Wild 2014/2015 Regular Season

[PierBridge]

You can laugh all you want. But to say we are done if we dont get 6 out of the next 8 points or the season is over is truly a LMAO notion imo.

The Kings were in 12th place with 50 games left and they were out of the playoffs with 2 games left in the season only to win their 1st cup.

Additionaly if you factor in games in hand we are at a near the 8th spot.

I have no problem with you switching your pre season top 4 prediction to now we are done with 50 games left but thats a bit crazy to me is all.

Go Wild!

[PierBridge]

Yeo said at the beginning of the season "we could win the Stanley Cup or we could miss the playoffs". I tend to agree. Its not a ridiculous statement at all considering the Western Conference.

As fans we need to not clutch the stick to tight now either. WIth the exception of Nashville we have games in hand over everyone above us. 3 games Calgary, LA and SJ have all played 3 more games than us. We have ground to make up, but you cover that gap and win these head to head matchups it will be a cake walk. :-)

This!

[PierBridge]

And hopefully this!!!

[bbfenatic]

The Kings were in 12th place with 50 games left and they were out of the playoffs with 2 games left in the season only to win their 1st cup.

If you have not figured it out yet we are no where near the caliber that team was. We'll see Pier...I certainly hope you are right and they turn it around, I am just saying I don't see that happening at this rate with this lineup...now if some personnel changes were made here or there that would help their chances IMO. Maybe Cooke is the missing link but highly doubtful.

[OnAFly]

I'll stick with my initial "we'll get into the playoffs easily" pre-season prediction, but only because I'm a stubborn ba$tard.

[CaptainMusky]

If you have not figured it out yet we are no where near the caliber that team was.

Let me preface this by saying I will not say a Wild goalie is Jonathan Quick, but all you need is a hot goalie.

Yes, that is a huge stretch to count on a hot goalie considering how ours have played thus far, but it wouldnt be a complete surprise either.

Kuemper played lights out for stretches the second half of the season last year. All we need is someone to get hot at the right time.

Quick did that for the Kings that season. No way they could have done that without it regardless of how good the team is/was up front. We have enough skill level on this team to do it, its just them DOING IT now.

I still contend this is 1 year early for the Stanley Cup. I say they make the playoffs and have a decent run (similar to last year), but next year is the one where we see the dynasty begins.

Remember to give credit where its due when it happens. :-)

[crothmeier]

Wife and I have tickets to the Nashville game tomorrow night. Sounds like Cooke and Carter could be back in the lineup. I hope so. We need the gritty that those two bring. I read that Cooke practiced on a line with Nino and Coyle. I really like that line. They should be a beast of a line in the offensive zone.

[PierBridge]

I was thinking cooke carter and sutter might be able to thump some heads as a line!

[crothmeier]

Sutter headed back to Iowa.

Coyle had some success last year with Nino and Cooke, maybe this could be a change that gets him going.

Listening and reading after the past few games i think Parise wears the "C" next year not Mikko. He's the clear cut leader of our team.

[bbfenatic]

Sutter headed back to Iowa.

that surprises me a little, I also think we need him to push a few more opponents around, we may be highly skilled but lack toughness big time. I thought he was making his presence felt in a good way but probably a roster/money move.

[bbfenatic]

Whoda thunk we could give up 6 goals and still earn a point? Great comeback but to fall short at home is a bummer...defensively for both teams it was a bit of a struggle....bring on the Flyers.

[CaptainMusky]

Kuemper is performing just like a guy who deserves to hang tough for a contract isn't he? Completely lousy! Its what 5 times he has been pulled this season isn't it? Pathetic.

I stand by what I said about him before he had no leg to stand on when being difficult with this contract. He better get out there and perform.

The first line had a good game last night. Parise and vanek with some big goals.

Glad we got one and something to be said about being the only team thus far to get 5 on Rinne. Without him we win that game easy. Or without the sieve kuemper we win that game easily. Extremely frustrated with his play thus far.

[OnAFly]

I hope for Kuemper's sake he's got a backup plan if this whole NHL goaltender thing doesn't pan out.

