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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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Posts about Wild game coverage
Another Wild season comes to an end; Backstrom had sports hernia
Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: May 10, 2013 - 12:57 AM
Painful end to the Wild’s season tonight as the Chicago Blackhawks dispatched the Wild in five games and nine days from its first-round series with a 5-1 win.
When it comes down to it, the Wild simply didn’t convert on its chances. Seven goals in five games as the Blackhawks advanced past the first round since beating Philadelphia in the Stanley Cup Finals three years ago. The power play went 0 for 17. Mikko Koivu didn’t have a point and was minus-6. Zach Parise scored one goal and was minus-7.
Please read the “gamer” for many of the details, but one piece of news, Niklas Backstrom admitted to me after the game that he has a sports hernia. That will require surgery. One has to wonder if he has played his last game with Minnesota.
The Wild used six defensemen (Gilbert, Scandella, Spurgeon, Brodin, Falk, Stoner) that never played in the playoffs before and a goalie in Josh Harding that never started in the playoffs before. That’s pretty difficult against a team like Chicago.
That’s why the Wild’s end-of-the-year trip was so painful.
Here are some quotes:
Matt Cullen: “It’s disappointing. It’s still very fresh. It’s extremely, extremely disappointing.”
On his future (last year of his contract): “You just don’t know in this game. For sure, I know that could have been my last game as a wild player. There’s lot of things that can happen. Never take it for granted. It’s been a lot of fun, but we’ll see what happens.”
On the team: “There’s a lot of good things in place. Obviously getting Zach and Suts has made a huge difference. The culture has started to change and expectations are rising, but we still have a ways to go.”
Zach Parise: “Just the lack of finish killed us. That’s the bottom line. You have to look at yourself first. You look back at some of the opportunities throughout the series that I had and didn’t put them in. That’s the frustrating part. That’s going to haunt you the whole summer.”
On the potential that Yeo could be in trouble: “That’s out of our control. Everyone’s got to look at themselves. You look at what you can do differently and why things happen. But that’s out of our control. There’s always changes. You don’t know. That’s the way this thing works.”
Mike Yeo
On the series: “Can’t seem to buy that first goal.”
On the Koivu missed chance in the first: “Last thing I want to do is sit up here and talk about puck luck or bounces. … I feel bad for Mikko. He did a lot of the right things … and just didn’t get rewarded.”
On the lack of finishers: “We’ll never stop trying to improve our team from a personnel standpoint. You always try to address your weaknesses. But we did improve in that area. We have to get better, there’s no question. … I hate to say it, sometimes it goes that way. Generate those chances and get those same people getting those chances, I like those odds in the long run.”
On not juggling lines in the series: “This was an important experience for me too. If anyone knows me, I’ll be the first one to look back and say, ‘I wish I could have done this and that.’”
On his job security: “I don’t know. I can’t answer that. If you want to look at it objectively, statistically, … properly, there’s been a lot of improvement in our organization and our team and I feel that we’re going in the right direction.”
Now big questions have to addressed this offseason, and … I will address that in Saturday’s paper.
One, obviously has to do with Yeo. GM Chuck Fletcher is safe, I believe. If Yeo isn’t safe, it would come from the GM, not the owner. And with Lindy Ruff and maybe even Dave Tippett dangling, this will be a lasting topic unless Fletcher publicly puts it to bed.
But Fletcher will have to evaluate everything, and that includes the job he is doing.
I still think the Wild’s future is bright, but the Wild isn’t big enough up front, isn’t fast enough and doesn’t have enough finishers. The blue line is an issue. It nThe Wild will have to find a way to accomplish this. If you don’t get to pick first or second overall or third overall or whatever, like Chicago did with Kane and Toews, and Pittsburgh did with Crosby and Malkin, it’s hard to replicate that route.
But bottom line: The Wild outchanced Chicago for large portions of this series. But as has been the trend all year with the team, it has to work excruciatingly hard to finish, while other teams seemingly don’t.
That’s a problem that must be addressed. I will get more into this in Saturday’s paper after I get a good night’s sleep and can put together a proper evaluation. I'll also probably re-enter this blog in the morning and freshen some things up and add some stuff.
But I have a very early flight. As I mentioned this morning though, I need to step away from the beat for the large part for the next little bit…I am heading out of town for a family emergency.
I hope you enjoyed the coverage again from the Star Tribune this season. Sadly, another season has come to an end.
