Wild vs. Blackhawks (Game #27) 12-5-06 @ 7:00PM CST at the "X"

LemaireisGOD · December 5th, 2006, 04:00 PM

MINNESOTA WILD (13-11-2) 28pts 2nd Northwest

74 Goals For (ranked 20th in the NHL)
70 Goals Against (ranked 7th in the NHL)

6th ranked PP (19.8%)
3rd ranked PK (88.7%)

Top 5 Scorers:
1. #12 Brian Rolston ~ 13G 9A = 22pts
2. #96 Pierre-Marc Bouchard ~ 5G 13A = 18pts
3. #28 Todd White ~ 5G 13A = 18pts
4. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 6G 10A = 16pts
5. #38 Pavol Demitra ~ 5G 10A = 15pts

Top PIM's:
1. #24 Derek Boogaard ~ 41 PIM's
2. #5 Kim Johnsson ~ 26 PIM's
3. #26 Kurtis Foster ~ 24 PIM's

Top Goaltender(s):
1. #35 Manny Fernandez (9-9-0) 2.71GAA .911%SP
2. #32 Niklas Backstrom (4-2-2) 2.05GAA .934%SP

VS.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (10-12-2) 22pts 3rd Central

60 Goals For (ranked 26th in the NHL)
73 Goals Against (ranked 10th in the NHL)

26th ranked PP (12.6%)
17th ranked PK (82.8%)

Top 5 Scorers:
1. #16 Radim Vrbata ~ 5G 13A = 18pts
2. #21 Bryan Smolinski ~ 4G 10A = 14pts
3. #24 Martin Havlat ~ 7G 6A = 13pts
4. #51 Jeff Hamilton ~ 6G 7A = 13pts
5. #22 Martin Lapointe ~ 7G 3A = 10pts

Top PIM's:
1. #7 Brent Seabrook ~ 46 PIM's
2. #34 Reed Low ~ 31 PIM's
3. #5 Jassen Cullimore ~ 28 PIM's

Top Goaltender(s):
1. #39 Nikolai Khabiboulin (8-4-0) 2.84GAA .910%SP
2. #31 Brian Boucher (1-8-2) 3.07GAA .892%SP
3. #30 Sebastien Caron (1-0-0) 1.00GAA .960%SP

This is a must win for the Wild if they're to get back on track. The Blackhawks are playing significantly better under Denis Savard, but this game really will come down to who wants it more. GO WILD!!!

joolzie · December 5th, 2006, 05:13 PM

Really looking forward to tonight's game! I wish Marty and Gabby could have been playing-- would have been nice for them to make their grand re-entrance together, seeing as they went out the same night.

I like the way the Hawks are playing and not so much the way the Wild are, but the idea of 4 in a row for the Hawks is just crazy.

LemaireisGOD · December 5th, 2006, 06:07 PM

The Wild played pretty well against the Dallas Stars; only the terrible play of Martin Skoula cost them that game. The Wild have had a few days to rest; and hopefully they come out fired up. GO WILD!!!

LemaireisGOD · December 5th, 2006, 06:10 PM

Manny's between the pipes tonight to start...GO WILD!!!

LemaireisGOD · December 5th, 2006, 06:15 PM

Blaine's Brandon Bochenski scores...Wild down 1-0 quickly...

PredDave · December 5th, 2006, 06:20 PM

Hi,

Anyone else watching the game on the Versus feed?

I'm hoping for an exciting game, and I can't imagine Chicago winning 4 in a row! That would be lunacy!

LemaireisGOD · December 5th, 2006, 06:27 PM

I am...the Wild are getting some not bad offensive pressure; they're just not able to create enough shots. They are taking their shots when they have them though, which to me is a good sign. GO WILD!!!

LemaireisGOD · December 5th, 2006, 06:28 PM

SCORE!!! ROLSTON!!! 1-1 now!!!

LemaireisGOD · December 5th, 2006, 06:43 PM

Smolinski scores shorthanded...2-1 Chicago now. For us trying to have so many bodies near the goaltender, and down below the faceoff circles you'd think we'd be able to jump on those rebounds better than we do; instead we play with fire and get burnt because we only have one person on the point.

LemaireisGOD · December 5th, 2006, 07:02 PM

White gets the credit...still 2-1 Chicago...

LemaireisGOD · December 5th, 2006, 07:19 PM

ROLSTON!!! 2-2 now!!! Sweet breakaway goal!

trwi7 · December 5th, 2006, 10:33 PM

Did anybody see that shootout goal by I believe Pierre Marc Bouchard? That was beautiful.