That was just bad. He should be in the AHL, but would have to go through waivers where he would likely get scooped up. If he stays in the NHL and gets undressed every night, he's shot mentally. Really, I think his situation is an unfortunate combination of the Wild's goalie situation with Harding and his demand of a one way contract and holding out in negotiation.

He's flat out not mature enough for the NHL and playing there could be hurting his long term development. If his agent would have been a bit smart, he may have told Kuemper that he'll get paid a whole lot more in the end by developing the right way and becoming a solid NHL instead of handcuffing his team into playing him in situation he's not ready for.

[CaptainMusky]

Onafly agreed 100%! Goalies are almost always take longer to develop. The vast majority of it is mental. He clearly has skill but the between the ears isn't working right now.

The wild were over a barrel with harding so had to do something. Thankfully its only two years.

[OnAFly]

So far the best part of this game has been the fresh hopped IPA I'm having while watching it. Suter having trouble keeping up with the long minutes lately?

[CaptainMusky]

[OnAFly]

Soooo...we're going for McDavid then? We've still got a ways to fall.

[RuKiddingMe]

I see a trade in the Wild future and it will be to bring in a goalie, my only fear is what we lose to make it happen. This goalie situation is so bad right now, yes the defense is lacking in the "helping out" BUT there have been enough "fluff" goals against the Wild in the last handful of games that the Wild should really have an extra 6+ points in the standings, ouch 6 points. With the back to back coming with Winnipeg if they don't take both games or even salvage at least 3 points out of the games this hole they have dug themselves is going to get to be too much to pull out of, they are losing ground and the Av's are now 1 point behind... yikes.

[OnAFly]

Russo's reporting that no trades or coaching changes are going to happen and the players need to figure this out. He says he's convinced that they have the right pieces, but are not performing. I don't know how much of this is toeing the company line, but apparently we may bot be in store for any shake-ups.

On the bright side, only one goal (Simmons') was on Keumper. The rest were defensive lapses.

[bbfenatic]

Soooo...we're going for McDavid then? We've still got a ways to fall.

LOL If they continue to play like this they might end up in that position. That was absolutely horrible. Too many cute pass attempts that go nowhere...they should be able to go tape to tape but not even close most times and we have no snipers that can be set up. They are a complete mess at this point and don't seem to have any answers. One change I would make is to take Vanek out of the lineup and bring up Sutter again or start bringing up hopefuls one at a time that have grit, play with motivation, and go both ways....and don't wait...start making needed changes up and down the lineup now to make a statement to the players that we will not stand for this level of play.

[bbfenatic]

I see a trade in the Wild future and it will be to bring in a goalie, my only fear is what we lose to make it happen.

IMO there are very few players on this team I'd be fearful of losing right now to get a good goalie but problems are a lot deeper than just the tending. Speed and Skill only get you so far and it appears we are a team full of 175-200lb supposedly skilled players trying to "outwork" opponents who are 210-250lbs and just as skilled and we look wore out, know we can't win in the trenches and quit even trying many times.

[crothmeier]

I'm a firm believer its going to take a major shakeup to get this team to respond. By either bringing in a player or coach.

I'm in favor of benching Vanek, his work ethic makes Mary Ann Gaborik look like Parise. We shuffle him around lines to accomodate and try to get him going at the expense of everyone else. With that said the blame can't lie entirely on him so i dont knwo what kind of message that sends to the rest of the team. I liked how Sutter played. Kid made the most of his time up here.

Fontaine, Haula and Prosser have been non existant. CHArlie hasnt done much either, we need him to get going. He played better last year with two seperated shoulders.

Brodin looked awful last night. the first two goals were on him. We just look lost and disoriented.

[OnAFly]

Prosser has been very present....making incredibly bad plays. He's not close to an NHL caliber defenseman. There's a reason STL waived him.

[CaptainMusky]

Prosser shouldn't be on the ice ever. I like Falk way more than him and he has some size.

I agree on Sutter. Put that kid out there in place of Fontaine.

[knoppers]

it seems like every time there is a goal scored against us, prosser is on the ice.