Similarities in Playoff Series for Wild

Last season marked the first time the Minnesota Wild had made the playoffs since winning the Northwest Division in 2008, but would be matched up with the Stanley Cup favorite, Chicago Blackhawks.

This season, just squeaking in again, Minnesota is in a battle with longtime rival, Colorado, after the Avalanche won the division for the first time since 2003. I wonder how that season ended up for them.

Looking back to the first three games of last seasons playoffs for Minnesota and comparing them to this years, I see a lot of things similar in the ways the games have been played.

Starting with both game one's, an overtime post would cost Minnesota that important game one victory to gain momentum in the series. Last year it was Jason Zucker hitting the crossbar, and this year was Jason Pominville ringing one off of the far post. One big difference in each series first games is that Minnesota would dominate the first two periods and much more scoring in the game because of it.

In game two, the Wild looked like they were in awe of the young and speedy Avalanche. Seeming to not get anything together, even after scoring the first goal, Colorado would score three unanswered to skate to a game two victory and take a 2-0 series lead going into game three at Xcel Energy Center, just like the Blackhawks would last year.

Although game three between Chicago and Minnesota was played pretty even and Minnesota would dominate the Avs last night, the result was still the same between the two games, young guns scoring in dramatic fashion in overtime. Last year was Jason Zucker who fired a rocket from near the goal line and would beat Corey Crawford for the victory. This year, it was Granny's turn. In a play that was dominated by him, Granlund would fight off a check, take the puck to the slot, and score laying flat on the ice with the Avalanche goaltender having no chance at making the save, giving the Wild a game three victory once again.

Compared to last season, this Wild team is much stronger, much more skilled, and have much more chemistry then they did at this time last season. I would expect another strong showing for Minnesota Thursday night and for the rest of the series. If they play like they did last night for the rest of the series, Colorado will be going home early this playoff season.

(video) Brent Seabrook's dirty hit on David Backes (with quotes)

I would have to think that Blackhawks Defenseman Brent Seabrook is going to get a two-tree game suspension for this hit. For the record, Seabrook has never been suspended.

15:09 CHI Brent Seabrook served by Antti Raanta Charging (maj) - 5 min against David Backes
15:09 CHI Brent Seabrook Game misconduct - 10 min against David Backes

Biggest test to date for new #NHL discipline chief Stephane Quintal in regard to how he handles Brent Seabrook hit.
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) April 20, 2014

NHL taking look at both Bryan Bickell's kneeing to Vladimir Sobotka and Brent Seabrook's hit on David Backes. No word yet on hearings.
— Chris Kuc (@ChrisKuc) April 19, 2014

#Blackhawks' Brent Seabrook on Blues' David Backes: "I hope Backes is feeling all right and I hope he’s doing OK."
— Chris Kuc (@ChrisKuc) April 19, 2014

#Blackhawks' Brent Seabrook: "Hits have been laid like that from both sides the whole series. We’ll see what happens."
— Chris Kuc (@ChrisKuc) April 19, 2014

Jeremy Roenick basically just defended Brent Seabrook's hit. Idiot. "Backes has been taking runs at the Blackhawks all series."
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin9) April 20, 2014

Joel Quenneville Goes Nuts on the bench League will review

Blackhawks vs. Blues: This Rivalry Never Gets Old

Tomorrow is going to probably be the most exciting day in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a long time. You have all four games being big time rivalry games. However, I think most eyes will be on the battle of Central Division rivals in Chicago and St. Louis.

Chicago, the more offensively flavored team, looks to keep this a high flying, wide open style of game to highlight their great offensive talents. With both Toews and Kane returning for game one, although they say they are 100% who knows if they really are, that just adds that extra offensive flair and swagger Chicago needs to skate around a struggling Blues team.

As for the Blues, they did not end their regular season they way they would have probably wanted. Losing five out of their last seven games, getting beaten and battered with the injury bug, the Blues are going into the playoffs with virtually no momentum what so ever. That being said, Oshie and captain Backes are returning tomorrow night for game one, but like with Toews and Kane, who knows if they are actually at 100%. I guess we will have to see how aggressive they play tomorrow.

To beat the Blackhawks, St. Louis is going to have to keep these games low scoring and be very physical like they love to be. This series is going to remind me a lot of the UND Gopher game from the Frozen Four this year, if it were a seven game series. Every single game will be played with a lot of speed and a lot of physicality.

