Everything you need to know …
Posted on November 21st, 2008 – 10:25 AMBy Michael Russo
Mikko Koivu has the Wild’s only goals in 148:12, dating back to defenseman Erik Reitz’s third-period goal Nov. 15 vs. Columbus.
Koivu is the lone Wild forward to be credited with a goal in 172:24, dating back to Benoit Pouliot’s first-period PPG Nov. 15.
No other Wild forward has scored an even-strength goal since Andrew Brunette Nov. 6 at Colorado - a span of 340:04.
But offense isn’t a concern, eh?
The Wild is tied with Ottawa for last in the NHL with 24 even-strength goals. Seventeen games. Twenty-four even-strength goals.
Pierre-Marc Bouchard, not to pick on one player, ranks 374th in the NHL with 19 shots. We all know he’s struggling to find chemistry with his linemates after the loss of Brian Rolston, but one would think he’d have to adjust his game and shoot more if this is the case.
76 Responses to "Everything you need to know …"
but one would think he’d have to adjust his game and shoot more if this is the case.
Well if the Don says it, it must be true.
I’ve never had a problem with Bouchard and I hope he snaps out of it soon.
However if he was a dog, my parents would be taking him out to a farm where he could play with other Bouchards. He’s been pretty awful for a guy who just got a long term deal at a damn good price.
Well, to throw out another name out there - Clutterbuck in 15 games has 18 shots.
Its sad really. PMB be more selfish. Lemaire and the coaches need to do more shooting drills with PMB or his goal-scoring-shooting skill is going to disappear.
Lucky - Isn’t that pretty common. Sign long-term deal = drop off in production. I’m not saying that is the case everytime but it sure feels like it.
The stats the Don provided this morning should be enough to make any true Wild fan throw right the hell up. Hopefully, and I fall down to my knees almost on a daily basis and pray to the god of all things Offensive-hockey related, that Ballgame simply does not look at the situation and think “Things will turn around for the team. The pieces are in place. They just need time to develop.” 24 even strength goals, against some of the dregs of the League that Minnesota has played (Atl, Fla, TB, Colu, Dall, Phoe, Colo, Phoe, Colu) would hopefully be enough of kick in the cash and prizes to Ballgame that he thinks that some adjustments should be pursued.
Was it only me who was screaming at the TV last night for the Wild to shoot the puck?
I swear they had at least 5 opportunities last night in the 3rd period alone where they gained the zone with numbers and pulled up only to turn the puck over without a shot.
I was gonna say that, BDS… The guy ain’t right in the head right now for whatever reason, and I’m sure the big contract is part of it. I’m willing to be patient (other than in the heat of the game when I’m ready to throttle the little chrome dome).
Of course the lack of offense is of huge concern. We all know Backs cannot stand on his head all the time. Skoula is bound to give away a skuba snack once in a while and the other unproven players like Reitz, Clutterbuck, Gilles and Sheppard will have sub par games. To win these games we need additional offense as simple as that. So far they have held their own but the longer UM is out the greater the chance it will chatch up with them.
BDS,
True. Burns seemed snake bit after his contract last season but Butch just seems like something is really wrong. Like he’s not clicking with anybody. Like the Don said on his radio show “He’s missing Rolston.”
I know this never was possible but who ever posted something to the fact that PMB should have entered the negotiations between DR and Rolston and offered Brian $1 Mil of his own salary on top of what the Wild was offering really was right on.
I know this never was possible but who ever posted something to the fact that PMB should have entered the negotiations between DR and Rolston and offered Brian $1 Mil of his own salary on top of what the Wild was offering really was right on.
If PMB is missing Huggy so much, somebody send over an 8×10 color glossy of Huggy so PMB can hang it in his locker stall because odds are strong that the real Hugggy ain’t walking through the door anytime soon. Also, where do folks think the extra offense is gonna come from? I’m just curious if people think that all of sudden Shepp, or Poo-Bah or Olden Molden or anyone else is gonna catch fire and score 2 goals in an 8-game stretch. Geez, I thought I was going to be sarcastic with that last comment, but actually, if somebody other than Franchise would score twice in 8 games he really would be on fire for this team. Sad.