Wild season on the brink after shutout loss tonight to Chicago
Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: May 8, 2013 - 1:08 AMThe Blackhawks can light you up offensively. And when they want, they can completely shut you down defensively, and that’s what we all witnessed tonight at the X.
The Wild attempted 68 shots tonight. Just 25 got through because the Blackhawks, the best team in the league all year and the team that gave up the fewest goals in the NHL, tightened up, clamped down and squeezed the collar around the Wild’s neck.
Twenty-six Wild shots blocked. Seventeen shots missed, in large part because the Wild began trying to whistle pucks wide of the shooting lanes that were jammed packed of bodies. The result was a 3-0 loss and 3-1 series deficit with Game 5 – potentially the last game of the Wild’s 2012-13 season – Thursday in Chicago (8:30 p.m., Fox Sports North, KFAN).
Good early morning from the X, where the Wild lost another goalie to injury tonight (Josh Harding, went scoreless on another six power plays tonight and again just didn’t get it done tonight.
Aggravating game because it was hanging in the balance early and even late for the Wild to either take or get back into. But the Wild’s power play – now 0 for 15 in the series – failed and failed and failed, especially on back-to-back advantages to start the third period.
Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise each were minus-2 and now are a combined minus-11 in the series. Parise’s been limited to one goal, Koivu, who just doesn’t look to be skating well to me, has been limited to no points.
“We’ve got to score on them. It’s as simple as that,” Parise said when asked how much he and Koivu need to step up.
Koivu said, “You can’t get frustrated. Obviously it’s hard. It’s tough when you’re trying to create and it’s not going in. Players go through that. I have to be able to find a way to get it to the net and keep creating.”
Coach Mike Yeo said of the two forwards, “It probably wasn’t the greatest of nights, but if you know them the way I do, you are very excited to see them play Thursday night.”
It was the fifth time the Wild has been shut out in the playoffs and first since the 2003 Western Conference Finals.
“It’s do or die,” Suter said. “Every single guy has to play their best game if we want a chance to keep at this thing. It’s tough to reset. But we have to go in there with a mindset of, ‘Hey, we have nothing to lose.’”
The power play has let the Wild down over and over again. Tonight, Jason Pominville returned, played the point on the power play for the first time as a Wild and couldn’t help it break out. Kyle Brodziak, out there to win draws on the power play, lost most on the power play. They’ve seemed to stop using Parise down by the goal line. And again, Chicago just blocked shots left and right.
“It’s tough when you have a lot of chances on your power play and you have nothing to show for it. We had some good looks, but I guess it doesn’t matter if you don’t score.”
Said Parise, “They collapse well and they get into shooting lanes. They’re passive, so it looks like we’ve got a lot of time and room. But they do a good job of getting in the shooting lane. So we have to figure out how to get through that. And when we did get through, we had a lot of rebounds that popped through your legs.”
Said Koivu, “We have to find a way. They’re playing good. They’re on the lanes. We’ve got to find a way to break that down and get that puck to the net.”
The first goal came because Koivu tried to hit Parise as he was exiting the zone. Marian Hossa picked it off and seconds later, Patrick Sharp scored the first of his two goals on a deflection.
“We caught them on a turnover with their D down, so Mikko was trying to spring us for a 2-on-1,” Parise said. “It’s the right play by him. If that gets through, we’ve got a 2-on-1. Unfortunately it didn’t.”
Then, Jonathan Toews landed on Harding during a deke where he lost the puck. Harding stayed down for a bit, slowly got up and at the next stoppage was flexing his left leg. He gutted it out but Darcy Kuemper started the second.
He gave up a goal on the first shot he saw after a sloppy Parise turnover. Still, bad goal, but he was ice cold.
I’d assume Nik Backstrom starts Thursday now. He put on pads as an emergency goalie tonight and sat on the bench in the third.
Now the Wild has to somehow win in Chicago.
“You guys count us out quite a bit,” Parise said. “So we’ll have to rebound and work on winning that next game and getting this series back here.”
On the Blackhawks, Parise said, “They play well. They’re so good with the puck and when you make a mistake they make you pay. There’s a reason why they were on top of the league all year and why they went 20-some games without a loss. They’re a very good team. We have to play a great game to beat them. Tonight we didn’t capitalize on our opportunities. That’s all.”