MNSOTA · December 5th, 2006, 10:41 PM

http://wild.mostvaluablenetwork.com/...er-blackhawks/

Bouchard’s spin-a-rama shootout goal gives Wild 3-2 win over Blackhawks

— Derek Felska MVN Staff Writer

With a game that saw arrival of the league’s newest head coach in Denis Savard and his red-hot Chicago Blackhawks little did anyone know it would be a Wild player that would demonstrate some Savard-ian moves. The Wild have been struggling, losing their last 4 games and was in desperate need of a victory.

The Wild started out with a passive and patient approach; taking their shots when they could but early it appeared this strategy might be in error against the aggressive Blackhawks. The Blackhawks jumped on the scoreboard first when a good forechecking effort of Karl Stewart paid off when the puck squirted out to former Blaine Bengal Brandon Bochenski who fired a shot that beat Manny Fernandez high glove-side. The Wild would tally 7 minutes later when much maligned Mark Parrish would shovel a shot towards the Blackhawks net that deflected off of the skate of Todd White to squeak by Nikolai Khabibulin to tie the game at 1-1. Yet it would be another period of frustration for the Wild as the Blackhawks would score late, shorthanded on a 2-on-1 which saw Denis Arkhipov slide a pass over to Bryan Smolinski who fired a shot top shelf to give Chicago a 2-1 lead going into the 2nd.

In the 2nd the Wild and the Blackhawks would open things up a bit. The State of Hockey got a tremendous forechecking effort out of Mikko Koivu, Stephane Veilleux, and Pascal Dupuis as they tried to generate some sustained offensive pressure. The pressure started to create power plays. The strategy of the power play was simplified, getting shots on net as decreed by Wild Head Coach Jacques Lemaire. The Wild also became more bold offensively and took more chances using the stretch pass. While shorthanded, Brian Rolston got around the defense and moved in Khabibulin and the Flint, Michigan-native tried a small shoulder fake before he ended up lifting a shot up and over the net. However, just because you fail once, doesn’t mean you do not try again; and the Wild did just 3 minutes later when Wyatt Smith found Rolston on another long pass as he split the defense and raced in and beat Khabibulin 5-hole to tie the game at 2-2 going into the 3rd.

In the 3rd period the two teams would re-new their wide open attack on one another. Both sides had their share of close calls, as the Wild missed out a great chance when Brian Rolston blasted a slap shot that clanked off the pipe. However perhaps the best chance just 38 seconds left in the 3rd when a long pass by Chicago tipped up and beyond the Wild defense and onto the stick of a streaking Denis Arkhipov who moved and fired a wrister glove side that Fernandez managed to hold onto sending the game into overtime.

In overtime, the teams’ once again were aggressive towards one another. The Wild had a great chance when Mark Parrish made a few nifty moves around some Chicago defenders to unleash a wrister that Khabibulin managed to kick away. The Blackhawks created their own great opportunity when Patrick Sharp would pass the puck to Radim Vrbata who was waiting in the slot, and he ripped a slap shot that Fernandez snapped out of the air with a glove save bringing the game to a shootout.

As the Wild have done all season long at home; they elected to shoort first. The Wild’s first shooter was Todd White, and he skated in with speed and fired a quick snap shot glove side that clanked off the pipe and out. Chicago’s first shooter was Jeff Hamilton and he would skate way out wide on his approach and very patiently waited for Fernandez to sprawl before beating him by roofing a forehand to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 shootout lead. The State of Hockey’s next shooter was Mikko Koivu. Mikko Koivu was all business and he raced in and beat him with his patented forehand to backhand move; roofing the puck into the net to tie it at 1-1. The Blackhawks next shooter was their talented Finn, Tuomo Ruutu and he skated in and tried a half-hearted wrist shot that Fernandez easily kicked aside with his leg pad. The Wild’s next shooter was assistant captain, Brian Rolston and he moved in and tried a simple deke and his attempt to wrap it by Khabibulin was foiled by a clever poke check with the Russian’s paddle. This put the pressure on Fernandez as he faced Radim Vrbata who had a chance to win it. Vrbata tried a nifty backhander but his attempted went wide luckily for the State of Hockey. With Vrbata’s miss Minnesota was still alive and its next shooter was Petteri Nummelin who moved in with speed and beat Khabibulin with a quick move to his forehand. This put the pressure on the Blackhawks to score to keep the shootout going, and the veteran Bryan Smolinski was given the nod to shoot. Smolinski moved in and fired a wicked wrist shot that beat Fernandez glove side to prolong the shootout. What happened next was an instant classic. The Wild’s next shooter was Pierre-Marc Bouchard, and he would take a wide approach and as he reached the front of the net he would pull off a Savardian style spin-a-rama wrap around goal on Khabibulin to the cheers of the 18,568 in the stands. After a brief review to see if Bouchard had stopped forward momentum the highlight reel attempt was ruled a goal. This put the pressure on Patrick Sharp to prolong things for Chicago. Sharp moved in and tried a wrister up high glove side but his attempt went up and over the net sealing a Wild 3-2 shootout victory.

