During the current 5 game winning streak (all in regulation) the Wild have outscored their opponents 23-7. They are doing this with 7 players injured.
Since November 1st the Wild have played 22 games and outscored their opponents 72-40.
The shutout tonight was Gus 3rd of the season. The Wall of St. Paul also has 3 shutouts.
There are two teams in the NHL with more than 3 shutouts. The Wild with 6 and the NY Islanders with 4.
Per the NHL app, Wallstedt is listed as having 4 shutouts. (And they said Wild have 7 on tv post-game). 😁
You are correct. Sieve CHA
I posted this a couple weeks ago in this thread but apparently forgot.
Down to only 5 defensemen tonight (due to injury) Hughes played 29:33 and Faber played 28:10. Is there a better D pair in the NHL? I don't think so.
The Wild are 11-0-2 in their last 13 home games matching the franchise record for home point streak.
https://twitter.com/RussoHockey/status/2001146425984393495
https://twitter.com/WildTakes10k/status/2001148698349195333
Tarasenko probably thought he needed to return the favorite since earlier in the game Yurov told him were to line up to set him up for a goal off of a face off win.
https://twitter.com/SpokedZ/status/2001129243887931581
Got lucky and a vendor took a bunch of us to the game tonight. Great goaltending by Gus. Man, Hughes speed and stick handling is sick in person. His first step is crazy. Also thought Jiricek was impressive, dudes a beast.
For those lucky enough to have a subscription to the Athletic, Russo and Joe Smith have been cranking out excellent articles about the Hughes trade. They are getting great info from former teammates, coaches etc. This week alone paid for my subscription.
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Vegas have any odds on which Wild player gets hurt in tonight’s game? Absolutely ridiculous the amount of injuries this team has gone through the last few seasons. One guy returns, another goes out. Rinse/repeat.
Vegas have any odds on which Wild player gets hurt in tonight’s game? Absolutely ridiculous the amount of injuries this team has gone through the last few seasons. One guy returns, another goes out. Rinse/repeat.
Both teams opened at -110. Wild are now -120 and Columbus is +100. Though if you’re in Vegas during the Super Bowl. You can almost find any kind of bet in the prop bet book. So no bet would surprise me.
Nationwide arena playing last christmas is going to anger a lot of people!
#Whamageddon
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
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GOOD teams win games even when they’re not at top energy level ☝️ Wally played GREAT again tonight or Wild lose this game! 👍 Ek with GWG, Kaprisov & Boldy with en goals 5-2 FINAL
Faber spent the night trying to play like Quinn Hughes. I imagine Hynes will ask him to never do that again. That will be a fun pair to watch once they get it figured out
Faber spent the night trying to play like Quinn Hughes.
Wild 5, Werenski 2
My nephew, brother in law, and me have a text chain during games and we have been saying this since Hughes got here. Faber is a smart player and the coaches will get it figured out. He just needs to be the same player he was before Hughes got here.
I thought the Wild's best players had a bad night but when it mattered, they came up big. Ek's goal broke it open.
Faber spent the night trying to play like Quinn Hughes. I imagine Hynes will ask him to never do that again. That will be a fun pair to watch once they get it figured out
Can you explain this more? (I'm actually legitimately asking because I don't have a good sense of the nuances between play styles in hockey)
He’s trying to jump into the offense a lot more to completely oversimplify it.
Hughes had an incredible shift in the first where he took the puck perpendicular to the offensive blue line, circled towards the middle and made a play. It’s stuff like that that only he can do. Faber needs to keep it simpler than that and there’s no shame in that.
Faber jumped up a couple times and got burned, particularly on the Jackets first goal. It will always happen and he will quickly learn to minimize putting himself in situations like that, he always has.
Hughes' ability to take the puck/play deep on the offensive zone and still get back to cover before the defensive blue line, even something goes haywire while he's still deep in the zone, is as good as I've ever seen. I bet he's done it 2-3 times a game just since he's been with the Wild. At the college level it was one of the things that always stood out to me about Crowley when he played at MN.
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
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Definitely no shame. It's a very rare skill/ability, and just because you don't have it doesn't mean you're not still one of the very best D-men in the league.It’s stuff like that that only he can do. Faber needs to keep it simpler than that and there’s no shame in that.
