Wild 2013-14 season

[CaptainMusky]

Priceless....

[Bear55]

Just going to throw this out there, hope you guys don't freak out when we don't get past the first round playoffs again. We likely get the Blues, Hawks or Ducks depending on how it all shakes out and they are all wicked good in a beefed up West. Don't think the kids are ready yet either. Not saying we can't do some damage but I'm not sure if this is our year just yet.

[bbfenatic]

Just going to throw this out there, hope you guys don't freak out when we don't get past the first round playoffs again. We likely get the Blues, Hawks or Ducks depending on how it all shakes out and they are all wicked good in a beefed up West. Don't think the kids are ready yet either. Not saying we can't do some damage but I'm not sure if this is our year just yet.

Sorry but you can't roll with the "kids aren't ready" excuse anymore for gosh sakes, Fletch made sure of that...this certainly is no longer a lineup full of "kids"! One and done and Yeo is toast...and should be for darn sure...no need to back down or think we cannot compete with anyone right now. It will come down to goaltending and Keumper is as hot as it gets, my guess is they go deep into the playoffs as the Vets know this may be as good as chance they will have before they start tailing off and they will rise to the occasion.

[CaptainMusky]

I agree with bear. At the beginning of this season I had said this is a staging year and next year is the one to make a push.

We still have some very young guys at key positions. They have gained lots of experience with the players they added but next year is the one I think they can really contend. Imagine a team without heatley and having vanek along with another solid d man. Oh boy I'm just salivating.

Teams were already having issues with our first line now. Add in moulson and our second line is tough too.

I hope they resign him, pick up vanek and a solid d man. Lord Stanley here we come.

[10,000 Casts]

Yep I still think we're out in the first round too. Maybe if we can find a way to climb up to the 6th or even 5th spot then we'd have a chance but the west is just too good this year. But you never know..

[bbfenatic]

And there's always the next year after next year too.

[Bear55]

I like your fire bbfenatic but the kids are still kids, none of them have 2 seasons worth of nhl games under their belts, that usually doesn't lead to playoff success. Nino has 126 NHL games but half of those were with NY on the 4th line as a 19 year old. Brodin 100 or so and Granlund and Coyle around 80 NHL games.

I love our group of vets, best we have ever had but they aren't really elite among their piers outside of Suter. Just look around at the top teams in the west, then pick out the top 5 players on every team, we don't stack up well. The only way to make up that gap is with some serious depth and we will get our depth from our top end youth. They are close but not there yet.

We know what we are getting with the vets, I don't see any of them breaking out above what they are producing this year, at least not much. However, the kids have lots of room to grow in the next handful of seasons. Just imagine this team with Granlund close to PPG, Nino and Coyle scoring 20+ goals and Brodin with 35-50 points from the back end. Not to mention Spurgie, Scandella, Fontaine or even Zucker improving their games.

I don't want to say it can't happen this year because any team who makes the playoffs and gets hot can win it all but history isn't on our side this year. However every year going forward with improvement I like our chances more and more.

[Bear55]

Here is a pretty amazing article that predicted the cup finals last year (April 2013). I doubt this formula gets it right every year but there was a lot of great info here that kind of separates the true contenders from the also-rans.

http://www.hookedonhockeymagazine.com/which-teams-best-resemble-past-stanley-cup-champions/

[Bear55]

Really Mike Modano night? Just pour some salt in the wound, take our best draft pick ever, take our team and to top it off win the cup. Ya I really hate Dallas even thought its no fault of anyone associated with the current team or the city.

[muskiemanAD]

Sorry Ballard that pass will cost you some time in press box. BTW he gave up a break away that resulted in winning goal... Why we played him over Prosser??

[CaptainMusky]

Ballard certainly does have some head scratched remote throwing moments. That was one last night. I didn't see passes that bad in the HS tourney games.

[Bear55]

Yep Ballard gave that one away.

[schmitty3]

Tough loss tonight! They deserved that W, can't count the number of chances they had that shoulda resulted in goals! Oh well at least we picked up 1 point and at the very least showed we can hang with St. Louis

[OnAFly]

Haula got screwed on that play where he drove the net. Should have been a 2 at most. Technically, the DAL defenseman should have gotten 2 for tripping.

BTW, how come our guy drives the net, gets tripped up and takes out the goalie and gets a 5 plus the game. Other teams go this to us with blatant intent to injure, they get a 2 min minor.

