October Post-Mortem: Grading the Minnesota Wild

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The first month of the season is over and, honestly, the Minnesota Wild are probably relieved. 

After starting the season 1-6-0, the team finished the month by winning four of their last seven games, as well as breaking their eight-game road losing streak against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Had you asked me, after the team’s initial five-game road trip, what I would think of the team finishing the month with five wins, I would have told you that it would be a very large positive for them. 

After watching the final two games of the month, I can tell you that it is much more than a large positive. 

The team is finally playing together; they are playing tight defensively and loose offensively. 

Their best players have started to show that spark that makes them their best players, and the mistakes that the team is making were no longer coming in the areas they shouldn’t be. 

Plain and simple, they are beginning to look like a team that gets it. 

With that in mind, here are my first month grades, as well as some first month awards. 

Forwards
Be honest.  You didn’t expect to see Eric Belanger tied for the team lead in scoring after the first month, did you? 

For those who said yes, you’re either his parents or a bald-faced liar. 

All kidding aside, though, Belanger has been spectacular for the Wild so far and he’s one of a select few forwards that we can say that about. 

Along with Belanger, Andrew Brunette and Owen Nolan are probably the only other players that we can say have given consistent efforts throughout the first month of the season. 

Even captain Mikko Koivu looked much less than impressive until he received the captaincy. 

The team is still having a hard time finding the back of the net, but the important thing is that the players that were brought in to do just that (Martin Havlat and Petr Sykora) are looking like they’re starting to hit their strides after back-to-back strong performances against the New York Rangers and the Penguins. 

The disappointments for the forwards, however, have been many.  Antti Miettinen has not been producing like he did early last season, though he found the net against New York, and James Sheppard has continued to disappoint up front. 

Early in the month, both Havlat and Sykora could have been counted in this group and still have a lot to prove after very slow starts. 

The most pleasant surprise for me has been the play of much-maligned rookie Benoit Pouliot.  Pouliot is starting to do the little things that Richards is asking him and the difference between the way he is playing now and the way he was playing at this point last season is night and day. 

He is going into the high traffic areas and he is, most importantly, using his size and crashing the net with his stick down. 

All-in-all, however, the team needs to figure out how to fill the back of the net.  Despite the new “up-tempo” offense and despite peppering the goalie with shots, they are still not scoring goals.  This will need to change in a large way for the team to keep winning. 

October Grade: C+  

Defense
Wow.  Where to begin.

I’ll just put it this way.  The defense looks absolutely horrific. 

There is a distinct lack of communication on the blueline—something that has led to goals even in the last two performances of the team.

Both of our defensemen seem to get the same idea in their heads at the same time and both do exactly the same thing, which tends to leave someone open at some point. 

In New York, it was both Schultz and Burns jumping up into the play too early.  In Pittsburgh, it was Burns inexplicable desire not to cover the man in the slot. 

Both resulted in goals. 

I’ll be honest—I love the way that Brent Burns plays.  I love the passion he plays with and I love the fact that he puts absolutely everything that he has into each and every game.  But he needs a defensive partner capable of reining him in. 

Keith Carney was able to do it his first season and Burns had a career year.  Maybe that player is Shane Hnidy.  Maybe it’s Greg Zanon.  One thing is for certain, though.  Burns will be a great talent, but he’s not quite there yet. 

But apart from Burns, our defense has been spotty. 

Marek Zidlicky is starting to play much better defensively.  He has even started to cut down on his turnovers. 

Kim Johnsson, like him or not, was playing quite well before his injury and was eating up minutes like a madman. 

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