The Minnesota Wild now understand what it takes to:
- Win in the Playoffs
&
- Beat the St. Louis Blues
Now, they have to do it on the road in an arena they’ve lost 7 consecutive games to the St. Louis Blues in. Their last win came on November 11th, 2018.
Can they do it?
Will they play a similar game to how they played in Game 2?
There is only one way to find out. Let’s…
Drop the ClutterPuck!!!
––––– CP –––––
Here’s how the teams lined up:
Minnesota Wild
Same lineup as last game so same lineup card since we couldn’t find one. We made the changes, though:
St. Louis Blues
The Blues were without Nick Leddy and Robert Bortuzzo and former Wild D Marco Scandella drew into the lineup.
Here’s how they lined up in their morning skate:
Game Recap
It took the Wild just 39 seconds to go up 1-0. Wild F Marcus Foligno helped Joel Eriksson Ek win a puck battle to take the puck away from Blues F Brandon Saad on the left half-wall in the Wild’s defensive zone. Foligno just chipped it past Blues D Colton Parayko who tried to pinch then got in Foligno’s way but Ek was already breaking for the puck with his linemate Jordan Greenway on his right for a 2-on-1. Former Wild D Marco Scandella was the lone Blues defender and he tried to lay down to take away the pass but he played his hand too early so Greenway slowed down and Ek floated some apple sauce to him and Greenway put upstairs over Blues G Ville Husso’s outstretched pad and glove. Sometimes, going the Greenway is the right way! 1-0 Wild!
That was a Green apple. See what I did there?
Is it a good sign for St. Louis that F David Perron, instead of getting on his horse and trying to get back as quickly as possible from the offensive blue line, tried to hook Joel Eriksson Ek then once that didn’t work tried to get back and gave a weak effort in his attempt, too?
Geez. It’s the first minute of the game.
Vladimir Tarasenko threw a hit on Jared Spurgeon that put the Minnesota Wild’s captain’s head into the boards. Tarasenko may be learning from his teammate Brayden Schenn as he left his feet to make the hit.
The St. Louis Blues were trying to take over the game with big hits and they got some big ones in but they weren’t really good hits. They were just going for big hits for some reason.
99 seconds after the Wild scored, F Kirill Kaprizov was chasing Blues F Ivan Barbashev back toward the Wild’s own blue line and he shoved him with his left forearm which cause him to lose his balance and fall into F Jordan Kyrou. Kaprizov kept skating because he saw the puck was loose. He was behind the Blues defense and F Ryan Hartman chipped the puck to him from the left boards and sent Kirill in alone on Ville Husso. Kirill made a move to his backhand and then fanned on the shot and it went wide right but Kirill was the 1st one to it and he quickly threw a backhand back at Husso and the puck went off the Blues goalie’s left pad and into the net for a 2-0 Wild Lead!
This is a great play! Shoot the Puck From Anywhere!
Also, Blues F Ivan Barbashev let his emotions get the best of him as he had a chance to get the puck or, at least block the puck from going back in front of his own net but he chose to go for the hit of Kirill Kaprizov instead.
Look how quickly Kaprizov looks to see if the bank is open on a late Friday night!
Jordan Greenway got another Wild breakaway a couple of minutes later. Husso stopped his shot but gave a rebound that Greenway got to it first & he threw it back in front of the net for another Wild scoring chance.
Then Brayden Schenn threw another hit where he left his feet and hit Wild D Jacob Middleton up high that put the Wild on the power play. The Blues crowd started a Ref You Suck chant and booed. It was called charging. Do they think that’s a legal check?
Blues D Torey Krug tried to throw a hit on Wild F Matt Boldy but Boldy turned and Krug may have hyperextended his leg as he was limping afterward and left the ice. He didn’t return due to a lower-body injury.
On the same play, Blues F Alexei Toropchenko tried to throw a big hit on Kevin Fiala but he evaded it and Toropchenko fell awkwardly to the ice.
The Wild got hemmed in their own zone for 91 seconds but stayed calm and worked hard to finally clear the zone.
Then Brayden Schenn took 4 strides and hit Jonas Brodin as he continues to try to throw big hits but he apparently won’t drop the gloves.
