Wild 3, Blackhawks 2 (OT); Burns, Bouchard expected to play Wednesday; Wild lineup vs. Buffalo; Bergeron breaks nose; Tons of notes
Posted on September 30th, 2008 – 11:15 PMBy Michael Russo
Wild making cuts. Petr Kalus is at least one.
So, I drove everybody at the Star Tribune nuts tonight, even nuttier than normal at least.
I almost created a major catastrophe at work. At least, it would have been for the Twins crew in Chicago if the game didn’t end earlier.
At 9:37 p.m., I called our slot guy, Kevin Bertels, to check in my file-at-the-gun story for tomorrow’s first edition. I then proceeded to redial Bertels 12 times from 9:37-10:05. But like I told him, according to my call log, I gave him an eight-minute breather from 9:42-9:50, so what’s the big deal, right?
OK, first things first, Marc-Andre Bergeron needs to just play hockey. I don’t think the Wild acquired him to fight. I think it acquired him to take that Brian Rolston-like slap shot of his.
You have to admire Bergeron’s guts, but tonight, he got into his third fight in three games, and Kyle Beach taught Bergeron a lesson his broken nose won’t soon forget.
Three fights in three games! Want to know how many fights he had since 2003? ZERO!!!
Bergeron’s only NHL fight came during his rookie year in 2002-03. Jacques gave it to Bergeron for fighting, but he also said Beach was looking for it, and if he wants to fight again, he’s got a man named Boogey who would be more than happy to oblige.
Stephane Veilleux scored two tonight, one to force overtime, one to win overtime with 23.9 ticks left. Veilleux said he doesn’t think he’s ever gotten an overtime shift from Jacques Lemaire before, so maybe he made a case.
He’s flying this preseason. Remember, he served as his own agent this summer, and the more and more quotable Nik Backstrom quipped after, “As an agent, it’s easier to sell a goal scorer.”
Marian Gaborik made his preseason debut. He got 24:15 of ice time, showed off his impressive speed, made a couple nice backchecks, but all in all, looked rusty. Amazingly, Lemaire played the top line of Brunette, Koivu (26:01 of ice time) and Gaborik– the likely first line this season — all night together.
The chemistry wasn’t there, but it’ll come.
Jacques also used his likely checking line of Veilleux-Sheppard-Miettinen together all night tonight. I don’t know what to make of Miettinen yet. I can tell you he was not good at all tonight.
On Miettinen: “Looking for more good plays offensively. I’m looking for him to be not a good checker, a great checker.”
Jacques then said that trio is the likely checking line, and “If one of them doesn’t do that job well, I will turn my head and look around.”
Tyler Cuma was solid tonight again. The 18-year-old got 22:14 of ice time, blocked three shots and will play Wednesday against Buffalo. I’ve gotten a ton of emails asking about his chances of making the team.
Ain’t going to happen folks unless the Wild loses two defensemen to “Foster-like injuries,” as somebody in the front office said to me. The Wild hasn’t even talked to his agent, some guy named Bobby Orr, about a contract yet.
He’s 18. They’re not going to make him defend the Iginlas, Coles and Smyths yet. And like I’ve been saying, the Wild has eight defensemen with Foster and Erik Reitz/Tomas Mojzis.
Colton Gillies scored his first NHL preseason goal tonight. He’ll make this team, I believe, although Cal Clutterbuck is battling and impressing. Gillies got payback against Chicago for a Brian Campbell elbow last Friday that knocked out one of his teeth.
Here is the lineup against Buffalo tomorrow: Veilleux, Koivu, Miettinen, Pouliot, Brunette, Sheppard, Boogaard, Weller, Bouchard, Nolan, Belanger, Kolanos, Scott, Mojzis, Schultz, Burns, Cuma, Reitz, Harding, Backstrom.
Lastly, here’s a Scotty Bowman note I had to cut out of our late editions:
Subhed
It’s still weird seeing Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman, who spent 15 years with the Detroit Red Wings (six as a consultant), wearing a rival Chicago Blackhawks jacket.
Bowman, who won nine Stanley Cups and 1,244 games, was hired by the Blackhawks as senior adviser of hockey operations. He did so to help take care of his son, Stan, one of their assistant general managers.