I only caught the replays of the STL game. They didn't show the goals against. How did Bryz look?

EDIT: Ballard the latest incarnation of Martin Skoula. Just bone headed moves out of the blue.

[RK]

Really Mike Modano night? Just pour some salt in the wound, take our best draft pick ever, take our team and to top it off win the cup. Ya I really hate Dallas even thought its no fault of anyone associated with the current team or the city.

Yeah, didn't have to look too hard to find the old anger watching that...

Tough couple games but a lot of positives all the same, especially hanging with what I consider the best team in the league in St Louis. They're 18-0-1 in the division, which is pretty remarkable considering how good Chicago and Colorado are, and the Wild just behind them quality-wise.

Not a team I'd like to see in the playoffs though. Just a big, nasty, skilled team that plays a heavy game. I did get the feeling though that the Wild got pushed around less than they might have in the past.

[hoppe56307]

I only caught the replays of the STL game. They didn't show the goals against. How did Bryz look?

I thought he looked good after the first, but we also played some pretty good defense in front of him. The second goal he gave up he was completely screened by Coyle had no idea where it was coming from.

[10,000 Casts]

Quote:

How did Bryz look?

Not as good as I was hoping.. I'm no goalie expert but he looked rusty. But I think he only faced 13 shots and he gave up 2 goals on 4 shots in the first and there could have been a 3rd if the ref didn't blow a quick whistle.

[10,000 Casts]

On another note, Moulson is a stud and a HUGE addition to this team.

[Bear55]

Haula got screwed on that play where he drove the net. Should have been a 2 at most. Technically, the DAL defenseman should have gotten 2 for tripping.

I think the call was fair, pretty brutal hit despite the fact that he got tripped up. Things happened so fast I don't know how the refs could have caught that, even then its hard not to make a call there because of the injury. It does suck that they score on the PP and then Ballard gave away the game.

Missed most the game last night but sounds like we played well, nothing wrong with a shootout loss. If Elliot doesn't make that amazing save on Granlund we would have won in regulation.

[Bear55]

On another note, Moulson is a stud and a HUGE addition to this team.

Yep really like Moulson, that whole line has looked pretty good. Really like what I am seeing from Haula too, kid could be one of those 7th round steals in a few years.

[bbfenatic]

Back to back good performances IMO. Dallas is really coming on, very young and entergetic team.....St. Louis definite cup contender. Personally I wish Yeo would not put Parise out for shootouts....or it least hide him last of the three...his skills are much better in live "in the moment" plays and although he is the leader of the team Yeo could make better choices...Molson is actually a great shootout performer...and others could do better IMO as well.

[CaptainMusky]

Speaking of shootouts, can someone tell Koivu that his stick does actually have a forehand?

Everyone knows his move, they expect it. I know it has worked, but come on it is so predictable.

OK, off that soapbox.

Bryz in the first I thought looked rusty aside from the 2 he let in. One was definitely a screen job so that is tough, but he wasnt out far from the crease. IMO same play, same position and Kuemper in goal he saves it because he is so dam big!

Otherwise he settled down after that, but it was such a defensive struggle that few shots resulted on net.

The Koivu, Moulson, Coyle line is very impressive. So pleased with Moulson pick up right now. I think its going to help Coyle tremendously too to be on that line. He doesnt have to play center. Koivu is good at distributing the puck and Moulson is just a beast. That is a tough line to match up with. I really see our first two lines matching up really well with anyone right now.

[RK]

Re: Moulson - Koivu - Coyle... Man what an upgrade over Heately at LW. Moulson is so much more mobile and more physical. You could see them giving the Blues D fits on the forecheck, and that's against a team with some D-men that play a pretty heavy game. Looking forward to seeing what they can do when they've had some more time to gel as a unit.

Now...nobody get hurt...

[Bear55]

Now...nobody get hurt...

Don't jinx us now!

[CaptainMusky]

Don't jinx us now!

Oh no, now you did it, you jinxed it by saying dont jinx it.

Yes, lack of injuries will be key for this team right now. If they can all stay healthy and play together to get familiar with their new line mates we could have a fun time in coming weeks.

I really like how Haula has stepped up his game, being more aggressive. These young guys are growing leaps and bounds.

Still a little disappointed with Brodin this year, but I think he set the bar so high last year and how he started this year that maybe our expectations need a little reality check. The injury didnt help either. That was the turning point. It will come though. These guys are just really getting used to playing these numbers of games.