As for who is going to win this series? If these games turn into high scoring style of game I would have to give the advantage to the Blackhawks. It's just their style of game, but have proven to have a little physicality as well with players like Bickell, Bolig, and Shaw. That being said, St. Louis needs to use their physicality to slow down the game and keep the Hawks off the board.

I picked Chicago to win this series because the Blues are coming in with absolutely no momentum and a struggling Ryan Miller. The series is competitive, but the Blues wont be able to finish off the series.

My NHL Stanley Cup Predictions - Bruins win Rematch over the Blackhawks

Zach Hawkins has made his predictions for the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, here's mine. Feel free to chime in with your picks.

2014 Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions

EAST:
Round 1:
Boston over Detroit
Montreal over Tampa
Philly over NYR
Pittsburgh over Columbus

Round 2:
Philly over Pittsburgh
Boston over Montreal

Round 3:
Philly over Boston

WEST:
Round 1:
Anaheim over Dallas
LA over San Jose
Colorado over Minnesota
Chicago over St. Louis

Round 2:
Anaheim over LA
Colorado over Chicago

Round 3:
Colorado over Anaheim

STANLEY CUP FINALS:
Colorado over Philly

Minnesota Wild: Brandon Bollig Hits Zach Parise in the back of the head

Another night, another NHL player hit in the head by an elbow/forearm, there's no excusing this hit. The NHL needs to start protecting its players from predatory type hits, or we're going to have all of the star players on the shelf. This is unacceptable; please tell me why Brandon Bollig needs to hit Zach Parise in this instance, for one it’s from behind. That’s a penalty in itself.

Yeo on Bollig hit on Parise: "Didn't like it. Saw it coming." Said he "targeted" guys his previous shift with late hits #mnwild #blackhawks
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) April 4, 2014

Parise says he has a headache from Bollig: hasn't seen replay, but "all I know is I got hit in the head pretty good." #mnwild
— Michael Russo (@Russostrib) April 4, 2014

(video) Douglas Murray on Mike Kostka

Here's the video of the Douglas Murray on Mike Kostka. It's pretty clear that it's a shoulder to the head. Murray has a hearing with the NHL's department of player safety. Murray never been suspended by the NHL according to his player page on TSN.CA.

Moment of impact on Murray-Kostka hit. #Habs #Bolts pic.twitter.com/NjNt4LYX19
— NHLEXPERTPICKS.COM (@NHLexpertpicks) April 2, 2014

Douglas Murray hit on Mike Kostka (GIFS) Has Hearing...

GIF: Doug Murray elbowing Mike Kostka in the head. Awful. http://t.co/El6d6JAUyQ
— Pat Iversen (@PatIversen) April 2, 2014

Hab's defenseman Douglas Murray should be getting a long suspension from the NHL's Department of Player Safety after this dirty, bush-league hit on Lightning defenseman Mike Kostka. This is unacceptable. What's your prediction for this suspension?

@CanadiensMTL Douglas Murray awaits a hearing with player safety after hit on @TBLightning Mike kostka. He has been suspended Indefinitely.
— NHL News (@Chel_Stats) April 2, 2014

Tough Road Trip Ahead for Minnesota

After last night's head shaker, the Minnesota Wild now find themselves leaving home on what could be their toughest road trip of the season. On this trip, the team will make stops in St. Louis, Phoenix, LA, and their last stop is at the Madhouse on Madison against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Tonight two huge points are on the line as the green and white invade Scottrade Center in St. Louis to play the first place Blues. In the two teams last meeting at Xcel, Minnesota would rally for one point as they would fall in the shootout. However, many positives would come from this game. One, this proved that the Wild are capable of skating with the top dogs in the NHL. Two, they are able to overcome adversity coming from behind, tying the game in the third, and sending it to overtime and eventually the shootout.

Tonight's game may be a little different though. Minnesota, who just played last night, is coming into St. Louis after a 5-2 loss against the Vancouver Canucks.  Yes they would throw 31 shots on goal, but had major struggles to capitalize on premium scoring chances, and had a few costly turnovers. I would expect Ilya Bryzgalov to get the call in St. Louis tonight as the Wild look to get the much needed two points and remain the top wild card team.

