first time since a seven-game road winning streak Nov. 13-Dec. 10, 2011.

Niklas Backstrom vs. Jimmy Howard tonight. Mike Rupp and Tom Gilbert again skated this morning but won't play. Coach Mike Yeo says neither is 100 percent, and Rupp did leave the ice early shaking his head negatively to athletic therapist Don Fuller.

Nate Prosser gets a second consecutive game, meaning Brett Clark continues to wait to make his Wild debut.

Patrick Eaves won't play after being hit with a puck in practice. The Red Wings have recalled Gustav Nyquist.

Tonight's game is on NBC Sports Network. Doc, Edzo and Pierre at the mics.

Hopefully you saw today's article here on the trade deadline. Obviously a lot can change in 13 days, especially if there are injuries. April 3 is the deadline. The Wild's in San Jose. I am doing this out of memory, but I'm fairly sure the other time the Wild was in San Jose at the deadline, they didn't make a move (2009, Doug Risebrough's last deadline).

The two facets of today's article are 1) GM Chuck Fletcher says he is not trading Matt Cullen and Niklas Backstrom and indicated that while he's interested in talking to them about extensions, since there's no pressure to get it done now, he'll wait 'til the end of the year to talk to both; 2) He doesn't want to block the development of the Wild's youngsters and part of development is getting a playoff taste. In 2006, that's what Anaheim did with a couple rookies named Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. They won a Cup the next year.

In other words, there's different steps to development and Fletcher feels it would be a shame to make a move that would lessen or eliminate the roles of Jonas Brodin, Charlie Coyle and Jason Zucker and thus "skip" a necessary step of development. So I wouldn't expect a "rental" trade for say a first-line right wing or top defenseman.

I still believe Pierre-Marc Bouchard is still on the block, and knowing Fletcher, he would be interested in making what he likes to dub "hockey trades." (i.e. Nick Schultz for Tom Gilbert).

On Cullen/Backstrom, my gut says the Wild will want to extend Cullen. Before the year, I felt this would guaranteed be his last year because they'd need his spot to open a door for a kid, like Mikael Granlund or Johan Larsson or Brett Bulmer. But, you know what? You can't have all kids, Cullen can still play, skates like a 26-year-old and has been as important of a forward for the Wild as any other the past five weeks.

As for Backstrom, you can't just hand the reins to two rookies next year. You need a quality veteran who can start games and mentor. With Josh Harding's health uncertainty and the fact that they'd have to sign a veteran anyway because of what I initially said, I think you re-sign Backstrom if you can for a quality price on a short-term deal.

I just wouldn't expect big splashes at the deadline or even free agency for awhile. I will write more about this in the paper Thursday, but the big reason is the Wild has to make sure it can afford the future cap hits on second contracts for their kids.

Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson just got a six-year deal worth $5.5 million a year coming out of his entry-level deal from Phoenix. This could very well wind up being the Jonas Brodin comparable if he continues to evolve offensively. Coyle, Zucker, these guys could get big second deals.

It's imperative the Wild doesn't put itselves in positions where it has a tough time re-signing their kids. This wouldn't preclude them from picking up players or signing players on short-term deals, but it very well could preclude them from signing or trading for huge names. Like I said, I'll write more about that in the Thursday paper.

But, embed this in your brains for awhile whenever you want to ask me, will the Wild go after X and X and X the next few deadlines and free agency periods.

Brodin made his NHL debut in this building in January. Very excited to be back and to be playing so well.

Lastly, there's a report from a web site in Finland that Karpat Oulu is trying to sign Gophers center and Wild draft pick Erik Haula. I'm sure he gets offers like this all the time, but the Wild isn't worried. This is a Finnish kid that came to America to play high school and college. His goal is obviously to play in the National Hockey League.

After the Gophers' year, the Wild will talk to Haula to see what he wants to do. My guess is the Wild signs him (Houston bound), but this is honestly a guess. The Wild doesn't want to answer Haula questions right now out of respect for the Gophers. The Wild doesn't want to cause the Gophers and Haula any distractions.

"Complete, total team effort," said Mike Yeo after 6-4 Wild win over Colorado

Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: March 16, 2013 - 5:49 PM

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The Wild completed the home-and-home sweep over Colorado this afternoon with a 6-4 victory here in Denver.
 
Devin Setoguchi scored two goals and an assist and was a career-high plus-4. He now has nine goals and 15 points in 17 games since Feb. 9 (his overtime winner over Nashville). He had no goals and two assists in the first 10 games.
 
The bigger story tonight may have been Pierre-Marc Bouchard, whom coach Mike Yeo said deserved to play another game despite Jason Zucker being cleared to play, rewarding Yeo for the faith.
 
Bouchard scored fittingly the eventual winning goal – fittingly because the Avs were pushing hard and cut a 4-1 deficit to 4-3. Yeo called time, began barking at the bench, telling them to relax, reminding them that they were still ahead by one on the road. Just 1:39 later, Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog committed a horrific turnover into the slot. Bouchard picked it off and roofed a nasty backhander in the top corner over Semyon Varlamov.
 
Bouchard also had an assist and was plus-2 with linemate Matt Cullen. Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Brodziak each scored goals on assists from linemate Dany Heatley. Ryan Suter had a goal and assist (now leads the Wild in scoring with 23 points; he’s fairly good, eh?).
 
Nik Backstrom had a real shaky night. Don’t know if he’s tired. Don’t know if the afternoon game through off his routine. I have never covered a goalie that has such a disciplined pregame routine. Regardless, his second-period theatrics settled down in the third period and he beat an Avs team he almost always beats.
 
Backstrom has started seven in a row, 11 of 12 and 21 this season. Yeo said he’s aware of the workload and they’re on top of it, but he indicated he’ll keep riding him. The afternoon game should give him time to rest up for Monday in Vancouver.
 
Varlamov got the loss, but the Wild chased Jean-Sebastien Giguere with four goals in the first. It was the sixth time in Wild history that it scored four goals in a period on the road. It was the first time the Wild’s scored four goals in the first period since Jan. 24, 2008, and first time on the road since March 25, 2004.
 
Mike Rupp suffered a lower body injury in a first-period fight. He tried to come back but left again in the second. Yeo doesn't think it's serious.
 
I’ve got to get out of here and jet to the airport. I may add to this at the airport. Otherwise, talk to you from Vancouver after Sunday’s 1 p.m. PT practice.
 

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