Stan Bowman has been battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
“It’s a chance to be with him,” Scotty Bowman said. “He’s had a tough time. He’s gone through a lot. It was tough for me to leave Detroit, but at the same time, it’s a family decision.
“He’s had chemo, radiation, stem cell [transplant]. He’s in remission, but he already had one recurrence, so I just want to be close.”
Bowman, who lives in Sarasota, Fla., will have the same role in Chicago as Detroit.
“I’ll talk to [coach] Denis Savard a lot, watch their farm team and keep an eye on their opponents,” Bowman said.
88 Responses to "Wild 3, Blackhawks 2 (OT); Burns, Bouchard expected to play Wednesday; Wild lineup vs. Buffalo; Bergeron breaks nose; Tons of notes"
- Nik Backstrom quipped after, “As an agent, it’s easier to sell a goal scorer.”
Comic Gold!
Amazingly, Lemaire played the top line of Brunette, Koivu (26:01 of ice time) and Gaborik– the likely first line this season — all night together.
JL sparking contract negotiations - Best. Coach. Ever.
Agreed on MAB. Shoot the puck and run, keep the nose in one piece, and Beach will be taken care of…would have been dispatched tonight but the game score was too close.
No Gaborik tomorrow night vs. Buffalo? What are they saving him for? Trade bait??
DR are said that he wasn’t going to play Gaby in a back-to-back in preseason — just being careful of his injury.
Just home from the X….I already like Bergeron as a d-man, but that “fight” was ug-ly! Let someone else do that job, MAB.
Couple more impressions: Shep is getting better and better, uses those big feet behind the net, passing with more confidence. No Nolan, no Weller tonight, had hoped to see more of them.
Gotta love Jacques: We get an OT power play, and he sends out Gaborik, Koivu, Bruno….and Cuma! Five months ago he was playing juniors, he doesn’t turn 19 until January and all of a sudden tonight he’s on the ice with Kane, Toews, Havlat, Campbell, Gaborik, etc…The stories he’ll tell when he gets home!
I’m picking apart the roster trying to figure out how Kalus makes it, just because I want him to. If we’re keeping 14 forwards, it looks like (in no particular order) Boogie, Bruno, Veilleux, Belanger, Koivu, Shep, Pouliot, P-Marc, Gabby, Miettinen, Nolan and Weller for the first 12 spots. That would leave two spots for Gillies, Kalus, Kolanos, and Clutterbuck. If Gillies is making it, as the Don seems to think, then it’s Kalus, Kolanos and Clutterbuck for one spot (maybe Irmen? Doesn’t seem likely.)
I just think Kalus can be a scorer at this level - more so than Clutterbuck - and this team is going to struggle to score goals.
Agreed too on MAB, but why wasn’t Beach dealth with? I hope the Wild aren’t afraid to lose a pre-season game.
Sorry, what did Beach do?
Did Mietinen look as bad from your seats as he did from mine? I’m hoping it was just an off night, but as brutal as he was, I’m surprised JL played him as much as he did. Here’s to him finding his hands and legs.
Beach broke MAB’s nose. Black eyes for several days.
Broke it on a dirty hit or in a fight?
In a fight….MAB needs to NOT fight!
Best wishes to Stan Bowman…
Was it a fair fight? Or did Beach instigate it? Just wondering why he had to be “dealt with.”
I’m used to good ol’ fashioned
Homestyle Spanish cooking
If i try that I’ll be puking
Well it’s been a pleasure but we got to go
Regresaremos temprano
Cinco, seis, o siete de la mañana
Su hija esta en buenas manos
KiPA: Beach picked the fight with MAB. It wasn’t even close. Beach nailed MAB with 4-5 good head shots, and he crumpled in a bloody mess to the ice. It wasn’t pretty, and took a few minutes after the period ended to clean up…
MAB was being led off quickly by a trainer with a towel around his nose after it happened…
Beach wasn’t “dealt with” because it’s preseason and I’m sure the look that Boogie got from JL said, ‘Let it go… for now.’ Off to give very tired early morning tour.. yech.