After tonight, Minnesota travels to face a Phoenix team who sits just three points behind the Wild for the top wild card spot. This is probably the biggest game of the season for Minnesota, and a must win in regulation. The Coyotes are a team that not many talk about, so there is no pressure on them making their season a lot less stressful on this team.

From the desert the Wild will travel to Hollywood as they face-off against the LA Kings at Staples Center. Minnesota really has not done too well in LA in recent history, but need to change history in order to keep their playoff push strong. LA is also the new home to the first ever Minnesota Wild draft pick Marian Gaborik. Although Gabby would have many injury problems towards the end of his time in Minnesota, New York, and Columbus, he is always a threat to score when he is on the ice and makes this LA offense that much more lethal. The Minnesota defense is going to have to be at the top of their game or LA will blow this one wide open.

Finally, from LA Minnesota travels to the Windy City to play the Chicago Blackhawks. These two teams have had a lot of history in the last two seasons, including last year's playoffs, and look to have another tight battle on the ice. Minnesota has found some success playing in Chicago this season and lets hope they can continue to have it.

The road doesn't get much easier as the season draws to a close for Minnesota, but this tough end of season schedule might be just what this team needs to prime themselves for the playoffs. It is looking like right now the Wild will be playing the winner of the Pacific Division, provided no major changes in the standings between now and the second week in April.

If NHL Playoffs Started Today....

With just two and a half weeks left in the NHL season lets have a little fun and see how the playoffs would match-up if they were to start right now. Remember, the playoff format has been changed from last season. The top three finishers in each of the four divisions will make the playoffs along with two wild card spots for each conference. The top division winner in each conference will play the second wild card team, as the other division winner plays the top wild card team. This then leaves the second and third place teams in each division. These two teams will meet in the first round, just enhancing the inner division rivalries.

We will start out east. Sitting at the top of the conference, and the Atlantic Division, the surging Boston Bruins look like they are the favorite to come out of the East. However, Pittsburgh is always tough and the Rangers seem to be finding their stride down the stretch, so things could be very interesting as the season out east begins to wind down.

As of right now, the three teams making it in the Atlantic Division would be the first place Bruins, second place Canadians, and third place Lightning. Tampa is on their longest point streak dating back to when they won the Stanley Cup in the 2003-2004 season. The Montreal Canadians made a splash at the trade deadline to grab scorer Thomas Vanek from the Islanders to add a little more depth to their line-up for the stretch run. No explanation is needed for the Boston Bruins. They are about as deep as they come from top to bottom. They are my favorite to come out of the East, but the competitiveness of the NHL today anything can happen.

In the Metropolitan Division, the Pittsburgh Penguins are leading the charge, like they have for much of the season. Making the late charge after a horrible start, the Flyers are now finding themselves in the playoff mix sitting in third place in the division. Captain Claude Giroux has found his scoring touch and the rest of the team has followed his lead. The New York Rangers are the hottest team in the division right now on a four game winning streak, and with the trade deadline addition of Marty St. Louis, they look for a little more playoff experience, and a little bit more scoring then Ryan Callahan provided.

Finally we have the two wild card teams. There are four teams tied with 80 points, but the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings are the two teams shown in the two slots. People laughed at me before the season started when I picked the Blue Jackets to make the playoffs, or just be in the playoff hunt. Lets just say I will take my apologies at anytime from all who laughed at me. Still in the hunt, however, are the Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, and I will go as far to include the New Jersey Devils who are sitting at 75 points right now.

My pick to come out of the east needs to be the Boston Bruins. The only team that comes close in the east to match their depth is the Penguins. However, you can never count anyone out in the NHL.

Moving west, this is the superior conference in the NHL and it looks that barely anyone out east will be able to compete with anyone in the west. With three teams over 100 points, and likely to be four or five by seasons end, my Cup winner will be out of the west this year.

Starting in the ever so tough Central Division, we have the red hot St. Louis Blues leading the charge at 103 points. In a division where everyone thought that the Blackhawks, who are in second, would win outright this season after their amazing cup run last year, the St. Louis Blues are only a little bit of a surprise to the NHL community this season. Probably the biggest surprise coming out of the St. Louis camp would be the play of Alexander Steen this season. Having a career year, Steen, along with usual suspects in Backes and Oshie, are leading the charge. Probably the biggest surprise in this division is the third place Colorado Avalanche. New head coach, and my pick to win the Jack Adams award for coach of the year, Patrick Roy grabbed the bull by the horns and utilized this young and talented team, making their opponents look like fools this season.