Also, although I haven't been watching, it sounds like they're pairing Faber and Hughes for the most part. When there's one D-man that's stepping in to the offense, having his partner being the lock-down defensive type (which Faber is amazing at) is the perfect pairing.
Karpizov 22 goals, and Boldy 20, are both in the top 5. And their 41 points a piece is 9th in the NHL.
If Yurov continues to progress at the rate he has been since the start of the season, he's going to be a real good player by the time the playoffs roll around. It would also be huge if they can keep Tarasenko producing.
I still think they need to add a decent center.
Possible good news on the horizon? Who is going to take the spot of Kubel taking 2 minute minors every game"?
https://twitter.com/RussoHockey/status/2002046691164471736
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I’ve liked Aube-Kubel. Not saying he’s a bonafide everyday starter, but he’s served his purpose very well.
The trap Faber has fallen into is similar to the one Chesley did when Rinzel came in. “Oh hey that’s fancy I’ll give that a go.”
No. Play your [very good] game. Faber is smart and will adjust.
Also, although I haven't been watching, it sounds like they're pairing Faber and Hughes for the most part. When there's one D-man that's stepping in to the offense, having his partner being the lock-down defensive type (which Faber is amazing at) is the perfect pairing.
This is the point. Hughes is going to dance on the blue line looking to create offense. That's great because he has the chops to do it and maybe Faber does too. However, two guys can't do it. If Hughes is in a vulnerable spot, Faber has to back up because a forward isn't going to cover a defensemen playing around with the puck on the blue line.
A good example was Faber's no-look back handed pass to Hughes that got intercepted and turned into a 1 on 0 breakaway. That was careless.
@streakygopher While I wasn’t pleased Buium was traded, it doesn’t get done without him going to Vancouver. But with that said….what a pleasure it’s been watching Quinn Hughes lace up his skates for the Wild! Wins of 6-2, 5-0, 5-2 are very easy on the eyes & blood pressure. Playing the Oilers on Saturday & Avs on Sunday will be exciting games to boot. Go Wild!
@streakygopher While I wasn’t pleased Buium was traded, it doesn’t get done without him going to Vancouver. But with that said….what a pleasure it’s been watching Quinn Hughes lace up his skates for the Wild! Wins of 6-2, 5-0, 5-2 are very easy on the eyes & blood pressure. Playing the Oilers on Saturday & Avs on Sunday will be exciting games to boot. Go Wild!
At the time it felt like a lot to give (it was). Maybe the most surprising thing for me was the team's willingness to part with Buium, a young player who might well be a superstar.
It's a big move by Guerin and a signal that he thinks the team is ready for a Cup run in the next couple of years. I hope he's right, because they have been fun to watch. It's astonishing what they're doing considering the platoon of AHL players they've been bringing up to fill in. I've been wondering where all this depth is people have been talking about and now I've seen first hand how good these young players are.
If Yurov continues to progress at the rate he has been since the start of the season, he's going to be a real good player by the time the playoffs roll around. It would also be huge if they can keep Tarasenko producing.
I still think they need to add a decent center.
I think we need a center too. Yurov has been just fine but I’ll be worried if he’s our 1C going into the playoffs. Those games are a different beast. We saw Boldy take a couple years before he could adjust to it. Yurov can get there, but to be there from the hop is a tall task.
With everyone returning, I think I’d actually keep the Russian line together to hopefully keep Tarasenko going, then maybe throw Hartman between Zuccy and Kirill again for now.
Was listening to 93X while working out this morning and caught some of the replay from Thursday HAMS where they were taking to Foligno. They mentioned that Hughes looks like Booger from revenge of the nerds. They aren’t wrong. 😂
He’s trying to jump into the offense a lot more to completely oversimplify it.
Hughes had an incredible shift in the first where he took the puck perpendicular to the offensive blue line, circled towards the middle and made a play. It’s stuff like that that only he can do. Faber needs to keep it simpler than that and there’s no shame in that.
Thanks for the explanation (for someone who loves watching hockey but never played and doesn't understand the strategy and tactics in the least)...
So in those situations when Hughes is pressing, he would, for example, rotate into the position Hughes left and stay back closer to the blue line, shifting laterally as needed to prevent a defender from getting behind him? And instead he was pressing forward toward the circle/slot/deeper offensive zone without enough leeway/momentum to get back behind the lead attacker?
