MN Hockey News

The high flying Chicago Black Hawks landed at Xcel Energy Center Wednesday night and in need of a victory as they entered the game with a 3-5-2 record in their last 10 games and losers of their past three games..  The loosey-goosey and essentially playoff eliminated Minnesota Wild were able to match the skilled Hawks stride for stride…at least for the majority of the first period, as they eventually succumbed and watched the Hawks dismantle them in a 4-0 loss. 

 

The hard hitting first period had one casualty as Colin Fraser was jammed on the end boards behind Wild goalie Nicklas Backstrom by Wild defenceman John Scott.  Fraser struggled to the bench, the Black Hawk team surrounded him as play was stopped mid stream as a stretcher was wheeled on the ice.  There eventually was no need for the paramedics, yet it was a scary scene for a few moments.  The injury was centered around his midsection, yet he was able to return to play.  

 

"It was a clean hit definitely, he slammed me against the boards pretty hard and I got winded, I couldn't get any breath, I was trying to breathe, trying to breathe and I couldn't get anything all the way to the bench," Fraser said after the game.  "I didn't feel any pain, I didn't feel dizzy.  I just couldn't breathe, bottom line.  You know when you are a kid and take a tennis ball in the stomach and can't breathe, everyone's been there."

 

Both teams exchanged quality scoring chances in the first period as Hawks goalie Antti Niemi made two sterling saves one with his right pad from an Andrew Brunette shot,  and the other on a glove save off a Mikko Koivu backhand from short range.  With 1:20 left in the first period, Tomas Kopecky started a resurgence as his reunited fourth line with Ben Eager and the injured Fraser combined for 3 goals and 3 assists.  Kopecky fired a Ben Eager pass from the top of the left circle past Backstrom's glove who got a piece of it as it fluttered in to the top corner of the net.   It was Kopecky's 8th of the season.  

 

"It's a special night, you get three from them," Hawks coach Joel Quenniville said.  "That group started with a nice shot by Kopy and maybe them getting reunited created a little excitement between the three."

 

The second period settled in as the Hawks slowly gained momentum in the period.  Midway through the second, the Hawks Ben Eager took an errant clearing attempt by Wild defenceman John Scott.  As he marched to the right circle, Eager fired  a low shot on Backstrom who handled the puck with a stick save.  The rebound popped out to Eager who fired the puck past the sprawled Wild goalie for the 2-0 lead.  

 

The goal left the Wild befuddled in their own zone which has become a trend under coach Todd Richards regime.  Appearing defensively clueless, overmatched, chasing, running, and losing battles along with ill-advised long passes from their own zone were the call to order in the second period and the Hawks devastated the Wild net with a 16-1 shot on goal advantage through the first 15:32 of the period.  

 

"We lacked intensity,.  Not everyone, but most of our team.  I thought Nick (Backstrom) was great.  He battles, he competes for pucks and not everyone in front of him was playing with that same intensity" Richards said in his post game press conference.  "It was a huge disappointment.  We went in spurts tonight."

 

The Hawks were whistled for a high sticking minor at 15:32 and then :29 seconds later it was a Brent Seabrook hook that put the Wild on a five on three.  There has been some concern in Chicago as their number on goaltender Cristobal Huet failed to give the Hawks the goaltending they needed down the stretch as they prepared for a deep run to the Stanley Cup playoffs.  There was some question as to who would start in the Hawks crease tonight and they went with Niemi back-to-back or the first time this season.   

 

Quenville went with his gut and there was no need to worry as Niemi made four show stopping saves during the five on three, one on Koivu from the doorstep to shut down the Wild opportunity.  As the Hawks killed the penalties off, it was back to business as usual as Chicago maintained possession in the Wild zone as it appeared as though they were on the power play the entire second period.  

 

Quenville tipped his cap to his goaltender Niemi and said, "That save on Koivu was unbelievable, coming across there, and they had the puck around the net and he made a couple of big saves."  Niemi fell victim in a 4-2 decision in St. Louis Tuesday night.  It was a game that Quenniville thought his team started to play better however and it carried over to Minnesota Wednesday night. 

 

As time ran down on the clock for the second period, a chorus of boos cascaded the Xcel Energy Center  ice surface, and for good reason as the Wild lost 4 battles in their own zone on one shift as they slinked to their locker room trailing 2-0. 

 

Wild coach Todd Richards addressed the cascading boos and in his post game press conference said, "The fans in hockey (here in Minnesota) know hockey.  I think everyone in the building felt the same thing."   

 

The Hawks entered the third period in firm control of the contest as it was Backstrom who kept the Wild in the hunt.  A two on one that began and ended with Kopecky who fired one through the five hole for a comfortable 3-0 Black Hawk lead was the dagger.  It came on the heels of a solid start to the period for Minnesota.  All five Wild players flowed as a unit to the right side of the rink as they failed to keep the Hawks zone, and it was Kopekcy who was off to the races who had nothing but ice in front of him and a Wild defender. 

 

"Obviously when you score two goals, or you have a good game, your confidence is pumped up or it's a little higher," Kopecky said.  "But (what's) really important today was a win because we needed it so bad."

 

Insult to injury was Jonathon Toews 23rd of the season as Niklas Hjalmarsson  dumped the puck hard in the Wild end.  Marian Hossa won the race to the puck as the Wild were caught in puck watching mode.  As he peeled the carom off the end boards he found a cruising Toews down the slot as Wild rookie Cody Almond worked his best matador impression complete with the red cape as he let Toews through clean to the net for the one time blast, followed by more boos.  

 

It was a pathetic offensive and defensive display by a team that played with a load of character just two nights before.  With 5 games remaining, what team will appear on a given night is the question of the day. 

 

When asked what he thought it was that caused the Wild to deliver such a brutal performance, center Kyle Brodziak said, "I don't know what it was, but it just wasn't good enough.  There is no way to explain it and no way to make an excuse for it. It just wasn't good enough.  We need to forget about it and take more pride in the way we play.  Come back to the rink and be ready to work."