Awesome coverage Michael!
re: Kurtz/passport. Wow- the (cough) love for Falness is oozing through the blog. Thanks for the chuckle.
How is Mr. Stencilious doing as the Russo back-up?
it was fight between two willing participants. not sure what there is to be dealt with.
Little surprised that Mittens has already been relegated to the checking line. Hard to imagine he is going to help offset the goals the team lost this summer by playing on the checking line.
Bergie clearly needs to learn to skate away from the bullies. He’s a pro. He should know this. No shame in drawing some big fat penalties for the team, squirt!
I was at last night’s game and it appeared that T. Cuma was on point during every power play. Now I realize this is preseason, but shouldn’t the wild use this oppotunity to see how their reg. season PP will work. Also, who is Scott #36, he’s taller than Boogaard I think. I can’t find anything about him anywhere.
Ugh… Heineken beers did me in last night at the X. Couple of things about the game.
1. John Scott is a man mountain. All night I had my fingers crossed that some Blackhawk was gonna drop his gloves with the kid. But no 
2. I didn’t go back through the old blog but you should know that Bergeron fight was U-G-L-Y. Guy got dropped like a rock. His blood was still painted on the boards through the whole freakin’ period. At intermission they came out and scrapped it off the boards and ice. Red dust was flying everywhere.
3. I apologize for getting upset to trade up 1 spot to grab Tyler Cuma. This kid was solid all night and I’m not just being kind. He knew what he was doing and could go in to corners and come up with the puck. So much confidence and so young. We have something special in him. Let’s not rush it though he needs to get bigger and perfect his game. If my foggy memory is correct I think he was the 3rd star last night.
The MAB fight/ass kicking was pretty ugly. I am actually surprised that it was just a broken nose. MAB left about 2 pints of blood on the ice, the spray pattern to the boards, the yellow stripe on the boards, and about half way up the 830 ad. Hopefully Mittens can pull it together, it was kinda ugly last night. Great job to Cuma and Gillies. Nice to see the kiddies getting some good ice time and NOT looking like highschool kids. Also nice to see Shep pulling it together. Another year or two under his belt and he will be Mikko part 2.
Not sure if this was covered but Foy got sent to Peoria.
Tyler Cuma was the best defenseman on the ice last night again. That kid is going to be amazing for the Wild. I wish he could take Reitz or Skoula’s place this year. Awesome pick for the Wild by Tommy T. and the scouting staff!
it was fight between two willing participants. not sure what there is to be dealt with.
I wasnt’ really serious, but was responding to an earlier comment on this thread and an earlier one, as well as to JL’s comments that if Beach wants to fight, that’s what #24 is for. Some people here were surmising that he wouuld have been dealt with had the game not been so close, which makes no sense to me as a rationale in a preseason game.
It seems to me that MAB is the idiot here and that he’s the one that needs to be dealt with.
[…] Russo’s Rants – […]
Isn’t Skoula in the last year of his contract? Hopefully they’re trying to accelerate Coma’s development to fill that spot next year.
Yes, Skou-doggery is a UFA at the end of the year.
Well, that was like watching my kids C Bantam team.
who is Scott #36
*tisk tisk*
Second tallest dude in the NHL right now. Devastating, isn’t he? 
the yellow stripe on the boards
this was a result of the linesman kicking the shavings he created of the blood pool towards the boards.
either people who post here call into dave thompson show after twins game or their fans are just the same…people were actually calling for gardy’s head. rationale is he has had plenty of time to win a world series but hasn’t so it is time to go.
someone last night was complaining about twins game not on the leader. TBS has had a sunday game all year and had the division series last year. They dropped atlanta baseball and gained a national deal. they probably have more penetration than versus…
funny, Green*, that comments like that come at the end of a season where no reasonable person could have expected the Twins to finish, … what? Better than 3rd place?
I noticed that Mosey and Skoula were the defensive pair on the ice for both goals against. Lovely.
If you remember from the draft Kyle Beach was a top prospect that fell to #11 due to his hot head temper.
I’m not sure if he is old enough to be sent to the AHL? But you can bet in that league he’ll find his share of willing dance partners.
