Official Wild Thread

That was lucky but we will take it!

I gotta admit I don’t hate him. Who hated Pierzynski when he was a twin?

Ballard making that a more dangerous play than it should be, but Frazier drove through him Should be a 5 minute major boarding penalty.

… Or a late hit.

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I gotta admit I don’t hate him. Who hated Pierzynski when he was a twin?

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I agree. I am a sports hypocrite at it’s finest. That means… I hate opposing players that are good at what they do… but I am quick to love them should they fight for my team. I absolutely hated Brett Favrerere… but once he took off that cheesy uniform (see what I did there?) and put on the purple shirt with horns.. I was a fan. Same will be with Cook. I woulda been happy with him laying face down on the ice bleeding out… but now that he is on my team… I want to see him lay guys out.

I should note that this is all tounge in cheek.. I don’t want to see anyone seriously hurt…

That being said… Cook did kick that puck in… but hey, I will take it!

Sure feels like they are playing a completely different, more aggressive system out there.

Maybe we can score a shortie this year. How about Suter joining the rush short handed and then busting his hump to get back and break up the play?

I’ll admit I was saying bad things about Cooke during the playoffs last year, but that had more to do with hating the Penguins and Spud Crosby.

BRODIN!!!!!

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NHL Situation Room on Cooke goal: “speed of the puck propelled it into the net and that Cooke’s skate only redirected it” #mnwild #lakings

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I agree completely, although I didn’t think they would allow the goal.

You’re just a pot stirer. Or pot smoker, can’t tell.

El Niño looks pretty damn good.

Just one game, but the trade for El Nino seems like a winner.

How you like the Southern Comfort Karate Guy commercial? Reminds me of Mac on Always Sunny .LOL

Flippin shootouts. Man I hate them.

All in all it was a good game. The Wild outplayed them for the most part. They needed an extra goal in the first 2 periods because I think that they got a little tired playing the first 2 of the home opener.

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Flippin shootouts. Man I hate them.

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So I gather it went to a shootout, but who won? Crap, I forgot in the new NHL everybody wins. Gotta love participation points eh?

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So I gather it went to a shootout, but who won? Crap, I forgot in the new NHL everybody wins. Gotta love participation points eh?

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No kidding. You can move a couple places in the standings by te end of the year just because you have guys who can finish or stop a 1 – 0 breakaway.

I’d rather see 8 minutes of 4-4 or 5 minutes of 4-4 and then 3 minutes of 3-3. Either that or just call it a damn tie.

Its obvious that Backs has no confidence in the shootout and it is his achilles heel. He should just start challenging more and try poke checking every time.

Not a bad first effort against a quality team.

More than anything, the Wild got out-goaltended. Did you see that poke check Quick put on Koivu in the shootout to stop him stone cold? As a former goaltender, I can tell you that that that was a textbook poke check AND incredibly difficult to pull off in a 1:1 situation. You need to have the reflexes of a cobra and balls of steel because if you time it wrong, it’s handing them a goal.

I hate to bang the same drum as last season, but the Wild have to find the back of the net more than twice in a game. They aren’t alone in this problem, but the main issue is they are not the defensive quality team that can win 1 – 0 grinders. They need to keep the opponent on their heels playing catch-up, which was where they had LA for the first 2 periods.

Grouse

They play like they did last night, they’ll be sitting good by the end of the season.

The best thing I took from the game was El Nino’s play. He plays like that and he is going to make Chuck Fletcher look like a genius. Coyle also looked very comfortable at center.

On the defensive side, Keith Ballard may very well have found his game again.

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The best thing I took from the game was El Nino’s play. He plays like that and he is going to make Chuck Fletcher look like a genius.

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Well, the thing that will REALLY make Fletcher look like a genius would be getting Vanek in a Wild sweater.

Oh bother. I said the “V” word again, didn’t I?

Grouse

(Whoops. left this open without hitting reply earlier)

Son of a!

Fletch said all the right things when he nabbed Nino for Clutterbuck. After trading away some picks, he said they were able to nab a first round draft pick. They also said they were eyeing Nino, but he didn’t fall to them, so they got Granlund.

Not bad after having your hands tied and no first rounder you end up with the number 9 and number six from the 2010 draft.

Rough one last night, I just don’t know if Backstrom is the guy. I know it’s early but…

It’s early……………to early to drop 2 in a row at home to open the season.

Relax.

What a way to start the season with 2 home loses, and to lose one of our best young players in Coyle.

Coyle out 3-4 weeks

2 home OT loses. Big difference.

Basically it ends up being equivalent to beating one of the teams in regulation and losing to the other. 1-1-0 is the same as 0-0-2.

Putting Granlund at the #2 center should be a good test for him.

I didn’t expect the Wild to come hot out of the gate. I expect them to get better as they go along. There are a bunch of new faces, many of them young and everyone on the roster is learning a new system, or at least a modified one.

Must be that new math. You should run for congress, they use the same “everybody DESERVES something”.

Sorry, I should have called them loser points. I don’t agree with OT losses getting points.

I am just saying in the grand scheme of things, both scenarios are counted as 2 points in the standings.

Just for discussion, I think the games should be worth 3 points each.
3 for win in regulation
2 for OT win
1 for OT loss
0 for regulation loss.

It may charge up the last minutes of a tie game in regulation to get the extra point. Just a thought..

I disagree. Make them play shoot-out hockey for nothing. Zero points. Better yet, do away with the shoot-outs and make them play 15 minute overtime periods until you have a winner. Maybe that would make these guys come out of the defensive shell they slide into 1/2 through the 2nd. period.

They won’t go back to OT during the regular season. The games last too long for the fans and the NHL/NHLPA will claim it contributes to injuries.

I do like the 3-2-1 system. How can 1 game be worth 2 points (regulation win) and another game 3 (2 for winner 1 for the loser)?

I think with this system you’d see a lot more separation in the standings and especially toward the end of the season you would see teams push to get the 3 points.

If the NHL wants the simplicity and excitement of the shootout, they need to do the 3 on 3. That would be awesome and it would still have some of the team aspects that the coaches want. I suspect most 3 on 3s would last less than 5 minutes.

I know that there are even coaches that dislike the 4 on 4, but you can’t make everyone happy.

Sounds like Hards might get the start tonight.

And just as I say that, Russo reporting Backs taking shots at the end of practice, which normally means he’s starting.