If he misses Rolston so much trade him to new jersey
Look I know PMB misses Rolston, but its time to MOVE ON. Its been 17 games now, too often he looks to make the “pretty play” not the “right play”. He needs to shoot more which is obvious but I am tired of hearing how he misses Rolston, this is professional sports, guys leave get traded, etc all the time, the good ones accept it and move on and if his performance has to be measured by playing with one guy then the Wild made a major mistake in signing him long term.
It’s not that easy to get over it. Brian Rolston had him at hello.
I still can’t get over the fact that this team has 24 even strength goals in 17 games. Doesn’t a team get fined by the League or something if it puts up offensive numbers that are so putrid to look at that they make fans long for full-sized color posters of RIAC and RIAS in their bedrooms 
That made me COMC, Lucky… 
Skuba snacks have been minimal this year. He has been quite solid but we are all aware that the offense stinks. We are playing excellent D but no O. The D-men are trying to throw pucks at the net but our wings aren’t. And we are not getting the sloppy goals around the net. Nolan got one early and not much since then other than a couple by Pouliot on the PP.
What is it with our players being so whiny? Are all playes like that and we only notice ours?
it would help if #10 could play.
for some reason, i thought the boys had a lot of shots and passes blocked last night and had trouble keeping the puck on their sticks. its no excuse, just and observance.
benny missed a wide open net last night.
There were no fewer than 5 times last night where we had control of the puck in the offensive zone and we had NOBODY in front of the net. Now, I’m all for cycling to an extent, but SOMEBODY needs to be in front of the net!
That being said, I’m not jumping off a cliff. I know what we have and I know we’re fortunate to be where we are (Backs 8 for 8 on shootouts). Until the boys pull their heads out of their asses and get some pucks on the net with guys there for rebounds, we will have games like these.
One other thing, I cringe every time I hear some idiot in sect 110 yell about Skoula everytime he touches the puck. Pull your head out sir and get over it. Quit jumping on the bandwagon and actually watch him once.
WildFan- I wasn’t screaming at the TV, but I was creaming, as were the other 18567 people in the builing.
No one will admit we have a problem with offense faster than me, but let’s look at solutions for a minute.
UM isn’t coming back anytime soon, and then it won’t be for long. PMB isn’t just magically going to snap out of his funk, Clutts seems to be more the plumber type, not a 30 goals scorer, Nolan is well, Nolan.
The hottest guy on the team was put on the checking line, and the best line on the team broken up because they didn’t score in one or two games. The justification? It was getting too easy to check thatline and take them out of the game. Right, so let’s take it out of the game ourselves.
Nolan, Clutts, and Boogey need to be camped in front of the net every second that puck is in the O-zone. Give the puck to Brunette, let him find the open guy, and tell that guy to shoot the damn thing. If it is a Dman, tell them to shoot and quit being pretty, and aim for the guy in front of the net with IRR on.
i thin I have been complaining about this for going on 8 years now. The Wild rarely have a wing in front of the net. Basic, fundamental hockey. Never there.
creaming… ouch.
Screaming
G*… that net wasn’t just wide open, the dang thing had a red carpet laid out with ushers and champagne waiting at the door.
Any way we can trade our entire offense sans Koivu for 11 more Koivus?
Buddha, you might want to see a doctor if it hurts when you are um…
What can a person say? We all had a feeling something like this could happen this year. We lost a lot of scoring over the summer. We picked up a few quality people, but they depend on others to get into the play and create/finish. The hope was that our younger talent would all progress a little bit more this year.
Franchise… well, thank goodness for Franchise. We was awesome last year, and he’s managed to elevate his game this year. Burns is stuck on the wing. Bouchard doesn’t look nearly so dynamic without the very smart Rolston, who could score from anywhere, picking up his game. Shep just isn’t there right now, and he isn’t getting much help.
