We’re wayyyy better off taking penalty shots than going on the pk. Too bad it’s not an option every time.
I was happy to see him point to the dot on the first call. But then the second call was kind of unexpected. Agree, made sense and not something I’ve seen either.
Unreal goal and passing play from Zuccy and Jojo. Looks like a completely deferent team tonight… must be the return of Hartman 
I’m not allowed to say nice things about this team anymore 
I’m not allowed to say nice things about this team anymore
I dont think it was your fault T! I stopped watching when they were up 1-0 so it must be my fault.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
All the talk pregame is about the scoring boost Hartman can provide now that he’s back from suspension… wtf Wild hockey have they been watching this season?Well done
yep, i’m taking full credit for his 10’ pass to Spurgeon at the blueline under zero pressure… Our offensive wizard is back everyone, Kirill can take an extra couple of weeks off, the kids will be alright!
Thankfully the Wild stuck it out and stay 9 points up for the playoffs…
Primary assist in his first game back, that’s half as many as Marat all season.
Anyone catch who won the two faceoffs in the final minute?
Sooooo glad to see that Hitman Hartman is back. The playoffs are a lock now.
The Freddy/Zuc/JoJo line actually looks great. Can it last?
Merrill. Please, make it stop.
They were all unbelievable the first half of the game, and then the final 25 minutes was white knuckle hanging on for dear life. Lucky to make it out with 2 points again
Thankfully the Wild stuck it out and stay 9 points up for the playoffs…
Currently sitting in 4th place in the Western Conference with 20 games left and 11 points up on 9th place. 5 Teams would need to pass them for the Wild to miss the playoffs
Primary assist in his first game back, that’s half as many as Marat all season.
Anyone catch who won the two faceoffs in the final minute?
Love that you emphasized “Primary” assist, cherry on the top…
Merrill. Please, make it stop.
I didnt watch all of last nights game, but overall the last several games I thought he was playing pretty good. He DOES have the head scratchers every game or WTF moments, but I think he has been decent in the ice time he gets. However, an upgrade would sure be nice, but we dont exactly have one.
Merrill had been great as a 7th D man. He may have been the best D man outside of Faber against Boston. He is the 7th D on the roster. Not sure what everyone expects out of him but he has been a steady veteran when called upon.
Faber and Middleton have had some “off” games lately… Middleton has reverted back to his turnover issues from last season, Faber just looks like he could use a few days off to reset himself after the whirlwind of the 4 Nations and then jumping right back in the saddle of 27-30 minutes a night for the Wild, not sure he’ll get it though…
I’ve been most happy to see GusBus and Zuccy getting back on track lately…I’m not holding my breath that Jojo and Freddy will keep up their recent pace…
Still no mention of Kirill even skating yet is worrisome…Yanni Gourde returned last night after having Sports Hernia surgery a month ago… he was projected to be out 5-7 weeks…
Agree on Merrill, he’s been fine in his role all year. He also had a couple wtf plays last night – one of them is right in the beginning of the game recap. Merrill will always be a whipping boy to some though… never understood the desire to rip every single bad play of only a select few players but then fawn over others and only see their good plays.
The D who’s catching my eye lately is Middleton. Maybe it’s just me but he’s looked about 2 steps slow since the break.
After Friday they have a 7 game home stand and home for 10 of the next 11. Would be a real good time to finally win a few games at the X.
First off, don’t have high expectations for the post season even if KK and Ek are 110% healthy and seamlessly are at top form coming off their injuries. To be totally forthcoming not sure both will be back for the post season. Hoping they do, but am from Minnesota and have the yips with anything post season related.
Gus kept them in another game where they were heavily out played late in the game.
That penalty for boarding was laughable. Yep, he cross checked him and the dude folded like a sheet of wet toilet paper. Merrell beat the living crap out of one guy late in the game and must have cross checked the guy 5-7 times way harder for a good 15-20 seconds. And no call.
Not sure what’s going on with that Freddy/Zuc/Jojo line, but wowzer that line is playing very well. Not Jojo or Freddy’s biggest fan, but they are actually doing a lot of good things lately.
The 4th line is definitely better.
Boldy’s brain lapses are back. Do like he’s trying to get more physical. But my word as big as he is he can’t win a board battle to save his life.
The whole team needs to get better at getting out of the d zone and start dumping pucks deep for better line changes.
Not sure how they are staying ahead of the curve right now with so many pieces changing.
A win is a win and how they keep getting points is bizarre with the injuries and the constant line juggling.
Chisholm has some good plays, then some awful ones. Same with Middleton and Faber lately. Merrell is who he is and all be it not a top shelf d-man, he’s doing enough to get the job done more often than not. Not a high compliment, but he is what he is.
The current Rossi line needs a net front presence.
