Let's Go Wild!

Yeah, like the team not playing with urgency, being a goal down or hating seeing 20 minutes and period one lit up on the scoreboard.

These Chicago announcers are entertaining. Wild are an offensively challenged trapping team. During intermission again they repeat Jamal (Mayers, former NHLer I might add) and I noticed the Wild trapping with 4 players across the blueline.

I dunno, that last penalty was pretty weak. They fell asleep in that second. Must have been tired from trapping in the first.

mplspug wrote:

I dunno, that last penalty was pretty weak. They fell asleep in that second. Must have been tired from trapping in the first.

That was an absolutely pathetic hooking call against Haula. Just a terrible call by a ref that shouldn’t be anywhere near an NHL game. Hooking? If that POS ref thinks that was hooking, where was his whistle at the other 56 “hooking” calls that he didn’t call.

There should be a review process for the refereeing. This is the same crap the Wild had to put up with during the playoffs last year. Non-calls and blown calls with no league action to correct any of it.

What a crock.

Grouse

Bad call indeed, but I’m guessing you missed the second period. That’s where this game was lost against an elite team.

Bad calls are part of the game and timing can make it worse. You just can’t take 20 min off though.

1) can’t trail a good team 3-1 on the road.
2) can’t suck on the power play.
3) bad call, hey it’s hockey.

I should also add things could be worse. You could be a Timberwolves fan. Now they a legitimately bad.

I forgot about the missed call on Fontaine that led to the other goal.

Yes, bad calls are a part of the game, that doesn’t make them any less frustrating.

It don’t help when you have three guys standing around your own net and the one guy in a red jersey is still standing whacking at the puck. When will the D men step up with some physical play in our own zone. Its no wonder why suter can play 30+ mins a game. He doesn’t exert any energy to hit anyone. On the other hand Sutter looked good he was flying around the rink hitting guys and getting in front of the net.
Wallster ><((((>

You can’t blame a bad call for losing the game, they lost it long before that if they are going to use that as an excuse. Play 60 solid minutes of hockey and hang your hat on that win or lose. Why does it seem like it takes this team being down a couple goals before they wake up, where is the urgency every shift or to protect the lead they had?

Zach Peterson wrote:

You can’t blame a bad call for losing the game, they lost it long before that if they are going to use that as an excuse.

Well, I think you can based on the fact that at the point of that blown call, the game was tied, not lost.

And also, in the annals of bad calls, there’s bad, and then there’s BAD. No professional referee should have made a call that bad, much less a referee working at the NHL level. That was a total amateur mistake and I guess mainly my frustration is that nothing happens with a ref that makes blown calls like this. Except, of course, they get assigned to playoff games.

I agree, the Wild need to quit sleepwalking through entire periods. 2 weeks ago, the problem was the first period. Now it appears to have migrated to a mid-game nap. Are we supposed to take this as a sign of progress?

Grouse

I see your point and can somewhat agree with it. I guess my point was I don’t think the blown call had as much of an effect as the Wild going through the motions in the 2nd period did.

Had they played a full hockey game and not gone for a mid game snack they might have been able to pick up a goal or 2 in the second rather than trying to rally from behind (again) in the 3rd.

wallster wrote:

It don’t help when you have three guys standing around your own net and the one guy in a red jersey is still standing whacking at the puck. When will the D men step up with some physical play in our own zone. Its no wonder why suter can play 30+ mins a game. He doesn’t exert any energy to hit anyone. On the other hand Sutter looked good he was flying around the rink hitting guys and getting in front of the net.
Wallster ><((((>

Guys standing around are hurting the Wild bad. Also seems like on a break away that nobody is trailing the play except the opposition. They need to change the look of their power play and the Wild’s shooting accuracy as being just lousy.

Gundy

I agree with no one trailing the play. Power play is another story. Watch other teams move the puck down low and create things. All the wild do is work it up top for a shot or try the stupid cross ice pass for a one timer. The goalie is always ready by the time the shot is off. Our guy in the front of the net is always standing still. He has to move and create confussion. Watch other teams pp against us. Why cant we learn from them. Keep passing the puck around the outside is exactly what the other team wants, that’s what we do. Another thought, Why is two of our top 3 goal scorers on the #2 pp or not on the pp at all. Obviously the guys on the # 1 pp isn’t working the best. It took two months to get a couple game scoring streak going on the pp. It doesn’t bother YEO YEO to change lines but it sure seems like he don’t want to change the PP.
Wallster ><((((>

wallster wrote:

Power play is another story. Watch other teams move the puck down low and create things. All the wild do is work it up top for a shot or try the stupid cross ice pass for a one timer. The goalie is always ready by the time the shot is off. Our guy in the front of the net is always standing still. He has to move and create confussion. Watch other teams pp against us. Why cant we learn from them. Keep passing the puck around the outside is exactly what the other team wants, that’s what we do. Another thought, Why is two of our top 3 goal scorers on the #2 pp or not on the pp at all. Obviously the guys on the # 1 pp isn’t working the best. It took two months to get a couple game scoring streak going on the pp. It doesn’t bother YEO YEO to change lines but it sure seems like he don’t want to change the PP.
Wallster ><((((>

Totally agree, I have no idea what Yeo is trying to accomplish with the design of the Wild power play. Long passes by the blue line and then hoping to connect with a one-timer, the time lag gives so much time for the D and the goalie to adjust.

