The State of Hockey News | MVN - Most Valuable Network » Blog Archive » Gaborik, Wild power play arrive to end 11-game road losing streak with 5-2 victory over Vancouver
Gaborik, Wild power play arrive to end 11-game road losing streak with 5-2 victory over Vancouver
By Derek Felska | January 12th, 2007
At some point, things just had to turn around for the Minnesota Wild who had an 11-game road losing streak looming like a storm cloud over their head. Yet it was an unlikely time to end such a streak; against the rival Vancouver Canucks who were riding their own streak, an 8-game winning streak. It was a story that had a familliar player regain some of his old form, and an unlikely element that would play into the Wild’s dominating 5-2 victory in front of a sold out GM Place Thursday night.
The Wild started out the game with a tremendous foecheck, and almost immediately the team was creating lots of offensive pressure on Roberto Luongo and the Canucks. The Wild were also using their speed to cycle the puck effectively along the boards and were winning most of the small battles for possession. This pressure would be rewarded with a Wild power play when Canuck captain Markus Naslund would earn a hooking call. The NHL’s worst road power play; operating at an abysmal 9.5% looked like a well-oiled machine Thursday night, which was a big surprise since they were going against the league’s best penalty kill. Yet it was league’s worst power play that would strike first when on a rebound off a shot by Brian Rolston, Marian Gaborik would get the loose puck and backhand a shot up and over Luongo to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead. The State of Hockey seemed to be getting quality shifts out of most of its lines; the new scoring line of Pavol Demitra, Mikko Koivu and Marian Gaborik were using their speed and skill to create chances, but the team also got tremendous forechecking work from the line of Wyatt Smith, Joel Ward, and Pascal Dupuis. The Wild simply kept the Canucks bottled up in their zone and they struggled to generate much in the way of offense of their own. 10 minutes after Gaborik’s power play tally, the Wild would score again on great work down low by their 2nd scoring line of Todd White, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Brian Rolston. Wild defenseman Keith Carney would take a Todd White pass and fire a shot on Luongo, and the puck would end up on the stick of Rolston who buried the chance to put Minnesota up 2-0. The 2nd goal seemed to light a fire under the Canucks and they tried to get back into the game led by Trevor Linden. Linden along with other Canuck forwards started trying to stuff pucks past Manny Fernandez. One great example was Alexandre Burrows’ shot that was stopped by a great stick save by Fernandez, and Fernandez then added the coup-de-grace by stopping his rebound attempt as well and the Wild would skate into the 2nd with a 2-0 lead.
The 2nd period started much the same way that the first did, that was with the Wild outskating, and outhustling the Vancouver Canucks. The Wild seemed to be the faster team, and were doing an excellent job on the forecheck; once again the added pressure caused the Canucks to get into penalty trouble. On the power play the Wild would add another goal when Brian Rolston gave a great cross ice feed that Branko Radivojevic roofed over Luongo to put the State of Hockey up 3-0. The 3-goal lead did seem to have an affect on the Wild as they seemed more content to lay back and play a passive style. The Canucks would take advantage of the Wild’s passiveness and began to establish a forecheck of their own. Taylor Pyatt would strike first for Vancouver. Wyatt Smith made the poor choice of playing the puck and not the man and Jan Bulis got free enough to give a pass over to Ryan Kesler who slid it to Pyatt who fired it home to cut the Wild lead to 3-1. The Canucks would cut the lead to one just 3 minutes later when former Wild defenseman Willie Mitchell knocked a pass by Markus Naslund out of mid-air and by Fernandez to make it 3-2 Minnesota. It had been a while for Mitchell since he last scored a goal; 84 games in fact when he then a member of the Wild. The 18,000+ crowd at GM Place was really back into the game, and the Canucks seemed to be the team with all of the momentum and it seemed as if it was only a matter of time before they would tie the game up. Yet, Manny Fernandez was determined not to let that happen and he stopped a few real good chance by Vancouver and the team would rally back towards the end of the 2nd period. Vancouver was also taking some liberties physically as well, as hated agitator Matt Cooke took some free shots on Wild defenseman Nick Schultz, and after a whistle the two would get into each other’s faces and both earn roughing minors. The Canucks resurgence could clearly be seen in terms of the number of shots on goal as Vancouver held a 17 to 10 edge in the period, but it would still end with the Wild holding onto a 3-2 lead.
In the 3rd period the Wild clearly decided they were not going to hang back and try to defend their lead and they resumed the forecheck that had served them so well in this game. The Wild again simply outhustled and outworked the Canucks and the hard work would pay off with a goal. The top scoring line of Mikko Koivu, Marian Gaborik and Pavol Demitra cycled the puck effectively down low before Demitra would take a shot on the net that Marian Gaborik tapped by Luongo who was laying down after stopping Demitra’s chance. Luongo tried to plea he was interfered with by Mikko Koivu, but it was clear Koivu was pushed into the crease by a Canuck defender so the goal stood giving the Wild a 4-2 lead. Instead of resting on the two-goal lead the Wild continued to attack Vancouver and their checking line of Ward, Smith and Dupuis caused the Canucks fits as they couldn’t get the puck out of their zone for almost a minute and a half as the Wild forwards cycled the puck occasionally assisted by a Wild defenseman. The State of Hockey would put the nail in Vancouver’s coffin 8 minutes after Gaborik’s 2nd goal of the evening when Wes Walz sped behind the Canucks defense and patiently wrapped a forehand around a diving Luongo to give the Wild a 5-2 victory.
The Wild not only ended their 11-game road losing streak, but also their 3-game losing streak. Marian Gaborik also scored for the first time since returning to the lineup after being out for 34 games with a groin injury. Manny Fernandez was absolutely outstanding for the Wild as he had 24 saves, more than a few of the spectacular variety. The Wild will not get too long to celebrate victory as they travel up to Edmonton to play the Oilers at Rexall Place this evening.
Wild Notes:
~ Wild scratches were Petteri Nummelin, Derek Boogaard, and Mark Parrish all of whom were nursing injuries.