Gus has been solid and fighting through till the end of games. Wouldn’t say he’s been 100% stellar, but he’s playing pretty darn good overall.
Nyquist definitely helps this team and hopefully he can get so chemistry going with Rossi and Boldy, just might take a bit of time.
Was a fun game to watch last night vs that Boston game. That Boston game was about as boring as hockey can get.
With how this team has played this year with all the challenges it’s been a frustratingly fun year to watch them fight through all the challenges. Hopefully they can somehow work some magic and get through the first round. Not holding my breath but still am hopeful once the cal hits are gone this team has a bright future. How many players are watching this team fight through all the adversity and going i Wouldn’t mind playing with those guys knowing the cap hits are off the books soon? With the core group, the goaltending capabilities and the young guys coming up and what the coaching staff has done, am pretty impressed with this team this year. Doesn’t mean the postseason yips aren’t still there and have no grand illusions of making a deep run, but been a fascinating year watching this team.
One of my biggest concerns is Spurgeon in the playoffs. Love the guy to death, but once prison rules go into effect his lack of size is more than a little concerning. He physical just can’t move guys like Bogosian, Middleton or even Merrell can with their size. That sounds so dumb, but postseason whistle swallowing is real late in games. And Spurgeon has never played well in those scenarios.
Hats off to the coaching staff, players, and Gus and Fleury. It hasn’t been easy or pretty, but they are still getting some hard earned points under less than ideal circumstances.
Our hope has to be that IF they can get healthy by the playoffs, the same team that was 1st overall in the NHL the first 25% of the season before all the injuries kicked in is the team that shows up to play…playoff success will likely come down to special teams and goalie play…our terrible special teams play is what worries me the most…
Hoping Spurgeon gets a boost in the playoffs this year by not having to be “the guy” as #1RHD anymore. Apparently no one remembers but he was just fine in the playoffs early/mid 2010s when playing a little deeper in the lineup – maybe even good, who remembers that Colorado game 7 goal?! And he was still tiny then. With Faber around now Spurgeon can play an easier role in the playoffs, also playing with Brodin instead of Middleton or Old Suter won’t hurt. At least that’s what I’m hoping for.
I think our playoff success is going to come down to Boldy scoring goals, one major thing missing from the past few playoff years…your best players have to play best in the playoffs, otherwise you’re the Maple Leafs…
Cant wait for the next chapter.
I kinda like how Tampa’s GM is like F those draft picks, we’re going for it again!
That’s a hefty price to pay though for Bjorkstrand and Gourde
That’s a hefty price to pay though for Bjorkstrand and Gourde
I love it. Same thing was said about Brandon Hagel – sometimes it works…
and Tanner Jeannot – sometimes it doesn’t
The conditions on those 1st rounders will make your head spin
The conditions on those 1st rounders will make your head spin
It feels like NHL GM’s have taken a queue from NBA GM’s in terms of draft pick trade complexity and how far into the future they are going now…its almost like they are over complicating them on purpose to drag them out and buy themselves more time in the GM seat…
Same thing was said about Brandon Hagel
They absolutely saw the potential in Hagel and were right, but the difference is he was 21-22 years old at the time and locked in on a ridiculously low caphit with 2.5 years of term left… Gourde will be a 34 year old UFA and Bjorkstrand a 30 year old meh top 6 er on the last year of his deal before being a UFA?
I think this deal rivals the Jeannot one, but for this year’s playoffs, these are the types of guys that help win a cup…Juliean knows what he’s doing (most of the time)
How would you like to be the “Judd Bracket” of the Tampa Bay Lightning…
Just like the NBA picks outside the top 10 have a very low percentage of being impactful players for your team. Get even lower at the end of 1st round.
It also goes to show you if you can stack 2-3 really good draft classes together (it helps to get #1 overall picks a few times) you can ride those classes for a long time…Picking Kucherov and Point as late second rounders is about as good as it can get…Dallas feels like the next team to do this…
Crazy how teams like Vegas have gone the complete opposite route and still found cup success…
I wonder if the Devils throw up the white flag for the season or use Hughes ltir and go after Rantanen?
I wonder if the Devils throw up the white flag for the season or use Hughes ltir and go after Rantanen?
Carolina trading him to a team they may face in the first round? Doubt it.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
I wonder if the Devils throw up the white flag for the season or use Hughes ltir and go after Rantanen?Carolina trading him to a team they may face in the first round? Doubt it.
yeah, didn’t even think of that… Devils just got $8+ to spend, will they do it?
Carolina GM rolling the dice yet again playing Rantanen tonight…
He’s not going to not play a guy he just traded for.
He’s not going to not play a guy he just traded for.
lol, they’ve been contemplating offers they have on him the past few days… he gets hurt tonight and they lose him for nothing this summer…
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