It seems to me that Yeo has the Wild doing exactly what other teams PP systems are designed to AVOID. Long, open passes, high up in the zone and well out of shooting distance, and leaving lots of open space, visibility, and time for the D and the goaltender to react.

I’ve just been thinking dang it, move it down and collapse the box! Get the D and one of our guys in the middle all falling all over each other. Create some freaking confusion in front and force the D to react to the puck so you open up some options close in and get some bodies in front of the goaltender to limit visibility.

I hate to say I told you so, but I’m sticking to what I said in December of LAST year: the Wild should have dumped Yeo.

Grouse

Can I say something not negative?

Sign Nino to 4 more years. He’s gonna be worth every penny.

You’ve got to be kidding me. How is it not 4 or 5 – 2. Gotta believe the Wild are going to pull this one out unless they are gassed, but they can’t be anymore gassed that the Bruins who were chasing all period. I am calling goals by the speedsters Granlund, Fontaine and Zucker for a 4-2 Wild comeback win.

I agree with Grouse, Early in the season the response to the lethargic pp was it’s early, don’t panic. Well we’re getting deeper in now and it’s just not happening.

I think they’ve proven they can skate with the best in the league. they’re under achieving.

I know this will drive Pug crazy, but how much of this is on Yeo’s head?

Their fine. The sky is not falling. Just wait until Cook gets back.

Whether it’s his fault or not Yeo will be fired if they don’t turn it around.

I said it before, these next 10 or so games are going to be kind of crucial. I expect they will have a strong rest of the year. Hopefully we avoid the injury bug.

I personally don’t think this is close to the situation last year.

Another very disappointing loss. When is this team going to get it. So many pee wee mistakes. If Pomer hits that guy behind the net instead of fishing for the puck, he doesn’t walk out and score an easy goal. When will our D start forcing the play at our blue line instead of waiting till they can see the blue ice under their feet from our goal crease?? Things need to change with this team. One point is not going to get us in the playoffs. It will keep us out of the playoffs by 5 points. “Home Ice advantage” well kiss that good bye already.
Wallster ><((((>

I was at the game tonight, Some bad D, some bad officiating, that hooking penalty in the third was pathetic. We were in the 8th row behind the net where Nashville scored in OT and the way they left that guy alone was unreal. There was a lot of slow skating.

The sky may not be falling but it’s getting lower.

What? OT? So they got a point? I fell asleep with about 5 minutes or so left in the 3rd.

Vanek got the game tying goal with the extra skater.

Yeah, tied it up with under a minute left. Exciting game from an entertainment standpoint.
They haven’t won back to back games in a month. I’m starting to seriously doubt they’ll make the playoffs.

If they don’t make it into the postseason does Yeo lose his job?

Probably.

belletaine wrote:

If they don’t make it into the postseason does Yeo lose his job?

With the payroll he may lose his job in January if he doesn’t get them going, Fans of this team remind me of the guys in high school drooling over the hot blonde who couldn’t spell her name until 4th grade she was so slow. This team has flaws but one of the largest is the fans being willing to shell out big bucks to watch a team under perform night after night. Time to hold Yeo accountable if you believe Fletcher has given him enough talent.

I am usually a little more positive when it comes to the wild, but I am having my doubts this year. If nothing changes I don’t think they make the playoffs. I think last year Yeo was one game from being fired, and they turned it around. This year with Dan Bylsma available I think his days are numbered if they don’t start winning now. Leipold has spent the money and wants to win and with Fletcher’s past relationship with Bylsma I think Leo’s days are numbered.

Last year when I was saying that Yeo must go and that it was just a question of does he make it to the Olympic break or not, I was, unfortunately, about a year ahead of the curve. I was floored with the deal Yeo got when he was re-upped this summer.

Lots of people were quick to point out that the coach doesn’t play the games, which is true, but it misses the fact that the coach is there for another set of reasons entirely. We’re right back where we were at this time last year. And the year before. We can talk about how many highly competitive teams there are out there now, we can talk about how quickly other teams can rise, but that’s all outside of the Wild’s control.

What we DO know is that the Wild have, essentially the same team they had last year with the addition of Vanek. Yet they still are suffering from the same inconsistent play and system issues that they were last year.

It’s looking like a best case scenario is a Groundhog Day situation where the Wild slide in sideways to a wildcard spot or do a last minute sprint to claim one of the lowest positions in the playoffs.

The Wild need go make up ground and do so quickly. Yeo needs to do something to prove that his system is actually moving the team in the right direction rather than just keep randomly switching pieces around hoping that something finally clicks.

Grouse