Once again the Wild demonstrated their commitment to creating more offense by simplifying things and focusing on getting more pucks on net. The Wild had 37 shots on goal as evidence of just that. Manny Fernandez was solid between the pipes with 27 saves; as he earned his 10th victory of the season. Fernandez is also a perfect 6-0 in the shootout this season.

Wild Notes:

~ Wild scratches were Marian Gaborik, Pavol Demitra, Wes Walz, Derek Boogaard, and Kurtis Foster.

MNSOTA · December 6th, 2006, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trwi7

Did anybody see that shootout goal by I believe Pierre Marc Bouchard? That was beautiful.

Yes, yes it was. And gutsy too.

LemaireisGOD · December 6th, 2006, 06:57 AM

I agree...he's lucky he had just enough forward momentum going so as not to nullify the chance. That was basically the same move Ryan Shannon tried on Marty Turco...except Turco stopped that one. Very nice...but like MNSOTA said...very gutsy too. GO WILD!!!

December 5th, 2006, 04:00 PM	#1 (permalink)
LemaireisGOD Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 504	Wild vs. Blackhawks (Game #27) 12-5-06 @ 7:00PM CST at the "X" MINNESOTA WILD (13-11-2) 28pts 2nd Northwest 74 Goals For (ranked 20th in the NHL) 70 Goals Against (ranked 7th in the NHL) 6th ranked PP (19.8%) 3rd ranked PK (88.7%) Top 5 Scorers: 1. #12 Brian Rolston ~ 13G 9A = 22pts 2. #96 Pierre-Marc Bouchard ~ 5G 13A = 18pts 3. #28 Todd White ~ 5G 13A = 18pts 4. #9 Mikko Koivu ~ 6G 10A = 16pts 5. #38 Pavol Demitra ~ 5G 10A = 15pts Top PIM's: 1. #24 Derek Boogaard ~ 41 PIM's 2. #5 Kim Johnsson ~ 26 PIM's 3. #26 Kurtis Foster ~ 24 PIM's Top Goaltender(s): 1. #35 Manny Fernandez (9-9-0) 2.71GAA .911%SP 2. #32 Niklas Backstrom (4-2-2) 2.05GAA .934%SP VS. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (10-12-2) 22pts 3rd Central 60 Goals For (ranked 26th in the NHL) 73 Goals Against (ranked 10th in the NHL) 26th ranked PP (12.6%) 17th ranked PK (82.8%) Top 5 Scorers: 1. #16 Radim Vrbata ~ 5G 13A = 18pts 2. #21 Bryan Smolinski ~ 4G 10A = 14pts 3. #24 Martin Havlat ~ 7G 6A = 13pts 4. #51 Jeff Hamilton ~ 6G 7A = 13pts 5. #22 Martin Lapointe ~ 7G 3A = 10pts Top PIM's: 1. #7 Brent Seabrook ~ 46 PIM's 2. #34 Reed Low ~ 31 PIM's 3. #5 Jassen Cullimore ~ 28 PIM's Top Goaltender(s): 1. #39 Nikolai Khabiboulin (8-4-0) 2.84GAA .910%SP 2. #31 Brian Boucher (1-8-2) 3.07GAA .892%SP 3. #30 Sebastien Caron (1-0-0) 1.00GAA .960%SP This is a must win for the Wild if they're to get back on track. The Blackhawks are playing significantly better under Denis Savard, but this game really will come down to who wants it more. GO WILD!!! __________________ "Why mess around with PT Boats when you can have a Destroyer?" ~ Al Strachan (Hockey Night in Canada)

December 5th, 2006, 06:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
LemaireisGOD Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 504	The Wild played pretty well against the Dallas Stars; only the terrible play of Martin Skoula cost them that game. The Wild have had a few days to rest; and hopefully they come out fired up. GO WILD!!! __________________ "Why mess around with PT Boats when you can have a Destroyer?" ~ Al Strachan (Hockey Night in Canada)