Thanks again, it's a little embarrassing that I don't know this claiming to be some big hockey fan, but I've never actually dived into the strategy much.
Getting a bunch of players back today.
https://twitter.com/RussoHockey/status/2002409394147922288
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IMO-Faber is doing fine in the regard of covering for Hughes when he takes his chances. Faber's struggles are coming from him trying to do things that Hughes can do. It's clearly not as easy as Hughes makes it look.He’s trying to jump into the offense a lot more to completely oversimplify it.
Hughes had an incredible shift in the first where he took the puck perpendicular to the offensive blue line, circled towards the middle and made a play. It’s stuff like that that only he can do. Faber needs to keep it simpler than that and there’s no shame in that.
Thanks for the explanation (for someone who loves watching hockey but never played and doesn't understand the strategy and tactics in the least)...
So in those situations when Hughes is pressing, he would, for example, rotate into the position Hughes left and stay back closer to the blue line, shifting laterally as needed to prevent a defender from getting behind him? And instead he was pressing forward toward the circle/slot/deeper offensive zone without enough leeway/momentum to get back behind the lead attacker?
Thanks again, it's a little embarrassing that I don't know this claiming to be some big hockey fan, but I've never actually dived into the strategy much.
I do believe that this will eventually be a huge benefit to Faber's game, because he is more than capable of producing more offense than he has. But, it's going to take a minute to figure it all out.
He’s trying to jump into the offense a lot more to completely oversimplify it.
Hughes had an incredible shift in the first where he took the puck perpendicular to the offensive blue line, circled towards the middle and made a play. It’s stuff like that that only he can do. Faber needs to keep it simpler than that and there’s no shame in that.
Thanks for the explanation (for someone who loves watching hockey but never played and doesn't understand the strategy and tactics in the least)...
So in those situations when Hughes is pressing, he would, for example, rotate into the position Hughes left and stay back closer to the blue line, shifting laterally as needed to prevent a defender from getting behind him? And instead he was pressing forward toward the circle/slot/deeper offensive zone without enough leeway/momentum to get back behind the lead attacker?
Thanks again, it's a little embarrassing that I don't know this claiming to be some big hockey fan, but I've never actually dived into the strategy much.
He’s covering for Hughes just fine. The problem is more that he’s trying to do things Hughes does too.
Brock has some offensive flair, but he can’t play keep away on his own like Hughes.
im 0% worried about Brock overall. I think the whole room is just jacked up about the trade and they’ll get their balance figured out.
Hope I'm wrong, but this is usually the point in the season where they go in the tank for a couple of weeks and everyone goes back to being crabby and cynical.Getting a bunch of players back today.
Hope I'm wrong, but this is usually the point in the season where they go in the tank for a couple of weeks and everyone goes back to being crabby and cynical.Getting a bunch of players back today.
The Minnesotan in me also worries any time there is an influx of previously injured guys coming back in. Messes with the mojo.
Here are the lines.
https://twitter.com/jessi_pierce/status/2002464261315178981
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Got a barnburner on our hands.
Staying out of the penalty box would be wise.
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
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I think this dcore could end up being really good at 5x5, but they desperately need at least a couple of them to learn how to kill a penalty.Staying out of the penalty box would be wise.
Lines were really shaken up down the stretch of that period. Vinnie re-aggravate something or out of gas after having 13 games away?
Quiet first 2 periods for Kaprisov. Tougher to make thinks happen with a rusty Zuc + Hartman compared to playing with Erik Ek & Boldy.
Doesn't Zuccy have a couple of apples today?
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Looked offside in real time. Crazy close when you slow it down.
Tarasenko stays hot. Just keep him with Russians from here on out.
Would have been interesting to see the NHL's interpretation if that play constitutes Edmonton playing the puck into their own zone.Looked offside in real time. Crazy close when you slow it down.
Tarasenko stays hot. Just keep him with Russians from here on out.
IMO- The edmonton player directing the puck into is own end with his hand negates the possibility of offside.
That may be the reason they didn’t challenge. I didn’t notice he touched it.
Well that isn’t completely true. It clearly hit him, just unsure if this is a situation where “control” matters.
Regardless that was a fun game to watch. Nico’s ENG being credited to Marco Sturm in the arena was funny.