Is this a charge?
“as a result of distance traveled”
With 9.8 seconds left in the 1st period, 6’4, 209-lb. Blues D Niko Mikkola went at 5’8, 181-lb. Wild F Mats Zuccarello and cross-checks him a few times. Zuccy pushes back. At the same time, Ryan Hartman took the faceoff against Brandon Saad with Ryan O’Reilly at the right boards playing right wing with nobody for the Wild to oppose him. The puck dropped and Hartman tried to
2nd Period
The Blues get a 2-on-2 off a good breakout of their own zone with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich but the Wild’s top D pair of Jacob Middleton & Jared Spurgeon broke it up as Middleton pressured Thomas at the blue line to force him to move the puck and Spurgeon poke-checked the puck away. Spurgeon then saw Kirill Kaprizov moving from left to right towards the right side of the far blue line so he just sent the puck that way. Kaprizov was being pursued by Marco Scandella so he curled towards the boards to protect the puck while Mats Zuccarello & Tyson Jost were coming toward him. Scandella tried to just keep Kaprizov there but Kaprizov just sent a quick short pass to Zuccarello to create a 2-on-1 with Jost on Zuccy’s left and D Justin Faulk trying to defend. Faulk didn’t commit to anything but waving his stick to maybe try to fake Zuccy to make a play but he didn’t bite. He also saw Ville Husso backing up so he waited then went upper left to put the Wild up 3 to 0!
That looked way too easy for Mats Zuccarello.
3rd Period
The Wild started the 3rd by winning a faceoff, getting the puck deep & letting that Greenway, Eriksson Ek & Foligno line go to work and that is what they did. The puck was sent around the right boards and Blues G Ville Husso stopped it behind his net then sent it around the left boards to nobody so Jordan Greenway easily intercepted it and sent it back behind the net. It must’ve hit Justin Faulk on the way because it slowed down. As it came around to the back of the net, Foligno easily beat Blues D Calle Rosen in a puck battle. The puck came loose and Brayden Schenn picked it up as he went behind his net toward the left corner then he got body checked by Joel Eriksson Ek to create another loose puck. Ek had nobody around him as he came around the corner so he took a shot that was deflected wide. The puck went wide then high off the glass and landed behind the net. Foligno won another puck battle against Brayden Schenn then saw Ek open in the slot so he fed him for a one-timer that beat Ville Husso over his left pad. 4-0 Wild
The Blues were barely competing at this point. 3 players watched Foligno behind the net while Ek was getting open.
Jared Spurgeon accidentally got his stick caught between David Perron’s legs so he was called for a trip. The Wild were doing a very good job of killing the penalty and St. Louis looked like they were looking for the perfect shot. They got a good one on the back door play but Fleury got over and made a great save. The Wild cleared the zone but Ryan O’Reilly had room to come off the right half-wall and take a shot that beat Fleary over his right pad on the Power Play to get St. Louis on the board. 4-1 Wild.
Middleton probably can’t give O’Reilly that much room there.
The Blues had a 3 or so chances to get within 2 right away after they scored including Robert Thomas hitting the post from a bad angle with a yawning net. Fleury made some great saves and may have had some help from his captain D Jared Spurgeon.
Another great save by Fleury on Robert Thomas right in front of the crease and Thomas looks up wondering how he didn’t score on that chance.
The Blues pulled their Husso with 7:37 remaining in the 3rd period since they were down by 3. The Wild scored in Game 2 around 10 seconds after they pulled Husso.
With the faceoff to Wild G Marc-Andre Fleury’s right, Wild F Ryan Hartman won the ensuing faceoff back to D Jonas Brodin and he skated behind the net using his speed to get some separation from the Blues forechecker. He then shot the puck from just in front of his own goal line all the way down and in the net for his 1st goal of the playoffs and his 2nd career playoff goal. 5-1 Wild.
The Blues put some more pressure but it wasn’t nearly enough to get back in the game.
THAT is how you play Playoff Hockey!!!
Wild win 5-1, regain their home-ice advantage back and now lead the series 2 games to 1.
They’ll try to do it again on Sunday afternoon in Game 4!!!