Yeah, Beach is almost universally reviled. I’m understanding why. I remember a collective cheer coming from the WHL when this happened.
- I apologize for getting upset to trade up 1 spot to grab Tyler Cuma.
Full credit to Lucky for being the first to remember a common past complaint that seems to be working out well.
- Some might remember John Scott from his WCHA days at Michigan Tech. For all the local player rips Wild management is subject to here, this is a raw prospect they took out of college and tried to mold a player out of. The consensus of Aero fans here is Scott is not an NHL player but I never thought he would be an AHL player when he was in college.
I’m not sure if this has been brought up in any of these preseason blogs, but did anybody notice that the first preseason game didn’t feature Walz’s “That’s Wild hockey!” after it was over? I thought maybe they retired it since Walz is affiliated with another team now, but then they played it last night.
Weird.
Rob, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Is this something played in the arena at the end of a game?
Some here in Houston contend Scott isn’t an AHL player either. I, of course, would like to thump those people hard on the forehead. The nerve.
Deep,
At 7:26, you said exactly what I wanted to say but didn’t have time to right then: did we acquire Mittens to put him on the checking line? I could see him playing a lot of PK, but I was hoping he’d wind up on one of the scoring lines, maybe with Butch and Shep, who is also apparently going to be toiling away on the checking line, which also seems like a waste to me. How do people see the lines shaping up, assuming Koivu-Gaborik-Bruno holds together (if he signs)? What’s the second line? Is it Belanger-Butch-Pouliot? Belanger-Butch-Nolan?
I thought it would end up:
Bruno-Koivu-Gaby
PMB-Pouliot-Nolan
Mittens-Shep-Weller/Cal
SRV-Belanger-Boogey/Weller
JL had to keep the Bruno-Koivu-Gaborik line together to see if they can build chemistry. He has to give that line a chance. Also, who else could he competently replace Bruno without jeopardizing the other lines? No one. JL probably didn’t trust Kalus and Clutterbuck on the checking line.
Dave, your lines are confusing. Pouliot on the wing? Who is going to be the 4th center?
I want JL to try Mittens-Koivu-Gaby.
I don’t know, sunshine. Didn’t Pouliot play some wing last year? Does JL like him at C in this system?
Pouliot can play the wing but who is going to be the 4th center? PMB? He hasn’t played center since juniors. He’s taken a handful of faceoffs but that doesn’t make a center.
If we had a good 4th line center, maybe Pouliot can pivot between being a center and a winger. Currently, we don’t have a 4th line center but Pouliot.
The Cs kind of have to be Koivu, Belanger, Shep, and Pouliot, I guess. I’m just trying to figure out which wing plays where and trying to make the larger point that I didn’t think Mittens or Shep were going to be on the checking line. I like Belanger better than Shep on the checking line, but maybe Shep has the better build for it. The other question is, if you put Mittens on the checking line, what are the wings on the scoring lines?
Hockeydad,
At the end of Wild home wins, after they play the anthem, they play this clip of Walz coming up the tunnel. He looks at the camera as he is walking by and goes, “WHOO! That’s Wild hockey!”
I don’t know if they just forgot it in that first game or what, but they played it after the second home preseason game.
If they do keep it up this year despite Walz being with the lightning, stick around after a win until the anthem is over. Usually you get about 100 or so people scattered around the arena waiting for it. People booed when they didn’t play it at the first preseason game.
It just seems somehow inconsistent or something to me to keep Shep on the checking line. At a time last year, JL was saying that he didn’t want Shep to keep playing there because he wasn’t learning to be the kind of player they thought he could be. Then, before this season, JL was saying he needed more from Shep. How’s he supposed to do more if he’s on the checking line? He was our 1st-round pick, after all. Is that why we drafted him so high, because we envisioned him as a 3rd-4th line guy? It doesn’t make any sense.
Don’t worry. I wouldn’t mind trying to play Pouliot on the wing. In some ways, I feel that instead of giving Foster’s spot to winger, we should give it to a center like Kolanos, Locke, or Olvecky. We will miss the edginess of a Kalus or Clutterbuck but we will have another center.