Some AMAZING saves by Gus late! Sturm with en goal. 5-2 win! The RED LINE of Trenin-Yurov-Tarasenko continues to produce. What a turnaround season by Trenin!
The Wild are now 2-0 against Oilers shutting them out in the 5 of the 6 periods. The first game was 1-0 at Edmonton (Wall of St. Paul with the shut out).
The Wild are the only team in the NHL with two 7 game winning streaks this season
Aloha!
Brodin's backwards skating is world class, and he did a nice job on McDavid...again. The Brodin-Spurgeon pairing has been shut down.
Great goaltending and the top lines for each team sort of canceled each other out.
If a team neutralizes Draisaitl and McD, the Oilers are beatable. Their depth isn’t what the Wild have and their goaltending isn’t even close.
Nice to see Teresenko surge. That's a really good line.
I was interested to see how Hynes would handle the D against a team like Edmonton. I thought he might consider putting Brodin and Faber back together to match up against McDavid and using Hughes and Spurgeon to create offense when McDavid wasn't on the ice. Not only did Hynes not do that, but he took every chance he got to get Hughes on against McDvavid. Hughes and Faber dominated him. It would be an significant advantage to have a top pair that can play 30 minutes a night against anyone.Brodin's backwards skating is world class, and he did a nice job on McDavid...again. The Brodin-Spurgeon pairing has been shut down.
Great goaltending and the top lines for each team sort of canceled each other out.
If a team neutralizes Draisaitl and McD, the Oilers are beatable. Their depth isn’t what the Wild have and their goaltending isn’t even close.
Nice to see Teresenko surge. That's a really good line.
In his post-game comments, he said he kept his pairings intact because they had to stop McDavid on one line and Draisaitl on another. The top 4 did a good job today.I was interested to see how Hynes would handle the D against a team like Edmonton. I thought he might consider putting Brodin and Faber back together to match up against McDavid and using Hughes and Spurgeon to create offense when McDavid wasn't on the ice. Not only did Hynes not do that, but he took every chance he got to get Hughes on against McDvavid. Hughes and Faber dominated him. It would be an significant advantage to have a top pair that can play 30 minutes a night against anyone.Brodin's backwards skating is world class, and he did a nice job on McDavid...again. The Brodin-Spurgeon pairing has been shut down.
Great goaltending and the top lines for each team sort of canceled each other out.
If a team neutralizes Draisaitl and McD, the Oilers are beatable. Their depth isn’t what the Wild have and their goaltending isn’t even close.
Nice to see Teresenko surge. That's a really good line.
He also mentioned they did try to match up Ek with the McDavid line.
McDavid was unbelievable today. He creates so much offense, even when the opponent stacks lines and defensive pairings against him. His puck control is other wordly.
Gustafson was there when he did break through.
Yeah, Boldy lead the team with 14:07 against McDavid. That kid is becoming a superstar. Hughes played 12:22 against McDavid and Brodin played 5:07. I would never have guessed that's how they would want those numbers to work out. They have pretty much the same problem to deal with tomorrow.In his post-game comments, he said he kept his pairings intact because they had to stop McDavid on one line and Draisaitl on another. The top 4 did a good job today.I was interested to see how Hynes would handle the D against a team like Edmonton. I thought he might consider putting Brodin and Faber back together to match up against McDavid and using Hughes and Spurgeon to create offense when McDavid wasn't on the ice. Not only did Hynes not do that, but he took every chance he got to get Hughes on against McDvavid. Hughes and Faber dominated him. It would be an significant advantage to have a top pair that can play 30 minutes a night against anyone.Brodin's backwards skating is world class, and he did a nice job on McDavid...again. The Brodin-Spurgeon pairing has been shut down.
Great goaltending and the top lines for each team sort of canceled each other out.
If a team neutralizes Draisaitl and McD, the Oilers are beatable. Their depth isn’t what the Wild have and their goaltending isn’t even close.
Nice to see Teresenko surge. That's a really good line.
He also mentioned they did try to match up Ek with the McDavid line.
McDavid was unbelievable today. He creates so much offense, even when the opponent stacks lines and defensive pairings against him. His puck control is other wordly.
Gustafson was there when he did break through.
I remember when some thought picking Boldy over Caufield was a mistake. Caufield may score more points, but Boldy is by far a better all around player. He is a beast.
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