Showing posts with label Missed opportunity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Missed opportunity. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

3 Hours I'll Never Get Back



Wild @ Avalanche - Western Conference Quarterfinals Game 4 - View from the Couch
Well, this was better for the heart. That's about the only positive thing Wild fans can take from game 4. Unfortunately it may cause ulcers. Colorado wins big time. It was 2-0 before the 5 minute mark, 4-0 before the game was half over, and 5-0 after 2 periods. Mikko Koivu did score in the 3rd to continue his torrid playoff as well as the Wild's don't-score-until-the-3rd-period philosophy, for a 5-1 final.

Basically, the Wild did not show up for this one, and that's sad for the 4th game of the playoffs in a series they should win.

Not happy with the performance tonite at all. The Wild were clearly not mentally into this game. Two of the goals came off turnovers, they took a too-many-men penalty in the 1st, and the intensity wasn't there like it was last nite. It seemed they were content with the split in Colorado. This has been a problem all season for the Wild. With a chance to put their peverbial foot down on the perverbial throat of a team, they laid an egg.

The Wizzy were extreemly undisciplined and showed no composure, talking penalty after penalty. Derek Boogard lost it, shooting the puck down the ice in frustration and bumping into an Avs player after another penalty call...taking a misconduct that turned into a 5-on-3 Avalanche powerplay. Eric Bellanger went crazy trying to punch people. Stephane Velleiux chattered back and forth in the penalty box with Cody McLoud, mimicing his toothless jawing. Velleiux better keep his head up the rest of the series. Then Velleiux squared off with Ian Laperriere. The Wild seemed to forget about the fact that there was a hockey game going on and just wanted to hit people. Almost like they wanted to validate Mark Kiszla's story. Very disheartening. They finished with 111 minutes in penalties. Ish.

This game just wouldn't end and sucked the life out of me. As a fellow Wild fan sent me in a textie, "Pain. Ful."

Fight to Bring the Cup to St. Paul
The Cup feels alot further away after tonite's game. The good thing is that it's just 1 game and the series is now tied 2-2. While the momentum may be with Colorado, someone still needs to win 2 out of the next 3, and 2 of them will be at Xcel Energy Center. That said, the next game is huge. Wild need to regain the momentum.

Next on the Docket - Avalanche @ Wild - Thurs 4-17-08
Hopefully they've put this silliness behind them. Hopefully Coach Lemaire lays into this team...knocks over a Gatorade table copyright Herb Brooks. If not, this series will be over in 6 and Pepsi Center will be happy Saturday nite. I'll be in attendance at the X on Thursday, and while I expect the crowd to be loud, I also envision a little tentativeness after tonight's game. I have an idea, how bout if we score 1st and not take 18 million penalties? Wild 4 Avs 3

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

This is Only Game 1?

08 Cup Logo

Avalanche @ Wild - Western Conference Quarterfinals Game 1 - View from My Living Room
I can't take 7 games of this. This game had classic Minnesota Wild ebb and flow. Wild dominate the 1st but don't score. They don't show up for the 2nd and get down 2 goals. Mikko Koivu gets a goal off a skate and then tie it up on a pretty pretty powerplay goal by Todd Fedoruk. Then you get the drama of an Avs penalty shot with less than 5 minutes left against the worst shootout goalie in the history of the NHL, and Niklas Backstrom makes a great save to stay alive. They hold off a surging Avalanche team to get to overtime. The OT was back and forth, the Wild get 2 glorious chances to end it but Avalanche G Jose Theodore stops Brent Burns and the Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra. Then Wild killer Joe Sakic scores the game winner, Avs win 3-2. Pretty much how you would script this game.

Now I gotta go to work all early and bummed tomorrow.

Jots

  • Wild were 1 for 5 on the powerplay with the one goal in the 3rd that tied it up. Connecting early on one of those PP opportunities would have jacked up the crowd and could have meant something different in the outcome. Conversely, Colorado was 1 for 1.
  • The Wild were terrible in the 2nd. The defensemen were trying to swipe the puck away from the Avs instead of taking the body, like they did in the 1st.
  • Sticking with the D, they're going to have to tighten up. Replacing Nick Schultz with Pterri Nummelin is obviously not a good situation, and it showed a bit tonite. On the 1st Avalanche goal, Kurt Sauer beat Keith Carney to get in front of the net and took a pass from Joe Sakic for the lead. It was bang bang, and if Carney can stay in front of him it doesn't happen.
  • Mark Parrish left the game with a head injury in the 2nd period. He went hard into the boards at the Wild bench and play was stopped for several minutes while he was helped off the ice. He just gets back into the lineup and goes out with an injury. Tough break for the hometown boy.
  • I liked the resiliency of both teams tonite. The Wild for tying it in the 3rd, and the Avs for coming out strong after that tying goal. They carried the momentum for most of the way after that, and unfortunately the Wild could not counter.
  • Niklas Backstrom played a real good game tonite. He kept the Wild in it, especially on the penalty shot against Ryan Smyth, who really needs a haircut.
  • The Wild seemed to go into home-run pass mode in the OT. Their two big chances came that way, but they weren't able to sustain any pressure down low. That translated into finally breaking in and allowing the game-winner.
  • Brian Rolston still on the playoff hot seat.
  • It was painful watching the highlight of Sakic's goal on Versus. It was in HD so it looked real good, while the actual game at my house was in ug-o-vision on KSTC 45. Friday's game is scheduled for FSN-HD.

The Fight to Bring the Cup to St. Paul
Wild are now down 1 games to 0 in this best of 7. Best-case scenario - Wild win the next 3 to make game 5 to win the series. That's best-case because I have tix to game 5.

Next on the Docket - Avalanche @ Wild - Fri 4-11-08
Gotta do this all over again Friday. I thought losing game 1 was worst-case scenario for the Wild. They fought so hard to win the division, and now it doesn't matter because now Colorado has home-ice advantage. They HAVE to come out strong for all 3 periods and win Friday. They need to get more chances in front of the net. The team seemed pretty upbeat and encouraged that they played a solid game, and there's some truth to that as they very well could have won the game had the puck bounced a different way. I think they win Friday. Wild 3 Avs 1