No Wild practice Wednesday. We have availability at 1:15 p.m. I’ll talk to you afterward.
Kuemper replaces Harding in goal
Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: May 7, 2013 - 9:38 PMJosh Harding suffered a left leg injury in the first period of tonight's Wild-Chicago game and has been replaced at the start of the second by Darcy Kuemper.
Harding, playing because of an injury to Niklas Backstrom before Game 1, was run into by Hawks captain Jonathan Toews in the first period.
Harding had six saves in the first period and gave up a goal to Patrick Sharp.
Pominville returning tonight
Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: May 7, 2013 - 8:33 PMQuick update from the X, where the Wild is getting ready to play host to Chicago in Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.
Jason Pominville skated in the pregame warmups, and on the line rushes he was on a fourth line with Torrey Mitchell at center. Stephane Veilleux was the other winger.
He will return for the first time since April 23 and start on that line. The goal is also for Pominville to aid a power play that is 0 for 9.
Jake Dowell would have slotted into that fourth line if Pominville couldn't go.
Pominville, out because of an upper body injury, probably a concussion, missed the final two games of the regular season and the first three games of this series.
Postgame: Zucker's OT goal put stamp on physical night by Wild vs. Blackhawks
Posted by: Michael Russo Updated: May 5, 2013 - 8:47 PMJason Zucker’s first career playoff goal came 2:15 into overtime tonight as the Wild took a 3-2 Game 3 victory from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Still trailing the series 2 games to 1, it was a huge win for the Wild, which got a late scare with 2:46 left from Duncan Keith, who teed up a goal to force overtime after the Wild went into a defensive shell the final seven or eight minutes.
The Wild attacked and attacked all game, outshooting the Blackhawks 37-27 and outhitting them 34-13. But Zach Parise, who gave the Wild a 2-1 lead 3:09 into the third, said the Wild got too passive as it just went into an almost natural prevent defense mode that almost cost them.
But in overtime, Devin Setoguchi came to the bench and Pierre-Marc Bouchard jumped on. Bouchard said Tom Gilbert sent him a puck and immediately a 3-on-2 began. Bouchard eventually put the puck behind the net for Matt Cullen, who was tripped by Andrew Shaw.
No call, so Cullen just reached with his right hand and passed in front for Zucker, and the 21-year-old who was recalled for the season finale buried it shortside. Zucker, who missed some shifts in the third because he was banged-up, showed he was completely healthy. Just jumped right into the glass for a mob scene in front of an electrified arena.
“Just trying to get the puck on net and it just happened to go in for me,” Zucker said of the biggest goal of his career.
Huge win. Game 4 is Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. There will be at least a Game 5 in Chicago on Thursday. Time unknown yet.
Lots of coverage in Monday’s Star Tribune, so please check that out. I will be on Rosen’s Sports Sunday tonight on Ch. 4 at 10:35 p.m. and KFAN at 9 a.m. Monday.
Also Monday, there may be some Jonas Brodin news. The NHL will announce the Calder finalists. Tuesday will be the Norris finalists, so we should definitely have some Ryan Suter news that day.
Suter only logged 32 minutes, 23 seconds today; Brodin only 28:26. They should do pushups.
Lots of big efforts on the ice tonight.
Bouchard scored a goal and assist and had four shots. Coach Mike Yeo said it’s the best game Bouchard has played for him. Cullen was great. Cal Clutterbuck set a physical tone with eight hits. Devin Setoguchi had seven and five shots. Mikko Koivu won 15 of 20 faceoffs.
Kyle Brodziak was great and had his first playoff point. Zach Parise scored his 22nd career playoff goal, an assist from Charlie Coyle after the big rook won a board battle with Michal Rozsival.
“I didn’t know he knew I was there,” Parise said of Coyle’s wicked pass.
Parise, like Bouchard, went backhand, over the glove, roof. Great quote here from Parise: “I just wanted to get it upstairs. We had done enough trying to get it through him on the ice.”
Josh Harding made 25 saves for his first career playoff win.
Zucker had the big goal, five shots, drew his fourth penalty of the series and popped Brent Seabrook, then stood over him at the end of the second. Seabrook is the same Chicago defenseman that has run Zucker a few times in the series.
“I don’t even know what happened there,” Zucker said. “I just went in to finish my check. He’s a big guy. I was surprised he went down.”