Zidlicky. I like Zid’s movement. He shows up at the doorstep at the right time for those quick against the grain centering passes. He will be good for some points this year.
Nolan and Bruno are team players. They can be valuable, but they are not create by themselves, or with speed, or with massive shot, sort of players. Others on their shifts need to work off them. Mitts. I have been pleasantly surprised with him. He was never going to keep up his start of the year pace, but he is contributing.
Getting Gaby on the ice, or some other scorer in the case of a trade, would open the ice up more for at least one other line. Once scorer can make a difference, but others still need to step up, take the game to opponents’ net.
At least Backstrom and the D has been strong.
“It’s not that easy to get over it. Brian Rolston had him at hello.”
Bahahahahahahahahaha. I almost snorted my coffee there.
They are going to have to get something: move shepperd and/or Johnsson. We have get scoring. Who’d have thought that that Benny would be the one to keep…
I’m wondering what type of drills, etc the guys do in a practice? Every now and then the Don throws up something about they did this or that. I’d certainly hope JL has some good drills up his sleeve aimed at getting the forwards shooting. Hopefully he’s not just saying ‘we need to shoot da puck’ and then sending them out to scrimmage.
It seems that for PMB, just sending him out alone against a couple of D would get him used to carrying the puck and shooting a bit. Have him do it over and over again.. but what do I know?
What is it with our players being so whiny?
Who’s whining? As far as I know PMB has not said “I miss Rolston” to anyone. This is just what people have said. It is likely true, but you can’t call him whiny when he isn’t saying anything about it. It’s obvious that he is struggling, and he knows it. I have not heard him complain one iota.
After all the dust settled in the free agent off-season I was thinking that this years team wasn’t going to be as good as last years team. Now I’m starting to think Doug made the team better not worse. Season to date I think this years team is at least as good as last years team, and that’s without the Candy Ass Slovak and his injured Hacky Sack. We get exponentially better if/when Tender Loins is back.
The reason I think this years team is better is because Carney and Hill have been replaced with Zid and MAB. I like having D Men who can move the puck.
Re: PMB - No one gets more frustrated watching him flit around at the blue line, back his butt up to the half board and then give the puck away. It seems like it’s a chemistry problem that will work itself out in time. He was a point leader on last years team so he’ll get it worked out. And any player who can pull off the 360 degree shoot out move gets a free pass for his poor start.
(The artist formerly known as OMG will be posting as Quagmire going forward. Please update your records.)
Rayraydavies says: “Never in my life would I go to another team’s spot and post. Dicks. ”
This is what pisses me off.
THIS IS NOT THE MINNESOTA WILD TEAM PAGE: http://WWW.WILD.NHL.COM IS.
This is the website for a newspaper. Let me repeat that in caps: NEWSPAPER.
The last time I checked newspapers were about freedom of speech and diverse thought.
It says that this blog is for: “a wide-ranging hockey-centric discussion with readers”. It says “readers” not “fans”. Well, I’m a reader.
If you want a Wild love-in, form a fan page. THAT’S WHAT FAN PAGES ARE FOR.
Please go form the website “www.WeLoveTheWild.com” if you only want fans to comment. Otherwise, it’s free speech. Deal with it.
Thanks.
I agree with Jake and Austin. First of all it is obvious we need another scorer and PMB isn’t whinning. Right now, we don’t have two scoring lines. They are not jelling together. I don’t mind JL flopping lines around but he has leave them together for awhile.
Since he has been hurt it still has to play out but I think we will ultimately see that Rolston will also miss a playing with someone like PMB. The break up was bad for both sides.
[…] Russo’s Rants – […]
Who is PMB playing with mostly right now? His line is definitely not clicking.
Why is Pouliot on the 4th line? BP PMB Nolan. Shepp to the 4th line. for starters. We new in the offseason that DR let a lot of offense go. Wild hockey, Defense first
Thanks for owning up to that opinion annonymus.
