Game 5 Gamethread: Wild at Stars (7:00 p.m.)

I mean, this is Minnesota.  What else would happen.  This clown show fits right in with the other three pro teams as gutless playoff losers.

Waving the white flag is a little defeatist.  Odds aren't with us but not too far fetched to win 2 games.

 

See you guy Friday. It's gotta be a better game cause it couldn't be much worse. Damn shutout!

Wild's game tonight...

I mean Guerin has tried to build the roster and that's looked good for the budget.

The garbage FO% and PP has been going on for some time. Cost the Wild in the STL series last year too. Nothing has changed with that. The players have to play and the coaches have to prepare them or help give them the best opportunity to win. That's one glaring failure that's on the players and coaches if you asked me. Same with the discipline and mindset. That's not the GM screwing that up.

I think you gotta look hard at Foligno now and ask what he's thinking to set the tone tonight. That hands Dallas the momentum and lead on a silver platter.

4 minutes ago, Skolwild said:

They oilers don’t have an excuse for why they can’t break through. 
 

The wild are stuck in mediocrity. I want to see them hoist a cup. They won’t do that by playing 4th line grinders on their 1st line. (Yes I know they don’t have a choice currently). but they will keep making the playoffs and exiting in the first round. It’s tried and true and it’ll happen next year too. 
 

 

The Wild with their boat anchor literally have enough talent to move to the next round at a minimum despite neither of their superstars scoring. They're killing the Stars 5 on 5. The roster is fine/adequate at a minimum. It's evident. Special teams yet again are the issue. That's coaching/gameplan. Dean-O/his staff "might" be out of their league in the playoffs. He blew it last year. He seems less stuck in his ways this year, but still a bit too much so IMO. 

2 minutes ago, Protec said:

I mean Guerin has tried to build the roster and that's looked good for the budget.

The garbage FO% and PP has been going on for some time. Cost the Wild in the STL series last year too. Nothing has changed with that. The players have to play and the coaches have to prepare them or help give them the best opportunity to win. That's one glaring failure that's on the players and coaches if you asked me. Same with the discipline and mindset. That's not the GM screwing that up.

I think you gotta look hard at Foligno now and ask what he's thinking to set the tone tonight. That hands Dallas the momentum and lead on a silver platter.

You know one thing that can fix a bad PP/PK and faceoffs? Practice...oh wait, the Wild do less of that than most. I get it they're pro's, but those are things that pro's can improve. 

Maybe we do give Fleury a shot at a swan song?  

Just now, Will D. Ness said:

Maybe we do give Fleury a shot at a swan song?  

2 minutes ago, Will D. Ness said:

Waving the white flag is a little defeatist.  Odds aren't with us but not too far fetched to win 2 games.

 

I hear you.  Coming back from 2-3 isn’t impossible.

But, let’s be real.  There’s no reason to think this team isn’t going to get their butts kicked and end the series in an Excel Center that’s half empty by the time the final horn sounds.

Same thing last year.  You can see it in their body language.  It’s mental.  Once you cross that threshold of being defeated mentally, there’s no coming back.

Three strikes you're out IMO. The Wild nearly beat Vegas but its basically been rinse and repeat for three playoffs. The Wild come in with a proven team that can win. What's different in the post-season Dean-O?

They simply don't adhere to the things that make them successful during the year. Then in a special teams game they forfeit any advantage they might otherwise have. That's what make MN sports so frustrating. The talent or ability to win isn't necessarily the issue. It's the repeated dumb shit whether it's the bad luck facing an unstoppable Yankees team, coaches making stupid decisions, or the players just choking. 

I mean decades of examples and it's like a broken record. You try to pretend it's not gonna happen this time but it always does with a little different twist of irony.

Edited April 26, 2023 by Protec

Believe. 

 

6 minutes ago, Beast said:

 You can see it in their body language.  It’s mental.  Once you cross that threshold of being defeated mentally, there’s no coming back.

I do too.  This team does not react to adversity well but still...  Fortune favors the bold... and when you are do or die... it's time to be bold.

Who’s the guy that steps up in the locker room after this loss and helps to right to the ship?  Spurgeon? Zuccs? Foligno? Fleury?  Winning the next game is definitely not impossible.  Some needs to light a fire under this team preferably one of the players  

 

7 minutes ago, NorthcoteCupGuy said:

Who’s the guy that steps up in the locker room after this loss and helps to right to the ship?  Spurgeon? Zuccs? Foligno? Fleury?  Winning the next game is definitely not impossible.  Some needs to light a fire under this team preferably one of the players  

 

DeBoer...more masterful subtle shots about the Wild being cheap. As much as I appreciate/think it's entertaining, Dean-O could take some notes on how to handle refs/the media. 

The TNT analysts talked about this right after the game. 