I think he’s playing Shep in the checking line because Belanger was out and you can’t trust Kolanos or Pouliot there. Koivu had to play with Gaborik. Sheppard by default ends up being the checking line center.
I see JL interchanging Belanger and Sheppard on the 2nd line and checking line. Pouliot, until he gets his act together, will be stuck in the fourth line. I think for him being there is like being sent down to the AHL. He doesn’t want to be there and thinks he deserve to play on the top 2 lines.
I see what you’re saying, sunshine. I understand how Shep might have wound up there last night by default, but Russo referred to Mittens-Shep-SRV as his “likely checking line”, which I don’t get. Maybe he will interchange them.
Speaking of Belanger, he was in the autograph line yesterday. I let him sign my Koivu jersey, but I don’t think he liked it that I wouldn’t let him sign in the spot I’m saving for Mikko. I think it came across as, “sorry Eric, but this spot is saved for our TOP center.” He sounded hurt.
Speaking of Belanger, he was in the autograph line yesterday
Would that be the autograph line for MKia?
No.
I suppose you could look at the autograph line in two ways. There is the line of fans waiting for autographs and the line of players giving them. Yesterday was Belanger, Weller, and Reitz.
Yeah, I don’t Shep being stuck in the checking line all year either.
I still don’t think NJ was going to take Cuma anyway. Have the balls to let NJ make a decision and then work a deal after if he is chosen, the NBA does that all the time. If you think a draft pick after the 2nd round is worthless, then why not dump them all to get a better 1st or 2nd rounder.
Based on offensive potential you have to make Benny your number 2 center. Shep is more responsible and can be trusted as your checking line center (because they’ll get more ice time than your 2nd line). Belanger is a solid number 4 who could fill in on lines 2 and checking accordingly.
Good points, El Gato. Who are the wings on your lines?
SRV with Mittens and Shep on checking line. Keep the Koivu Bruno Gabby line as number 1. 2nd line of PMB-Nolan-Benny, 4th line-Belanger with whoever is left.
Whew. I think I have purged the back log of hockey in my brain for the moment.
I am seeing discussion of Shep on the checking line? He may get time there, but I still see him as the #2 center. Pouls will need to spend some time on the checking line to learn the role, serve his time.
Then I think the job goes back to Belanger. He really doesn’t have the offensive upside of Pouls and Shep, so why not?
I still don’t think NJ was going to take Cuma anyway.
They could have traded the pick to another team.
Buddha, solid points. JL will always match his checking line with the opponents top line. If the top line for the opponents is pulling 20+ minutes a game, then your checking line is doing the same. If JL’s top line is also pulling 20+ minutes per game, then you’re down to maybe 15-18 minutes for the 2nd and 4th lines. Do we want Benny on a checking line pulling 20+ minutes and Shepp only playing 12-15 on the 2nd line or have Benny pulling 3-5 minutes per night on the 4th line while Belanger is doing 20+ on the checking? I think there is a better chance of scoring with Benny on the 2nd line than Shep and I think there is a better chance the opponents won’t score as much with Shep on the checking line instead of Benny or Belanger.
I think there is a better chance of scoring with Benny on the 2nd line than Shep and I think there is a better chance the opponents won’t score as much with Shep on the checking line instead of Benny or Belanger.
B-I-N-G-O
Well said, El Gato.
Agreed wiht 2 previous comments. But I sure was hoping Miettinen was going to help us with scoring. Thought they grabbed him because of his scoring upside.
SGS, good point, I guess I would have taken the gamble and not given a pick away or maybe you trade your pick to someone else and make the Devils sweat about getting the guy they want. I think NJ had traded spots with one other team for an extra pick which kept them in front of us. So they more or less moved 2 or 3 spots down in the draft, probably still got the player they wanted, and got 2 extra draft picks in the process. That’s shrewd.
How does everyone think Stamkos is going to do this season? Anybody draft him in fantasy? I only took him in one of the six drafts I’ve had so far (I had to keep joining leagues until I got Ovechkin, which I finally did last night).
I was at the game last night and I have to agree with everything i’ve read; Cuma is solid. For only being 18 I was really impressed with his performance last night; far more than I was with Skoula. How he is still skating with this team is beyond me.