And thank you for taking it so personally. Don’t think I saw where in the post it said they couldn’t post, just that he wouldn’t.
However, since you brought it up… if you think newspapers are about free speech and diverse thought, you obviously don’t read very many newspapers.
ANONYMOUS, YOU ARE RIGHT. BUT THE http://WWW.WILD.NHL.COM IS FLOODED WITH CANUCKS FANS.
Bloggers: We have a damn good team. We have youth, a good D, and one of top complete hockey players in MIKKO. Believe it or not Poolboy will be a 30+ goal scorer in this league. Shep is at least will be a solid (mikko clone) number 2 center. Clutts will be the best hitter(agitator) in the NHL. One big piece missing Megagroin. WHEN he gets healthy and starts scoring again you will have 2 solid scoring lines and great checking line. IMO
Buddha, didn’t you learn anythign last night? Don’t feed the trolls!! 
klj, I think I would like a BP, PMB, Nolan line. I think Nolan could knock a few PMB passes into the twine.
ATX… C’mon… ray ray already took away my cliches, now I can’t have any fun either?
Nobody loves me, nobody cares… guess I’ll go eat worms.
Yep Buddha… No fun for you!
theo- I agree, with most anyways. It’s just getting more difficult to trust that 2 goals a game is going to be enough. It has been in the past, but those two goals were almost a mortal lock in the past.
Now, the two goals are not coming in 5 on 5, and the PP can’t carry the team for long. Either can Franchise (as much as I really wish he could).
I haven’t given up. Not even close, but there are definately some problems that need to be addressed before it gets too far.
Buddha, I was just sounding off. I am as frustrated as anyone on this blog.
Hey anonymous, if you want to come in and offer thoughtfull, knowledgeable posts (even if they are anti-Wild) go right ahead. If you back up your argument with facts and give examples, you will probably have people disagree with you but will get some discussion and respect. If you come in and just act like a troll, they expect reactions such as Rayray posted.
Tyler D, I agree. I had some guy in 101 doing the same thing. Every time Skoula touched the puck he would yell at him–even when he was nicely moving it out of the zone. Please folks–watch the damn game. We have enough to yell at that is real. But, let’s not jump off the bridge. We have an excellent record–but the lack of O means–trouble ahead, trouble behind.
then, that last ‘they’ should have been then.
It’d be nice if we could go back and edit our own posts.
Jake the Wall says:
November 21st, 2008 at 11:56 am
That Mr. JtW, was a perfect post. Right on the money.
Rolston had him at hello
POTW!
Tyler…Are you Jack’s Broken Heart??? Or Jack’s Raging Bile Duct? Perhaps Jack’s Inflamed Sense of Rejection?
Someone (Gretzky, I think?) once said that 100% of all shots not taken ever score goals. Look at Demitra last night: his goal was ugly and lucky, but he at least took the shot, as improbable an angle as it was.
I’m not saying the Wild should tee up and blast away the instant they cross the blueline (like I do on the playstation! ), but for someone like PMB to have only 19 shots on goal through 14 games? Not good.
…of course, PMB did film a bedroom scene with Boogie for that “Team of 18,000″ commercial. Maybe that’s still weighing on his mind.
so, we’ve got Butch being compared to Clutterbuck, angst, angst and more angst, a sneaky GD reference (good on ya, wood) and at least one attempt to throw some oil on the water.
sunshine: I can’t believe you really think that Butch’s lack of willingness to pull the trigger is the coaches’ faults? And were you saying that Clutterbuck having 15 shots just magnifies Butch’s lack of shooting because they play such different roles? I’m just a little confused is all.
PS: “anonymous” is really “Scott the D” from the previous couple blog posts.
5minute:
I’m pretty sure that Walter Gretzky said “100% of the shots you don’t take don’t go in.”