––––– CP –––––
Final
Minnesota Wild 5 | 1 St. Louis Blues
Goals
MN: Jordan Greenway(1), Kirill Kaprizov(4), Mats Zuccarello(1), Joel Eriksson Ek(3), Jonas Brodin-ENG
STL: Ryan O’Reilly(2)-PPG
*PPG=Power-Play Goal, ENG=Empty-Net Goal
Assists
MN: Joel Eriksson Ek(1), Marcus Foligno(1); Ryan Hartman(3), Kirill Kaprizov(1), Jared Spurgeon(1); Marcus Foligno(2); Ryan Hartman(4)
STL: Colton Parayko(1)
Goalies
MN: Marc-Andre Fleury – 29 Saves on 30 Shots on Goal – .967 Save% – 2nd Wild Playoff Win – 92nd Career Playoff Win
STL: Ville Husso – 28 Saves on 32 Shots on Goal – .875 Save% – 2nd Playoff Loss
Game Notes
*
Big Hits? Are they worth it?
Are the Blues trying to be the Broadstreet Bullies? Or maybe the Broadstreet Blue-ies?
St. Louis tried to throw big hit after big hit and what did it do for them? One of their players actually hurt himself and didn’t return to the game. It’s hard to tell what the purpose is of trying to throw big hits. Most of the time, your trying to get your team going with a big hit and they can help gain momentum but usually, it just takes you out of the play.
How many times could the Blues have just taken the puck instead of going for the big hit? Isn’t the puck what you want? Meh! We don’t need the puck but the fans always gave a big cheer after them, didn’t they?
Throwing big hits isn’t part of any coach’s plan, either. It’s not part of the forecheck or part of the defensive scheme. It can’t be because it’s not that easy to do. You can say you want your team to be physical and to play the body because that can actually work because you’re separating the player from the puck and it’s difficult to put the puck in the net if you don’t have it, which is the whole point of a body check.
It’s hard to see the Blues having the same game plan in Game 4 but we’ll see.
**
Have the Tables been Turned?
The Minnesota Wild now look like the composed team while St. Louis is losing control of their emotions and maybe, how they want to play the Wild.
The last 2 games look nothing like that first game and the Wild may have learned a HUGE lesson in that game. Now, they are the ones walking away from these big hits and staying poised because they know they have to and it’s a ploy to get power plays. They are not falling into that trap, anymore.
Can they keep it up and take Game 4 on Sunday afternoon?
The playoffs are a strange animal because, win or lose and no matter what has already happened, you have to forget about it and move on to the next game and also do it through the span of a game, too. That means every period, every 10 minutes, 5 minutes, every shift and every shot, save, pass, hit, mistake or anything else.
That is why the playoffs are so entertaining in every major sport. It’s win or go home and get out the golf clubs. Every team would rather yell FOUR than FORE then bring Stanley to the golf course in July!
*What does that even mean? Are you supposed to turn your tables? When it’s said this way, it sounds like something everyone is trying to avoid. “You didn’t turn your tables, did you? Quick! Turn ‘em back! Maybe hasn’t been too long and you’ll be fine!”
***
Are the Wild comfortable in the Playoffs now?
The Minnesota Wild have looked pretty comfortable in the last 2 games, like they now know what it takes to win these games and are capable of taking whatever the Blues throw at them?
This might be something that’s still yet to be determined but the difference in the last 2 games and the first game is like night & day but…
Marc-Andre Fleury looks steady between his beloved pipes. The team looks confident in front of him and that confidence looks like it’s made them feel like the only thing that can stop them is themselves.
But… confidence is a fickle thing for some reason so it can all change somewhat quickly. They’ve shown confidence for the majority of the season but they also had losing streaks of 4 and 5 games.
Postgame
Postgame press conference with Minnesota Wild Head Coach Dean Evason…
––––– CP –––––
Next up:
Game 4 is tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 pm on Bally Sports North and/or TBS. We’ll assume the Bally Sports North coverage is just a first-round thing but it’s been nice to know the game will start on time rather than have to wait because another game has gone late.
It’s comical that these games are scheduled for just 2 and a half hours, though. When is the last time an NHL playoff game was done in 2 and a half hours?
Before they were on TV, maybe?
––––– CP –––––
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