Dave, Sporting News has a free salary cap contest. You could put Ovie on a team as long as your entire team fits under the cap! Of course, everyone in the league could have Ovie also.
Dave, I drafted Stamkos in the Russoville league that KiPA set up. I hope he works out!
Hey, Austin. How the heck are ya?
What round did you take him in?
I had to keep joining leagues until I got Ovechkin
That’s kinda funny.
In one league I drafted for a friend of mine, AO went fourth. The guy who went first somehow accidentally took Luongo…then the next two went Brodeur-Nabokov.
Kevin,
Not that I don’t join multiple leagues every year anyway, you understand. You never get ALL the players you want….
AO has gone first in every one of those six leagues. I was shocked - shocked - that Sid fell to me at 3 in one league. It went Ovechkin, then Mike Richards. I was overjoyed.
Wow, that’s nutty, KiPA. I think I’d want a do-over if I picked Luongo in the first round. (Er, no offense to anyone who did… I just have no faith in the brain-eaters in front of him.)
Now that everyone has totally missed the little-reported blurb about Ottawa and Vancouver being interested in Gaborik if MN can’t (or won’t) sign him…..
Let’s take a look at what we could get!
Vancouver: Lots of cap room, but the only thing we could get is the Pinky and the Brain twins, and some picks. Not much. Move along.
Ottawa: No cap space, after taking bonus money into consideration. However… The player-swap possibilities are amazing!
Heatley? Hell yes! Signed thru 2013 at 7.5/yr cap hit. Better production than Gaborik, better defensively.
Spezza? Hell yes! Also signed thru 2013 at 7.5/yr cap hit. Would be an instant #1 center, and fill the depth problem there in a heartbeat.
Fisher? Yeah! Another great center who plays both ends of the rink and has plenty of potential.
Vermette? I think this kid is amazing! He’s still cheap, so not like they’d let him go easily, but if they needed to clear cap space for Gaby you could see a 2 for 1 deal there.
Anyways, it’d be nice to have a player who can actually stickhandle in a phone booth, and not loose the puck everytime he gets near traffic.
Kalus and Hamilton sent to Houston this morning. Welcome home, boyz.
I like Fisher.
Re: Luongo going first. The guy said he had Ovechkin listed first in his queue but didn’t realize he had Luongo selected. What I can’t figure out are these two things: why he bothered putting AO in his queue (I only use that when it gets to the final few rounds) and why the next two guys didn’t take him. Especially since the league had changes its settings a bit so there was one less goalie stat.
And yeah Dave: get this. In all my football leagues I’ve been in, I’ve always had a top four pick. In four hockey drafts so far, no drafts in the top four. One had a 12, an 8, a 7 and a 6 I think. Maybe a 5 instead of the 7.
Luongo went #1? I swear some people drink WAY too much ______. Fill in the blank. Koolaid… whiskey….
AO went first in my league. Crosby fell to 4th. Stamkos didn’t go until 14th round.
MuN:
You can forget Heatley and Spezza. Fisher has a nice contract $21 million for 5 years. Maybe Vermette, Foligno, Neil, and 2nd pick.
food
Food
All this talk about lines… JL’s still coach isn’t he?
Just reminding you all that JL changes lines more often than anyone changes their socks. In fact, he changes the lines almost as often as your average American male changes tv stations.
I’m sure we’ll see both Belanger, Pouliot and Shep on lines 2 through 4 at some point. I’d not be suprised to see Koivu on the checking line either if JL feels he needs him there.
How about Scott That guy is huge and great in front of the net!!! We need his presence on the ice!!
On another note: I seriously think that when there is a TV time out or break in the action. The music played should be from Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory. The ice guys remind me of the Oompa Loompa’s when they come out on the ice!!
Hey Dave, I am doing alright… still looking for a job unfortunately.
I took Stamkos in teh 3rd round. Just after Gaby and just before Backstrom.
08-09 season preview in the hockey news, the talented Mr. Russo previews the team. (scroll to the bottom of the hot link)
http://www.thehockeynews.com/subchannel/news.html
So what are the guesses for what the Wild mascot is going to be?