JtW: Good post but it’s more regurgitation of what everyone in Russoville already knows. This team is painfully offensively challenged; has one legit offensive threat on the ice at the moment and that is Franchise and that several players are currently lost in some kind of fog (PMB, Shepp, Gillies, etc). As of today, we can basically hope that Backstop continues to be the League MVP and that the PK unit continues to dominate. Offensive help just doesn’t seem like it is right around the corner, since Gaby doesn’t even skate with the team yet.
>>Demitra said he liked the offensive freedom in Vancouver’s system in addition to playing with the same player for many games.<<
And it’s all about Pavol isn’t it? The fact that he is so quotable about this year vs. last suggests he really has a burr under his saddle about Jock-U and his 11 SC rings. And Pav has how many? I don’t suspect we’ll hear Rolston whining about his years in MN.
Rolston wasn’t put at the center position the way Demo was. Keep Huggy 3rd man high in the offensive end and his 31 goals quickly turns to 15-18.
DB - Speaking of the UM and skating. Isn’t it about time Rockeyridge gives us an update.
All, even though our squad got beat last night, I think most of us can force a smile at the thought of this:
Four hockey fans are mountain climbing. Each climber happens to be a rabid fan of a different NHL team. One from Colorado, one from Calgary, one from Minnesota and the other from Vancouver.
As they climb higher and higher, they argue more and more about which of them is the most loyal to their particular hockey team. As they reach the summit, the climber from Colorado takes a running leap and throws himself off the mountain, yelling, “This is for the Colorado Avalanche!” Not wanting to be outdone, the climber from Calgary throws himself off the mountain, shouting, “This is for the Calgary Flames!” Seeing this, the Minnesota Wild fan walks to the edge and yells, “This is for hockey fans everywhere!” He then throws the Canucks’ fan off the cliff.
LOL - Deep Breath - Nice one!
OMG will be posting as Quagmire
giggity, giggity, giggity
That shot of Demitra’s is one that I have seen often from him when he played with the Wild. He usually tries to bank it off the goalie, It doesn’t usually work but he’s gotten lucky a couple of times. Last night against Backstrom and once against Miller.
Its one of his signature shots.
It also resulted in Gaborik’s 4th goal against the Rangers.
Memorable flukey shots that resulted in a goal.
Family Guy is so terrible now, poor decision
I heard the NHL Network is going to produce a ‘reality’ show about the MN Wild.
It’s going to be called The Young and the Scoreless.
Sorry, it must be a lack of sleep.
Can’t even get my tags right… *sigh*
Does anyone else think Pouliot should get 3 or 4 games on the second line just to see how it goes. The kid has done well on the 4th line despite Risebrough telling us Sheppard is more mature and NHL ready.
I think most people agree Lucky, but JL is going to do what he is going to do. By the end of the game, Benny usually has played on a number of different line combinations. Last night I believe he was out on wing with Koivu in the 3rd.
Lucky…
It’s a nice thought, but it doesn’t matter if Poultine is on the 1st line. The Wild will never have a ‘high scoring’ centerman.
Even The Great One would score less than 100 points in JLs system.
I agree kj
Oh, I know DB. Of course, most comments on blog like this can be considered “regurgitation” of some sort or other. Like you simply rephrasing my post. Of course, there isn’t conversation if there aren’t people posting.
voila le dejuner.
Russo makes good points on this blog
Defense is getting the Wild good results Russo. Nobody can complain about the Wilds win loss record.
JL has to loosen up and take some chances with regards to scoring goals. At the beginning of the year he started off with Gaby-SRV- Sheppard. That may work for JL, but certainly not Gaby, so this shows JL needs to loosen up.
I have written that Gaby and PMB should play together. Offensive brains think a like. Srv has no business playing with Gaby. This shows me that JL has to relax for the good of the team. When Gaby comes back he needs to play with PMB, and that is final. Take some Ex-lax JL.
MKIA, have you considered that PMB and Gaborik both play right wing? Which would you move to the left side and why?
What a surprise. Downie was just suspended for 3 games in the AHL. Now there is a thug.
vote backstrom