December 5th, 2006, 06:10 PM	#4 (permalink)
LemaireisGOD Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 504	Manny's between the pipes tonight to start...GO WILD!!! __________________ "Why mess around with PT Boats when you can have a Destroyer?" ~ Al Strachan (Hockey Night in Canada)

December 5th, 2006, 06:15 PM	#5 (permalink)
LemaireisGOD Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 504	Blaine's Brandon Bochenski scores...Wild down 1-0 quickly... __________________ "Why mess around with PT Boats when you can have a Destroyer?" ~ Al Strachan (Hockey Night in Canada)

December 5th, 2006, 06:27 PM	#7 (permalink)
LemaireisGOD Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 504	I am...the Wild are getting some not bad offensive pressure; they're just not able to create enough shots. They are taking their shots when they have them though, which to me is a good sign. GO WILD!!! __________________ "Why mess around with PT Boats when you can have a Destroyer?" ~ Al Strachan (Hockey Night in Canada)

December 5th, 2006, 05:13 PM	#2 (permalink)
joolzie New Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Michigan Posts: 9	Really looking forward to tonight's game! I wish Marty and Gabby could have been playing-- would have been nice for them to make their grand re-entrance together, seeing as they went out the same night. I like the way the Hawks are playing and not so much the way the Wild are, but the idea of 4 in a row for the Hawks is just crazy.

December 5th, 2006, 06:20 PM	#6 (permalink)
PredDave Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	Hi, Anyone else watching the game on the Versus feed? I'm hoping for an exciting game, and I can't imagine Chicago winning 4 in a row! That would be lunacy!

December 5th, 2006, 06:28 PM	#8 (permalink)
LemaireisGOD Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 504	SCORE!!! ROLSTON!!! 1-1 now!!! __________________ "Why mess around with PT Boats when you can have a Destroyer?" ~ Al Strachan (Hockey Night in Canada)

December 5th, 2006, 06:43 PM	#9 (permalink)
LemaireisGOD Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 504	Smolinski scores shorthanded...2-1 Chicago now. For us trying to have so many bodies near the goaltender, and down below the faceoff circles you'd think we'd be able to jump on those rebounds better than we do; instead we play with fire and get burnt because we only have one person on the point. __________________ "Why mess around with PT Boats when you can have a Destroyer?" ~ Al Strachan (Hockey Night in Canada)

December 5th, 2006, 07:02 PM	#10 (permalink)
LemaireisGOD Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 504	Goal changed... White gets the credit...still 2-1 Chicago... __________________ "Why mess around with PT Boats when you can have a Destroyer?" ~ Al Strachan (Hockey Night in Canada)

December 5th, 2006, 07:19 PM	#11 (permalink)
LemaireisGOD Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 504	ROLSTON!!! 2-2 now!!! Sweet breakaway goal! __________________ "Why mess around with PT Boats when you can have a Destroyer?" ~ Al Strachan (Hockey Night in Canada)

December 5th, 2006, 10:33 PM	#12 (permalink)
trwi7 Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 140	Did anybody see that shootout goal by I believe Pierre Marc Bouchard? That was beautiful.