In the Pacific, we have the usual suspects at the top with San Jose, LA and Anaheim. The Sharks currently occupy the top spot in the division, but the Ducks are breathing down their neck just two points back right now. At points of this season, the Ducks were considered the best team in the NHL and, in my opinion, are a very good favorite to come out of the west this year, or at least make it to the west finals. Finally, we have the Kings quietly doing their thing in third place in the division. With their cheap deadline deal with the Blue Jackets acquiring Marian Gaborik, this team is always a threat to score. If Gaborik can stay away from the injury bug that has plagued him for nearly his entire career, the Kings look to bring themselves back to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Now for the two wild card teams in the west. First we have the streaky Minnesota Wild. The Wild would add Matt Moulson at the trade deadline to make what should be three complete lines that should be a threat to put the puck into the net. However, this is not the story. Coach Mike Yeo is having trouble in finding chemistry within his lines, but saw a ray of hope in their overtime victory Sunday night in Detroit. You also can't talk about the Wild without talking about Darcy Kuemper. Kuemper has taken over the number one role between the pipes with injuries to Josh Harding and Nik Backstrom and has ran with it. Sitting in the second wild card is the Phoenix Coyotes. With the Stars not too far behind, the margin for error is not that big for Phoenix. One thing that might trouble the Coyotes is the injury to their goalie Mike Smith. One can only wonder how far they can go without their number one.

As to who is coming out of the west, this is going to be very difficult. However, I am going to have to take the Chicago Blackhawks because with the majority of the team from last season, they know what they have to do to get the job done. They are also my pick to win the Cup and win the first back to back since the Red Wings did it in 1997-1998.

NCHC honors Zane Gothberg and Luke Johnson

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Luke Johnson, North Dakota

Freshman Forward

Grand Forks, N.D.

Johnson sparked North Dakota to a sweep at Minnesota Duluth, UND’s second straight sweep, behind a two-goal, four-point series. In Friday’s 3-0 victory, the Chicago Blackhawks prospect had a hand in all three goals for a career-high three-point game, scoring twice and assisting on the other. Johnson scored the game’s first goal in the first period on the power play, which proved to be the game-winner, while he set up the second goal with the primary assist and capped the outing with an unassisted goal in the third period. He had a +2 rating in the game and was named the game’s first star. The next night, Johnson assisted on a power play goal in the second period that tied the game at 2-2 as UND went on to a 6-2 victory. He completed the weekend with a +2 rating while earning NCHC Rookie of the Week for the second time this season.

GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK

Zane Gothberg, North Dakota

Sophomore Goaltender

Thief River Falls, Minn.

Gothberg continued his strong play in net of late, backstopping North Dakota to a sweep at Minnesota Duluth. He played all 120 minutes in net, while allowing just two goals in the series with a .970 save percentage and a 1.00 goals-against average. In Friday’s 3-0 win, the Boston Bruins prospect stopped all 33 shots that came his way in his second start back from injury to pitch his first career shutout, while he was named the game’s second star. On Saturday, Gothberg totaled 31 saves on 33 shots against in a 6-2 victory, while stopping all 23 shots over the final 40 minutes, as he is now unbeaten in his last 12 starts. He also helped UND go 9-for-9 on the penalty kill against the Bulldogs, including 5-for-5 on Saturday. Gothberg totaled 64 saves in the wins while claiming NCHC Goaltender of the Week for the second time this season.

@UNDSID have to think that Gothberg should be @TheNCHC defensive player of the week
— Eric J. Burton THW (@goon48) February 23, 2014

Related articles

• UND Hockey: Another Circle of Sticks and More Inner Geek (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• UND vs UND: Series preview (hockeywilderness.com)
• NCHC Hockey: Breaking Down the Numbers Half Way Point (thehockeywriters.com)

Brandon Bollig shot off Darcy Kuemper's mask

s/t @CJZERO Checkout this shot by Chicago Blackhawks forward Brandon Bollig as he puts a snapshot off of Wild goaltender Darcy Kuemper's mask... Ouch!