On standing over Seabrook, Zucker unleashed his Vegas poker face: “He had my leg caught in between his legs.”
Yah.
Yeo, who won his first playoff game as an NHL head coach, wanted a more physical tone and the Wild brought it from the beginning.
“We need everyone to be physical and involved in the game,” Parise said. “That’s playoff hockey and I don’t think we did a good enough job [before Sunday]. It’s not about banging the glass. It’s just about finishing your check every time we can.”
The building was awesome. Just amped from the beginning.
“You could tell right from warmups there was electricity in here,” Parise said.
Like I said, please read the paper and all the goodies on www.startribune.com/wild for columns, game story coverage, notebooks, quotes, stats galore.
The big thing now? The Blackhawks will ramp up their game Tuesday. The Wild has to do the same.
“We have to continue doing this,” Yeo said. “We have to have an effect on their defensemen. We have to get pucks in behind them and we have to make sure we’re arriving physically. I thought we stepped that part of our game tonight and will need to do even more of that.
Some Hawks quotes
Toews
They just took it to another level and we have to be ready for the next one
We have to get the net more, get more shots, get more obstruction in there.
Corey was amazing, he's been good all year, obviously we have to look at that and take it to the next level like he did today.
We should have expected that from the start. Just because we won two at home doesn't mean they are going to throw the series. We need to take the game for 60 minutes. They did, and we have to come back and do that.
They got some good players and they're a hard-working team, but when we focus on what we have to do, bring that intensity that you have to bring in the playoffs ... we didn't make them worry enough about what we had to do tonight.
Keith
At the end of the day, they deserved to win the game, they were a little quicker than us tonight, and our strength is using our speed and our skill, and we didn't use our speed enough tonight. Jumping up in the play, making plays, we just didn't use our speed enough.
I liked our start, first seven eight minutes was pretty good, they were physical, yeah, we had some big hits too. We know we can be better in the physical aspect, but we want to use our speed.
When we tied it late like that, we're feeling good, we put good pressure on them the last seven eight minutes, and we got that goal, then you go into overtime, anything can happen.
Crawford
Quick shot off, thought I had it covered, but he got it short side there.
Really loud in here, obviously they feed off that. They had momentum, but we were able to settle down and not get riled up by all that.
As a goalie, you just want to give your team a chance to win, would have been nice there to win in overtime, but we just got to look ahead to the next one.
We were really positive throughout the whole game, not just when we tied it. We knew they were going to come out and run around, but we stayed calm.
Tough to take right now.
They just took it to another level and we have to be ready for the next one
We have to get the net more, get more shots, get more obstruction in there.
Corey was amazing, he's been good all year, obviously we have to look at that and take it to the next level like he did today.
We should have expected that from the start. Just because we won two at home doesn't mean they are going to throw the series. We need to take the game for 60 minutes. They did, and we have to come back and do that.
They got some good players and they're a hard-working team, but when we focus on what we have to do, bring that intensity that you have to bring in the playoffs ... we didn't make them worry enough about what we had to do tonight.
Keith
At the end of the day, they deserved to win the game, they were a little quicker than us tonight, and our strength is using our speed and our skill, and we didn't use our speed enough tonight. Jumping up in the play, making plays, we just didn't use our speed enough.
I liked our start, first seven eight minutes was pretty good, they were physical, yeah, we had some big hits too. We know we can be better in the physical aspect, but we want to use our speed.
When we tied it late like that, we're feeling good, we put good pressure on them the last seven eight minutes, and we got that goal, then you go into overtime, anything can happen.
Crawford
Quick shot off, thought I had it covered, but he got it short side there.
Really loud in here, obviously they feed off that. They had momentum, but we were able to settle down and not get riled up by all that.
As a goalie, you just want to give your team a chance to win, would have been nice there to win in overtime, but we just got to look ahead to the next one.
We were really positive throughout the whole game, not just when we tied it. We knew they were going to come out and run around, but we stayed calm.
Tough to take right now.
Talk to you after Monday’s practice
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recent posts
- Backstrom has sports hernia surgery
- Harding named a Masterton trophy finalist
- Wild's Fletcher: We're on right path; Yeo coming back
- Postgame: Another Wild season ends; Backstrom had sports hernia
- Goalie drama before crucial Wild game against Chicago
- Russo blog: Wild has arrived in Chicago for a Thursday must-win
- Postgame: Wild season on the brink after shutout loss
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