Wild Hope Canuck Rivalry Will Help Tilt the Ice
by Chris Thompson

Thursday January 16, 2003

OUCH!

What more can you say than that when talking about the Wild's current six game homestand? What looked like a dream chance to make a run at division leader Vancouver has turned into a nightmare for Wild fans, seeing their team lose three of the first four games in the homestand, all to very average teams.

Gaborik isn't scoring goals. Hasn't scored one in six games. It's part of the game, but the timing isn't the best. Add a mix of injuries on all ends of the ice, including goaltender Manny Fernandez, and you have the makings of a textbook mid-season collapse in the NHL.

You don't have to look far to see a similar scenario. Last season Calgary was the talk of the league early. Roman Turek was a Vezina candidate and Jerome Iginla was the league's top player. Like Minnesota they ran out the gates to an amazing start to the season. And where did it get them? Three games below .500 at the end of the season and a full 15 points out of the playoffs.

Talk about falling apart!! Is Minnesota on track to do the same thing? One has to wonder! But there's reason to believe the Wild can avoid the type of total collapse the Flames endured last season. Reason number one is right behind the bench: Jacques Lemaire. When the Wild came out flat against Columbus last Wednesday, Lemaire didn't sit and watch, content with his team's lack of effort. He put them through an intensive film session the very next day to highlight the mistakes they were making and force the players to address them. The result: a victory over the Phoenix Coyotes and a better game against the Buffalo Sabres, even if they did still lose to rookie phenom Ryan Miller.

Yes, Lemaire is the kind of coach that will identify potential problems with the team and not just WORK to resolve them, but has the coaching ability to actually PRODUCE results.

Tonight, however, might be one of those self-coaching games. The Vancouver Canucks enter the Wild's den and the place will be rocking. The Canucks enter without All-Star defenseman Ed Jovanovski, which may be a good thing for him as Minnesota hasn't forgotten the hit he put on Jason Marshall when these teams met in Vancouver last month. Marshall ended up out of the lineup for nearly a month after suffering a concussion against the glass.

It didn't take a hit on Jason Marshall to make this game meaningful though! There has been bad blood brewing between these two teams since the Wild joined the league. Even with Donald Brashear gone, Canucks players and fans alike are great at getting under the skin of others. That can either motivate, or distract a young team like Minnesota.

Edmonton has tied Minnesota in the standings. Vancouver is five points ahead. This game could result in a four point swing depending on its outcome. It is imperative that Minnesota play a sharp hockey game and come out on top. If they don't, you're going to hear more whispers about how Minnesota may be this year's Calgary. That's NOT what a young team needs to be hearing.

The puck drops at 7:00 and the game is on KMSP 9.

GO WILD!