December 5th, 2006, 10:41 PM	#13 (permalink)
MNSOTA Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 101	http://wild.mostvaluablenetwork.com/...er-blackhawks/ Bouchard’s spin-a-rama shootout goal gives Wild 3-2 win over Blackhawks — Derek Felska MVN Staff Writer With a game that saw arrival of the league’s newest head coach in Denis Savard and his red-hot Chicago Blackhawks little did anyone know it would be a Wild player that would demonstrate some Savard-ian moves. The Wild have been struggling, losing their last 4 games and was in desperate need of a victory. The Wild started out with a passive and patient approach; taking their shots when they could but early it appeared this strategy might be in error against the aggressive Blackhawks. The Blackhawks jumped on the scoreboard first when a good forechecking effort of Karl Stewart paid off when the puck squirted out to former Blaine Bengal Brandon Bochenski who fired a shot that beat Manny Fernandez high glove-side. The Wild would tally 7 minutes later when much maligned Mark Parrish would shovel a shot towards the Blackhawks net that deflected off of the skate of Todd White to squeak by Nikolai Khabibulin to tie the game at 1-1. Yet it would be another period of frustration for the Wild as the Blackhawks would score late, shorthanded on a 2-on-1 which saw Denis Arkhipov slide a pass over to Bryan Smolinski who fired a shot top shelf to give Chicago a 2-1 lead going into the 2nd. In the 2nd the Wild and the Blackhawks would open things up a bit. The State of Hockey got a tremendous forechecking effort out of Mikko Koivu, Stephane Veilleux, and Pascal Dupuis as they tried to generate some sustained offensive pressure. The pressure started to create power plays. The strategy of the power play was simplified, getting shots on net as decreed by Wild Head Coach Jacques Lemaire. The Wild also became more bold offensively and took more chances using the stretch pass. While shorthanded, Brian Rolston got around the defense and moved in Khabibulin and the Flint, Michigan-native tried a small shoulder fake before he ended up lifting a shot up and over the net. However, just because you fail once, doesn’t mean you do not try again; and the Wild did just 3 minutes later when Wyatt Smith found Rolston on another long pass as he split the defense and raced in and beat Khabibulin 5-hole to tie the game at 2-2 going into the 3rd. In the 3rd period the two teams would re-new their wide open attack on one another. Both sides had their share of close calls, as the Wild missed out a great chance when Brian Rolston blasted a slap shot that clanked off the pipe. However perhaps the best chance just 38 seconds left in the 3rd when a long pass by Chicago tipped up and beyond the Wild defense and onto the stick of a streaking Denis Arkhipov who moved and fired a wrister glove side that Fernandez managed to hold onto sending the game into overtime. In overtime, the teams’ once again were aggressive towards one another. The Wild had a great chance when Mark Parrish made a few nifty moves around some Chicago defenders to unleash a wrister that Khabibulin managed to kick away. The Blackhawks created their own great opportunity when Patrick Sharp would pass the puck to Radim Vrbata who was waiting in the slot, and he ripped a slap shot that Fernandez snapped out of the air with a glove save bringing the game to a shootout. As the Wild have done all season long at home; they elected to shoort first. The Wild’s first shooter was Todd White, and he skated in with speed and fired a quick snap shot glove side that clanked off the pipe and out. Chicago’s first shooter was Jeff Hamilton and he would skate way out wide on his approach and very patiently waited for Fernandez to sprawl before beating him by roofing a forehand to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 shootout lead. The State of Hockey’s next shooter was Mikko Koivu. Mikko Koivu was all business and he raced in and beat him with his patented forehand to backhand move; roofing the puck into the net to tie it at 1-1. The Blackhawks next shooter was their talented Finn, Tuomo Ruutu and he skated in and tried a half-hearted wrist shot that Fernandez easily kicked aside with his leg pad. The Wild’s next shooter was assistant captain, Brian Rolston and he moved in and tried a simple deke and his attempt to wrap it by Khabibulin was foiled by a clever poke check with the Russian’s paddle. This put the pressure on Fernandez as he faced Radim Vrbata who had a chance to win it. Vrbata tried a nifty backhander but his attempted went wide luckily for the State of Hockey. With Vrbata’s miss Minnesota was still alive and its next shooter was Petteri Nummelin who moved in with speed and beat Khabibulin with a quick move to his forehand. This put the pressure on the Blackhawks to score to keep the shootout going, and the veteran Bryan Smolinski was given the nod to shoot. Smolinski moved in and fired a wicked wrist shot that beat Fernandez glove side to prolong the shootout. What happened next was an instant classic. The Wild’s next shooter was Pierre-Marc Bouchard, and he would take a wide approach and as he reached the front of the net he would pull off a Savardian style spin-a-rama wrap around goal on Khabibulin to the cheers of the 18,568 in the stands. After a brief review to see if Bouchard had stopped forward momentum the highlight reel attempt was ruled a goal. This put the pressure on Patrick Sharp to prolong things for Chicago. Sharp moved in and tried a wrister up high glove side but his attempt went up and over the net sealing a Wild 3-2 shootout victory. Once again the Wild demonstrated their commitment to creating more offense by simplifying things and focusing on getting more pucks on net. The Wild had 37 shots on goal as evidence of just that. Manny Fernandez was solid between the pipes with 27 saves; as he earned his 10th victory of the season. Fernandez is also a perfect 6-0 in the shootout this season. Wild Notes: ~ Wild scratches were Marian Gaborik, Pavol Demitra, Wes Walz, Derek Boogaard, and Kurtis Foster.

December 6th, 2006, 06:57 AM	#15 (permalink)
LemaireisGOD Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 504	I agree...he's lucky he had just enough forward momentum going so as not to nullify the chance. That was basically the same move Ryan Shannon tried on Marty Turco...except Turco stopped that one. Very nice...but like MNSOTA said...very gutsy too. GO WILD!!! __________________ "Why mess around with PT Boats when you can have a Destroyer?" ~ Al Strachan (Hockey Night in Canada)