Twenty-five games to go.
That’s all that’s left for the Iowa Wild before the AHL reaches its 78th postseason, meaning a total of 16 teams play on, and 14 hit the golf course.
Last night’s win was huge. First off, the Wild needed some good vibes, mentally-speaking. Having played so many overtime and shootout games in recent weeks, and not having a lot of success in them (8-10 overall this season), had to be taking its toll on this team.
Some things to watch in tonight’s rematch against the Lake Erie Monsters:
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“GUS” – CAN HE BOUNCE BACK? Wild goaltender Johan Gustafsson has struggled lately…in the month of February he is sporting a goals against average of 4.93. He’ll get the start tonight, and the Wild desperately need him to find his game.
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THE PP: The Wild’s power play is a scorching 5/11 in the season series against Lake Erie. If the man advantage can strike again tonight, they’ll make it that much easier to find success.
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#JAKEHOCKEY: After missing the last handful of games while on bereavement leave / recall to the Minnesota Wild (for a few practice days), Iowa Wild captain Jake Dowell will rejoin the lineup tonight. I’m guessing tonight’s game will help bring some normalcy back to his life – after all, he gets paid to play hockey, and he’s done that very well, for a very long time. It will be interesting to see the type of emotion and passion in his game, and what type of effort he can provide to help his team in another crucial game.
Looking Ahead, Part 1: The Wild play four games in a six-day span, beginning Tuesday. Three of those games are against teams that are directly ahead of them in the Western Conference playoff picture. It’s about as big of a week as you can get, matchup-wise. However, the Wild can’t get caught looking ahead. Tonight is just as important…the Monsters are clinging to their slim playoff chances, and will certainly have revenge on their minds.
Looking Ahead, Part 2: How long will Wild defenseman Jon Landry be out? That’s the million dollar question, after he was injured in last night’s win. If he’s out for more than a handful of games, it could be a crushing blow. Furthermore, what will the Wild’s roster look like even a week from now with the NHL back in full swing, post-Olympics? Will the red-hot Erik Haula still be in the AHL? The bottom line is, you have to win regardless of who’s in your lineup. The Wild passed that test earlier this season when they were missing as many as nine “regulars” on a nightly basis. However, as the season moves along, the games tend to get tighter, and the points are harder to come by. Thus, it sure would be nice to have as many “horses in the stable” as possible.
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Hope you all enjoyed the hockey portion of the Olympics as much as I did. It would have been even better had the games not been on at wacky hours due to the time difference…
Regardless, it’s clear to me that the sport of hockey reaps major rewards by having NHL players participate in the Olympics. Without question it helps make the players around the league more marketable, and more recognized by casual fans. Hopefully the game grows because of the NHL’s participation in Sochi.
As for Team USA’s disappointing 4th place finish, here’s my take:
For those of you on social media sites blasting Team USA, take a hike! They had essentially one, disappointing / embarrassing period in the entire tournament (the 3rd period today against Finland). Otherwise, their defense and goaltending were stout, and their passion / commitment level was where it needed to be. They played Canada to a one-goal game yesterday. That’s a fact. Sure, frustration set in today against the Finns, and it was a tough way to “go out”. But don’t lose sight of the fact that they crushed the teams they were supposed to, and also topped the Russians and the Czechs. It’s never easy to medal in the hockey tournament, and although finishing fourth is disappointing, there was still a lot to be proud of.
I’m picking Canada in the gold medal game. From the parts of the U.S. / Canada game I saw, it seemed the Canadians did a great job of possessing the puck, backchecking to keep the Americans transition game at bay, and overall, just playing a very poised and structured game. I wouldn’t count out the Swedes, who despite not having Henrik Sedin or Henrik Zetterberg have found a way to reach the finals. Swedish goaltender Henrik Lundqvist could definitely steal the gold medal game, however, I just think the Canadians are too deep, and too experienced. It will be a one-goal game, and low-scoring. I’ll say Canada wins, 3-2.
Until the next time I put my fingers on the keyboard and hammer out another blog…
– Radio
ALL THINGS WILD 