Never fails, Gorg with the softballs...lol. What's the point throwing those out there? I could do that Gorg. 

Faber with another good game. He continues to be reliable and steady.

Interested to see what Dean does for the next game? 

Will he put Fleury back in the net? Will the Wild take half a dozen penalties again? Man I thought the roller-coaster Era was over. Ten straight wins in February/March doesn't mean much now. The Wild are again on the ropes round one.

4 hours ago, Beast said:

Cut Foligno tomorrow.  That guy is an absolute idiot.  Just lost us the series.

Dude was your media hero 

2 hours ago, Beast said:

I hear you.  Coming back from 2-3 isn’t impossible.

But, let’s be real.  There’s no reason to think this team isn’t going to get their butts kicked and end the series in an Excel Center that’s half empty by the time the final horn sounds.

Same thing last year.  You can see it in their body language.  It’s mental.  Once you cross that threshold of being defeated mentally, there’s no coming back.

Suuuuuuuuuteeeeeeeer

7 hours ago, UK_Soldier said:

You know one thing that can fix a bad PP/PK and faceoffs? Practice...oh wait, the Wild do less of that than most. I get it they're pro's, but those are things that pro's can improve. 

THIS. Fucking this. It drives me nuts to read how little they practice and then watch them go out and suck ass on the PP time after time. 

Dean, being a former player himself, is probably a little too easy on these guys. I don't care what their heart-monitor machines say, they NEED to get better on the PP. Its been a huge difference between us and our opponents in the playoffs the last two seasons and its inexcusable how poorly we execute on it. 

If that doesn't get better next year he needs to go. 

7 hours ago, NorthcoteCupGuy said:

Who’s the guy that steps up in the locker room after this loss and helps to right to the ship?  Spurgeon? Zuccs? Foligno? Fleury?  Winning the next game is definitely not impossible.  Some needs to light a fire under this team preferably one of the players  

 

Needs to be the HC. That is literally his job.

If its always the players policing themselves, why even have a HC? 

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by B1GKappa97

7 hours ago, Will D. Ness said:

Maybe we do give Fleury a shot at a swan song?  

I think they should tbh. Especially with the game back at the X. 

Gus had a good run but the magic is clearly gone. Dude was giving up too-easy rebounds this last game and, from what I saw, looked like he was struggling to see the puck. 

I know MAF gave up 7 goals the last time he was in, and everyone else also played terribly, but at this point the Gus Bus doesn't seem to be backstopping anything anyway. May as well shake things up. 

Edited April 26, 2023 by B1GKappa97

6 hours ago, B1GKappa97 said:

I think they should tbh. Especially with the game back at the X. 

Gus had a good run but the magic is clearly gone. Dude was giving up too-easy rebounds this last game and, from what I saw, looked like he was struggling to see the puck. 

I know MAF gave up 7 goals the last time he was in, and everyone else also played terribly, but at this point the Gus Bus doesn't seem to be backstopping anything anyway. May as well shake things up. 

I went back and watched all the Stars goals from Games 4 and 5. 

Game 4:

1st goal: Mojo was soft on a loose puck, Gus does a poor job of controlling the first shot, it is bouncing around but I didn't like the positioning of Gus' stick; he needed to either go blocker down and cover the ice and at least have the blade of the stick covering the five hole. 

2nd goal: Hartman with the lazy backcheck on Hintz in the neutral zone, you generally want your goalies to save long-range shots like that but I think Gus was screened up high by Nyquist and down low by Spurgeon and Hintz skating right to left across his vision.

3rd goal: That entry for Dallas was too damn easy for starters, Mojo lost Seguin completely in the slot, Gaudreau and Dumba both go Benn, Middleton has slid completely out of position as well, and Seguin is left all alone for the easy goal. Not really on Gus at all. 

Game 5:

1st goal: The cross-ice pass got through 3 Wild players, Benn & Seguin were allowed to park in the slot with zero repercussions, Brodin left Seguin to cover Robertson and Spurgeon was way too late shifting down to cover, again soft net front play.

2nd goal: Stars did a great job of quick passes around the perimeter to get the Wild running around a bit, Robertson got the puck and held on for a second and drew 3 Wild players to him for some dumb reason which in turn screened Gus.

3rd goal: There was no screen on a shot from up high, Gus left a huge rebound, Spurgeon was slow to catch up to his guy racing towards the rebound, and I thought Gus' reaction to his own rebound was slow. 

So overall, a combination of Wild players losing their guy in the defensive zone and Gus being left all alone, some good screen play by Dallas, and two mishandled rebounds by Gus. If they want to go back to Fleury, that's fine. If they want to stick with Gus, that's fine. What they need to do is be harder to play against in front of their own net and stop losing Dallas players for easy tap-in goals. 

Edited April 26, 2023 by CammieBuckeye29
added a thought.