The Slovakian 2014 Olympic hockey team

Defense 

Zdeno Chara  (Boston Bruins)

Martin Marincin (Edmonton Oilers)

Andrej Meszaros (Philadelphia Flyers)

Andrej Sekera (Carolina Hurricanes)

Lubomir Visnovsky (New York Islanders)

Ivan Baranka

Dominik Granak

Michal Sersen

Forwards
Marian Gaborik, (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Michal Handzus, (Chicago Blackhawks)
Marian Hossa, (Chicago Blackhawks)
Tomas Jurco, (Detroit Red Wings)
Tomas Kopecky, (Florida Panthers)
Richard Panik, (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Tomas Tatar, (Detroit Red Wings)
Milan Bartovic
Marcel Hossa
Tomas Marcinko
Michel Miklik
Peter Olvecky
Tomas Surovy
Tomas Zaborsk

Team Canada 2014 Olympic Roster

Centres Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks and Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks face-off during a game on December 16, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Forwards

Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars
Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
Jeff Cater, L.A. Kings
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche
Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks
Chris Kunitz, Pittsburgh Penguins – Ferris State
Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
Rich Nash, New York Rangers
Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks
Patrick Sharp, Tampa Bay Lightning – Vermont Catamounts
John Travares, New York Islanders
Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks – North Dakota

Defenseman

Jay Bouwmeester, St Louis Blues
Drew Doughty, L.A. Kings
Dan Hamhuis, Vancouver Canucks
Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks – Michigan State University
Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens
Marc-Edouard Vlasic, San Jose Sharks
Shea Weber, Nashville Predators

Goaltenders

Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks
Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens
Mike Smith, Phoenix Coyotes

Snubs from Team Canada – Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning, Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks, Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes, Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers, Dan Boyle, San Jose Sharks - Miami University

Middle Weight Bout of the Night: Andrew Shaw vs. Antoine Roussel

Apparently, the Chicago Blackhawks didn't like the hit that Antoine Roussel put on Patrick Kane in the last game. Only the fifth fight of the year for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Stephane Robidas Horrific Leg Injury vs Chicago

This is a gruesome injury to say the least. If you have weak stomach, you might not want to watch this video. On thing about the sport of hockey, if you watch the sport long enough, you will see something like happen.

Mike Heika, Dallas News-- Most of it, however, was washed away by the loss of Robidas.

“It didn’t look good,” Ruff said. “Robi is a battler, and he’s been playing really hard for us.”

Robidas was diving to stop a pass from Chicago’s Jonathan Toews as the two skated hard toward the Stars’ goal line. Robidas’ right

leg was pinned underneath his body and was twisted when it hit the boards. Robidas immediately grimaced in pain and pointed to his

right leg. He was taken to a hospital, and Ruff said Robidas has a fractured bone in his leg.

Related articles

• Stars D Robidas out 4-6 months (wyff4.com)

Adam Pardy Loses his Helmet in the Stands

s/t the Chicago Tribune. This is a story that I saw on a few of the hockey blogs tonight. Winnipeg Jets defenseman Adam Pardy is checked into the glass by the Blackhawks Brandon Bollig. The glass is knocked out by the Bollig check. Pardy loses his helmet in a scrum to an unruly Blackhawks fan. You can actually see a fan wearing Pardy’s helmet while he’s sitting in his seat, in the tweet below from Chris  Kuc’s twitter feed, who’s a hockey writer for the Chicago Tribune. I guess there is a reason they call the United Center the Mad House on Madison. The Fan in question was ejected from the game.

Tonight in a nutshell. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/cbmMJA5JJz
— Chris Kuc (@ChrisKuc) November 7, 2013

Brandon Saad's spin-o-rama sets up Patrick Kane goal

s/t to sporting news. What a dirty goal. This spin-o-rama move would make Dennis Savard proud. This goal in the third period gave the Chicago Blackhawks a 4-1 lead and broke the Minnesota Wild's back.

Zach Parise goal versus Chicago

s/t Fell0096 Minnesota Wild Forward Zach Parise scores his sixth goal of the season to give the Minnesota Wild a 1-0 lead in the first period of tonight's game against the Chicago Blackhawks.