Mediocre start for Minnesota
Posted 5:33 PM ET | Comments 0
At 6-6-2, the Minnesota Wild have started the abbreviated season with another mediocre start despite the hype regarding their off season acquisitions.
The issue for the Wild this season has been their lack of offensive output. At first all their offense was coming primarily from the 1st line. The Parise-Koivu-Heatley combination combined for 21 points in their first 5 games, but the 2nd and 3rd lines where not contributing.
Head coach Mike Yeo tinkered with line combinations attempting to spark chemistry among the offense. Dany Heatley moved to the 2nd line, Devin Setoguchi and Mikael Granlund moved to the 4th line while calling up Charlie Coyle from the AHL. The movements appeared to be the answer, Devin Setoguchi has picked his game up since, along with Mikael Granlund. Charlie Coyle skated 5 games with the Wild and looked strong, but was reassigned to Houston. Heatley rejoined Parise and Koivu, and the 1st line has regained the chemistry they showcased the first 5 games, combining for 5 points in last night's shoot out loss to Colorado.
Jared Spurgeon skated in his 2nd game last night since his injury Jan. 22nd against Nashville. Spurgeon suffered a foot injury when blocking a shot which resulted in him missing 9 games. Having him back in the line up is key for the Wild; his vision and puck moving ability was missed during his absence. While Spurgeon was injured, the Wild called up 19 year old Jonas Brodin. Since, Brodin has proved himself to be a fitting part of the Wild's blue line, and is on the top pairing with Ryan Suter.
If Minnesota can find a way to consistently score goals night in and night out, they should have no problem finding their way to the playoffs. Their goaltending has been solid this year, and their blue line has done their job as well. Ultimately it comes down to their offense, which no one dreamed would be their issue this season.
The issue for the Wild this season has been their lack of offensive output. At first all their offense was coming primarily from the 1st line. The Parise-Koivu-Heatley combination combined for 21 points in their first 5 games, but the 2nd and 3rd lines where not contributing.
Head coach Mike Yeo tinkered with line combinations attempting to spark chemistry among the offense. Dany Heatley moved to the 2nd line, Devin Setoguchi and Mikael Granlund moved to the 4th line while calling up Charlie Coyle from the AHL. The movements appeared to be the answer, Devin Setoguchi has picked his game up since, along with Mikael Granlund. Charlie Coyle skated 5 games with the Wild and looked strong, but was reassigned to Houston. Heatley rejoined Parise and Koivu, and the 1st line has regained the chemistry they showcased the first 5 games, combining for 5 points in last night's shoot out loss to Colorado.
Jared Spurgeon skated in his 2nd game last night since his injury Jan. 22nd against Nashville. Spurgeon suffered a foot injury when blocking a shot which resulted in him missing 9 games. Having him back in the line up is key for the Wild; his vision and puck moving ability was missed during his absence. While Spurgeon was injured, the Wild called up 19 year old Jonas Brodin. Since, Brodin has proved himself to be a fitting part of the Wild's blue line, and is on the top pairing with Ryan Suter.
If Minnesota can find a way to consistently score goals night in and night out, they should have no problem finding their way to the playoffs. Their goaltending has been solid this year, and their blue line has done their job as well. Ultimately it comes down to their offense, which no one dreamed would be their issue this season.